Chapter 399: Battle of the Rock Passage — The Northland Wolf King and the Instant Clash

After dawn, everyone sat up from beside the campfire, letting the two Hunters on watch at the Wooden Wall rotate off. Knight Lanisha wiped her face with the accumulated snow in the corner of the Rock Passage, then began feeding some hay to her mount.

Jier held the roasted Potato he had placed by the campfire; the scorching hot Potato could not burn him through his Glove. Arriving at the Wooden Wall, Jier broke the Potato in two, ate one half himself, and handed the other half to his companion.

"Hoo-hoo, so hot, so hot!" Although the young Hunter was also wearing fingerless Gloves, they were not particularly thick after all, so after receiving the food, he tossed it between his left and right hands to avoid getting burned.

The steaming hot Potato soon cooled down in the cold weather, and the two ate the small Potato in little bites. Jier looked at the Forest in the distance, listening to the movements around him with his ears.

He frowned, feeling as if something were wrong; he finished the food in his hand in a few bites, then turned to the side, removed his Helmet, and listened carefully to the sounds coming from the front of the passage.

Accompanying the sound of the wooing cold wind were some low breathing sounds coming from afar.

It sounded like the breathing of a large group of animals, one after another.

Jier blinked: "Companions, Knight. It seems they have arrived!"

Everyone raised their heads to look at Jier, while Knight Lanisha patted her warhorse's Long Face Armor: "Of course, everyone. They arrived just moments before dawn. I can feel the power radiating from that Wolf King." She smiled: "Don't worry, after a long journey, the Northland Wolves will surely need to rest for a while."

She clapped her hands: "Hurry and take care of your business during this time, otherwise there might not even be time to relieve yourselves later."

It would have been fine if Knight Lanisha hadn't mentioned it, but as soon as she did, Jier felt he needed to relieve himself.

The others were also somewhat moved to do so.

After a while. Normally, the sun should have risen a distance above the horizon by now. Unfortunately, although there had been no more snowfall these days, the sky had not cleared up either. Thick clouds obscured the entire sky, looking as if another heavy snow could fall at any moment.

Jier stood on the Wooden Wall holding his weapon; he hoped it wouldn't snow, as compared to the Northland Wolves who could only fight with melee biting attacks, they Humans relied more on long-range projectile weapons to fight, and this still required visibility on the battlefield.

Once the snow fell here, it would come down in a deluge; it was not the Mist of a Magic Beast, but it was not much different.

The narrow Rock Passage was completely blocked by the Wooden Wall, and it was crowded with people. There were eight old and young Hunters, as well as the female Knight and a Warrior like Jier.

Everyone stood very close, one leaning against another. The Hunters stood in order, while the female Knight stood slightly to the right in the middle of the Wooden Wall; she was responsible for the close-range defense of most of the Wooden Wall, while Jier only needed to defend the small section near the left side of the Wooden Wall.

On the rocky ground in front of the Wooden Wall, all the Metal Clamps had been redeployed. After last night's battle, only two of them were deformed or damaged, and the others could still be used normally. So, after Jier cleared away the wolf carcasses caught by them, he carefully spread them out and set them up again.

However, this time these Metal Clamps were not placed too far out, but were all evenly distributed from the entrance of the Rock Passage all the way to the area under the Wooden Wall.

This was also something Jier changed after learning from last night's battle. Although setting the Metal Clamps together could effectively trap the entire first wave of the charging Northland Wolves and inflict heavy casualties, it also brought a disadvantage: as long as the other Northland Wolves crossed this distance, they could directly accelerate and charge to the foot of the Wooden Wall without obstruction.

Those four-legged fellows were still very agile in battle; during the intense fighting, Jier discovered that it was difficult for the Hunters to hit the dodging and sprinting Northland Wolves. Therefore, he widened the deployment range of the Metal Clamps, setting them all the way from the entrance of the Rock Passage to the foot of the Wooden Wall.

Considering the total number of gathered Northland Wolves and the various defensive positions they had prepared, this was not a process that could be ended in a single charge battle.

Short-term slaughter was not the most important thing; relying on layers of defensive positions to kill the Northland Wolves was a more important matter. Of course, assisting Knight Lanisha in defeating the Wolf King was also necessary.

"Pay attention, they are here," Knight Lanisha said, looking at the Forest directly facing the passage.

There was no need for the Knight to remind them; everyone had heard the movement. Continuous wolf howls rang out from afar, interspersed with an exceptionally loud, hoarse wolf howl.

Compared to the other wolf howls in the distance, this sound was as if someone had accidentally pressed the volume button on a television remote, clear and loud.

Jier glanced at the old Hunter beside him, and the old Hunter nodded solemnly: "This is the Wolf King; be careful, Jier, it is not just a much larger Northland Wolf."

"Cunning."

"Cruel."

"Possesses some peculiar abilities."

"And knows how to run away."

Knight Lanisha said, leaning on her sword.

"Everyone be careful; when it tries to attack you, you must dodge. Don't think you can withstand it. Leave it to me; you all focus on fighting the ordinary Northland Wolves. They must have brought the wolf pups out this time too; hmph, I can even hear the cries of those pups."

Several old Hunters gritted their teeth: "Needless to say, these fellows must be plotting something bad."

An old Hunter let out a breath: "If we lose, they will definitely slaughter their way to the Village to avenge the Northland Wolves that died before."

"That goes without saying. They are very vengeful fellows. However, I think they have definitely hit an iron plate this time, with the layers of defensive positions planned by Jier. They are finished, right Jier?"

"Ah? Oh, right. Right, it should work." Jier lowered his Faceplate, but his face turned red. In fact, he had no confidence in his heart, but everyone, including the Knight, seemed to have a lot of confidence.

He was not only nervous, but even more worried about what would happen if everyone failed because of his plan? However, this was not the time to say such things, and he understood that much. Even if he had to be stubborn, he had to carry out the plan, after all, the Northland Wolves on the opposite side were already walking out of the Forest in groups.

Even from over a hundred meters away, Jier could clearly see the Wolf King, which was at least three times taller than an ordinary Northland Wolf.

It was a huge Monster. Sorry, in Jier's view, being several times larger than its peers, calling it a Monster felt most appropriate.

The Wolf King's fur was snow-white, completely different from the grayish fur of ordinary Northland Wolves. Looking at that tall, snow-white fur, Jier felt as if he had seen something similar somewhere before.

But he couldn't remember it no matter what.

Although the Wolf King's overall size was tall, it was lean. If it weren't so big, and were shrunk down, it would look very heroic and beautiful. But it was too big after all; standing up, a single claw was as tall as an ordinary person.

Even from this far away, Jier could see the bursts of hot air from the Wolf King's open mouth, as well as a mouthful of snow-white teeth no smaller than a toddler's arm.

Its claws were also extended, long and bright. Jier had no doubt that it could rip his armor to shreds with one swipe and disembowel him in an instant.

Hesitating for a moment, Jier opened the small pouch at his waist, took out a Sugar Pill inside, quickly opened his Faceplate, and put it in his mouth to suck on. The Hunter beside him glanced at him but didn't pay any mind, assuming Jier just wanted to eat something to pad his stomach before the battle.

No other Northland Wolves dared to approach within several meters of the Wolf King; it didn't look like simple awe, but rather as if they were afraid of the area around the Wolf King.

Jier looked carefully and discovered that the snow on the ground around the Wolf King, who was walking slowly, was melting rapidly. The snow-covered ground, which had been messed up by their previous trampling and that of the Northland Wolf vanguard, was melting just because it was near the Wolf King.

No, it should be that after the Wolf King walked over, it melted rapidly and turned into wet water.

This reminded Jier of the strange Northland Wolf from the previous battle. If that Northland Wolf's ability originated from this, then it made perfect sense.

Obviously, everyone's eyesight was not bad, and basically everyone saw this scene.

Knight Lanisha tilted her head slightly and took a deep breath, deciding not to let the wolf pack continue to approach slowly so brazenly.

"Hmph!" She let out a loud snort. Jier and the others were startled, and so was the wolf pack opposite; not only did the Wolf King stop moving forward, but the countless Northland Wolves following at the Wolf King's side also stopped in unison.

Less than a hundred meters apart, Knight Lanisha and the Northland Wolf King stared at each other across the distance.

The Wolf King scanned left and right slightly, and Jier even felt the hair all over his body stand up a little. He gripped the Long Spear in his hand tightly, and his breathing became disordered.

It was different; it was truly different from the Magic Beasts they had defeated before. Although the Wolf King was far smaller in size than the spider-type Magic Beast they had defeated earlier, looking at it face-to-face, the pressure was completely different.

Jier even felt that the opponent could tear him in two with one claw.

"Hoo." The Knight let out a long breath and said slowly: "Don't stare at that guy."

Jier and the two young Hunters quickly turned their heads away and stopped looking directly at the Wolf King.

At least two hundred Northland Wolves were all squatting together in piles. Jier took a look and found that they were not all adult Northland Wolves; some fast-growing wolf pups seemed to be mixed in as well. This made him heave a sigh of relief; although these Northland Wolves did not seem to be all the Northland Wolves that had gathered, clearly most of those with combat capability had arrived by now.

The two sides stood in a stalemate for a while; the humans were on high alert, everyone wary of an attack from the Wolf Pack at any moment.

To be honest, under normal circumstances, a Wolf Pack would never attack a human Jiedian that had set up such defenses. Unfortunately, Lanisha Knight and the team of Hunters under her command held a deep-seated hatred for the Northland Wolf Pack.

Usually, the Northland Wolves would raid human roads and villages, and the Hunters would in turn hunt down the pack during the winter. Of course, there were also some personal reasons involving the Knight herself, but things had reached this point, and the two sides were locked in a fight to the death.

"Awoo!"

The Wolf King let out a short howl, and the wolves behind it sat down on the spot one by one, appearing to have heard some sort of command.

Then, this massive Wolf King took small steps forward, walking quickly straight toward the Rock Passage.

Jier felt that they, as ordinary people, were certainly no match for the opponent, so he looked directly at the female Knight. Upon seeing the Wolf King's movements, Lanisha Knight closed her Faceplate and crouched slightly.

After gathering her strength, she performed a backflip off the Wooden Wall and landed on the back of the warhorse standing motionless behind the wall.

The female Knight sat accurately in the Muan; the heavy impact caused by her full suit of armor did not knock this exceptionally sturdy warhorse down, and its body only swayed slightly.

Subsequently, the Knight placed her feet into the Stirrups on both sides of the horse's belly and pulled the Jiansheng; the warhorse reared up on its hind legs with her on its back.

*Neighhh*, the warhorse let out a whinny, and after its raised front hooves landed, it lowered its body to gather strength, and without needing a running start, it jumped directly forward, leaping over the two-meter-high Wooden Wall and arriving from behind the position to the front of the position.

Thud.

As its four hooves landed, Jier and the others could feel the vibration even on the Wooden Wall. Then, without needing Lanisha Knight to urge it, the warhorse began to run forward. The Knight pulled slightly on the Jiansheng, guiding the warhorse to bypass the Metal Clamps scattered on the ground, and charged out of the Rock Passage, heading straight for the Wolf King.

Seeing the female Knight charging on horseback, the Wolf King opened its mouth and exhaled a puff of hot air, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs and teeth. Then, as the Knight approached, it jumped sideways, dodging the female Knight who held the Long Spear.

It took two steps, arriving at the mound of earth excavated from the trench outside the passage, and glanced at the Wooden Spikes at the bottom of the trenches on both sides and the wolf blood left behind by the Northland Wolves the previous night.

Seeming disdainful, it let out a short roar.

*Boom-boom, boom-boom. * Lanisha Knight steered the warhorse, quickly turned around, and charged toward the Wolf King again, unhurriedly.

Unexpectedly, the Wolf King only glanced at the female Knight charging over again, then took two more steps forward, arriving at the entrance of the Rock Passage. The Hunters all drew their bows and arrows, and Jier also gripped his Long Spear tightly, moving to the middle section of the Wooden Wall.

Unexpectedly, the Wolf King had no intention of continuing forward; it simply extended a front paw and used its sharp claws to fiddle with a Metal Clamp.

*Click. *

The disturbed Metal Clamp snapped shut rapidly.

Lanisha Knight slowed down as she approached the Wolf King, and the Long Spear in her hand struck toward the Wolf King, carrying a strong whistling wind.

But the Wolf King jumped in place, leaping four meters high, then kicked off with its hind legs against the mountain wall at the entrance of the Rock Passage, instantly vaulting toward the direction of the Wolf Pack.

Lanisha Knight pulled on the Jiansheng to slow down, not letting the warhorse get close to the Metal Clamps. She turned her head to look toward the Wolf King and discovered that the Wolf King on the opposite side had already returned to the front of the Wolf Pack and was continuously growling in a low voice, as if it were explaining something to the Northland Wolves under its command.

Lanisha Knight checked the weapons and equipment she was carrying, then said to Jier and the others: "Everyone, the battle has begun; follow the plan."

After speaking, she quickly performed a Knight's salute and steered her horse to charge out once more.

However, this time, the Wolf King finished explaining things with a quick low howl and immediately turned to charge toward the human Knight.

What was different was that from the direction of the Forest where the Wolf Pack came from, a white object rose from a height above the Forest, drifting and floating as it flew straight toward the battlefield between the Wolf King and Lanisha Knight.

Compared to just now, this time Lanisha Knight squeezed the horse's belly tightly with her legs, while her hands no longer held the Jiansheng, but instead both hands gripped the Metal Spear; the warhorse knew how it should run, and the Knight only needed to control the warhorse's speed.

With four hooves flying, snow and melted snow water splashed as the Knight charged toward the Wolf King at high speed. The spear in her hand also changed positions on both sides of her body, giving the opponent no chance to lock onto the weapon's position. Even so, when Lanisha Knight brandished the Metal Spear, she also faintly directed the lethal spear tip toward the Wolf King.

As for the Wolf King, the claws on all four limbs were fully extended from its paws, and it did not blindly charge at the human Knight, but instead advanced by jumping left and right. Although this was not fast, it did not need running speed to fight; its large size, long front paws, and sharp claws were perfectly capable of fighting against the human Knight's Long Spear.

It jumped left and right to avoid the human Knight's frontal charge. After all, although its size was larger, it was actually leaner than it looked; its broad frame was mostly due to the feeling brought by the long fur on its body. Therefore, its overall weight was actually far less than that of the human Knight, who was armored along with the horse; it had known several years ago that a frontal collision would be a losing endeavor.

Therefore, the Wolf King jumped left and right, both avoiding the human Knight's frontal collision and utilizing the fact that the opponent's horse was inflexible, requiring it to slow down before turning, thereby seeking an opportunity to attack the Knight from the side or behind.

Lanisha Knight's eyes scanned left and right under her Helmet's Faceplate, judging the Wolf King's next landing spot and the one after that, and then! She did not charge straight at the Wolf King at that moment, but instead slightly adjusted the warhorse's direction of travel by tapping the horse's belly with different degrees of force from her left and right legs.

This was a riding technique that young Knights or young Cavalrymen could not know; she had been helping Kendall Baron at the Province Capital, which was why the Baron had persuaded Kela Knight to teach her the Combat Beast-Riding Technique.

The warhorse she inherited from her father was well-matched with her; this warhorse, with its rich combat experience and reliable, sensitive temperament, instantly understood the intention its master conveyed to it.

The direction in which its body was galloping changed just a little, yet in the next moment, it was directly close to the Wolf King, which would have otherwise avoided it.

"Ha!" Lanisha Knight shouted aloud, the Long Spear that had been dancing on both sides of her body was retracted, and the flickering spear shadows merged into one, piercing straight toward the Northland Wolf King with a whistling wind.

The Wolf King's ferocious eyes narrowed slightly; at the moment of landing, it tucked in one front paw, using only one front paw to touch the ground, while the empty front paw instantly swiped at the side of the incoming Long Spear.

*Clang-ng-ng-ng. *

The moment the Long Spear and the wolf claw clashed, a small burst of sparks flashed, and the ear-piercing sound spread in all directions from the point of impact. At the very least, Jier and the others on the Wooden Wall in the passage heard it very clearly.

Subsequently, Lanisha Knight, along with her horse, crashed straight into the Wolf King that had landed. The spear shaft in her hand grazed her Glove, creating a layer of blue smoke; looking at the Wolf King that had closed in instantly, Lanisha Knight's eyes widened under her Faceplate, quite excited.

Years of bitter training in martial arts were not a waste of time. From being defeated at the start, to being driven away, then to holding a stalemate, and now to being able to inflict significant casualties on the Wolf Pack.

As the years passed, she gradually gained the strength to defeat her powerful enemy and take revenge.

Last year, it was still very difficult to deal with the Wolf King's repeated jumping and changing of positions, but this year, this tactic was declared broken as soon as the battle began.