Chapter 79: Battle with the Wraith
I zipped through the air, aiming to kill the wraith with just a single swing of my claws. I made sure that Selthia noticed me, and as if reading my thoughts, she timed and positioned her attacks to lead the monster right into my path. By the time the wraith noticed what was happening, it was too late.
I felt my claws tear through something solid, and for a second, I thought that was it, until I realized what had happened. The wraith had sacrificed its own hand to save its life. It blocked the attack at the last second, and instead of ripping out its heart, I took its right arm instead. But the worst part was that it had siphoned some of my life force the moment I touched it.
The wraith didn’t waste the opportunity as I was left helpless in the air. Its slender arm reached out to grab my face, but just as it was about to make contact, one of my hounds reared its head, like a ghost spawning in the night and latched onto the creature’s hand.
This granted me the few precious seconds I so desperately needed to land on the ground without harm.
"Are you okay, Selthia?" I asked her. She looked as if she wanted to collapse.
"I’m fine. How are you? You’re still injured."
"My wound has opened up slightly, but I will be fine. For now, let’s just focus on killing the wraith."
Selthia smiled and returned her attention back to the creature hovering in the sky. My shadow hound that had latched onto it had disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
"It feels good fighting beside you," she mumbled.
Just then, several orbs of water began to form around her as if she was siphoning the moisture from the air itself. They all grew to the size of a basketball before they all exploded, coursing directly towards the wraith like guided missiles. The wraith moved with incredible speed, as it danced through the incoming attacks with ease.
Though she couldn’t land a hit, Selthia’s attacks were strategic, aimed to draw the creature down from the sky. The two of us had such a connection where we didn’t even have to speak to each other, but we instinctively knew what the other wanted and was thinking.
It was similar to telepathy in a way, and what more, I could feel this ability getting stronger. It was the same with Isabella, and even though I hadn’t officially made Sylvie a part of my pack yet, we had the same connection too.
Selthia drove the creature from the sky, forcing it to the ground. At that moment, all 50 of my shadow hounds, led by Cerberus, leaped from my shadow towards the wraith. They moved with unmatched agility and speed as they pounced on the wraith.
The wraith let out a desperate screech as my hounds sank their fangs into its flesh. It always satisfied me to watch them hunt. The wraith tried desperately to fight them off, but with only one hand, my hounds overwhelmed it, chewing off large pieces of its flesh.
What made my hounds so effective was that they didn’t have any life force to siphon, and the wraith didn’t have much combat ability. Its only skill was its speed and the ability to kill by just touching.
It made sense that a creature like that didn’t fight properly. With my hounds overwhelming it, the wraith tried desperately to take back to the sky, but just as it was about to fly off, it was struck down by a sonic blast that erupted from Selthia’s mouth.
The monster was sent ragdolling onto the ground for several meters, but before it could come to a stop, I appeared behind it.
In truth, I was a bit hesitant to kill the wraith. There was something that I desperately wanted to try. I wanted to recruit it to be a part of my pack, but I couldn’t at this moment. I had promised Sylthia its heart, and I didn’t want to go back on my word.
I would have to try some other time. Maybe on another creature. Having come to a decision, I grabbed the wraith by its long black hair as it was sent flying. Its eyes widened for a second as it tried to grab me, but before it could, I plunged my claws into its chest. The life drained from its eyes instantly as I let it fall lifelessly to the ground.
[Congratulations, you have slain a level 13 wraith.]
[Congratulations, you have ascended to level 21:
+20% Increase in Vitality
+15% Increase in healing factor
+10% Increase in Claw sharpness]
The heart that I pulled out was black in color. It almost looked rotten.
"Darling, we did it!"
Just as I examined the heart, Selthia jumped onto my back and wrapped her arms around me tightly. She was beaming with joy. She even looked as if she had temporarily forgotten about the heart.
"For your hard work, I’ll give you this," I said, extending the heart to her.
Immediately as I said this, her cherry-colored lips curled up into a seductive smile.
"Feed it to me."
Together we found a shaded spot underneath an oak tree. She sat in my lap as I fed her the heart. Immediately as she took the first bite, the small scales on her skin disappeared, returning her beautiful color. Also, her hair returned to its ocean blue color.
"My lord," just then Floki approached us and bowed down on his knees. "Thank you for saving my people. We will be happy to serve you."
"Gather everyone that is still alive, including the women and the children. Every living being, bring them to me."
"My lord?"
"I’ll need to turn them just like I did you," I explained, noticing Floki’s slightly confused expression.
He immediately smiled and nodded.
"Yes, my lord."
"I’ll use my shadow hounds to rescue anyone trapped in the rubble," I said. "Sylvie, can you use your water thingy to put out the flames so it doesn’t spread?"
"It’s water magic, darling, and yes, I’ll do whatever you command me," Selthia said before bringing herself close and giving me a kiss on the lips. The two of us were locked in a passionate kiss before her eyes suddenly widened and she quickly pulled herself away.
"What’s wrong?" I asked, noticing the sharp glint in her eyes.
"Who is Sylvie?"