Chapter 296 - I ask of the Father in Heaven.

"Father in the Heaven, I ask of you."

Audin knelt down and quietly prayed.

In that position, he saw Enkrid's seemingly impossible head turn.

Then, the rush, the charge, the sword strikes, scrolls, incantations, and explosions followed, all making him doubt his eyes.

"Kyaak!"

As soon as she saw it, Esther rushed forward, but Audin didn't try to stop her.

She was no simple leopard who couldn't care for herself.

Then, he saw Ragna stepping forward.

The clumsy swordsman, who often lost his way, ran straight toward where Enkrid stood.

His steps seemed remarkably light.

"Are you envious?"

That blonde, clumsy soldier running ahead?

"Teresia the wanderer says, 'When do we fight?'"

She seemed to thirst for battle like a sheep.

Despite that, Audin didn't turn away from his own thoughts.

"An unripe fruit is bitter when picked, as my father says. He says waiting allows the fruit to ripen and the heart as well. He wants to give you something good, but He tells you to be patient, and to wait and wait again."

"Patience, yes."

Teresia quietly knelt beside him.

Even so, she wasn't smaller than the surrounding soldiers. Audin wasn't any smaller either.

The two of them, like two bears, calmly waited for the right moment.

"Learn patience, and move forward."

Audin whispered a short blessing toward Teresia and continued his prayer.

"What is the shepherd, who leads the crazy squad, doing right now?"

The holy texts say to help the weak and the young. As the shepherd of the flock, the Lord commands that you protect and guide them.

It seemed like his captain was doing something of that nature now.

He cut through the ominous presence surrounding the child, and in doing so, destroyed what had been wrapped around him.

"Father."

As he continued his quiet prayer, a group of monsters appeared on the horizon, lifting their heads and beginning to rush toward them.

Under the dark sky, dust rose in a yellowish cloud.

"If we're pierced by the monsters, we're all dead! Block them!"

At Graham's words, the heavy infantry unit began to deploy.

Audin started a new, short prayer.

"Father in the sky, I ask of you. Is there no need for a few dogs to guard your side?"

There was no answer. But Audin thought it was necessary.

Sending one to be by the Lord's side was the greatest blessing against the monsters.

Audin stood up.

"I must go personally to give my blessing."

"Teresa the wanderer will go with you."

Audin stepped forward, and Teresa followed closely behind.

The two walked toward the group of monsters. The soldiers waiting behind naturally made way for them.

The two large figures walked down the path they had cleared.

The sound of monstrous howls echoed.

"Hold firm!"

With a loud crash, a few wolves, enlarged by their transformation into monsters, blocked the soldiers' path.

The wolves slammed their forepaws down on a square shield that covered more than half of the soldier's body. The impact made the soldier's arm tremble.

"Stab!"

Block and strike—this was the basic tactic for the heavy infantry.

With the strength of the soldiers, several monsters were impaled on their spears, their heads shattered or their chests punctured.

But there were too many monsters. It was a dizzying number. It could be called a wave of monsters.

Paul, a soldier from the coastal village, knew the terror of the sea well.

He often joked with his comrades that if a huge wave ever covered his head, he would have to endure it like a true sea man.

Now, it was the same situation.

Though this wasn't the sea or the coast, a wave of monsters was crashing down on them.

"AAAHHHH!"

Paul drew strength from deep within.

He had always been strong, second to none in his village.

Had he not crippled the chief's son out of frustration, he wouldn't be here now.

But the strength that had once made him do that was now his shield and his strength.

With all his might, he swung the iron mace in his hand.

At the end of the mace was a round, spiked ball.

Whoosh, thud!

The wolf's head, at the very front of the wave, was shattered by the mace.

The shattered skull sent blood and brains flying, splattering across his face.

Paul blinked once and pulled the mace back before swinging it again.

"RAAAH!"

With a yell, he brought it down from above.

Thud! Crack!

The mace broke the shoulder of another monster, and the creature collapsed, falling to the side.

The mace then dug into the ground, and Paul lifted it from below, bringing it up with force.

Thud!

This time, he struck the chin of another monster, smashing it.

The creature rolled away, and another took its place.

"AAAHHH!"

Paul shouted as he felled three monsters with his raw strength.

"Dammit, Paul!"

"Good job, country bumpkin!"

"Block them! Block them!"

Paul didn't even care about his shield anymore and kept fighting.

A few of the soldiers nearby used their shields to cover Paul's openings.

After catching his breath, he made up his mind to do this damn thing a few more times.

"Mom!"

One of his usually quiet and brave comrades flew through the sky, calling out for his mother.

Half of his body had been torn apart.

Thud, thud, thud. Internal organs and blood mixed with snowflakes as they fell from the sky.

What is this?

Grrr.

Among the beasts, Paul saw something horrifying.

What is that?

It was much bigger than the others. No, it wasn't even comparable. Even though Paul lowered his body, his eyes couldn't meet the beast's. He had to look up to see its face. A giant beast?

No.

It wasn't that kind of creature.

A beast is an animal that has been tainted by evil and transformed.

What he was seeing now was a monster. A creature carrying ancient evil, a natural enemy of humans.

A monster, a Dire Wolf.

The grey-furred beast with red eyes looked down at Paul.

One of the comrades blocking the way trembled violently.

Just looking at it made fear rush in. The urge to run away surged up suddenly.

Yet, they stopped their feet and raised their shields.

Their brutal training had prepared them to endure such fear.

That alone was worthy of praise.

Grrr.

When the Dire Wolf let out a low, heavy growl, the soldier's legs began to shake even more violently.

Even if they wanted to resist, their innate fear was too much to overcome, and their entire bodies were trembling.

Paul was the same.

His hand holding the flail shook. His knees buckled. Goosebumps rose on his skin. The fear made everything in front of him turn black.

'Am I going to die?'

Paul thought of the weaver girl.

'I loved her.'

He had planned to propose to her when he got back.

He wanted to say that if someone like him was good enough, he would live with her.

He wanted to settle here after leaving his hometown, to live together happily.

He wanted to show her the sea someday.

He wanted to have children.

He wanted to teach them how to fish.

There were so many things he wanted to do.

Paul sensed death.

He would die.

But if there hadn't been a huge figure like a bear approaching behind him, he would have died.

The bear-like figure's hand landed on Paul's shoulder.

"May the Lord bless you."

Strangely enough, with that one phrase, the crushing pressure that had been bearing down on Paul disappeared.

"Whew, whew, whew."

Sweating coldly, he panted heavily, and the bear spoke again.

"Even the most vile beasts need to be granted blessings."

A blessing? What kind of blessing?

He briefly wondered about it. Then, the big, insane soldier Audin charged forward.

He moved faster than his size would suggest. To Paul's eyes, Audin suddenly appeared to blur and vanish.

Around a dozen wolf-like beasts blocked the path of the Dire Wolf, but it was useless.

Bang! Crack! Clang! Snap! Stomp! Boom!

What is that?

Paul's eyes filled with confusion. And it was understandable.

The vanishing Audin was now standing in the middle of the beast horde.

Only then did Paul notice the movement.

Audin stretched out his fists and legs at full speed.

It looked like a battle cart.

It was like a reinforced assault cart.

The two wooden clubs extending from the cart turned the pack of beasts into nothing more than stray dogs—or filthy street mutts.

Their heads were like squashed tomatoes. Crushing, bursting, breaking.

While Paul killed three beasts with his courage, Audin had killed five or six just by passing through.

Some of them flew through the air.

The rampaging Audin's body once again faded and disappeared.

It was like a display of acceleration, as if showing someone what speed truly meant.

Thud, boom!

Footprints remained where he had been. The yellow-brown ground had sunken, leaving behind the marks of the vanished figure.

It was an assault with overwhelming force.

The Dire Wolf's eyes followed the disappearing Audin.

The beast's huge paw moved swiftly. The monster also moved at an unexpectedly fast pace.

The massive paw moved dynamically.

Soon, the beast disguised as a human and the wolf-like monster collided.

Clang!

The shockwave from the collision between the two monsters sent dust scattering in a circular pattern.

The sight of the wolf monster and the human monster facing off was clear to everyone.

At that moment, what emotion should have replaced the fear and dread that had been there?

Usually, people who were hard to approach, or those who stood beside you on the battlefield, were people who gave you an overwhelming sense of security.

Enkrid's crazy unit was like that.

"Give you Blessings, my Lord!"

Audin shouted again as he swung his fist.

The Dire Wolf, unusually fast, dodged and immediately lunged to bite.

Clang.

The punch and claws clashed. The wooden club had already been discarded long ago. But why did it make that sound when the fist and the monster's claws collided?

And what was this blessing?

The blessing Audin had spoken of was something meant to send the wolf to the heavens.

It was the power he now held in his hands.

It was violence based on sheer physical strength.

The greatest blessing for a monster was dying and staying with the gods.

Audin intended to grant that blessing himself.

"Are you just going to watch?"

The commander leading the infantry shouted.

At the sound, Paul raised the flail he had let droop.

"Let's wipe them all out!"

"Crazy talk, form up! Anyone who charges out first gets killed!"

"Paul, you country bumpkin. If you want to go back and finish things with that girl Desian, shut up and maintain formation!"

The squad leader suddenly lost his temper.

Paul followed his command.

A surge of joy, the feeling of being alive again, filled him.

Of course, it was not yet time to enjoy it.

The battle was still ongoing, and he was right in the middle of it.

However, Paul didn't think he would die.

He had just survived facing the Dire Wolf moments ago.

Would he die to some mongrel-like beasts?

"Raise your shields!"

"Raise your shields!"

The heavily armored infantry, the Border Guard elite unit, proudly unfolded their ironclad defense once more.

The true powerful attackers were not them, so right now, holding the line and maintaining formation was the best option.

Their efforts were soon rewarded.

"If you have anything, use it all."

That was Krais' words in the third battle.

Graham followed them exactly.

"Charge."

At his command, a spear flew into the side of a beast.

"Is this your secret move?"

Hiiiiing!

For the first time, a cavalry unit appeared.

"Whiiing."

A mercenary soldier at the front blew a long whistle.

At the signal, the horses galloped.

Those who had been hiding inside the castle walls rushed out in a single line.

Thud, thud, thud!

As the cavalry charged forward in a line, the ground rumbled with the sound of hooves.

This was an improvised cavalry unit, made up of mercenaries skilled in horseback riding.

Even though it was hastily formed, it had not lost its mobility.

Though they lacked training and technique, they were more than capable of charging and clashing.

More than anything...

Hiiiiing!

A wild horse, larger than the ordinary battlehorses that had just joined, took the lead and did something outrageous.

'What is this now?'

The mercenaries were startled, but their long experience with swords and fighting quickly took over.

The wild horse charged, and swung his front legs in sync with the mercenary's swords.

As they matched the speed of the charge, their swords collided with the beasts' heads.

Thud!

The beasts' heads were cleaved off and flew to the side.

The wild horse, seemingly overjoyed, rammed its head into another beast, then quickly pulled back and, after a short distance, accelerated once more and charged again.

It repeated this several times, and it was something Paul had never seen before.

'Is this some kind of trick?'

The mercenary was stunned, but he realized this was an ally and that it was a horse brought by Enkrid, so he let it slide.

Trying to understand it would only give him a headache.

Amid the chaos, Teresa passed by the beast horde and headed towards the back.

Some beasts, underestimating her as she was alone, tried to charge at her.

Teresa dealt with them calmly.

She blocked with her shield, gripped her sword, and swung it like a mace, roughly knocking the beasts back.

Clang!

A few of the beasts, hit, spun around in circles. They were fearless.

Should I kill them?

Teresa hesitated for a moment, but then realized it was too late.

"You."

In front of her stood the Wolf Bishop. When did he arrive? Was he really born and raised in the Demonic Realm, as the rumors said?

It was a sudden thought.

More importantly, he was the one who had sent her here.

"Traitorous bitch."

The bishop spoke, and Teresa replied.

"I'm just wandering Teresa. What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

She denied knowing him. Teresa was more brazen than expected. At least, she was not the Teresa the bishop once knew. She was dead.

Therefore, it was perfectly fine for her to be so shameless.

"What did you say?"

"I don't know you, so I don't understand why you're saying that."

The Wolf Bishop was furious.

"You bitch!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for reading!

For some extra chapters or if you want to show your support head here:

https://ko-fi.com/samowek

https://discord.gg/eXsm6WsQE6