Anticipated Encounter; Wolf Vs. Hunter (Ryuu)

In the midst of battle and confusion, I had a clear sense of direction. After leaving Hiroshi and the others behind, I felt drawn to Miron. His fear and power were too strong to ignore.

Although I knew it was unwise to face him alone, my desire for revenge outweighed my fear of death. Miron would pay for his actions. Without hesitation, I rode towards him.

I left the others before the gate of the walls opened to avoid confronting the enemy army. Miron was not in the castle of the third epic but on a high peak. His power pulled me away from the battle towards a place where only we would be.

As I neared him, I dismounted and continued on foot. The summit was barren and cold. The sky darkened, the winds picked up, and tension filled the air.

When I arrived, I saw stairs leading down and a large tree. Miron stood beside it, waiting for me as if he expected my arrival.

"Ryuu, you finally came. I thought you might have been scared and run away," he said.

Ignoring his words, I had only one question on my mind. "Where's Rose, Miron?"

Miron raised his left hand and commanded his spirits to show me, Rose. She appeared before me, unconscious and bound. I moved towards her, but when Miron lowered his hand, she vanished. Anger boiled within me as I turned to face him.

"Bring her back. Now."

Miron grinned slyly. "Ryuu, what's the hurry? You just arrived."

"She's got nothing to do with this, let her go."

"Actually, it's all about her. She might be the reason I'm here today."

"What do you mean?"

"The reason I was exiled from the wolf line wasn't just because of my father's actions. The family I killed - Rose's family - was from the king's line. People grew nervous and feared our lineage again. They thought it was wrong and banished me."

"Why did the leader of the Epics ask you to do this?"

"He had authority over the fifth kingdom. When he gave the order, the fourth Epic supported it - the brother of the deceased."

"Which means…"

"Yes. Rose is the niece of the fourth Epic."

"I don't believe you."

"If I'd known she'd cause so much trouble, I would have killed her with her family - just like I killed your uncle Kaika."

I was puzzled. How had Miron discovered that my uncle was Kaika?

"How did you find out?" I asked.

"I know Kaika better than anyone. He never helps anyone unless they share his blood. And that look in your eyes - your aggression at the tournament - you're just like your father. But the anger within you is the same as mine."

"I'm not you. You're a traitor and I'm here to avenge my uncle."

"That's what I want to hear. We will fight as our fathers did in the past - against the son of Alpha Prime, the son of Yonto, founder of the Wolf line."

Miron raised his hand and roared, "Our battle will be legendary. When everyone sees me kill Alpha's son, they will know what the Slayer can do."

At Miron's words, I lost control. I was ready to attack him with everything I had. Despite his powers and the fear he radiated, I charged toward him.

Miron was aware of my incoming attacks. He ducked slightly to avoid my left punch and caught my other fist. He aimed my hand down and hit my jaw with the palm of his hand, sending me reeling. I regained my balance for a moment and turned to give Miron a kick, but I was confronted with something I hadn't expected.

Miron used one of his powers in the lineage of death and disappeared underground like a ghost. He suddenly appeared to my left and said, "I'm here, kid." I was punched but managed to dodge the other punch by ducking to the right. Without thinking, I extended my claws and aimed for his chest.

Miron calmly waited for the claws to reach him. When they did, they passed through his body without affecting him. As I pulled my claws back, he grabbed me by the arm once more and wrapped his arms around my neck before throwing me powerfully to the ground. After hitting the ground hard, I dodged an oncoming kick and stood up again.

As I was about to bring my claw towards him again, an arm from behind grabbed me. Miron took advantage of the opening and swung another hard punch at my chest.

I was momentarily left breathless by the impact of the punch. Miron continued his boastful speech, "As the head of the death lineage, I can command lost souls as I please. That's the beauty of it, boy. But I must say, I'm beginning to think these powers are too much for you."

I wanted to fight Miron with actions, not words. I brought my hand in front of my mouth and used the power I'd learned from my dragon lineage to breathe fire into his face. In response, he spat venom from his mouth. The place was turning to rubble, but all we cared about was winning.

When the fire and poison subsided, we were back in close combat. Using my ki power, I sped up and threw a punch he couldn't escape. But he responded with a fist of his own.

When our fists clashed, a loud noise erupted and strong winds began to blow. As I swung my other arm, he managed to grab it. Anticipating his next move, I breathed fire at him.

Miron turned into a ghost and evaded my fire. Sensing his reappearance behind me, I kicked backward without looking. Miron stopped my kick with his arm but floated to the left from my other kick.

I moved to Miron's right and jumped high, landing on top of him. As I prepared to punch him, Miron quickly dodged and countered with a kick. I caught his leg with my free hand and threw him into the air. However, Miron regained control using his spirits and landed hard on me.

I threw my hands forward to protect myself from Miron's attack but was still knocked back by the impact. Miron made another quick attack, using his spirits to pull me towards him.

I ducked to avoid his punch and swung a hard hook from the left. Miron turned into a ghost to dodge the punch and reappeared in front of me, spitting venom. I applied pressure under his chin to prevent the venom from reaching me.

Miron grabbed my arm and once again turned into a ghost, descending quickly toward the ground. As he pulled me down, I hit the ground hard.

Using both arms, I pushed against the ground to escape the attack of the ghosts.