Chapter 46
Julian's POV
Gregory and Zachary gave me no chance to catch my breath—two giant wolves lunged at me almost simultaneously.
I barely dodged Gregory's claws, only to be hit squarely by Zachary. My entire body flew backward and slammed into a tree trunk. Sharp pain shot through my ribs. I gritted my teeth and stood up again, ice-blue wolf eyes locked fiercely on the enemies before me.
"The experience gap is too great," Sage said quietly in the depths of my consciousness. "Every attack they make is probing for your weaknesses."
I knew that, of course. These two coordinated flawlessly—one feinting, one attacking—giving me no space to counterattack. I could only retreat continuously, using ice walls to barely block their offensive.
But each ice wall would be torn apart in an instant. I had to find an opportunity to strike back.
I pretended to be driven by Gregory toward the tree line, my body staggering toward the bushes. Just as Zachary prepared to deliver a killing blow, I suddenly leaped up, my four paws tracing complex trajectories in the air.
Massive ice element condensed above my head, forming into a giant ice-sculpted wolf claw that crashed down viciously toward the two wolves.
"Pin them down!" I roared in my mind.
The ice claw fell with tremendous force. Gregory and Zachary hastily raised their forelimbs to resist. I heard the sound of bones shattering, saw blood spilling from their mouths.
Just when I thought this strike could turn the tide, something unexpected happened.
The canine fang necklaces on Gregory and Zachary's chests simultaneously erupted with blinding white light.
The radiance spread like a living thing, instantly engulfing my ice-sculpted wolf claw.
I watched helplessly as the ice element I had painstakingly condensed was completely absorbed by that white light, dissolving into nothingness. The two wolves wiped away the blood at the corners of their mouths, and the light from the necklaces grew more intense. Countless ice shards shot back out from within.
"Damn it!" I had no time to dodge and could only hastily conjure an ice shield before me.
The ice shards pierced through my defense, stabbing into my shoulder, hind leg, and abdomen. The intense pain nearly cost me control of my body. More critically, I could no longer maintain the ice pillar supporting Kane and Brian.
With a sharp "crack," the ice pillar snapped in the middle, and two figures plummeted from above.
"This is a treasure the Crimson Flame Warlord bestowed upon us Seven Claw Generals," Gregory said, shifting back to human form and stroking the copper canine fang necklace on his chest, his voice carrying a certain pride. "The Canine Fang Necklace can neutralize elemental magic power. Your ice is useless against us."
I struggled to shift back to human form, dropping to one knee as blood flowed from my wounds. Through blurred vision, I saw Brian land steadily and quickly rejoin the other two.
The three of them converged, their hands beginning to form complex seals.
An unsettling energy fluctuation permeated the air.
"The Seven Claw Generals' Seal," Brian said coldly. "Requires at least three Canine Fang Necklaces to activate. This technique can completely seal a werewolf's wolf spirit."
I turned to look at Kane, equally gravely wounded nearby. He knelt on one knee, chest heaving violently, blood at the corner of his mouth.
The moment our gazes met in midair, I saw the despair and unwillingness in his eyes.
Honestly, letting him die here would be the best outcome for me.
Without Kane, I would be the Silver Moon Pack's sole heir. Father would no longer have any reason to doubt my loyalty. But—
"I don't know why you want to kill Kane," I said, forcing myself to stand and conjuring an ice shield in my right hand. "Though my brother and I have long been at odds, no Alpha can watch his own people die before his eyes."
The hand seal movements of the three men paused.
They looked at me, at the ice shield trembling slightly in my hand, complex emotions flashing in their eyes.
"You remind me of Lord Crimson Flame Warlord," Brian said after a moment of silence. "I admire your courage. But we're not targeting you—please step aside. You wouldn't want the Silver Moon Pack to lose its elemental power like the Blood River Pack, would you?"
"Sage, can we block this?" I asked in my mind.
"Not sure. Probably not," Sage said with a bitter smile. "But will you step aside?"
"No."
I took a deep breath, mobilizing all the remaining ice element in my body. This might be my last time wielding ice power. If I failed, both Kane and I would die here.
But strangely, I didn't regret this decision.
Perhaps because we had once protected Fiona together, perhaps because the same blood flowed in our veins, or perhaps simply because I didn't want outsiders running wild on Silver Moon's land.
"Winter's Gate!"
I roared aloud as a massive ice shield rose before me. It was a scale I had never condensed before, draining nearly all my strength. The ice shield was as thick as a city wall, its surface flowing with a frigid luster, as if it would freeze the entire world.
The runic energy sphere from the three men struck the ice shield.
One second, two seconds, three seconds—the ice shield remained motionless.
I saw a flash of surprise cross Brian's face. But the next moment, the runic power began seeping into the ice shield's interior. Countless fine cracks spread across it. I desperately maintained the shield's integrity, veins bulging on my forehead, blood seeped from every orifice on my face.
"Hold on... hold on..."
Bang!
Winter's Gate shattered with a thunderous explosion.
Before I could react, the runic energy enveloped me completely. Those ancient incantations wrapped around my limbs like chains, piercing into my flesh and blood, reaching straight to Sage's core.
I heard Sage's agonized howl, felt his consciousness being forcibly suppressed. My vision grew increasingly blurred, my body gradually losing sensation, my consciousness beginning to sink into darkness.
Just when I thought everything was about to end, wolf howls came from the distance.
That was the voice of the Silver Moon Pack—Father's guard unit, our people.
They were rushing here, but it was already too late. I saw the three men quickly pick up the unconscious Ella and vanish into the forest depths like three shadows.
Darkness swallowed me. In my final conscious moment, I only remembered Kane lying not far away, as immobilized as I was, and that girl they had taken—
Ella.