155 Chapter 155: Silver Skeletal Wolf (1/2)
We made good progress as we doubled our pace toward the shelter. Teacher Fielding made sure to mark the route in the holographic map and sent it back to the rest of the school. Along the way, we managed to prevail over a pack of Dire Wolves and a couple of Thunder Wolves. Fortunately, the two types of monsters moved separately, unlike that time with the assault on Jing Tian Academy, and the pack of Dire Wolves was about ten, much less than the previous wave, otherwise we would be in a lot of trouble.
With our combined might and experience, we were able to slay them. I shuddered to think what would have happened if the pack of Dire Wolves was larger and led by three Thunder Wolves. Some of us might meet the same fate as Teacher Ji Lu Da Shi and his team. At the very least, we would have sustain a few casualties and be slowed down considerably.
Fortunately, we managed to clear the first two kilometers of monsters. There was no guarantee that no new monsters would arrive and cross the route while the other groups were moving out – especially with so many groups – but we didn't have a choice. Moving in a large main group was suicidal and would definitely draw the attention of monsters like moths to a light. Each group was going to have to scout its way around and update the holographic map for the other groups that followed. We could only do so much.
Harvey was moving nimbly above, using his magic to propel himself upward. Unlike the rest of us, he could spare the energy because he was meant to avoid combat. Stopping on one high vantage point, he used both his senses and equipment to scout ahead and track the movements of any monsters that might be nearby.
”I hope we don't run into any Thunder Wolves again,” Theodore mutter, shaking his hand. Apparently it had gotten numb when he used his arm to parry a strike from a Thunder Wolf earlier. ”Those things are vicious.”
”You're actually saying that!?” Craig complained. Unlike Theodore, he was scorched in several areas and his uniform was slightly tattered. ”You have some resistance to lightning magic, being an electric-type mage and all!”
”It's just not very effective against me, but that doesn't mean I'm completely immune to the effects of lightning magic.”
”Quiet, all of you!” Teacher Fielding snapped. ”Maintain field discipline!”
Everyone fell silent. Our combat magic instructor glanced up at Harvey, who was still looking around intently for enemies.
”Anything?”
”Not that I can see, sir,” Harvey replied before he jumped to another high vantage point – a broken building a block down.
”Good. Keep moving, everyone. Just one more kilometer and we'll reach the shelter. Keep your guard up!”
We proceeded to the next block using the standard fire and movement pattern that Teacher Fielding had drilled into us. One group moved forward while the second group covered them, and then we moved forward while they covered us. Using such military maneuvers, we were able to watch out for any enemies and guard against ambushes.
It had worked for us so far.
”There's a group of mages fighting about five hundred meters to our two o'clock,” Harvey reported as he perched atop a shattered balcony of an apartment building that was overlooking a park. At the edge of the park, he could see a row of bungalows, and beyond that, he saw conflagrations and explosions in the distances as pockets of resistance clashed with invading monsters. ”Should we reinforce them?”
”No point.” Teacher Fielding shook his head. ”Our mission is to secure a safe route for the other students and staff of our school, not rescue other survivors. In any case, they're too far. By the time we reach there, the outcome will already be decided. We'll draw too much attention to us if we merge with a larger group and we don't have unlimited mana to get involved in too many battles either.”
”Understood.”
Harvey was about to move to the next block when he spotted something fearsome rear above and over the roof of one of the bungalow houses ringing the park. Three crimson eyes glowed as they swept across the ruined greenery in search of fresh prey. Its immense jaws yawned open, revealing teeth the size of swords, and the silver bone-like spikes that surrounded its head in a deadly mane gleamed under the moonlight. Judging from how it towered over such a huge three-story bungalow house, Harvey judged that it was almost nine meters in height.
And the power it exuded…its intimidating presence…it overpowered even the demonic auras of the Thunder Wolves he witnessed earlier. In fact, he was reminded of the Crastrate that nearly killed him so many months ago.
His breath caught in his throat, Harvey froze in reflex.
”Harvey? Are you all right?”
Harrison noticed that our junior had stopped moving from fear and was staring wide-eyed in a fixed direction, but because our view was blocked by the row of shop houses that shielded us from the park, we couldn't see the immense wolf monster that had struck so much horror into Harvey's heart.
Harvey slowly turned around, his eyes as round as saucers. He kept his head down and carefully crawled toward a corner of the second story of the broken shop house before turning to us and raising a shaking finger to his lips. His fear was visible.
”What…?” Craig was about to ask, but Sheila kicked him in his ankle, causing him to stop and grimace in pain.
Teacher Fielding, being much more experienced than us, was the next to sense the tremendous, super-heavy demonic aura of the newly appeared monster, and he hastily gestured for all of us to take cover. Without asking any questions, we all obeyed in reflex, diving to whatever cover we could. Behind shattered walls, broken furniture or torn shelves.
I had taken shelter under a still relatively intact cafeteria table, where an abandoned cup of water still stood on its blemished surface.
A rattling current of wind blew across the air, along with a foul stink. And then I realized it wasn't a gust of wind, but the exhalation of some enormous creature.
Boom.
Boom.
In front of my wide eye, the cup of water began shaking. Tremors from the footfalls of something massive and heavy were sending vibrations throughout not just the cup of water but the entire table. I watched as the rattling cup slowly slid toward the edge of the table. And then it fell off.
I caught it by reflex before it could hit the ground and shatter. Water streamed through my fingers and dripped onto the ground, but at least it didn't make a noise as a cup would if it had shattered against the concrete. Breathing shallowly in relief, I carefully set the now-empty cup down on the ground and then looked up.
Then I saw it.
The enormous wolf head, covered in a mane of silver, skeletal spikes.