Chapter 59—Fiend

Chapter 59: 59—Fiend The next three days were painfully long and short at the same time. Lucen could never sleep fully at night, his nerves tightening with each passing hour. His dreams mostly consisted of torn flesh and yellow eyes flashing in the shadows. Today marked the fourth day of battling the Bull wolves. They came early in the morning, but they were prepared for their arrival. The second wave had five Fiend wolves, one of which had fought dangerously close to Lucen. He still couldn’t look at Falgner without bowing his head in respect. He saved them from the sure death. Something exploded behind him, dragging Lucen out of his thoughts. His mana sense caught a twirling storm of madness, blood and dust. He coughed. So much dust. Blurry shapes of red tore across the battlefield. Anything their bodies collided with shattered. Loud howls and the frenzied screams of men split the air. The flares above the battlefield cast a hypnotic light show meant to confuse the wolves, but Lucen’s aching skull seemed to hate it more. He dodged, cursing the light internally. A vicious claw tore the earth, chasing him. A wolf leapt into the air and slammed its body down at him. Lucen cartwheeled aside as the wolf hit the ground, sending rock and dirt flying like shrapnel. The beast charged again, mouth wide open, dagger-like teeth snapping at him. Lucen simply jumped, grabbing the wolf’s rough, stone-like fur to vault over its head. As he landed on its back, he summoned a silvery-white spear into his outstretched hand, glittering like a million diamonds. He drove it into the gap where the wolf’s skull met its neck. The resistance felt like stabbing stone. He leapt off as the wolf bucked wildly. The moment his fingers left the spear, it’s skill ignited. A loud crack rang out as the spear turned into a white beam and forced itself deeper into the wolf’s neck. A day ago, he’d have been too afraid to even touch a wolf. Now, all he felt was a vicious intent to kill. The wolf’s spine snapped. Lucen didn’t stop to watch it fall, sprinting to the next. His open hand called the silver spear back. Elle and Kon were already fight a Fledgling. Elle saw him and quickly raised a shield. He activated [Surging Flames], then layered [Will’s Breath] on his spear. The Fledgling wolf hadn’t sensed him yet. The ground split as Lucen kicked off, closing the distance in an instant. He stabbed deep into the wolf’s belly. Hot blood sprayed across his face, blinding him briefly. He still dodged the beast’s revenge bite. A lump of mangled flesh barreled at him from nowhere. Lucen ducked as it sailed overhead, slamming into the dirt. He recognized the shape—it was the broken body of a man. Without hesitation, Lucen triggered his spear still stabbed into the wolf’s belly. The white bolt surged upward piercing its lungs and heart, then burst out its collarbone. Blood showered the battlefield, one more drop in an ocean. His spear sailed through the air, returning to him. But it was too late. A Stalker wolf had already lunged toward him. Lucen closed his eyes and braced for impact. It never came. Elle’s crystal-blue water shield shimmered to life just in time. That was the sixth time she had saved him in the last two days. His thoughts buzzed. He dismissed the spear to his soul and began resummoning it. The wolf’s strength was terrifying. Each slam of its paw sent quakes through the shield. Even the dispersed force cracked the earth beneath Lucen. One direct hit, and his chest would collapse like an egg. Elle saw him dismiss the spear and understood his plan. She still looked unsure, probably questioning whether the shield would hold. When the spear reappeared in his hand, Lucen pointed it at the wolf’s gnashing mouth. Elle didn’t hesitate; she opened a hole in the shield. Fear had long since been replaced with ruthless efficiency. Lucen’s enchanted the silver weapon with his breath, and it blazed blinding white. He released it. The spear roared upward through the Minor-rank’s throat. The wolf was thrown backward and dead before it hit the ground. The shield dropped, and Lucen forced himself to his feet. His lungs screamed, and he felt how much mana he was burning just to survive. If this was what the flanks looked like, the center must be a graveyard. He wiped the grime from his face. His nose felt like a clogged pipe from all the dust. The burnt fields, now soaked in blood, squelched beneath his boots. Man and beast lay in broken heaps. [Traveller’s Aid] him keep his footing. Elle and Kon turned to check on him and took off again. He jogged after them, wheezing. They had a new Mid-tier Knight now—Brock. A tall, round-bellied man with enormous arms and a thick brown mustache to make up for his balding. A traveling Knight who had stopped to help Castaway fight. Brock was the student of one of the most legendary Knights in the land. Warren had left them in his care, and Lucen had been shocked to see how easily Warren entrusted them to an outsider. But Brock had proven himself. He was a defensive specialist and seasoned veteran. Still, today was chaos. Too many Fiends. A harrowing amount of Stalkers. Lucen dodged a fireball and kept running. A wolf lunged at him, abandoning the soldier it had cornered. Lucen slid under it. The ground shook constantly. Every burst of mana, every impact made Elle and Kon stumble. But she always shielded them, and Lucen always pierced what came too close. They finally returned to Brock, only to stop cold. He was facing a Fiend wolf. Brock stood at 1.9 meters tall (6’4"), but the beast dwarfed him. Its jaws hung above his head like a red canopy. "Everyone stay back!" Brock roared. "I’m sorry, but you must take care of yourselves. Lucen, keep them safe. Hither, Helie; you can attack from a distance, but focus on staying alive!" Brock activated his spells. Stone hands erupted from the ground, and his steel armor gleamed with mana. The Fiend howled. Lucen’s arms nearly gave out. A red wave of power surged from the wolf, the ground softened under his boots, and his heartbeat sped up alarmingly. "No!" Helie screamed. She slammed her palm into the bloody earth. A glowing circle expanded around them. Relief flooded Lucen’s body. He whipped his head around. Every wolf near the Fiend now had glowing red eyes and fought harder than before. The alpha had strengthened its pack while cursing its enemies. Where were the Grand Knights? Brock couldn’t take on a High-rank alone. The battlefield was a collapsing spiral of red and black, too chaotic to make sense of. No time to find the others. A Fledgling wolf charged toward them, blood coating its teeth, fresh from a kill. The others were still recovering from the debuff. Lucen stepped forward, gripping his spear. They had to finish this and get back to Brock. Or they would all die.