Chapter 261

After leaving his homeland,

Kureha traveled throughout the continent, teaching Kuilan everything he knew.

The warmth of freshly baked bread.

The softness of a feather-filled pillow.

The beauty of the four seasons...

And the martial arts passed down in his clan.

Kureha seemed to want to give Kuilan everything, even what Kuilan was denied because he was used as a vessel for a curse. As if trying to make up for what was taken from Kuilan in his life, he gave generously.

However, there were two things he did not pass on.

The final secret technique of the clan's martial arts.

And... the curse.

Whenever Kureha used his powers, the affected area would become mummified, a curse that he bore.

Kuilan persistently questioned his brother about these two things. Kureha would answer with a bitter smile, evading the question.

Yet, Kuilan had a faint suspicion.

That Kureha knew both the secret technique and a way to transfer the curse.

He just wouldn't tell him.

***

At the northern wall,

"Kuilan! Are you even paying attention?!"

Startled by Evangeline's sharp yell, Kuilan snapped back to reality.

The Wolf King, Lunared, was charging right at him. Ten sharp claws from the monstrous commander sliced through the air.

"Ugh!"

Kuilan barely deflected the attack with [Leaf Drift].

Shreeek!

Lunared's own claw attack was deflected back to him.

Lunared stopped his forceful swing, preventing his attack from slashing himself.

"Seems you haven't forgotten the intricacies of the martial arts I created, descendant!" 

Lunared's red eyes sparkled with satisfaction.

"But if you keep getting distracted, you'll die!"

"…!"

As Lunared charged once again, Kuilan tried to evade the onslaught, but the Wolf King's claws were already descending upon him.

Suddenly, Evangeline intervened.

Zing!

Evangeline's shield shone brightly, absorbing Lunared's attack. It was her 1st skill, [Damage Save].

Immediately after, she thrust her lance forward powerfully, releasing the absorbed damage in a counter-attack called [Damage Payback].

"Haha!"

Lunared laughed, deflecting the attack with his claws, and quickly created distance between them.

"Heh, heh!"

Exhausted from the rapid exchange with the enemy leader, Evangeline gasped for breath.

"What are you doing, Kuilan? We're facing the enemy boss! Get it together!"

"I'm sorry, Lady Knight."

Kuilan apologized, but he kept staring at his hand. The hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

'I feel so close.'

To some epiphany.

It felt like the next step in the martial arts he had honed his entire life was just within reach.

'Yet, it's out of touch.'

As if something was obstructing him...

"He's coming again! Everyone, get in formation!"

Evangeline shouted sharply. The rest of the party immediately took their battle stances, and, a beat late, Kuilan clenched his fist in preparation.

Whooosh!

Lunared leaped into the air, gathering his strength.

Under the dazzling moonlight, a crimson aura gathered around the silver wolf-man. Lunared roared, thrusting his arms forward.

"Unleash it all at once!"

A massive blade of red magic power was formed and shot forward.

It was a wide-area skill from Lunared called "Red Moonlight Slash."

Evangeline narrowed her eyes. She had already received information about the Wolf King's attack patterns from Ash.

And so, she waited.

She waited for this very moment when the Wolf King used its wide-area attack skill!

"Ugh!"

Drawing a deep breath, Evangeline's body surged with a blinding white magic power.

Taking a knee to the ground, Evangeline slammed the shield in her left hand onto the ground.

Flash!

Immediately after, the white magic from Evangeline dispersed above the ten allies, forming into rectangular shields.

All ten members of the party appeared to have a magic shield attached to them.

[Final Fortress].

It was an ultimate skill acquired by Evangeline.

Its first effect grants the [Damage Save] buff to ally party members.

Zing!

Lunared's red magic blade struck all the party members.

However, it shattered against the magical shields that Evangeline had provided.

And then, the second effect.

Roar!

The skill protected the ally party members with [Damage Save] while accumulating the damage - concentrating it into her lance.

An overwhelming torrent of light gathered on the cavalry lance in Evangeline's right hand.

The swirling energy resembled a massive lance blade in and of itself.

A defensive skill that protected the entire party by absorbing the damage, and an offensive skill that returned the damage to the enemy in full force.

An ultimate skill that achieved the dual objectives of protecting allies and striking the main enemy!

"Take this!"

Evangeline, holding the massive lance of light, charged alone at Lunared. She looked as if a massive fortress was hurtling towards the enemy.

Boom!

The lance of light pierced Lunared, causing the ground to rupture and explode in a massive detonation.

Its power was several times greater than the standard "Damage Payback."

With her lance thrust forward, Evangeline gasped for breath.

It was her first time using this skill in actual combat, so she couldn't estimate its power.

'Did it land?'

However.

"Well done, Lancer."

From amidst the smoke that enveloped the burning earth, the chilling laughter of the Wolf King echoed.

"But, your lance... it doesn't seem to keep up with the brilliance of your skill."

"...!"

Evangeline flinched and gazed at her cavalry lance.

The shaft and tip of the lance were slightly bent from the battle.

This caused the point of impact to be dispersed, preventing the damage from being focused on one spot.

And so - he endured.

Roar!

Lunared burst through the smoke and charged. Though his claws were broken and his body was drenched in blood, he was still grinning.

"Gah?!"

Evangeline swung her lance in desperation, but...

Clang!

Lunared parried with his claws and lunged at her.

All his remaining claws shattered, but Lunared didn't even blink.

Grab!

The Wolf King's massive hand seized Evangeline's shield, forcibly breaking her guard.

Subsequently, a fist imbued with red magic, from his other hand, struck Evangeline's abdomen.

Boom!

"Gh...?!"

Her armored parts had already been blown away.

The golem armor, stripped down to its skeleton, didn't offer proper protection.

With a ferocity that seemed to tear apart the breastplate, the Wolf King's fist lodged itself into Evangeline's abdomen, causing her to bend over like a shrimp, coughing up blood.

"Ugh... khack!"

As blood and bile poured from her mouth and nose, Evangeline, shaking uncontrollably, attempted a counter with her lance, but...

Wham!

Lunared's fist struck her once more in the abdomen.

"Oh."

Darkness flooded her vision.

Not just from her nose and mouth, but blood poured from her eyes and ears too. Evangeline slumped over. Her lance rolled out of her grasp, and the once vivid green eyes of the young knight went dim, losing their sparkle.

"When you're responsible for the defense line, you can't stand out alone. For the sake of your allies and for yourself."

Lunared chuckled, raising his fist to deliver the finishing blow.

"The moment you charged at me trying to counter, Lance Knight, your defeat was sealed."

Clang-!

Broken nails flew from Lunared's fingertips, and new ones, sharp as blades, emerged. Without hesitation, he aimed straight for Evangeline's throat.

Sshhhk-!

But Godhand lunged forward desperately, crossing his two iron lances to block the strike.

Lunared's claws easily shattered Godhand's lances, but Godhand quickly reassembled them, continuing to defend.

Whizz! Whizz!

"Hold him off!"

"Protect the knight!"

With Burnout's sniping shots, the Penal Squad attacked Lunared with their respective weapons. 

Lunared retreated, laughing under his breath.

"Bodybag! Move Evangeline to the rear! Saintess! Heal her now!"

Following Godhand's orders, Bodybag urgently used telekinesis magic to transport Evangeline to the rear, and Saintess Margarita, with a pale face, started pouring healing magic.

Evangeline's injuries were severe, and she had lost consciousness due to shock.

Saintess Margarita was pouring all her divine power, but the situation wasn't improving.

And for the rest of the party facing Lunared...

Thud! Whack!

"Cough!"

"Argh!"

They were faltering.

The reason these ten could face Lunared until now was entirely because of Evangeline. 

A standout tanker among the renowned SSR grade heroes in this world.

So, to put it another way - with Evangeline down, the frontline couldn't hold any longer.

The tide of the battle, which was barely held at bay, began to quickly turn against them.

The Wolf King howled, and the heroes defending were gradually being cornered.

'What should I do? How?'

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Watching the approaching giant foe, Kuilan clenched his fists tight.

'How can I defeat this monster?'

***

In front of the southern wall.

"..."

Hsss...

Lucas's ultimate skill [Divine Descent] had ended.

Most of the magic power Lucas had was depleted, and the golden aura surrounding him faded away like a snuffed out flame. Letting out a deep sigh, Lucas rolled his stiff neck.

His entire body was covered in the blood and flesh of the beasts.

All around, a mountain of corpses.

The bodies of werewolves slain by Lucas's blade formed small hills. Easily numbering in the hundreds.

But.

"..."

There were still more left.

Growl...

Growl!

Most of the southern wall was overwhelmed by the Werewolf Legion, wiping out more than 80% of them. Yet, around 20% remained, encircling Lucas.

There were easily well over a hundred.

Moreover, the White Werewolves.

From the Werewolf Legion, two elite monsters appeared.

They had waited for Lucas's strength to wane and deliberately showed themselves on the battlefield a beat later.

'This is bad.'

Pulling out a magic potion, Lucas quickly gulped it down, clicking his tongue.

'It's harder than I thought.'

It was, of course, the first time he used [Divine Descent] in real combat.

He had anticipated some after-effects, but he hadn't imagined his entire body would feel like it was being wrung out.

Muscle pain spread throughout his body, and even after consuming the potion, his drained magic power showed no signs of recovering.

With things like this, he couldn't use [Strike of Will], let alone [Step of Persistence].

'...Is there no other way?'

As the wolves steadily closed the distance, Lucas sheathed his [Holy Silver Longsword] and drew another sword from his waist.

[Karma Eater].

A weapon that converts affinity points into sword energy.

"Haaa..."

A sigh escaped Lucas's lips, bending forward slightly. Steam began to seep out from between his lips.

Between the strands of disheveled blonde hair, his blue eyes shone with a wild light, reminiscent of a beast's, and a faint mist drifted from his back.

'Beast Transformation.'

Becoming closer to a monster in order to kill a monster.

- Seriously, don't use the beast transformation. It's scary, thinking you might turn into a werewolf.

He suddenly remembered what his lord had once said to him out of concern.

A bitter smile flickered across Lucas's face.

He knew the risks.

But what could he do if it was for the sake of protecting?

Even if it meant stepping halfway into the monster's realm...!

Vroom-

Flames of sword energy began to burn from the blade of [Karma Eater].

Clutching his sword and baring his fangs, Lucas let out a fierce grin.

"Let's start round two, friends."

Boom! Kaboom!

Supportive magic and bombardment rained down from the walls at the monsters.

As if on cue, the remaining werewolf packs rushed in from all directions.

Kicking off the ground, Lucas charged forward like a wild beast.