[Chapter 278. Shadow Wolf]

Iris dashed off into the red mist, her armored form a blur of black metal and silver trim against the desolate landscape. The enhanced gear Searanox had given her moved with her like a second skin, each plate adjusting perfectly to her movements as she swung her blade skillfully while passing herds of Striders. The creatures barely had time to register her presence before they fell, bisected or decapitated, their lifeless bodies crumpling to the ground. She moved with a purpose that transcended mere hunting—she was testing the limits of her new power, and perhaps most importantly, ensuring no one followed her.

Several minutes later, she reached the other side of the plateau. The air here was clearer, less saturated with the red mist that seemed to emanate from the canyon below. She looked over her shoulder in the direction she had come from, her silver eyes scanning the horizon with the focus of a predator. Seeing no sign of anyone around, she allowed herself a moment of stillness, the only movement the slight sway of her tail.

`That should be far enough.`

She thought as she skidded to a halt, her armored boots grinding into the sunbaked ground, kicking up a small dust cloud that momentarily obscured her dark boots. The plateau stretched out before her, a desolate expanse under the glow of the Labyrinth's sky, dotted with the occasional rock formation and patches of silver-leafed bushes. She scanned the horizon, her enhanced vision cutting through the haze to confirm no one had followed her path through the winding canyons and across the rocky plains. The distance between her and the silver-ranked teams was now sufficient, their forms no longer visible behind the rolling dunes or jagged rocks. The weight of her mission settled upon her shoulders—a familiar burden that she carried with stoic resolve.

"Come forth," she spoke silently, the words forming in her mind rather than passing her lips, a command directed at the very essence of her being.

A ghostly howl echoed over the first floor of the Labyrinth, the sound carrying across the plateau with an otherworldly quality that made the very air seem to vibrate. The howl was soon followed by a visible manifestation as her shadow moved on its own, elongating and churning like a pool of oil disturbed by an unseen hand. The darkness deepened, spreading across the cracked earth in unnatural patterns that defied the fixed position of the sun above.

From this void, something began to emerge. First, a pair of glowing turquoise eyes that seemed to burn with cold intelligence, followed by dark fur that rose from the shadow like smoke given form. Large claws, each the size of a dagger, came forth from the depths of her shadow, scraping against the hard ground with a sound that lay somewhere between grinding metal and cracking stone. The creature dragged itself out of the confines of her shadow, its massive form coalescing into a terrifying reality that dwarfed its summoner.

"Go hunt," Iris said as she petted the large creature standing beside her, her armored hand vanishing into the thick black fog that covered its dark fur. The touch was familiar, a connection forged through magic that transcended the physical realm. The wolf turned its head toward her, fixing its glowing eyes on her face, its large form dwarfing her despite her own impressive armored stature. There was no sound between them, yet communication flowed freely—an exchange of purpose, of hunger, of the hunt that was to come. The creature's intelligence was evident in its gaze, a calculated, predatory focus that mirrored her own deadly efficiency.

The over two-meter-tall wolf dashed off in an explosion of movement, while Iris raised her Zweihänder and moved off in the opposite direction, their separation prearranged to maximize their hunting ground coverage. The wolf's form blurred as it crossed the distance to a nearby herd of Stonehide Striders, its paws barely seeming to touch the ground as it closed in on its prey with supernatural speed. It leaped onto the back of a nearby Strider in a single fluid motion, its weight causing the creature to stumble beneath the sudden impact.

The wolf tore into its stone-like hide with dagger-like claws, carving deep gouges into the thick armor with a sound like grinding rock. Before the Strider could fully react, the wolf bit down with bone-crushing strength on the neck of the beast, its massive jaws closing around the vulnerable joint between armored plates. There was a sharp crack as the neck plates broke and the fangs of the wolf tore into the weak flesh beneath, the creature's life extinguishing in a choked gurgle from the mortal wound.

With a sharp, brutal movement of its head, the wolf ripped a large chunk of flesh free from the Stonehide Strider's neck, exposing the glistening white spine below as fresh, hot blood began to pool in the gaping opening, steaming in the air. The Strider began to thrash around frantically, its powerful legs kicking up dust as it struggled to dislodge its assailant, but its movements grew weaker by the second, its life draining away in crimson rivers that stained the dusty ground. The wolf then jumped off its back in a fluid motion, dissolving into the darkness of the collapsed Striders shadow, only to emerge from the shadow of another nearby Strider that met the same swift, violent fate—its neck torn open before it could even register the threat.

Iris's dark blade, which had been covered by a light sheen of frost, slowly took on its familiar look. The ice turned into a soft mist, leaving behind only the black of the steel. The air around her sword crackled as the ice vanished, creating small eddies of vapor that danced around her armored fingers.

"The hour has already passed," she said, swinging her blade once, leaving a light trail of mist in its wake as the last remnants of the frost faded. Her voice was flat, almost clinical, betraying none of the satisfaction that might have accompanied such efficient slaughter.

She took a palm-sized brick of dark stone out of her storage ring. Crimson veins ran through it like blood vessels, pulsing with an internal heat that was visible even in the light of the Labyrinth. She drew the Whetstone of Blazing Flame over the edge of her Zweihänder, the contact igniting the entire length of the blade in an instant. The flames licked hungrily at the air but never touched her gauntleted hand. The transformation was immediate—the black metal seemed to drink the fire, channeling it until the sword became a conduit of destructive heat, its edge glowing with an inner fire that promised even greater devastation than the frost had delivered. Then she turned toward where the wolf was ripping through the herd of Striders, its movements a blur of shadow and claws, each strike precise and lethal.

"Everything has become much easier and faster since I got you. I truly understand why Searanox chose a summoning class."

Her blade sliced through Striders and Ravagers alike, each swing of her Zweihänder a death sentence that left behind trails of scorched earth and disintegrating flesh. The fiery enchantment from the Whetstone of Blazing Flame transformed her black blade into an instrument of devastation, turning the rocky hides of Stonehide Striders into molten slag that dripped from their wounded bodies like wax from a candle. The Ridgeback Ravagers fared no better; her flame-wreathed steel carved through their tough hides with contemptuous ease, their blood sizzling as it struck the superheated metal.

By the time the flames on her blade died down, their dying embers left behind dark metal that radiated warmth like a freshly forged sword. She had already made it to the foot of the massive tree. The colossal trunk twisted toward the pale, washed-out sky like the skeletal fingers of some fallen god, its blackened bark cracked and covered by the reddish-brown dust that clung to everything. Peering inside the hollow base, she saw that the shimmering barrier preventing entrance had already lifted, leaving behind only a distant darkness.

<Carmen, it's time to head deeper into the Labyrinth. Meet me at the foot of the tree.>

The telepathic command carried the weight of her authority, each word sharpened by an unnatural urgency. Her silver eyes scanned the surroundings, already calculating their optimal approach.

Carmen's voice echoed in her mind just moments later, strained but steady.

<We are already fighting the Ridgeback Ravagers at the foot of the tree. We circle around until we meet.>

Iris whistled to call over her wolf. The sound cut through the air with unnatural clarity, a signal that transcended mere noise to become a direct command woven into the very fabric of their shared magic. Then, she ran counterclockwise along the basin in which the tree stood, her armored boots crushing the brittle, reddish-brown dust that drifted around this floor like perpetual autumn leaves. Each step sent up small clouds that clung to her dark armor, creating a stark contrast against the pristine metal that had remained untouched by her recent battles.

<Move clockwise, I'm heading towards you.>

Her directive was sharp and precise—a command that accounted for their current positions and the optimal route to rendezvous without exposing themselves to unnecessary risks.

The wolf began to sprint toward her, its massive form eating up the distance with supernatural speed. Mid-dash, it lunged forward with explosive force, its powerful hind legs propelling it into the air just as a Ridgeback Ravager attempted to jump Iris from behind. The wolf's jaws, already agape with hunger, snapped shut around the creature's frame with bone-crushing finality. It tossed the dead body aside as if it had already grown bored of its prey, the creature's broken form cartwheeling through the air before crashing into the dusty ground with a sickening thud. The wolf then jumped back into her shadow with ease, its massive form dissolving into darkness as if it had never existed at all, vanishing from sight.