As the hunters, Amos, Criskin, and Lucas surrounded the giant Crystal Wolf—the master of the nest—it let out a howl so powerful that the ground and walls trembled violently.
They all kept their composure and didn't falter, but Amos could tell the howl wasn't just an attempt at intimidation.
He felt something jump onto his back and spun around instantly. Another one of those crystal wolves had attacked him. Without hesitation, he smashed its head apart with his fists wreathed in Void fire, shards of crystal and sparks scattering through the air on impact.
Amos glanced sharply toward the entrance of the nest master's lair—it was now blocked by a massive cluster of crystal wolves, all summoned by their leader.
"Watch out! He's called in reinforcements!"
The other hunters and Lucas turned around, noticing the incoming wolves. Seeing this, the leader of the group raised his voice.
"We're splitting into two groups—one takes the minions, the other handles the nest master!"
Amos and the others nodded, but a thought crossed Amos's mind as he realized what was happening.
If the nest master called for more wolves, that means—!
Amos spun toward Criskin, wondering if she too had fallen under the nest master's control—but no, she was growling at the other wolves.
Looks like he wasn't affected by the howl. It's probably because of his collar—but how?
Amos's thoughts were interrupted by the leader's voice snapping him back to reality.
"Kid, hurry up and pick a group! These wolves won't sit still and growl forever."
Amos nodded and chose to join the group handling the nest master. It consisted of the leader, wielding his crossbow; the man who had tried to attack Criskin earlier, now holding a flaming sword; Amos himself; and Criskin at his side. Lucas paired up with the Grace user, her body still shimmering with enchantments.
The nest master charged them immediately, taking them by surprise. Amos dodged in an instant—the others managed to as well.
He hurled himself at the wolf, propelling his strike with Void energy and slamming a fist wreathed in black flames straight into the creature's jaw. The wolf faltered, shards of its maw scattering outward.
Amos grinned, satisfied with the hit—but Criskin barked sharply, as if to warn him. When he caught the eyes of the leader and the life user, both of them were staring wide-eyed at something behind him.
Amos spun around just in time to see the shards he had broken off redirecting toward him, sharp points aiming to pierce him.
He reacted instantly, summoning a Void barrier to block the shards. It held—but his guard had dropped. The nest master capitalized on it, sweeping him off his feet with a powerful tail strike. Amos slammed hard into the ground but managed to recover, landing on one knee. Criskin hurried over, licking his face worriedly.
"You okay, kid?!" the leader shouted from the other side of the wolf.
Amos nodded, blood trickling from his lip, his clothes tattered and his body scratched.
"I'm fine. Took a hit, but nothing serious."
Meanwhile, Lucas and the Grace user made a perfect team. She slipped gracefully between the wolves, flinging them toward Lucas, who crushed them with his strength-enhanced fists, a grin of excitement spread across his face.
Seeing them, Amos got back on his feet, spitting blood onto the floor.
Lucas is handling things well on his end. I need to do the same and learn how to work with a team.
He took a defensive stance, this time waiting for the leader's instructions.
The nest master howled again, but this time jagged crystals erupted from the ground beneath Amos, Criskin, and the other hunters.
Feeling the earth shift under him, Amos dodged—the others managed to as well.
The leader aimed for the wolf's legs, signaling their priority target. Amos understood. This time, he chose to keep some distance, channeling Void fire into a dense sphere in his palm. He gathered more power into it—and when the leader fired an arrow, Amos hurled his orb at another leg. The other hunter caught on quickly, firing a flaming arrow at a third leg. Criskin, too, leapt toward a fourth leg, biting down hard.
The nest master couldn't decide which limb to protect and, having no time to react, collapsed to the ground. Each of the attacks shattered its legs—except Criskin's bite, which left a deep crack that made it impossible to bear weight.
The nest master lay motionless, defenseless. Amos and the others exhaled in relief. Lucas and the Grace user seemed to have finished on their end too.
They all regrouped.
"Nice job, everyone," the leader said, pleased with the victory.
The Grace user dropped to the floor, exhausted.
"Damn, if it hadn't been four of us breaking its legs, that would've been a nightmare. Thanks, you and your wolf, kid."
Amos smiled back, glad to see there were no grudges.
The leader sighed in relief, noticing the good mood.
"I swear, I thought you two were gonna fight after all that."
Everyone chuckled at the comment. The tension in the nest master's lair finally eased.
It might be nice to stick with them. I could learn a lot.
The leader walked toward the downed wolf.
"Alright, let's finish it off and grab its psychic energy core."
Amos frowned, unfamiliar with the term.
"Psychic energy core?"
The leader, surprised he didn't know, replied as he approached the nest master.
"Yeah, every nest master has one. They sell for a lot depending on their rank. That's the main reason we clear nes—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a crystal spike impaled his skull. Blood splattered everywhere.
The others didn't even have time to wipe the smiles from their faces. One by one, the hunters met the same fate.
Amos, reacting purely on instinct, summoned a Void shield around himself, Lucas, and Criskin.
The shield hadn't formed fully, so the spikes pierced through slightly—but their force was dampened enough to lessen the impact.
They were all thrown to the ground, nothing fatal—just some cuts for Amos. Lucas took a heavier blow and passed out. Criskin only had a slight crack on his crystalline body.
Opening his eyes, Amos saw the gruesome sight of the hunters lying lifeless on the floor, blood pooling beneath them—a fate that could've been his had he not reacted in time.
He knew exactly where the attack had come from.
He turned toward where the nest master had fallen—and there it stood, risen again, fully healed… and more.
Its limbs had regenerated. Complex patterns armored its body in crystal. Its claws were longer and sharper than before—making a sword seem laughable in comparison.
And that gaze… Bloodshot eyes brimming with rage. Fangs bared past its lips.
Amos felt intimidated by the massive psychic energy radiating from the creature, filling the entire room.
He struggled to rise after the previous blow. He looked at Criskin, who was just as paralyzed with fear.
"Take Lucas and get out of here."
Criskin hesitated at first, but Amos gave a reassuring nod and smiled.
"I'll be fine. Trust me."
Reluctantly, Criskin left, dragging Lucas's unconscious body out of the nest master's lair.
Amos sighed as they left, then turned his gaze back to the nest master.
He took a stance, manifesting a Void blade. His face tensed slightly—he didn't have much psychic energy left.
"I need to end this quickly, or I'm done for."
With that, he launched himself toward the nest master, who didn't seem to react to the attack.
When Amos was halfway there, the giant wolf used its razor-sharp claws to move with phenomenal speed directly in front of him. Its tail swung toward his face, hitting him with such brutal force that it seemed effortless.
Amos crashed into a wall, embedding deeply into it. Debris scattered around him as he sat slumped on the floor, badly shaken.
The wolf, thinking it was over, turned toward the exit—but it froze instantly, sensing a powerful energy that had appeared from nowhere.
"You really love smacking me with that damn tail, huh, bastard?"
Amos rose to his feet, his body now shrouded in dark energy—blacker than his own shadow. His eyes were deep and empty, black veins spread across his face.
It was the King of the Void.
"I didn't want to use this form… but looks like I don't stand a chance in my normal state."
The wolf quickly regained composure, straightening despite Amos's overwhelming presence.
Amos raised his fist, then clenched it tight. Instantly, the wolf was enveloped by a mass of black void energy, crushing it from all sides.
The wolf didn't flinch—it stayed upright, gritting its teeth.
Amos gave a small smile, impressed by the wolf's resilience.
"Looks like I underestimated you."
The wolf howled again, just as powerful as before, making the entire room shake.
Amos instantly sensed an attack rising from the ground. He barely leapt out of the way as a razor-sharp crystal spike shot upward—but that wasn't all. More spikes emerged all around him.
A dark mass tinged with purple enveloped Amos, and he vanished within it—dodging the strike.
He reappeared, emerging from the dissipating void mass behind the wolf. The creature spun around instantly upon seeing Amos escape.
Looks like I can use spatial void manipulation more easily in the King of the Void form…
Amos crouched to gather momentum, then shot forward at incredible speed, landing a devastating punch to the wolf's face, his hand cloaked in void energy.
Part of the wolf's face shattered into countless shards—but regenerated almost instantly. The shards redirected toward Amos to slice him.
He stopped them all by wrapping them in Void and disintegrating them.
He struck the wolf again—the same pattern repeated. He circled behind the wolf, who tried sweeping him with its tail, but Amos dodged this time and punched its body directly. Again, it shattered but regenerated instantly. The shards flew toward Amos, but he stopped them the same way.
The wolf seized the brief moment of distraction and struck Amos with its tail again. Amos managed to block the attack somewhat, minimizing the impact.
Amos stood back up—but now the wolf began ricocheting around the room, striking Amos from all directions, faster and harder each time.
Amos struggled to keep up. He blocked some and dodged others.
Damn it… at this rate I'll run out of energy and black out…
He waited for the right moment and managed to land a devastating blow to the wolf's head.
Its skull exploded—but before Amos could even think of claiming victory, it regenerated. The shards formed a crystalline cage trapping Amos inside.
The wolf charged at him, jaws wide to devour him, demolishing everything in its path—including the cage holding Amos.
Amos caught its jaws with both hands as it reached him and hurled it against a wall.
The impact shredded what was left of that section of the lair—but the wolf stood up unscathed, fully regenerated.
Amos advanced toward it, his expression blank—but irritation simmered beneath the surface.
I'm almost out… this is my last option.
Flames of void energy began to leak from Amos's body.
"I'll stop your regeneration by destroying you completely."
With what little energy he had left, Amos flooded the room with Void flames—so hot they began melting all the crystals.
The wolf tried to rush toward him, but it was too late—its body was already melting, unable to regenerate under the constant assault.
Amos didn't stop. He stood still, his body draining fast. His vision blurred.
I… just need to hold on… damn it…
The wolf somehow managed to stagger toward Amos, standing before him, its body melting, paw raised to strike.
Amos, half-conscious, lifted his head.
"Huh…?"
His face instantly twisted into a mask of rage.
"DIE!"
With that final roar, Amos unleashed every last bit of his energy, amplifying the flames one last time—engulfing everything around him.
His eyes gently closed as the flames consumed the entire room.
End of Chapter 20