The Boy of the Vulture Tribe

Fenris is an extremely deep rift valley nestled in the mountains of the continent of Asaheim, known locally as Firestone Valley.

Even during the best of years, sunlight only shines on Firestone Valley for about an hour each day.

At the other end of the valley are massive, blackened rock peaks, guarded by stone mounds and watchtowers.

Psyker and Mutant ostracized by many tribes fled to Fenris, forming a tribe of over a thousand people.

On the stone watchtower, the Warrior of the Vulture tribe heard a roar in the sky and looked up.

They watched in horror as the metallic monster in the sky flew closer and closer.

Whoosh whoosh!

The Vulture tribe Warrior manipulated stone crossbows, firing arrows at the metal monster.

Ding ding ding!

The arrow struck the Gunship, was deflected, and fell limply to the ground.

The gunner chuckled and consulted his Primarch's Attendants over the Communicator.

"Please give instructions: Should the Fenris tribe be destroyed?"

"No! They pose no threat; we don't need to pay them any attention."

As Nimrod's representative, Arsena considered things more carefully. Although the Vulture Tribe was ostracized by the Fenris tribes, he did not want to cause a major disturbance.

Upon receiving the message, the Psyker, clad in animal skins and wielding Bone Staff, roared as they charged out towards the descending metal monster within Firestone Valley.

"Attack!"

The chieftain of the Vulture tribe, wearing a wolf-head mask, shouted loudly in the Vogen.

Lightning rips through the sky, flames illuminate the rift valley...

As Arsena stepped off the deck, he faced a chaotic attack from the Vulture tribe.

He showed no fear, Force Staff high in his left hand.

The Brainy Cat's eyes turned blue, and a flash of light appeared.

The silver-haired Psyker immediately felt a difference from before, with Aether Tide surging around him.

He flicked his staff forward, and flames erupted from the ground, forming a towering Fire Wall that protected the three Gunship.

The towering wall of flames, several meters high, roared and burned fiercely, making the attacks of the Vulture Tribe's Psyker seem like mere Mars in comparison.

Boom boom boom!

The explosion echoed through the valley, and all Psionic Energy attacks were blocked by the "Flame Shield".

Arsena extended his right hand and pushed forward, unleashing a surge of Telekinesis that transformed into countless large hands that gripped the throats of the Firestone Tribe Psyker.

He lifted them upwards again, raising Psyker into the air.

[The Brainy Cat has greatly enhanced my Psionic Energy; this is not my limit yet.]

The Shadow of Order were amazed to see the Primarch's Attendants subdue Psyker all by himself.

[There was indeed a reason why Arsena Dunn was chosen as the Primarch's Attendants by the Primarch.]

"Select the Vulture boys and bring the qualified ones back."

"Yes."

Three Shadow of Order, accompanied by twenty-three attendants, charged into the valley.

A Mutant, running on all fours like a wolf, with a short leg growing out of the outside of each of his thighs at the knees, charged toward the black-armored Warrior with a wolf-like howl.

The Shadow of Order raised his gun and fired at the Mutant.

The explosive bomb pierced the yellow eyeball, and the Mutant was blown to smithereens.

The servants strode into the makeshift house made of whale bones, dragged out boys under the age of ten, and plunged crystal probes into their necks.

The crystal probe shimmered with varying degrees of brightness.

One of the boys, with his full head of blond hair and bright blue eyes, Psyker Probe around his neck that flashed with a dazzling light, attracting everyone's attention.

Members of the Ninth Chapter Honor Guard up to the boy.

He picked up the boy and infused his Psionic Energy into him.

The boy's long golden hair fluttered in the wind, and his abundant Psionic Energy power lifted his body, causing him to float.

The Shadow of Order withdrew its hand and nodded slightly.

"He's a promising talent."

The blond, blue-eyed boy and the other Fenrisian of Vulture who passed the test, were brought back to the Shadow of the Throne.

Arsena then immediately went to the Tomb of the Ancient Kings.

When the Primarch's Attendants began studying the Fenris runes engraved in the tomb, Amagrimgor Peak, the northernmost peak of Asaheim, was at the foot of the mountain.

Jorin, his face crisscrossed with scars, trudged through the wind and snow, relying on scratch marks to identify the traces left by the Thunderwolf.

Hunting in Fenris during the long winter is not easy.

After a short while, the traces of living things are covered by wind and snow.

Only experienced hunters can rely on their expertise to pinpoint where even the slightest trace might remain.

Feces mixed with undigested bone fragments, dense clumps of foul-smelling hair...

Jorin was the most experienced hunter; only the Wolf King surpassed him in this regard.

Jorin has found two Thunderwolf, but they are only about three meters long, which is not enough for him to win.

I must capture a four-meter-long Thunderwolf to ensure my victory.

Hopefully, this end will exceed four meters.

Jorin trudged through the thick snow, his knees sinking deep into it, kicking up clouds of snow with each step.

His dark, cloudy eyes suddenly sharpened, like the fierce gaze of a hunter seeing his prey.

[With a body length of nearly four and a half meters, I've got this in the bag!]

Jorin found his target and began to subdue the Thunderwolf, Sanchez, smelling the strange odor in the air, strode forward through the snow.

Compared to Jorin, the "hunter" had it much easier; he had already found three Thunderwolf over four meters long and figured out the pattern of their lingering scent.

The sour, foul odor secreted by the anal glands of the Thunderwolf is distinctly different from that of other creatures, and the larger the Thunderwolf, the stronger the odor.

The scent has a half-life of about 72 hours, so the one that leaves the strongest scent is definitely the largest Thunderwolf.

The higher you go along the mountain road, the fiercer the biting wind of Fenris becomes.

A fierce wind, carrying condensed ice crystals, lashed against the Reaper Lord.

Even with his superhuman physique, Sanchez felt heavy as he trudged along the icy road.

As he climbed halfway up the mountain, a deep, dark cave came into view.

[The stench is overwhelming; there's more than one Thunderwolf.]

Thunderwolf's Lair?

While you're at it, catch a few Thunderwolf for the brothers.

Thinking of this, the Reaper Lord conveyed his thoughts to his Brainy Cat through a telepathic link.

Like Sanchez, the Brainy Cat walked with the gait of a hunter to the rift, its dark eyes fixed on the deep, dark Wolf's Den.

Sanchez stepped into the cave alone, and his gaze was immediately drawn to a huge Thunderwolf.

[Measuring approximately six meters in length, it is likely the largest Thunderwolf ever recorded.]

The seven adult Thunderwolf simultaneously looked at the "hunter" who had intruded into their territory. The wolf cubs lying on the ground stared fiercely at Sanchez with their wide yellow eyes.

Fenrisian Wolf are the Overlord of Asaheim, and no hunter dares to venture into their dens.

The wolves all howled at the same time, and the howl echoed throughout the entire cave.

The Reaper Lord did not draw his sword. Instead, he charged forward towards the pack of wolves, swinging his massive fist and striking a Thunderwolf in the belly.

The gray-furred Thunderwolf was blasted away by a punch, crashing heavily into the stone wall.

After being promoted to "Provoker," Sanchez showed slight improvements in strength, reaction time, speed, and agility.

He weaved through the pack of Thunderwolf, deftly dodging their attacks and sending them flying with each punch.

Thunderwolf charged at the "Provoker" time and time again, only to be knocked away and crash into the icy stone wall.

After dozens of attempts, finally one of the Thunderwolf, whose eyelids had been cleaved open by the Fenrisian, turned and ran out of the cave.

As soon as it reached the cave entrance, a picture suddenly flashed in its mind: the Fenrisian leaped out from behind the rocks and slashed its face with a knife.

Three days later, outside the Wolf King's council chamber.

Leman Russ watched as Jorin rode a four-and-a-half-meter-long Thunderwolf into the camp, nodding in satisfaction.

The Fenrisian roared with excitement as they gathered around Jorin, praising him loudly.

"Jorin, the great hunter!"

"Jorin, warrior who has subdued the Thunderwolf!"

"..."

Amidst the praises of the crowd, the Wolf King suddenly frowned and looked towards the camp entrance.

He saw Nimrod's offspring, Sanchez, riding on the back of a six-meter-long Thunderwolf.

It was accompanied by six Thunderwolf, two of which were even over five meters long.

Jorin, riding on the back of the Thunderwolf, noticed Leman Russ's expression. He followed the gaze and was immediately startled.

Jorin gave a wry smile, his weathered face becoming even more pronounced.

"I lost."

The Fenrisian turned their heads and looked at the approaching giant wolf with incredulous expressions.

The Wolf King suddenly burst into laughter, "Sanchez, you are an excellent hunter, but there are still two rounds left, Fenris's hunter will surely win."

As Leman Russ spoke, he strode into the crowd and patted Jorin on the shoulder, who was jumping on the ground and had a pale face.

"Old buddy, I believe you'll win. Cheer up."