Chapter 131

*Rainelle’s POV

Before I could scream in surprise, something swept past me.

“Kreurreuk!”

The wolf that had attacked Karmeut retreated as if he was bounced back. The dagger impaled between Karmeut and the wolf was shining coldly.

“Grrr!”

The next moment, a golden wolf appeared where Karmeut had been. Then, baring his teeth, he charged at the gray wolf.

The door slammed open with a bang from the two wolves tangled together.

“Marquis Albion!!”

I called him in a sharp voice without realizing it. Seeing the strong wind unite and a high-level spirit reveal itself, I turned into a black bird.

Two wolves were seen below, biting each other in the garden. The moment the gray wolf laid the golden wolf down and was about to bite off his neck, I changed my feet to those of birds of prey and grabbed his back.

“Keuooooong!!”

My imagination was to lift the wolf and move him to another place, but he was heavier than I thought. He struggled so much that I could only move him slightly.

“—!!”

As the surroundings heated up, I momentarily shrunk my wings and flew up at the impact of being hit by something. It was only then that I realized that I had been hit by fire magic.

“Grawrrr!!”

The golden wolf charged again. As he bit the gray wolf’s side with his ivory teeth flashing, the gray wolf howled.

Large fireballs appeared next to the wolf. Then they were randomly fired in all directions.

*Boom, boom, booom-*

People were running towards the fireballs that burned while destroying the surroundings like exploding bombs.

“His Majesty the Emperor!!”

There was no room to intervene. I was hovering in the air as I saw knights running in.

It didn’t take long for them, in their gleaming armor, to grasp the situation. The knights pulled out their swords and charged right at the gray wolf.

In an instant, the figure of the gray wolf moved behind the knights. It wasn’t until three knights were torn apart by the wolf’s front paws that I realized that it was space jump magic.

I hurriedly looked at Karmeut as the scene of armor torn like paper and blood splattering was in front of me.

—Fortunately, as if there were no major injuries, Karmeut lowered his stance and was preparing to leap forward.

The gray wolf also seemed to realize his actions. Once again, he disappeared, then appeared near Karmeut’s side and lunged at him to bite.

In that fleeting moment, Karmeut stepped back as if bouncing to the side. Thanks to that, he was able to avoid being bitten, though a handful of his fur was ripped out.

“Graaaaaaagh!”

Blood splattered on the gray wolf’s side.

Galenos, wielding a shining sword, had attacked with flowing movement. I was resentful that he had arrived only now, but I was also reassured at that moment.

The gray wolf moved with a space jump again to avoid being hit by another attack.

“Grrrrr-“

Light flashed for a moment on the gray wolf’s bleeding side, then the wound healed in an instant.

“Healing magic—“

This is crazy. Attack, movement, and even healing magic. No matter how you are on a rampage, that level is too much of a cheat!

Seeing the spirit circling me, it seemed that Miel was determined to protect me rather than intervene in the fight. I was so annoyed at the sight that I raised my voice:

“Marquis Albion! Help us subdue Marquis Namuel!”

As soon as the words fell, the water droplets coalesced and formed a shape. A whale made of water, a high-level spirit.

It only took an instant for the gray wolf’s four legs to freeze. The wolf turned to look, as if taken aback by the fact that his knee joints were frozen all at once.

Flames flared around the wolf who howled ferociously. Then, the ice that froze the wolf’s leg began to get smaller.

As if angry, the spirit shook its tail vigorously, but the ice was melting rapidly. As if not to miss the chance, Galenos and Karmeut rushed in. But this time, the gray wolf, who had avoided with space jump once more, straightened his mane.

“Hey, change your wing feathers like owls.”

I heard Eileen’s voice. I immediately understood the meaning of the words, so I changed my feathers.

Electricity began to flow through the body of the gray wolf. It’s like he doesn’t want us to approach him. The dark eyes of the growling wolf, who scattered sparks in all directions, were fixed on Karmeut.

The knights gathered there were being hunted one by one. As if feeling disturbed by them, every time the wolf moved by space jump, he swung his front paws to someone who could not counterattack.

It was the Commander of the knights and the Emperor who responded to the attacks. The gray wolf, who managed to carry the wounded and hacked at the knights who rushed between gaps, was a monster.

I was sure he was near the capital’s fortress, but before I knew it, he came all the way here? Then, he must have been using magic.

But why-?

The situation was moving rapidly, not enough for me to sort out the question.

*3rd person POV

Even though the high-level water spirit and the best knights in the Empire attacked, the wolf was not easily cornered to the defensive. As if his purpose was the Emperor, he tried to bite off the golden wolf’s neck whenever he had a chance.

“Grrhhh!!”

“Kaakkk!!”

The moment the gray wolf was about to bite the golden wolf’s neck, a black figure lunged at the gray wolf. The gray wolf screamed and struggled at the sudden attack of the black bird, which swooped down silently, regardless of the electric sparks.

However, the bird’s feet, which were sharp and strong like those of birds of prey, grabbed the wolf’s right foot and cheek. The claws, which were longer and sharper than daggers, easily cut through skin and inflicted wounds.

*Bam bam bam-*

The black bird and the gray wolf tumbled across the floor. Their feathers and fur became covered with dust and turned white from their tossing and turning on the floor several times.

“Kreurreuk!!”

As the gray wolf tried to bite the bird’s body while revealing his teeth, the bird let out a sharp cry and snapped her beak. The black beak, which flashed sharply as if it would peck at the eye at any moment, was aiming for the wolf’s face.

“Graaaaaaawr!!”

The next moment, the golden wolf bit the scruff of the gray wolf’s neck, and at the same time, the gray wolf’s hind leg was pierced, creating a large hole. The golden wolf, who attacked jointly with the water spirit, shook his neck ferociously and slammed the gray wolf.

The black bird on the floor was then able to fly up into the sky. As the wind blew around, the dust on the bird’s body scattered in an instant.

There was a roar, and flames flared around the gray wolf’s torso, vaporizing the water that the water spirit fired. The gray wolf started running, but he staggered momentarily with a screech.

“Kreurreuk!!”

The severed tendons, which suffered from the previous attack, immediately recovered. The gray wolf fiercely raised his eyes and opened his mouth at Galenos.

*Pa!*

The wolf’s attack cut through the air, and cold sweat ran down Galenos’ side face.

Perhaps thinking that there should be no small distractions around if the Knight Commander was taken out first, the gray wolf changed the direction of his attack to Galenos.

“—! Guh!!”

He jumped back and immediately rolled his body. When he swung his sword with his teeth clenched from the burning sensation of scratching on his back, the gray wolf moved away with a space jump.

With blood dripping from his back as he paid for the price of not wearing his armor as he was in a rush, Galenos caught his breath.

Not wanting to miss the gap, the gray wolf attacked again, but before he could approach, the water spirit shot a powerful stream of water.

The gray wolf’s body disappeared. In the next moment, the gray wolf’s teeth bit the golden wolf’s side.

“Kwaaaang!”

The golden wolf howled and struggled to shake off the gray wolf. Then, when the gray wolf tightened his teeth, the golden wolf bit the gray wolf’s front paw.

When the grinding of bones with teeth can be heard, the gray wolf let out a painful scream and opened his maw. It was when the golden wolf tried to shake his head while tightening his bite,

“Grr—!!”

An electric current flowed through the golden wolf’s body. When he opened his jaw with a small convulsion, the gray wolf immediately opened the distance through a space jump. Saliva flowed down the muzzle of the gray wolf.

Flames, blocks of ice, electric sparks, and sharp blades of wind gathered around the gray wolf, then scattered in all directions.

With the sound of something exploding, the surroundings began to get wrecked. There were no traces of the sturdy walls of the Imperial Palace or the beautifully decorated gardens.

*Sedarun’s POV

“Let go of me, Sedarun!!”

Adriana, who was watching the whole scene from afar, struggled. Holding her body tightly, Sedarun replied as if it was an absurd thing,

“If you get in there, you will die, Miss client.”

“I have to stop him!!”

“If you can shake off my hand, you’re free to say something like that.”

“You’re not going to keep the contract?!”

“The first condition of the contract is to guarantee the life of the client.”

*Flash-*

Suddenly, a light flashed in front of them. Beyond the shimmering water barrier, the floor melted and sparks of fire fluttered.

“Lady Adriana, calm down.”

Miel, whose complexion had changed to be more haggard than before, caught his breath as he spoke quietly.

Managing two high-level spirits at the same time seemed very difficult.

“That wolf is, kuh… crazy! If an ordinary person without any skills jumps there, they will die!”

*Boom*

Another explosion was heard, and the water barrier shook. At the same time, Miel’s body staggered and he breathed violently.

“Ugh—!”

Squeezing out his breath, Miel wrinkled his brows, strengthening his links with the spirits even more. His complexion gradually became paler as he assisted in the battle while preventing further damage to the Imperial Palace.

“…I can’t see any room to intervene.”

Sedarun muttered so in a voice full of irritation as he clenched the hand that held his dagger.

The wolf seemed to pour out magic randomly, but it wasn’t actually like that. Taking action flexibly depending on the situation and using magic in the right place gave him goosebumps.

‘Isn’t that just a monster?’

The wolf was not acting rationally, but he was a huge threat in itself because he wielded magic according to a wolf’s instinct. To the extent that all the knights of the Imperial Family would fall.

‘Indeed, the situation is something that made one spit out swear words. I should have known from the time the Queen of crows is involved to come up with a countermeasure.’

“Kaakkk!!”

A black shadow passed over them. It was a surprisingly silent flight1. The black bird received all the magic that was floating around the gray wolf with its body, grabbed the wolf by the side, and threw him violently.

“Keuuuuuong!!”

The gray wolf screamed. He sharpened his claws, kicked off his hind feet, and leaped into the air. But rather, he got scraped on his face by sharp talons.

Blood splattered, and the wolf howled. Then, in an instant, the sky darkened and lightning strikes fell.

*Rumble, rumble-*

The black bird flew up with a sharp cry. A few bolts of lightning brushed the side of the black bird, but the bird quickly escaped the lightning and flew away.

*Guarreung-!*

A bolt of lightning struck the middle of the ruined garden.

The blinding flash and deafening rumbling made people instinctively look down and plugged their ears.

“Khukk!!”

The gray wolf did not miss that created gap. Galenos, who had been bothering him to the point of agitation for a while, was bitten in the leg and also got slashed.

After tossing away Galenos, who coughed up blood, the gray wolf dashed off.

Then, the wolf’s sharp fangs pierced the golden hide and lodged them in the flesh.

*Chomp-*

“Kuuuuuong—!!”

The golden wolf, bitten by the neck, struggled. The gray wolf’s eyes gleamed at his opponent’s sharp claws scratching at his skin.

*Whoo-*

Black smoke leaked out of the gray wolf’s body. Then, as if it were sticking to him, it began to dye the gray wolf’s fur black.

As if to match that change, the gray wolf’s bloodshot green eyes changed to a bloody color.

The smell of his enemy’s blood clung to the gray wolf’s nostrils. He felt the sensation of the enemy struggling through his mouth.

That was enough to bring out the ferocity of the wolf that had been engulfed by the demonic aura.

-Blood spurted with a violent sound.

***

Notes:

1 Owl feathers have a leading edge shaped like a comb and a trailing edge with a fringe; these funnel air smoothly over the wing and dampen the sound.↩