Chapter 117: Could it be… a player?

Kaelen didn’t run deeper into the canyon. As soon as he disappeared from sight, he slipped into a crevice and concealed his presence with the Nameless Shadow God ability.

He used his shadow to watch the mercenaries leave in a panic, abandoning their comrades who were slow on their feet.

Of the seven trucks that set out for the journey, only four safely made it in.

The one Reiner had struck down to the wheels was deemed irreparable due to the limited resources on hand and was left behind after the Commander ordered some important parts to be taken.

The second, which had been riddled with the mercenaries’ blind fire, was also deemed useless beyond repair or salvageable parts, leaving just five trucks available.

The third was one where the driver hesitated about leaving their comrades behind for the wolves and was attacked before they could pull off. Unfortunately for them, a door couldn’t be closed in time before the wolves pounced on the nearest man and climbed into the truck. What followed was a desperate battle as the men tried to fight off the wolf, but not only was the space too small, their comrades were also hit by their attacks.

It wasn’t long before the truck went silent after the last guttural scream from the last surviving mercenary.

Kaelen watched all this but didn’t make a move. Not until the four surviving trucks had disappeared from sight did he step out of his hiding place. He walked towards the edge of the canyon and halted just before he crossed the threshold.

He shifted his eyes across the horde of wolves before he locked eyes with the alpha standing far back from the pack.

"Arise."

Swoosh—!

His shadows expanded and spread across the canyon as his shadow summons began rising from the darkness. In a few seconds, the entire narrow passage behind Kaelen was filled with his shadow army, ready for battle.

This stance didn’t go unnoticed, and the surrounding wolves immediately charged at him, but halted before the threshold and began snarling and growling at him.

Kaelen didn’t falter and stood his ground as more wolves made their way towards him, snapping their jaws ferociously at him, but they didn’t dare cross the threshold even though Kaelen was just an arm’s reach away.

’It’s just as I suspected...’ Kaelen mused to himself as he ignored the pack and focused on the alpha, who had yet to make a move.

"You can’t enter the Grand Canyon. Not now, not even ten years ago."

That was how Kaelen and his mother survived the pack.

They crashed, but fell into the Grand Canyon, where the wolves refused to move any further.

His mother probably noticed this and attempted to wait them out, but for the next few days, the wolves camped before the Grand Canyon, waiting for them to step out.

This was merely his speculation, but Kaelen felt he was on the right track.

That was probably how his mother ended up finding the ruins of Akkad.

But if that were to be the case, then why couldn’t the wolves enter?

At that moment, Kaelen’s eyes caught the writing on the edge of the canyon.

’If you want to live, turn back now...’

What was that supposed to mean?

Was there something more terrifying than the wolves ahead that the pack didn’t even dare to invade its territory?

As Kaelen was lost in thought, deliberating the wolves’ motives, he noticed the alpha calmly sit in its spot, while the snarling wolves, who grew tired of throwing empty threats, began ravaging the supplies left behind and doing anything but fight or flee.

’Such confidence... it could only mean the wolves were entirely certain I would be coming back out, and it isn’t because of my imposing shadow army.’

Kaelen was almost certain that even if he walked away now, the wolves wouldn’t budge from the spot, as though they were waiting for him to come running back to them with his tail between his legs.

If that were to be the case, then the mercenary team... would have to be returning soon as well.

And if they didn’t, did that mean whatever was up ahead had feasted on their remains?

"Milord, we await your orders." SKD spoke from behind, as though he was reminding him to kickstart the battle.

Tch.

Kaelen still needed the mercenary team to find the ruins of Akkad, and even if they couldn’t make it out alive, he was confident Yelena should be strong enough to hold her ground if her Talent was as true as she made it out to be.

If he could get to her on time, he could ensure they made it out the other side of the canyon with their limbs intact. Even if that proved difficult, this canyon...

’...has already been marked by the House of Cross.’

It was his to conquer.

Kaelen spread his arms forth. "Attack!"

His shadow summons roared as one as they charged out of the canyon at full speed, waving their weapons in the air as they clashed with the first line of wolves.

Unlike their previous clash, where the wolves had come so suddenly, the shadow summons were prepared, and under the leadership of the supreme elder dragon, who had controlled nations and conquered worlds in his time, the heavy frontline defenders stepped forward with their shields, followed closely by the frontline damage dealers, who utilized the calculated gaps in between the shields to strike down the wolves.

Then a storm of black flames shot into the air, followed closely by and masking the torrent of arrows behind it.

The spells and arrows rained down on the wolves, and each time a wolf sidestepped the fireballs, they indirectly stepped into the path of an arrow they hadn’t seen coming.

This wasn’t a hunting battle, neither was it a battle of defense. The shadow summons were fully prepared to reclaim their lost glory and honor, which made Kaelen wonder if they had a chance at taking the wolves out if he had given SKD the go-ahead to chase after the retreating wolves.

What made Kaelen smile was the fact that they were fighting so well in human form because their peak strength could only be utilized in their ultimate dragon forms.

Kaelen didn’t let himself get distracted, and his main focus was observing the wolves under the siege.

They weren’t indestructible or overly hard to kill like he’d thought. They were strong and skilled, quite alright, but the reason why Kaelen had thought his shadow summons had been beaten down by the wolves after not seeing any bodies was because the moment they hit the floor, they disintegrated into pixelated light, confirming Kaelen’s suspicion.

This could only mean one thing.

The wolves couldn’t possibly be players on Earth, or should he say... Akkad?

They were simply summons, just like his very own shadow army, who dissipated after death. And their Summoner was none other than...

The alpha wolf.

Kaelen immediately locked eyes with the big white wolf, who slowly stood up as soon as it saw the battle was no longer in its favour.

From the runic symbol on its forehead, the alpha wolf could either be an incredibly powerful Summoner itself, originating from Akkad with the ability to summon or possibly multiply itself.

Or the Alpha Wolf could simply be a shapeshifter itself...

Then again, for some reasons, Kaelen couldn’t shake off the strange feeling as he stared into the alpha wolf’s eye brimming with intelligence.

Could it be... a player?