Chapter 240: Superior Existence
Michael manifested Zark and the Typhern Leather Armor Set after he told Tiara and Masked Saber about the upcoming fight.
Masked Saber retrieved his newly forged black saber, while Tiara manifested her Artifacts. Her silver spear appeared in front of Tiara. She grasped it and spun it around her body playfully.
Thinking hard about something was not her style. Tiara was much better off by using the simple approach to deal with problems appearing in front of her.
To Tiara, problems she couldn't see didn't exist, in the first place. Sometimes that might seem foolish, and even reckless, but it made her life much easier since she didn't have to rake her brain to deal with stuff that may not even happen.
Meanwhile, Michael observed the rapidly approaching Werewolves intently. They were still quite far away, but Michael could make out a few interesting facts.
'Given their rapid speed and the fact that they could smell us from several kilometers away, they're definitely Tier-2 Monsters - probably Low-stage Tier....'
Michael felt that something was odd about the Werewolves, whose bodies were covered in silver scales instead of fur. A large white horn juts out of their foreheads as well.
They looked like expensive statues made of silver and marble rather than fearsome monsters. However, the bloodlust Michael detected in their eyes was a clear indicator of their fierceness.
Without wasting any time, Michael used Enhancement on Zark before manifesting an ordinary energy-condensed arrow. He pulled the bowstring back and aimed high in the air. Michael tweaked it a little before he released the arrow that cut through the air in a beautiful arc.
It impacted hard upon the designated target with a loud smack that reached his ears.
However, the arrowhead didn't even pierce through the target's scales. It was repelled and fell silently to the ground.
The Horned Werewolves were undeterred by the sudden attack and continued their approach, rapidly closing the distance to Michael's group.
Michael and his group was outnumbered by one. The Horned Werewolves were four in total, and they spread out to surround their targets.
Tiara and Masked Saber began to move as well. Tiara released her Soultrait to unleash a sudden burst of energy that boosted her ahead. In an instant, she reached her top speed.
With great momentum, Tiara shot toward the closest Horned Werewolf, which was to her left.
Meanwhile, Masked Saber covered the black saber in a thick layer of silver energy. The silver energy condensed a second blade around the saber, enhancing the weapon's sharpness drastically. He was just about to move ahead when white wisps shrouded the silver energy, which further enhanced the silver energy' potency.
Michael had used two-layer Enhancement on Masked Saber's silver energy to ensure that his comrade's weapon would be able to cut through the scales and flesh of the Horned Werewolves.
Simultaneously, Michael applied two more layers of Enhancement on Zark. He manifested the strongest energy-condensed arrow and pulled the bowstring back. But, he didn't release the arrow immediately. Instead of rushing anything, he waited patiently until the first Horned Wolf entered the range of 100 meters around him.
Streams of golden light burst out of Michael, extracting small bits of the earth beneath the closest Horned Werewolf. He didn't extract much, allowing him to complete his small trick instantaneously. The Horned Werewolf only realized what happened when one of its paws was stuck in a 20-centimeter-deep hole.
Using its tremendous strength, the Horned Werewolf could easily escape the small hole, bursting the loose ground around the hole and freeing itself. However, the monster lost its speed and momentum in the process. The Horned Werewolf was forced to remain in the same position for nearly a whole second - providing Michael with more than enough time to adjust Zark a little, and release the strongest energy arrow.
The arrow gained tremendous velocity the moment it was released. It crossed 100 meters near instantly and drilled deep in the wide-open mouth of the Horned Werewolf. The Horned Werewolf had been howling loudly to communicate with its comrades, warning them about their opponents' dirty tricks.
But before the Horned Werewolf could finish the warning, an arrow with terrific velocity shot into its mouth, and pierced outside through the back of the mouth.
The Horned Werewolf howled in pain, however, Michael's attack was not over. The strongest energy arrow burst apart once it lost its momentum.
The energy explosion ruptured the Horned Wolves' mouth, creating a gaping hole in its mouth and cruelly shredding its throat, leaving bits of bone and flesh holding it together somehow. That was enough to turn the severe injury inflicted by the impact of the arrow into a lethal blow that would end the Horned Werewolves' life in the next few seconds.
A fountain of blood gushed out of the gaping hole, covering the silver scales with hot, crimson blood.
The Horned Werewolf didn't expect to die like this. It shot toward Michael, in the hopes of dragging him down to hell as well. However, Michael diverted his attention. He created two Spirit Whips with which he lashed out at the injured Horned Werewolf. Weakened and in distress, the injured Horned Werewolf didn't even realize that it had been struck with a mental attack before it was already too late.
The Horned Werewolf's sight blurred and it slumped to the ground after the Spirit Whips lashed on its mind. It tried to get up from the ground but the strength in its legs was deteriorating rapidly. The Horned Werewolf could only lift one of its arms in hopes of reaching Michael and ripping out his throat. But it was too weak. The last bits of strength escaped the Horned Werewolf's body.
The Horned Werewolf slumped to the ground with a thud, the life in his eyes slowly dispersing. Its body writhed two more times before the Horned Werewolf stopped moving completely.
"One down, three to go," Michael mumbled, pulling back the bowstring smoothly.
Using Enhancement on Zark increased the bow's pulling force as well. Fortunately, Michael could barely deal with the pulling force of Zark after a three-layer Enhancement had been applied to Zark.
An ordinary energy arrow condensed on Zark's bowstring, which Michael released without hesitation. The arrow whizzed through the air, colliding with the next closest Horned Werewolves' claw. The Horned Werewolf had been about to claw Masked Saber in the back. Michael intervened just in time and prevented that, fortunately. He manifested a few more energy arrows and released them one by one.
His accuracy and firing speed were both impeccable and exceptional enough to hit all targets while releasing three arrows in less than two seconds.
The Horned Werewolf was struck thrice in the arm and once in the neck. None of the arrows pierced deep into the Werewolf's scales, but they weren't repelled either. The force Michael applied to the arrows was more than enough to cause severe damage to most Lowest-stage Tier-2 Monsters. However, it was barely enough to drill into the Horned Werewolf's scales and got stuck inside.
The constant barrage of arrows enraged the Horned Werewolf. It prevented the Werewolf from attacking Masked Saber several times and caused the monster's attack to grow more relentless.
And that was the moment Masked Saber had been waiting for.
He turned around, the silver energy engulfing his saber pulsating vividly.