To become the absolute pinnacle of C-Rank creatures, brute physical strength alone was never enough—after all, there would always be beings who specialized in countering physical fighters.
The Forest Colossus Wolf possessed not only exceptional magic resistance but also magic-like offensive abilities. It could gather the mana within its body in its throat, then unleash a roar that manipulated the mana in the surrounding air.
A roar like this would directly send the target’s mana into chaos, a technique even magic-wielding creatures that specialized in countering physical foes could barely withstand.
“......”
Under the direct impact of the roar, all of Hulim Heyerar’s active buff spells dissipated simultaneously. Her body reverted to its ordinary human state in an instant, leaving her defenseless against the terrifying sonic howl. Her entire body felt as if it were about to be torn apart from the inside out.
Hulim Heyerar gritted her teeth, enduring the agony as she pulled her wand from her back. She gripped it tightly with both hands and drove its tip into the ground before her.
“???????????......”
“Ugh, cough... cough......”
The moment she tried to channel mana to cast a spell, the rampant, chaotic mana surged through her body, wracking her with pain.
“......”
Hulim Heyerar bit down harder, forcing herself to keep trying.
“???????????????????......”
“Cough! Cough!”
“????......”
“Cough... cough......”
After countless attempts,
“?????????????????????????????????????????????????????”
A brilliant white light flared to life around Hulim Heyerar. In an instant, the sensation of mana chaos vanished. The barrier surrounding her stood firm like a reef in the ocean, unshaken by the raging storm of the wolf king’s roar.
Holy Barrier—a Third-Tier Light-Elemental Spell.
Unlike other defensive barrier spells, Holy Barrier offered no protection against physical attacks. Instead, it was a specialized protective barrier against curses and negative effects. It could not block arrows, fireballs, or other tangible projectiles—but the mana-disrupting negative attack before her was precisely within its domain of defense.
Unfortunately, Hulim Heyerar had never researched the Forest Colossus Wolf’s offensive abilities in detail. To be fair, there was very little documentation on the subject. She had had no idea the beast possessed such an attack. If she had known, she would have cast Holy Barrier from the start, sparing herself the aggravated injuries and the near-defeat.
It was easy to imagine her fate if she had failed to cast the spell. Even if she hadn’t died from the sonic howl itself, she would have been gravely wounded and stripped of all her buffs once the roar ended. Facing the Forest Colossus Wolf in that state would have meant certain death.
“......But in the end, I still won!”
The Forest Colossus Wolf, still roaring continuously, did not hear her words. Nor did it notice that she was no longer affected by its howl.
“Fortify!”
“Haste!”
“Barrier!”
“Battle Roar!”
“And......”
“Ice Weapon Forging!”
Flashes of light flickered across her body. In the span of a few heartbeats, Hulim Heyerar was back at the peak of her power.
“WHOOSH——!”
At that moment, the roar finally ceased.
The Forest Colossus Wolf, gasping for breath, recovered its composure and turned its gaze toward Hulim Heyerar. When it saw her standing completely unharmed, unaffected by its attack, it froze in stunned disbelief.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
In all its years of hunting, a single prolonged roar like that had always been enough to disable foes like her—if not shatter them outright. But there was no sign of weakness on Hulim Heyerar’s face.
As it stood frozen in shock, Hulim Heyerar finished readying herself for battle.
“......My turn!”
Watching the small figure charge toward it at blinding speed, a flicker of panic crossed the Forest Colossus Wolf’s eyes—but it refused to believe its foolproof technique had failed.
It opened its jaws wide again, drawing a massive breath into its lungs, preparing to unleash another roar at Hulim Heyerar.
“You think you can get away with that twice?!”
“Water Cannon!”
Just as the roar was about to burst forth, a towering jet of water materialized out of thin air, slamming directly into the Forest Colossus Wolf’s open mouth.
“GRRR——!”
A flood of water rushed down its throat, sending it into a fit of violent coughing. The roar it had been preparing was cut short, replaced by gurgles of agony.
“Lightning Strike!”
Hulim Heyerar pressed her advantage, striking while the beast was vulnerable.
A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking the Forest Colossus Wolf square on. Under normal circumstances, a lightning strike like this would barely penetrate its thick fur—but with its body soaked in water and covered in bleeding wounds, the electricity seeped directly into its relatively vulnerable body.
“GRRR——!”
The Forest Colossus Wolf let out another scream of agony.
WHOOSH——!
The whistle of something cutting through the air rang out. The Forest Colossus Wolf scrambled to roll out of the way just in time.
The frigid ice greatsword sliced across its flank, leaving a deep gash and tearing away a clump of fur in its wake.
“Grrr......”
The Forest Colossus Wolf climbed to its feet, looking disheveled and dazed. It shook its head violently, trying to focus its gaze on Hulim Heyerar—but the lingering effects of the lightning left its limbs stiff and uncoordinated, its body wide open with vulnerabilities.
“Tidal Surge——!”
CRASH!
A towering wall of water materialized out of nowhere, surging toward the Forest Colossus Wolf.
The beast shuddered. The memory of being electrocuted still lingered, leaving it trembling with fear at the sight of water. It had no desire to experience that agony a second time.
But the Tidal Surge covered a vast area, leaving it with no room to dodge. It was submerged completely, soaked to the bone.
The Forest Colossus Wolf, now a dripping wet mess, scrambled to its feet, ready to flee.
Fortunately for it, the lightning strike it feared did not follow—but what came next was just as deadly.
“Freeze——!”
A bone-chilling gust of wind swept through the Forest Colossus Wolf’s soaked fur. Its body began to freeze over rapidly, the water on its skin turning to ice in seconds.
The beast let out a shuddering gasp. Its limbs locked up, frozen stiff, slowing its movements to a crawl.
Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the shivering, frozen Forest Colossus Wolf looked up to see Hulim Heyerar leaping high into the air. The ice greatsword in her hand glinted brightly in the sunlight, filling the beast’s heart with a primal fear of death.
“......ROOOOAR——!!!”
Faced with the imminent threat of death, the Forest Colossus Wolf’s primal ferocity flared to life. It ignored its injuries, ignored its frozen limbs, and lashed out with its most primal weapons—its fangs and claws—launching a frantic, desperate attack on Hulim Heyerar.
And Hulim Heyerar met the enraged beast head-on, refusing to back down.
Shards of ice and splatters of blood filled the air once more, swirling at the center of the battlefield......
......
When the first rays of dim, golden sunlight painted the sky at dawn,
the long and brutal battle finally came to an end.
The frigid ice greatsword pierced the Forest Colossus Wolf’s throat, tearing open a gaping wound.
GURGLE! GURGLE! GURGLE......
Scalding hot blood gushed forth, soaking the ice blade and melting it away slowly.
Neither of them moved.
The Forest Colossus Wolf, covered in countless wounds, lay motionless on the ground. In its final moments, its eyes stared up at Hulim Heyerar—the small figure standing atop its head, the one who had defeated it. But there was no triumph in her gaze. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, her body swaying unsteadily, on the verge of collapse.
You have won......
The Forest Colossus Wolf’s eyes slowly closed, and it drew its last breath. It would never open them again.
Hulim Heyerar knelt atop the beast’s massive body, her hand still gripping the hilt of the now-melting ice greatsword. She did not move, her eyes vacant and empty of all light.
The forest fell into a deathly silence.
The wolf pack watched the scene unfold in silence.
After a long moment, one wolf stood up, turned its back on the battlefield, and walked slowly toward the endless forest in the distance.
Then another. And another. And another......
The entire pack acknowledged Hulim Heyerar’s victory with their silence—and with their departure, the mighty mixed wolf pack was no more......
......
“CAW! CAW! CAW......”
The cawing of scavenger birds echoed through the trees surrounding the goblin tribe, their cries rousing Hulim Heyerar from her unconscious state. The light returned to her eyes in an instant.
She rolled off the Forest Colossus Wolf’s body, landing heavily on the ground. She scrambled to her feet, scanning her surroundings warily. The goblin tribe was eerily quiet, save for the constant cawing of the scavenger birds. The hundreds of wolves that had surrounded the tribe just hours ago were nowhere to be seen.
If it weren’t for the countless wolf carcasses littering the ground, one might have thought the entire battle had been nothing more than a nightmare.
“......”
Hulim Heyerar stared at the dark, shadowy forest in the distance, falling silent for a long time.
Then she turned around and walked into the forest. She paused briefly as she passed the Forest Colossus Wolf’s massive body, casting one last glance at the fallen beast before continuing on her way......
......
