Lord Of The Lost

Moments later, the captain and his men galloped forward on horseback, five pack horses kicking up dust as they rode in pairs.

Meanwhile, William carried his trusty "hoe," but instead of following on horseback, he transformed into a black crow and soared toward the border town. He wasn't just scouting; this was the vanguard.

Flying nearby, Chris danced through the air, shouting with glee. "So this is what it feels like to look down from above! This is amazing!"

William sighed, clearly unimpressed. "Stay still, and stop moving around. Focus."

While William had sharp eyesight and enhanced vision thanks to the magic wolf path, it couldn't compare to Chris's [Clairvoyance] skill, which gave her an unparalleled view of the battlefield. That's why he'd brought her, she was essentially his human telescope.

Chris, however, couldn't stay serious for long. "Can I borrow this flying prop? Just for a bit? I'll show it off to Dang Wu, promise I won't lose it. Come on, big brother, please?"

William didn't even bother to answer. He knew better than to engage, once you responded to Chris's chatter, she'd talk your ear off without stopping. Silence was the best weapon against her endless enthusiasm.

The two flew onward toward the border, and soon Shadow Castle came into view. The sky above grew heavier with thick, ominous clouds. The closer they got, the darker it became, as if night itself had already fallen.

"How far can you see from here?" William asked.

Chris shook her head. "I can see at night, but not through this kind of darkness."

She had tested her limits before, under perfect lighting conditions and on flat terrain, she could see up to five kilometers away. From higher ground, her view extended to ten or even twenty kilometers, rivaling a telescope's range. But the Shadow Castle was an entirely different story. Its shroud of dark clouds was unnatural, a pure and oppressive darkness that swallowed starlight and moonlight alike.

From where they stood at the border, Chris could only see three or four kilometers into the castle's territory. The deeper into the darkness they tried to look, the shorter her effective range became.

William made a quick decision. Instead of entering the Shadow Castle's territory, he signaled the captain and the rest of the team to hold position and be ready. This was going to be a long wait.

---

Two hours later, the sky behind them began to dim naturally as evening approached. The waiting had taken its toll; Chris, who had been excited at first, had grown bored, and now her expression had fallen into numb indifference.

Then suddenly, her face changed. She froze, staring ahead with wide eyes.

"What is it?" William asked sharply.

Chris pointed toward the castle's desolate territory. The land ahead was eerily quiet, broken only by uneven terrain and barren, cracked ground. And then, on the horizon, figures began to appear.

They moved silently, emerging from the darkness. Their towering forms exuded a cold, terrifying aura, like creatures straight out of a nightmare.

Chris gasped. "They're here…"

She squinted, counting nervously. "There's so many; one, five, ten, fifteen…"

Her voice trailed off as the figures came into focus. There were at least seventy or eighty of them, their muscular forms gleaming faintly as though forged from steel. They were like shadows brought to life, humanoid in shape but wrapped in wolfish skin, with snarling wolf-like faces.

Then, out of nowhere, Chris let out a scream.

She clutched her face, trembling. Blood seeped through her fingers as she struggled to speak. "An old werewolf… it looked at me!" she stammered, her voice shaking.

From a distance of three or four kilometers, one of the werewolves, a hunched, ancient-looking figure, had raised its gaze and locked eyes with her. That was all it took. Just that one glance, and Chris felt as though she'd been struck by lightning.

"I can't see… I'm almost blind," she whispered, her hands still covering her face. Her vision blurred, and the pain in her eyes felt unbearable, as if they were about to shatter.

William cursed under his breath. This wasn't just an ordinary enemy. These werewolves had powers beyond their comprehension, and they hadn't even engaged in battle yet.

William's expression darkened immediately.

He activated the [Secret] trait on his hoe, concealing it from detection. Normally, just observing from a distance wouldn't have drawn any attention. But this? This wasn't normal.

"This kind of power… there's no way it's from a Sequence 8," William muttered, his heart sinking.

One name came to mind: Wolf Lord.

Realizing the danger, William dove through the air at top speed, shouting, "We've been spotted! Move, now!"

The ten men waiting below wasted no time, mounting their horses and galloping away as fast as they could.

William flew low to the ground, holding Chris under his arm. Her face was pale, but the sharp pain in her eyes was starting to ease. She quickly reported, "I saw them, there's a thin werewolf and five others that are taller and stronger than the rest. The rest look like ordinary ones."

Dang Wu's voice cut in sharply: "A werewolf is chasing us!"

"How far away?" William demanded.

Dang Wu closed his eyes for a moment, listening intently. His face paled. "1,900 meters… 1,800 meters… They're closing in fast. These werewolves are ridiculously fast!"

And they weren't just standing still while Dang Wu calculated, they were moving. Yet the gap between them and the werewolves kept shrinking.

"How many?" the captain asked, his voice tense.

"Twenty, maybe thirty," Dang Wu answered grimly.

William wasted no time. Pulling out a copper whistle, he blew it sharply. Moments later, a white-faced owl swooped down from the skies and flew alongside him. William gave a quick summary: "One Wolf Lord. Five Sequence 8s. Seventy to eighty ordinary werewolves. They're all on the move."

The owl let out a low screech before taking off again, flying fast and far across the wilderness, likely delivering William's report to others.

This pack was far too large and powerful for a direct confrontation. The only option was to divide them and pick them off one by one.

---

William glanced at the white-faced owl as it disappeared into the horizon. The creature wasn't built for combat, but it was an exceptional scout. As a supernatural being itself, it could fly at incredible speeds and command flocks of birds for communication. It was a crucial ally, even if it couldn't fight.

Meanwhile, one of the riders, a player with the [Hit] talent, slowed his horse and turned around to face the pursuing werewolves.

He carried a massive bow, an iron arrow already nocked and drawn. His sharp, hawk-like eyes locked onto the pack of werewolves, which were now leaping forward, their muscular forms closing the distance with terrifying speed.

Crrrnnnch!

The bowstring creaked as it stretched to its limit, gathering power with a sound sharp enough to set teeth on edge.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew like a streak of light. One of the werewolves, sensing the attack, twisted its body mid-leap, trying to avoid the projectile. Ordinary arrows wouldn't stand a chance against a werewolf's instincts, they could sense and predict the path of incoming attacks with uncanny precision.

But this wasn't an ordinary arrow, and the archer wasn't an ordinary fighter. The combination of his extraordinary-grade bow and the [Hit] talent turned his shot into a deadly force.

The arrow struck the werewolf square in the shoulder blade.

The werewolf's momentum faltered, and it tumbled to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. For a moment, it looked like it might be out of the fight.

But then, slowly and menacingly, it stood back up. With a snarl, the werewolf gripped the iron arrow protruding from its shoulder and yanked it free. Blood poured from the wound, but it barely flinched.

Ignoring the injury, the werewolf roared and broke into a sprint, faster and more relentless than ever.

The werewolves weren't just chasing anymore, they were hunting. And they weren't about to let their prey get away.

The gap between the two sides had shrunk to just 400 meters.

[Hit] didn't hesitate, bending his bow and drawing another arrow. His aim was steady, his breathing sharp.

Suddenly, Dave's sister shouted in alarm, her voice sharp and panicked: "No! To the left! Everyone, be careful!!"

William's instincts kicked in, the demon wolf's premonition surging through his veins like fire. Without hesitation, he flung his hoe straight at the captain.

The captain, riding with Yun Jianyue on a single horse, reacted instantly. He leapt up, snatching the hoe mid-air before landing back in the saddle.

William wasted no time. With his spear in hand, he spread his wings, twisting his body mid-flight as he veered hard to the left.

[Piercing Attack]!

A shadow exploded from the hilly terrain on the left, a fierce and deadly elite werewolf, moving with the speed of lightning.

But William intercepted him mid-air. Their clash was brutal and fast.