Chapter 5: Saved?
The wolves rapidly closed in, surrounding him completely with their presence. Their menacing howls mixed with bloodlust, and ruthlessness resounded within his ears, reminding him about his incoming misery.
Luke was fearless, leaning down on the tree's bark, he casually picked up a tattered branch and fiddled with it.
"Hmm…around 25. Nope, I'm dead." Confirming their numbers, he outrightly gave up the thought of resisting.
"Guys, could you grant me a swift death?"
Loud growls filled the forest, the wolves were mourning for the dead cub. A massive bloodeye wolf, twice the size of that cub, stepped forward. Its steps were slow and steady as it stood before the dead wolf's body.
Bending her neck down, she quietly nudged her child's body using her muzzle.
…
A soft whimper escaped her mouth, followed by a loud howl, filled with pain and suffering. The wolves joined her, sharing the pain of a mother losing her child.
"Maybe not." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, feeling uncomfortable.
They were mourning for the dead child right in front of the killer, were they expecting guilt from him?
Luke shook his head. Guilt was the last emotion he would feel from killing someone who was trying to kill him not long ago.
This was a jungle where 'Survival of the strongest' reigned supreme. He wouldn't have cared if it was a wolf's child or a human child, the results were the same.
'Maybe not, I'm not a psychopath, and, a child couldn't possibly harm him, right?'
Shaking the disturbing thoughts away, he focused himself on to present. He felt a chill run down his spine, goosebumps arising from his body.
The glares from these wolves were too overwhelming, especially the mother wolf. She was emitting such potent bloodlust that Luke felt the overwhelming urge to throw up just from sensing her gaze. His body had been completely frozen from head to toe, cold sweat forming behind his back.
"Goodbye, second life. It was fun till it lasted." Chuckling to himself, he closed his eyes, patiently waiting for the Yama to arrive before him.
…
bang
Suddenly, a powerful beam rammed through the forest, destroying everything that stood, blocking its path. It rushed toward Luke with immense speed, landing right between him and the wolves.
A familiar voice resounded in his ear, instantly opening his shut-in eyes. He had a shocked-ridden face, his mouth wide open.
"Thankfully, I arrived in time."
Before his eyes lay a long golden spear, etched on the grassy land. The golden spear gleamed with an otherworldly brilliance, its surface catching the faintest flicker of light and magnifying it into a radiant halo.
Etched along its shaft was the intricate carving of a coiling dragon, every scale rendered with painstaking detail, as if the creature had been imprisoned in the golden metal mid-flight.
Its serpentine body spiraled upward, culminating at the spear's tip, where the dragon's open jaws cradled a blade as sharp and lustrous as a shard of sunlight.
The spear exuded an aura of ancient power, a pulsating divine aura around it.
Uhh…nope, the spear wasn't talking. It was the person holding the spear, who was speaking out loud.
He was a middle-aged man with ash-grey hair and black eyes, adorning a gold-stripped robe around his body. He was quite handsome with a straight nose, sharp jawline, and a neatly trimmed beard accentuating his prominent face.
The man stood around 6'5 ft tall with a well-trained muscular physique comparable to military soldiers back on Earth.
"Long time no see, young prince." He spoke with a kind, confident smile.
"Uncle Ben." The name instinctively left Luke's lips, startling himself. He quickly searched through the memories and learned about the identity of the person before him.
'Bernard Louishade, elder brother of Seraphina Louishade and the family head of the Louishade family as well as Cassian's maternal uncle. A powerful man wielding great powers capable of destroying mountains. His spearmanship skills were considered one of the, if not the greatest among all the spearsmen present.'
"Finally!" He heaved a sigh of relief after learning his identity. Finally, He could escape this hell of a place and explore the outside world.
Supporting himself using the tree, Luke slowly stood up, his gaze locked with Ben.
"It's been a while, uncle." He flashed a charming smile, standing right behind him.
Haa
"I got quite worried when I heard the news. Thankfully, you are alive." He placed his hands on Luke's shoulders, patting it lightly.
'You were late, uncle.' Luke thought inwardly but refrained from speaking them out loud. He had accepted his reincarnation and even found a lot of interesting information through the foreign memories. Although he couldn't confirm them yet, he gained a boost in his confidence after thoroughly absorbing them.
He was about to respond when Ben's next words froze his entire body. His face went pale as cold sweat ran down his back.
"We better get going now. You have some punishments to endure."
"U-Uncle, w-what do you m-mean?"
With a reassuring smile on his face, Ben patted Luke's shoulders lightly and picked up his spear using his other hand.
"Ho..Ho..you will learn soon enough."
He turned towards the wolves, the smile disappearing from his face. With an emotionless gaze, he pointed his spear the the wolves.
"Let's take care of these mutts first."
woosh
Unleashing his aura completely, he surrounded his spear with it alongside Luke's body.
[Azure Dragon Ascending Spear: First from]
[Dragon's Ripple]
He bent the spear's tip down and touched the ground lightly with it. A soft 'hum' resounded within the forest, followed by a massive shock wave spreading from the spear's tip.
5 meters...
10 meters…
20 meters…
45 meters…
The shockwave rapidly traveled a hundred meters away in a split second.
howl howl
The wolves pitiful howls echoed alongside their blood spilling out from their throats uncontrollably. The shockwave had struck them right in their heart, directly disrupting the blood flow channels within them.
For the first time, the wolves displayed fear on their face, gone was their intense anger and bloodlust.
They tucked their tails between their legs and ran away, scattering in every direction to confuse their enemies.
The wolf mother however rushed forward, rapidly approaching them. Her eyes had turned completely red, driven by hatred and revenge.
She was coughing blobs of blood, injured from the previous attack but, revenge had clouded her judgment.
"Hmm?"
Sensing the aura of a Bloodeye wolf approaching them, Ben just nonchalantly lifted his spear high and brought it down, sending a massive slash hurling toward the wolf.
'At least you got to meet your child sooner. Rest in peace.' A sigh escaped Luke's lips. He already understood her fate, the moment Uncle Ben launched his attacks.
The slash landed on the wolf's head, severing it cleanly into two halves.
"Let's go." Ben turned around, ignoring the chaos he'd caused in the forest.