CHAPTER 188: EX 188. GOD’S TEMPLE I

Elizabeth stood among the bodies, the air heavy with the metallic tang of blood and the lingering stench of beastly death. Mana pulsed from her with every breath, the rhythm of her heartbeat syncing with the power coiling within her veins. Her amber eyes, laced with a faint dragon glow, sharpened as she whispered under her breath, words that carried weight beyond the living.

"Eternal Dragon’s Requiem."

The ground trembled in answer. A massive circle of runes unfurled beneath the fourteen fallen wolves, its edges burning with a pale green luminescence. Shadows stretched unnaturally, twisting into jagged tendrils that reached up like hungry claws, dragging the corpses down into the circle. Their bodies sank as if the earth itself demanded their return.

Adrian and Eden froze, their eyes widening in disbelief. The air grew colder, darker, as though night itself had descended inside the clearing. Then, crack. Dark-green lightning flickered across the circle, bursting like veins through the soil, sparks biting into the corpses until only silence remained.

Across from them, Eleanor’s body stiffened. Within her, Bal’ark narrowed its eyes, a flicker of recognition breaking through its calm. ’This energy... why does it feel like that person’s?’

The lightning deepened, its rhythm accelerating, until the circle erupted.

From its heart, a beast clawed its way free. Its pressure was overwhelming, far beyond what fourteen wolves combined could have mustered. This was no mere sum, it was multiplication, a force condensed and reforged.

Where the wolves had once been hulking van-sized monsters, the new creature was compact, sleek, no larger than a small car. Its fur rippled like liquid shadow, blacker than midnight, and its eyes glowed a dull, lifeless gray. A crescent moon burned on its forehead, etched like a scar of rebirth.

The circle faded into nothingness, leaving only silence and the beast’s oppressive presence.

Elizabeth’s lips curved into a proud smile. She stepped forward, her aura brushing against the creature’s in quiet dominance. "I will name you... Blackfang."

The wolf tilted its head skyward, then unleashed a howl that shook the trees, a cry filled not with life but with death’s embrace, an acceptance of its new master and its new existence.

****

Leon’s eyes narrowed as the creature’s howl faded into the night air. The oppressive aura it released lingered, pressing down like an invisible weight. He exhaled slowly, gaze sharpening on the black wolf that stood steady in front of Elizabeth.

"Peak B-rank..." Leon said aloud, disbelief edging his tone.

The words cut the silence like a blade. Adrian’s head snapped toward him, his eyes wide. "Peak B-rank? How is that even possible?"

Eden didn’t speak. His lips parted as if to question, but all he managed was a quiet stare, his expression alone betraying his astonishment.

The wolf’s cold, grey eyes locked on Leon as he stepped forward, boots crunching softly on the broken earth. For a moment the undead beast seemed ready to bare its fangs. Then Leon reached out, placing a hand against its shadow-black head. The fur was chilled, almost icy to the touch, devoid of warmth, yet strangely comforting, like a winter wind that carried no malice.

Despite being undead, the wolf tilted its head slightly, leaning into his touch with the instinctive mannerisms of a living canine. Except this one was no common hound, its body loomed like a small car, muscles taut beneath its black pelt, the crescent mark glowing faintly on its forehead.

Leon’s lips curved faintly as he gave its head a final rub before glancing toward Elizabeth. "I can’t believe you made something like this... from just D-rank corpses."

Elizabeth stepped closer, her amber eyes still glowing faintly with dragonic light as she rested her hand on Blackfang’s head alongside his. Her voice was steady, though a small smile played at her lips. "I didn’t expect it either. But... it’s a pleasant surprise."

"It sure is," Leon replied, withdrawing his hand. He gave the wolf one last look, his expression tightening with focus. "But we should move. The temple isn’t going to tackle itself."

Elizabeth nodded. With a soft command under her breath, Blackfang’s form dissolved into shadow, sinking into her undead storage until nothing remained but silence and the faint residual chill.

The forest air grew heavy again, the wind brushing through the treetops as Leon took the lead. Behind him, Adrian and Eden followed, still exchanging uncertain glances, their minds struggling to grasp the scale of what they had just witnessed.

And at Elizabeth’s side, though no longer visible, a new ally prowled in the void, Blackfang, A Peak B-rank wolf.

Together, they pressed deeper into the forest, their path lit by the promise and danger of the temple ahead.

****

While Leon and his squad were tangled in the chaos of the wolf pack, elsewhere another story was unfolding. Racheal and her elf cohort had already arrived at the looming structure hidden deep within the woods, the Forest Temple. To them, it was not just stone and vine, but the dwelling of divinity itself: the God’s Temple.

Jessica, the oldest of the elves, her silver hair tied in a strict braid, let her gaze linger on the moss-stained gates. Her voice trembled with a reverence only years of devotion could etch.

"We are finally here. The key to your ascension lies beyond these doors, Princess Racheal."

Racheal stood tall, her immaculate white hair catching the thin shafts of light piercing through the canopy. Her expression was sharp, carved from discipline and burden. She turned, her eyes sweeping over the loyal elves gathered behind her, her most faithful, sworn to follow her path no matter where it led.

"Stay alert," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for hesitation. "We don’t know what we’ll face inside, but as long as we watch each other’s backs, we’ll tackle this mission without any problems. Is that clear?"

Her followers dropped to one knee in unison, voices rising like a chant.

"Yes, Princess Racheal!"

Without another word, she stepped forward. Jessica followed close behind, her staff tapping against the temple stone. The others trailed silently, their weapons drawn, but there was something else that seeped from their presence, a faint murderous intent curling like smoke, clinging to the air as they vanished into the shadows of the God’s Temple.