There was no way back.
That sentence was not a warning, nor a reminder, it was a stark, cold truth, as chilling as the night wind rolling down from distant mountain ridges, constricting the breath of those who still remained on the battlefield.
The hazy afterimages of the Alpha Giant Elite Dire Wolf were not mere soulless shadows or fleeting mirages created by sheer speed.
They had weight. They had presence. They exuded killing intent, forming an inescapable web, pressing down upon every fighter still standing, suffocating them under an unbearable pressure.
They moved silently, without a sound, as if they were entities unbound by this world, gliding across the battlefield, where the ground was already scarred with traces of relentless combat.
One… two… three… fourteen… the more they counted, the deeper their despair.
Glowing red eyes flickered in the darkness, like ghostly will-o'-the-wisps dancing in a graveyard, their deathly breath creeping into the gaps of human vigilance.
Mito swallowed dryly. Her grip on the scythe's handle was so tight that a numbness spread up her arms, but she dared not relax, not even for a second.
Her breath came in short, ragged bursts, yet she instinctively suppressed them, as if making a single sound would provoke something lurking within the night to strike.
Her heart pounded so violently that it felt like, with just one more beat, it would rip itself free from her chest and flee on its own.
Asuna was no better. She fought to stay calm, but every nerve in her body was stretched to its limit. Her fingers had turned white from the force with which she clenched the hilt of her sword.
Her gaze darted over the pack, desperately searching for the real body of the Alpha, but they were all the same, same speed, same eyes, same savage grin lurking beneath the moonlight.
They were perfect copies, moving in flawless synchrony, as if controlled by a single will, a single intelligence. And that eerie perfection made them all the more terrifying.
Then, from above, a commanding voice rang out, clear, heavy, and decisive, like a sword cleaving through fate itself.
"We can't win like this. If you get a chance… retreat."
But that chance... did not exist.
The Alpha Giant Elite Dire Wolf had no intention of allowing it.
A thunderous roar tore through the sky, a sentence of doom that could not be overturned.
And then, they lunged.
No warning. No telltale sound. Only the darkness splitting apart, only the wind being forced back by the sheer velocity of the predators.
Mito couldn't react in time.
A set of gleaming fangs, reflecting the silver moonlight like a blade of death, came hurtling toward her.
She watched...frozen.
A silver light flashed.
Not the moon.
A blade.
"ATTACK!!"
A single cry shattered the suffocating stillness.
That sword didn't flash just once. It wasn't a lone streak of light in this abyss of despair.
A swift upward slash, precise and deadly. A silver-gray arc split through the air, shattering the illusion of the beast lunging at her, reducing it to crimson pixels scattering into the wind.
But the one wielding the blade did not stop.
A horizontal slash...too fast to follow. A straight thrust, so precise it seemed practiced a thousand times over.
Mito reflexively stepped back, her eyes widening.
Ren...!
He stood there, but he was not alone against the wolves.
Blades flashed from every direction.
Other players had arrived.
Metal clashed violently in the night.
Ren tightened his grip on his sword, he wasn't retreating anymore. His blade carved silver arcs through the air, reflecting the pale moon above.
No more hesitation, only speed, precision, and power.
But then.
A powerful gust roared from behind. Boom!
A spear hurtled forward, impaling the wolf lunging at Ren through its flank.
He barely caught the glint of steel before the massive beast was pinned to the ground.
Ren froze for a split second, then another figure shot past him.
A swordsman! Clad in sturdy iron armor.
His blade drew a sharp arc, deflecting the snapping jaws of another shadow, the Alpha Dire Wolf growling behind Ren.
And it wasn't just one.
From multiple directions, swords and spears struck in unison. A line of shield-bearing players surged forward.
The newcomers did not hesitate. They did not falter. They charged into battle.
A familiar voice rang out amidst the chaos:
"Split them up! Don't let them cluster!"
Argo!
Ren turned, locking eyes with her through the slashes of combat. She wasn't fighting, she was commanding.
"They're our reinforcements!" Argo shouted as she dodged an incoming strike. "They'll hold back the wolves and those shadows!"
Everything happened too fast. Ren didn't even have time to fully take in the situation.
But he didn't need to look.
Because for the first time in this entire battle…
He was no longer alone.
"Focus on taking them down one by one! Don't panic!"
The order was sharp. Instinctively, the players moved in sync.
Groups of three to four formed, their weapons intertwining, moving like a true army.
The wolves began to retreat.
They were still fierce. The Alpha Elite Dire Wolf's wrath still loomed over the battlefield like a storm.
But the tide had shifted.
Beneath Ren's feet, crimson fragments littered the ground, dissolving into nothingness as if they had never existed.
Yet before him, more monsters still moved, still howled, still circled hungrily, still refused to stop.
There was no time to think.
No time to be afraid.
You have only one choice…
Grip your sword.
And charge straight ahead.
Metal clashed against fangs.
A piercing screech tore through the darkness, shaking the air like a lightning strike exploding in the dead of night.
Ren's blade struck the jaws of the oncoming wolf, the impact so powerful that it sent both of them stumbling backward.
Sparks erupted from the point of collision, swirling like fiery fireflies, briefly igniting before vanishing into the night.
But there was no time to rest.
His swing had barely deflected the first attack, and already, three more shadows had emerged, closing in from different angles.
They did not hesitate. The pack moved like a raging storm, each step shaking the ground, their crimson eyes burning with a curse of death.
Too fast.
Gritting his teeth, Ren forced his body to react on instinct, lowering his stance, twisting to the side to evade, and at the same time, swinging his sword in a sharp arc toward the nearest foe.
The strike landed.
A perfect slash, precise and razor-sharp. The blade cut through the thick fur, carving into the lunging body. Red pixels burst into the air like droplets of blood, scattering like shattered glass, but…
The wolf did not disappear immediately.
It let out a deep, guttural snarl, its form flickering under the moonlight. But instead of vanishing like a normal monster, it merely staggered back, then roared and lunged again, showing no sign of weakening.
Ren tightened his grip on the hilt. Damn it. He was right.
These weren't mere illusions. They were real.
Which meant they could be killed.
But it also meant they could kill him.
"Right side!"
Asuna's voice rang out, a sharp alarm reverberating in his skull.
But Ren didn't need to look. He felt it.
The sudden shift in air pressure. The sound of claws ripping through the wind, hurtling toward him at terrifying speed.
He turned his sword...
Too slow.
BAM!
A crushing force slammed into him, brutal, unrelenting. It was like being struck by an iron fist, sending him flying backward like a puppet with its strings cut.
The air was knocked from his lungs in a violent shock. Every joint in his body screamed in agony as he crashed and tumbled across the ground.
The world spun.
And then.
THUD!
His back hit the earth with a jarring impact, his breath choking in his throat. Pain. So sharp he couldn't think for a moment, only the searing ache radiating from his shoulder down his arm, pulsing in time with his heartbeat.
But he had no time to breathe.
A massive shadow loomed over him…
Alpha.
This time, its real body.
No more flickering mirages. No more illusions moving in the dark… they had all converged.
Now, there was only one true monster staring down at him.
Its fangs glinted silver under the moonlight.
And he saw its eyes.
Not the eyes of a mindless beast. Not the soulless instinct of a predator.
But pure disdain.
A chill ran down his spine.
Damn it. He had forgotten something important.
Alpha was not just a giant wolf. Not just a regional boss.
It was a hunter.
And he… he was its prey.
Alpha's four legs tensed, claws digging into the earth, carving deep grooves into the dirt and stone. It didn't lunge immediately. It was waiting.
No. Not waiting, it was toying with him.
A low growl rumbled from its throat. Not one of anger. Not a warning.
But a laugh.
Ren clenched his teeth. A searing heat flared in his chest, a raging tide of emotions tangled between frustration, anger, and a burning resolve.
No.
He was not prey.
He couldn't let himself be hunted forever.
If he ran, he would die. If he hesitated, he would die.
If he had to die, then at least he would die with a sword in his hands.
Without a second thought, he forced his muscles to tighten, channeling every ounce of strength into his legs.
And sprang up.
At that exact moment, Alpha lunged down.
Time slowed.
Its claws tore through the air.
Its fangs gleamed like ivory daggers.
Ren could feel the wind howling between them.
But he swung his sword.
A silver streak slashed across the night.
Ren did not retreat.
The sound of metal ripping through the dark rang out, sharp as lightning cutting through the heavens, drowning out even the furious snarl of the massive beast.
Ren's blade struck Alpha's descending attack, not strong enough to stop the devastating blow completely, but just enough to alter its trajectory…
…just enough to keep him from being crushed beneath those razor-sharp claws.
No time to think.
Ren rolled out of the danger zone, feeling the savage wind scrape against his skin, carrying the scorching breath of the beast and the thick, iron scent of blood, a scent heavy with death.
Alpha landed with a forceful impact, its claws embedding deep into the solid ground, sending tiny cracks spiderwebbing outward, as if the very earth was groaning under its weight.
But in that instant.
SHNK!
A sharp arrow streaked through the night, tearing through the darkness and piercing straight into Alpha's left eye socket with absolute precision.
The giant wolf roared, its deafening cry shaking the entire space, sending tremors rippling through the ground beneath Ren's feet.
It staggered back a step, its head jerking violently as fragments of red pixels burst from its ruined eye socket, flickering into scattered sparks before fading into the ground.
Ren didn't need to turn around to know who had fired the shot.
The Commander.
He had never missed a single shot.
But Alpha had yet to fall.
It shook its head furiously, letting out a rage-filled snarl, its entire body trembling with the fury coursing through its veins. Even with one eye destroyed, the remaining ones still burned in the darkness, cold, ruthless, locked onto its target… Ren.
A shadow flashed past from the left. Asuna.
Without hesitation, she dashed forward with the speed of a gale, her sword carving a sharp arc through the air.
Clang!
Alpha reacted instantly.
Its claw swung up, colliding against Asuna's blade with terrifying force, the sound of metal clashing ringing out sharply.
The sheer impact sent her flying backward, but Asuna twisted in midair, channeling all her strength into her legs and launching a fierce kick straight at the wolf's head.
Alpha staggered.
Ren's moment had come.
Without a second of hesitation, he charged.
His grip tightened around his sword's hilt, knuckles turning white, muscles tensing as he poured everything into a single, decisive strike.
The blade slashed downward, aiming straight for Alpha's throat.
It sliced through thick fur and tough skin, leaving behind a deep, gaping wound, where red pixelated fragments burst forth like shattered blood droplets.
Alpha roared, more ferocious than ever.
But just as it was about to counterattack.
Thud!
A second arrow.
This time, it struck directly into its right eye.
Three of its eyes were now gone.
Only three remained.
A massive damage number flashed above the beast's head, its HP bar steadily depleting.