Direwolves.

From what I know, they exist in three Cadres.

Cadre 2, Direwolf Grunts.

Cadre 3, Direwolf Soldiers.

Cadre 4, Direwolf Leaders.

At the moment, I am face-to-face with nearly a hundred Direwolves, led by their Cadre 4 leader.

The thing is massive.

It has a broad body, easily as tall as a house.

If I had to estimate, I'd say it's about five meters tall, with an incredibly robust physique that casts an intimidating shadow on everything. It has bright stars all over its purple fur, and on its head are two straight horns.

Its eyes glimmer with sparkling purple energy, and its heavy growls sound like thunder, its echoes causing the cavern walls to tremble.

What a predicament.

I have to face a Cadre 4 Magivore, while also dealing with nearly a hundred of its Cadre 3 followers, and I have to kill them all as quickly as possible so I can make it in time to save everyone further down this death trap.

'The biggest worry I have is the Special Abilities of the Direwolf Leader.' My eyes rest on the colossal beast, watching as it gives the lesser beasts the order to attack.

WHOOSH!

They immediately charge at me, but I shift to defense and endure their collective strikes despite the immense difficulty. If not for the Midnight Garb distorting my appearance in the form of shadows, I reckon I'd already have been hit by now.

Thankfully, because of their incredible number, many of the Air Blasts cancel out one another due to their overlapping range.

I'm also not surrounded, which means I can freely retreat, though I should avoid doing that.

If I let them push me back, it'll only create more distance between the people I'm trying to save and me. Instead, I should find a way to achieve the opposite by bravely advancing.

'Although I should avoid retreating, I indeed have a lot of breathing room, so evasion is easier. The cavern is also very large, which makes it easier to use my Martial Technique.'

I believe, with sufficient time to recognize their patterns and also tire them out, I should be able to create windows of opportunity, allowing me to slaughter them with greater ease. If I can't find a satisfactory window, I can always wait until Frontflow's cooldown elapses.

But that should only be a last-ditch plan.

There's no time.

'The biggest obstacle remains the Cadre 4 Magivore. If I knew their abilities, I could make a plan that takes them into consideration. But, I also can't be overly cautious of it, since that would keep me on the defensive.' A tinge of frustration grows within my heart.

I need to be proactive, but doing so without understanding the moves of my opponent puts me at risk. So, right now I have to make a choice.

Do I go for it or not?

'Screw it!' I grit my teeth and discard my worries, choosing to test the waters instead.

SWOOSH!

I leap forward, rapidly kicking against the cold dirt beneath my feet.

The Direwolves send their Air Blasts, but I constantly alternate positions, ensuring that their aim remains as inaccurate as possible. At some point, they switch strategies and cover a wide range with their blasts, essentially raining down a barrage of inescapable projectiles at me.

'I can't evade them all!'

Despite realizing this, I tightly clench my teeth and keep moving forward. I dodge as many as I can, but some of the air blasts inevitably reach me.

"Guh!" My body trembles with every attack that lands on me, but I endure.

The Midnight Garb really does a lot to protect me, but the vibrations still pass through and rattle my bones. I imagine my body turning to mush within my Armament if I continuously take on many Air Blasts from all sides.

Thankfully, I am able to mitigate the damage by only letting certain blasts hit me, while I use that opportunity to keep advancing.

Eventually—

'The attacks stopped!' My eyes widen as my lips subconsciously form a grin. 'It's my chance!'

I increase my pace and close the distance between the closest Direwolf and me, prepared to squeeze every second of this newfound opportunity to whittle down their numbers as much as possible.

Just as I am about to strike, however—

BOOOOOM!!!

A terrifying ray of transparent light suddenly strikes the space right in front of me.

If I had taken just one more step forward… I would have been consumed by the incorporeal beam that managed to devastate everything within a five-meter radius.

'So you've finally made your move…' I glare at the Cadre 4 Direwolf, watching as it marches forward majestically, its colossal body glistening with stars.

'What a sly beast. It decided to strike the moment everyone else was vulnerable.'

I gulp a little.

'It's a good thing I kept an eye out for it. If I chose to be a little bit careless, I would have been badly injured by that pressure…' My gaze lands on the devastated ground before me, and I nod in quick understanding.

So, not only is there a chance that this creature has a superior Air Blast, but it has some kind of Pressurized Air Breath.

This creates an invisible, but pressure-filled ray of destructive power.

Although it has a straight trajectory, it is much faster than Air Breath, and its level of destruction is much higher. The most problematic aspect is likely its duration. Normally, Cadre 3 Magivores shoot out Air Blasts—one at a time—but I have to be prepared for this Pressure Ray to be used continuously, like a geyser of pressurized air.

'If I'm hit by that for even a moment, I'd likely be paralyzed and disoriented. If it continues, I could incur many injuries. If it continues for longer than ten seconds, my bones and flesh will likely be compressed, and I'll die.'

Even with these defenses, I likely won't last very long against such a terrifying entity.

It could even be hiding other abilities.

The worst part, however, is that this Cadre 4 Magivore stalemates me during the perfect moment to strike its subordinates. I understand now. Its role is to prevent me from attacking the Cadre 3 Magivores while they undergo cooldown, and by the time it undergoes cooldown, the Cadre 3 Magivores would have recovered.

In fact, it's likely they will recover before it enters cooldown.

With this arrangement, I'll not only have to waste time in an endless cycle, but it practically becomes impossible for me to beat such an enemy.

This is bad… I'm trapped!

'Is the only option really to wait until Frontflow's cooldown is over?' Right as I think this, another invisible ray of destruction charges at me, and I am forced to sidestep. However, just as I feared, the ray follows me, trailing across the path and destroying everything it touches.

I am forced to retreat, as the pressurized obstacle constantly forces me back despite my best efforts to maintain a close distance.

"Tch!"

I look at the Cadre 3 Magivores for a moment, wariness rising within me.

If they recover and I retry my previous strategy, I'll have to be hit with their barrage of attacks yet again. Just one of them isn't enough to grievously injure me, only causing my bones to rattle. A few more will cause my muscles to ache, and the more those attacks land, the more the pain compounds.

I'll suffer serious injuries after only a few rounds, and I'll likely be unable to properly respond to the Cadre 4 Magivore's attacks by then, dying before I make it beyond this place.

Damn, Ciel.

'You really thought this whole thing through!'

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