Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Ancient Werewolf
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The vanguard of Venderford had been narrowed down to five groups.
This was because the more skilled individuals, including Franz and Ellington, had banded together.
The druid hordes were rather large, so they had opted for cooperation in the early stages.
This was already their fifth battle since entering the Kalendron territory.
By now, Franz was leading the fight with considerable skill.
"Focus your attack on the right! Break their formation! And, mage!"
At the Second Prince's cry, Sophia, who was positioned far back, began to chant a spell.
She was one of the few mages in Venderford.
In truth, with the others not even reaching the 8th tier, Sophia was the only proper mage among them.
"May the inherited power of the wind push back and destroy all. Wind Blast!"
*Fwoosh!*
The wind-element magic was powerful enough to shatter the druid horde's formation in a single blow.
Franz seized the opportunity, charging in and wreaking havoc on the battlefield.
"Charge! Hyaah!"
*Spit—! Crack!*
The Second Prince's judgment was timely.
Caught by the surprise attack, the druid horde could do nothing but scramble back in disarray.
"Push forward!"
Franz pressed the attack relentlessly, giving the enemy no time to regroup.
As a result, the 1st-rank druid horde quickly met its end.
"Give potions to the wounded and begin clearing the battlefield."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Though the battle was won, an important matter remained to be decided.
Franz and Ellington began a subtle negotiation as they looked over the corpses of the druid horde.
"Are we splitting it evenly again? Our side took quite a bit of damage."
"But wasn't the magical support exceptional? It was Miss Sophia's contribution that broke their formation."
"Ha! Do you think she could have even cast her magic if we hadn't held the front line?"
"And do you think you would have gotten away with just a few injuries? Shall we test how much damage you'd take without her?"
The princes clashed sharply.
It felt as if sparks were flying between them.
But their confrontation did not last long.
A heavy roar echoed from a branch of the mountain range, which was densely packed with towering trees.
"Kwoooar—!"
*Thud, thud, thud, thud! K-thooom!*
Appearing with a sound that shook the very earth was a monster shrouded in crimson energy.
A being with abnormally thick arms and four eyes embedded in its head.
Its height wasn't much different from a 1st-rank druid's, but its build and intimidating presence were on another level.
"Is that... a 2nd-rank?"
"It seems so. Let's discuss the distribution of merits later."
"How about we decide based on who takes that thing down? The difference in contribution would be clear then."
"Fine by me."
Ellington readily nodded at Franz's proposal.
Against such a monster, a spear was more important than a shield.
The Third Prince, possessing a mage, seemed to think he had the advantage.
"Shield bearers, to the front! Restrain its movements!"
"Yes, sir!"
At the Second Prince's command, two students began to press in from both sides.
But this opponent was in a different league from the ones they had faced so far.
"Gwaaaak!"
*Thwack!*
The 2nd-rank druid swung its arm brutally, sending the two students flying.
They couldn't even scream as they scraped across the ground and slammed into tree trunks.
The students watching felt their hair stand on end.
They were stunned by the opponent's overwhelming presence and killing intent.
As the druid charged, the Second Prince snapped back to his senses and shouted.
"De-defensive formation! All guards, move up!"
The students followed the Second Prince's orders reasonably well.
Frankly, it was impressive they could do this much while frozen in fear.
But their efforts were in vain, as the formation was shattered in a single blow.
*Craaash!*
"Guek!"
"Ugh!"
The students struck by the 2nd-rank druid were sent flying in all directions.
It was like kicking away paper dolls.
The creature then charged straight for Franz.
It was an action that clearly identified who the commander was.
"Come if you dare. Hyaaah!"
Though it would have been natural to be intimidated, Franz appeared quite calm.
He was focusing his entire mind on executing his swordsmanship.
*Swirl.*
The Second Prince fluidly thrust his sword forward.
He met the opponent's fist with the flat of his blade, applying force to divert the attack's trajectory.
The 2nd-rank druid's punch ended up striking empty air.
*K-booom—!*
A massive boulder shattered with a deafening roar.
Even as rock dust and fragments scattered, Franz's concentration remained unbroken.
He tried to meet the opponent's next punch with his blade again to deflect it.
But the opponent was not foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.
The incoming fist suddenly opened, snatching the Second Prince's sword.
*Clang!*
"Y-you!"
A groan escaped Franz's lips as he found his sword wouldn't budge, no matter how hard he struggled.
The 2nd-rank druid bared its sharp teeth and grinned.
"Hehehe! The moves of a greenhorn with no real combat experience are so predictable."
The sword technique the Second Prince had just used was the Royal Deflection Technique, which only members of the imperial family could learn.
Though it consisted of only a few short movements, its effectiveness was well-proven.
But that was a rule that applied only when fighting human against human.
It was difficult to consider a druid, fused with the soul of a monster, as human.
"Khahahaha!"
The 2nd-rank druid flickered its long, forked tongue and raised its arm high.
A clear motion to bring its fist down and end it.
Franz struggled desperately to get out of the attack's range.
But there was no way to dodge a blow from a creature with arms over three meters long at such close range.
It was at that very moment.
"O scorching rock, pierce and destroy. Magma Spear."
*Swoooosh—! Pshuk!*
Something crimson-black flew from the rear and pierced through the 2nd-rank druid's armpit.
Moreover, the magma that burst from the point of impact caused the creature immense pain.
"Kraaaak!"
Franz reflexively shot to his feet.
He then charged at the 2nd-rank druid, which was writhing in agony.
*Stab! Shhhk!*
After landing a solid blow, he pressed his advantage, and the opponent began to crumble rapidly.
The Second Prince didn't miss the opportunity, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks.
Beads of sweat poured down like rain, but he couldn't stop.
If he didn't finish it here, they would all be utterly annihilated.
*Shhhk—! Crack! Thwack!*
Sophia's spear-type magic, flying in with a precise trajectory.
Combined with Franz's support, it seemed like a breakthrough was in sight.
But then, it happened.
"Gwoooar!"
*K-thooom! Claaang!*
His strength failing, the Second Prince was struck by the opponent's blow.
It seemed the druid had crouched, gathered its strength, and unleashed it all in one go.
*Thud! Sccrrrape!*
Franz slid a dozen meters across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
In that time, a flurry of attacks from the Third Prince's group rained down.
*Th-th-thwack!*
The 2nd-rank druid soon breathed its last.
"Hah! Hooo... Ugh!"
Though he was retching repeatedly, the Second Prince seemed mostly unharmed.
The enchanted plate armor he wore had saved his life.
As he struggled to lift his head, he saw Ellington's face, who had approached him at some point.
"I'll give you this one. You held it down well."
"Grr! Shut your mouth."
Gritting his teeth, Franz stood up and stared blankly at the druid, which had reverted to its human form.
To be pushed back so hard by a mere 2nd-rank, nothing more than a low-level commander.
He was getting a real sense of how powerful the forces of Breznev, one of the Seven Monstrous Evils, truly were.
The Second Prince began to walk unsteadily, intending to check on his group members first.
But Franz soon had to stop in his tracks.
A man in a black robe was standing silently beside the druid's corpse.
"Hm? Who is that?"
Ellington also spotted the man, his expression turning serious.
He had noticed a black pendant, emitting a strange aura, through a gap in the robe.
The Mark of the Black Spirit.
A 3rd-rank druid had appeared in the midst of the students.
Even the Third Prince, who was always composed, couldn't hide his tension and let out a low groan.
"Hmm."
Fighting a 3rd-rank in their current state was next to impossible.
Fleeing for their lives would give them the highest chance of survival.
Even if it meant leaving their collapsed group members behind.
But even escaping seemed unlikely.
The 3rd-rank druid, craning its neck, was scanning the students.
"So the Empire gathered a bunch of brats to do something..."
Muttering in a hoarse voice, the creature's eyes lit up the moment it spotted Franz and Ellington.
It was as if it had stumbled upon a great fortune.
The 3rd-rank druid's lips stretched to its ears as it spoke.
"Hehehe! I wondered where I'd seen you. You're the princes, aren't you?"
*Crrrack! C-crack!*
Every time the 3rd-rank druid moved, it sounded as if its joints were being crushed.
Seeing its eerie and grotesque movements, the students' faces instantly turned pale.
The aura emanating from the opponent was utterly terrifying.
And this was before it had even transformed.
"What fine prey has appeared. Keh-keh-keh-keh!"
The opponent let out a bizarre laugh, revealing dozens of fangs.
It felt like a demon from hell was cackling madly.
*Crack! C-c-crack!*
The strange sound of bones continued unabated.
The creature approached the students with a staggering gait.
With each step, its body grew slightly larger.
By the time it was five meters away, the 3rd-rank druid's expansion finally stopped.
"It's disgustingly huge."
The creature's size was truly exceptional.
Standing about four meters tall, the sight of its muscles writhing all over its body was deeply menacing.
White fur sprouted from its skin, and its snout elongated.
"Kwawoooo!"
*Thooom—!*
As it bared its sharp teeth and roared, a shockwave erupted, shaking the ground.
Then, the 3rd-rank druid tilted its head, and a black aura poured from its eyes.
"Soul Advent, Ancient Werewolf."
From the thought that echoed powerfully in their minds, it seemed the monster soul the creature had summoned was that of a werewolf.
The first species of monster, said to have branched off from demonic beasts in ancient times.
As a pureblood, the Ancient Werewolf was an incredibly powerful being.
Just how strong must this druid be, having drawn upon such a creature's soul to share its power?
"Crazy, how are we supposed to beat that..."
"We have to try something. Let's coordinate like we did with the 2nd-rank."
Ellington, who had suddenly approached, offered encouragement.
Franz wasn't pleased to take advice from his thorn-in-the-side younger brother.
But for now, cooperating to the fullest seemed to offer the highest chance of survival.
"Yes. You're right. I'll create an opportunity somehow."
Ellington nodded at Franz's words and immediately moved to a distant spot.
With all the guards down, he had taken it upon himself to protect Sophia.
Meanwhile, the Second Prince formed a line with the remaining students.
"Huhu! Your struggling is amusing."
Despite being surrounded, the 3rd-rank druid didn't move.
It seemed to be watching with interest to see what they would do.
The faint smile on its face suggested it found the students' movements to be some sort of parlor trick.
*Shhhheek—! Clang!*
The battle began with a magic attack from Sophia.
Her mana seemed to be low, as she was now mainly using Magic Spear.
But the spell that reached the target's fur simply bounced off futilely.
*Shhhheek—! T-tang!*
"Now! Hyaah!"
Though the magic had failed, Franz charged in without hesitation.
Whatever the situation, this was the most opportune moment.
The other students also charged, driving their sword strikes into the 3rd-rank druid's body.
*Kakakakakakang!*
"Hup!"
"This is insane...!"
They had struck the fur with aura-infused swords, yet surprisingly, a sharp metallic sound rang out.
Franz and the other students stared at their tingling hands and swords with dumbfounded expressions.
For some, whose aura had been weaker, their swords had shattered from the impact.
When they looked up, the massive wolf head was grinning viciously.
"Is that all you've got? Little brats."
They hadn't even properly launched their attack, but the students found themselves unable to move.
An unbelievable outcome, followed by a terrifying wave of killing intent.
*Whoosh! Th-th-thud—!*
The 3rd-rank druid swung its arm lightly.
The four students positioned on the left were sent flying, vomiting blood.
A playful strike had wiped out their remaining forces.
*Gulp!*
Left to face the opponent alone, Franz swallowed dryly, unable to overcome his tension.
But in that very instant, he heard a voice from behind him.
"Mind stepping aside? That one's ours."