I went flying.
The impact knocked the breath out of me, and I untransformed mid-air. My bear form had taken the brunt of the damage, but it didn't change the fact—I was running on fumes. Energy reserves low. Body torn. Everything hurt.
Below me, the forest was gone.
As far as my eyes could see—nothing but blackened craters, burning trees, and scorched earth. The wolf had turned the land into a wasteland. Yet… it still stood. Barely. Its body wobbled, blood dripping freely, but I could see it healing again—flesh knitting together faster than I could blink.
"Impossible…" I muttered.
Then—boom—a bolt of lightning began forming again in its mouth.
But it never finished.
A blur of motion—a reindeer?
It came crashing from the treeline, horns glowing with eerie power. The antlers pierced the wolf's side, throwing it across the shattered field like a ragdoll. It hit the ground hard, sliding and carving a trench through the ash-covered dirt.
I didn't wait.
Leaping forward, I propelled myself with Black Wind, slamming straight into the wolf's stomach mid-roll. Crunch. The impact was solid. The wolf's eyes went bloodshot as it howled, discharging lightning in every direction.
I dodged barely in time.
Something was wrong. Its form—it was shrinking. The electricity around it had lessened, and its posture had changed. It stood on two feet now, in a half-hybrid state, fur receding. Its movements were sharper. More controlled.
A wind blade left my hand—missed. It dodged with unnatural ease.
The reindeer charged again. This time, the wolf didn't evade. Bam! A fist met the reindeer's chest, sending cracks across its antlers. From behind, I released a cleave—it hit. Black blood sprayed. The wolf turned toward me in fury.
I dodged its swipe mid-air, using a gust to redirect myself. Then I blasted wind directly into its face. Crash! It hit the ground hard. The reindeer wasted no time, charging again—only to have the wolf pierce its stomach with a claw and release a blast of lightning through its body.
It dropped.
The wolf, back on all fours, roared and came at me. Lightning crackled along its fur. Boom! A hit to my gut sent me flying, blood dripping from my mouth. I rolled, dodged again, and tried countering—but it pierced through my side.
"Argh—!" I screamed as it tried to rip my head off.
Instinct took over.
Storm. A burst of pressure from within forced it back, but only for a second. I lost sight for a moment—mistake. A lightning bolt—bang!—hit me square. I collapsed, twitching, barely able to move.
Then—a shockwave.
The reindeer, not dead after all, rose again. It absorbed energy from the land, draining the life from nearby plants. Even the wind shifted toward it, unnaturally.
The wolf paused.
Its eyes met mine.
In one fluid motion, it untransformed, clawed straight through the reindeer's neck—separating head from body.
Now.
I struck, releasing vacuum pressure. The reindeer's body began to knit itself again behind me, already regenerating. That monster...
Together, we launched wave after wave. Cleaves, blasts, lightning, wind. The battlefield shook with every blow. We took the lead. Finally, finally, the wolf began to slow. Then—
It targeted me.
I felt the pain first—a claw through my gut. It tried to finish me, but the deer returned the favor, launching a beam that knocked the wolf off me.
But the wolf wasn't done.
It howled.
The skies answered.
Rain fell again. Its body glowed as it transformed once more. This time, I didn't let it complete. I struck, cleaving into its neck while it was still shifting. The reindeer blasted a hole straight through its chest.
It should've died. It should have.
But it didn't.
I saw its body shrinking again. Something was changing. Flesh molded, bones shifted. Then—a human. Pale, withered. Aging in reverse.
I didn't care anymore.
I would kill them both—or die trying.
Charging the old wolf in its human form, I was intercepted—by the reindeer. Again. Its antlers slashed across my shoulder. It was fast. Silent. The way it moved—no noise, no emotion.
Creepy.
It tanked every hit I landed.
No sound. No breath. Just endless regeneration.
I leapt, propelled myself with wind, and retreated. My body was about 50% recovered now. Maybe more. But not enough to take on both of them.
I turned my back.
Tried to leave.
Then—boom. The air collapsed around me. Pressure. I couldn't move.
Crushing.
I resisted with Black Wind—barely. Then a bolt of lightning struck me from behind. I howled, transformed into my bear form, tanked it with my rage.
The wolf and the deer came at me together. Coordinated.
This wasn't normal.
The wolf—he moved like a human. Calm. Controlled. No longer wild.
I roared.
Focused on the deer—physically weaker, but its abilities were dangerous. Every time I got close, the wolf interfered.
Still—I landed a black storm, clawing into the deer's neck.
But lightning interrupted me again. They fought like they had done this before.
I lashed out.
A wind blade ripped into the wolf. Then another. Endless waves of wind crashed into it. My scythe pierced the deer—finally doing real damage.
"In what world," I growled, "does a wolf and a deer fight together?"
I clawed through the deer's neck again.
This time—I didn't stop. I activated Vacuum. The air disappeared. I ripped its head clean off, tossing it like trash.
Then I pounced on the wolf.
Slaughter.
I didn't give it time to breathe. My claw pierced its heart. I activated Black Storm. I bit into its skull, hacking, slashing, carving—until it stopped moving.
Then—pressure.
Unbelievable pressure crashed down on me like a mountain. Bones shattered. Vision blurred.
I looked up.
The deer—its head had grown back.
"…Damnit," I whispered. "I have to get close."