Vargan took a deep breath.

His chest rose and fell like a drum, and he could still feel the wind rushing past his ears from being thrown.

'How did he manage to throw me like that?' he thought with a dazed look on his face.

He was bigger than his lord… far much bigger.

He had broader shoulders, heavier bones, and was easily triple the man's weight.

Despite all that, Azel had picked him up like a stick and hurled him into battle without breaking a sweat.

It didn't make sense.

But there was no time to think.

The Marrowcruncher bear in front of him was rampaging, still chasing the hunter in circles.

Each step made the dirt shake, and the terrified hunter screamed for his life as he continued running.

Vargan gritted his teeth, muscles tensing as he tore forward.

The wind around him howled, and he leapt onto the bear's back, his claws digging deep into its flesh.

"Get away from him!" he roared, twisting his whole body.

The bear howled as he used his momentum to flip it clean off the ground.

The creature's body crashed into a nearby tree, splintering the trunk in half and sending wooden shards flying through the air.

Vargan landed on all fours and began panting.

"Thank you… Vargan," the hunter gasped, collapsing to his knees.

His legs were trembling… he was still feeling the effect of the mist but it was far less now.

Vargan gave a short nod. "Stay back."

He turned his gaze back to the bear.

The monster was already moving again, its massive claws scraping against the ground.

Its head lowered and he could see the rage in it's eyes.

'It's still standing?' Vargan thought.

He'd thrown his full strength into that.

It was fine though...

He'd just have to hit harder.

Dark mana surged around his claws, coating them in an inky sheen.

He slashed the air three times in quick succession… Three crescent blades of mana tore through the clearing, cutting the air apart as they flew toward the bear.

They hit its neck dead on.

There was resistance at first then a sickening crack.

The monster froze mid-roar.

A moment later, its head slipped to the side, and the entire body collapsed with a heavy thud that shook the ground.

Vargan exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. "It's done."

"Nice job, Vargan!" Azel's voice called cheerfully from across the clearing.

Vargan looked up to see his lord standing casually with his arms folded, smiling like this was some kind of training exercise.

"But you'll have to deal with the remaining now…" Azel added.

'Remaining?' Vargan thought, confused.

He turned back toward the fallen monster.

The corpse was still there… bleeding out but there was nothing else. "What remaining?"

The answer came in the form of sound.

The trees to his left began to tremble.

Then the right.

Branches cracked and roots shifted, and before he could blink, two more Marrowcruncher bears burst through the foliage, both even larger than the one he had just killed.

Vargan's jaw tightened.

He raised his clawed hands again, dark mana swirling around them, and launched several slashes toward the beasts before they could charge.

But when the attacks struck, they simply bounced off.

The blades of energy ricocheted harmlessly, leaving only shallow scorch marks on their armored hides.

Vargan's heart sank. "H-how—"

His legs suddenly felt weak.

They were stronger… much stronger than the first one.

One of the bears tilted its head, letting out a low growl that made his fur stand on end.

'Oh, great,' Vargan thought grimly. 'Now they're mad.'

Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run.

He turned around, preparing to shout for the others…

And something crashed into him from above.

He hit the dirt with a grunt, air whooshing out of his lungs.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Selene sprawled on top of him, her fan clutched tightly in her hand and her face pale with fear.

"What in the—"

Before he could even finish the sentence, another thud echoed, then another, and another.

Vargan's jaw dropped.

It was raining werewolves.

The rest of the hunters, all four of them were being flung into the air one by one.

Their armored bodies soared like cannonballs before crashing down around him in a clattering heap.

Within seconds, the clearing looked like a battlefield.

Selene pushed herself up, still dazed. "My lord, what—"

Azel stood a short distance away, clearly unimpressed.

"We haven't reached our quota, and you're running?" he said calmly. "You're werewolves. Why are you running from lesser beings like this?"

Vargan groaned from the ground. "Because the lesser beings are giant armored bears, my lord!"

Azel raised a brow. "Excuses."

Selene blinked. "Excuses?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "This is exactly how my teacher taught me to hunt."

'Steven, you madman,' he thought, 'I'll just have to use them to take my revenge.'

Vargan pushed Selene off him and stood up, dusting himself off.

The bears were still roaring ahead like the wild beasts they were.

Their eyes glowed red and both were staring directly at the werewolves.

He crouched, mana flooding through his veins.

"I can brute-force this," he muttered.

Azel raised both hands to his mouth and shouted. "Not everything's about strength. Use your brain!"

Vargan stopped mid-charge and grinded his teeth.

"Selene!" Vargan barked. "Use your wind to mess with their footing!"

Selene glanced between the two men, completely exasperated.

But when Azel's eyes met hers, she sighed and nodded.

"Alright," she said, stepping forward.

She took a deep breath, gathering mana in her lungs, and flicked her fan open with a soft snap.

The air around her shifted instantly, swirling into a vortex.

She exhaled sharply, sending a concentrated blast of wind tearing across the field.

The wave hit the ground like a storm, flattening grass and pushing dirt aside.

The soil turned muddy… and every blade of grass bent under the relentless gale.

The two bears roared, stumbling as their claws slipped across the newly softened earth.

Their movements slowed dramatically.

"Good," Azel muttered.

Vargan didn't hesitate.

He turned to the other hunters, raising his voice like a war trumpet. "AIM YOUR WEAPONS! EYES AND NECK!"

The werewolves scrambled into formation, lifting their crossbows and crude bows… Azel didn't even remember giving them those but they worked fast.

The first volley whistled through the air.

Arrows rained down like a storm, striking the two monsters.

Their thick hides deflected most of the hits, but enough found their marks… piercing their eyes and biting into their throats.

The beasts screamed, they were completely blind and thrashed in every direction.

"Now!" Vargan shouted.

The hunters charged forward.

Selene blasted another gust of wind to keep the beasts unbalanced, and Vargan leapt into the air with his claws coated in black mana.

He came down with a roar, slashing for one of the bears' necks.

But the beast reared up suddenly, its massive head snapping upward.

Vargan's eyes widened.

The bear slammed its forehead into him mid-air.

The impact was brutal.

Vargan went flying backward, smashing into the ground hard enough to carve out a crater.

"VARGAN!" Selene screamed.

Azel winced. "That looked like it hurt."

The Marrowcruncher roared again, shaking its head, blood dripping from its ruined eyes.

[Note: Marrowcruncher bears are very sensitive to a werewolf's scent.]

Azel's eyebrow twitched.

'Oh come on,' he thought bitterly. 'That's not even fair!'

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