Chapter 476: 476

Leiko raised a brow. “Oh?”

Lunara’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “We both enjoy the hunt, don’t we? Let’s see who’s better.”

“You hunt?” Leiko asked, intrigued.

Lunara nodded. “I was raised to. Tracking, chasing, taking down prey—it’s in my blood.”

A grin slowly stretched across Leiko’s face. “Now that,” he said, “is interesting.”

Lunara raised a brow. “And you?”

Leiko scoffed lightly, placing a hand on his hip. “Of course. The thrill of the chase, the moment you bring down your target—there’s nothing quite like it.”

Nova, who had been lazily listening, sighed. “Oh no.”

Lunara caught the familiar glint in Leiko’s eyes and smirked. “Sounds like we both enjoy the hunt. Perhaps we should put that to the test.”

Leiko’s grin widened. “Now that is the best thing you’ve said all day.”

Nova groaned. “Of course.”

Leiko crossed his arms, eyes glinting with mischief. “Let’s make it interesting. No mana—just physical strength. A true test of skill.”

Lunara blinked, then let out a laugh. “No mana? You do realize I have a natural advantage.”

Leiko shrugged. “Exactly why it’ll be fun. I like a challenge.”

Lunara’s smile sharpened. “Fine. But don’t complain when you lose.”

Leiko smirked. “I never lose.”

Nova muttered under his breath, “This is going to be a disaster.”

The princess smiled as her body visbly grew bigger in the eyes of Leiko as her head grew out horns, from her back grew out two dragon wings. The wings flapped slowly taking her to the sky.

A bow appeared in her hand, which she drew and shot it up to the sky where snow was falling. In the eyes of the prince, a huge bird can be seen falling from the snowy cloud with an attow stuck deep in it’s chest.

He then heard the princess word in his ear “Game on”

Leiko’s grin widened as he watched the massive bird plummet, its dark silhouette contrasting against the endless white of the icy expanse. The way Lunara moved, the precision of her shot—there was no denying it. She was a hunter through and through.

But he wasn’t about to let her have all the glory.

His muscles tensed, his breath misting in the frigid air as he focused his senses. The howling wind carried the faint sound of shifting snow, the distant thrum of unseen creatures moving beneath the frozen landscape. He could feel the pulse of life in the tundra, hidden but waiting.

Lunara hovered above, her wings keeping her effortlessly aloft. “Don’t tell me you’re already falling behind, Prince,” she called teasingly, her voice carrying through the cold air.

Leiko chuckled, rolling his shoulders. “Just making sure you get your moment before I take over.”

With that, he launched himself forward, his boots digging into the snow as he sprinted across the ice. His keen eyes locked onto movement in the distance—something large, powerful, and fast. A white-furred beast, nearly indistinguishable from the landscape, moved between the ice formations.

A smirk tugged at Leiko’s lips. Perfect.

Without breaking stride, he leapt onto a jagged pillar of ice, using his momentum to propel himself forward. His body twisted mid-air, and as he landed, he drove his hands into the snow. With sheer brute strength, he grasped onto the massive creature beneath him—an ice-furred sabertooth—its muscles tensed under his grip.

The beast let out a deafening snarl, twisting violently in an attempt to shake him off. But Leiko held firm, his fingers digging into its thick fur as he maneuvered his body weight, forcing the beast onto its back. With a sharp pivot, he brought his arm down, snapping the creature’s neck in one fluid motion.

Silence followed, save for the wind and his steady breaths.

Above him, Lunara let out a low whistle. “Not bad, Prince,” she mused, descending gracefully to land a few feet away. She eyed the fallen beast, then back at him. “But I hope you don’t think this means you’ve won.”

Leiko smirked. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Without another word, Lunara took off again, her wings slicing through the air. She flew low this time, her sharp gaze scanning the frozen wasteland for her next target.

Leiko wasted no time either. He took off running again, weaving through the icy terrain, his heartbeat syncing with the rhythm of the hunt.

The air crackled with anticipation, the silent challenge hanging heavy between them. Lunara, with her aerial advantage, spotted a herd of massive, shaggy-coated mammoths lumbering through a distant valley. Their thick hides and powerful tusks made them formidable prey, a true test of skill.

“There,” she called down to Leiko, her voice echoing across the frozen expanse. “A worthy challenge.”

She drew another arrow, this time tipped with a shimmering, blue-tinged metal. The arrow glowed faintly, a stark contrast to the white surroundings. With a precise aim, she released the arrow, its flight a streak of light against the overcast sky. The arrow struck one of the mammoths, not in the vital organs, but in the thick hide of its flank. The beast roared, a deep, earth-shaking sound, and the herd began to stampede, their massive forms crashing through the ice and snow.

Leiko, seeing the chaos unfold, grinned. “You like to make things interesting, don’t you?”

He knew he couldn’t match her aerial speed, but he could use the terrain to his advantage. He spotted a narrow crevice, a deep fissure in the ice that would funnel the stampeding herd. He sprinted towards it, his boots finding purchase on the slick, uneven surface.

As the mammoths thundered closer, Leiko positioned himself at the narrowest point of the crevice. He drew his own weapon, the Oachis sword changed into a massive, two-handed axe, its edge gleaming with a frost-like patina. The axe felt heavy in his hands, a tool of pure, brutal force.

The first mammoth reached the crevice, its eyes wild with panic. Leiko braced himself, his muscles tensed, and swung the axe in a wide, sweeping arc. The axe bit deep into the mammoth’s leg, the force of the blow sending the beast stumbling. It crashed into the ice wall, creating a bottleneck.

The rest of the herd, trapped by the narrow passage and the fallen mammoth, began to panic. They pressed forward, their massive forms creating a chaotic pile-up. Leiko, using the ice walls for leverage, began to climb onto the backs of the struggling beasts. He moved with surprising agility, his axe flashing as he aimed for the joints and weak points of the trapped mammoths.

Lunara, watching from above, was impressed. Leiko’s raw strength and tactical thinking were a formidable combination. She shifted her attention to the lead mammoth, the one she had initially wounded. It was still enraged, its tusks tearing at the ice and snow. She drew another arrow, this time a larger, heavier one, its tip glowing with a fiery red.

She aimed for the mammoth’s eye, the only vulnerable spot on its massive head. The arrow flew, leaving a trail of fiery light, and struck its target. The mammoth roared in pain, its massive body shaking violently. It began to thrash, its tusks ripping through the ice, threatening to collapse the entire crevice.

“Careful, Prince!” Lunara called out, her voice laced with concern.

Leiko, still atop the struggling mammoths, felt the ice beneath him begin to crack. He knew he had to act quickly. He leapt from the back of the nearest mammoth, landing on the ice with a thunderous thud. He raised his axe, preparing to deliver a final, decisive blow.

The ice groaned and splintered, the deafening roars of the trapped mammoths mixing with the crunch of collapsing ice. Leiko, his boots slipping on the fractured surface, knew he had to act fast. The lead mammoth, blinded and enraged, was thrashing wildly, its tusks tearing through the weakening ice walls.

He braced himself, planting his feet firmly on a relatively stable patch of ice. With a surge of adrenaline, he swung his axe, aiming for the base of the lead mammoth’s tusk. The impact reverberated through his arms, the axe biting deep into the thick bone. The mammoth bellowed, its thrashing intensifying, and the ice beneath it began to give way.

The lead mammoth, its tusk now partially severed, stumbled, its massive weight shifting the balance of the already unstable ice. The crevice began to buckle, a network of cracks spreading across the surface. Leiko, realizing the danger, abandoned his axe, leaping onto the back of the nearest mammoth, which was struggling to climb out of the collapsing fissure.

“Come on!” he shouted, urging the beast forward.

The mammoth, sensing the urgency, surged forward, its powerful legs straining against the crumbling ice. It managed to gain purchase, its front legs scrambling onto a relatively stable section of the ice wall. Leiko, clinging to its back, felt the ground beneath him shift and crack.

Lunara, seeing the precarious situation, swooped down, her wings creating a powerful gust of wind that helped propel the mammoth forward. The combined effort allowed the beast to pull itself free, its massive form crashing onto the solid ice.

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