"Hehe, there’s no need to get tense, guys. The President was just bluffing you all."
Amidst the wary tones and suspicious glances exchanged between the werewolves, the laughter of a Caucasian male wearing sunglasses broke out, immediately lightening the tense atmosphere.
"At this moment, it seems apparent that we are not involved, the opponent might have somehow discovered the location of Entrance One in advance," the male commented nonchalantly, offering a calming look to the Tyrant after lightly patting him on the shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, the Tyrant realized his impulsiveness and the futility of his actions, particularly since they were causing division in the group.
Even if there’s a mole in their group, they had no time to find them now. The opponents had already entered Sky City from Entrance Nine and they were still on their way to the entrance. Every single minute, every single second, was crucial now.
"Increase the pace!" the Tyrant commanded, immediately taking the lead in hastening their journey.
The other werewolves silently followed their commander.
As the Tyrant journeyed ahead, his peripheral vision was drawn to the darkness behind him.
If the vampires were merely trying to delay them to provide their allies more advantage, there wasn’t much to worry about; they would certainly catch up after getting inside Sky City...
Yet for some reason, the Tyrant had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
The Ghost Captain truly went through Entrance Nine?
Theoretically, this guess was the most probable and logical, but he still had an uneasy premonition that was growing stronger as they approached Entrance One.
Unfortunately, the Tyrant didn’t have time to consider it further.
They were already nearing the site where he had chosen to meet up due to its proximity to Entrance One, the ancient castle. After rushing along, the aforementioned Entrance One on the map was now within reach.
Before the werewolves’ eyes lay a damp marsh riddled with wasteland. Unfazed, the group charged headlong into the muddy swamp, unabashedly continuing their pursuit despite their slower pace.
Suddenly, towards the center of the marsh, they encountered a patch of solid ground surrounded by a primitive temple of wood and stone, which appeared to serve as a rest stop for travelers.
Without a map, it was hard to imagine that Entrance One was hidden within this humble, dilapidated temple.
Around this area, hundreds of werewolves had gathered, forming layers that surrounded the temple.
The Tyrant had arranged them in advance to guard this place in case their opponents were fast enough to reach the entrance before them.
As the two groups of werewolves merged, the Tyrant turned to the young werewolf beside him: "How far are the vampires?"
"They’re very close, they should appear in a minute at most!" the boy hurriedly replied.
As they spoke, they could hear faint echoes of screeches coming from a different direction. They were sounds of the bats - the vampires’ chosen form - soaring through the forest.
"Tear down the temple!"
At the Tyrant’s command, the werewolves surrounding the temple turned to it. Transforming back into giant wolves, they began to smash the walls of the temple.
The run-down temple didn’t stand a chance against so many werewolves and came crashing down in an instant. Stones and pieces of wood were sent flying in every direction, thrown into the surrounding marsh.
After the temple’s collapse, a round, altar-like stone platform surrounded by many large, standing rocks was revealed, akin to the foundation that had propped up the temple prior to its destruction.
From a distance, they could faintly make out a swarm of bats, coming together in unison, emerging from the forest, soaring through the marsh and speedily flying towards them.
"Everyone, prepare for combat! Local werewolves on the outer circle while the Blood Dawn’s in the inner circle! Fight with all you have, hold off the vampires’ attack and don’t let any strangers get close to the stone circle!"
Upon the Tyrant’s command, the werewolves mobilized, forming two lines around the hard ground and gearing up for battle.
Then, the Tyrant hesitated for a moment before turning towards the young werewolf: "Little Five, go open the entrance!"
The entrance couldn’t open immediately, hence they had to protect it whilst it was opening.
It would need around three to four minutes to open up completely. During this time, they had to resist the oncoming vampires, preventing them from getting close to the entrance.
As the Wolf King, the Tyrant had to lead the battle and provide the werewolf group with an aura effect. He didn’t have the luxury of multitasking, so he had someone else operate the entrance.
Among the Blood Dawn’s executives, the only one he could currently trust to not be a mole was the young werewolf, Little Five. While the vampires were following them, it was him who had pointed it out. Had he been a mole, he wouldn’t have mentioned the vampires at all.
"Oh, alright!" nodding at the Tyrant, Little Five quickly scurried towards the chaotic stones in the back.
"Boss, I need three shards!"
After climbing onto the central stone platform, Little Five looked back and spoke. The circular stone platform had a triangular connection with three nodes carved with mystical runes. Each node was a square space, perfectly fitting the size of a map shard.