My eyes were enhanced.
My vision was sharper.
I could see the wolves' moves clearly.
But even then—
All I saw on the other side were blurs of grey and black.
Not because the wolves had become faster.
It was just that there were a lot of them.
On our side, only one or two wolves remained.
They attacked the teens beside me before retreating.
On the other side—
There were dozens.
As if they had abandoned one side completely and focused only on the other.
The teens fought two or more wolves at once, holding on to their lives by nothing more than luck and grit.
They swung their swords blindly around without any form or technique.
And hoped to drive them back.
Sweat ran down their heads, and sharp, ragged breaths left them.
It felt as if they would fall at any moment.
Not because of the wolves.
But because of exhaustion.
The teen's condition wasn't the worst part.
It was their number.
I couldn't count them all.
But there were at least forty wolves left.
Their number hit me the hardest.
I thought that only ten or twenty remained.
But forty?
What were they doing all this time?
If this continued—
"ARGH! HELP!"
A shout echoed, breaking my focus.
My eyes shifted at once.
There—
Four wolves attacked a small boy at the same time.
Two lunged at his legs while the other pair leaped for his arms.
My eyes widened at once, but my mouth was already opening as my eyes snapped toward the teen beside the boy.
"BLONDIE! ON YOUR LEFT!" I shouted.
The blond teen had to fend off the wolf attacking him with a quick slash before turning—
But it was already too late.
The wolves were already upon the boy.
He couldn't block them all and chose to defend his arms.
Shing.
His sword cut through air, a horizontal slash.
Slrrsh.
And killed the two mid-leap.
But—
The other pair reached his legs, their fangs digging into flesh.
Crack!
"ARRGHH!"
The sound of his bones snapping rang in my ears.
The blond teen was already moving, sword raised, about to stab it into one of the wolf's skulls.
But—
Shish.
The wolves pulled at once, dragging the small boy out of the circle.
Thud.
And the blond teen's sword stabbed into the ground.
Only two lines of red were left where the boy had been.
Gone.
Just like that.
Only—
"AGHHHHH!"
A horrifying scream echoed.
That was everything the boy had left behind.
Just as I thought it was over—
"WATCH OUT!"
—another shout rang.
And a wolf lunged at the blond teen.
He pulled his sword free and swung at the leaping wolf.
Slrrsh.
The wolf´s leg was cut off cleanly, but it didn't stop the force behind its jump.
Its body moved forward, jaws wide, and bit down onto his thigh.
"ARRGH!"
Teeth dug into flesh, making the teen fall.
Thud.
He wasn't even able to free himself from the first wolf when another lunged at him.
RAAH!
The teen was barely able to lift his sword in time.
Shuk.
And the wolf impaled itself as it jumped straight at the raised blade.
But—
It wasn't only one wolf.
CRUNCH!
Another followed right after it, landing on the teen's chest and bit into his throat, killing him instantly.
It happened so fast he couldn't even scream.
"CLOSE IT!"
The girl shouted again, barking orders.
"GROUP TOGETHER! BACK TO BACK!"
She killed another wolf with a quick slash before turning around and stepping into the circle.
"WE ARE ONLY FIVE! COME CLOSER!"
I moved immediately and stepped into the circle beside her, our shoulders touching.
She was right.
It didn't matter if we hindered each other.
Getting closer meant that we could help each other even more.
There was also no use in such a big formation.
The three other teens couldn't turn immediately as they fought against the wolves, but heard her voice.
They turned after blocking the next wolf and sprinted toward us.
I spared them a glance as they positioned themselves.
Number 70 was a tall guy with black hair.
He took the spot to my right.
Number 2 was more on the shorter side and had brown hair.
He stepped to the girl´s right side.
The last teen was number 13.
He was the other spear user.
Regular height and black hair.
He sprinted toward the spot behind me.
Then—
Just a meter before he stepped into position.
Swoosh.
Gone.
It happened in an instant.
A wolf lunged at him from the side.
I only saw a flash of grey slamming into him before he vanished.
No scream.
No blood.
He vanished.
Disappearing as if he was never there.
Only four remained now.
The girl´s voice rang again.
"BACKS TO BACK!"
Number 2 stood now directly behind me. 70 took my right, and the girl, number 16, was on my left.
Our shoulders touched as we closed the gap.
The wolves split.
Half of the wolves tore into the corpses of the fallen, ripping limbs apart. The other half circled us completely.
It was hard to guess, but about ten had died during the skirmish, leaving thirty wolves for us four to fight.
ROAR!
Two wolves lunged at me.
I swung in a diagonal arc, aiming for their throats—but my shoulder bumped against the girl beside me, shortening the swing.
Slrrsh.
The first wolf´s throat was cut open, but it wasn't enough to reach the second one.
I reacted instantly, reaching my left arm toward its mouth.
It was a quick decision.
A gamble.
But—
Clang.
Its fangs clashed against the metal.
That gave me enough time to drive my sword forward.
Swoosh.
But the wolf was fast.
Its paw reached out, claws aimed at my arm.
Shuk.
Just as my sword pierced its skull.
Skrat!
Sharp claws sank into my skin, ripping my bicep open.
Pain exploded across my arm, making my jaw clench.
Thud.
The beast dropped to the ground.
Slrrt.
I tore my sword free and shifted into position.
Pain flared up.
My left arm burned, blood ran down my skin.
But there was no rest.
RAWR!
And the next wolf leaped at me.
I pulled my sword back and stabbed forward.
Shuk.
Straight into its chest before it could even reach me.
Thud.
The pile of corpses grew.
Haah.
It grew to a point where even my own steps are hindered.
I yanked the blade free and stepped sideways.
Step.
Shish.
But nearly tripped as I stepped onto something sharp.
It cut into my left foot, having no boots bit me back now.
Step.
I regained my balance quickly, my eyes lowered, glancing at the thing on the ground.
There, buried in the sand with its blade peaking out.
Was a sword.
One from the already dead teens.
AWOO!
Another howl broke my thoughts.
My eyes snapped forward.
Another wolf rushed at me.
It slowed ever so slightly, held back by the corpses, before leaping for my legs.
My knees bent, crouching low as I lifted my sword, aiming at its chest, grip firm.
The beast was already airborne and had no way to stop.
Shuk.
It impaled itself on my sword.
Weight slammed into me next.
Thud.
I placed my left arm on the ground to support myself. Pain flared up at the movement, but I clenched my teeth and pushed through.
Slrrt.
I pulled my sword free while pushing its body aside.
Thud.
It dropped to the ground beside me.
My hand moved at once, gripping the sword´s hilt and lifting it off the ground before I straightened again.
Pain shot through my left arm as I lifted the sword into position.
The second sword was good for an emergency, but couldn't be used with my left arm.
I lowered it again, letting it hang at my side.
Another wolf closed the distance, ready to lunge at me.
"NOO! MY WEAPON!"