The Rise of the Winter Wolf - Book 6 - Chapter 33 - Preparations for Battle

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Wolf

This devourer is both stronger and weaker than the last one that I fought. Stronger because it’s a much higher level. But also weaker because it clearly hasn’t had anywhere near as long to absorb elemental energy.

Which makes sense. The other one absorbed the energy throughout the time it took to find the thing, whereas this one was dropped on our heads.

All of this on top of the sight of my werewolf and kraken fighting against the devourer gives me some hope that I can beat it.

Some. Not a lot, but some.

And that’s mostly because this one seems to actually be able to be damaged by elemental energy. Specifically by lunar ice. Probably because it’s a new element.

That or it’s because I’m here, and I’m a pseudo progenitor.

‘Sapphire, go into my shadow,’ I tell her through our bond with a frown on my face. And when she opens her mouth to say something, I just repeat the same thing I told her the last time we fought a devourer. ‘You can help me again by sharing your stamina. Now get in your shadow. I will not lose you again.”

Even if I can bring her back, it would be a pointless endeavor letting her fight with me. Since she isn’t strong enough to do any actual harm to the creature.

That much is obvious just by watching the other contestants of the quinzel flounder around without so much as scratching the devourer.

They’re so weak compared to it that the thing is literally swatting some of them like flies while ignoring the others.

It’s kind of sad to watch, if I’m being honest.

Sapphire finally goes into my shadow, but she doesn’t look happy about it at all. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this upset before.

I also get the feeling she may leave my shadow at some point during this battle despite what I said, and I can’t exactly force her to stay in there. She may be my soul-bound companion and daughter, but I don’t exactly have any actual way to force her to obey. And I wouldn’t want to do that anyways.

It just feels wrong.

I let out a sigh at that thought before turning my full attention on the kraken and werewolf fighting against the devourer.

The battle itself is rather intense, with the werewolf being just a bit weaker physically than the devourer. Meanwhile the kraken is just a bit weaker magically than the devourer. Which makes the two of them fighting it a much more even fight since they’re fighting together.

Although the size difference between the werewolf and the kraken and devourer is almost comical watching it from here. Just seeing a five-meter-tall werewolf fighting alongside a several-thousand-meter-long kraken against a planet-sized devourer.

It’s so bizarre to see.

Well, anyways, I go ahead and begin my own preparations for the battle while the others keep it busy and weaken it.

First off, I use both the Corruption Ring and the Ring of Frost Devouring to devour and absorb the elemental energy in the surrounding area. Both energy of the void element and of the ice element. All to increase my own physical strength.

Temporarily in the case of the Corruption Ring and permanently in the case of the Ring of Frost Devouring.

On top of that, I finally pull out a bunch of the items I’ve been saving up over the years. Items that I’ve always forgotten about if I’m being honest.

Like The Horn of Niflheim, which summons five massive wolves made out of ice and snow that I quickly order to join the fray. Or the Berserker’s Amulet, which increases my own physical strength by fifty percent with the only drawback being that my mind grows fuzzy and rage fills it an entire minute for every ten seconds I have it equipped after I unequip it.

There are also other items that I equip, many of which have risks of their own.

Like a bracer that increases the power of my elemental energy at the cost of my level decreasing by one for every thirty seconds I have it equipped. But once again, only after I unequip it. Or the Gauntlets of Draining that drain away small amounts of my lifespan to give me a significant boost in strength.

That last one isn’t that risky though considering that I’m a pseudo progenitor. So my lifespan at this point is nearly infinite.

At least, from what Diane told me it should be.

Most of these items I got in between now and the fight with the devourer the last time, so I couldn’t use them then. In fact, a large part of the reason I got them – other than luck from loot boxes – is because I decided to purposefully search for and buy good items that I could use in case I ended up in another tough battle like that.

And I guess that investment paid off.

I feel power flooding my body from every single item I’m using, one after another. Meanwhile my lunar winter beasts continue to fight against the devourer. With both the werewolf and kraken slowly being beaten down by the devourer in the process.

But not without causing it damage as well, seeing as the creature has lost one of its arms from the elbow down. Meanwhile there’s a large chunk ripped out of its leg, and it’s missing some fingers on its other hand.

And most importantly, the scales across its body are all damaged, even if they’re all still there.

I narrow my eyes as I let the power fill me up before I finally pull out the last item for my preparations. An item I haven’t used in a little while at least.

But the same item I always end up relying on in the end.

I draw my Sword of the Blue Moon.

Instantly making the Blue Moon Armaments equip themselves onto me even in my hunter form.

And despite the number of times I’ve drawn the blade and equipped the armaments before, I find myself surprised by the System Message that appears in my vision this time.

Because the armaments have changed since the last time I’ve donned them.

A faint grin stretches across my face.

Good.