Chapter 76: Are you worried about me?

Liliana and Xavier immediately turned toward the direction Lucien had indicated. Their eyes widened when they saw what was there.

A red-eyed Nightfang was feasting on the corpses of the Nightfangs Lucien had previously killed. Its body was covered in blood, but it showed no sign of disgust. Instead, it continued calmly chewing on the flesh of its own kind.

The Nightfang raised its head upon noticing the three of them watching. Its eyes moved slowly, examining them one by one before finally settling on Liliana.

Liliana flinched when the red-eyed Nightfang stared directly at her.

Xavier even took an unconscious step backward.

Lucien frowned but said nothing. His brown eyes remained fixed on the Nightfang, trying to understand what made this creature different from the ones they had known all this time.

The Nightfang stared at Liliana for several moments. Then, without showing any interest in the other two wolves, it turned around and resumed eating the corpses of its dead kin.

Liliana’s fingers trembled unconsciously as she gripped Lucien’s fur.

That Nightfang... had smiled mockingly at her.

"Let’s go," Lucien finally said.

He turned toward Xavier.

"Keep your footsteps quiet."

After warning Xavier, Lucien continued deeper into the forest without looking back. Xavier, still visibly on guard, immediately followed behind him.

They continued walking until they were certain they had put enough distance between themselves and the red-eyed Nightfang. Only then did Lucien stop and look back.

He let out a low growl when he realized that the creature had not followed them at all.

"Lucien..." Liliana called.

"Hmm?"

Liliana swallowed hard before finally speaking. "That Nightfang... it was different."

Lucien nodded. "It possessed intelligence. Unlike the others of its kind."

"Its eyes," Liliana added. "They were the same color as ours. They weren’t white or gray anymore."

"They’ve evolved," Lucien explained.

Liliana looked at him. "Have you ever seen an evolved Nightfang before?"

Lucien shook his head. "No. This is the first time I’ve seen one."

His gaze shifted back toward the dark forest behind them. "We need to find Vincent and the Crown Prince as soon as possible. I think you were right. This time, something is genuinely targeting their lives."

Without waiting for an answer, Lucien picked up his pace and sprinted through the dark forest ahead of them.

Xavier stared at his back for a few moments before following him again.

A few minutes later, Lucien finally slowed down. He sniffed the surrounding air, using his keen sense of smell to search for Vincent’s trail through the faint scent that still lingered on Liliana.

"They shouldn’t be far from here," Lucien said.

He turned his head in different directions, trying to find another trail that could lead him to Vincent.

Liliana closed her eyes for a few moments. The last image she had seen of Vincent in the secret realm resurfaced in her mind. After a while, she opened her eyes.

"Keep going," Liliana said. "They’re over there."

Lucien nodded without asking any questions.

They moved again, following the direction Liliana had indicated. Not long afterward, howls began echoing from a distance, prompting them to quicken their pace.

The three of them stopped as soon as they found Vincent.

The gray wolf with a silvery sheen was pinned beneath a Nightfang nearly twice his size. Meanwhile, all the members of Vincent’s pack and Xavier’s pack were lying unconscious nearby.

Liliana immediately climbed down from Lucien’s back and transformed into her silver wolf.

Without wasting another moment, all three charged forward and attacked the Nightfang standing arrogantly over Vincent’s body. The creature didn’t even have time to notice their arrival.

Thud!

The Nightfang’s body was sent flying backward, crashing into a nearby tree.

"Errrr..." the Nightfang growled as it glared at them.

Vincent immediately seized the opportunity to get back on his feet and retreat to their side.

Swish!

The Nightfang immediately lunged at Xavier, who was standing closest to it. Xavier quickly dodged, but the creature’s sharp claws still managed to leave a scratch on his leg as he moved away.

Seeing its target escape so easily, the Nightfang immediately changed direction and charged at Lucien. Its movements were so fast that it reached him in an instant, swinging its sharp claws straight at the golden wolf’s chest.

Lucien didn’t dodge at all. Instead, he lowered his body and leaped high over the attack.

Thud!

His powerful strike landed squarely on the Nightfang’s shoulder.

Swish!

Lucien’s claws then left a long gash across its body.

Lucien smiled mockingly. "You think you can defeat me with nothing but that pathetic brain and those lousy abilities of yours?" he sneered in wolf language.

Liliana, standing beside him, glared at the creature. She immediately leaped into the air and swung her claws straight at one of the Nightfang’s eyes.

Swish!

"Errr!"

The Nightfang let out a furious growl and staggered after losing its vision in one eye.

Thud!

However, instead of retreating, the creature lunged at Liliana and kicked her body with tremendous force.

"Liliana!" all three of them shouted at once.

In an instant, the Nightfang had pinned Liliana to the ground. It grabbed the silver wolf’s face with one hand while letting out a furious growl.

Swish!

Its sharp claws left several gashes across Liliana’s face.

Thud!

The Nightfang’s body suddenly collapsed when Lucien leaped at it. His sharp claws immediately tore into the creature’s neck, sending it crashing onto its side.

Lucien quickly stepped in front of Liliana, shielding her from the Nightfang, which was now staring at them with a gloomy expression.

"Now!" Lucien commanded as his eyes met Xavier’s.

Thud!

The Nightfang finally collapsed completely after Lucien and Xavier attacked it together. Its gray eyes managed to blink a few more times, staring at Liliana before finally closing for good.

After making sure the creature was truly dead, Liliana turned around. She then walked toward Vincent, who had already transformed into his human form.

Liliana also returned to her human form and immediately reached for Vincent. White energy flowed from her fingertips as she slowly tried to heal the wounds on his body one by one.

Their eyes met for a few moments. In the ensuing silence, neither of them spoke until Vincent finally opened his mouth.

"You’ve saved me again this time, my Luna," Vincent said.

"You’re really weak. How can you nearly die twice in just a few days?" Liliana asked with a worried expression. Her gaze remained fixed on Vincent’s wounds, which showed no signs of healing despite the power she was using.

"Ugh!"

Blood suddenly spilled from Vincent’s mouth. He quickly wiped it away when he noticed the shock in Liliana’s eyes.

"Are you worried about me?" he asked with a smile.

"You’re still trying to tease me? Vincent, it seems you really don’t want to live," Liliana said irritably, although her eyes continued to tremble as she looked at Vincent’s pale face.

"I won’t die that easily. With a Luna like you, I’ll live much longer. Even if I’m on the verge of death, you’ll surely bring me back to life and drag me away from the gates of death."

Liliana snorted without saying anything. Instead, she channeled even more of her power into him, trying to make Vincent’s wounds heal faster.

However, after a while, her forehead began to crease.

More and more of her power flowed out of her body, yet Vincent’s condition showed almost no improvement.