NOVPUB
Chapter 303: 303
From above, Lunara observed the bear’s growing frustration. "Good... let it waste its energy". The bear’s icy armor glistened in the weak northern sunlight, but she noticed cracks starting to form along the edges. It wasn’t a creature meant for agility; its strength lay in brute force, and Lunara and Nova could use that to their advantage.
The bear, sensing the shift in tactics, bellowed again, and this time, it slammed its fists into the ground. The impact sent shockwaves through the earth, and massive spikes of ice shot up in all directions, aiming to trap Nova and force him into a confrontation. The wolf dodged with nimble grace, but one of the spikes grazed his side, leaving a deep gash. Red vines pulsed rapidly, healing the wound almost immediately, but Lunara knew they couldn’t afford many more close calls like that.
Lunara dove from the sky, her wings tucked tight against her body for speed. As she neared the bear, she imbued more mana magic into her sword Just as the bear prepared another swipe at Nova, she struck from above, slashing at its back where the armor had begun to weaken.
This time, her blade cut through the thick ice, sending shards flying in all directions. The bear roared in pain, the icy barrier on its back shattering under her assault. But it wasn’t over yet. The beast swung around with terrifying speed, catching Lunara off guard and batting her aside with one powerful swing of its paw.
She crashed into the snow, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Her wings trembled, and she felt a sharp pain shoot up her side where the bear’s claws had grazed her. Nova howled in alarm, rushing to her side, but Lunara gritted her teeth and waved him off.
"I’m fine," she hissed, struggling to stand. "We’re close. We just need one more opening."
The bear, now enraged and wounded, charged toward them with reckless abandon. Its icy armor had begun to crack in several places, and the bloodlust in its eyes made it clear that it was willing to risk everything to end this fight.
Lunara glanced at Nova. "One more time. On my signal."
Nova nodded, his red vines glowing with renewed energy. He darted forward, drawing the bear’s attention once again. This time, however, he wasn’t dodging; he was leading the beast, forcing it to follow him toward a section of the plain where the snow was deep and treacherous.
Lunara, despite the pain, took to the air again. She watched as Nova lured the bear into the snowdrifts, its massive body starting to sink slightly into the deeper snow. With each step, the bear’s movements became slower, more labored.
"Nova! Hold it!"
At her command, Nova leaped onto the bear’s back, his wooden jaws sinking into the exposed cracks in its icy armor. His red vines snaked out, wrapping around the bear’s limbs, trying to immobilize it. The bear howled in fury, thrashing wildly, but the deep snow and Nova’s grip were slowing it down.
Lunara swooped in for the final blow. Her wings beat furiously as she summoned all the icy magic she could muster, channeling it into her blade. She dived toward the bear’s head, aiming for the exposed spot at the base of its neck.
With a fierce battle cry, she brought the icy sword down in a final, decisive strike.
The blade pierced through the bear’s thick hide, sinking deep into its flesh. The beast roared one last time, a sound that echoed through the snowy plains, before it collapsed, its body convulsing as the icy armor shattered completely. The ground around them rumbled as the snow settled, and then, silence.
Lunara landed beside the fallen bear, breathing heavily. Nova padded over to her, his glowing vines slowly retracting back into his body. The wolf nuzzled her gently, and Lunara smiled weakly, resting a hand on his head.
"We did it," she whispered, though her eyes were already scanning the horizon. "But something tells me this isn’t over yet."
True to the princess’s word, right after the bear fell, Nova immediately bit the neck of the princess, pulling back, only for a white shadow to flash by, followed by the disappearance of the bear’s corpse.
Lunara, seeing that her prize was taken, roared out loud. Unlike the roar of a wolf, hers was more like a dragon’s. Nova let go of the princess, who fell on all fours as her body began to change.
The princess’s clothing disappeared with her transformation as she turned into a full wolf, smaller than Nova, but the dragon wings behind her bridged the height difference.
The princess roared once again, and the snowy wind came to a halt, pushing apart to reveal a figure in the eyes of the princess and Nova.
The figure resembled the princess’s distant cousin, the apelings, though this one was much bigger and covered in snow-white hair.
The snow yeti had a mischievous look on its face as it dined on the torn-off leg of the bear. It pointed at the angry princess and Nova, followed by a mocking laugh.
While laughing, it grabbed a handful of snow, forming it into a snowball, which it then threw at the princess. Lunara’s expression grew angrier as the snowball transformed into a ball of ice just before reaching her.
The ice ball hovered in front of the princess, its shape shifting into an ice spike as long as a hand. The spike shot toward the yeti, which immediately became enraged, raising a wall of ice to block the projectile.
As soon as the spike was deflected, the yeti vaulted over the ice wall. Simultaneously, the ice formed into a massive staff, which it slammed into the ground.
A path of ice spikes grew from the ground, heading toward the princess and Nova. Lunara quickly took to the sky but soon found herself covered by a large shadow.
The yeti had boosted itself into the air, with an ice pillar growing beneath it as it lunged at the princess. Lunara’s eyes widened as she folded her wings to protect herself from the staff swinging toward her.
The pain she anticipated never came. Unfolding her wings, she saw the yeti with a panicked expression, looking down.
Nova was no longer in his wolf form, now appearing as a werewolf. A white vine had grown from Nova’s hand, wrapping around the yeti’s feet and pulling it down before it could strike the princess.
The yeti, in a panic, fell from the sky toward the ground. Sharp ice claws grew from the princess’s paws as she rushed toward the descending yeti.
At the same time, Nova stomped the ground, causing white wooden spikes to grow from where the yeti would land. The yeti’s eyes flashed as it threw its staff toward the wooden spikes below.
The falling staff was followed by an explosion of cold air that froze the wooden spikes, blowing them away. Simultaneously, the staff began absorbing the snow around it, growing larger.
The yeti stretched out its claws, grabbing hold of the massive, growing staff. At the same time, using its feet like hands, it gripped the vine that held it and pulled Nova up into the sky.
Nova let go of the vine as the princess was upon the yeti, Lunara’s claws scraped against the Yeti’s icy fur as it spun around the massive staff, blood briefly splattering before freezing in the cold air. The creature’s let out a snarl of frustration as it reached the ground, using the enormous staff to steady itself. The ground beneath the Yeti cracked with a frigid tremor as the air grew colder, snow swirling faster around them, obscuring the battlefield in a thick white haze.
Nova, still mid-air, twisted his body and landed with a thud, quickly regaining his footing. His werewolf form towered, white vines pulsing with energy as they wove through the snow beneath his feet, creeping toward the Yeti. His eyes glowed red with focus, and with a sharp growl, he stretched out his arm, summoning more vines to trap the beast. The Yeti, sensing the attack, slammed the now shruken staff into the ground once again, causing a shockwave of frost that shattered the approaching vines into splinters of ice.
Lunara, high above, let out another dragon-like roar, her wings propelling her faster through the sky as the icy wind bent to her will. She circled around for another dive, her eyes glowing with a furious intensity.
"Now, Nova!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the howling wind.
Nova bared his fangs and charged, his claws digging deep into the frozen ground as he closed the distance between him and the Yeti. White roots erupted from the earth, coiling like serpents around the Yeti’s limbs, momentarily pinning it in place.
Lunara, her wings shimmering with icy light, folded them back and dove straight at the trapped Yeti, her claws extending into long, razor-sharp icicles. As she descended, she focused all her power into the tip of her claws, intending to pierce the Yeti’s chest and end its mockery once and for all.
