"Rooaaar…"
A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the air, reaching everyone's ears with bone-chilling clarity.
"---- !"
Kazuma froze.
Megumin froze.
Even Aqua, who had been gleefully waving at everyone just moments ago, went stiff. Beads of sweat trickled down her once radiant, carefree face.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
Footsteps echoed softly behind her.
Aqua didn't dare turn around. Her trembling face was on the verge of tears.
"H-Hey… you guys are just messing with me, right? Why do you all look like that? Don't tell me there's actually a monster behind me? Come on, don't joke like that! Scaring a Goddess can trigger Divine Retribution, you know! R-Right? Right…?"
Her voice quivered with each word.
Kazuma and Megumin couldn't even respond. They were already drenched in cold sweat.
The footsteps behind Aqua came to a halt.
But that stillness, oppressive and absolute, only intensified the dread that gripped her heart.
"ROOOAAAARRR, !"
A monstrous roar shattered the silence. Shadows surged behind Aqua like an avalanche, lunging toward her.
"WaaAAAHHH!"
Aqua shrieked and bolted, sprinting like mad toward Fang Li and the others.
"D-Don't come over here!"
"This is bad! This is really bad!"
Kazuma and Megumin shouted at the same time, spinning on their heels and fleeing with zero hesitation.
They had no choice. What they saw wasn't something a normal person could stand up against; it was a full-on trial of courage.
"Save me! Don't leave me behind! Please!" Aqua cried, tears flying as she ran, a stampede of white wolves hot on her heels.
These weren't ordinary beasts. Each wolf was massive, easily the size of a full-grown horse, and leading the charge was one the size of a war elephant, its presence radiating raw, feral power.
"ROOOAAAR!"
The monstrous White Wolf at the front let out a thunderous roar.
"ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR, !"
The pack responded in unison, howling as though answering their alpha's command, surging forward like an unstoppable tide.
The alpha, the giant, elephant-sized White Wolf, was clearly in command, and with the pack backing it up, it charged at Aqua with bloodthirsty eyes.
"Don't, aaAAAHHH!"
Aqua finally looked back. Her gaze met the jaws of the charging beast, and she screamed hysterically.
Outside the pasture, the only one who hadn't budged was Fang Li.
He had watched the entire scene unfold. As Aqua was about to be overtaken by the White Wolf pack, tears and terror plain on her face, Fang Li let out a quiet sigh.
"…This was supposed to be a simple leveling quest."
Just as he finished speaking,
"Boom!"
The ground shook with a sudden sonic boom.
Fang Li stepped forward. With that single motion, his figure blurred, then vanished, blasting toward the battlefield like a bullet tearing through the air.
The White Wolf alpha, jaw open wide and moments from devouring Aqua, never even saw him coming.
A flash appeared in front of the beast's face.
A devastating kick exploded forward.
"WHAM, !"
A blunt, thunderous impact echoed across the field.
"Awoooo!"
The alpha White Wolf howled in pain. Its massive frame was launched backward by the kick, colliding violently with the wolves behind it. The impact sent the whole pack sprawling, crashing to the ground in a storm of dust and disarray.
Fang Li descended from midair like a phantom, landing steadily behind Aqua.
"N-No way…?"
Kazuma, peeking out from behind a tree, stood dumbstruck.
"Amazing… So cool…"
Megumin, crouched behind a jagged rock, stared wide-eyed at the sight. After her initial shock, her eyes began to sparkle like she'd just discovered a new forbidden spell.
Meanwhile, Aqua stared at Fang Li in a daze. Then, without warning, she dove into his arms.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving me! Waaaah!" Clinging tightly to Fang Li's waist, Aqua sobbed uncontrollably, smearing tears and snot all over him.
"Hey! Cut it out! Stop hugging me! You're getting mucus and tears all over my coat!" Fang Li tried prying her off, pushing at her forehead, but her grip wouldn't loosen.
"This… this useless goddess is this strong?!"
He nearly forgot, Aqua's combat performance might be garbage, but her raw stats as a deity weren't low. While she couldn't overpower him outright, escaping from her death grip wasn't easy either.
"ROOOAAAR!"
Suddenly, the White Wolf alpha shook off the dust and staggered back to its feet. Its enraged howl echoed across the field like a war cry.
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
The remaining wolves followed suit, snarling viciously as they locked their crimson eyes onto Fang Li.
In a flash, the entire pack surged forward, howling as they lunged with deadly speed.
"Aqua! Let me go! They're coming!"
Fang Li struggled to free himself, tugging at Aqua, who was still latched onto him like a sobbing limpet.
"Waaaahhhh waa waa waa…!" Aqua just cried harder, burying her face into his chest. Her grip only tightened.
Fang Li couldn't move an inch.
The wolves were now right in front of him, he could already smell their foul breath and see the saliva flying from their fangs.
For the first time in ages, Fang Li felt like smacking his own head against a wall.
He had spent countless days battling across the Main God's Dimension. He'd faced tides of Kabane, endless swarms of Aragami, rampaging Demonic Beasts, and the elite forces of Demon Kings, he'd fought through all of them single-handedly.
And now?
Now he was about to be devoured by a glorified wolf pack… because of a blubbering goddess.
"You really are the most useless goddess I've ever met!"
Unable to dodge or break free, Fang Li sighed in defeat. A flicker of light flashed in his hand as he summoned his crescent moon dagger, one forged by the Tower of Origin's crafting system.
But it seemed he wouldn't even get a chance to swing it.
"The protagonist has arrived!"
Suddenly, Megumin's voice rang out dramatically from atop a high rock.
"Just in time for the climax! Now behold my ultimate arcane truth, Explosion Magic!"
With theatrical flair, she raised her staff skyward.
"BZZZT…"
Arcs of lightning-like mana crackled around her.
An overwhelming surge of magical energy erupted from her body, distorting the air around her like a furnace of pure force.
(End of This Chapter)
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