The Great Wolf King
"You could've told me we were getting close," I hummed, glancing back at Raya as I stood across from Ragnar.
"We aren't," Raya muttered in response, fidgeting uncomfortably as she looked at her father, "This isn't the first time that a challenger came to fight him, but he always awaits them at the top of the mountain. I've never seen him meet them halfway."
"I couldn't hold back my excitement," Ragnar grinned, his canines flashing as he stared at me with a fire in his eyes, "I hope you don't min- hah, I don't actually care if you do."
Abruptly, he yanked his son, Ragno, back. He practically threw the man backward, sending him tumbling behind him and onto his back.
"F-Father?" Ragno asked shakily, staring up in confusion at his father's back.
"Don't get in my way," Rangar said bluntly, taking a step towards me as his eyes were alight with excitement, "I've been waiting for you for a while, challenger. It took you long enough!"
"I kept you waiting, even though it's only been a few days?" I hummed, smirking as I tensed my arms, "I'm flattered."
My eyes widened slightly as I spotted some movement behind Ragnar, and a few seconds later multiple more wolf-men came barreling down the mountain.
"Your Highness!" One of them shouted - the wolf-man looking more human-like, with a human body and skin, but with two floppy ears. Noticeably, this wolf looked far older than any of the other ones I had seen so far, with gray fur on his ears and facial hair.
Overall, he looked like a typical wise old man.
[Podo] [Dire Wolf Advisor] - Level 22
Behind him were two more dire wolves, both of which looked pretty similar to Ragno. One of them looked like he could be his twin, and the other was a bit taller with a bulkier frame and more square head.
[Ragnot] [Dire Wolf Prince] - Level 65
[Ragnat] [Dire Wolf Prince] - Level 75
Well, this might be a bit more difficult than I thought. Raya had told me that her father was very prideful and that he would try to fight me himself, but that seemed to not be the case.
With my preparations and plan, I should still be fine, even with having to take on all four at once - but it wouldn't be easy.
"All this talk about being excited to fight me, and yet you brought your whole family to back you up?" I asked, my eyes glancing over the other two princes as I tried to goad the King into doing something stupid.
"Hah. As if," Ragnar huffed, glaring back over his shoulder at the trio as they arrived, "These pups just want to watch me take you down. You've become quite famous over the past few days. They won't interfere."
"Y-Your Highness," Podo sputtered, taking a step towards Ragnar from behind him, "He's not a normal opponent. I recommend that you push your pride aside and accept hel-"
"Are you trying to embarrass me, Podo?" Ragnar growled, looking over his shoulder as he bared his teeth at his advisor.
"A-Ah, no, Your Highness! My apologies!" Podo stuttered, bowing his head quickly and taking a step back.
"Useless mutt," Ragnar growled again, "I should've just killed you along with my father."
Ragnar turned back toward me, tensing his legs as he stared me down, "Let's not waste any more time, challenger! I'll make your death quick and painless!"
I didn't need to be told twice.
"D-Do you want me to help, Valon?" Raya asked shakily from behind me, and I could tell that she was uncomfortable with the idea of fighting her father.
The fact that she even offered was sweet, but I didn't want her help.
"Just stay out of the way," I said bluntly, "Make sure nothing happens to the spears."
"Alright!!"
Me and Ragnar stared each other down, the forest growing deathly quiet as our eyes met. For a moment, the entire world seemed still - no one daring to move even an inch.
Then, my legs pushed off the ground. I shot forward, my arm cocked back as my hand formed a fist. I launched my punch forward, hitting nothing but air as Ragnar side-stepped it.
I was forced to quickly dodge as he counterattacked, his own hand lashing out as his claws barely missed my shoulder.
My hand started to morph into the shape of a blade, but I was forced to stop it abruptly as Ragnar continued his attack. He recovered from his missed swing faster than I had expected, as he easily controlled his momentum.
He used his forward momentum and continued leaning forward, his entire body launching off the ground as he barreled at me. I quickly sidestepped, crossing my arms in front of me as his claws grazed me this time.
-1,000HP! (22,035/23,035)
+500HP! (22,535/23,035)
Damn, that much damage for just a scratch like that?
I took a step back, giving up on morphing my hand and instead clenching my other hand around the reinforced spear in my hand. As Ragnar spun around again, planting his feet in the ground and standing only a foot or two in front of me, I took a step forward.
My arm lashed out, the steel-like spear launching tip-first toward Ragar. My eyes widened slightly at Ragnar's response, as the Wolf King cocked back his arm. He launched a punch forward, his fist slamming directly into the tip of the spear and…
…smashing through it like it was nothing.
My eyes grew even wider as the reinforced spear crumbled into woodchips in my hand, the clawed fist barreling through it and directly into my chest.
-3,000HP! (19,535/23,035)
+1,500HP! (21,035/23,035)
I felt like I'd been hit by a miniature semi-truck directly in my chest.
I winced as the impact rattled through my body, sending me sliding backward. I barely managed to stay on my feet as they slid through the dirt under us.
This guy might actually be a challenge, huh?
"Raya!" I shouted, holding out my hand toward the Princess. Luckily, she understood what I was asking for, and a second later tossed a spear at me. I caught it, stabilizing myself as I didn't take my eyes off Ragnar for even a second.
He was proving to be even stronger than I had expected. I was especially grateful for my regeneration skill right now, as I would've been in a bad spot without it.
"Those spears are impressive," Ragnar growled out, his sharp teeth glinting as he grinned at me, "I've never encountered such a hard piece of wood. Is it even wood? Whatever, it's not enough. No matter how many you have, I'll tear through them all!"
I wasn't given a chance to respond as Ragnar barreled towards me again, his claws bared. I hastily stepped out of the way, sliding in the dirt as Ragnar's claws hit nothing but air.
As he barreled past me, I slashed outwards with the spear - the tip flying through the air directly at the King's stomach. However, I was still too slow.
Ragnar lashed out with his arm, batting away the spear like it was nothing and breaking it in half.
I stepped back again, raising my hand to catch another spear, "Ray-"
"Not this time!" Ragnar shouted abruptly, cutting me off as a large grin appeared on his face. He leaned forward, looking more like a wolf than a human as he did. He leaned so far forward that one of his hands landed on the floor, the wolf-man crouching as he tensed his body.
My eyes widened as a faint blue glow surrounded his legs, and then suddenly he was shooting off the ground.
He blasted forward, and I barely jerked my head back in time to let his claws stream over my head. Despite dodging his attack, I wasn't given a moment of reprieve.
Ragnar swung again, his movements becoming even faster as his arms and legs seemed to blur. His claws flew at me again, and I had to take step after step backward as I barely managed to maneuver around them.
-1,000HP! (20,035/23,035)
+500 HP! (20,535/23,035)
I grunted as one grazed my cheek, and I decided I couldn't just keep dodging.
My hand morphed into a blade, and I ducked down under another swing. Instead of moving backward, I lunged forward, my knife hand lashing out at his leg.
Unfortunately, the gap in fighting experience was starting to show. While Ragnar had been fighting for his whole life in this deadly forest, I barely had any experience besides my low-level mob stomping and the few generals I had squared up against.
Ragnar shifted his legs to the side, letting my blade miss him by mere inches as his clawed hand slashed into my back.
-3,000HP! (17,535/23,035)
+1,500 HP! (19,035/23,035)
I hissed as blood splattered across my bare back from the attack, landing flat on the dirt. I quickly pushed myself back up, lunging forward again as a second pair of claws barely missed me.
I had hoped to be able to hit his legs and limit his movement, maybe taking an attack to the back in the process, but Ragnar had flipped that idea on its head. He got a hit in for free, and I got no damage in return.
I spun around, resetting the fight as we stared at each other again, both tense. I raised my hand, and Raya tossed me another spear without needing to be told.
The king was tougher than I had expected, but he wasn't unbeatable. My plan would still work.
I tensed my legs, ready to go on the offensive this time.
I sprinted forward, jumping at Ragnar and swinging my spear out widely. As I did, he responded exactly as I hoped he would.
He lashed out with his arm, easily breaking the spear in half. However, as his attention was split and his arm was left outstretched away from his body, I had an opening.
I dived forward, my knife hand slashing upwards. Ragnar's other hand came to block, his claws looking to slam directly into the blade and stop it.
Instead of letting that happen, I stopped my hand in its track and ducked my head, letting his claws swiped over both the blade and my head. Then, I slammed my arm forward, the tip of the blade slamming into Ragar's gut.
"RAH!" Ragnar growled, his fur being stained red as my blade stabbed into him. I quickly yanked my hand back, ripping it out of his flesh, but I was too slow.
Ragnar's hand came slamming forward, and I was unable to dodge from my crouched position. His palm slammed into my face, his claws digging into my cheek and drawing blood as the impact of the punch sent me flying backward.
-5,000HP! (14,035/23,035)
+2,500 HP! (16,535/23,035)
I tumbled backward, landing flat on my back a few feet away. I quickly pushed myself back onto my feet, lightly touching my cheek as blood dripped down it.
My regeneration had healed half of the damage, but it had still done enough to leave a mark.
"You…" Ragnar growled, looking down at the stab wound in his stomach, "I could live with the sneak attack from earlier, but to force me to bleed yet again?!"
Ragnar's body stiffened, the wolf-man standing up straight as he glared at me, blood dripping down his side, "You're even more formidable than I thought! You can rest peacefully in the afterlife knowing that the story of our fight will be told for generations to come! The day the Great Wolf King defeated The Predator!"
I blinked, staring at him after his declaration.
"...what'd you just call me?" I deadpanned.
"The Predator! It is a fitting name, right?" Ragnar grinned, saliva dripping from his maw as he spoke excitedly, "An opponent that has pushed me this far deserves a title!"
"Can, uh, you pick a different one?" I asked.
The nickname wasn't terribl- okay, yes it was. I was not letting myself be called a predator!
"Huh? Why do you not like it?" Ragnar asked, raising an eyebrow at me, "You, the one who feasts upon the flesh of his opponents. I have heard that you feasted upon not only the lowly footsoldiers but even my generals! You are truly a predator in this forest, and one of the greatest ones I've ever met!"
"Please… please stop calling me that," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, "I get that you mean it in the whole 'animal predator' type of way, but I still don't want to be called that. People are going to take it the wrong way!"
"Huh? What other way could they take it?" Ragnar asked, looking genuinely confused at my concerns, "A predator is a strong beast who feasts upon others! It is very fitting!"
"Where I'm from it means something else," I said dryly, "It's got two meanings. Just pick a different title!"
"W-Well, what title would you want to call yourself, then?" Ragnar asked, the battle put on hold as he was genuinely confused, "But make sure you pick a good one! An opponent of your caliber must have a title befitting his strength!"
Fair enough.
"You can call me…" I trailed off, letting a large grin fill my face as I locked eyes with the wolf king, "The Beast King."
"Y-You…" Ragnar stuttered out, his eyes wide as rage filled them, "You dare to call yourself a king in the presence of the Great Wolf King?! To call yourself the King of all Beasts?! I will kill you for your insolence!"
As he finished his rant, Ragnar shifted his feet, his body tensing. His eyes were alight with rage, and a much brighter blue glow suddenly surrounded his whole body.
"I will not tell your story anymore, you insolent bastard! No, in fact, I will ensure your name is lost to the sands of history!" Ragnar screamed, and I quickly found out his words weren't empty.
In a split second, the wolf king was suddenly right in front of me with his arm cocked back.
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out soon, or you can read ahead on Patreon.com/Koyon !