novel-bin Chapter 90 Hellhound
Chapter 90 Hellhound
Alwin and Holt headed east along a dirt road toward the village.
The closer you get to the forest, the more overgrown the dirt road becomes, indicating that no one has been here for a long time.
After tying the mare to a safe place, the two continued deeper into the area.
About a hundred paces away, Alwin's nose twitched as he smelled a rotten stench.
Holt patted his shoulder, gesturing for him to look up.
Alwin's cat-eye gaze.
To the left of your line of sight stands an ancient tree that would require three people to encircle, its dark trunk covered with a dense network of branches.
Each branch tip was tied with a boot, pressing the branches down to the ground, much like a fruit tree laden with fruit.
Ravens circled overhead, and a cold wind blew through the forest, producing eerie, piercing cries.
Holt glanced at the snake-head badge on his chest; the badge trembled only slightly.
"The resentment here is very strong; it must be a demon spirit."
Arwen stepped forward, and beneath the ancient tree lay dozens of corpses.
Dark brown bloodstains remained on the decaying clothing.
The flesh and blood had been completely devoured by scavengers, leaving only exposed white bones mixed with dirt.
He crouched down, pulling up a drooping purple hood with his right hand, the empty skull hanging over his left shoulder.
There was a noticeable indentation on the lower abdomen, and the fabric also had a sharp, neatly cut slash.
Judging from their attire, most of these people are business travelers.
"then."
Holt's voice came from behind.
Alwin suddenly raised his left hand and caught a black bottle in his palm.
I weighed it in my hand, and heard the liquid sloshing around inside.
"This is evil spirit oil. Evil spirits usually only appear at night. We still have some time."
Holt looked up at the sky through the branches. "The weather's nice. Let's get started."
The power of a demon spirit is greatly enhanced when the moon is obscured by dark clouds.
Alwin stood up and shook the dust off his right hand.
He took out an oilcloth from his pouch, opened the oil bottle, poured a clear, viscous liquid onto the oilcloth, and then wiped it on every part of the silver sword.
Holt was doing the same thing.
The silver sword's cross-shaped hilt was engraved with magical runes, and the entire blade was covered in magical runes, which gleamed with a dark red luster as it was wiped with an oilcloth.
Alwin glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, and even without using [Blade Perception], he could tell that this silver sword was no ordinary weapon.
Kneel and meditate.
into the night.
"Rustling..."
A tiny, rapid sound suddenly rang out; an ordinary person might mistake it for the sound of wind blowing through the bushes.
The wolf head badge pinned to his chest began to riot.
Alwin opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in his grayish-yellow vertical pupils.
[Meditation Aftertaste] Triggered.
Use one hand to support yourself and quickly get up.
Holt made a Quen hand gesture with his left hand, and an earth-yellow protective shield covered the two of them.
Arwen skillfully took out potions from his pouch and drank them: the [Cat] potion and the [Tawny Owl] potion.
He moved his wrist slightly, and a light blue Kun seal appeared.
Holt looked at the surging protective shield and was taken aback.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Arwen's young face. At his age, to have such mastery of the Quen Seal was extremely rare.
Holt, under Holt's cover, also drank the potion, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Something's not right," Alwin said, glancing around. Under his enhanced vision, several crimson shadows slowly approached. "They're not demons."
Holt exhaled a breath of stale air, his face revealing prominent black veins, and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands.
"Yes, it's coming."
Yellowish-green smoke gradually rose from beneath the eerie woods.
A wolf-like creature emerged from the crowd, its entire body hairless, its dark gray skin like taut leather, revealing its explosive muscle lines.
A pair of lifeless, beastly eyes, dull and devoid of any light.
It lowered its head, revealing sharp fangs, and squeezed out a dry roar from its throat. Saliva dripped onto the ground, making a hissing sound and corroding a small hole in the mud.
A pungent sulfurous smell wafted through the air.
"The Netherhounds are monsters born from resentment. Be careful of their teeth; if you get bitten, your flesh will quickly be eroded and rot."
Holt leaned against him, and his voice came quickly.
"roar!"
A ghostly hound burst out of the smoke and lunged at Alwyn's position.
It opened its mouth wide, and saliva splashed onto the Quen shield, hissing and emitting white smoke.
Alwin strode forward, turned to the side, raised his arms high, and slashed down with his silver sword. The air exploded, drawing a bright silver crescent.
"Zzzzt!"
The silver sword sliced through the taut hide of the hound, cut through its muscles, and swiftly severed it in half.
Its two bodies fell to the ground, its four hooves thrashing about.
Instead of bleeding from the wound, a green flame ignited.
Without giving Alwin any chance to catch his breath, the three-headed hound charged out from different angles.
【Spinning Blade】, three sword lights were quickly unleashed.
A rapid buzzing sound had already begun to ring out behind me.
Holt's swordsmanship was extremely fast and exceptionally sharp.
Even with mobility issues, they are more than capable of dealing with these wolf-like creatures.
If the Quen Shield is corroded and broken by the saliva of the Ghost Hound, there will be another protective shield inside.
Correspondingly, the person whose shield breaks will cast the Quen sign again.
This kind of coordination is something every Wolf School Witcher must practice after learning the Quen sign.
"Aww..."
In no time, the ground was covered with the corpses of the Netherhounds, and green flames were constantly engulfing their bodies.
The yellowish-green poison surrounding the two retreated several meters.
Holt spat on the ground.
"Don't be careless, these damn hairless stray dogs are just an appetizer."
Alwin glanced at the panel.
Indeed, from the very first one, he had never received any system messages about killing the Netherhound.
This indirectly proves that these ghostly hounds are summoned creatures.
Suddenly, an extremely hot aura rapidly approached.
Alwin caught the moment, and Holt reacted in the same way, rolling to the left.
A ball of eerie green fire appeared in the spot where the two had just been standing, instantly melting the Quen shields on either side.
Then, like a green meteor, it struck a red alder tree.
The fireball exploded, emitting a dazzling light.
The tree trunk burst into flames, and green sparks scattered all around, burning even on the muddy ground.
The scorching heat distorted the air itself.
Alwin raised an eyebrow slightly.
What a terrifying temperature.
Stare at the spot where the fireball was launched.
A monster several times larger than the Ghost Hound emerged from the yellowish-green smoke, its shoulder muscles bulging, standing four and a half feet tall, as strong as a calf.
Its front paws stepped out, and green flames leaped and danced between its toes.
A chilling killing intent surged from the crimson beast's eyes.
"It really is it," Holt said grimly, "Hellhound."