Is this really a Game?!

The battlefield erupted with immense energy as the three attacks landed on the cocoon of darkness, creating a devastating shockwave that blasted through the area, sending waves of debris and dust all over the place.

Multiple trees toppled over, and there were a couple of hunters and wolves that got pushed to the side by the shockwave, even Laura and Beast were forced to take a couple of steps and stabilize themselves from the powerful shockwave.

As the dust settled, the figure of the rider was on full display. The swirling haze of darkness and smoke that was around him disappeared as the rider appeared in front of them, his armor scorched from the attacks, even cracking at some parts.

The rider also didn't get out unscathed as he panted slightly, his body injured from the attacks that landed on it. The darkness had clearly managed to absorb a large portion of the damage, but thanks to Reign's light, it was unable to completely absorb and block the damage.

The black scorch marks on its armor made it clear that Wolf's scorching sword had done its fair share of damage, as well as Reign's lightning, which had left scorch marks in the form of lightning bolts on the armor.

"Tch, we were close, but that wasn't enough, its defense is nothing to scoff at."

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"My sword struck his armor, but the darkness was constantly going up against it, smothering the heat of the sword, which was how it managed to block my attack, otherwise my sword would have definitely melted through the armor."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"My axe light had also slowed down once it got close to the darkness, then it started dissipating before hitting it, I think the strength of the blow was only at 40% when it landed."

"Same for my lance, even though the light was effective at scattering the darkness and wasn't as affected as your attacks, it was still weakened and didn't do as much damage as I thought it would."

Reign and the others stared at the rider who was standing still and staring at them, his spear still held in his hand while his body, although damaged, seemed perfectly fine to continue fighting.

But before any of them could act, something changed on the battlefield.

The entire battlefield froze as the bodies of the wolves and hunters suddenly started shininh before they merged. From that light, figures who were fused versions of a wolf and hunter emerged, just like how it looked when Beast fused with one of his tamed beasts.

This was not something the enemy could previously do, before the rider had absorbed the Alpha. When he had done that, there was a fundamental change in his very being, he had not just gotten stronger, his race had changed.

He was now a hybrid, and because he had fused with the Alpha, the rider would now be able to tame any wolves, especially those who had shadow and darkness powers, and command them as their alpha.

Because of that, the wolves had all gained an affinity with his tribe members, who were also connected to him, and thus, they were now all able to fuse with one another.

The fused wolves and hunters advanced, each radiating an aura that was fiercer and darker than before. Their forms were twisted, blending the lithe, silent grace of the hunters with the raw ferocity and strength of the wolves. The transformation gave them the power of both—sharper senses, faster reflexes, and enhanced combat instincts.

Dark energy pulsed around them, enveloping the battlefield in an oppressive, stifling atmosphere.

Beast, Shadow, Laura, Greenie, Mia, Jin, and Aelrinder, who had been fighting against the hunters and wolves, were now on high alert. Even the auras of the flood dragon and Blackie, who had been fighting with them, were no longer as effective when it came to weakening the newly transformed hunters.

Reign and the others glanced at one another, fully aware that the situation had now become even more dangerous.

"I'm using my mark!" Beast shouted, making Reign sigh as he nodded his head.

Beast had his mark and fusion, and each one was able to increase his battle prowess considerably, thus using one of them would not only improve their current situation, but he would also be able to use the fusion later, which meant that using one would not decrease his future combat prowess by too much.

They still had to deal with whatever waited for them later, thus he could only use one, not both.

As for Reign, he was considering whether or not to use his mark as the rider, which was truly a great danger to them, and from the looks of it, he was getting more and more used to his powers. It wouldn't take too long before his control over shadows and darkness reached a higher level, which would make his combat prowess higher, making him more dangerous to them.

Beast closed his eyes, his mark glowing as it appeared on his body. The energy from it coursed through his body, surging with such force that the air around him crackled with barely contained power.

He was not the only one as Aelrinder also used one of his charges of the power of the stars, causing yellow light to envelop him, improving his stats and making him much stronger than before.

Beast grabbed his bow and stared at the transformed hunters who were staring at him vigilantly, not sure what to do. He had not changed much, his body had not grown larger or more muscular, but his aura had underwent a great change.

It was now sharper and much more dangerous. The mark mostly improved his skills with the bow, and it also improved his control over the wind element, now, he was going to go all out and kill as many of the hunters as he could in a short period of time.

Beast let his mana surge, channeling it into his bow as he took a steady, determined breath. He focused on the transformed hunters, his enhanced aura filling the air around him with a chilling, razor-sharp intensity. Every inch of his body now bristled with energy, and his senses were heightened to the point where even the faintest sound was like a pulse in his ears.

The mark glowed, resonating with the mana in his body as he pulled back the bowstring. Unlike his usual arrows, which glowed with faint light or wind, the arrows he prepared now crackled with fierce, swirling currents of energy. The air hummed with anticipation as his power condensed into each arrow.

The first arrow streaked through the air, so swift and precise that even the fused hunters barely had time to react. It pierced through the first transformed wolf-hunter hybrid's defenses, shattering the shadows that clung to it, and exploded in a burst of wind-infused mana that tore at its body, ripping it apart from the inside out.

As the creature collapsed, disintegrating into shadow particles, the other transformed enemies flinched, reassessing Beast with cautious, wary glances.

"You guys hold the frontline!" Beast called out, firing off a series of arrows in rapid succession, each one hitting its mark with devastating precision. "I'll clear as many as I can from back here!"

Aelrinder, his body suffused with the light of the stars, was already charging forward. His spear gleamed with celestial energy as he moved with newfound speed and agility, sweeping his weapon in wide arcs. As his strikes connected, a luminous afterimage followed his spear, leaving streaks of starlight that burned the dark energy surrounding the hybrids, weakening their defense.

"Stick to your marks!" Aelrinder commanded, his voice booming with authority. "We don't give them room to strike back!"

The others fell into formation, pushing forward as they coordinated their attacks. Shadow darted through the battlefield, his twin daggers slashing through the shadows of the wolf-hunters with swift, precise cuts.

He moved like a phantom, using his darkness manipulation to nullify their own shadow-based powers, causing confusion and momentary hesitation among the enemies as they found themselves unable to blend into the shadows or teleport away.

Mia created walls of ice to restrict their movement, her frost magic surging around her as she hurled ice shards that pierced through their dark defenses. With each strike, cracks appeared in the creatures' dark armor, leaving them exposed to the others' attacks.

Jin and Greenie fought side by side, Jin's fists crackling with lightning as he unleashed devastating close-range blows while Greenie wielded his massive warhammer with relentless force, each swing generating shockwaves that staggered the hybrids.

Laura stood near Beast, her demonic energy swirling around her as she sent tendrils of demonic energy toward the hunters, grabbing them and throwing them away.

The entire battle turned chaotic after Beast and Aelrinder stopped holding back, and even the rider was confused upon sensing the immense power coming from them, after all, right now, those two were even more of a danger than Reign, Wolf, and Tank were.

"Haven't you learned to not look away when facing me?"

A soft voice spoke to the rider as Reign appeared in front of him, stabbing forward with his sword, just as he had done the last time the rider dared take his eyes off him.