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The change came suddenly, as if it was a dam that suddenly broke under the weight of a flood. The shadows that surrounded the wolf and were holding back the relentless assault of Reign and the others suddenly faltered, cracks appearing.

First, it was at Reign’s position. He was the first one to attack the wolf after all, not to mention the fact that he had attacked the back, which had already been injured by Laura and her demonic sword mere moments before.

Thanks to that, the back was not only injured, but also the least protected as the wolf had hastily summoned the shadows to defend against the attack and then drew in more to reinforce the defense while also defending against Jin, Aelrinder, Shadow, and Mia.

The strain on the wolf was immense and it had to focus and draw in as many shadows and spend a ton of mana in order to defend, and finally, it could no longer do so. It was also thanks to Tank, Wolf, and Beast, who had taken care of the tree, making it impossible for the wolf to gain any help any longer, making it less deadly for them.

By their relentless assault, the tree was charred, and almost half of it was chopped off, only a bit more was left before it would be fully destroyed by them.

As Reign sensed the defense of the wolf falter and crack, he roared and channeled everything he had left in the attack, his muscles straining from the force while his mana channels were overflowing, widening to an almost dangerous degree.

The light and darkness flared up, the light brightening up half of the forest with its immense glare while the darkness seemingly caused even the shadows around them to disappear as it encompassed everything within it.

The cracks started widening, and the others also went all out, not holding anything back, using every single piece of strength they had left to break through the defense of the powerful wolf and end it.

But the wolf, despite its dwindling strength, was not ready to die. It let out a deafening roar, shadows flaring violently from its body in one last desperate attempt to fend off its attackers. The ground beneath them quaked, and the air became dense with malevolent energy. It was as if the forest itself cried out in agony, reflecting the wolf’s rage and desperation.

But the relentless onslaught from Reign and the others was too much. Even the forest, with all its ancient, twisted energy, could not hold back the sheer force of their combined will. The cracks widened further, the obsidian armor of shadows splintering as if a great pressure was crushing it from within.

Reign’s swords flared one last time, their energy blazing with an intensity that bordered on blinding. "Come on, give it everything you’ve got!" he screamed, his voice raw and filled with the weight of their struggle.

Aelrinder’s star-infused spear drove deeper into the wolf’s forehead, the celestial light piercing through the dense layers of shadows that had served as the beast’s final defense. The stars flickered and flared as Aelrinder’s spear pulsed, sending waves of energy through the wolf’s skull. The beast’s eyes widened in shock, a brief flicker of fear flashing across its once-dominant gaze.

"Die, damn you!" Jin roared, his fists blazing with red energy as he delivered another punch to the exposed underbelly of the wolf, sending shockwaves rippling through its body, before delivering another one, and another, and another. His blows landed like meteors, each one shattering bone and tearing through sinew, disrupting the wolf’s internal energy flow.

Mia’s [Ice Lance] skill was reaching its limit, but she pressed on, her lance of ice steadily boring deeper into the beast’s flesh. Frost crept outward from the wound, freezing the tendrils of shadows that tried desperately to seal the wound shut. Mia’s breaths came in ragged gasps, but she refused to relent, her determination burning as fiercely as the ice that encased her arm.

Shadow continued pouring his mana into the darkness that was already corroding the body of the wolf, causing more and more of it to get inside and do more damage, eating away at the wolf from the inside.

"Everyone, keep it up! We’re almost through!" Reign shouted, sweat streaming down his face as he felt the wolf’s defenses finally buckle under their collective pressure.

Then, a change rippled through the battlefield. The tree that Tank, Wolf, and Beast were attacking began to collapse. With a final swing of Tank’s axe, the massive, charred trunk split in two. The dark energy that had been fueling the wolf suddenly froze, like a cord being cut. The tree’s death throes sent shockwaves through the forest, and the oppressive aura that had weighed down on them lifted, leaving the air clear and sharp.

"No more power for you, ya overgrown dog," Wolf snarled, his flames dying down as he collapsed to one knee, utterly spent. Beast and Tank, similarly drained, could only watch as the tree’s roots shriveled and turned to dust.

With its connection severed, the wolf’s armor of shadows fell apart entirely. Even though the power to control shadows was its own, the wolf had also been using its connection to the tree to better manipulate and reinforce them, thus, even though the tree had not given it any energy for a while, it had still used that connection to defend against the attacks, and now, without the tree, the wolf found itself defenseless for a moment.

It would only take the wolf an instant to regain control over the shadows and continue defending, but that one instant was too long, it would not get that chance.

The shadows broke, froze, and were either destroyed by light or devoured by darkness as the attacks finally landed on its body with no obstruction.

The attacks met their mark, slicing, stabbing, and punching through the wolf’s body with a force that seemed to split the heavens. Blood erupted from the wounds, followed by darkness, frost, light, starlight, and more powers that had destroyed the shadows that had once surrounded the wolf. The beast’s eyes, which had once blazed with fury and power, dimmed as it let out one last, pitiful howl. Its massive form crashed to the ground, sending a tremor through the forest as its life force finally faded.

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For a moment, there was only silence. The forest seemed to hold its breath as if acknowledging the fall of its greatest guardian.

Then, the ground beneath the dead wolf began to pulse. A dark, viscous energy seeped from its corpse, forming a pool that radiated malevolence. The team instinctively drew back, their bodies aching with exhaustion but their senses on high alert.

"What… what is that?" Shadow asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Before anyone could respond, the dark pool began to writhe. Tendrils of shadow reached out, grasping at the earth as if trying to anchor themselves. The energy in the air crackled, and the temperature plummeted. The dead wolf’s body twitched and then convulsed violently.

"This can’t be happening," Laura muttered, her eyes widening as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. "It’s trying to resurrect itself!"

Reign’s heart sank. They had poured everything into that fight. There was no way they could muster enough strength to face another battle, especially against something even more monstrous. But as he watched, the wolf’s corpse began to shrink, collapsing in on itself. The shadows that had spilled from its body were now retreating, swirling around a single point.

The ground trembled once more, and then it happened—a new form began to emerge from the remains of the fallen beast. Smaller, but denser, with eyes that glowed a hellish red. This wasn’t just a resurrection; it was a transformation.

The new creature stood before them, no longer the lumbering giant but a compact, lithe form that radiated lethal intent. Its fur was as dark as the void, with veins of crimson energy pulsing just beneath the surface. The shadows clung to it, not as armor but as an extension of its body, flowing and shifting like living appendages.

"It’s evolved," Aelrinder said, his voice filled with disbelief. "This isn’t the same wolf... it … why does it now seem even more powerful?"

"The corpse of the cub, it’s gone." Mia suddenly said, her voice shaky as Reign and the others glanced to the side before Wolf let out a shout.

"The power source of the tree, it disappeared as well!"

"This thing, did … did it consume those two in order to evolve right before dying?" Reign asked as he stared at the wolf that radiated such intense bloodlust that they all froze. They were exhausted, beyond tired, and now, they had to fight this monstrosity that was more powerful than anything they had faced in this trial so far?"

"Impossible, we … we can’t do it," Shadow said with a smile as he fell down to his knees, no longer able to even stand as his mark dissipated.

In fact, all of their marks had now expired, and even Reign’s transformation was over.