43. Wall Guardian [Bricala.]
Silberna's voice came low and subdued, unlike her usual tone.
[It was the name of the beast that the inaugural Wolfdren Kaldias hunted when he established the base in the North.]
'Bricala?'
[Guardian of Ice Lightning? Well, that's what I remember it meaning. That's why the great colony lord's name derives from it too.]
[It was a disaster of a creature. Back then, I didn't have the skill to even challenge it.]
'That bad?'
[If you'd seen it yourself, you wouldn't say that.]
Roooaaar!
The beast's roar buried Silberna's voice from his memory. Lightning poured down from all sides, as if shielding Bricala itself, and the creature atop the spire fixed its gaze on the now-vulnerable Mallidan Wall.
"R-Run aw—!"
Isaac grabbed Sharen's back as she muttered those words. He bared his teeth and shouted at the terrified girl.
"If we run, who's gonna fight that thing!"
"……!"
"I know it's scary, but we have to do this."
The moment the wall crumbled here, the front lines would break. Who knew how far the damage would spread? Nearby villages would likely be massacred without mercy—a future all too easy to envision.
The silver lining was that the beast was injured. Blood dripped steadily, trickling down the spire, and its roar carried more pain than threat.
But on the flip side...
It's still this strong with wounds like that?
This was the thrashing of a creature on the brink of death, squeezing out every last drop of power. It transcended the norms of mere beasts.
"Where's the captain?"
He scanned for the company commander now leading the remnants. But Jonathan, dazed, replied.
"H-He was at that spire over there."
Even from this distance, the crackling currents made his skin tingle and numb. Anyone directly below the beast's spire was surely dead already.
"Spears up!"
Isaac bellowed hoarsely, straining his veins to cut through Bricala's thunder.
"Main force is coming! Hold it back—don't let it cross the wall!"
Isaac had seen his share of transcendent battlefields. In chaos like this, ideally everyone would follow the chain of command. But with the commander's fate unknown and no clear successor, the loudest voice with a flag had to take charge to rally them fast.
"Spears up!"
"Defend the wall!"
"Main force is almost here!"
As Helmont's son-in-law and a comrade they'd fought beside, Isaac earned their trust. Soldiers echoed him, falling in line.
Bricala snorted as it spotted troops gathering around Isaac. Electric breath sparked with a crackle!, lashing out threateningly. Lightning surged anew across its body, thick veins bulging in its muscles.
"Scatter! Scatter now—!"
Soldiers dashed along the wall at his urgent cry. In that instant, Bricala plummeted like a bolt of lightning onto where they'd clustered moments before.
BOOM!
Part of the wall shattered, but it held its shape. Dust, debris, and currents exploded outward.
Through it all, Bricala's eyes locked on Isaac standing firm ahead.
"Grrrn."
Crackle!
"Ngh!"
Up close, it wasn't just a sting. It was unbearable; his eyes burned like they might ignite. But he couldn't close them—Bricala's fist would pulverize him in that heartbeat.
"Crimson Flame Wave!"
As everyone froze under the beast's pressure and shocks, the first to move was, astonishingly, the youngest girl there.
Crimson Red Aura erupted from her greatsword, engulfing Bricala. It devoured nearby lightning and struck home—but...
"GRRROOAAAR!"
Bricala swatted it aside and slammed its fist into the ground in fury.
"W-Why's it acting like that?!"
Sharen cried out at the overreaction. But Isaac had a hunch.
"Lianna and the Helmont knights were the main force. It's probably pissed at you for using the same power."
Some of those scars on its body were surely Helmont-made. Indeed, Bricala's gaze now fixed on Sharen. It snorted electrified breath and charged on four hands.
"Jonathan, help!"
"Glory to the great Helmont!"
Jonathan rushed to Sharen's side, slamming his greatsword into the ground like a wall. Sharen mirrored him, bracing her shoulder against hers.
BOOM!
Bricala's fist smashed both greatswords at once.
"Kyaaaah!"
"Guh! Urk!"
They took the monstrous strength head-on and held. Their Red Auras flared distinct hues, forming a sturdy barrier. But the beast had four fists.
Thud-boom! Boom-boom! Boom-boom!
It unleashed a barrage without pause.
"Do something!"
"I'm gonna die!"
Before their cries, Isaac was already leaping forward. He vaulted off Jonathan's shoulder, soaring up to loom over the beast's head.
Amid the stabbing shocks, he drew his taedo from his waist.
No mistakes this time.
Rehearsing the error from Nortemus a thousand times over. His strongest strike now: the Quick Draw, sword unsheathed in an instant to end it.
The keen taedo slipped silently free. It cleaved the lightning, hurtling toward the thick neck.
Slash!
He'd cut true. No error—clean as his Great Master would applaud. But...
Crackle-crackle!
The thick neck bore only a shallow scratch, unworthy of "scar."
The lightning dulled the blade...?!
Even that brief draw couldn't withstand it. Made feather-light per Isaac's demand, it was absurdly light—but its durability was pathetic.
"RAAAARRGH!"
The beast bellowed in rage. It knew: in that split second, its head had nearly flown.
One hand veered from the greatswords toward Isaac.
Death flashed in his mind—but just before the fist connected, it twitched and halted.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
While it focused, other soldiers speared its back. Isaac landed unscathed, sweating cold relief.
"Isaac, you okay!?"
"Thank goodness!"
The pair rushed to him as he caught his breath, hand on the ground. He gritted his teeth, about to apologize for wasting their golden opening.
"...Not cold?"
Isaac murmured, stroking the ground. Lingering currents numbed his touch, but a chill pierced his skin.
"Of course it's col—!"
Sharen's words died. She realized the spreading white mist wasn't mere commotion—it was deliberate.
"What the hell is this?!"
"Eek! It's freezing!"
The cold stabbed even battle-numbed senses. Isaac's eyes widened, recalling a tale he'd told them.
The first Kaldias enchanted the wall with magic to manipulate the climate and protect the kingdom.
If something more? The wall sensing crisis and activating spells. Or the runes destabilized by the lightning, run amok.
Whatever it was...
"Get off the wall!"
Staying was suicide.
Crack! Craaack!
Eerie freezing sounds echoed. Boots stuck fast to the stone. Northern boots were tough; he yanked free with effort. But linger, and they'd freeze solid.
"GRRAAAH!"
Bricala's scream rang from behind. Turning, Isaac saw it wrenching its feet, flesh tearing in agony. The wall's chill hurt it too.
Wait—if we trap it here...
We could stop it. Freeze and subdue for good. Descending together was riskier—giving it room to rampage below.
Unexpected.
Always, he'd watched comrades charge into mortal combat, their backs to him.
Silent Sword Isaac—praised for wisdom. Yet he felt powerless, standing back, questioning himself.
Could I do that? Grip the sword, fight firsthand. Rush into the inferno without hesitation?
Truly unexpected.
No time for doubt—Isaac was already charging Bricala.
One taedo and Pearl Thread left.
He gripped Pearl Thread. Taedo would just fizzle against the currents. Facing it with both hands on the blade.
The beast leaped inward to flee the wall—but
"Where you going!"
Isaac's sweeping Pearl Thread gashed its thigh deep. No blood flowed—the wound froze faster.
"Grnn!"
It barely seemed pained, swatting like at a fly—but Isaac dodged as expected, sword leveled.
"RAAAARGH!"
Another roar, as if questioning why Isaac blocked its descent.
Stay here, both die.
"Heh."
He tried smirking, but frozen cheeks wouldn't budge. Black hair crusted white. Hypothermia sapped his strength.
Yet Isaac held firm.
"One of us dies—or..."
Both. Lungs freezing, he trailed off. But Bricala got the message, surging with lightning.
And then—dual Red Auras from behind.
"You idiot!"
Sharen, cloaked in crimson Red Aura, looked far sturdier than the others. She wove it like fine armor, a precise net blocking even this unnatural cold—her custom trick from the Pollu and Snowfolk fight.
"Running off alone—what're you thinking!"
As she neared, Isaac felt warmth. Her aura steadied his trembling hands.
The other—dark-red and viscous—was Jonathan's. No longer unstable and hole-riddled, it raged beastly wild. Bricala slid back across the wall.
"Sir Isaac—!"
Jonathan beside him, whites of his eyes gone, pitch black. A form Isaac knew.
"Hah! Hah! I-If I turn transcendent, then—!"
Isaac smacked his head, yelling at the teary plea.
"Your heart's a rose! Get a grip!"
Jonathan bit his lip with elongated fangs and roared.
"GRRROOO! Glory to great Helmont! My heart is a rose!"
"...That's some sickness."
Sharen muttered as a direct Helmont, but Jonathan ignored it. His Helmont obsession anchored his sanity.
Their distinct Red Auras enveloped Isaac, letting him endure the chill.
"Grrrn."
But the wise beast saw an opening.
Blue crystals hailed amid the snow. Mana—vast, visualized mana converging on it.
"Gasp!"
"S-Somewhat unnerving, sir."
Even Sharen and Jonathan paled; mana-ignorant Isaac felt its density through eyes and skin.
And then.
"GRRROOOAAAR!"
A massive azure bolt hammered Bricala's head. Self-harm? It took damage, yes.
But.
"GRRRA!"
Drool dripped steadily. Normally trivial—but
"It... isn't freezing."
Isaac's murmur jolted them into nods. The beast's saliva didn't freeze. Its lightning blazed fiercer than ever. White mist shunned its vicinity.
Taking the hit to armor itself in shocks, conquering the cold. Just like...
"K-Kinda like my trick?"
Sharen's Red Aura repulsion. Freed, Bricala thundered toward the trio.