Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 70: Overwhelmed

The first Howler charged—a blur of muscle and shadow. Jayden sidestepped and countered with a vicious claw swipe across its ribs, slicing open dark fur and muscle. Blood sprayed in arcs as the beast yelped and stumbled.

But the second was already on him.

Its jaw clamped down on his arm—teeth sinking into fur but not drawing blood. Jayden roared and spun, dragging the beast with him in a full-body torque before slamming it into the rocky floor.

CRACK!

The earth buckled. Dust exploded.

Jayden leapt back, but not in time. The first Howler had recovered—leaping and ramming into him with a body-check that sent him flying ten feet.

He rolled, caught himself mid-slide, and paused.

He stood up and sprinted forward again—like a bullet fired from a gun. He dipped under the first beast’s swipe, sliding low and slashing at its legs. It howled and toppled. He flipped up into a spinning roundhouse and nailed the second right in the jaw mid-leap, sending it flying into the ridge wall.

But they recovered quickly. Too quickly.

The two flanked him again. One to his left, the other behind.

Jayden ducked a pouncing bite, but the second Howler struck him with a paw, raking across his side.

[-20 Hp]

Blood dripped.

Jayden stumbled.

He growled. "Alright. No more games."

He stretched out his right hand. A boulder half the size of a car wobbled behind one of the Howlers—his telekinesis clinging to it with invisible grip.

"Ugh." Jayden grunted softly, the boulder was a bit heavy. But he kept lifting it anyways, using every ounce of will and stamina to concentrate.

The first Howler saw this as an opportunity to finish Jayden off... He was right there, open and vulnerable.

Without hesitation, it dashed towards Jayden with a clear determination to end his life.

Jayden saw the beast approaching, and his lips curled into a grin. "Gotcha."

He slammed his palm forward. The boulder soared through the air like a cannonball.

BOOM!

It collided with the beast mid-dash, flattening it into the earth. The shockwave knocked dust and leaves into the air.

The second Howler wasted no time and moved. It lunged towards Jayden with an open jaw, ready to bite his throat off.

But just in the time, Jayden pivoted and used his claws to dig into the side of a tree, flipping up and over the charging beast with an acrobatic twist. As he landed on its back, he grabbed it by the nape and plunged his claws down—digging into muscle, but not deep enough to kill.

The Howler thrashed wildly, and Jayden was thrown off—slamming into the ground with a grunt. He rolled quickly, narrowly avoiding a stomp that cracked the dirt where his head had been.

The first Howler had somehow managed to recover from the earlier hit Jayden delivered using the boulder. It shook the boulder off and healed on the spot.

The second Howler had also healed up, it sprinted back to it’s colleague and they stood together again, ready for another round.

[They’re adapting to you] Luna warned. [You have to change tactic]

Jayden gritted his teeth. His arms trembled. The partial Transformation was draining his stamina slowly–every second burning through his strength.

He could still hold up for a few more hours even.. but he was conserving stamina for the fight with the Winter wolf.

"I need to finish this."

He took off running again. His claws tore into the earth as he ducked and dodged the incoming onslaught of coordinated attacks. Each Howler attacked with brutal teamwork—one slashing low while the other struck high.

Jayden flipped sideways, landed on his hands, and kicked both legs out like twin pistons—hitting one in the jaw and the other in the ribs.

He landed in a crouch. Blood oozing down his arm. One Howler had made to land a claw strike on his shoulder.

But.. the wound wasn’t healing. His expression hardened.

"Shit!"

[You need to stop taking hits for the wound to heal properly] Luna stated.

Jayden gritted his teeth. "No.. i need to end this now." he whispered.

He was already getting tired of the fight.. the Howlers just kept healing over and over. It was as if they were just toying with him, trying to drain all his energy before the fight with the Winter wolf. It was a really clever tactic.

But Jayden was outraged, he’d had enough. He shifted his stance, feet grinding against the frostbitten earth, as the Howlers prowled forward in perfect sync—muscles coiled like springs, eyes gleaming like frozen comets.

"Come on, then," he muttered, raising his fists.

The first lunged.

Jayden ducked low, sliding beneath its jaw and slashing across its chest with a tight clawed hook—tearing through fur but barely drawing blood. But the beast didn’t even flinch. Its momentum carried it past Jayden.

And before Jayden could regroup, the second Howler struck from behind.

WHAM!

A massive paw collided with his back like a sledgehammer. He flew forward, slamming chest-first into a tree trunk.

CRACK!

Bark exploded off the impact, and he gasped as the breath was knocked from his lungs.

[-50 Hp]

The system notified him.

[Jayden, behind you!] Luna’s voice rang out in a sharp warning.

Jayden pupils dilated and he rolled just in time to avoid a second strike... the paw of the Howler digging into the ice where his skull had just been. He staggered back to his feet, blood trickling down his temple.

"They’ve changed tactic as well..." he hissed. "They’re working hand in hand."

The two Howlers regrouped, standing side by side, low growls humming from their chests like an engine revving.

And then... they opened their jaws.

A sudden surge of power rippled across the clearing.

Jayden’s eyes widened. He felt a chill. Deep in his marrow.

[Move—!] Luna yelled in his mind.

But it was too late.

SKREEEEE—AWWOOOOOOOO!!

The two beasts unleashed their Frostbite Howls in unison—twin waves of icy energy erupting from their throats like cannon fire.

Sound and energy shattered the air, rippling like a sonic avalanche across the clearing.

The shockwave hit Jayden like a bomb, sending him flying across the arena with a wave of icy glaciers pierced his skin.

CRASH!

He was hurled backward twenty feet, flipping midair before skidding across the frozen earth. His clothes shredded. His skin went numb. His bones ached. The howl wasn’t just sound—it was temperature. A wave of sub-zero pain that froze muscle and dulled nerve endings. It rattled his vision and frayed his thoughts.

He wasn’t even bleeding, he was just... partially frozen.

He tried to rise... only for the first Howler to pounce on him.

WHUMP!

Its paw slammed down onto his chest, pinning him hard. The second circled, jaws open, frost fangs dripping. Jayden’s breath steamed out in shaky gasps as his limbs twitched—his strength fading.

[Jayden, your vitals are crashing. You’re going to pass out] Luna panicked.

"I know... I know..." Jayden whispered.

The first Howler leaned down—jaws wide, breath icy against his face. Jayden could see the reflection of his broken self in its pale blue eyes.

Meanwhile, back outside the designated arena, the Winter Wolf observed silently, her expression unreadable. She had been watching the fight intently, studying Jayden’s every move and tactic.

She was a bit dissapointed by how the fight turned out, she didn’t expect Jayden to be overwhelmed by her Betas so quickly. To her, it was as if Jayden wasn’t even worth fighting with.

She kept observing, watching, waiting to see if Jayden had any tricks up his sleeves. She wanted him to fight with everything he has.. because that was the whole point of the battle.

A fight to the death.

But earlier, she had given an order to the Howlers not to kill Jayden. She still wanted to fight him... so he could die by her hands.. or paws.

Jayden was still pinned down, he rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat. "I guess you’ve won this time, Luna... I really do need my boost." he said with a dark chuckle, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

Then he whispered something under his breath... and almost immediately, the system screen popped up with a familiar notification.

[Hybrid Transformation (Lupine) has begun]

[Stat Boost: +200%]