Ch.4242. Preliminary Skirmish (4)

The patrol’s pace was slower than usual. It was partly due to the Grand Duke’s orders, but also because there were unusually many monsters on the patrol route today. George easily dispatched the attacking monsters with his morningstar, but he couldn’t shake the growing sense of unease.

“There’s a damn lot of them.”

George muttered while shaking bits of flesh from the spikes of his morningstar. At his feet lay the messy remains of monsters that had charged at him like moths to a flame.

“This is strange. We haven’t seen this many monsters recently, and their numbers are excessive even compared to when we were actively exterminating them on patrol routes.”

George nodded and mounted his horse.

“The chill in the air is also concerning. We can’t rule out the possibility that the boundary line is moving south much faster than expected. The original prediction was that the forest monsters would be gathering behind the boundary line.”

After a moment’s thought, Rizo, the knight of Evernode leading the 3rd Patrol Squad, spoke.

“I think we should increase our speed and quickly gather at the ‘Northern Eye.’ There’s no point in us deliberating here and wasting time, and I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I agree. I have a bad feeling too.”

The premonitions of battle-hardened knights were not to be ignored. Their experiences accumulated in their subconscious like statistical data, serving as a kind of warning system in similar situations. George moved alongside Rizo and heightened his senses.

“…George.”

“Yes. I just sensed it too.”

Rizo drew his sword. George simultaneously lowered the shield from his back and drew his morningstar from his waist. The patrol squad following them also raised their weapons and began scanning their surroundings.

“I hope we didn’t detect them too late.”

“No. They might have been waiting for us to detect them from the beginning.”

Wolves were gathering over rocks and around trees. Even for white wolves that lived in packs, this large of a gathering was unusual. Rizo and George noticed that the wolves’ demeanor was noticeably different from normal. They moved with a systematic formation like a human army, rather than with the minimal control typical of beasts.

“…what’s going on with these damn wolves.”

As George muttered, the pack parted. Beyond the path cleared by the white wolves appeared a single white wolf, at least half again as large as the others, with a noble presence. The large white wolf looked at the wary humans and barked scornfully, “Kang!”

“The leader was right. He said that when humans enter the forest in large numbers, it would be the perfect opportunity.”

It’s strong.

Rizo looked at the creature with its grinning maw and gave a hand signal to the soldier behind him. The soldier nodded with a trembling head, then pulled out a flare from the bag at his waist.

George quietly built up his fighting spirit. The monster wasn’t so strong that he couldn’t face it alone. However, he worried whether he could withstand the onslaught of so many wolves while he dealt with this creature. If so, he would need to kill the leader before the white wolves could kill the soldiers.

“Fire!”

Rizo’s sharp cry came from behind, and the sound of the flare shooting into the sky followed. Taking that as his signal, George raised his shield and charged toward the alpha white wolf with a heavy battle cry.

==

Quenore Strope faced the approaching shadows. He had been riding his horse frantically following three flares shot simultaneously. Dozens, hundreds of minions. And two presences that disturbed his senses. Quenore sighed deeply, looked back, and commanded.

“We’ll break through quickly. If we waste more time here, I don’t know what will happen to Patrol Squads 3, 4, and 5.”

The knights nodded, and Ris approached to stand by the Grand Duke’s side. The hero should be fine. They had approached near the 2nd Patrol Zone, but there was still no sign of the hero. Most likely, she had already reached the Northern Eye. Or perhaps she was blocked like they were.

“They’re coming.”

Ris said quietly. Shadows were approaching through the moss-covered trees. The Grand Duke calmly composed himself.

“They warned us to beware of the black-haired human.”

A talking monster. A large white wolf appeared from between the trees. He could easily handle one of this level. But,

“The leader was right.”

The half-human, half-beast that appeared behind it was not something even Grand Duke Quenore could ignore. The werewolf called “leader” raised its claws and glared at Grand Duke Quenore. This one might tie him down for quite a while. Quenore gritted his teeth and stared back at the werewolf.

“I am ‘Gut,’ commander of the giant’s legion.”

The werewolf spoke in a voice so low it was barely audible.

“Don’t think you’ll escape this forest alive today.”

The number of white wolves appearing behind the werewolf was steadily increasing. Ris let out a hissing sound from behind Grand Duke Quenore and raised his blade.

“I will take your head, the leader of humans, and present it to Him.”

“We don’t have time.”

Quenore’s voice was low. Slowly, his presence began to dominate the surroundings. The presence exuded by hundreds of wolves and the giant’s commander gradually began to be pushed back by Quenore Strope’s singular presence. Gut distorted his muzzle and made a wary sound.

“Attack all at once.”

Simultaneously, aura erupted from Grand Duke Quenore’s sword. With just its activation, the ground shook and space itself rippled.

“Form up behind me. We’ll annihilate them.”

“Yes, sir!!”

The wolves rushed forward like a tidal wave, and the Grand Duke’s sword cut through the air. Wolves within the aura’s range were swept away like fallen leaves.

“That won’t work.”

The werewolf dropped down in front of the Grand Duke with raised claws. The Grand Duke grimaced when he saw his sword’s advance blocked. As expected, this wouldn’t be a quick fight. If the hero had faced an opponent this strong, she didn’t yet have the skill to defeat it.

“The strongest one is mine!!”

The werewolf opened its jaws wide and growled. Grand Duke Quenore gritted his teeth and swung his sword again.

==

BOOM-!!

Marianne twisted her spear forcefully to shake off the clinging wolf. The white wolf leader couldn’t hold on and was pushed back by the spear shaft, landing on the ground. Feeling the vibration through the Holy Spear’s shaft, Marianne steadied her stance. As she had sensed from its ability to speak, the white wolf leader she faced was strong. Even with her full strength, she couldn’t predict victory at this point.

“Lady Marianne… in the sky.”

With her already heightened hearing, she already knew. Almost simultaneously with the 4th Patrol Squad, the 3rd and 5th Patrol Squads had also fired support request flares. Support might not come for a while. There was no guarantee that the 1st and 2nd Patrol Squads weren’t also engaged in battle.

“Hold on.”

Marianne said briefly and continued to face the white wolf leader.

“By now, your comrades must have met our pack. Did you like our gift?”

Marianne didn’t answer and launched herself forward. The Holy Spear’s tip curved sharply like a snake’s head. The white wolf leader dodged the spear tip with agility that belied its size. Marianne didn’t pursue the wolf with the spear tip. As the wolf’s jaws opened wide, she rotated the spear once and tried to stab the wolf’s neck with the butt of the spear.

KANG-!!

The wolf closed its jaws and bit down on the spear butt. Marianne didn’t forcibly resist the pull on the spear but flew through the air while firmly gripping the shaft. Being completely relaxed, she wasn’t hurt when she hit a tree trunk.

Marianne glanced at the patrol members fighting the white wolves. Normally, they could easily defeat a pack of white wolves, but now there were too many.

“Baranani.”

Marianne’s holy magic flowed through the Holy Spear. Golden wind swirled around her. The white wolf leader growled uncomfortably. Its fur stood on end, its teeth were bared, and its claws were raised.

“That power…”

The aura surrounding the spear. Marianne checked on the patrol members again. To prevent further casualties, she needed to defeat this creature quickly. As Marianne was gathering her strength, the wolf’s eyes gleamed and it charged first. Marianne twisted the spear shaft and shot her hand toward the wolf’s head. The wolf again dodged Marianne’s attack by rolling, but it was still affected by the holy magic’s impact.

“How dare you-!!”

The wolf roared and charged again with jaws wide open. Its fangs crushed tree trunks and rocks as it advanced. Marianne was hit by flying branches and stones and was thrown backward.

“I’ll devour you-!!”

The charging wolf’s fangs collided with the Holy Spear’s shaft. A metallic sound that couldn’t come from an animal’s teeth rang out. Marianne frowned and launched several more attacks, but the wolf blocked them by swinging its head as if its jaws were a sword.

It was fast. And heavy and strong. Its attack style was completely different from a human’s blade. Marianne gritted her teeth, withdrew the spear tip, and then thrust it at the head of the explosively fast-charging white wolf leader.

“-!”

The shock reverberated through Marianne. As she landed back on the ground, her legs began to tremble slightly. The wolf bared its teeth and twisted its mouth.

“I’ll string your flesh on my fangs. And winter will come to the world.”

==

The magic design progressed quickly. The completed magic was also powerful. But for the first time, Daphne thought she might run out of mana. The protective spell she had just cast on a knight was wavering again. Another chunk of Daphne’s magical power drained away to replenish the protective spell.

“…Thank you.”

“Just hold on a little longer.”

After Daphne’s first spell killed several wolves, the white wolf leader changed tactics and began directly attacking the knights and soldiers. The soldiers who had been clearing out wolves with Daphne had to switch to defense, and Daphne had to cast protective spells on the knights and soldiers before they got hurt, instead of continuing to pour out attack spells.

As a result, the current situation had turned into a tug-of-war between the white wolf leader trying to break through the knights’ wall to attack Daphne, and Daphne trying to eliminate the remaining wolves.

“Persistent humans.”

The situation itself was evenly matched. But Daphne wasn’t sure how much longer they could maintain this balance. The wolf seemed to be merely testing them with its attacks, and it felt like it could charge in with greater force at any moment to break through their defensive line.

“…Let’s switch, Captain. We need to conserve aura. If you fall, we have nothing left.”

“No. I’m fine. Preserve your strength first. Reinforcements must be on their way.”

But the white wolf leader didn’t push too hard. It simply had its subordinates charge at the knights, as if testing the waters. It maintained a posture ready to charge at any moment, but never actually initiated a full attack. They seemed to know all too well that humans would be at a disadvantage in a prolonged battle.

Wolves are strong in endurance battles. When wolves face a reindeer larger than themselves head-on, the chances of a failed hunt increase. So wolf packs, to catch a single reindeer, will chase it for minutes, hours, or days, gradually inflicting wounds and draining its stamina. When the reindeer finally collapses from exhaustion, that’s when they approach with bared teeth to end its life.

In this case, the patrol squad was the reindeer.

Daphne created another spell. The image was fire. A wall of fire rose toward the wolves, and those that couldn’t dodge in time burned again. But its power was noticeably weaker than when the battle first began. Realizing this, the white wolf leader bared its teeth and smiled.

“Yes. I thought it was about time you started getting tired.”

Daphne gritted her teeth and poured in more magical power. The wall of fire grew larger, burning the surroundings and incinerating all the wolves that approached carelessly. Heat haze rose from the flickering flames. Beyond the distorted light, the white wolf leader growled.

“…You still have strength to struggle. Well, that’s fine. I can wait long enough anyway. The salvation you’re hoping for won’t come.”

Daphne ignored the white wolf’s words. The mana ring formed in her heart spun fiercely, drawing up what little mana remained. Beyond the sound of crackling flames came the wolf’s mocking laughter.

“Struggle all you want. You’re only delaying the inevitable fate.”

The flames weaken.

Wolves continued to approach from somewhere, endlessly.

The shadows of wolves began to engulf the soldiers one by one.

Daphne, feeling her protective spells gradually fading, abandoned the wall of fire and poured her mana back into defensive magic. But Daphne’s mana was already reaching its limit. This couldn’t be the end. It couldn’t end here yet. Please, somehow, please-!!

“…What’s that?”

Just then, a wolf in front of Daphne looked up at the sky and growled. The wolves attacking the soldiers, and the bloodied soldiers themselves, all stopped and looked in the same direction. A powerful, warm energy that raised goosebumps.

Daphne slowly turned her head to look at the sky.

A pure white light clearly emanating from the Holy Sword,

And a silver aura she had seen once before rose into the sky, drawing a brilliant arc across the firmament.