EP.17 Dances with Wolves -5
EP.17 Dances with Wolves -5
After a night in the wasteland, the second day of En Varg began.
All of the wolves, except for those who had been active at night, were eating and replenishing their strength.
Everyone was diligently preparing for En Varg, but regrettably, today's festival was about to be temporarily suspended.
"Skoll!"
"Hati...? What's wrong all of a sudden...?"
"Father! Father has disappeared!"
"What...? Didn't he just go somewhere to amuse himself for a bit before the tournament starts...?"
"If that were the case, he would have said something to us or the other wolves, but he didn't—he completely vacated the place!"
Just as I had feared, starting with Hati, all the wolves began to grow uneasy at Fenrir's absence.
That old geezer, he hadn't told anyone but me?
I figured he would have at least tipped off Hati... This had become a real headache.
What was he thinking, dumping all the choices onto me?
-Awoooo!!
While I was in the middle of my troubled thoughts, a wolf's howl echoed throughout the ravine.
At that, every wolf's expression hardened. Hati and Kor were no exception.
Only I, having no clue what was going on, was left bewildered.
Facts that only I knew, and a howl only I couldn't understand... It was a very strange feeling.
"Seon-ju..."
"Yeah?"
"Could you please stay inside the cave for a while...?"
"Why?"
"Well..."
Kor hesitated, unable to find the words.
In her stead, Hati explained the situation to me.
"The howl just now is a signal that a powerful enemy has invaded."
"A powerful enemy, could it be..."
"Yes, a Divine Beast."
I knew it.
Normally, this would have been a matter to be utterly shocked and alarmed by, but not now.
Because I had already heard this news last night.
When I had passed by Fenrir on my way to sleep, he had told me in advance.
On the second day of En Varg, Fenrir had predicted that numerous Divine Beasts would come seeking to issue challenges against him.
Since he had broken the rules, he was in a state where any Divine Beast could attack him without repercussions.
The power one could gain from defeating a Great Divine Beast was said to be beyond imagination, so every year, many Divine Beasts came seeking him out.
The King of Wolves, liable to be targeted anytime, anywhere. In such a situation, the once-every-five-years En Varg was considered a prime opportunity for ambushes.
On the other hand, due to the restrictions placed upon him, Fenrir was unable to help his wolf pack, whom he considered family.
Therefore, Fenrir had told me, and me alone, that before the wolves could be taken hostage, he was going to set out by himself to deal with the Divine Beasts that would preemptively attack.
At the same time, he had also asked me to look after his wolves.
"Human? By any chance, do you know something about the current situation and my father?!"
"Hati..."
"I beg you! If you know anything at all, please tell me!"
"Haah...! This is exactly why I didn't want to talk with that old geezer...!!"
It was a thought I had all the time, but I really must have been absolute dogshit at controlling my expressions.
I could manage it just fine in front of enemies, so why did my feelings show so easily around people who were not enemies?
That was why I had always hated secrets. Even when I tried to keep one, I got found out immediately.
So some of the fault lies with the wolf who shared a secret with someone like me, right?
"Can't be helped~! Now that I've been found out, I've got no choice but to tell you everything!"
And for the record,
it's only natural for a father to think of his children, but solving everything alone isn't a good thing.
Children existed because there was a father, and a father existed because there were children. That was the way of the world.
Yet society was filled only with stories of fathers sacrificing themselves for their children.
I don't like that. Wouldn't stories of children fighting to save their father be nice once in a while?
At least, that's what I think.
***
"Wow... Fuck. Looks like I'm gonna have to put myself through the wringer again to deal with that bastard."
Taotie had looked monstrous too, but the Divine Beast approaching this way was no less formidable—if anything, it was even more so.
It had the trunk of an elephant, the body of a bear, the paws of a tiger, and hairs that stood sharply erect like the quills of a porcupine.
A massive Divine Beast, roughly estimated at five meters in height and about twenty meters wide.
With those characteristics, only one Divine Beast came to mind.
'Was that a Bulgasari...?'
Bulgasari (不可殺伊).
As its given name implied, it was known as an invincible Divine Beast that absolutely could not be killed.
Its diet consisted peculiarly of iron, and I knew that each time it consumed iron, it could increase its body mass.
'Should I at least have kept Kor behind?'
On the other hand, the name Bulgasari also contained another meaning: it could only be killed by fire.
If that meaning was reflected literally, Kor, who wielded fire, would be nothing short of its natural enemy.
But Kor wasn't here.
Whether it was a stupid move or a good one, I didn't know, but I had directed her to go to Fenrir.
She had said she would stay with me, but I had deliberately persuaded her that Hati couldn't do it alone and sent her off.
'No helping it.'
Twin siblings had appeared to help their father. But with one present and the other absent, it meant nothing.
Originally, the two must appear together for a truly beautiful spectacle to unfold.
Maybe the old wolf father might even be moved to the point of weeping tears of joy?
"For the sake of a heartwarming family reunion, we've got to put in the effort, haven't we?"
"Aooong!!"
Beside me were the pack-leader wolves who had fought in the Tourangje the day before.
Since they weren't Divine Beasts, direct intervention might be difficult, but it would still be good to borrow a little help.
Unlike with Taotie, even though I had gained the power of a Divine Beast, it was still only a fraction.
I myself hadn't become a Divine Beast. So whether I could defeat this Bulgasari was unknown.
Being worried was only natural, but for some reason, my body was starting to tremble.
It was a trembling born not from fear, but from exhilaration.
My first battle against a Divine Beast since gaining my abilities—I couldn't not be excited. It was a chance to find out just how much stronger I had become, and at the same time, a good opportunity to learn how far I could go against a Divine Beast.
I wanted to fight. I wanted to unleash my abilities to my heart's content. Ah, I couldn't stay still any longer.
"Anyone who gets injured, pull out immediately! Got it?"
"Awoooo!!"
"Alright. Let's go!!"
***
Bulgasari's abilities were not as special as I had thought.
It was insanely hard, to the point of being crazy, and it could fire the spines growing all over its body. That was about it.
But I realized that even just that level of ability was enough to make things fucking miserable.
'God damn it, it's ridiculously hard!'
Clang!
Bulgasari possessed a hardness so great that even striking down with a sword made of Fatal Light wouldn't cut it.
The slicing power of the sword that had cut through Taotie like tofu simply would not work against this bastard.
The quill-like hairs were cut easily enough, but the outer hide beneath them repelled the blade.
'Just what the hell was that body made of? Argh! Damn it!!'
I took a light step back and dodged the flying spines.
Bulgasari's spines buried themselves deep into the earth.
I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if I got properly impaled by one of those.
That was how high the lethality of those spine-quills was, and this Divine Beast would regrow new spines at the locations where it had fired them.
No matter how many I cut off, after a few seconds they would regenerate and return as fully functional weapons.
My attacks couldn't get through, while the enemy was inflicting lethal attacks.
It felt like fighting an iron fortress with my bare body.
'As expected, there's a limit to doing this the normal way...'
I borrowed Kor's ability and imbued the sword with fire.
If the information on Bulgasari wasn't wrong, fire should work.
Gripping the sword blazing red, I charged toward Bulgasari once again.
Seeing the flames clinging to my sword, Bulgasari rampaged violently. It fired its spines exclusively at me.
I could dodge some using Future Sight, but avoiding a simultaneous volley was difficult.
Yet even so, I pressed straight forward.
Because I was not fighting alone.
"Awoong!!"
Wolves dashed swiftly between me and the Divine Beast, each one snatching a spine flying toward me in its jaws.
This was the role of the wolves who weren't Divine Beasts, the assistance only they could perform.
"Thanks!"
Thanks to the wolves, I reached Bulgasari without any problems and thrust the burning sword straight into its flank.
Unlike when there had been no fire, the blade now dug into Bulgasari's flesh.
Clutching the handle tightly, I slashed along Bulgasari's body.
"Khuwuh-uung?!"
So fire really was its weakness.
Relieved to see it having an effect, I poured in more strength, aiming to deliver a fatal wound.
But only for a moment; the flames I had created went out, and the sword lodged in its flesh would move no further.
"You piece of shit!!"
The sword stopping meant my attack had stopped.
It meant the offensive had passed to Bulgasari.
Countless spines shot toward me as I held the sword.
I had foreseen this, and could avoid major injury, but I ended up allowing a few spines to graze my skin.
My flesh was torn and blood welled out. It wasn't painful enough to make me groan, but it stung.
'Just as I thought, it was difficult to inflict fatal injuries with the flames I could produce.'
The wound I had briefly created was gradually healing as well.
I might have encountered a bastard even more revoltingly tenacious than Taotie.
As I was suspecting that, the second baptism of spines began again.
I twisted my body lightly, dodging what I could and batting away what I couldn't with my sword.
As I succeeded in blocking the spines, a direct attack from Bulgasari followed this time.
Bulgasari raised its upper body to crush me with its massive weight, then swung a paw to strike my body.
But having already grasped its intentions, I rolled backward once to avoid the crushing blow.
After that, I cleaved through the paw coming at me with my sword in a downward slash.
Fortunately, Bulgasari's paws were on the softer side and were easily severed and fell off.
Of course, they regenerated again right away...
'This was going to be endless.'
A situation where neither of us could land a decisive blow was bound to turn into a war of attrition.
But I was a human, and that bastard was a Divine Beast. There was an overwhelming difference in stamina between us.
So, even if it was a gamble, I had to prepare a single, decisive strike.
"Cover me for a moment, please!"
"Awoong!!"
I once again asked the wolves to handle the incoming spine attacks while I attempted to get as far away from Bulgasari as possible.
In order to deliver a fatal blow to that bastard.
I ran and ran until I was practically breathless. Preparing this strike required time. That was why I had to reach a safe zone where the bastard's attacks couldn't reach me.
My legs started to creak. My muscles screamed, pleading that they could run no more. Even so, I ignored them and kept running.
A little more, just to get a little farther away.
"Ugh...!!"
A single spine flew and embedded itself in my left arm.
There was no sensation so there was no pain, but the impact of the attack and the blood I was losing were not to be ignored.
A reason to finish this even more swiftly had arisen.
"Awoo!!"
"Huh...?"
A wolf had approached near me. Excluding the Divine Beast wolves, it was the largest wolf in the pack.
"Wooong!!"
"Sorry, but I don't know what you're saying!!"
The wolves that could at least interpret were all gone now. Which meant I couldn't...
"Uwaht?!"
I had been falling back for a moment when a wolf suddenly shoved its head between my legs, and I was taken aback by the action.
But through Future Sight, I could grasp what its intention was.
What the wolf was trying to do was carry me on its back to get me far away from Bulgasari. In other words, it was going to help me.
"Thank you...!"
"Awooo!!"
While the other pack-leader wolves held onto Bulgasari's ankles, I got as far away from it as possible.
I felt sorry for the other wolves. My act of temporarily leaving the battlefield was an action that put them in greater danger.
Yet even so, they followed my lead without any complaints, and now they were even transporting me like this.
I was sincerely grateful for their sacrifice and cooperation.
And so...
'If I don't repay them with victory...!'
Having reached my destination, I dismounted from the wolf's back and immediately shut my eyes.
What I had to do now was cast an illusion upon myself.
I entered the imaginary world just as Miho had taught me. However, the scene that unfolded was exactly the same as reality.
The only difference from reality was a single object that was being formed in my right hand.
'I created a spear. The material was Fatal Light. Its form was a javelin.'
On the empty palm of my right hand, a single spear with a familiar texture came into being.
A sharp, straight-form spear with no extravagance to be found. It was a throwing spear, so I needed nothing cumbersome.
Immediately gripping the spear in my right hand, I assumed a throwing posture.
I stepped forward with my left foot and slowly bent my right leg.
In that stance, I stretched my left arm straight out and fixed my target onto Bulgasari.
Since it wasn't a long-distance throw, I didn't need a running start.
"Fuuu...!!"
I took a deep breath and let it back out. There was no practice run. The first attempt would be the final attempt.
So I steadied my heart and moved on to the next step.
'An unquenchable fire kindles across the entire spear. The flame burns blue... kheuk!!'
As the blue fire began to burn upon the spear, a terrifying heat surged through my right hand.
I had developed a tolerance to fire thanks to Kor, but there was a limit to the temperature of the flames I could produce with my own power.
If I created a flame beyond my limit, even I would feel that heat and pain fully.
But this was an imaginary space of my own creation; I could sufficiently overcome that level of heat.
'With that, all preparations were complete.'
I could only use the Materialization ability once. In other words, this spear was my final strike.
Failure was unacceptable. I absolutely had to succeed.
"Fuuuu...!!"
After taking one last deep breath, I turned my gaze toward Bulgasari.
My target was the space between the bastard's eyes. I vowed that with this single strike, I would pierce through its forehead and kill it.
Slowly, I loaded all my strength into my right arm, and just like that...!!
"Hng-eup...!!"
I launched it!
The spear left my hand, flying in a clean trajectory.
After granting the Materialization ability to the spear, I immediately left the imaginary world.
Shooting the spear was not the end. In fact, from the moment I launched it onward was what mattered most.
Predicting the trajectory of the spear flying toward Bulgasari, I cut through all the air threads blocking its path.
I couldn't eliminate air resistance entirely like Tia, but I could reduce it, so I had to help the spear fly faster, even if only slightly.
"Grrrk!!"
It felt like my brain was burning away and my eyes were being torn apart.
The work of predicting the spear's trajectory while simultaneously cutting the threads of air.
Using two abilities at once with a single eye was an insane act.
But I had to do it. No matter what, I had to finish off Bulgasari with this one strike.
So even if it meant my eyes and brain ended up ruined, I had to do it.
"Grraaarr!!"
The spear and the blue flame, flying several times faster than they had at the start, traced a single beautiful line.
However, the power behind it was something utterly monstrous and far removed from beauty...
-Fushaashhhk!!
The spear touched Bulgasari, and it utterly blasted away all the flesh of the forehead, leaving behind one wide-open hole before flying off into the distance.
"Haa...! Haa...! Haa...!!"
I had succeeded.
Blood was flowing from my eyes instead of tears, and my overheated brain was triggering an endless headache, but none of that mattered.
I had used every ounce of power I could wield to defeat a Divine Beast...
"Khuwooouuung!!"
"...That's insane."
Or rather, to say I had defeated it—Bulgasari was far too hale and hearty for that.
The monster was still tenaciously alive and rampaging even with its forehead pierced through.
Was it truly an unkillable Divine Beast, just as the origin of its name implied...?
It was a repulsive Divine Beast with vitality so immense I honestly felt Taotie had been an utterly adorable existence in comparison.
'Well, even so, it's still true that it's completely finished.'
Behind the rampaging bastard, the vast maw of a wolf yawned wide open.
-Crunch!
Soon, with a sharp, satisfying sound, the jaws closed and swallowed Bulgasari's body in a single gulp.
Moments later, the maw that had finished its meal opened again, and from within it, a familiar voice began to flow out.
"Hey now~! Human, looks like you put in quite the effort?"
"Ha, haha..."
The being that had rendered my efforts—seasoned with so much blood, sweat, and time—utterly futile in a mere five seconds.
With neither overwhelming power nor ability, ending the situation with nothing more than a single bite, that colossal wolf was...
Just as its given epithet declared, a wolf that swallowed the world.