The Wolf Commotion (7): The Lion's Roar

■■■■■■———!!!!

With a deafening roar, the lion lunged.

It was clearly debuffed, yet the beast didn't show the slightest sign of slowing down. It moved as if the 10% reduction meant nothing.

The lion’s strike. In that split second, a thousand potential paths of the attack flooded my mind like a shattered mirror.

I found five viable paths out of a thousand. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I channeled my mana into my legs and arms using the Orlando-style muscle training method, then braced my shield to meet the beast head-on.

Why face such a monster with its insane strength directly? While chivalry was part of it, there was a more practical reason.

Hiiiiiing——!!!

Because I had support backing me up from behind.

As Rocinante’s cry echoed, four distinct colors layered over my body.

Buffs flooded in along with a flurry of notifications. It was a blessing only Rocinante, who could command the power of all four elemental spirits, could bestow. It was nothing short of broken. Of course, the moment the blessing was cast, she retreated behind Dolnesia... but that didn't matter. I kept my eyes forward and took the attack head-on.

Kwaaaaaang——!!!!

The shock transmitted through my shield was immense.

"Cough!"

Something surged up from within, likely internal damage. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. So this is what internal injuries feel like. Experiencing the symptoms I’d only read about in novels was agonizingly painful. But I held on.

Sancho and Dante lunged in from both sides. Dante swung his frost sword from the left, and Sancho swung his great scythe from the right. I used the Logres Swift Sword Style to strike from the front. But—

Crunch!

The lion caught Sancho’s scythe in its jaws. It blocked my sword with its left hand and Dante’s frost sword with its right foot. In that split second? And ignoring the fact that it caught my blade, it blocked sword energy with its bare body? What kind of body was this?

The beast didn't give me a moment to think. It flung the scythe it was biting, sending Sancho flying, twisted its body to kick Dante with its left foot, and while still holding my sword with its left hand, it slammed its right fist into my shield. It seemed to be trying to disarm me...

I was pushed back a step by the impact and had to swallow another mouthful of blood.

"Sorry, but I’m quite confident in my grip strength, too."

I didn't let go of the hilt. I kicked the beast, forcing it to release its grip on my blade as it was sent flying. I immediately reinforced my legs with mana and pursued. Its physical stats were still superior to mine, even with the buffs. Even as a corpse, its combat instincts—or perhaps its innate sense—were sharper than mine. How could a mindless, soulless corpse be this strong? It was likely the strongest opponent I had ever faced. Stronger, perhaps, than even Angelica.

However.

Its technique was inferior to Angelica’s. Perhaps because it was undead, it lacked finesse. If so, I had to bet everything on the one thing where I held the advantage.

I would kill it with the strongest technique I possessed.

The secret art of the man who poured the frantic, dancing madness of his soul into a single sword.

'Orlando’s Frenzy.'

The strongest skill I could currently wield. I swung, pouring my passionate emotions into a blade imbued with the power of cold frost.

The lion was battered by the powerful storm surging from my sword. I kicked the disoriented beast, and frost swords manifested around us, rushing toward the lion as it was launched into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠air. Impaled in mid-air, the lion’s movements were fixed. I didn't miss the opening.

Using an ice pillar created by Dante as a foothold, I lunged at the lion again. Sancho targeted its back with his scythe, and the wolf rushed in with its clones. The dance of madness began anew. My mana was already down by 30% from the previous Orlando’s Frenzy. I had roughly half left. My mental fortitude wasn't particularly high, and I had been relying on Rocinante’s blessing for mana recovery; if I dragged this out, I would lose. I had to end it quickly...

That was when the lion suddenly looked at me.

■■■■■——!!!

It easily evaded Sancho’s scythe and the wolf’s attack in mid-air, grabbed my wrist, and—

"Damn it...!"

It slammed me into the ground.

"Cough!"

This wasn't just internal damage. I vomited blood, my organs likely shredded by that attack, and my vision blurred. Since falling into this world, had I ever been hit this hard? It hurt like hell. If not for my Dragon Strength trait, I would have been retired right there. I should have invested more in mental fortitude.

The lion, having slammed the wolf and Sancho into the ground as well, used the ceiling as a springboard and launched itself at me. What? It wasn't finishing off the wolf or Sancho, but coming for me first? This is screwed. Can I even dodge this?

"Ian!"

As Iris screamed, Rocinante, who had been hanging back, finally moved. She unleashed a spear of flame at the lion as it dove to crush me. The spear struck true, slightly altering the lion's trajectory, which allowed me to barely dodge the impact.

I struck upward with my shield, and the lion blocked it with its fist. Dante’s frost sword rushed in to exploit the opening, and the wolf’s clones tried to pin the beast down, but—

■■■■■■———!!!!!

The lion’s roar shook the entire chamber. The terrain Dante had constructed began to crumble, and everyone was blown back. Damn it, that bastard. Just how much did it crank up the difficulty? My head was ringing, and my stomach was churning.

"Ian, are you okay!"

"Stay back."

I stopped Iris from rushing over and barely managed to stand. I didn't know if she had awakened as a Saintess yet, but her interfering now would be suicide. Sorry, but she was a hindrance right now.

As I stood up, using my sword as a crutch, the wolf approached.

"Are you alright, Ian?"

"I don't think any bones are broken yet."

It wasn't that our attacks weren't dealing damage. The lion’s left arm, shredded by Orlando’s Frenzy and Dante’s frost sword, was hanging by a thread. The problem was that each of its attacks far exceeded our damage output. Furthermore, it seemed to feel no pain, using that mangled left arm as if it were perfectly fine. The only silver lining was that it obsessively targeted me. Even during our combined assaults, it only dodged or countered Sancho, the wolf, and Dante, never directly attacking them, nor did it target the relatively fragile Iris, Dolnesia, or Haede. Whether it was the slamming or the attempts to disarm me, it all pointed to the notification that it had noticed the existence of the Stars.

Really, what a pain in the ass.

■■■■■■———!!!

Damage was steadily accumulating, but... how much more did I have to beat it before it died?

"Are you okay, Ian?"

"For now."

Dante was fighting back, but his expression was grim.

"How’s your mana?"

"I think I can pull off three more big ones..."

We’re screwed.

"I will bind its feet," the wolf said, taking the lead.

"I’ll find a way to stop its movement, so use the strongest attack you have. That should be enough to finish it."

"You’ll get caught in the blast."

"That’s exactly why I’m saying it," the wolf replied calmly. "I have no attachment to this life anyway."

Summoning its clones—a leopard and a lion—it continued, "So it doesn't matter if I die here. There’s no one who would grieve for me."

It said it without a shred of emotion. I didn't like that.

"Trying to act all cool, are you?"

"What?"

"Can you even hold it? I told you, I’m the wall here."

"What kind of wall are you supposed to be..."

"This much is just a scratch."

I was dumbfounded. What did it mean, having no attachments and dying as it pleased? Even that dead corpse in front of us was fighting because it had attachments. There was no way a living being like the wolf had none.

"If you die in front of me after I went through the trouble of keeping you alive, I’m going to have some pretty bad nightmares."

Don't die.

"You aren't even healed yet, what are you doing trying to block that thing..."

"I have to. If I’m the only one who can stand in its way, then I have to."

I must block it. If I am the only one who can stand here and block it, then I am the one who must do it. Enduring unbearable pain, fighting an unwinnable battle, reaching for the stars in the night sky that I can never touch. That is what I always thought a knight’s virtue should be. However.

"I can endure this much."

This was pain I could withstand. "And it’s not an unwinnable fight."

Out of a thousand possibilities that seemed invisible, 14 appeared, and the beast’s left arm was currently in tatters. "That thing isn't a star I can't reach." If I couldn't even catch this, could I really call myself a knight?

"So, today is not the day you die. Unfortunately."

"Why go that far? There’s an easier path. If I just sacrifice myself..."

"I know."

I cut the wolf off. I knew it all too well. There had always been an easier path. If I had thrown the cursed necklace instead of my gauntlet and launched a surprise attack. If I had just watched and done nothing when I was slapped. If I had started attacking without introducing myself. If I had just acted in opposition to the rules, accepting the penalty.

It would have been much easier. I would have caught them more easily. I wouldn't have had to engage in this nerve-wracking sword debate. I wouldn't have become the protagonist of this shitty royal-aggro knight story.

But still.

I just didn't want to do that.

"If the path that doesn't sacrifice someone is a bit harder than the path that does..."

I pointed my sword at the lion.

"Then I’ll obviously bet on the former."

"You’re unbelievable..."

The wolf let out a dry laugh. That’s right. Don't just stand there expressionless like you were when you were naked. Smile like that once in a while. And for starters, just stay alive. Even if your heart is broken. Even if you’re an extra worse than a supporting character. Even if you’re a third-rate villain with no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠story left after you’re defeated. That’s no reason to die in vain. Just try struggling once.

What? At the sudden notification, I felt something surging within me.

[Flower of Chivalry]

The more you wish to protect someone, the more you try to face the impossible, the more your two legs will surely reach for the stars. Just as the Knight of Peerless Might did, just as the other knights did.

◈ Stats increase when trying to protect someone.

◈ The stat increase is amplified the stronger the opponent is compared to you.

I hadn't awakened my Aura, but I felt that I could stand on equal footing with the beast with my physical body alone. And that was true for the lion as well.

The lion, which had been staring blankly at me as if entering a second phase, roared.

■■■■■■———!!!!

It suddenly grabbed its dangling left arm and tore it off. It slammed it into the ground and pulled something out. The arm embedded in the ground elongated into a handle, and a double-edged blade formed at the end. Though it looked double-edged, one side was shattered. It was an axe. The beast pulled the axe from the earth and roared.

■■■■■■■———!!!

There was a stance in that beast. Even though it was just an undead creature merely craving life, even though it was just a corpse mimicking the memories of its flesh, I felt I knew what it was saying. The beast was mimicking a knight.

Right, you too, huh?

I properly equipped the sealed Prydwen and tightened my grip on my sword in my right hand.

"Don't you guys step in."

"What?"

I said that and walked slowly toward the beast, which was adjusting its axe, and took my stance. This wasn't just a fight between a beast and a man. It was a pathetic duel between a man who wanted to be a knight and a beast that had once been one. I thought to myself.

"Ian de Logres."

I told the beast my name.

■■■■■....

The lion growled, as if answering my name.

With the notification sound of the Oath of Chivalry activating once more—

Kwaaaaaaaaang———!!!!!

My sword and the lion’s axe collided.