Emperor's Reckoning

“WHERE ARE YOU GOING!!”

A loud shout rendered the forest trembling. Local animals immediately scurried away from their lovely homes. However, Fenrir didn’t lose his balance as he kept on going. His instinct heightened as he kept on going with those little snubs called paws. The fear of life, the fear of death, he was going for the light at the and the path, and he will do so with the woman he carried by his teeth.

“L-Leave me… Fenrir, you’re a brave… mighty wolf… your time is not… here yet.”

Her eyelids were heavier than the mountain as she saw trees falling down from the far end of her sight. She couldn’t even afford to be trembling in fear like normal cultivators would have, she hardly could lift her finger. The heavy struck of blow that she suffered head-on, must have broken a few of her rib cages.

Breathing was a commodity she couldn’t afford at a cheap price. Her flaring golden hair had turned disheveled. She was struggling to talk Fenrir out of it, even though she didn’t know if the little black wolf would understand her words or not.

*Growl!

The wolf was relentless even if the words did reach his twitching ears.

“Heh…” Karina weakly smiled as the little wolf only got faster than it was. “Where did you even get… that energy from…”

*Grr!

Fenrir was adamant as he clawed his way through the swaying branches of the trees overhead.

“You’re thick-headed…. heh, just like your master…” Karina weakly smiled.

Meanwhile, the chieftain was crashing every tree in his path as he took the shortest route possible. His eyes were seeing nothing but brown thick vegetation in his way. The heavy tree, no matter how old or big they were, was nothing compared to his pure muscles. His superb genetics made them streak the trees akin to a hot knife through cold butter. However, despite his obvious strength, his brows were furrowing for a different reason. (Her energy is the same as mine… she cultivated the Anti-Mana too… but why is her so special? Why are they trying to kidnap her? I have Anti-Mana too, in fact, my entire clan has it).

“Don’t tell me, they wanted to extract her cultivation?” He frowned. “I guess that means that they don’t choose me because they knew they won’t be able to kill me, I knew it, humans are trash. It detests me so, but if she is the only way for us to get back home, then it is the price that I shall pay.”

He made a mighty jump against the sky and destroyed the branches that were in the way. He hovered just below the clouds but his brows remained furrowed. The forest was thicker than he thought it would be. He couldn’t see past the thick leaves that the trees had.

“Tch!” He descended down with a fall before he shook the forest upon impact. “What the hell, even using my divine sense, I still couldn’t pinpoint her under the bushes.”

The chieftain smirked. “Then I will use another way to see them.”

“Hack away the obstacle before me! Ragnar!” a battle-ax with two sides of blade appeared in his hand. He placed one foot forward as he pulled his ax way behind him with his right hand. He tightened his grip as his eyes turned sharp. “Open the path for me!”

He threw the battle-ax horizontally against the thousands of trees right in front of him. The immediate impact caused the tree to explode from the middle with a boom before it traversed forward with constant momentum.

“Wu?” Fenrir clenched his butt cheeks and straightened his tail upward.

“Something is coming!” Karina shouted with her will. “Dodge! Fenrir..”

She snapped her eyes open as trees before she sparked open with something sharp traveling at a frightening speed.

“Wu!”

Fenrir immediately put down his tail and lowered down his ears just in the nick of time to dodge the ax by a hair. The trees to his original path were cut down before the chieftain smirked.

“There you are,” he raised his hand, “Return.”

He called out the ax and traveled in reverse. Fenrir immediately responded by dodging it down.

The little black wolf had never been so grateful to have a small body compared to his adult counterpart. It seemed like fate had a little favor for him later on.

“Grr!!” Fenrir turned to see the orc crossing his arms at the far end of the butchered trees.

“I never thought that you of all things would get to drag her away just a moment I lay my eyes on something else,” the orc smirked. “I have to give it to you, you are not spineless at all for a little thing.”

“Grr!”

Fenrir flared his glare at the chieftain, though his aggressiveness amount to nothing against the chieftain’s prowess. His four little feet had less muscle than the orc. The latter could squash him like a can by sheer force alone. Yet, he was standing even with trembles accompanying his paws.

“Wolves are already famous for their bravery, however, you are definitely something else. I wish you could tell me what is the source of your courage, but wu wu wu is all you can say, it’s a shame that you have to die early. Would you have been mature, I would have at least tried to mount you,” the orc laughed.

“Run, Fenrir!” said Karina.

“Grr!!”

Fenrir was not having it. He leered over to his back and saw the path was opened, yet he darted back at the orc with a glare. Outrunning the orc was out of the question, he was probably not faster than his own master, but he knew the orc was faster than him. The indomitable strength that the orc possessed alone was enough to stop him in his track.

“Run!” shouted Karina helplessly on the ground, “He would be mad if he sees your death of you.”

“You’re pretty noble for a halfling,” commented the orc, “However, his retaliation would come to a naught, and you wouldn’t be able to see it.”

The orc stepped forward before Fenrir immediately barked at him. “Huh? Hahaha! What a loyal pet.”

He took another stride forward.

“Don’t get closer! Run Fenrir,” despite the obvious struggle for breathing, Karina pushed herself up as she glared at Fenrir. “You need to live!”

“She is right, but neither of you gets to live, especially you, woman,” said the chief before his brows furrowed.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Karina. “At least I have the right to know why am I necessary! Why am I needed for you to go home.”

The orc stopped his track as he smirked. “Are you trying to stall for time, you think I would fall for that? I will tell you on the way instead.”

(Tch! He didn’t fall for it) thought Karina. She knew it was useless to buy some time for something that she herself didn’t know what would happen.

The orc made his way and stood right in front of the raging Fenrir. The absolute presence of the orc far surpassed the fight or flight instinct that was triggering inside the latter. “You have no idea how long have I waited for this moment to occur.”

The orc grinned before he swung his right foot right against Fenrir’s teeth. The little black wolf was powerless against the heavy blow. Blood splurged mid-air as he flew over the giant trees, before falling down with a thud. His body was twitching, as he whimpered with his eyes snapped open. His body was trying to pump air as much as possible under Karina’s petrified gaze.

“Tch! I’ll kill you!” shouted Karina before she maneuvered herself out of his reach.

“What? You can still move?” the orc furrowed his brows. “Impressive, but I can see that you can hardly stand on your two feet, what are you going to do against me? You can’t even run, and Returning Jade Stone won’t work unless it’s fueled with Anti-Mana. You have nowhere to go but to accept your fate!”

“E-Even so, I will not stand idly by after what you’ve done! Heh, you think you’re on the winning side here? Don’t you forget, you need me! And you need me alive.”

“Kuh?! What are you?!” the orc had his pupils shrunk as he saw her grin her teeth out. “You wouldn’t…:” said the orc solemnly.

“You lose if I die!” said Karina as she pulled out a dagger and coated it with Anti-Mana. (Goodbye… Jugen… Everyone… Lyon…). She closed her eyes before she stabbed her own heart.

*Splurt!

Blood splurted out as Karina’s pupils shrunk with her mouth gaping open.

“Fool,” the orc solemnly said as his ax pointed down before a thud was heard. It was a delicate yet strong hand, that held the knife.