Chapter 2000 - 1992: Prey, Sirius, & Fenrir

Chapter 2000: Chapter 1992: Prey, Sirius, & Fenrir

An uncountable number of howls resounded in perfect harmony, unleashing a predators’ song. A ritual before a great hunt!

The Legion of War, led by their scarlet-eyed Commander, faced the encroaching threat without fear. A sign of a polished army that could face impossible odds and fight without restraint, fully releasing their innate potential. As if to answer the hunting howl, each Soldier of War shouted in fury.

"FIGHT!"

Any mental collapse was forcefully withstood by relying on each other, hearing their shouts, their existence, and feeling their presence through the Law of War. As their battle intent spread outward, the hunt began without further delay!

The bloody shadows of endless canines, some as tiny as a mortal squirrel while others were as large as a thousand feet tall, all moved in perfect tandem. They flashed like bloody shadows from every angle; whether they emerged from the ground, the empty void, or clouds in the sky, they violently barreled toward the united legion.

The Legion of War sent by Wei Wuyin was not to be underestimated. They struck and defended as one, assisting each other, connecting their senses, and killing all enemies. Yet as they slaughtered these shadowy beasts, the beasts exploded into a flood of glistening sanguine blood that tainted the very air, their armor, and their defensive wards.

Their wards were ’bleeding’ as it touched upon their armor. Upon doing so, much to the legion’s horror, claw and fang marks would appear without warning, slicing into their armor, and some penetrating their spiritually constructed flesh. They gritted their teeth, adapted with precision under decisive orders, and began to use umbrella tactics with the Law of War’s aura.

The swift shift of defensive tactics immediately defused the looming dangers of these unseen predator attacks. It was as if each shadow contained the savage ferocity of a canine’s hungry attacks. Some Soldiers of War lost limbs in the first few seconds before adapting, yet none of them lost their lives.

Instead, they transformed into a well-oiled machine of prime function and extraordinary action. They revolved their attacks and defense with flawless cooperation, formed a tight-knit group amidst the sea of sanguine that could reinforce other positions, merge into larger groups, or segregate into competent smaller groups. They repeated various tactics with zero latency, showcasing their power.

However, the hunt was truly endless.

Moreover, the environment was changing as the exploded canines would flood the ground with ghastly blood, and this was increasing the volume of blood in the limited area of operation, like water poured into a cup, slowly filling up and they were already knee-deep despite their implemented protections.

"Archers!" A battalion leader shouted as he ordered their targets to shift. The others in their groups took to the task of protecting them with the utmost, fighting in a sea of red as claws and fangs lunged at them with primal thirst and savage hunger.

While the world was slowly tainted by sanguine, their controller was the true threat. If they could disrupt his spiritual strength or cultivation base, the endless enemies would eventually dissipate. The only other option was a war of attrition. Given their lack of understanding of these bloody shadows, it was unknown whether they had a limit.

This was mostly because of the stars within each of these bloody shadows. Excluding their light emissions, they radiated auras of Necros Intent, and that was renowned for creating undying existences. They also seemed to act like World-Bound Star Domains, and while some were smaller and others were significantly larger, each star seemed to output an ungodly amount of solar essence, which was being rapidly converted. Moreover, when one was destroyed, the star vanished without a trace, yet the bloody shadows seemed endless; clearly the connection to the undying Necros Intent wasn’t severed by the shadows’ destruction.

There was a strong chance that the bloody shadows destroyed were akin to Incarnations, merely projections of true bodies fueled by an external source. If so, then these bloody shadows...might be as resilient and lasting as stars!

The sound of bows firing thundered in the air, ripping large tunnels across the sea of sanguine toward Zuhei. The man in question didn’t even take any action himself. Countless bloody shadows lunged at, bit, clawed, and tackled using their bodies to halt the arrows. They barely got more than a few miles before dissipating into the pack of predators.

Then, the tunnels formed by the arrows were immediately closed by bloody shadows. They howled and raced aggressively toward the legion with eyes seeking the most carnage. Soon, the hunt had reached three minutes since initiation.

All the Legion of War’s attempts to close the distance to Zuhei or attack from afar, either using arrows or Spiritual Spells were all rebuffed, almost as if they were consumed by hungry beasts. They began to suffer losses, and with the first few deaths, the cascade of their demise was unstoppable.

The Legion of War’s Commander stared through the bloody shadows reveling in the carnage of their struggle and located Zuhei while their hands turned into claws ripped apart bloody shadows without rest. The idea of rushing out to fight Zuhei was rising in their hearts, yet clarity bled through and won out.

"Retreat!" The order was unprecedented. By this point, only seven minutes had passed. Unlike Su Mei’s unrivaled speed, Tuo Bihan’s usage of a Mystic-Soul Armament, or Shui Fengbao’s art of mass destruction, Zuhei was the exact opposite. From the beginning, he used an army of his own to clash with theirs. An undying army of predators!

They realized that these bloody shadows were some advanced Incarnation Bloodline Art, likely based on similar principles of the War Talisman. The only difference was that destroying them was a useless endeavor, as unlike the one flaw of the War Talisman possessing very intricate Spirits of War that resemble sentient existences, these bloody shadows of canines were bare-bones, and this meant less power but significantly easier to replace or maintain.

After all, Wei Wuyin was an abnormality for using the War Talisman and developing so many Spirits of War. By normal standards, even a Mystic Overlord would find the cost for nurturing Spirits of War unimaginably different, let alone assist in changing their fundamental foundation to contain higher-grade energies beyond their cultivation level.

As for Zuhei, he didn’t take any action from start to finish.

Eventually, a few dozen deaths led to hundreds. When the Legion of War committed to retreating, they discovered the cage. They were locked in an isolated world. This world was under Zuhei’s complete control. Without finding weak points, eliminating Zuhei, or utilizing overwhelming strength, they wouldn’t be able to shatter this cage.

It resembled a Shell World born from Shell World Pearl that was commonly used in the Ancient Sealed Regions to isolate higher-leveled cultivators. The art was exquisitely formed, empowered by a strange law that felt utterly vicious, as if they were thrown into a world of total carnage.

In the end, the scarlet-eyed Legion Commander was the last one standing, bloody hands as they resembled claws. Surrounded by quasi-immortal bloody shadows of endless carnage, the Legion Commander revealed a bloody smile laced with pride. The bloody shadows halted their hunt, eyeing him intently.

He turned to face Wei Wuyin’s direction, that smile growing deeper, "You were right. He’s the best there ever was or will be of us."

The Legion Commander relaxed his bloody hands that sliced into countless bloody shadows. As he had surrendered, he expected to be ripped asunder by ravaging canines of the Sirius lineage.

A figure walked out of the bloody shadows, white-robed, bare-footed, and neutrally-expressioned. Zuhei arrived a few feet before him, staring intently at the War Commander.

Witnessing his arrival, the War Commander was taken aback briefly before noticing the glint of a question within Zuhei’s gaze. He gently removed his helmet, holding it underneath his armpits. The silver hair and scarlet eyes were exposed to the world, alongside the beastman-like qualities of a wolf.

"..." Zuhei recognized the features of his clansmen, yet there was a deeper, less diluted quality to his appearance, as the features of a canine, specifically the legendary Fenrir that they were said to have descended from, were extraordinarily prominent.

"All those years trying to survive in the Endless Purgatory, worried about my descendants, and here you are—EXCEPTIONAL! Hahaha!" The War Commander chortled with glee, seemingly not affected by the bite marks and numerous lacerations across his body that leaked spiritual blood. "No, not just exceptional. You’ve touched upon our Ancestor. Maybe one day, if both of us are lucky, we’ll meet them again."

Zuhei was contemplative. The confusion and thought didn’t last long as Wei Wuyin’s voice echoed in his mind:

"Your Sirius lineage, born from the Divine Beast, Fenrir. This man, Cohen, is your ancestor from thousands of years ago. He was a captive in the Endless Purgatory that I claimed. If not for his insistence to test you, you would have automatically passed."

Zuhei listened silently. His ancestor...

Zuhei was about to clasp his hands, pay respects. However, Cohen beat him to it. He seemingly shrunk into himself, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply, incorporating the gestures of the wolf and a daoist into one, showcasing submission and respect toward his authority.

Head lowered, Cohen said proudly and solemnly, "My time has long passed. From here on out, you’re the representative of our Sirius bloodline. I know you’ll reach heights that none of us could hope to dream of."

"..." Zuhei.

Cohen chuckled, raised his head, and stared into Zuhei’s eyes, "If you get a chance to meet Fenrir, do us a favor."

"...?" Zuhei.

"Take his head," Cohen smiled, laced with bitterness of an unspoken history between ancestor and descendants. After all, beastmen were descendants, but many of them were born out of various ways. For example, Wei Wuyin was a hybrid, yet if he had taken another approach in the cultivation method, his children would have become beastmen, and so would he.

"..." Zuhei didn’t respond.

Cohen eventually began to fade into spiritual motes. He was returning to the Wei Wuyin’s Heavenly Gate of War that was Athena!

"You’ll understand when your bloodline soul memory awakens. You’ll understand..." Those last words were all he wanted to say. After surrendering, Zuhei had won.

"Pass."

Wei Wuyin didn’t explain Zuhei’s dynamics. That was for him to discover and decide. And if he never discovered why those words were said, he would never have to make that decision.

Now, only one left.