Three wolves lunged—one from the left, one from the right, and one dead ahead.
Mid-air. Teeth bared.
> THWIP-CRACK-SSZZZZT!!!
A single motion.
Katrina's whip spun through the air like a serpent made of lightning—crackling purple, shrieking with mana.
> FLASH!
All three wolves split clean in half before they could blink.
Ashen flinched as the charred halves fell past him, sizzling.
Katrina exhaled slowly.
> "Well… I went a little overboard."
Her voice was calm, but her chest rose and fell heavier than before. That much mana in one swing? Risky.
Her eyes darted ahead.
A massive tree loomed—its roots thick, tangled, forming a cavernous space beneath the trunk like a natural shelter.
Without hesitation, she dove.
> Thud.
She crouched, slid Ashen down from her arms, and pointed.
> "Hide there"
Her voice left no room for questions.
Ashen scrambled backward into the hollow. He curled up small, eyes wide, breath shallow
> Crack. She popped her knuckles.
> Click. Her neck tilted side to side.
> "If they won't let us escape without a fight…"
She stood tall.
"Then they've got a fight."
Ashen disappeared under the tree's roots—hidden in shadows, breath held tight.
Katrina stood tall in front of it, wolves approching them.
> "Come on then."
Five wolves charged.
No warning.
One from the left—two from the right—two more head-on.
Katrina moved.
The first wolf lunged. She sidestepped clean, grabbed its fur mid-air—
> CRACK!
Her elbow slammed into its neck, spine snapping. She let the corpse drop without looking.
Another beast came from the right.
Low, fast, fangs bared.
She ducked just in time, twisted her whole body—and drove a brutal knee into its ribs.
> THUD!
The wolf coughed blood and tumbled away.
But the other three were smarter.
One pounced high.
One went for her back.
One dashed toward the tree—toward Ashen.
> "Tch—"
Katrina, caught the high one mid-air and punched it in the snout. It yelped, but claws from the second wolf tore across her back, tearing fabric and skin alike. She gasped, stumbling with one hand over the wound. Blood seeped fast. Not deep, but enough to sting with every breath.
The two wolves regrouped. The third wolf was already closing in on Ashen's hiding spot.
> BZZZZZRRRT!!
Her bracer exploded with electricity.
A pulse of raw mana burst outward—arcs of lightning dancing across the forest floor.
The charging wolf was struck mid-leap—frozen, shocked, charred. It hit the ground twitching, smoking.
Katrina turned back—gritted her teeth.
The last two wolves circled now. Careful. Coordinated.
She was bleeding from her shoulder and lower back. Breaths came heavier.
They charged together.
Left. Right. In sync.
> Not fast enough.
She dropped to one knee, then launched herself forward like a bullet—shoulder-first into the left one. The impact knocked it off balance.
She jumped again, caught the other by its neck—and smashed it down into the dirt.
Dust flew. Claws raked her side.
She grabbed the fallen wolf's jaw with one hand and yanked hard—dislocating it. It collapsed, wheezing.
The final wolf was already leaping at her.
Too close.
Too fast.
Katrina reached behind her back—
> SNAP!!
The whip flared to life. Purple lightning arced across the sky.
She spun once—and let it fly.
> CRACK—SHHHK!
The whip sliced clean through the last wolf mid-air. Its body split in two before it hit the ground.
Silence.
Katrina stood still.
Chest heaving. Clothes torn.
She turned toward the tree.
> "Still in there?"
Ashen peeked out with wide eyes, speechless.
Before he could answer—
> Step… Step…
Footsteps.
Slow. Lazy. Confident.
From the trees, the masked man emerged—hat tilted low, boots crunching the dirt.
He looked around at the carnage with a sigh.
> "Useless mutts," he said, cracking his neck.
"Looks like I'll have to finish their job myself. What a pain."