As Grey's mind entered a state of absolute clarity, the chaotic sounds of battle seemed to fade into a low hum. Time itself appeared to slow down, allowing him to register every minute movement of the wolves. Their teeth, their claws, the subtle shifts in their weight as they prepared to attack—all of it was processed in an instant. His body moved, a sudden blur of motion. He twisted, the razor-sharp teeth of a black steel wolf snapping shut on empty air as it leaped over his head. His borrowed dagger was a silver streak, sinking into the soft underbelly of the wolf in a single, brutal thrust. A muffled whimper was all he heard as he continued to cut, the blade tearing through muscle and sinew until the wolf shuddered and went limp.
Internal organs spilled onto him, but the foul stench didn't break his concentration. He rushed to the next wolf, his mind a cold, calculating machine. He struck it with the hilt of the dagger, making the beast reel back in pain. In the next breath, he lunged, his fist a blur of force. He was in the fourth level of Qi Accumulation, but the power of his purple crystal coupled with his natural physical strength gave him the force of a fifth-level, maybe even a sixth-level cultivator. The wolf, barely in the third level, had no chance. Its head caved in with a sickening crunch, a spray of blood and tissue painting the ground.
'Their heads aren't as tough as their bodies!' Grey realized, a cold wave of exhilaration washing over him. He retracted his hand, already reaching for the next wolf. The beast was fast, but Grey was faster. It tried to bite his hand, but he dodged with a graceful flick of his wrist and punched it directly in the temple. The wolf cried out in a wild, pained shriek as its head caved in. It didn't explode like the last one, but the grievous injury, combined with the wounds it had sustained from the captain, killed it almost instantly.
All of this seemed to have taken a long time, but barely a few breaths had elapsed. With the wolves moving in slow motion in his eyes, Grey avoided every attack while inflicting brutal, lethal damage. His hand holding the dagger moved again and again, and with each strike, blood was spilled and a life was ended. He was a force of nature, a new kind of brutal beauty in the midst of the chaos.
The Unseen Battle Arts
Grey began to advance through the pack, his single dagger a whirlwind of death. Soon, he had passed Luo and the other two men, who were handling their own share of the wolves. He was now slightly behind the rampaging figure of Zuro, whose battle axe rose and fell like an executioner's blade. Wherever his axe landed, a wolf fell, its head rolling or its body cleaved in two. Despite his massive build, Zuro was surprisingly nimble, his movements a blur of controlled brutality.
When Grey's gaze finally landed on the captain, he was dumbfounded. The captain had switched to dual swords, and he was reaping lives like the grim reaper. Unlike Zuro, who killed like a barbarian, the captain was all about finesse and skill. Every action was calculated, every movement precise. A strike that seemed like a feint would find its mark, and even more wolves would die under his twin blades. He made no unnecessary movements, moving like a dancer in the middle of a brutal slaughter. His white hair fluttered in the wind, a stark contrast to his nonchalant expression and the hint of disdain on his lips.
'What am I witnessing right now?' Grey asked himself, but he knew exactly what he was seeing. He was seeing the captain's battle art. He didn't know what a battle art was, but seeing the captain's movements made him realize he was witnessing a true battle master at work. 'Who the heck is the captain?!' Grey's subconscious mind began to burn the image into his memory. He didn't ever want to forget this sight.
And that was not even the most shocking part. Despite all the blood and dead bodies around him, not a single drop of blood had spilt on his clothes or his body. His white hair was as pure as a saint's. He looked like the harbinger of death, but was as clean and fair as a celestial being. In the midst of the carnage, his entire existence was like that of a deathly saint.
Grey had been staring for so long that he hadn't noticed when a wolf suddenly leaped at him from behind. He was too slow to react, but a battle axe suddenly fell, and the wolf was instantly cleaved in two.
"What are you doing, kid? Get your head in the game!" Zuro yelled, his voice a low growl. He had rushed back to block another wolf's attack. Grey was still stunned, and it took a few seconds for him to react.
"En," Grey replied, his mind coming back into focus. He held his dagger tightly and continued to cut down wolves. But occasionally, his gaze would move to the captain in reverence. Under the combined onslaught of the six team members, the horde of wolves no longer seemed so harrowing.
The entire battle was kept in a fragile balance, with most of the offensive power coming from the captain. The rest of the team would pick off the wolves that managed to get past his initial assault. Although only half an hour had gone by, Grey felt it had been going on for much longer. He looked at the captain, who was still flawless in his movements, his calm expression still in place. But Grey could see the slight paleness in his face, his eyes looking a little dim. The captain was reaching his limit, a fact only a keen observer would notice. There was no lag in his speed or power, but Grey felt that the tide of battle could change at any moment.
Suddenly, a wolf got past the captain. The captain was currently handling six other wolves and couldn't afford to divert his attention. He was still thinking of his next move when the wolf's head was stabbed open by Grey. The cacophony of the battle was too loud, and the wolf didn't sense Grey approaching from behind. He killed it easily. As he pulled out the dagger, he quickly positioned himself behind the captain, acting as a shield against any wolves that might attack from his blind spot.
The captain looked at him, a small glint of appreciation in his eyes before he nodded. Together, they repelled the oncoming wolves, acting like the bow of a ship as it cut through the rampaging waters. Twenty more minutes passed, and the wolves finally began to relent. The captain's clothes and hair were finally dyed in blood, and his hair reverted back to its normal color as a wave of fatigue washed over his face.
Everyone on the team felt exhausted. Grey wanted to sigh in relief, but he knew that losing concentration for even a moment could be his death. This was the first battle he had ever fought that left him so utterly spent. He looked at the captain, who had reverted to his normal self, and wondered if his fearsome form was a result of a powerful art that consumed too much spirit energy or had a time limit.
Even Grey's own reserves were empty. He was surviving on sheer willpower. The only good thing about this brutal battle was that he had gotten a glimpse of the captain's awesome battle art and was already starting to implement it into his own fighting style. He felt that his body and will had been tempered by this ordeal. The next time he fought a battle of such scale, he knew his performance would be much better.