Chapter 517: The Hour of the Dog and Wolf - 5
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 517: The Hour of the Dog and Wolf - 5
A brawl where you stick close and trade blows with brute force is called a dogfight. And as the name implies, dogs are the experts. Dog beastkin have an innate sense for fights that test reflexes and agility at close range.
If her opponent had been anyone else, Shei would have won. The Heavenly Counter Domain, a technique honed to the absolute limit a living being can reach, human or beast, allows one to counter with reflexes that overwhelm even a dog beastkin. Furthermore, it was a Qi Art that promised near-absolute defense against an opponent one had fought before. Even if this was their first time in this timeline, the Regressor’s body remembered fighting Blanca several times.
‘Tch…!’
However, an Axiom could twist even the absolute.
‘Blanca’s Axiom isn’t anything special. If you were to rank it, it’d be of the lowest grade. But…!’
An Axiom activates through will alone. The mere possibility that they could wield one changed the very scope of the danger.
Blanca’s Axiom was Beastification. Claws that grew and vanished at will, fur that lengthened and shortened. It was an Axiom that allowed her to freely wield the weapons of a beast.
It was a common technique, not much different from the power of a druid contracted to the Beast King.
‘In a dogfight, she’s practically a real dog!’
But anyone who fought her knew the truth. When you pushed forward, weathering attacks with your own techniques and Qi Arts, you always had to maintain a buffer zone equal to the length of her claws and fur. You never knew when her claws would shoot out to tear through your body, or when her fur would grow to obscure your vision. That one extra card, held only by the opponent, was an intangible pressure in itself.
Of course, Blanca, facing Shei, felt a similar pressure from the weightless and invisible Chun-aeng. But one rarely feels the pressure they themselves are exerting.
“That’s a fine sword you have there.”
“Tch!”
Claws shot out from the arm that had penetrated her guard. The speed of the claws, enhanced by Qi Art and Axiom, was a literal flash of light. As if her arm had stretched, five slash attacks descended on Shei. Having kept her distance, Shei dodged with the Heavenly Counter Domain and thrust back with Chun-aeng. The moment the invisible blade was about to slice through skin, fur sprouted and covered Blanca’s body.
Slice.
The Qi-infused fur was cut away, but Blanca was completely unharmed.
Claws and fur. Offense and defense, achieved simultaneously. It created a sense of hopelessness, the feeling that you couldn’t win without some clever trick. The Regressor was reminded once again of just how unfair a technique an Axiom was.
…Of course, Blanca felt the same way about Shei. The Heavenly Counter Domain, developed over countless timelines, was just that daunting. As I said, the memory of being hit lingers, but the memory of hitting evaporates in an instant.
“You seem to know my Axiom, too. Were you interested?”
“Hmph. Don’t flatter yourself just because I played along for a moment!”
“Then you must also know why we became wolves.”
Of course she knew. She’d heard the story ad nauseam before regressing. And it probably wasn’t much of a secret at this point in time, either. Confident that there was no harm in saying it, Shei shouted.
“It’s because you killed people!”
“…And do you know why we killed them?”
“Does that matter? The fact that you’re murderers is more important.”
Hearing those words for the first time in a long while, Blanca gave a faint smile.
The citizens of the Empire, ignorant of the full story, had condemned the Baskervilles with those same words. They’d questioned the very idea of hunting dogs in this day and age, calling their existence impure from the start. They’d said the problem was that such a family even existed.
Even though it was humans who had trained them to kill humans.
“Woof. We only follow our master’s orders. Like the faithful dogs we are, without a single question.”
“You should have remained unquestioning to the end! If you were going to have doubts, you shouldn’t have bitten a human!”
“You’re right. I wonder why… we couldn’t remain dogs to the very end.”
Blanca Baskerville smiled wistfully and glanced around.
This was a surprise attack carried out by their elite forces. It was effective, but only as long as Blanca could move freely. If she got bogged down in enemy territory now, with the outcome of their fight uncertain, they would be annihilated. Their opponents had Grul.
Feeling as if she were chewing up and swallowing her own body, Blanca spoke.
“Three of you stay. The rest, retreat.”
The Baskervilles nodded and fell back in perfect unison. Shei was inwardly relieved. The Baskerville family was far stronger than Ende’s forces, including the Obelisk. If they had clung to them with the intent to fight to the death, Ende’s casualties would have been catastrophic. She was almost grateful they were running away so readily.
‘It would be nice to finish Blanca here, but don’t forget! My real target is the Wolf King! I have to save enough energy for Groundfall!’
While one Baskerville held off Sapien, the other two ran toward the city. It was a rampage, loud and flashy, as if daring someone to come and kill them. It was a blatant move, but Shei had no choice but to stop the Qi masters before they started slaughtering Ende’s citizens indiscriminately.
Glaring at the retreating Blanca, Shei yelled.
“Are you running away?!”
“Next time, I’ll come with our king, woof. Let’s finish our fight then.”
“Do that if you want to die then!”
The Baskerville family, who had inflicted hundreds of casualties in a short time, withdrew as phantom-like as they had arrived. Slashing the right arm of the Baskerville who had stayed behind to buy time, Shei waited for a signal that wouldn’t come.
“Not yet?”
Countless winds clashed with one another. I don’t like war, but I like chaos. It’s a state where everyone holds their own desires, where anything is possible as they tangle and move forward. Amidst the twisted wills of thousands, only the strongest will remains, shining brightly.
But, a little depressingly, this time I had to tailor that will to my own purpose. I sighed, extracting only the desire to protect the city from the chaos.
Is this war? A battle that could change humanity, and I’m the one changing it. This isn’t the Beast King… it’s just a king.
As I lamented, Theia, dressed in a racing uniform, muttered to herself beside me.
“So this is war~. Mmm, it’s pretty scary.”
Theia practiced her steps on the bare ground, as if to loosen up, but her movements grew slightly tangled, likely from the encroaching sounds of noise and screams.
After a few deep breaths, Theia asked me.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes. Here.”
I handed Theia a brown fur scarf. Theia examined the coarse, crude-looking scarf made of raw fur from every angle before asking, a hint of disbelief in her voice.
“Huh? Is this a present?”
“It’s a scarf made from Azzy’s fur, collected by the sheep beastkin while they were cleaning.”
“Ah. A scarf made from the Dog King’s fur? What an honor!”
“If you wear that, the Wolf King will chase you like crazy.”
Theia, who had been cheerfully about to wrap the scarf around her neck, froze in fear. It was only for a moment. With a deep sigh, she threw the scarf around her neck. At least the inside had been properly finished so it didn’t chafe her skin.
Fiddling with the scarf, Theia asked.
“Giving me this means it’s about time to go, right? Where do I need to go?”
Instead of answering, I picked up a branch and drew a picture on the ground. Ende, the wolves. Then I sketched a simple diagram of Grul and the Baskervilles breaking from their respective formations and charging at each other.
“Thanks to Sir Sapien defending the main camp, the Baskerville family came to attack it. And thanks to Grul’s charge, they sent their priests to respond. In the process of striking at each other’s weaknesses, they’re aiming for the front line the Baskervilles abandoned, while we’re creating a new front on Grul’s side. Right now, the forces on both sides are flowing in a circle around a single point.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t get it at all.”
Theia, who knew nothing of the battle situation, tilted her head, but the good thing about a picture is that you can see it even if you don’t understand it. Staring at the diagram, Theia poked the center of the circle and said.
“Heeey. I have a feeling I should go right to the middle~.”
“Exactly. Which means the finish line changes from moment to moment. I’ll point out the exact spot later, but you’ll have to plan the course to get there, Miss Theia.”
“No problem. I’ve memorized every inch of the land around here.”
Horse beastkin have exceptionally good memories for geography. She wouldn’t get confused and charge into the heart of the enemy camp.
Now that the overview was explained, it was time to move.
“Let’s get going. Azzy, the Obeli guard dogs, and I will escort you part of the way.”
“I’m fine on my own.”
“We can’t have you losing stamina because of the wolves, Miss Theia. The lives of Ende’s citizens depend on your hooves, your stamina, and your focus.”
I’d thrown out a cliché to boost her morale before heading to the battlefield, but Theia took it to heart.
“I like it here.”
“Ende?”
“Yeah. It might sound spoiled, but all we know is running. We live to run, and we die to run. We endure the heart-pounding pain and strain every nerve to beat the other racehorses. For the one who takes first place, everyone else is just part of the scenery.”
Theia scuffed her foot on the ground and murmured.
“I love to run. But… I don’t think I can only love running. A place like this needs to exist, so even the ones who hate running have somewhere to belong.”
She hadn’t readily volunteered for this potentially fatal task just because she was confident she couldn’t be caught. She had joined because she wanted to protect Ende, and an opportunity to help had arisen.
I hadn’t created a desire that wasn’t there. It was true, wasn’t it? Who would wish for death or destruction? Everyone wants to live well. I had only lent strength to a desire that already existed.
“It seems your running will save the horse beastkin who don’t want to run.”
I had unintentionally cheered her on. Theia beamed and made a V-sign with her fingers.
“It’s good to have at least one thing to be proud of! And me, I’m fast!”
Masking her tension with a smile, Theia bravely walked ahead. The Obeli guard dogs and the pig beastkin followed behind her.
The wolf hunt begins.