As the magic wolves surged forward, Ke Le and the others braced themselves for the incoming fight. These thousand-odd Blizzard Wolves far outstripped them in level — each one was on par with a Level 115 Great Lord, meaning they were facing over a thousand monsters of comparable tier, and every single one possessed combat proficiency above the third floor of the
Among the horde, several Three-Headed Magic Wolves charged to the forefront as well. Their imposing aura crashed toward the party like a tsunami, threatening to swallow everything in its path.
Just as the wolves closed in and the group had fully prepared for battle, the wolf army suddenly split into two formations, encircling
As the encirclement slowly took shape, the Blizzard Wolves within the pack parted to create a corridor for the Three-Headed Magic Wolves, letting them take the vanguard while the rest followed behind in support.
"Have these things all become sentient?!" Ke Le's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Before him, the magic wolves no longer resembled wild beasts at all. They moved like a disciplined military force — and one specifically trained to counter players, no less.
But before Ke Le and the others could fully process what was happening, one of the Three-Headed Magic Wolves lunged forward, with over a hundred Blizzard Wolves trailing behind in coordinated support.
Facing the charging beast head-on, Ke Le charged straight into it, slamming a Righteous Roar toward the Three-Headed Magic Wolf with everything he had.
Just as Ke Le, blazing with blinding light, was about to connect with the target, the Three-Headed Magic Wolf regarded him with a look of undisguised mockery in its eyes. Ke Le couldn't help but falter.
In that instant, two Blizzard Wolves materialized seemingly from nowhere on either side of the Three-Headed Magic Wolf and slammed directly into Ke Le.
Boom!
The forceful impact sent both Blizzard Wolves flying backward, but it also brought Ke Le's offensive to a grinding halt. And in that very moment, the Three-Headed Magic Wolf swiped a claw down from midair.
The claw trailed an abyssal dark glow, coalescing into a massive spectral talon that blotted out the sky — there was nowhere to dodge.
"You think taking me down is going to be that easy?!" Ke Le reacted swiftly, raising his shield high to block.
The instant Ke Le lifted his shield, however, he froze in disbelief.
Because at that exact moment, three more Blizzard Wolves emerged from the flanks—
A pincer attack!
For monsters with such low intelligence to exploit their companions for a coordinated two-pronged assault, and to execute it with flawless precision — the timing, the attack patterns, even most players would struggle to coordinate this well. It was as though the wolves had run countless simulated drills specifically targeting him.
Just as Ke Le found himself powerless — or rather, too late — to defend against the three Blizzard Wolves bearing down with their fangs, a wall of ice materialized around his entire body, sealing him inside completely.
Boom!
The Three-Headed Magic Wolf's spectral claw and the three Blizzard Wolves' strikes hammered into the ice barrier with a violent tremor, yet the barrier held firm without cracking.
Everyone's eyes snapped toward the source of the magic sustaining the wall.
The Three-Headed Magic Wolf's attack and the Blizzard Wolves' coordinated strike had been so blindingly fast that none of them had even reacted in time, let alone moved to rescue Ke Le. And yet that ice wall had been deployed at the perfect moment. What's more, it was merely a Tier 2 spell — yet it had completely neutralized the Three-Headed Magic Wolf's assault. It was almost unbelievable.
Standing behind Shi Feng, it was Versad who held the crystal scepter — the source of the ice wall's power.
And around Versad, there wasn't even a magic circle to be seen. He had conjured the barrier directly, and the speed at which it formed far surpassed even Water Rose and the others, who were capable of casting Tier 2 instant spells.
Normally, casting a spell required the formation of a magic circle. Even instant-cast spells produced one — the circle simply formed at tremendous speed. But even the fastest circle still took time. Versad's Tier 2 ice wall, however, had materialized without any magic circle at all, as though it had been willed into existence in a single thought. And the barrier it produced was incredibly strong.
Before anyone could collect their thoughts, the Three-Headed Magic Wolf before Ke Le suddenly flew into a rage. Its six eyes locked onto Versad, who was only Level 122, and all three wolf heads opened their maws simultaneously. A Tier 2 dual-layer magic circle bloomed beneath its feet.
All three heads unleashed a terrifying storm at once. The raging tempest bore down like a full-scale hurricane, threatening to engulf everyone present with no avenue of escape.
But in that moment, Versad merely raised one hand, and a wall of stone erupted from the ground, severing the Three-Headed Magic Wolf from the rest of the group in an instant.
The ferocious storm pounded against the rock wall without budging it even a fraction. By the time its power finally dissipated, all it had managed to do was blow away a thin layer of dust from the wall's surface.