Ch.333Warriors of the Great Battle

As a silent signal passed between the Champions, only Oleg seemed oblivious, continuing to argue for the necessity of reinforcements.

“Yes. That’s why we must prepare immediately and rush to the northern wall…”

“No. That’s not possible.”

The voice was ice cold.

Seemingly shocked by the firm refusal, Oleg’s eyes widened as his fur bristled dramatically.

“…What did you say?”

The gray bear Werebeast, Yevgeniy, stepped forward while shaking his head.

Arseniy and Lavrentiy also moved to block Oleg from both sides, smiling coldly.

It was clearly a movement to surround him.

The thickening hostility made Oleg’s fur tremble.

“What are you doing?!”

“Think about it, Oleg. If that stupid head of yours is capable of thought.”

Lavrentiy mocked him while drawing the greatsword from his waist.

He had never particularly liked Oleg, especially since one of his fangs had been completely knocked out when Oleg had challenged him to establish dominance.

“Once His Majesty and the six Champions disappear, won’t this country be ours? Since it’s impossible for humans to cross the Sky Mountains, we needn’t worry about the aftermath even if His Majesty tragically passes away.”

Arseniy continued, the jaguar Werebeast grinning to reveal his teeth.

Speaking of treason against the king without the slightest hesitation.

Perhaps everyone gathered here shared the same thought, as no one objected to his blasphemous statement.

“You madmen!”

Oleg grabbed his axe.

The other Champions simultaneously drew their weapons as well.

A tension that seemed ready to explode at the slightest touch circled between them.

They were on the verge of a five-against-one bloodbath.

“Stop this, Oleg. You don’t really think you can win against the five of us, do you? Give up your futile resistance and surrender. You have no reason to pledge your life in loyalty to His Majesty anyway.”

Maksim tried to persuade Oleg.

As the rhinoceros Werebeast said, Oleg had no particular reason to be loyal to Rurik. They weren’t even from the same clan originally.

Oleg’s tribe, the Snow Tiger clan, had been completely annihilated except for him alone.

“…Indeed, I have no reason to pledge my life in loyalty.”

Baryachrus was originally a country formed when Rurik subjugated various competing tribes by force.

While many ordinary warriors were captivated by his strength and offered their loyalty, it was natural that some Champions, who had been essentially tribal leaders, still harbored resentment.

Since Rurik’s power had been so overwhelming, they had never shown their hostility until now, but with this golden opportunity, rebellion was perhaps inevitable.

“Yes, so…”

Seeing Oleg appear to be persuaded, the five Champions relaxed slightly.

Though it was five against one, Oleg was a Champion with few equals in Baryachrus except for Rurik himself.

Fighting against him was not a welcome prospect.

“But that doesn’t mean I have reason to betray him!”

With a fierce shout, Oleg lunged at Lavrentiy, swinging his axe.

“You stupid bastard!”

Lavrentiy cursed as he desperately rolled away, and with that, all the Champions rushed at Oleg at once.

Thunderous sounds and roars shook the fortress reception room.

It was a bloody battle between six regenerators who wouldn’t easily die unless their necks were severed. Blood gushed like fountains each time weapons tore through flesh.

It took an hour before the fiercely fighting Oleg was finally subdued.

—-

“Urrrgh…!”

Oleg, collapsed on the floor, let out a weak groan.

His axe was embedded in the wall with a broken handle, and his severed limbs showed no signs of regenerating.

His regenerative powers had lost their strength due to his completely depleted stamina.

“Serves you right, arrogant bastard!”

Lavrentiy kicked Oleg’s head.

He too was covered in blood from head to toe, and his right arm had been completely severed, rolling on the floor.

The other Champions were also in similar states, with parts of their bodies torn or cut off, all breathing heavily. They had all reached the limits of their regenerative abilities.

“I regret it came to this, Oleg. To think someone with your strength would make such a poor judgment and end up rolling on the floor.”

Arseniy, gasping for breath, approached Oleg and held a blade to the tiger’s neck.

He intended to behead him completely to ensure his death.

“Wait. Hold on, Arseniy.”

Maksim stopped him.

Perhaps thanks to the rhinoceros Werebeast’s uniquely tough skin, he appeared the most intact of the five.

“Wait? Are you serious, Maksim? If we don’t eliminate him here, he’ll start regenerating again before long.”

Arseniy laughed dismissively, as if Maksim was talking nonsense.

Though Oleg currently looked like a dying corpse with all his stamina depleted, once he recovered his strength, he could regenerate any wound. They needed to cut off his head while he was incapacitated.

Maksim, who had been sitting on the floor, stood up and approached Arseniy.

“We can just drive silver blades into him and lock him in prison. The Snow Tiger tribe has only this young one left, isn’t it too wasteful to kill him like this…? If we take time to persuade him, we could make him change his mind. By then, Rurik will be dead anyway. If he still insists on remaining loyal to a dead king, we can behead him then. Don’t you agree?”

“Indeed… it would be a waste.”

Kseniya, the lioness who had been watching silently, nodded in agreement.

“Kseniya, you too?”

“Yeah! Why keep this bastard alive! Do you think he’ll be grateful?”

The gray bear Werebeast, Yevgeniy, shook his head in disbelief, while Lavrentiy growled, ready to fight again.

“……”

After a moment’s consideration, Arseniy withdrew his blade from Oleg’s neck.

With two of the five—including Maksim, the strongest Champion among them—opposing, it was too burdensome to ignore their objections.

‘There’s no benefit in causing division among ourselves here. We haven’t completely taken control of Baryachrus yet. So… I should make this concession, considering it as creating a debt. We can deal with Oleg anytime while he’s imprisoned.’

Having made his decision, Arseniy sheathed his sword and stepped back.

“Fine. Just this once, I’ll follow your suggestion, Maksim… However, if he causes any problems, you’ll be responsible. You understand that, right?”

It would be impossible for Oleg to cause problems while imprisoned with his limbs severed, but he needed to make some show of authority.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to convince the grumbling Lavrentiy why they weren’t killing him.

“…I understand.”

Maksim nodded.

And so, Oleg was imprisoned in the depths of the fortress dungeon.

Since the frontline base’s Werebeasts were all loyalists to the five Champions, no one revealed that the messenger Oleg had been detained.

It was the moment when Rurik’s final operation fell apart.

—-

Oleg was confined in the underground prison in the deepest part of the frontline base.

“I wonder if that guy will even wake up? He looks like he could die at any moment…”

Kseniya muttered, swishing her tail as she looked at the imprisoned Oleg.

Oleg’s condition was serious enough to warrant her concern, though it wasn’t really concern.

His appearance was utterly miserable. Blood from wounds that hadn’t healed pooled on the prison floor like a puddle.

Though he was still alive thanks to his unique vitality… it was certain he would perish within a week if left untreated.

Despite such injuries, the Champions had thoroughly restrained Oleg, wary of his potential.

Silver spikes were driven into the stumps of his severed limbs to forcibly prevent regeneration, and a bladed collar was fastened around his bowed neck.

The end of the collar was connected by a thick chain fixed to the prison wall.

If he tried to escape forcibly, the blade of the collar would cut into his neck and sever it.

His torso was also secured with a restraint similar to the collar, making escape impossible.

Unless he could regenerate after being completely dismembered by silver blades.

“……”

Perhaps he had fainted from exhaustion.

The Snow Tiger’s eyes did not open even until the final moment when he was firmly secured to the prison wall.

“This should be enough to keep him immobile even if he wakes up. Satisfied, Lavrentiy?”

Maksim, who had personally restrained Oleg, tried to appease the saber-toothed tiger Werebeast who still showed dissatisfaction as he securely locked the iron door of the prison.

“I’d be completely satisfied if we just removed his head in that state.”

“Have some patience. If persuasion proves impossible, I’ll let you remove it. Can’t you wait just three or four days?”

“Tch…”

Lavrentiy still looked thoroughly dissatisfied but didn’t voice any further complaints.

Even to him, Oleg appeared incapable of movement, and complaining further would only upset Maksim unnecessarily.

The Champions returned to their respective rooms, gorged themselves until their stomachs were full, and fell into deep sleep.

They too had reached their physical limits, with even their regeneration not functioning properly.

The only way to recover their depleted stamina was through sufficient food and rest.

And so, night fell once again on the frontline base.

He smiled.

Because everything was going according to plan.