Chapter Thirty: Necromancer vs. Frostfire Wolf
Happy New Year! Three days of wild celebration, tickets raining down on Xiao Hei with ferocious force~~^－^
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When the Frostfire Flame Wolf unleashed its first spell, ‘Exploding Fireball,’ Xu Wen suddenly broke free from the effects of ‘Devil’s Eye,’ watching helplessly as Xie Zhan and the others were blasted aside by the beast. His heart sank.
But the next spell, ‘Grand Fireball,’ instantly revived his spirits...
Frostfire Flame Wolf!
A dual-element beast, adept at both ice and fire magic.
The Frostfire Flame Wolf seemed to know they were fire mages, and was intent on countering them with only fire spells.
“A great opportunity!” Xu Wen rejoiced; the beast’s strategy actually spared him considerable trouble.
Aside from necromancy, the spell he had studied and recalled most thoroughly in recent times was fire magic—he not only understood every fire spell’s power and purpose, but had also devoted extra effort to prepare for the inner sect disciple competition in a month.
He reached into his storage pouch, retrieved a small bottle, popped the cork, and poured a handful of pills into his palm.
The Grand Fireball burned fiercely, swelling madly, clawing its way toward the four!
Xu Wen wasted no time, flicking two pills into the inferno.
Without bothering to glance at the approaching fireball, he began summoning his own magic. A three-meter ‘Flaming Spear’ materialized beside him, solid and imposing.
The Grand Fireball, undeterred, swallowed the pills in its path and continued rolling forward.
?
On the other side of the super fireball, the Frostfire Flame Wolf, a mid-tier three-star beast, suddenly sensed something amiss with its magic—a serious problem.
The Grand Fireball spell was originally swift, expanding rapidly with the help of the air, exerting an inescapable killing force!
Yet, strangely, once it reached a certain size, its speed inexplicably plummeted, moving like a tortoise... Moreover, the magic itself seemed unstable, its expansion halted, and it even showed signs of collapsing.
The Frostfire Flame Wolf doubted that these two-star human fire mages could break its spell. Staring at the burning giant fireball, both wolf heads showed confusion.
Xu Wen, without turning, called out to his companions behind him:
“Are you all right?”
“Cough, I’m not dead yet.” Xiang Nan stood, clutching his arm in pain, stubborn even in crisis.
“What was that just now?” Jin Yu, seeing the anomaly in the Grand Fireball, was visibly shaken.
“Xie Zhan! Get them out of here!”
Xu Wen didn’t answer, instead shouting at Xie Zhan, who had silently raised his flame shield.
“No way!” Xiang Nan, assuming Xu Wen intended to sacrifice himself for their safety, rejected the idea flatly: “If we leave, who will stall the Frostfire Flame Wolf? We need to buy time for everyone!”
“He’s right. We should go.”
“Jin Yu!”
Xiang Nan looked at her closest friend in disbelief, unable to accept her decision to retreat at such a moment; even Xie Zhan was taken aback.
“No time to explain! I’ll tell you on the way. In short, to help everyone escape, we must leave right now! Quickly! No time to hesitate! Senior Brother Xu, we leave it to you!”
Pulling the bewildered pair along, Jin Yu led them away, not forgetting to glance back at Xu Wen, who had not turned.
She didn’t know if that look would be their final farewell.
Awooo!!
Barely dozens of meters away, they heard the Frostfire Flame Wolf’s furious howls and roars!
Several times, Xie Zhan and Xiang Nan were tempted to look back...
“Don’t let Senior Brother Xu’s sacrifice be in vain!”
Jin Yu’s calm words forced them to keep running desperately. From the escape route, they understood Xu Wen and Jin Yu’s plan.
A split in the ranks!
Though not guaranteed to escape, splitting forces would force the Frostfire Flame Wolf to spend more time in pursuit, greatly increasing their chances.
They couldn’t turn back, for the three of them were indispensable—only three or more mid-tier two-star fire mages could deter a high-tier two-star beast! Otherwise, they risked being ambushed, delaying their flight and endangering everyone.
To them, Xu Wen seemed doomed, a death sentence... Even though he had just cracked the three-star beast’s magic with a method they didn’t understand, there was no suspense in a fight between a high-tier two-star fire mage and a mid-tier three-star beast!
Drip!
Cold droplets splashed Jin Yu’s face as they ran. Xiang Nan’s sobs and regretful whimpers sounded ahead:
“Wuuu...”
“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t lost that bet and agreed to be Senior Brother Xu’s maid, none of this would’ve happened... If I hadn’t encouraged everyone, today wouldn’t have come... It’s all on me, wuuu...” Xiang Nan was full of remorse.
“Isn’t it a bit late for that? Shut up! The Frostfire Flame Wolf will catch up soon... Even if we can’t kill it, we must show it some resistance!”
Xie Zhan’s face was grim as he waited for Xiang Nan to stop crying, then listened intently for any sounds behind, gripping a handful of fire phosphorus powder, not daring to relax for a moment.
...
Once Jin Yu and her companions left, Xu Wen cast aside all hesitation, taking advantage of the lingering Grand Fireball spell to swiftly complete the summoning of undead from the alternate plane.
Roar!!
The Frostfire Flame Wolf, noticing three humans fleeing, roared in rage, intent on slaughtering the mage before it. Yet this murderous impulse quickly faded as the evil aura from a summoning array stilled its aggression.
Watching six skeletal beasts, each with a unique form, emerge from the portal, their bodies radiating intense undead energy—even a mid-tier three-star beast like the Frostfire Flame Wolf involuntarily stepped back half a pace, its gaze growing deep and wary.
Undead!
Not only feared by humans, but even beasts shudder when faced with skeletons that feel neither pain nor death!
The six undead skeletons lined up before Xu Wen, their aura swelling, faintly suggesting a stance equal to the Frostfire Flame Wolf!
Of course!
This was but a momentary reprieve.
After a brief hesitation, the Frostfire Flame Wolf assessed the undead’s strength and its courage returned. The black and white wolf heads resumed their savage demeanor...
Two-star fire mage, two-star skeletons.
Roar!!!
Xu Wen dared not let the Frostfire Flame Wolf seize the initiative. With a thought, he left the defensive ‘Rhinoceros Skeleton’ behind, while the other five skeletal beasts charged from both flanks, fearlessly launching an assault on the mid-tier three-star beast.
At the forefront was the impeccably built ‘Blue Light Leopard’—though a skeleton, it had perfectly inherited its agility from life, moving decisively through jungle and trees as if walking on flat ground, astonishingly fast!
Close behind was the Gale Fox, slightly less mobile but still far quicker than the other three skeletal beasts.
The Frostfire Flame Wolf, though alone, faced the sudden approach of five skeletons. Despite their two-star undead rank, it dared not be careless! The white wolf head howled skyward, then swiftly spat three consecutive ice blades at the Blue Light Leopard and Gale Fox!
Swish! Swish swish!
“Hmph! A beast is a beast!”
Xu Wen stood unmoved, while the Blue Light Leopard and Gale Fox nimbly dodged the ice blades...
“Huh?”
Just as he was about to command them to attack, he noticed that after dodging the ice blades, both skeletons were coated with a faint layer of frost, their movements stiffened, their speed sharply reduced!
“Even indirect hits have an effect?”
Xu Wen was taken aback, his brows furrowed, and he quickly ordered the other two skeletal beasts to assist...
The Blue Light Leopard and Gale Fox were his carefully trained ‘skeleton guards,’ vital for delaying the Frostfire Flame Wolf—they couldn’t be lost so soon.
On the other side, two skeletal beasts rapidly closed in on the wolf, both opening their jaws.
Spit!
Under the surprised gaze of the Frostfire Flame Wolf, three fireballs and a large black arrow shot forth!
Magic!
Low-tier undead skeletons actually casting spells!
This clearly caught the Frostfire Flame Wolf off guard. It aborted its second spell, leaping aside—the undead magic was enough to make a three-star beast wary of direct contact.
The two skeletal beasts’ spells missed, but their hidden weapon, the ‘Snake Wolf Skeleton,’ wasted no time, launching its first salvo: three sticky, poisonous corrosive bombs chased the wolf’s landing spot...
The acrid stench could be smelled from afar, and the wolf’s hackles rose. It instantly summoned three fireballs to vaporize the Snake Wolf Skeleton’s toxic bombs mid-air.
Boom!
A dazzling bolt of lightning struck from above, singeing the wolf’s fur upright, followed by three wind blades, leaving bloody gashes on its nearly black pelt.
It was the Blue Light Leopard and Gale Fox, having shaken off the freezing effect, unleashing their spells. In the center of their skulls, their small magic cores shone brilliantly.