Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"Is that what a Savage Beast is?" she wondered. 

Among the books that were left to her, there was one detailing the creatures of the Savage Lands. It was a small book compared to the others but it still had plenty of good information on it. Among what was written were the classifications used. 

"It doesn't need to transform because it has already reached a stage of permanent transformation. It is a beast that has managed to evolve to the point where it has reached its apex of power, the height of its potential. It is beyond powerful, requiring at least a thirty Seekers to kill."

Knowing this, she looked at it.

"If the wolves are ordinary beasts, then that one must be a Savage Beast", she thought. 

This massive wolf howled out into the sky once more as if to warn whoever had been killing its minions. 

But Ming Yue wasn't scared, she wasn't afraid in the slightest. Unsheathing Blood Moon, she brandished it while watching the wolf glare at its minions. Wind Needles formed as she pointed her fingers at the smaller wolves. 

She slowed her breath and focused, firing off and showering the wolf packs with the needles. The needles could not be detected and most pierced their bodies, tearing through their flesh and eviscerating their organs. Each and every one of them howled in agony and died as blood flowed through the dozens of holes in their bodies. 

The leader of the wolves saw it all happen but wasn't fazed by it. Rather, it seemed even angrier, and instead of howling, it released a thundering roar at the skies. 

Ming Yue winced at the sound, clutching her head and closing her eyes. Her calm breath turned quick and messy. Her heart thumped wildly as her mind went back to the fight with the True Idol. Scenes of it roaring at the skies seemed to flash in her mind as the sound of its roar echoed in her mind, compounding with the three-headed wolf's echo. 

Unable to conceal herself, the wolf took notice and sniffed the air before looking in her direction. 

In fact, it was looking right at her. 

It began to snarl and growl, approaching the young girl. Hearing it come closer, she forced her eyes open and jumped down before backing away, running and hiding into the trees. And the wolf gave chase, running after her, snarling as drool dribbled through its fangs.

"Damn it, what's wrong with me?" she thought to herself, "I can't let this keep happening!" 

Ming Yue looked back at the wolf chasing her nimbly. Despite the number of trees and other obstacles, it avoided them deftly, not even crashing through a single tree. It wasn't slowing down at all but getting quicker and quicker. 

The distance between them shortened with each passing moment. 

Shaking herself back from this confused state, Ming Yue changed directions, trying to widen the gap but failed as the wolf seemed to latch onto her scent. Her mind moved as quickly as possible, trying to think of the next best options she had. 

She formed the Zephyr Claws on one hand before lengthening them so that each one was as long as a dagger. 

"These claws wouldn't be a match for that monster if I kept the as it is. If my reach is longer, I could contend with it." 

At the same time, her armor shifted to its second form as she started to burn through her energy. Her speed doubled in the next moment and her figure vanished from the wolf's sight. It suddenly stopped and sniffed the air but it was in vain. 

She revealed herself in the air, right above the beast, and stabbed one of its heads. Blood Moon pierced its skull through to the bottom of its jaw. She then swung up, cutting the head from its neck to its teeth and then slicing both pieces off, leaving only a stump. 

Without any noise, she hopped off and jumped into the shadows of the trees. 

Following that, the remaining wolf heads howled in pain as it searched its surroundings. Looking for the one that did such a thing to it. 

In its rage, it lashed out, biting at the trees and ripping them out of the ground. Some just snapped in half, thick tree trunks that seemed to be nothing but branches to the wolf. Its claws made the appearance, digging into the ground and the trees. 

The once beautiful forests were destroyed, torn apart like meat. 

Ming Yue reappeared once more, coming from the side only for the wolf to see her and swing out. But she responded quickly, diving under and thrusting the Zephyr Claws into its paw and through the leg. And since it was longer, the claws cut deep into the flesh, nearing the bone even. 

Diving under, she slid through its legs, going back into the trees before jumping out and landing on its back. 

Swinging her sword, she stabbed into the neck of the other head. But before she could do more, the wolf shook her off before turning to bite her. 

"Don't even!"

The Dusk Lily Pin activated forming a barrier around her that didn't crack under the wolf's bite. Rather, the size of the barrier had forced the jaw open, now she was stuck and the wolf could not spit her out. It couldn't even widen its jaws anymore than it already did. And now, it could not do a thing to her. 

But she could do plenty. 

"Waning Moon."

She swung her sword, making a vertical cut that released a crescent blade carrying a faint crimson glow. It flew out of the barrier and into the wolf's throat, cutting the head in half along with a sixth of its body as the attack started from the head and carved through its back.

The barrier deactivated as she escaped its jaws and stood before it. 

The wolf only had one head left but it could do nothing. Too much blood had been lost and any control of its body was gone now. It fell to the ground, trembling as the last head tried its best to move. And while it laid there, it glared at Ming Yue, snarling at her even. 

Despite the state it was in, the wolf was still unwilling to die like this. 

"An apex predator at its full potential... Was that it?" she muttered to herself. 

It was certainly powerful but not as strong as some of the things she had faced before. 

"Whatever the case, you'll serve as a warning to the other beasts." 

Holding her sword up, she made quick work of the last head, cutting it off cleanly. All of it then went into her Spatial Ring before she made her way further into the forest until she reached a border of some sort. 

There was no clear sign of it, only a few things that separated the meadows from the Savage Lands. 

"Here we go."

Thinking to herself, she took out the intact wolf head and planted it on the ground, facing the Savage Lands. She looked at it before taking out the other two heads and pilling them together. Although they weren't intact, having all three of them together seemed to make a better warning than just the one. 

She then looked at the Savage Lands, her eyes lingering on its sight. 

There was a certain musk that mixed with the scent of blood. And the plant life here seemed much wilder, dense with tall grass and massive trees, a jungle of sorts. The air was heavy and thick but it was also rich in Quintessence Energy, something she didn't expect.

But this was not the time to explore. 

She turned to back leave only to stop as she heard roars echoing through the air. 

"It looks like they got the warning."