Hunters
Communication between gods was an extremely solemn affair. If a powerful being was bestowed with divinity, he was bound to have an eminent status even in a god’s church.
As for a subordinate of one god provoking another? That would practically be the beginning of a war between the gods! The werecreature priest began to feel rather dizzy. Although there had been conflicts and friction between churches and even between the gods themselves ever since the dusk of the gods, starting an undeclared war like this was a rare event.
After all, even a weak god would almost be unrivalled in their divine kingdom. Battle between two gods was a very grave matter, and it could span various dimensions and thousands of years!
As a cleric, the priest undoubtedly knew this. He watched Leylin with restrained fear.
“You had the cheek to covet our master’s wealth!” Leylin’s reply was very vague, but the werecreature priest’s expression changed drastically. “As expected, it had to do with the Nether Mountains...”
Although the priest stopped himself in time, Leylin still got what he wanted. ‘Sure enough, these werecreatures are up to something. It’s not as simple as just the red dragon...’
He didn’t give the priest another chance to speak. Leylin moved swiftly in mid-air, and the spells that he had been preparing for a long time shot out continuously.
Fog Barrier! Missile Storm! Fireball!
A layer of dense fog formed both a barrier and a cage, confining Leylin and the werecreature priest within. It prevented outsiders from intervening and probing them while spell attacks rained down like terrifying meteors with great destructive force.
“A presumptuous extremist that started a battle on his own initiative. You shall suffer from punishment by the gods!” The werecreature priest had a pious expression on his face. He seemed to be clothed in a milky white suit of protective armour, and a strong radiance kept emanating from his body.
*Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!* The missiles rebounded off his glowing vest. It flickered, and eventually exploded.
The enormous scorching fireball struck the ground. Chrome yellow flames started spreading in all directions, continuously engulfing everything in their way. They quickly formed a gigantic depression in the ground that was covered in black scorch marks, as if it had been crushed by the bottom of a black pan.
The werecreature priest stood at the edge of the blackened pithole, his expression extremely solemn. The priest robes he was wearing had been torn into shreds, and he was almost entirely charred.
“Master, Malar, Please grant me strength...” The werecreature priest murmured. He stripped off his robes in one stroke, exposing his hairy torso. His muscles started to throb, and the dark scars from the flames burst open.
[Beep! Opponent has activated an innate skill, Wild Surge!] A glimmer of light flashed in Leylin’s eyes. The Eye of the Hawk, coupled with the probing abilities of the A.I. Chip, revealed everything about the opponent right in front of his eyes.
[Wild Surge: A special ability of the followers of the Lesser God of the Hunt, Malar. Activation buffs strength and vitality by one point, additionally granting hunting vision. (If in the massacre state, the ability will bestow mid-rank regenerative effects. Cell activity will increase by 50%)]
The extraordinary Wild Surge technique was an unusual ability bestowed by the Lesser God of the Hunt to his followers, and its usage would lead to terrible aftereffects. The increased cell activity would drain one’s vitality to make up for the deficiencies, and the use of this skill would reduce life expectancy greatly.
But it was undeniable that this technique was still incomparably formidable. Leylin could feel the werecreature priest on the ground enter a strange state. Not only had the injuries on his body completely disappeared, sharp claws had even shot out of his fingers. Even though he was just a clergyman of the Lesser God of the Hunt, he seemed to have transformed into a horrifying Hunter after activating the skill!
“AAHH...” The muscles on the priest’s leg twisted as he leapt more than ten metres high. His cold razor-sharp claws ferociously slashed across Leylin’s face.
‘So fast!’ Leylin’s eyes sparkled.
“Your greatest mistake was to falsely think that you could take me on alone!” Two white puffs of air spurted out from the werecreature priest’s nostrils.
“I have a premonition that you will be the most terrifying enemy us werecreatures will ever have! I must kill you here, and this little amount of strength is not enough! Not enough!” The priest roared. He suddenly pointed his claws towards himself, and ripped out a huge chunk of skin and flesh.
“Our god, I offer you sacrifice! Please bestow me with the strength to kill this foe!” The two clumps of flesh started to squirm violently, and then exploded. A temporary portal opened to reveal two enormous beasts.
‘Dimensional summoning? This creature does not seem to be from the prime material plane of the World of Gods...’
*Oo Ooh Aa Aah! Oo Ooh Aa Aah!* What appeared before him were two giant primates covered in green scales. They were over three metres tall, and their sharp claws were nearly a foot long. Their crimson eyes were filled with bloodthirst.
‘A.I. Chip!’ Leylin inwardly commanded. The chip loyally returned information on them in the blink of an eye.
[Hunter: Strength: 13, Agility: 15, Vitality: 10, Spirit: 5. Feats: 1. Wild Instinct 2. Poison Claw 3. Extraordinary Regeneration. Description: This is not a creature from the mortal world, but a beast bred by the God of the Hunt in his divine domain. It has been specially bred for the hunt, and has almost no rationality. If Malar is pleased with his worshippers’ sacrifices, he sends down these creatures to assist them.]
‘It has flesh, blood, and a life force, and it even requires a sacrifice of the soul?’ Leylin thought indifferently as he watched the light dim in the eyes of the werecreature priest.
“Kill him!” The two tall hunters at the werecreature’s side saw a finger point directly at Leylin.
*Swish!* The two hunters who previously seemed to have been playing a game instantly disappeared into thin air. Even Leylin with his powerful sight could only see the afterimages of their movements.
‘They’re even faster than the priest when he activated Wild Surge!’ Leylin rapidly ducked under the sharp claws sweeping across him, but a shadow flickered and another hunter emerged behind his back. Two arms twisted with muscles violently swept towards Leylin, seemingly wanting to tear him to pieces.
*Bang!* Mage Armour II appeared on Leylin’s back, buying him a second’s time. Once that was done the clothes on his back seemed to get shredded completely, the scraps flying up into the air like scattered butterflies.
*Thump!* Leylin hit the ground heavily, and dust and smoke flew up into the air.
*Oo Ooh Aa Aah! Oo Ooh Aa Aah!* The two enormous hunters surrounded Leylin, one on either side of him. They roared loudly together.
“You can’t outrun them. Hunters can bring out their utmost power while hunting!” The werecreature priest stood opposite Leylin, his eyes filled with a longing for fresh blood. He could already see his claws tearing across Leylin’s throat.
‘It deserves to be called a creature made by a god. I didn’t know the hunters of legend had such power.’ A crack appeared in Leylin’s silver mask, and he stood up as his body shone with a healing glow.
‘However, even high-ranked hunters still have their weaknesses,’ Leylin’s hands hung down, enveloped in his billowing sleeves.
“Kill him!” Having lost his ability to fly, the werecreature priest found it more beneficial to stay on the ground with the hunters. Both the priest and the hunters seemed to have transformed into black hurricanes, enveloping Leylin in their midst.
The formidable wind swept up several small rocks, smashing them to powder. As dust and dirt flew around the area, the three clawed beasts completely sealed off Leylin’s escape. They flew at him violently, and with evil intent.
“Even if they are a god’s creation, they will still have some defects,” Leylin sighed. In the instant before the clawed beasts arrived, he urgently used the Ring of Wizardry on his hand.
*OOOOOOHH!* A piercing and shrill female voice rang out suddenly, and in a moment overwhelmed their senses. The earsplitting noise was like that of metal scraping metal, and it brought everything in that space to a standstill.
The ear-piercing sound became an air explosion which pushed the three shadows apart.
“Ow...” The werecreature priest cut a sorry figure as he departed, blood trailing from his eyes and ears.
“Sound wave attacks? Wail of the Banshee? No, if it was that I would be dead already!” The werecreature priest was already in this state, and the two hunters were in an even worse situation. They rolled back and forth on the ground, letting out pleading cries as if they had suffered an injury to their very souls.
“Wailing Howl... The power of this simplified version of Wail of the Banshee is rather good,” Leylin touched the ring on his left hand. He’d released the spell from his Ring of Wizardry a moment ago, pulling off an attack against his enemies.
Even a god could not create life, and those hunters were clearly hybrids that Malar had cobbled together from different animal characteristics and souls. Once they were attacked by sound, they immediately became violently unstable.
When it came to experiments on flesh and life, were Leylin to claim second nobody would dare claim first. He was the pinnacle expert of the World of Gods in that field. This was the pride of a bloodline Warlock.
“Very well, I’ve seen most of your spells and abilities. Let’s bring this to an end,” Leylin looked at the werecreature priest before him as dispassionately as he would look at a corpse, with neither joy nor sorrow in his eyes.
“To an end?!” The werecreature priest’s expression grew heavy, and his heart was filled with a dark premonition. A rune of a beast fang had soundlessly fallen into his hand.
“Up!” Along with his command, the two hunters who had already stopped their plaintive wails once again threw themselves at Leylin. The runes in his hand flashed with the light of a portal.