Chapter 359

The wolf looked down at them from the canyon rim with a predatory expression, clearly unconcerned about the difference in numbers.For a moment, Nick again thought about abandoning Malkuth. It was one thing to face a swarm of beetles; it was quite another to face a Guardian.

He could sense the instinctive pull in his mind, the old habit of allowing to flourish, tasting the ether, mapping angles and presences, and preparing for anything the wolf might be capable of. With a single thought, the world would expand again.

His teeth ground together.

Forcing himself to exhale through his nose, Nick tightened his grip on the Shard, banishing the temptation.

They were still in the canyon maze, nowhere near where Calder’s memories had led. Which meant this wasn’t the Well’s sentinel, not was it a Prestige monster.

At most, it could be one thing. “An Outer Guardian,” he murmured before he could stop himself.

Willow’s head snapped toward him. “What?”

Nick kept his eyes fixed on the ridge. “Dungeons make pacts with a few powerful creatures even outside their core, lending them extra mana in exchange for their loyalty and protection.”

He had already encountered something similar in the Green Ocean. Dewdrop the Smiling Death had become part of the dungeon in exchange for power, gaining control over pocket dimensions far beyond what a non-Prestige fae should have been capable of. But even with such incredible power, she had been defeated.

Outer Guardians weren’t just strong, though that was definitely a concern. They had powers that exceeded what a typical member of their species should have been capable of, and those powers couldn’t be identified just by looking at them.

Which meant the wolf’s size and aura were only part of the problem.

He didn’t have to wait long, as the mystery of its special ability was quickly revealed when the wolf opened its jaws and howled.

The sound rolled through the canyon like a tide, distorting the air, weaving through it, and invading their minds, echoing again and again.

Willow made a strangled sound, clutching at her temple. Lina’s knees buckled. Mikel blinked rapidly, as if he had suddenly forgotten what he was doing. Joran hissed through his teeth, shaking his head wildly.

Nick felt it hit him too, as an invisible hook slid into the center of his thoughts, but he didn’t worry, for flared a moment later.

Cold smoothness snapped into place, and the intrusion skated away with a shriek only he could hear, unable to do anything more than irritate him with the physical aspect.

“Shields up!” he snarled, then took matters into his own hands, knowing the others were less protected against such attacks. “.”

He drove the Shard’s butt into the ground, and the spell erupted with a bang. Golden mana spread outward in a wide dome, covering the entire corridor with the thunderbird’s wings and rejecting the discordant note.

Static crackled across everyone’s skin, jolting them back into the present, and the Crest settled over them with a low hum.

This was not just a partial manifestation. Nick had cast the spell with the fullness of his reserves behind it, and it was evident in the thickness of the barrier and how realistic the thunderbird appeared.

Its impact was immediate. The others still staggered, but their eyes refocused, allowing them to regain full control of their bodies.

The wolf’s head tilted as if surprised that its attack was thwarted. It made Nick wonder how many had fallen prey to it, unable to do more than bumble around before it sank its fangs into them.

Dark mana seeped into its fur, transforming the white into a shifting shadow, and the beast coiled, eyes blazing with power, then leapt, crashing down upon them like a meteor.

It struck the Crest with a loud crack, shaking the ground all around them.

Gold flared blindingly, and the thunderbird’s outline sharpened as it pulled on Nick’s mana to disperse the power, spitting sparks from its wings in violent arcs that lashed back at the wolf.

The Guardian leapt back in surprise, claws digging into the stone walls, then coiled and lunged again, slamming shoulder-first against his magic, and biting at the barrier with fangs glowing a sickly black.

The Crest held, dispersing the foreign magic, but each impact sent tremors through Nick’s forearms, and his channels protested as the pressure increased.

The thunderbird struck back a moment later, pushing the wolf away, and Nick didn’t miss his chance.

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He raised the Shard, pulling the charge that had been planted with the attacks, and made good use of it. “.”

A white-gold spear plunged downward from the sky, guided by the Shard like a conductor’s baton.

The bolt struck the wolf’s side directly and slid across it, skittering along the dark mana coat like water on oil. The creature flinched, and its fur began smoking, but it didn’t collapse, twisting away with a dancer’s grace and leaping sideways, landing on a boulder in a blur.

Nick muttered a curse under his breath, realizing he would need to punch much harder to break through its protective coat.

He launched a rapid series of to herd it, not really expecting to pierce. His goal was to force it to retreat to the ground, where Malik and Yvonne could strike without straying too far from the Crest’s shadow, as he needed the penetrating power of their martial skills if he wanted to overpower it.

They had already successfully used this same tactic multiple times, conducting hit-and-run attacks and then quickly returning to the safety of his ward, but this time, they didn’t follow the predetermined pattern, rushing out and staying there much longer than they should have.

Yvonne was the first to reach the wolf, slipping out past the dome and trying to pierce its head, only to meet empty air. Malik followed her, charging wildly with his spear, and Monte and Terence ran after them a moment later.

“Damn it,” Nick grunted as he realized something was wrong. They’d never been that reckless, and now definitely wasn't the time to take risks.

The howl had affected them in some way. It wasn’t obvious mind control, as he hadn’t felt any psychic mana, but it was clear their emotions were influenced.

It was evident in their wild swings, which lacked the grace and skill that had once defined them.

The wolf easily avoided them, and its eyes flashed with cold delight as it leapt between them, batting away their strikes and preventing Nick from getting a clear shot without hitting his own allies.

Raphael swore and folded space, appearing outside the dome to yank Terence by the collar before a wild claw swing could decapitate him.

“Inside!” He barked. “Get back inside!”

The wolf acted before anyone could follow his orders and was on Malik in an instant.

Claws tore across his shield, and the impact forced Malik back a step. Then the wolf’s forepaw, covered in that same dark mana, sliced through the metal effortlessly, revealing it had been toying with them all along, and ripped across Malik’s torso.

Malik made a wet, startled sound as he went down.

Blood sprayed upward, and for a single terrifying moment, Nick saw the spear fall, saw Malik’s knees buckle, and saw the exact moment the beast prepared to strike and open him up.

Raphael’s hand shot up, and space twisted.

Malik disappeared from the wolf’s reach and reappeared twenty feet back under the Crest, collapsing into a heap. Willow screamed his name and dropped to her knees beside him, her hands already glowing as she tried to stop the blood from pouring out.

Nick’s vision narrowed. He was sure that he could find enough strong emotions in the ether to cast something powerful, but he couldn’t do that without abandoning the Step, which meant any spiritual spell he cast would have to come from his own reserves.

The wolf howled once more, the sound twisting and warping the air in waves. The canyon walls seemed to shift, and shadows deepened where sunlight should have been. For half a second, Nick’s mind insisted it was night, before drove the illusion away.

He watched Lina blink and look up, a gentle smile spreading across her face, while Joran suddenly turned his head sharply to the left, wild-eyed. “More are coming,” he rasped.

“There’s nothing there,” Nick snapped.

Monte quickly stepped back inside the Crest, breathing hurriedly, as his eyes flicked to each crack in the stone. Terence’s hand trembled on his sword's hilt, and Willow’s wards flickered as she looked beyond Malik’s bleeding body, her gaze fixed on an empty spot.

Paranoia was taking hold of them, leading them to see false things and feel hunted from every direction.

He had safeguarding him, but the others had no such protection. They were being pushed towards errors and overreactions, and would break apart and panic if this continued.

More than anything, chaos would guarantee their loss. Nick couldn’t allow that to happen.

Loosening his grip on the part of himself he’d been keeping sealed, Nick let a thin stream of spiritual mana flow into his coils, filling it with his calm, his stoicism, and his refusal to dance to someone else’s tune.

“Everyone,” Nick said, keeping his voice quiet and nearly personal, as if he were speaking directly into their ears. “Breathe.”

He lifted the Shard, and the spell he created was intentionally weaker than it could be. “”

The magic unfurled with a pale ripple through the air, brushing over minds and auras like a disinfectant. It stung, yes, but it also washed away the worst of the grime.

Willow’s eyes snapped back into focus. Lina shuddered and then inhaled deeply, as if she had been drowning. Joran blinked quickly, suddenly back in the real world.

The oppressive wrongness in the air eased.

Nick felt the stored spiritual mana drain away and knew he couldn’t cast anything like that anytime soon, not without reaching into the ether for it. He could still fight, but now he was limited to his other affinities.

The wolf’s head tilted, and the dark mana covering its fur pulsed, growing stronger as it realized its spell had been broken.

Then it moved again, faster than before, springing from stone to stone, refusing to stay in any one line long enough for coordinated strikes. It didn’t tire, nor did it slow, as the dungeon sustained it.

The others resumed their attacks. Yvonne struck a cut across its shoulder. Raphael folded a slice of space to redirect a pounce into a stumble, which allowed Joran’s green fire to hit the dark coating, causing it to hiss and ripple.

But none of it lasted long enough. They just couldn’t cause enough damage at once.

Nick narrowed his eyes and realized he wasn’t as limited as he thought. He had been avoiding this because challenging a dungeon’s claim over an area wasn’t a casual act. Even doing it briefly could pit him against the power of a leyline, which no sane person would attempt.

But he had the Shard now, and he suspected the leyline wouldn’t affect him the same way it would someone else. Even if the dungeon was a separate entity, it too drew its power from the World.

And Malik was still bleeding, sluggishly now that Willow had administered first aid, but his condition didn’t look good.

Nick inhaled deeply, cycling the , and cast.“.”

A pressure drop swept through the canyon corridor, subtle enough to cause only slight twitching in others, but its effect was immediately felt. The ground beneath their feet seemed to stabilize. Dust particles stopped moving. The ambient mana, which had been swirling and twisting like a storm, shifted into a steadier flow.

The wolf recoiled, and for the first time, it looked confused.

The dark mana coating its fur sputtered. The steady feed from the dungeon stuttered like a river hitting a dam, and its movements lost that impossible smoothness for half a heartbeat.

That was all the others needed.

“Now!” Raphael shouted.

Space folded, allowing Yvonne to strike from the side. Joran’s green fire latched onto the wolf’s shadow-mana like a parasite. The Guardian tried to leap away, but Monte and Terence were there to trap it.

Nick pushed his even harder, ignoring the pain stabbing through his channels. The Shard hummed in his hand, absorbing ambient mana and shaping his will upon the World, but even with its help, he felt the strain grow, and he knew he couldn’t hold out forever.

The dungeon pushed back, its howling power battering at his mind, but Nick gritted his teeth and held on anyway.

The wolf’s body shuddered as the combined blows hit true. Its legs buckled. It tried to howl again, but the sound came out broken and strangled, like a throat full of gravel.

Nick leaned into both the Crest and the Territory, pouring all his stubbornness into them.

The wolf leapt as if to escape, but was struck by five simultaneous attacks that finally broke through its dark coat and tough hide.

Its massive body struck the stone with a dull crack that echoed through the canyon, and the System chimed.

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