Chapter 81

"[Swirl]."

As the battlefield roared, the gusts of wind swirled violently.

"[Surge]."

Soon, hail and ice arrows poured down one after another.

Blizzard.

As Elric unleashed his signature spell, the moment his magic unfolded, the beastmen who had been slipping and sliding on the ice were helpless against the onslaught.

"Aaargh!"

"My arm's been severed! My arm's been severed!"

"Wh-Who the heck would do such a thing... Crunch!"

"Snap out of it! Get into formation!"

The beastmen tried to regain their composure and reorganize their formation, but amidst the continuous hail and crashing ice chunks, their vision was obscured, and they couldn't possibly focus with their comrades scattered and in chaos.

And with General Winter's sandstorm almost completely blocking their sight...

Even if they were supposedly protected by the "blessings of tail" from the sandstorm, it was still too risky in this situation.

"Why is this happening all of a sudden...!"

"Why's the weather acting up like this? Did the heavens forsake us?"

"Right! Surely the heavens are angry with us! Otherwise, there's no way hail like this would be pouring down!"

"W-What should we do?"

Amidst the chaotic atmosphere spreading among the beastmen, adjutant Hugo bellowed.

"You idiots, snap out of it! This is magic! Humans in Anthromorph are definitely casting spells, so stand up straight!"

Magic.

The strange miracles wrought by humans.

While terrifying to the beastmen, it also stirred anger within them.

For they believed that if it weren't for magic, their ancestors would never have been driven to the Black Snowfield.

"Humans?"

"Yeah! There were humans in the Anthromorph!"

"Despicable scum! Dirty traitors who joined hands with the inferior race that reduced our kind to this state!"

Fortunately, the incitement had some effect.

"That's right! So get up already! Let's deliver Anthromorph into the hands of Blood Wolf King, and show the greatness of the beastmen...!"

Hugo felt the chaotic frontlines beginning to rally again and continued to urge on his subordinates.

But his shouts didn't echo for long.

In an instant, amidst the sandstorm obscuring their vision, something sharp was detected.

Kkaaaah!

Hugo quickly stepped back, using his large wings to shield his upper body.

Fortunately, he had already initiated defense preparations since the beginning of the expedition. 

His tribe, the Demon Bird Tribe, boasted wings of exceptional durability, known as "Iron Feathers" even among the bird beastmen, making them perfect for defensive purposes without a single scratch even against formidable attacks.

As expected, the ambush could easily be thwarted.

However, the impact was so significant that even he, clad in thick armor, had to retreat a few steps.

"I thought it was just a bird, but it seems I was mistaken?"

Through the sandstorm, an individual with blond hair and green eyes appeared, chuckling.

At that moment, Hugo could instinctively discern.

That person was the culprit behind this chaos!

However, blinded by rage for a moment, Hugo failed to consider how a magician would dare to reveal their presence and attempt close combat.

"Kill him!"

"Extra bastards always say the same thing. Isn't there something more original?"

"What the hell are you muttering?"

Hugo spread his wings wide, which had been wrapped around his torso.

Fwoosh!

Suddenly, stiffened feathers poured out like daggers.

Elric quickly pulled the mana field he had scattered in all directions for wide-area magic towards himself, shrinking the range of the blizzard.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Eventually, as the blizzard circled around Elric, deflecting all the daggers, simultaneously,

Snap!

With a light flick of his fingers, he explosively expanded the range again, completely engulfing Hugo.

"...Gah!"

Instinctively, Hugo tried to fold his wings to avoid being trapped in the blizzard, but the expansion of the blizzard was much faster.

Moreover, under his feet, chains made of ice had formed on the ice, binding his hands and feet!

'The Chains of Cruelty.'

Along with the blizzard, Elric had crafted a new spell this time, inspired by the idea that he needed to create his own magic when facing Kaya.

Building upon the idea he gained when facing Kaya, he focused on binding his opponent by combining "Ice Chains" and "Frozen Touch," enhancing the durability of the chains and freezing the area where the chains bound the target.

Even though Hugo wanted to shake it off, given the circumstances, it wasn't easy to do so.

In the end, he had no choice but to take the full force of the blizzard without any defense.

Boom! Crash!

"Argh, argh! Agh!"

Hugo's body flailed like a paper doll in the wind.

In an instant, his entire body was covered in wounds, and the glossy black feathers that had once flowed smoothly were now soaked in blood.

Although it followed the same sequence of attacks as when facing Kaya, it was much cleaner and more efficient this time.

Whoosh!

While Hugo was still struggling to regain his composure, Elric, amidst the swirling blizzard, arrived in front of him in an instant.

With the intention of finishing him off, Elric spread his palm wide and swung it directly at Hugo's abdomen.

At that moment, Elric's right hand turned as white as if it had frozen, almost translucent.

White Hand.

Among the three spells Elric had created this time, it was the one he had poured the most effort into, and it could be considered the core of the magic system he would gradually develop in the future.

It encapsulated the essence of cold from the Seal of Cruelty and blended it with the ferocious temperament characteristic of the Seal of Ferocity.

As a result, all ice-related magic wielded by Elric stemmed from White Hand, designed for more delicate manipulation and direct control.

Moreover, its effectiveness as an offensive spell was undeniable.

Wherever White Hand made contact, frostbite would forcibly induce freezing, focusing on incapacitating the target by quickly shattering the ice upon impact.

It was so powerful and vicious that Augustine must have said just one word when he saw it!

-Tsk, tsk, tsk. You mess around like that on the battlefield, and you'll end up being hailed as a hero, won't you? It's just too malicious. Freezing everything you touch and shattering it. And even after the wounded parts fall off, the frostbite continues to penetrate inward, destroying the body. Those refined noble gentlemen will tremble in fear, absolutely.

After hearing that remark, what did Elric say again?

-So, Master, you don't like it?

-Huh? Pfft! Of course not! This old man loves it! Absolutely love it! Where else on the battlefield is there honor and cleanliness?

-Become more persistent! More ruthless! And more malicious! Study how to kill more enemies more efficiently! That's how you'll survive in the wars to come, and that's how Night's Chronicle will shine!

And, of course.

White Hand displayed its greatest power when Elric engaged in close combat himself.

Body Strengthening Art.

Ferocious tiger rush.

Swoosh-

As White Hand was about to unleash its power alongside Body Strengthening Art on Hugo's abdomen, suddenly a warning bell rang out.

"It's you! You're the one who perpetrated such vile deeds!"

Another powerful enemy has appeared behind us!

Elric swiftly twisted the trajectory of his attack to the side.

Just then, the axe aiming for Elric's face collided with White Hand.

CRASH!

The owner of the axe, Mount, had to retreat several steps backward.

And then...

CRACKLE-CRACK!

BOOM!

In an instant, what had been Mount's cherished axe was covered in ice and then shattered as cracks formed along its blade.

What would have happened if someone's hand or foot had been directly in contact with it?

Even though Mount had launched a surprise attack, he had to experience a moment of chill.

But what made his unease even more pronounced was the fact that...

"How...! How can a mere human master Body Strengthening Art?"

His face contorted as if all the common knowledge he had known had collapsed.

It seemed he was one of the rare worshippers of Body Strengthening Art even among the beastmen.

They revered the great power of Tiger King, considering the Body Strengthening Art left behind by their ancestors as divine tools bestowed by the heavens.

And the worshippers within Fury tribe believed that Body Strengthening Art should naturally belong to their leader.

'This guy might be a bit dangerous.'

An annoying fellow showed up. Elric inwardly clicked his tongue at the thought.

Being a worshiper was annoying enough, but being a Grizzly Bear that appeared to be nearly three meters tall, wielding a large axe, made him even more imposing.

His innate strength and agility seemed remarkable.

Judging by martial arts standards, he was at least a 4th-chain... in other words, someone with master-level skills.

Although he was just at the beginning stages, it was clear that he was a formidable opponent for Elric.

'Missing out on catching all the fish is a bit regrettable, but... well, opportunities can always be created.'

Elric, who had somehow found himself sitting on the ground, took a deep breath and glanced briefly towards Hugo, who was breathing heavily, before pulling the mana field back inwards.

Elric was trying to disappear by obscuring the opponent's vision with the blizzard.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Mount realized for a moment what Elric was trying to do and rushed towards him.

Thud!

Mount's attack was so relentless that Elric momentarily staggered.

But he wasn't overly concerned.

Another "bear" was already blocking the brute-looking bear.

Clang!

Herman Weyl suddenly appeared and deflected the bear's axe.

Mount, rather than being alarmed by the fact that a new human had intervened, was tense at the sight of an opponent whose level was hard to gauge.

"Who are you, human?"

"My name is Herman Weyl. They call me Blue Lion in the Empire."

"A lion!"

Fury's ultimate goal was always the other side of the Great Wall, not Anthromorph, and naturally, he had a lot of information about the various absolutes that existed there.

Among them, the most threatening to the Beastmen were the group of martial artists known as the "Lions."

The Blue Lion was one of them.

Human who was considered most just.

"I'll show you that the bear is much greater than the lion!"

But Mount didn't really care about such facts.

Rather, he was pleased with the fact that he could gauge the humans' abilities before crossing the Great Wall, and his mind was set on quickly defeating this opponent and capturing the magician who had mastered the Body Strengthening Art.

Clang!

Finally, the clash between Herman and Mount began.

"Follow the big brother!"

"What are you saying! We need to go rescue our nephew-in-law first!"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Big brother will handle things fine on his own, so let's hurry over there!"

The blue hawks also rushed onto the battlefield.

Despite the danger, they seemed very cheerful, as if they were just out for a stroll.

And with Sean, Karl, and Heize joining in the assault.

The battlefield, which was already chaotic because of Elric, became even more uncontrollable.

There was no longer any room for the Fierce Beast Squad to regroup due to the onslaught.

[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]