The rain stopped falling after several hours later. Grey was sitting down cross legged on the boulder. The moment the rain stopped, his eyes immediately flew open and he rushed out like a blur.
The purple crystal had done its job and he was now fully healed. He planned on leaving the corroded zone as soon as possible, but the wolves suddenly attacked.
Rushing out with anger and madness in their eyes, they leapt at him from all directions. Earlier, Grey provoked them but because of the fear of the rain, they didn't dare leave their hiding place. But now that the rain had stopped, they would make sure to tear him apart.
Grey calmly evaded a wolf that lunged by his side and struck it fiercely on its head. The dagger that Zuro gave him had somehow appeared in his hands, and with the appearance of that dagger came blood.
Grey evaded, blocked and dodged every attack from the wolves, with his dagger always finding a way to its target.
This was one of the reasons why he came to the corroded zone in the first place, to get used to his new strength. So he wouldn't shy away from this opportunity.
The fifth level of Qi accumulation could also be said to be at the middle stages. These wolves here all had spirit fluctuations of the fourth level and upward. But there were only few in the sixth level. But he still killed them anyway.
With the amplication power from the purple crystal and the Sky Mist cultivation art he practiced, he could be said to be a peculiar existence among these wolves and hence, could suppress them easily.
But what the wolves lacked in intelligence and cultivation, they made up for in their numbers. Like a lot of numbers. It was just now that Grey was witnessing the full number of the wolf pack nearly reaching five hundred.
But he was not one to shy away from challenges and with his spirit energy reserves increased significantly, he was sure he could leave whenever he felt like if he couldn't continue to battle.
With his dagger moving like a red streak, lives where reaped. And wherever the dagger landed, and loud screams and whimper would resound.
Once again, he entered that strange state of clarity where he could perceive everything around him with much detail. Time seemed to slow down for him as his eyes widened slightly and his mind reached total tranquillity.
At first, he was seeing the disorderly movements and actions of the Wolf pack and would react accordingly in the next moment, but then, he began to see a pattern to them that was not sure the wolves themselves even knew of.
Every movement the wolves made, their every attacks were to cut him apart or tear him with their claws and teeth's. And because of this, they focused on biting and tearing with their claws and teeths. So much that they do not leave space between themselves to give each other a chance to attack.
It may sound confusing, but the wolves focused on attacking their prey with their entire upper bodies, leaving their lower bodies unprotected which made their attack patterns predictable.
Grey's movement then became accorded as he mostly ignored the wolves direct attacks and instead focused his dagger on their backs and underbellies which were the softest because they had no protection below.
As Grey's movements became confident and purposeful, blood splashed everywhere and cries and whimpers rang out.
If the Captain was here, he would have been shocked senseless because Grey's movements were eerily similar to his calm battle art. But the Captain's battle art was used with a sword, he was performing his with a dagger.
With meant he had to get up close to the wolves and his foot works changed even more to be erratic and unpredictable, just like the wolves attacks.
Because of this strange feeling of clarity, he did not slow down but instead sped up. He felt all his thoughts were clear and tranquil as he noticed and read the movements of the wolves like a book.
In this state, the wolves movements had become slower as Grey's mind work effortlessly to read their movements and give attacks that would kill immediately or at least debilitate them.
Very soon, over half the wolves had died and their blood had dyed the floor crimson and looked quite similar to the red sky above.
As the wolves paused their attacks due to the fear of Grey killing lot's of members of their party, he was given a chance to catch his breath.
Although he was panting, he still had lots of energy left and felt like he could still take on the rest of the wolves. Then suddenly, the wolves which had previously surrounded him begun to part and back down slowly with brightened eyes.
Grey was surprised but didn't let his vigilance down. Then a shocking aura coming from the seventh level of Qi accumulation erupted and flew towards Grey as shocking speed.
His pupils dilated as he immediately dodged to the left and in the next moment, a blur struck where he was standing before and rocks and sand flew up. Even the surrounding trees were destroyed.
The shocking aura was then clear as the dust settled. Grey saw that it was another black steel wolf. But this wolf gave him a feeling of dread just be looking at it.
It was standing at a height of one point five meters and was covered in spiky hair like furs. It's back was completely black and coated with what looked like a strange metal.
It's eyes were red and filled with bloodlust as it stared at Grey hungrily. Grey felt an oppressive feeling from this wolf and had to circulate the Sky Mist art to dispel this suppression.
''This is... the leader of the black steeled wolf... The black steel wolf King!"
'Well it's only befitting to name it the King.'
Grey said inwardly. He had never seen a wolf with a cultivation base at the seventh level, so he knew it was the leader.
Grey felt a feeling as if cold water had been poured on his head and the state of clarity he was in was broken.
The wolf not waiting for even a single instant rushed out to bite Grey and tear him into pieces, but because he had been fighting with many wolves and already knew their attack patterns, he dodged managed to dodge.
But the wolf King did not stop and kept attacking with both it's teeth, claws and even its tail. But Grey kept on dodging calmly until one moment, he saw an opportunity and his cultivation base at the fifth level suddenly eruped.
He poured all his energy into his hands and legs and reached the wolf in a instant. The wolf was not expecting that sudden burst from Grey and paused for only an instant, but that instant was more than enough for Grey.
He slid on the floor to the under belly of the wolf King where it was known to be soft and defenseless, and plunged his dagger within.
But was shocked when literal sparks flee instead of blood. The underbelly which was supposed to be soft and easy to tear was as hard as the rest of its body.
He had underestimated the wolf King and overestimated himself.
It's defenses had reached a terrifying level and it's previous weak underbelly was no longer weak.
'Not good...'
The wolf was incensed when Grey tried to stab it's stomach swiped at him with its long and sharp claws. Grey felt every hair on the back of his head stand up and he lunged to the side as well.
As black streak cut through the air and arrived at his previous location instantly. A small cut appeared on Grey's cheeks as he barely had time to react at all.
'Not good!' He said again inwardly and tried to escape. This was no longer a battle he could win, but it was as if the Wolf king heard his thoughts as it stopped and blocked Grey's exit and rushed out once more towards him.
The wolf let out a low growl as it crashed into Grey and flung him far away. Grey coughed out a mouthful of blood and multiple wounds appeared on his body after the wolf attacked.
'Not good at all...'
The wolf had flung him several feet away, but had caught up with him again in the next second. He held the dagger in front of him to defend himself from its claws but was still flunged backwards like a rag doll.
He coughed out another mouthful of blood as be felt his internal organs had been ruptured. He crashed into a tree and more blood came out from his wounds.
Grey looked completely miserable. The purple crystal then went into action and began to heal him in the next moment.
"Only the other team members or the Captain can take care of this wolf. For now am too weak." Grey gritted his teeth as he spoke while coughing out blood in between. He began to wish he had more power when the wolf attacked again.
Fortunately, he moved out of the way in time, but unfortunately the tree was not as lucky as him and was broken into splinters.
Grey's pupils dilated once again when he saw a pair of red eyes before him again in the next moment. The wolf King was upon him again.
"Not go..."