Chapter 42: Wolf Hunt #4

Chapter 42: Wolf Hunt #4

Boom-

Ku-gwah-gwah-

Cannonballs rained down. The inside of the cave resembled a battlefield.

‘How is this possible?’

Dawson, the Vigilante leader, lowered his stance and shielded himself with his shield, thinking.

‘Did the dwarves betray us?’

This was the most likely scenario. Few people can operate cannons.

It wasn’t just one cannon, but all of them were involved, which meant it was a thoroughly prepared betrayal.

‘But the dwarves were locked up in prison. Then it means a cunning rat has infiltrated among the Vigilantes…’

Dawson soon stopped thinking. He shook his head vigorously.

In this hell, such speculation was meaningless.

Now was not the time for detective work, but to move to survive.

“Leader! Orders!”

An executive shouted with all his might.

Even though he screamed until his face turned red, his voice did not reach Dawson.

The deafening roar, as if the world was collapsing, swallowed all other sounds.

Dawson gazed at the executive’s gaping mouth and thought.

‘It’s no use. My ears are ringing, I can’t communicate.’

He looked around.

Severed human arms and legs flew about like bundles of straw.

The Vigilantes’ armor was no defense against the power of the cannonballs that shattered rocks.

‘I have to escape, at least.’

Dawson desperately tried to stay calm amidst the chaos and looked for an escape route.

Vigilantes who had barely survived the bombardment ran towards the exit.

It was the first path that came to mind.

And it was also the most obvious path.

“Kuaaak-!”

“You bastards!”

Screams echoed from the front.

The guards, who had infiltrated at some point, were blocking the path.

The Vigilantes trying to exit through the narrow passage were successively impaled by the densely arrayed spears.

Dawson, watching, felt his stomach churn.

This was the situation we wanted, but the guards had gained the advantageous position.

‘That way is blocked.’

There is only one path. Then we just need to take another escape route.

There was another narrow path that also led outside.

He had no intention of taking all the Vigilantes with him. He had to save his own life first.

However, Dawson’s eyes widened.

‘What is that now?’

He saw the Vigilantes backing away hesitantly. A surprisingly fierce magic bullet was pushing them back.

‘Has the enemy already arrived?’

A mage was blocking the path. Several dwarves stood firm in front of him.

And then, he saw an elf.

‘That bitch…!’

Dawson recognized her.

Mitchell.

The annoying bitch who had been a thorn in his side since before was now acting like a fish in water.

Vigilantes were being knocked down helplessly by Mitchell’s kicks.

Dawson bit his lip so hard it bled.

His hands itched to beat her to death, but the situation was too dire.

‘It was your doing, wasn’t it? Just you wait. I’ll repay this grudge a hundredfold, a thousandfold.’

Boom-

Dawson flinched, hunching his shoulders. A cannonball exploded right next to him.

The executive standing there was scattered into pieces of meat.

‘But where did that bitch crawl in from?’

Suddenly, an old memory surfaced in Dawson’s mind.

It was what that Max fellow had been muttering.

‘The underground sewers and passages are connected, blah blah blah.’

He should not have ignored Max’s words.

Dawson was paying dearly for his past mistakes.

‘It’s too late to regret it.’

Is this the end?

Dawson, in this stinking underground cave.

A burning rage ignited in his chest.

‘No, it’s not too late.’

Dawson’s eyes flashed open. There’s a saying that even in a tiger’s den, one can survive if they keep their wits about them.

Amidst the dying, Dawson recalled a single, slender thread of salvation.

‘I can just go out through the sewers too.’

There’s no designated owner for a path.

If Mitchell used the secret passage, there’s no reason Dawson can’t.

“Uaaaaaaah!”

Dawson roared like a wounded wolf.

He bent his back and charged into the flames.

Boom!

Cannonballs exploded in pursuit behind him. Dawson didn’t look back.

‘I will survive. I will definitely survive.’

Dawson’s eyes gleamed like a beast’s.

***

I gazed into the darkness with a calm gaze.

Distant explosions could be heard occasionally.

“The Vigilantes are finished with this.”

Wagner muttered quietly.

“Both entrances to the underground cave are heavily guarded. There’s no way out.”

“Is that really so? Don’t get complacent yet.”

I said, staring into the darkness.

“Don’t underestimate a beast’s vitality. As far as I can see, at least one of them will struggle desperately until the very end.”

“You mean Dawson.”

“Yes. He’ll surely break through that hell.”

Footsteps could be heard from the darkness of the underground cave.

Soon, rough breathing grew closer.

“See? He’s here.”

Wagner raised his shield and mace instead of answering.

Thump, thump.

Dawson, with his head and clothes covered in soot, appeared.

“Hoo, huff.”

Dawson’s chest rose and fell rapidly like a bellows.

His usual composure was long gone.

“You.”

“Long time no see, Dawson.”

“Huff, so it was you. Ha, hahaha. Fuck.”

Dawson pulled a flat liquor bottle from his back pocket and drank it down roughly.

“I expected you to come here. Thank you for moving as I predicted.”

“You predicted?”

Dawson’s face turned flushed. Dawson cackled like a madman.

“Yes, so did you predict that you two would die here? You underestimate me too much. Just the two of you can’t stop me!”

Dawson let out a ferocious roar. The cave echoed loudly.

“Do you think I’ll die in a place like this!”

He’s coming.

With a single leap, the distance was instantly closed.

‘Speed comparable to Mitchell.’

Although he’s human trash, Dawson was the leader among such trash.

As someone who rose to the top of a group through sheer violence, Dawson’s physical strength was indeed extraordinary.

Clang!

Dawson’s mace collided with Wagner’s.

Are their strengths evenly matched?

No, Wagner was pushed back slightly.

Dawson curled his lips.

“Hey, big guy. You seem strong. Try blocking this too?”

Dawson’s mace turned black.

It’s the ability of the artifact he’s using, 「Garden’s Meteor」.

It’s 「Steel Barrage」.

Dawson swung his mace. For a moment, it looked like the mace had multiplied, leaving afterimages.

Ku-gwah-gwah-

“Hmph…!”

Wagner swallowed a groan. Wagner’s shield, which had blocked the barrage of mace strikes, shattered.

If he hadn’t blocked with his shield, Wagner would have been flattened into a meat patty.

‘What terrifying power.’

I summoned the abilities stored in my holy relic into my body.

I harmoniously enhanced both my body and magic. I can’t afford to hold back my abilities now.

While Dawson was pushing Wagner back, an opening was created for me to flank him.

Fzzzt.

I drew out a long blade of frost from the ritual dagger.

Thanks to my greatly improved abilities, the blade was now so white it was almost blue. The length of the sword exceeded 1 meter.

‘Just hold still. I’ll cut you down.’

Approaching Dawson’s blind spot, I extended my frost sword.

“You little rat!”

Dawson suddenly turned his head and glared at me.

I had precisely exploited his blind spot, so how did he notice?

‘Did he sense my killing intent?’

As expected, he wasn’t the Vigilante leader for nothing.

Dawson raised his mace.

“Crawling around sneakily!”

I thrust the artifact bracelet on my wrist, 「Pure White Radiance」, towards his face.

Dawson’s brows furrowed.

“That’s my bracelet! You damn bitch!”

“Not anymore.”

I’m sorry, but you wouldn’t have been able to unleash its full potential anyway.

It’s an artifact that can only be properly utilized by those blessed by the Golden Unicorn.

Shhh-

A white flash erupted from the Pure White Radiance.

Bright light spread through the dark cave as if it were daytime.

“Fuck, my eyes…!”

Dawson screamed, clutching his eyes.

He must have experienced temporary vision problems from facing such intense light at close range without any preparation.

“This is how you use Pure White Radiance, you punk.”

I taunted him and swung my frost sword.

Slice-

Flesh tore and blood splattered. Dawson’s side, cut by the sharp ice sword, revealed red flesh.

‘He dodged even now?’

As expected, he’s no ordinary opponent. He managed to throw himself backward even while blinded.

I had intended to cut him in half, separating his upper and lower body.

‘But it’s a serious wound.’

Dawson groaned, clutching his side. The cut was so deep that his intestines could have spilled out.

“Wagner!”

“Coming!”

Wagner, discarding his useless shield, ran forward gripping his mace with both hands.

We can’t give him a moment’s rest.

I immediately used 「Telekinesis」 to restrain Dawson’s body.

‘Ah, it’s not easy, is it?’

Unlike ordinary Vigilantes, restraining Dawson was much more difficult.

Even after inflicting a major wound, it was still tough.

It felt like a precarious rodeo on a wild, bucking horse.

“Wagner, now!”

“Got it!”

Crack.

Wagner brought his mace down.

I thought it hit his disgusting face, but the mace trembled and was pushed back.

“You… bastards…”

Dawson was holding onto the mace.

His fingers were crushed beyond recognition as a result, but Dawson didn’t allow his vital points to be hit.

It was the desperate struggle of a cornered beast.

“I’m not someone who ends up in a place like this…”

Dawson’s eyes were glazed over.

Even with his left hand mangled and a large gash on his side, he was still alive.

He hadn’t given up on surviving for a single moment.

“Guaaaak-!”

Once again, 「Garden’s Meteor」 emitted a metallic glow.

“His body is growing!”

Wagner shouted as he retreated.

「Iron Transformation」.

It’s the second ability of the artifact mace.

The ability of 「Garden’s Meteor」 to turn its wielder into a steel giant for a short time.

Dawson’s height instantly soared, reaching the cave ceiling.

A black metallic sheen flowed from head to toe, and the bleeding from his side wound also stopped.

‘Damn it, I can’t restrain him with telekinesis.’

The brute strength of the iron-transformed Dawson surpassed the power of my telekinesis. The restraint was broken, and Dawson howled like a beast.

“Uooooooh-!”

Dawson swung his fist.

Whoosh- Bang!

A blow like a battering ram swept through the surroundings. Wagner and I threw ourselves aside simultaneously.

It’s impossible to block. If we did, we’d be sent flying into the wall and flattened like pancakes.

“Estel, it might be better to retreat now…!”

Wagner, a seasoned warrior, mentioned retreat.

It was the wise choice, by all appearances.

His iron body deflects all attacks.

Not only Wagner’s mace, but my magic arrows and frost swords failed to land a proper hit.

“Wagner, leave it to me.”

“Estel!”

“It’s okay. Trust me.”

However, I know.

I know the method to defeat that seemingly invincible iron giant.

‘It’s finally time to use it.’

I gripped the necklace around my neck.

「Necklace of Reflection」.

Shall I test it?

If my attacks don’t work, how about your own attacks, Dawson?