The lord of life and death

As they ran toward the stone where they had tied up the sheep, Rain felt the lingering effects of the battle. His injury had completely healed, and even the tear in his combat uniform was mending itself, as it used his genetic energy to repair minor damage. He glanced at his arm, watching as the uniform seamlessly closed the gap. However, the process had taken a toll—his genetic energy was now halfway depleted. While running, he quickly swallowed an energy replenishing pill, feeling its effects as his strength slowly returned.

His thoughts drifted to his team, particularly Siobhan. Her strength was similar to his, but without his self-healing ability, she was at greater risk. The memory of her warning him earlier lingered, filling him with a mixture of concern and determination.

Just as his mind began to wander, he noticed Helen coming to an abrupt stop ahead of him. Rain, caught in his own momentum, nearly passed her before halting and turning back.

"Why did you stop?" Rain asked, slightly out of breath.

Helen raised a hand to silence him. "Shh, listen carefully."

Rain frowned but did as she instructed. He focused, his ears straining for any sound. At first, he heard nothing—just the faint sound of their footsteps fading into the stillness. Several seconds passed, and Rain was about to ask again, impatience creeping in, when the wind shifted.

Suddenly, carried by the breeze, came the distant howling of wolves and the bleating cries of the sheep. His heart sank as he realized the sounds were coming from the direction of the stone where they had left the sheep. The eerie howls grew louder, mixing with the panicked cries of the sheep, sending a chill down his spine.

"The stone…" Rain muttered, his pulse quickening. The wolves had reached their sheep.

"Let's go," Helen said, her voice steady but urgent, before taking off at a sprint toward the stone. Rain followed close behind, his heart pounding in his chest. As they closed the distance, the howls grew louder, mingling with the panicked cries of the sheep. His eyes darted ahead, straining to see through the haze of the Weird Domain, and after some time, the stone finally came into view.

The scene was worse than Rain had feared. Wolves circled the stone, surrounding the sheep they had tied there. He counted six wolves from their direction alone, their black forms moving in and out of the shadowed areas. A few sheep lay dead on the ground, their iron-wool bodies slashed open, their blood soaking into the dirt. But there were still survivors—sheep huddled together with their backs pressed tightly against the stone, forming a protective circle. They stood shoulder to shoulder, iron wool bristling like a spiked barricade. Rain realized the wolves hadn't attacked further because the sheep's wool was sharp as iron wires. A single bite would tear into the wolves' mouths, and their weak points—their underbellies and throats—were safely protected by the sheep's formation.

"They're smart," Rain thought as he ran, his admiration for the sheep's instinct for survival tempered by the grim reality of the situation. 

As they drew closer, one wolf caught his eye—a larger one, towering over the others. Its head was covered in a helmet of bone, its red eyes gleaming with a malevolent intelligence. It was unlike the others, its presence more imposing. Rain quickly assessed that this must be a late D-rank Bone Wolf, far more dangerous than the rest.

The large wolf turned toward them and growled, a low, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down Rain's spine. Responding to the command, two of the middle D-rank wolves broke away from the pack and sprinted in their direction, their bone-covered forms moving with deadly speed.

Rain stopped running, readying himself to defend against the approaching wolves. His heart pounded in his chest, fear and anxiety coursing through his veins. Helen, who had been running beside him, didn't stop. Instead, she sped up, her body suddenly enveloped in a fiery aura of genetic energy. Her speed increased dramatically, and within seconds, she had darted past the wolves and was now heading straight toward the leader—the late D-rank Bone Wolf.

Rain watched in awe as she became a blur of movement, leaving him to face two of the middle D-rank wolves on his own. Fear crept in, his muscles tensing. He knew he was no match for even one middle D-rank beast, let alone two. The odds were heavily against him. Rain silently prayed, "Helen, kill the leader quickly. I just need to survive until then."

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for the fight. But just as he prepared to engage, something unexpected happened—the wolves chasing him suddenly collapsed. Rain stared in disbelief, his eyes widening. The heads of the two wolves were decapitated cleanly from their bodies, rolling away into the dust. 

"Huh?" Rain muttered, caught off guard. His mind struggled to catch up with what had just happened. He hadn't even had time to react, and the wolves were already dead. Helen, without a word or warning, had taken them down in a single fluid motion as she passed by. Her speed and precision were terrifyingly effective.

Before Rain could process the relief he felt from the sudden shift, his attention was drawn to the battle ahead. Helen had already engaged the larger Bone Wolf, the late D-rank alpha. Rain saw her tearing into the creature with ferocity, her claws slashing through the air, sparks of energy crackling around her. The other wolves, seven in total, circled around her, waiting for an opening. 

For a brief moment, Rain hesitated. Should he move closer to help? But before he could make a decision, Helen made a decisive move. She sank her claws deep into the belly of the larger Bone Wolf, tearing its abdomen open. Rain watched in horror and awe as the wolf's insides spilled out onto the ground. The large wolf let out a pitiful howl, its strength fading as it collapsed to the ground.

The remaining wolves froze, their leader's death rattling them. Rain saw the fear in their eyes as they began to back away, their confidence shattered. They turned as if to flee, but Helen wasn't done yet. She moved with deadly efficiency, killing two more wolves before they could escape. The rest, however, managed to get away, yelping and howling as they disappeared into the distance.

Rain had expected Helen to finish off every last wolf, but to his surprise, she stood still, unmoving, like a statue. Her aura, once fierce and blazing, now seemed to flicker and fade. Something was wrong.

As the remaining wolves fled beyond their sight, Rain began to move toward her, worry gnawing at him. "Helen?" he called out, his voice uncertain. But before he could get closer, she suddenly collapsed, her body crumpling to the ground.

Panic surged through him. "Helen!" Rain shouted, sprinting toward her, his heart pounding faster with every step. When he reached her, he knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder. There were no visible injuries, no tears or cuts in her combat uniform. Helen had just taken down five wolves, including a late D-rank wolf, without a scratch. Confusion set in—what could have caused her to collapse?

Rain racked his brain for answers, then it hit him. He remembered how he used to pass out when he first started refining his hands with acids due to depleted genetic energy. He had seen Helen enveloped in a fierce surge of genetic energy during the fight, her strength and speed amplified. She must have overexerted herself. Without wasting time, he pulled out a genetic energy replenishment pill and carefully fed it to her.

Rain then closed his eyes and entered his soul space, expanding his spirit to reach out toward Helen. He sensed her genetic energy gradually recovering, confirming his suspicion. Relieved, he opened his eyes and stood, keeping watch over her as she lay still, her energy slowly returning. 

As Rain stood guard, his gaze shifted toward the horizon, where three smoke signals rose into the sky. The distress calls for assistance were unmistakable, but he clenched his fists in frustration. He couldn't leave Helen alone in her vulnerable state, and even if he were to go, he knew his current strength wouldn't be enough to make a difference. The sense of helplessness gnawed at him. 

"Not strong enough..." Rain growled to himself. His training with type-1 acid to refine his hands and feet had slowed down, and he knew that if he made it back alive, he'd have to push himself harder. He resolved to start refining with type-2 acid, and he needed to get a poison stone to accelerate his mastery of poison energy—so he could make his attacks truly deadly.

His thoughts were interrupted by a stirring beside him. He turned to see Helen slowly waking up. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she tried to sit up. Rain knelt quickly to help her, his heart racing with a mix of relief and concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

Helen nodded, still regaining her strength. Overcome with emotion, Rain, in a burst of excitement, instinctively wrapped her in a hug. Realizing what he'd done, he froze for a moment, feeling embarrassed. Quickly, he released her, stepping back awkwardly. 

"Sorry," he muttered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Helen, her calm demeanor returning, gave him a small smile and brushed off the moment as she steadied herself. She stood up, and Rain quickly followed suit. Helen scanned the surroundings as she took out a pill and popped it into her mouth. 

Rain couldn't help but speak up, admiration clear in his voice. "You were incredible in that fight. How did you do it?"

Helen shrugged it off. "Nothing special. I used a forbidden technique called *Energy Burning.* It burns through your genetic energy rapidly, releasing a surge of power that doubles your speed and strength. The downside is that it damages your body, which is why it's considered forbidden. But for us, with our rapid self-healing abilities, it's just another tool."

Rain's eyes widened. "There's a technique like that? I need to get my hands on it."

Helen smirked. "It's no use for you right now. With your current amount of genetic energy, you'd burn out in seconds. Wait until you reach late D-rank—then it'll be useful."

Rain looked over at the sheep, who were still cowering in fear, huddled tightly together, their iron wool bristling as they pressed against the stone. "What about the sheep?" he asked.

Helen glanced at the terrified animals. "Leave them here for now. The smoke signals mean our team is under attack. We need to focus on helping them."

Rain nodded, his earlier frustration returning. "What do we do then? Head back to the farm building?"

Helen's eyes shifted toward a smoke signal rising in the distance to their right. "No. That signal is closer. We help them first," she said decisively, already moving in that direction.

Rain followed, both of them knowing that their next challenge awaited just beyond the horizon.