The Blue Young Dragon soared through the sky, a series of shadows trailing across the snow behind it. Although the dragon posed no threat from above, the pack of Blood Wolves pursued relentlessly.
Under Austin's relentless provocation, the Blood Wolf Leader was utterly enraged, chasing him with unyielding determination.
In the midst of this fierce chase, it didn't take long for the Blue Young Dragon to dart ahead to a critical canyon passage. Before them, towering cliffs stood, with steep mountains on either side forming a narrow ascent to the sky.
Though the Kawa Great Forest is the largest primeval forest in the southern part of the Seta Continent, its landscape within is diverse, with mountains, hills, canyons, cliffs, and basins. The tropical rainforest-like climate allows ancient trees to flourish, making the vast region appear flat.
Such canyon terrains are not uncommon within the Kawa Great Forest.
Austin, without the slightest pause, tilted his body slightly, and with a whoosh, a gust of wind swept him into the canyon.
The Blood Wolf pack, engulfed by rage that burned away their reason, charged in without hesitation, rumbling closely behind.
Austin's continuous provocations had made them so angry they lost all caution.
Just as the last Blood Wolf followed the pack into the canyon.
On one side of the mountain, a Goblin observing everything below picked up a sharp Stone Knife and smashed it fiercely against a tightly drawn vine. The vine snapped with a crack, and suddenly, a latch at the peak released, causing a massive pile of rocks, ice, and snow to tumble down from atop the mountains on both sides of the canyon.
In an instant, it was as if the earth shook and the mountains trembled.
Rumble!!!
Amidst the deafening roar of thunderous rolling, the entrance of the canyon was immediately sealed and covered by the falling mass of rocks, ice, and snow. The canyon's entrance was completely blocked at that moment!
The colossal vibration instantly snapped the enraged Blood Wolf pack to their senses, causing them to stop in disarray, frantically scurrying like headless flies.
The Blood Wolf Leader looked up at the sky, just in time to see the path behind them obstructed by falling ice, rocks, and snow, cutting off their retreat completely.
This is bad!
Though not highly intelligent, the Blood Wolf Leader sensed danger at that moment.
That shameless Blue Dragon must be plotting something!
Sure enough,
At the narrow canyon's exit, unbeknownst to them, a group of Beastmen armed with Long Spears had appeared, completely sealing the canyon's exit.
A group of Beastmen, moving in unison, holding Long Spears, slowly advanced toward them.
It was as if a mighty mountain's pressure swept over them.
The Blood Wolf Leader's pupils shrank suddenly,
The painful lesson from that night's attack was still vivid in his memory. In the face of such dense spear formations, they had suffered severe injuries!
This terrifying formation was their natural nemesis!
But now, with their retreat cut off and their advance blocked, and sheer cliffs on both sides, there was no other escape route ― they were completely trapped here!
The only way to survive was to face the Beastman Long Spear Array ahead. Only by breaking through this array could they possibly survive!
The overwhelming pressure, following the orderly advance of the Beastmen, drove the Blood Wolf pack to involuntarily retreat.
That day's disastrous scene was still fresh in their memory.
Meanwhile,
In the sky above the canyon, the Blue Young Dragon flipped and soared to a protruding rock edge, looking down at the Blood Wolf pack trapped below, driven back by the Beastman line. It grinned viciously.
"You filthy beasts, you're doomed!"
To entirely eradicate this pack of Blood Wolves, Austin had put in a tremendous effort.
Unlike the previously exterminated Ghost-headed Crocodiles, which had grown accustomed to reigning over reservoir-like lakes and had temperament flaws easy to exploit, the Blood Wolves were cunning hunters.
After the previous ambush failure, the Blood Wolves, who had experienced the army's might, wouldn't foolishly repeat the same mistake. As soon as the Beastmen positioned themselves in the open, the Blood Wolves would avoid direct confrontation rather than charge and die.
Given the Blood Wolves' swiftness, if they chose not to engage, the Beastmen could do nothing.
Thus, to maximize the advantage of his clan, Austin aimed to force the Blood Wolves into an impasse where they had no choice but to charge the Beastman Phalanx, thereby potentially eradicating the pack.
"Thank goodness I loved reading 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' in my past life, or I'd have no way of dealing with these beasts."
Reflecting on his near-perfect strategy learned from his previous life, Austin couldn't help but feel a bit proud.
The Blood Wolves' cunning couldn't surpass human wisdom.
"It's just a pity the terrain doesn't allow it. Otherwise, using rocks and snow to cover the back and front and having Beastmen throw stones from the mountain sides would be much safer."
This canyon wasn't an ideal narrow-slit structure; the cliff distance from the entrance to the exit grew wider.
The entrance could be sealed from above, but the exit couldn't; it had to be guarded by an ambush of Beastmen.
This would inevitably lead to some damage.
"Well, there's no such thing as perfection in this world. Burying these beasts here is already enough!"
Austin had considered using his aerial advantage to slowly wipe out the Blood Wolf pack.
But this method failed a year ago.
When Blood Wolves gathered in groups, Austin's dive-bombs were met with densely packed Blood Wolves leaping up to latch onto him, biting fiercely.
A year ago, Austin nearly died to this pack tactic, proving it ineffective against the Blood Wolves of this world.
Now, after painstaking efforts, he had lured the Blood Wolf pack into this dead end,
as long as he could annihilate these beasts completely. Even if the Beastman army suffered damage, the Blue Young Dragon could bear it.
Moreover, with him keeping an eye on the Blood Wolf Leader from above, coupled with the Beastmen's extensively trained army, any damage wouldn't be too severe.
"Attack!"
The Blue Young Dragon roared, its massive form descending from the sky, hovering low, stirring up a fierce whirlwind with gusts of air.
The Beastman lineup received the command to advance, the sharp Long Spears standing aloft, pressing forward in unison, pushing towards the Blood Wolf pack ahead.