"Tch!"
Yuda clicked his tongue. Seeing the broken sword blade lying helplessly on the ground made his brows furrow involuntarily. To think that the 〈Weapon Destruction〉 would trigger at that moment. No, it was actually perfect timing. It was such a clean hit that he couldn’t even bring himself to swear. He only felt frustrated that a famed sword, although being the lowest grade, had broken so easily.
Hoo!
Yuda lowered his stance as he saw Requiem leaping toward him. A ferocious crunch echoed just above his head. Requiem was still above him, merely passing by. He channeled mana into the broken sword in his hand. Black mana gathered at the tip, temporarily forming a complete blade.
'I’ll cut it!'
His hand moved with the thought. The sword, swung just before the blade was fully formed, reached Requiem’s flank the moment it was complete. A sensation he had never felt before traveled through the sword to his fingertips.
Chwaaa!
Seeing the gushing blood, Yuda steadied his disrupted balance. Requiem, having landed, glared at Yuda with a grimace, seemingly in pain from the wound on its flank.
Finally, he landed a critical blow. As he turned, he saw blood splattering brilliantly along the path of his sword swing. Requiem, staggering as it landed, glared at Yuda with murderous intent, its face contorted in pain. It opened its mouth, which had been silently shut until now, and unleashed a howl.
───!
Unfortunately for Requiem, Yuda’s title halved the howl’s effect, and his traits as a Warrior’s Spirit and Player prevented any excessive fear. After finishing its howl, Requiem charged like a raging bull. Its massive form looked dangerous as it rushed forward, but Yuda didn’t dodge. Instead, he shifted the broken sword to his left hand, pretending to prepare a skill. As black mana swirled around the blade, forming a long spear, Requiem closed in, its mouth wide open, revealing rows of saw-like teeth.
'You’re going to chomp down on the sword or what, huh?'
Yuda let out a chuckle, canceling the 〈Single Point〉 he had been preparing and using 〈Shadow Swordsmanship Form 4 - Phantom Blade〉 to slip backward. A shadowy figure took Yuda’s place, diving into Requiem’s mouth. The moment Requiem snapped its jaws shut with a thud, the shadow was torn to shreds. As Requiem, still chewing the shadow, charged forward with momentum, Yuda extended his right hand and powerfully kicked off the ground.
Like a windmill, Yuda pressed his hand on Requiem’s snout, spun his body, and lightly landed on Requiem’s back, his movements almost acrobatic.
Grrrr!
Requiem finally let out a displeased growl. The resonant sound from its throat was oddly pleasing. Unlike the other black wolves, it carried a sense of dignity. Yuda gave a faint smile. This was fun. He skillfully balanced atop Requiem’s shaking body. He wanted to deliver a fatal blow before Requiem could stop its charge. With a sly grin, Yuda reached into his 〈Inventory〉 with his right hand and pulled out the martial knight’s longsword. He recalled that Kain was watching from afar as he gripped the sword, but it didn’t matter anymore. Without hesitation, Yuda drew the longsword, positioning his right hand at his left waist and his left hand at his right waist, sliding the blades into place. Black mana swirled around the blades in both hands. He could feel Requiem trying to halt its charge.
'I’m faster.'
Like drawing swords from his flanks, Yuda crossed the two blades in an X-shape and slashed upward. It was one of the empire’s sword techniques used by the martial knight Ea, a highly powerful move. It was more than enough, perhaps even excessive, to cut through Requiem’s tough hide. The moment he completed the slash, Requiem came to a screeching halt, and Yuda’s body was flung forward.
But it was already too late. The swords in Yuda’s hands had completely sliced from Requiem’s flank to its hindquarters. As he flew through the air, Yuda saw the red blood scattering under the dazzling moonlight and thought it was beautiful. It was like a scene from a movie unfolding before his eyes, and he was the protagonist. Watching Requiem’s hide and flesh split open, blood gushing out, and its face contorted in pain, Yuda couldn’t hide his smile.
"It’s going to hurt a lot."
The moment he spoke, time, which had seemed to flow slowly, sped up. Before crashing into the ground, Yuda spun his body and landed. But he soon lost his balance and tumbled roughly to the ground.
Ugh-
Was it exhaustion? The moment he slumped to the ground, it felt like all the strength had drained from his body. He thought falling asleep under the moon would make for a perfect night, but since it wasn’t completely over, he forced himself to stand.
…
Taking a few rough breaths, Yuda looked at Requiem. Surprisingly, the look in Requiem’s eyes, as it lay collapsed on the ground, seemed to accept defeat. He wondered if it was a trick to lower his guard. Given the intelligence of black wolves, it was entirely possible. But he didn’t think Requiem, which seemed to understand honor, would resort to such cheap deception.
Moreover, the injuries Requiem had sustained were not something that could be healed with ordinary regeneration. Yuda couldn’t see the wounds clearly from his current position, but recalling what he saw before hitting the ground, they were deep. If such wounds could heal instantly, that would make Requiem a true monster.
'?'
Well, a magical beast is a monster by definition, but black wolves weren’t monsters with that level of regeneration. Not wanting Requiem to die in vain after coming this far, Yuda cautiously stood, still on guard.
"I won, Requiem."
…
Despite its face contorted in pain, Requiem remained silent. As if acknowledging defeat, it closed its eyes.
"Ha."
Yuda let out a hollow laugh. What a noble creature. But that didn’t mean he could spare it. As he took a step forward to finish it, the black wolves sitting around suddenly stood in unison, baring their teeth. A palpable killing intent pressed in from all sides. Before he could react, Requiem opened its eyes again.
"!"
AWOOOOO────!
"!"
Yuda, listening to Requiem’s howl in a daze, felt a shiver from its distinct intensity. The sound echoed powerfully, resonating across the plains and deep into the forest. The black wolves that had stood and directed their killing intent at Yuda hesitated upon hearing it. Requiem let out another long howl, and only then did the black wolves scatter in all directions. Exhausted from the two howls, Requiem confirmed that the other wolves had fled, let out a weary breath, and forced itself to sit with its unresponsive muscles. He could see blood gushing out from its back.
"Impressive. Are you saying to finish it with you alone?"
Requiem silently looked at Yuda and nodded. Then, as if urging him to end it, it closed its eyes. The sight was so striking that Yuda wondered if this was truly a magical beast.
'Should I use Subjugation?'
No, Yuda immediately dismissed the thought. The Fragment of Fernlern would likely work on magical beasts as well. But subjugating Requiem would be an insult. He might not care with other beasts, but for Requiem, he wanted to grant a dignified death. Besides, there was no way to heal the fatal wounds he had inflicted, so even if he used Subjugation, Requiem would die soon after. Such a pitiful death wouldn’t suit it.
"I can’t make any promises… but as long as they don’t appear in the eastern forest, no one will pursue them."
The longsword in his right hand was enveloped in black mana, transforming into a lance. He thrust it toward the heart of Requiem, sitting upright. With a thud, the leader of the black wolves died under the moonlight.
[You have defeated the Black Wolf〈Requiem〉.]
[Lord’s Request 2, Black Wolf Extermination, has been completed.]
[As the black wolves under Requiem’s command have scattered, the extermination mission will continue as a cleanup operation.]
Shiiiiik!
Black smoke began to leak from Requiem’s dead body. Then, like a deflating balloon, its body started to shrink. The organs, muscles, and bones inside turned to smoke and vanished. Yuda silently watched. All that remained were its teeth, claws, and hide. A faint glow emanated from beneath the hide, perhaps from a core. It was truly over. As Yuda stepped forward to collect the spoils, he heard footsteps behind him.
Oh, right. He thought it was all over, but unfortunately, one thing remained.
Yuda looked at the martial knight’s longsword in his hand. It was too late to put it back in the 〈Inventory〉, but it was too heavy for his exhausted body to keep holding, so he stored it. Turning around, he saw Kain approaching, holding a torch and tucking a helmet under his arm.
"Yuda…!"
"What?"
Yuda responded wearily to Kain’s voice, which seemed to carry something unspoken.
"…"
"If you have something to say, spit it out. I’m tired."
"…"
Kain was silent. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t seem to find the words. Yuda was elated from his victory in the duel, but seeing Kain like this made him feel suffocated with frustration. Just as he was about to snap, he saw a torchlight from within the forest.
"Yuda! Kain! Are you guys okay?!"
Kaseun burst out of the forest like lightning, followed by Tia and Jeanne running behind him. Seeing them approach with worried expressions, Yuda shot a sharp glare at the silent Kain and let out a long sigh.
His mood was starting to sour again.
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