.
"These bastards were definitely Grade 2s," Vic mused aloud, still catching his breath. "Guess we were paranoid about the academy sending us to a high-grade realm with tougher..."
Before he could finish, Angelica''s panicked voice pierced the air. "VIC, BEHIND YOU!" Her cry came toote.
Vic and Ss spun around just as a hulking shadow detached itself from the darkness. Its massive ws were already swinging downward, aimed straight at Vic''s head. In that heart-stopping moment, Vic knew there was no time for him to react.
But Ss was faster.
Without hesitation, Ss summoned his scythe. It appeared in his right hand with a sharp metallic hum, and he gripped it tightly, swinging the de with deadly precision.
CLANG!
A deafening sh echoed as the scythe collided with the creature''s ws, deflecting them mere inches away from Vic''s head. The force sent sparks flying into the air, the ws screeching against Ss''s weapon.
"Move!" Ss shouted, leaping backward as Vic scrambled to create some distance between himself and the beast.
The creature growled, a low, menacing sound that reverberated through the cavern. Ss stood his ground, his eyes narrowing as he took in the full sight of the mutant. It resembled the wolves they had just fought, but this one was different. It stood on two legs, its form more humanoid, towering over them. Its gleaming steel ws were the size of katana des, lethal and deadly.
[Name: Steel Wolf King]
[Grade: 3]
A notification blinked in front of Ss, confirming what he had already suspected. ''Grade 3, just like I thought,'' he reflected internally, his focus unwavering.
Vic let out a nervous chuckle, still reeling from his near-death experience. "Man, thanks! That was way too close forfort," he said, his gaze shifting to the towering creature in front of them. "But this thing... it''s way stronger than those others. What the hell is it?"
"Yeah, it''s a Grade 3," Ss responded coolly, never taking his eyes off the beast.
"What?! Grade 3?!" Vic blurted out, his voiceced with disbelief.
Ivy''s voice trembled with fear. "What do you mean, Grade 3? This is supposed to be a Grade 2 realm. We''re only supposed to be dealing with Grade 1s and 2s!"
"Looks like the academy sent us somewhere a little more challenging than advertised," Ss replied with a calm, almost detached tone, stepping forward slowly. His scythe gleamed menacingly in the red light of the cavern.
"What are you doing, Griswold?" Vic asked, watching Ss with wide eyes.
"You guys hang back. I''ll handle this overgrown wolf pup," Ss said coldly, summoning his mutant armor. In the blink of an eye, his body was encased in ck, angr tes of armor, each piece fitting seamlessly with the next. His face was obscured, and the scythe in his hand seemed to pulse with a sinister energy.
Vic stared at him, a sudden realization dawning.
''That scythe… that armor… why does it feel like I''ve seen this before?'' he wondered, his mind racing.
"Isn''t that the same scythe the Ghost Ranger uses?" Angelica murmured, her voice barely audible over the tension in the air.
Vic''s eyes widened. "That''s it! I''ve seen it before! Ss... Ss is the Ghost Ranger!"
Ss ignored their chatter, his attention fully on the Steel Wolf King. The creature was watching him too, its metallic body tense and ready for a fight. It snarled, baring its steel fangs.
Without warning, the Steel Wolf King lunged, its wsing down in a deadly arc toward Ss. He raised his scythe to meet the attack.
CLANG!
The sound of metal against metal rang out again as Ss blocked the strike. But the wolf wasn''t done. Its other w was already swinging toward him from the side. Ss spun to his right, raising his scythe just in time to intercept the second attack. The force of the blow sent him skidding backward across the rocky ground.
Ss barely had a moment to recover before the wolf was on him again, its ws shing in a blur of deadly strikes. But Ss moved like water, weaving through the onught with grace and precision. Each time the wolf swung its ws, Ss danced around it, his scythe moving like an extension of his body.
Seeing an opening, Ss swung his scythe in a wide arc, aiming for the creature''s side.
CLANG!
The de hit the wolf''s metallic hide with a resounding crash. Ss''s eyes narrowed as he saw only a slight crack appear where his scythe had struck. ''What the... its entire body is metal. My strike barely did any damage.''
But Ss wasn''t one to give up easily.
''If I keep hitting the same spot, maybe I can crack it open.''n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The Steel Wolf King howled in fury, its eyes glowing with rage. Itshed out with its ws, but Ss was already moving. He sidestepped the attack and swung his scythe again, aiming for the same spot.
CLANG!
This time, the crack deepened, and the wolf let out a pained growl.
Not giving it a chance to recover, Ss activated his skill.
[Active skill: Lightning Dash has been activated]
The world seemed to slow down as Ss''s body surged forward in a blur of speed. The wolf''s movements became sluggish, its ws frozen mid-swing. Ss gripped his scythe with both hands and brought it down with all his might on the crack he had made earlier.
The de sliced through the wolf''s metallic hide, and a spray of dark purple blood erupted from the wound. The Steel Wolf King let out a deafening howl of pain, stumbling backward, trying to distance itself.
But Ss wasn''t about to let it escape. His body blurred once more as he activated his skill again, closing the distance in an instant. With a powerful leap, Ssunched himself into the air, his scythe raised high above his head.
SLASH!
The de came down in a swift, clean strike, severing the wolf''s head from its body. Ssnded gracefully on one knee, his scythe dripping with dark purple blood. The Steel Wolf King''s massive body copsed to the ground with a thunderous crash, its head rolling a few feet away.
[Congrattions, you have in the Steel Wolf King]
Ss rose to his feet slowly, his breathing steady. He turned to face hispanions, who stood several meters away, staring in stunned silence.