Ch.65Wolf Cult

Simultaneously with the discovery of the sudden anomaly, Seorin and Envy immediately ran toward the entrance. The door that had been wide open was now closed, but since they had opened it to enter, they thought they could open it again.

That’s what they thought.

“Ungh!”

However, it wouldn’t open. No matter how much strength Seorin applied, the door wouldn’t budge an inch. Even when she drew her sword and tried to wedge it between the door cracks, it was the same result.

“Magic…!”

“Ah, yes!”

The flustered Envy hurriedly used magic. Blue mana flowed from her body, exerting its mystical influence on this world to achieve a single purpose. It strengthened the small knight girl’s physical abilities, but the firmly closed door still showed no sign of opening.

What if she used swordsmanship? Seorin stepped back and gripped her sword with both hands. With her physically enhanced abilities from the magic, layered with mana manipulation, she should be able to cut through even a large boulder.

Just as rough currents of air burst around the small girl, Seorin, who had been staring at the massive stone door, suddenly turned her body. Her wide-spread cloak swirled rapidly, blending with her silver hair.

Clang-!

A harsh explosive sound was created as the dark blade collided with a blurry shadow. A storm arose. The wind generated from the collision swept through the room. Facing the rough wind that made it difficult to keep her eyes open, Seorin frowned.

‘A wolf…?’

The shadow’s form gradually became clearer. Though its shape was still not distinct, it somehow resembled a wolf.

“Eeeek!”

Envy’s belated scream signaled the start of the battle. As she took a large step back, the shadow retreated as if scattering with the wind, then circled widely around the two.

Like a hunter waiting for an opening.

Seorin retrieved her sword and changed her stance. More defensive than offensive, she blocked the front to protect Envy. The black cloak behind the small girl fluttered greatly.

Clang-! Tang-!

Additional collisions between the sword and shadow continued. At that moment, Envy’s support flew in from behind Seorin with perfect timing. Ice needles trailing blue frost rushed in quickly, piercing the shadow.

A direct hit. But the effect was minimal. The shadow scattered just like before and circled around the two.

“Did… did it disappear?”

Seorin’s eyebrows twitched greatly as she watched the disappearing shadow. It deflected all attacks like an incorporeal ghost.

What if she aimed for the moment it attacked? The impact transmitted through her sword had been clear. That meant it had a definite physical form at the moment of attack.

Having made her decision, Seorin changed her stance. Not a defensive sword form, but one solely for attack. She pulled her sword back, ready to swing at any moment. Rough energy waves swirled around her extended left leg.

Whoosh-

“Envy. Aim for the moment it attacks.”

“Y-yes!”

Soon after, the shadow immediately showed a reaction. The black currents that had been swirling with the wind began to gather, forming the shape of a wolf. Now it was clear enough to distinctly recognize its form. A wolf wielding a sword, a werewolf, swung its blade toward Seorin.

Swish-!

The sword strike, imbued with pitch-black shadow, stretched like moonlight. With a slight movement of the hand holding the sword, the moonlight changed. The straight-extending black moonlight split into two.

No mana could be felt from the opponent’s attack. But Seorin instinctively understood the opponent’s swordsmanship. It created a blade with strange power to occupy one side, while swinging the real sword from the opposite direction.

The moment she understood, her body moved first. Her left leg, which had been emitting energy waves, became the axis as she advanced forward with her sword. As she poured more mana into the magic-killer that had been absorbing mana, blue mana burst forth along the dark blade.

Fwoosh-!

Rather than forming a slash in the shape of a blade, it was more like crudely spraying mana to form a curtain. But that was enough for now. The mana Seorin sprayed advanced, covering the left side, colliding with the black moonlight and disappearing.

Swoosh-!

The girl didn’t stop moving. Rotating her body with her widely swung sword, she deflected the opponent’s blade. The pitch-black shadow blade grazed her cheek, stealing red blood.

The opponent’s upper body was wide open. Now it was Seorin’s turn. Mana stacked to its limit spread throughout her body. In that moment, blue frost swirled around the small girl. Mana that had changed properties according to the White Dragon Heart Method greatly affected the surrounding environment.

Mana that fully filled her entire body substituted for lacking muscles. When the explosively expanded muscles were tightly drawn, an extreme swift sword unfolded from Seorin’s hand.

Fwoosh-!

It connected properly. The sensation at her fingertips was clear. The impact transmitted through the sword was not small.

The werewolf’s shadow was greatly torn apart. The trace of the swift sword shot from bottom to top was clearly visible. Just as the shadow was becoming blurry and about to disappear, a calm flow of mana swirled around, and blue stems extended from the ground.

Though it resembled plants, its essence was mana. The moment Envy’s mana vines wrapped around the shadow, Seorin immediately executed her next swift sword.

Fwoooosh-!

The shadow tore apart and disappeared. It looked like dye dissolving in water. Despite the enemy’s disappearance, the two couldn’t relax.

How much time passed like that? No matter how long they waited, no other enemies appeared. Only then did Seorin sigh and lower her sword.

“Hah…”

“D-did we win…?”

She couldn’t give a definite answer, but probably so. Seorin swallowed her words and slowly moved her feet. The red light that had illuminated the floor had long disappeared. The skeletal remains on the large magic circle had also turned to dust and settled.

If anything had changed, it would be the sword placed on the altar. Unlike its dusty, unsightly appearance before, it was now emitting its own light.

That light was faint, reminiscent of gentle moonlight. Also, red letters were engraved on the blade. They looked like letters carved with flowing blood, but their meaning was unknown.

“Are you really going to take that…?”

At Envy’s question, Seorin tilted her head slightly. Why not? An ownerless sword was lying there. It would be strange not to take it.

Although her choice had brought danger, hadn’t she overcome it? Perhaps what she experienced here was a kind of trial to take that sword.

‘…How ridiculous.’

A wry smile escaped at her own childish thoughts. Yet she still couldn’t take her eyes off the sword. What choice would her brother have made? No need to ask. He would have taken the sword.

Small hands grasped the sword gleaming with moonlight.

‘Ah…’

Enormous memories began to rush in like a tidal wave. Wolf, moon, wind, cult, god—vast memories quickly flashed by. Through these memories, Seorin learned about a certain cult.

‘The Wolf Cult.’

In the memories, Seorin was a priest, and sometimes a high priest who presided over sacred rituals. The name of the sword in her hand was ‘Moonlight Sword,’ a ceremonial sword said to be made by a skilled blacksmith who took a piece of moonlight.

The truth of its origin wasn’t important. This sword, passed through countless hands, had faint divinity imbued in it. The memories rotated quickly. Seorin slowly moved, following the memories transmitted through the sword.

It was a kind of dance. A sword dance using the blade. Bathing in the moonlight flowing from the sword, she swung it to conduct the ritual. It was a dance for Lycan, the wolf god said to govern the moon and wind.

A dance for a forgotten god, unfolding through the body of a small girl.

But it wasn’t a sword meant for prolonged use. Seorin lowered her gaze to examine her fingernails, which had begun to sharpen. They still looked like human nails, but if she continued any longer, they would become as sharp as wolf claws.

‘That werewolf…’

It was the last successor of the cult. In the end, unable to handle Lycan’s power, it transformed into a werewolf. That was the fate most followers of the Wolf Cult met.

“Um, excuse me…”

“Ah.”

Belatedly recognizing her companion at the calling voice, she remembered she wasn’t alone in this room. She had forgotten about Envy. Seorin turned her head to look at Envy.

“A-are you okay?”

“Ah… I’m fine. Nothing wrong. It’s just a rather strange sword…”

Seorin hurriedly wrapped thick cloth around the sword. The girl’s face was faintly reflected on the gleaming blade. The whites and blacks of her eyes had switched places. It was just a temporary change.

After securing the Moonlight Sword to her scabbard, she closed her eyes and opened them again, and her eyes returned to normal.

Envy, who had been staring blankly at this sight, rubbed her own eyes.

‘What… what was that…?’

Large ears that had been flapping on the small girl’s head disappeared.