144: Fighting Wolves

"Still doing this stuff? What creature's up this time?" Toriko pouted, a hint of disdain in his tone. Although the Gourmet Coliseum was a place to measure the combat power and capture rank of fierce beasts, in Toriko's eyes, it was more like a place of entertainment for the powerful—he had fought fierce beasts here before, honing his skills, and was more than familiar with it.

"It's a Fighting Wolf," Director Mansam replied calmly.

"What?" Toriko's eyes widened instantly, unable to hide his surprise. "They're even bringing out creatures like that? That's definitely worth seeing... a legendary powerful species."

Although not a native of this world, Toriko knew about the Fighting Wolf clan, to which Wolf King Guinness, one of the eight kings of the Gourmet World, belonged. These were creatures that should only exist in the Gourmet World, yet the IGO actually had the audacity to place one in the Beast Fighting Arena.

Tina, standing nearby, watched with shining eyes, then clutched her head and lamented, "My camera—"

Lin Luo smiled and gently comforted her, "Being able to experience this firsthand is already luckier than most people."

"But I'd rather capture it on camera!" Tina still looked unwilling.

Lin Luo could only shake his head helplessly at this. This was a crucial research facility of the IGO, not open to the public; and the audience in the Beast Fighting Arena were all wealthy and powerful, so it was even less likely for images to easily leak out.

Komatsu hadn't fully recovered from the earlier scare. Although he couldn't deeply understand Tina's regret, he still managed to cheer up and encourage her, "Since the Director said it would be wonderful, why not just enjoy it with an expectant heart?"

Inside the Gourmet Coliseum, the crowd was boisterous, and every seat was taken. The clamor surged like waves. Although they didn't recognize every face in the audience, Komatsu and Toriko knew that most of these people were high-ranking figures from various countries.

"I saved the VIP seats, just waiting for you all!" Director Mansam laughed heartily as he led the way. The VIP seats were located at the edge of the arena, offering an excellent view, and were not accessible to just anyone with money, but a privilege reserved for the Director.

The Beast Fighting Arena was a giant circle, with its center covered by thick, high-strength glass to prevent the beasts from escaping. At this moment, a Trojan King Kong and a Galala Giant Crocodile were fiercely battling inside.

"It's already started!" Toriko looked at the arena.

"Toriko, who do you think will win?" Director Mansam asked, then looked at Lin Luo. "Lin Luo, what's your take?"

Toriko analyzed, "The Trojan King Kong's capture rank is slightly higher than the Galala Giant Crocodile's, and its strength is also greater. But it was already injured in the last match, so its stamina might be low... I think the Galala Giant Crocodile will win."

Lin Luo, however, shook his head and offered a different opinion, "I think the Trojan King Kong will win."

"Haha, interesting!" Toriko laughed. "Lin Luo, if you lose, you have to buy me a drink. If I lose, I'll buy you one, how about it?"

"No problem," Lin Luo readily agreed.

"Haha, it's more exciting when opinions differ!" Director Mansam said enthusiastically. "Then let's see the final result!"

Roar—

In the arena, the Trojan King Kong let out a roar and pounced fiercely at the Galala Giant Crocodile. But as Toriko said, its stamina was clearly low, its movements slow, and it exposed many weaknesses. The Galala Giant Crocodile seized the opportunity, opened its huge mouth, and its sharp teeth bit hard into the Trojan King Kong's body.

Blood splattered.

"Ugh—!" The Trojan King Kong let out a tragic howl.

"The Trojan King Kong is going to be killed!" Komatsu exclaimed.

"Lin Luo, looks like you're going to lose!" Toriko chuckled.

Almost everyone thought the outcome was decided.

However, at this moment, the Trojan King Kong suddenly erupted, clenching its fists and smashing them down with all its might onto the Galala Giant Crocodile's head—

Boom!

The Galala Giant Crocodile's head caved in, and it fainted on the spot.

The reversal came too suddenly; many people didn't even react.

"The Galala Giant Crocodile was... knocked out by the Trojan King Kong?" Tina murmured in disbelief. "The Trojan King Kong won!"

"You got it, Lin Luo, you actually guessed it right!" Toriko patted his shoulder. "By the way, how did you know?"

Lin Luo smiled, "The Trojan King Kong was indeed low on stamina, and prolonged battle would have led to its defeat. But it's very intelligent; that punch just now precisely targeted the Galala Giant Crocodile's head, putting all its strength into one decisive blow."

"Well said!" Director Mansam laughed heartily, a hint of admiration in his gaze towards Lin Luo. "This also shows that the capture ranks we announce are generally accurate!"

"Director, when will the Fighting Wolf appear?" Toriko was already impatient.

"Hmm? Did you just praise me for being handsome?" The Director looked at Toriko with a serious expression.

Everyone present was speechless for a moment.

"Hahaha..." Director Mansam rubbed his bald head and burst into laughter, then said, "Soon, it's next!"

Rumble—

Beast Fighting Arena Gate 1 slowly opened, and the surrounding audience seats instantly erupted.

"The Fighting Wolf is about to appear."

Director Mansam sat up straight. He knew the order of appearance well—the Fighting Wolf's battles were often short, but absolutely stunning.

Lin Luo and the others also perked up; they had been waiting for this moment since earlier.

Gate 1: Elephant Dragon with a capture rank of 17.

Gate 2: Tiger-Striped Walrus with a capture rank of 13, known as the amphibious devil.

Gate 3: Silverback Trojan King Kong with a capture rank of 10.

Gate 4: Monstrous Bird Gerald with a capture rank of 15, hailed as the God of Death in the sky.

Four fierce beasts appeared one after another in the Beast Fighting Arena, eyeing each other aggressively, Killing Intent permeating the air.

"Oh? Four at once, that's quite a show," Toriko said, a little surprised.

"It's not over yet," Director Mansam added with a smile. "The audience here today are all here for the 'stars' in Gate 5 and Gate 6."

"The Fighting Wolf, and the Demon Great Serpent—these are today's main attractions."

Excitement flashed in Toriko's eyes: "Legends say that in ancient times, two creatures competed for the strongest throne... I really want to challenge them. I never thought I'd get to see the extinct Fighting Wolf; this trip was worth it."

Director Mansam laughed heartily at this: "Toriko, you have indeed grown a lot, but to defeat a Fighting Wolf... the chances are not great."

Lin Luo was also full of interest. This was his first time seeing a Fighting Wolf—that solitary, strongest wolf, one of the creatures at the top of the Gourmet World's food chain.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Gate 5 slowly opened.

A giant white wolf stepped out slowly with steady strides.

Just the sound of its claws landing made the other fierce beasts in the arena tremble.

The Fighting Wolf exuded an innate king's Aura.

With its appearance, the atmosphere in the entire venue instantly ignited, and cheers surged like thunder. Everyone came here today just to witness with their own eyes—

The strongest wolf of ancient times, the Fighting Wolf.

Lin Luo unconsciously clenched his fists. Its mere appearance was enough to be awe-inspiring. It truly lived up to its name as the legendary Fighting Wolf—even if it wasn't Wolf King Guinness himself, the kingly Aura inherited through its Bloodline still possessed an overwhelming presence.

He recalled the ancient legend: when the "Death End" descended upon the world—a super-giant herbivore 50 meters long and weighing thousands of tons, with an appetite like the Bottomless Abyss, devouring continental forests in hordes, causing the land to wither and creatures to go extinct, like a countdown to the end for all things. However, when they set foot on the world's largest continent, they were completely wiped out without even devouring a single blade of grass. What ended them was a young wolf that dominated that continent at the time—the Fighting Wolf.

The Fighting Wolf before him vaguely made one feel the might of such a legendary creature.

"This is a Fighting Wolf cloned after its DNA was accidentally extracted," Director Mansam's voice rang out beside them. "It's 18 meters long, 8 meters tall, and weighs 11 tons... In known records, it should be considered the largest Fighting Wolf in terms of size."

In the arena, the originally ferocious beasts, at the moment the Fighting Wolf appeared, were all so intimidated by its invisible Aura that they couldn't move.

"Rin, send more 'fragrance' over," Director Mansam ordered into the intercom.

The Fighting Wolf's presence was too powerful; as a fierce beast at the top of the food chain, it had a natural, terrifying suppressive effect on other creatures.

In the beast control room, cages lined the walls. A short-haired woman held the intercom, complaining irritably, "So noisy, bald Director! Do it yourself! Honestly, do you even understand how hard it is over here?"

Although she said that, her hands were already operating—battle perfume was released. This essence, extracted from the Battle Flowers blooming on Battle Island, could send fierce beasts into a highly excited state.

As the fragrance permeated, the beasts that had been intimidated by the Fighting Wolf seemed to receive a stimulant. They all became furious, tearing and biting at the unmoving Fighting Wolf.

The Fighting Wolf, however, did not retaliate, merely silently enduring the attacks of the four frenzied beasts.

"Strange... the reaction is different from last time," Director Mansam murmured, the Fighting Wolf's behavior exceeding his expectations.

"This Fighting Wolf is pregnant," Lin Luo's gaze sharpened. His Divine Sense easily penetrated the thick protective glass, clearly perceiving the nearly mature life force within the Fighting Wolf's abdomen.

"Toriko..." Lin Luo turned his head and called.

Toriko, who had long been eager to act, responded to the call and leaped, landing on top of the glass enclosure. A Nail Punch crashed down—

Bang!

The glass shattered with a crash, and Toriko landed steadily in the center of the Beast Fighting Arena.

"Toriko, you idiot!" Director Mansam couldn't help but exclaim.

"Two-Hit Nail Punch!"

Toriko slammed a punch into the Tiger-Striped Walrus's body.

"Gaaah—!"

The walrus howled tragically as it was sent flying.

The audience seats were silent for a moment, then erupted into even more enthusiastic cheers. These wealthy and powerful individuals were not angered by the interruption; instead, they became more excited—they clearly recognized Toriko's identity. On the betting screen above, Toriko's name suddenly appeared.

"It's Toriko!"

"Toriko, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, has appeared!"

The cheers rose in waves.

Toriko rubbed his fist and grinned, "It's been a long time since I've been to the Beast Fighting Arena."

He turned his gaze to the unmoving Fighting Wolf and greeted it with a smile, "Hello there, ancient king."

The Fighting Wolf bared its sharp teeth, letting out a low, menacing growl from its throat.

At this moment, the Tiger-Striped Walrus that had been blasted away struggled to get up, its eyes gleaming fiercely, letting out an angry roar at Toriko.

Toriko glanced back at it, his expression darkening: "I clearly let you go... are you still ungrateful?"

Boom—!

The next moment, terrifying Aura erupted from him, a crimson phantom vaguely appearing behind him, its presence as immense as a mountain.

The Tiger-Striped Walrus, Silverback Trojan King Kong, Monstrous Bird Gerald, and Elephant Dragon were instantly terrified, fleeing in panic. Even Lin Luo in the audience seats, upon feeling that terrifying Aura, couldn't help but get goosebumps.

However, the Fighting Wolf, directly facing this pressure, showed no fear in its eyes.

Toriko's nose twitched slightly, then he nodded: "Lin Luo was right... the Fighting Wolf is pregnant, and close to labor. I can smell the amniotic fluid in the air."

Rumble.

Just then, the Fighting Wolf slowly lay down on the ground.

Its eyes actually showed a look of almost maternal affection—an expression only a life about to become a mother would possess.

Toriko gazed at it, saying solemnly, "I sincerely wish you well. Those fierce beasts... leave them to me."