Chapter 522: The Hour of the Dog and Wolf - 10
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 522: The Hour of the Dog and Wolf - 10
The ground collapsing was less of a big deal than the fuss might suggest. It didn't open into an abyss, and a mere drop of a few dozen meters wouldn't critically injure a beastkin or a wolf. The falling rocks were a potential danger, but now that some unknown force had halted the collapse, very few had actually been killed or injured by the immediate aftermath of the ground giving way.
And to the Beast King, things like falls and boulders were no different from the ditches and pebbles one might encounter on a stroll. Whether Jizan fell or the earth caved in, whether shattered stones rained down and struck him, it was all akin to getting one's clothes damp in a light drizzle.
So, even as the ground crumbled around them, Azzy and Fenrir fought on, treating it as nothing more than a spring shower. They leaped off the breaking earth, each helping to smash the other into the ground and hasten its destruction.
As Azzy fell amidst the dust and debris, a shadow lunged, pouncing on her. Azzy tried to dodge, but Fenrir’s jaws clamped down on her arm.
“Awooooooo!”
“Yelp! Whine. Yipe!”
No matter how much Azzy struggled, Fenrir’s mouth wouldn't open. She beat his head and twisted her body, but his teeth only dug deeper into her forearm.
A wolf rarely lets go of what it has bitten. Knowing this, Azzy stopped trying to pull away and instead bared her own teeth, aiming for Fenrir’s neck. The moment Fenrir sensed her intent and flinched back, Azzy slapped him hard across the cheek.
Had he been in his wolf form, a mere slap to the face wouldn't have made him let go. But the Beast King wore a human form. Fortunately, the human oral structure isn't designed to never let go of a bite. Thanks to this discrepancy between essence and form, the wolf’s teeth slid free.
Still, she wasn't unscathed. A long gash was torn into Azzy’s arm. Blood streamed from the ripped flesh. Wincing in pain, Azzy forced herself to lift her arm.
“A beast can do anything.”
Fenrir bared his teeth and growled at the blood-and-dust-covered Azzy.
“If you’re scared, run. If you can’t, then bite back. Claw, bite, dig holes, bark, threaten.”
“Woof…”
“Protect humans? Hmph. Fine. You can let humans into your pack. You can keep them by your side and protect them!”
Fenrir directed his hatred toward the presence he felt behind Azzy. The humans buried in the earth, the packs approaching the wreckage. Some of them were even using dogs to find people, dogs that darted through the piles of dirt, distinguishing between wolf and human.
They, too, were once beasts like wolves, yet now they were devoted to humans. Even at the risk of their own lives.
“Awooo! But you cannot abandon us to protect humans!”
Fenrir let out a great howl. As the king roared, cries echoed from all over. The wolves, responding to their king’s fury, charged toward the humans once more.
“Savagery will persist. It will not disappear! Humans will torment you, kill you, abandon you, and neglect you! For that day, if for no other reason, dogs must be able to become wolves!”
Fenrir shouted on behalf of all savagery. In contrast to the powerful and ferocious Fenrir, the bruised and wounded Azzy answered in a weak voice.
“…I don’t like getting hurt.”
“Then fight back!”
“I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to kill. I don’t want to be abandoned. Woof, I’m going to be good.”
“That’s not for you to choose, dog!”
“It’s not a choice. Woof, fighting won’t solve it.”
Azzy is kind and gentle. For some reason, she had become unable to attack humans, but even if she could, it likely wouldn't have made much of a difference.
She is friendly to humans and accepts other beasts into her pack. Unlike the other, more wary Beast Kings, Azzy has always been among humans.
“Even if I bare my teeth. Even if I growl and bark. Even if I bite. If I hurt them, they fear me. They say I’m bad. Woof. I’m good. If I stay good… they won’t be scared of me. I like that.”
“Even if you’re used, abandoned, and worked to death? Even if they ignore you?”
Even in this fight against the wolves, having fought at the very front and become covered in blood, Azzy still didn't run. Because there were humans behind her.
“Still, someday, they’ll like me more. If I keep my promise, if I protect the humans. Someday, they’ll protect me and cherish me.”
“Grrr. What nonsense.”
The two stood at opposite poles. Their words were merely representations of their beliefs; neither would ever accept the other’s. In the end, the contest was one of strength, and the result would be written in corpses.
The peace Azzy desires must ultimately be achieved through savagery. Unfortunately, she can never achieve it alone. Because most of her savagery was taken by Fenrir.
“A leash is not a promise, it’s domination! Humans don’t keep promises! Just like how they aren’t helping you now!”
“That’s not entirely true.”
Well, if you want to say the strategy was well-planned, I guess it was. She has a human to fight for her, after all. The problem is that it had to be me.
“Right. I think a little respect is in order, too. Emotionally, I agree with you, wolf.”
My only weapon was Jizan. A few weak Divines. My opponent was the Wolf King.
If the situation hadn't been set up just so, I never would have stepped forward. Grumbling internally, I gripped Jizan and stood before Fenrir.
“Woof…?”
Azzy looked at me. Her expression was one of disbelief at my appearance, but her tail couldn't hide its delight, wagging furiously.
“Why did you come?”
“To keep a promise.”
“Woof? You’re not weak?”
“I’m strong enough to help you. Besides, I’m just fighting with you in front of me.”
I said that, but this place was genuinely dangerous.
The Wolf King has a human form but is a beast. I can talk to him, but my mind-reading doesn't work. My one advantage—reading killing intent to move a step ahead—was gone.
On top of that, he’s stronger than Azzy. If I rely on Jizan alone, I’ll die like a bug. It’s a good thing Azzy is here.
At the appearance of a human, Fenrir’s brow twitched. He was about to unleash his killing intent but seemed to sense something, sniffing the air as he approached me. A tense Azzy moved to block his path. Fenrir frowned and spoke.
“…Woof? You are?”
“Hello. Just an ordinary human.”
I tried to be vague, wondering if he recognized me, but Fenrir’s next words made my worries moot.
“Were you… also robbed of your savagery?”
Was it because he felt a sense of kinship? Or was the Wolf King the same kind of being as the Dog King? Fenrir saw through me in an instant.
Furthermore, he seemed to have a rough idea of what had happened to me.
“I guess so. Unlike Azzy, I have a lot of complaints about my situation.”
Azzy and Fenrir were split with opposite traits. They divided into a dog that protects humans and a wolf that is hostile to them, and now they fight.
I was left behind, having lost my power. And in a future I don't know, the King of Sins is apparently born and tries to destroy the world.
You’d have to be an idiot not to see the connection. Unfortunately, I’m not Azzy. Ah, ignorance would have been bliss.
“Your teeth and claws were taken? But you’re a human. How could a human like you have them taken away?”
“Being human probably made it easier to change. It’s the decision that’s hard; once you’re resolved, it’s easier to pull out your own claws and teeth.”
This was clearly unexpected, even for Fenrir. As if outraged, he ground his teeth and asked.
“Human, what in the world are you trying to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m a victim here, just like you. Why ask me?”
I answered as if I didn't know… but I had a pretty good idea.
Azzy is the Dog King. She can never harm humans and is devoted to them. She is, in essence, the ideal guardian of humanity. Of course, due to her limitations as a dog, she can't stop them from harming each other.
If they tried something similar with a human, what would they have wanted me to become? It’s obvious. They intended to create a guardian of humanity in the form of the King of Humans. It seems something went wrong, and the King of Sins appeared first.
“Human. Are you okay with that? Are you okay with being used after your savagery has been taken?!”
“Of course not. I’m a Beast King, too. A beast can do anything, and the savagery of humans is mine as well.”
That’s why I emotionally agree with the wolf. Even as the King of Humans, I could never be a guardian of humanity.
However, human savagery is using everything else as a tool to achieve a goal. Using dogs as a tool to fight wolves is also human savagery.
“But me being hostile to you here doesn’t mean I’m giving up my savagery. For humans, dogs are better than wolves.”
“…”
Because of the conceptual separation, Azzy became sensitive to human emotions while Fenrir came to feel the savagery of beasts. He probably feels human savagery, too.
Fenrir stared at me intently. He sniffed the air a few more times. After mulling something over, Fenrir spoke in a low voice.
“I am the savagery that beasts have lost. But you haven't lost your savagery. You've lost the teeth and claws to show it.”
“Yep. I know my place, so I’m keeping my head down.”
“Human savagery is the vileness that turns everything else into a tool. You… are savage. Plenty savage.”
“Thanks for the acknowledgment, but since you’re at it, could you call it cleverness instead of vileness?”
Fenrir’s savagery clashes with human savagery. That’s why Fenrir has no choice but to attack humans. The calamity the Regressor saw in the past was likely a more complete version of Fenrir than he is now.
I entered Fenrir’s field of vision. The wolf, whose hatred had until now been directed solely at Azzy, now clearly recognized me.
“…Toothless as you are. To come here to keep an old promise. Hmph. Unexpected.”
“Woof! Not unexpected! Promise, duty!”
“Well, I might not be able to keep it depending on the circumstances. But in many cases, keeping promises is more profitable.”
Right. Unless the Regressor handles this well on her own, I can’t let Azzy die, and nothing good will come from Fenrir running rampant.
If Fenrir is the calamity that summons the King of Sins, then I have to stop it. It’s not like the King of Sins would leave me alone.
I took out Jizan and swung it through the air a couple of times. He might not understand exactly what this club is, but he would instinctively know how powerful it is.
“Here. I brought a special club just for you. What do you think, scary, right? Won’t you back down like a good beast?”
If the wolf were an ordinary Beast King, he might have retreated. But.
“Awoooooo—.”
The wolf, bound by something much like me and Azzy, had no intention of backing down. Fenrir stretched his neck and let out a clear, piercing howl toward the sky.
The wolf’s cry spread far and wide. Having vented his pent-up emotions, Fenrir glared at me, his gray fur shimmering.
“Let us contest our savagery, Shepherd.”
Me? With you? I’ll die. Most likely me.
The wolf’s gaze became so terrifying that I lowered my eyes and took a small step back.
“No. You’re supposed to fight Azzy. I’ll just be providing support from the back.”
“Woof woof! Human, weak! Don’t bite!”
“No, Azzy. How could you just tell him I’m weak like that?”
“Woof? Human, strong! Bite him!”
“No. Telling me to bite him is also a bit…”
Fenrir probably already knows I’m weak, but still. I need to stay as far away from the fight as possible.
…Though it doesn’t look like the wolf has any intention of letting me.