Ch.57The Importance of Keeping Your Eyes Forward

– BOOM!

With a violent explosion, all the windows on the third floor of the VIP building shattered simultaneously.

Flames rose from the broken window frames.

The thunderous noise drowned out all sounds of battle.

Everyone’s attention—both humans and Werebeasts—was drawn to that direction in an instant.

Except for one person.

Frider charged forward.

Leaving the rain of shattered glass falling behind him.

Whatever was happening back there was none of his concern.

Killing the Werebeast before him. That was his only thought from the beginning.

“Kugh!”

Olga hastily raised her halberd and swung it.

Due to her attention being diverted by the sudden explosion, her reaction was a moment too late.

The menacingly glowing saw blade sliced across the female wolf’s upper body.

Blood and chunks of flesh sprayed everywhere.

“Kyaaaak!”

Intense pain dulls one’s reactions.

Even for a Werebeast.

The follow-up strike with the barbed dagger penetrated her abdomen, violently tearing through her intestines.

As if she had swallowed deadly poison, Olga screamed as her insides felt like they were melting.

The halberd she reflexively swung missed completely and lodged into the ground.

Frider’s mace struck her knee from the side.

The knee joint burst through the skin, and Olga’s leg buckled helplessly.

“Olgaaaa!”

Alexei’s axe, swung belatedly, struck Frider who was about to deliver the finishing blow.

The mace that blocked it shattered, scattering metal fragments.

Frider was violently thrown back, rolling across the ground like someone hit by a carriage.

The garden grass turned red.

“Kuh, aghk…!”

She coughed up blood as she struggled to raise her trembling body.

Broken metal fragments were embedded in her shoulder, blood streaming down.

She was in such a state that if another attack came, she would collapse without being able to block or dodge.

But Alexei’s attack didn’t continue.

“Kuuugh……”

Olga, severely wounded, collapsed forward helplessly.

Alexei, who had been about to pursue Frider, hurriedly supported her.

In that moment, Frider pulled something from her waist with trembling hands and drank it down in one go.

—-

Kamenev saw this but couldn’t help.

Well, I’m busy enough just blocking her sword.

Imelia’s longsword left blue afterimages as it drew dozens of arcs.

The endless slashes kept the bear Werebeast pinned down.

Kamenev’s gauntlets sparked and scattered fragments each time they blocked the sword.

“Haaaaaaa!”

She unleashed a storm of sword strikes.

Her arms felt like they would tear apart, and her lungs dried up, desperate for air.

Surging pain.

Her body screamed in protest at the relentless attacks.

She ignored it.

This level of pain is nothing.

Even taking a breath would be a waste.

Squeezing every last bit of strength from her body, she swung her longsword like a madwoman.

Endlessly. Faster. More ferociously.

“You, bitch…!”

Kamenev groaned.

His black iron gauntlets were breaking apart.

The Jin metal scratched his arms, drawing streams of blood.

Jin metal.

That cursed metal that nullifies even a Werebeast’s greatest advantage—their supernatural regeneration.

The symbol of humanity.

The bear Werebeast roared in fury and raised his fist, covered in wounds.

=======[Boris]========

“Grr…”

Boris gritted his teeth.

The situation was clear. Just one moment of distraction had completely changed the tide of battle.

Olga was near fatally wounded, and Kamenev was increasingly in danger.

The three sent to the VIP building had likely lost their lives as well.

They hadn’t anticipated the enemy would have someone with that kind of firepower.

…For nearly four years, he thought they had collected all information about the special students.

Alexei was still standing strong, but if whoever caused that explosion came out of the building, it would be over.

The raid plan had essentially already failed.

Then the only success was the primary objective entrusted to Natalya.

That was far from enough to justify sacrificing the lives of all the Militsia members.

At the very least, they needed to eliminate one Master here.

Boris glared at the female knight before him.

The female who, despite her tattered body, was pointing her spear and sword at him while breathing heavily.

She used a peculiar fighting style.

Using even her opponent’s body as a springboard, she spun through the air, launching weapons with her limbs.

It wasn’t a knight’s technique.

It was like being attacked by three or four eagles simultaneously with their talons extended.

Terribly free-flowing and irregular movements.

Even Boris himself was responding purely on instinct.

It was impossible to predict or analyze her attack patterns.

He was only maintaining the upper hand because of the limitations of the human species.

Even that wasn’t a comfortable advantage. The Jin metal mixed in his weapons was preventing her wounds from healing.

That damned metal.

Boris clenched his teeth.

At this point, there was no time to hold back.

With a long howl, Boris charged at Nigel.

His greatsword swung even more violently.

A technique of abandoning defense completely, enduring wounds while focusing solely on attack.

Nigel’s expression darkened.

A gruesome, bloody battle continued.

====================

With Boris’s howl, the Werebeasts’ demeanor changed completely.

Their expressions hardened, and determination and resolve settled in their yellow eyes.

The battle was reaching its climax.

“Khaaa!”

Alexei violently threw Olga, whom he had been supporting.

The wolf with the halberd flew toward me.

Spraying blood and entrails like propellant.

An unexpected throw.

Before my startled mind could process it, my battle-heightened body reacted quickly.

My longsword deflected the halberd with a shower of sparks, and the following arc severed the beast’s arm.

Olga’s right arm was cut off, spraying a fountain of blood across my face.

“Kugh!”

My vision was momentarily blocked.

The sword I reflexively swung cut deeply into something.

The next moment, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder.

“Aagh!”

Sharp teeth crushed through my shoulder plate and sank into my flesh.

My left shoulder felt like it was about to be torn off.

I wiped away the blood obscuring my vision to assess the situation.

The mangled female wolf was hanging from my shoulder, biting down.

Her abdomen was sliced open, with her upper and lower body barely connected by the spine.

The ground was covered with spilled entrails.

So this is the vitality of Werebeasts.

It was amazing she wasn’t instantly dead from such a fatal wound.

“Krooooo!”

Alexei and Kamenev charged at me simultaneously.

It was a desperate rush, with no thought of turning back.

As I tried to dodge, Olga grabbed me with her remaining arm.

Damn it, until the very end…!

“Let go!”

I severed her neck with my longsword.

Blood poured down, soaking my shoulder.

The wolf’s body went limp and rolled on the ground.

She had bitten down so fiercely that her head remained attached to my shoulder.

The axe and fist were right before my eyes.

Too late.

A fierce sense of danger shot up my spine.

I gripped my longsword with both hands and swung.

– CLANG!

With a thunderous noise, an impact that felt like my arm was being torn off traveled through the blade.

I somehow managed to block the axe.

Blood spurted from my bitten shoulder, and my arm bent backward sharply.

Kamenev’s fist was approaching.

There was no time to bring my sword back.

“Kuh, aaaaa!”

With a shout, I met the incoming fist with my head.

– CRACK!

Something shattered.

My consciousness wavered.

My vision turned black.

Ah, this is danger-

“You beast!”

Frider’s saw blade, who had pursued them, sliced across Kamenev’s back.

Spurting blood soaked her coat.

Kamenev’s movements stopped.

Frider’s left hand then dug into the bear Werebeast’s wound.

“Now, just, die!”

With a blood-mixed roar, Frider violently pulled out her left arm.

The half-severed spine came out with it.

“Kueogh!”

With a death cry, Kamenev finally collapsed.

It must have been a reckless pursuit, as Frider staggered and fell to her knees.

Alexei’s axe aimed for Frider’s head—

– CLANG!

It was deflected by my longsword.

This bastard, how dare he…!

Perhaps due to the blood flowing from my forehead, the enemy’s figure appeared tinged red.

My vision was spinning, making me dizzy.

My head felt like it was splitting, and my entire body was burning hot.

I couldn’t think clearly.

The lion’s right foot shot out.

With sharp claws extended, aiming for my torso.

“Kyaat!”

I gritted my teeth and kicked back.

It’s fine. As long as nothing breaks, I can fight.

Even if something breaks, I can still fight.

“Barbarian!”

The saw blade bared its teeth.

With a wet, tearing sound, Frider’s strike lodged into Alexei’s left leg.

She seemed to lack the strength to tear out the flesh, as it only penetrated halfway through the calf muscle.

But that was enough.

Alexei staggered greatly, and his right claw sliced weakly through the air.

My foot dug into his lower abdomen.

With a groan, Alexei’s waist bent forward.

A blue flash shot up like lightning, piercing the lion’s lower jaw.

The lion’s head, split vertically, spewed blood and brain matter as it split in two.

Fragments of brain stuck to my face, sliding wetly down my cheek.

Alexei’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed with a thud, convulsing.

It was undoubtedly instant death.

“Haa…haa…!”

I staggered toward Kamenev.

Toward the bear Werebeast who was still crawling and squirming despite having his spine ripped out, perhaps slowly regenerating.

I needed to finish this.

With each step I took, my body swayed unsteadily.

Still. I can still move. So I walk.

I haven’t reached my limit yet.

No, that’s wrong. That’s not it.

I shake my head in denial.

I have no limits.

Because I decided so.

I approached the groaning brown bear and thrust my sword into his head.

Kamenev went limp.