dmims Chapter 184: Can Ethan survive that?
Chapter 184: Can Ethan survive that?
The morning sun shone through the tree, whose branches were laden with snow, and cast its light onto the snow-covered ground.
The sounds of birds and the chimes of insects echoed rhythmically through the forest, followed by the crunch of feet on the snow.
"I feel the air is a bit warmer than yesterday." A swirling white mist left Eva’s lips as she clutched her coat tightly to her body.
Ethan swung his ice-made sword at the vines blocking their path before turning to look back.
"I think our assumption about the island’s seasons might be wrong. Maybe this island’s seasons arrive earlier than those on the other islands," Julian mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"???" Huge question marks filled Eva’s mind as Julian spoke.
Julian realized he had spoken out loud when he noticed her intensely confused gaze.
"Um, think of it from a time perspective. Time moves faster on this island than on the other island we had been to—hence the faster seasons," he explained as best he could.
"Oh (・o・) I get it now. So it’s not a winter island or a summer island as I thought... but how are you sure you’re right, though?" Eva asked in an uncertain tone, feeling that they were merely guessing and would only know the truth once they had lived there and experienced it for themselves.
"Then we’ll only know in the future. I can hear faint beast roars ahead," Ethan chimed in.
His last words made them stop talking and continue on their way.
Their feet sank into the snow as they moved deeper into the forest of snow-covered trees. The sun’s rays filtered through the leaves and onto the ground.
The roars grew louder as they ventured deeper into the woods.
"It should be more than one beast," Eva muttered, frowning as she drew her dagger.
"We have to look anyway." Julian shrugged with a helpless smile. They weren’t danger-loving; they had to investigate to determine the level of danger on this island and gauge whether it was livable or needed a thorough purging.
"There are several heartbeats ahead. Be careful," Ethan warned, his furry ears twitching slightly as he listened intently.
Their expressions changed instantly at his words. If the beast here were its normal size, Eva wouldn’t take it seriously with their lineup... but who told the beast here to be bigger than humans?
Eva clicked her tongue in vexation, feeling it unfair to them. At least they were compensated with powers and beasts from the trial, or humanity would have been finished in this place.
They walked for almost twenty minutes before they came upon a wide clearing, and their expressions changed at the sight of the overwhelming pack of white wolves.
Eva felt goosebumps break out along her back; she instinctively moved back, wishing to escape.
Unfortunately, it was too late; the wolves had noticed them, especially the two wolf kings preparing to fight for succession.
They instantly stopped and turned toward the outsiders, growling in warning and challenge.
"Growl!!"
The rest of the wolves who were resting on the ground straightened at their alpha’s growl.
Julian and Ethan frowned at their glowing, predatory glances and battle-ready stance.
"We’ll kill as many as we can and look for a chance to escape," Ethan instructed in a serious tone, a wisp of an ice dagger forming beneath his hand.
Eva and Julian nodded in unison, each gripping their weapons tightly.
Eva enveloped her body in a green shield, her shoulder-length knife fully coated as she steadied her breathing, preparing for the gruesome battle ahead.
"Tell me immediately if you’re injured," Eva warned them sternly before dashing toward the crowd of wolves, with them following behind.
"Howl!" The two kings let out a battle cry, joined by the other wolves’ howl of response—beast and man lunging at each other.
Eva released her beast from her space as she swung her knife down on the wolf near her.
A splash of blood spurted out, hitting the ground as the wolf’s head dropped with a loud thud.
The snow-covered ground was stained with blood.
Eva didn’t have time to relax; she dodged the two claws aimed at her, and Foxy slashed its tail at them, sending them flying across the field.
On the other side, Julian waved his hand through the air, and a giant, hazy black clock appeared. The long and short hands of the clock ticked normally before slowing sharply.
The wolves gathered around him moved in slow motion, leaving them vulnerable to Julian’s strike.
His sword cut through them as if he were mowing grass, the snow-covered ground beneath them soaking with blood, severed limbs, and entrails.
The clock remained for thirty minutes before fading like a cloud of smoke, and it was as if a switch had been flipped—the wolves returned to their normal speed.
Julian waved his sword in the air, shaking off the excess blood before dashing into the crowd of raging beasts.
Ethan was locked in a fierce battle against the Wolf Kings, who wielded ice powers like his own, forming sharp icicles and hurling them at him.
Their attack was blocked by the shield Ethan created above him.
He counterattacked by lashing a chain toward a wolf’s hind legs to lock it in place, then shot an arrow at the other wolf.
His attack was swift, leaving the wolves no chance to escape. An arrow pierced one wolf’s shoulder, while the other’s hind legs were frozen, causing it to hit the ground with a loud thud.
A whine of pain escaped them before they let out an angry howl. Ethan was about to shoot another arrow straight at their heads when the wolves joined forces and formed a shield covered in ice spikes.
The spikes shot toward Ethan at once, their overwhelming numbers catching Eva off guard when she accidentally glanced in his direction.
"Damn! Can Ethan survive that?!" Eva yelled in fright, her expression filled with concern, but the wolves didn’t let her get distracted.
Their attacks were vicious and swift as they struck her from all sides.
Eva and Foxy instead absorbed the wolves’ energy, their bodies twisting like mummies displayed in a museum.
But no matter how much she absorbed, the number of wolves showed no sign of decreasing; it was as if she had merely taken a cup of water from an ocean.
She and Foxy attacked with sword and claws, absorbing the energy around them as they edged toward the other side of the clearing.
Eva remembered Ethan’s earlier instructions—they were to fight their way out of the pack of wolves; it was impossible to wipe them out alone.
The fight raged on for hours, the ground littered with severed limbs and blood, everything stained red.
Ethan killed one wolf king; the remaining one wasn’t faring any better, its fur soaked with blood, and it was limping on its right leg.
Ethan didn’t sustain any major injuries; his clothes were merely torn, and his body was soaked in the beast’s blood.
He raised his hand, an icy arrow forming within it as he shot it straight toward the wolf skull.
The wolf sensed the danger of death and howled for its kin to save it, but the arrow was faster, piercing its skull.
As soon as it died, the remaining wolves howled to the sky, their eyes taking on a frenzied gleam and their attacks growing more reckless.
Eva and the others sensed the change in the air and signaled to each other to flee into the woods.
Without hesitation, they mounted their beasts and shot forward, growls and the thudding of paws relentlessly following behind.
Eva’s eyes flickered with an idea, and she rushed toward Julian, who was closest to her.
She tapped his beast tail, sending him to her space, then rushed toward Ethan, who was ahead, repeating her actions.
"Growl!"
Their furious howls echoed behind her. They noticed Julian and Ethan’s scent had faded, so they turned their rage on her.
Eva hadn’t entered her space yet; she began creating an energy bomb in the air as she ran.
The huge green ball hovered in the air, charged with overwhelming energy as it condensed.
Eva, sensing the timing was right, triggered it and vanished into her space.