Wolves of Hader

Chapter 98

Puh-puh-puh-puh-PUNG—

An enormous storm-like force surged in from behind.

The explosion happened the very moment my shield was deployed.

Even with my shield raised, I got blasted back into the corridor wall by the sheer force of the blast.

Allen was thrown next to me, slamming into the wall as well. I immediately grabbed his leg and dragged him over.

Then I too moved deeper into the corridor. The other squad members had also been blown further inside.

The fact that my shield had blocked off the front of the corridor, yet the force still pierced through, showed just how intense it was.

Shwaaaaa—

The explosion wasn't something that passed in an instant.

It shook the earth and air violently.

As it was an outburst of freezing force, not only our pupils but even the inside of the corridor started to freeze.

Allen was being flung around with his leg still held in my hand.

Blood dripping from his nose left a long trail as it splashed through the air.

The storm of force continued for about ten seconds before it abruptly stopped.

Allen hit the ground with a thud first, and I too fell forward, unable to resist the recoil any longer.

I activated a vitality Buffer and cast healing on Allen.

He didn't seem to be fatally wounded, so after feeding him a top-grade recovery potion, I dashed further into the corridor.

All squad members were tangled together at the corridor's dead end.

They had just been blown there by the outburst—it seemed none of them were seriously injured.

"Cough-cough!"

"Is everyone okay?"

The squad members coughed and checked each other's conditions.

No one was bleeding or had broken bones. Still, internal injuries must be considerable, so I projected a healing Buffer.

Light radiated from my body, washing the five-step area around me in white.

It was a mass-area healing Buffer derived from the elementals' innate vitality and regenerative powers.

"Take your potions and hold position for now."

"Yes, sir!"

I ran towards the pupil.

The Guardian had changed, appearing far more ferocious than before—its aura seemed ten times stronger, too.

But it didn't seem like its magic power had increased.

Rather, it felt like it had recklessly amplified all remaining magic power, shifting all its strength from defense to an all-out assault.

KRAAAAH—

Now dyed violet, the Guardian let out an eerie roar different from before.

But even upon spotting me, it didn't charge.

I skirted the Guardian and ran toward the shaft where Eilin was.

Entering the shaft, I found the two and the porters sitting, having been blown back about thirty paces.

"Anyone hurt?"

"Thankfully, no!"

"Eilin, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I was trying to run after hearing the commotion, but the storm caught up and knocked me down, that's all."

Since the opening Dran had made in the shaft was small, the force must have been greatly reduced.

But even so, from the far end of the shaft, I could already hear monsters gathering.

"I'm headed for the pupil!"

"Get up! Monsters are gathering!"

Nabak supported the two porters, and I helped Eilin as we rushed toward the pupil.

It seemed the Guardian was summoning all the subordinate monsters scattered throughout the underground!

"Nabak! Go for the smallest hole!"

"Yes!"

Leaving the group to Nabak, I headed for the Guardian. The beast, showing no interest in weaker prey, charged directly at me.

It dashed at an incredible speed.

KUKWAAANG—

The Guardian charged, then immediately slammed down with its front legs.

With every attack, unlike before, a surge of force exploded.

I quickly twisted out of the way as it moved, circling behind it, and then, channeling magic, sliced deeply along its flank.

This time, it was different.

With a squelch, half of my greatsword carved through its side.

The Guardian's defense had dramatically weakened!

Yet its offense was now even more powerful!

KUAHAHAARGH—

The Guardian erupted again—this time, the force surged out. I was pushed back several paces!

I confirmed that Eilin and Nabak had entered the smallest passage.

It was tiny enough to crawl through, so even if another burst of force exploded, they'd be safer there.

"Donnie! Hans!"

"On our way!"

As the squad emerged, I activated Buffers in succession.

I positioned myself at the corridor entrance so everyone would get buffed on their way out.

"Its defense is down! Disable it again then hit it with everything!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Watch its front legs! Its outbursts are dangerous!"

No sooner were the words out than the Guardian swung at Hans, slamming the ground.

With a BOOM—another outburst.

Hans was flung back, tumbled, but quickly regrouped.

The same barrage began again.

Its defense had weakened, but not to the point of being killed in a single blow.

And with its attacks stronger than ever, extra caution was needed to avoid getting hit.

The Guardian was berserk now.

The magic consumption must've been huge.

Which meant, as a last resort, there was a high chance it would explode its magic one more time—but not twice, as it lacked the reserves.

Working in sync with the squad, we gradually wore down the Guardian's magic.

I could tell, as I attacked, that its reserves were steadily dropping.

"Avoid heavy strikes for now!"

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone understood my meaning.

If we went all-out, it could explode with force again—so we should whittle away at its magic little by little.

Even if it took time, once its magic was so low that it couldn't burst out, we could ultimately disable it and end things.

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM—

Angered by our hit-and-run tactics, the Guardian slammed at the ground as if swatting insects.

Whenever it signaled an attack, everyone would retreat swiftly with a dash.

These weren't squad members who would get hit by such moves.

Of course, without Buffs, who knows what might have happened.

Now I could practically feel the Guardian's magic waning.

Where once only my sword could penetrate its flesh, now Donnie's sword easily sliced its hide too.

"Not much left! Focus!"

"My Buffer's weakening!"

As the Guardian twisted, the squad all circled behind it once again.

I used the movement skill [Charging] and dash in succession, moving directly to my team.

Right as I was about to reapply Buffs to them—

The rumble grew steadily louder as ice monsters began pouring out of every shaft and corridor.

At first, I didn't care. The Guardian looked like it was about to fall any moment.

But as their numbers increased, our mobility became seriously impeded.

Our usual hit-and-run movement around the Guardian became increasingly difficult, as the ice monsters got more and more in the way.

It even reached a point where we risked getting hit by the Guardian due to poor evasion.

There was no other way.

We'd have to weather the outburst.

And it'd be best if the Guardian had no magic left for it.

"Donnie! We're going for the disable!"

"Move toward the corridor!"

The whole squad retreated at once.

I readied a heavy strike.

That's when it happened.

"Boss! Help me!"

The youngest squad member's shout echoed from inside the corridor.

Monsters were surging toward the shaft where Eilin had gone. The others were already rushing that way.

"Donnie! Get everyone out first!"

"Roger!"

All the squad members dove into the shaft where Eilin and the youngest had taken refuge.

Since disabling the Guardian would require everyone working together, I held off the monsters alone.

I planned to finish things with the squad.

If I'd been alone, perhaps I could have used Flame's power and ended this more easily—but with another element Guardian, that would have been a different story.

Every Guardian has resistances and weaknesses to specific elements.

This Guardian was vulnerable to Flame, but freezing was ineffective.

However, if I unleashed enough flame to take down the Guardian, my allies would also be at risk.

It would require absolutely massive firepower to overcome its defense.

I wasn't here to do everything myself.

I came to grow together.

One must experience things firsthand to gain true knowledge. And—

To stake your life for your comrades.

One must cross those life-or-death lines together to truly understand this burning feeling.

This feeling extends to family and every member of the team.

The trust among us did not arise overnight. We had braved blood and death together.

Whatever comes next, whatever faces us—we'll face it together.

I swept the ice monsters away with Whirlwind, brushing just above the ground.

But for some reason, the squad didn't emerge. The passage was narrow, but maybe it was deeper inside.

"Donnie! Why aren't you guys out yet?!"

I soon heard an answer.

"There are a lot of passages inside here! Monsters are pouring out too! The young lady and the porters are isolated, but Nabak is still holding them off well for now!"

"Is the situation that bad?"

"No! We'll be out soon!"

As I was clearing monsters, I finally remembered Allen.

Monsters must have entered the corridor he was in as well. I had forgotten about him, but—

"Ahaha! Come at me, you bastards! Die! Die! Yeah, you die too! Ahahahaha!"

Allen was rampaging like a madman.

Blood dripped from his mouth, eyes wild with insanity. Was he just that tough?

Or just plain crazy?

"Can you hold out?"

"What?"

"You're seriously hurt right now!"

"So what? Am I supposed to just roll over and die?"

He was ridiculously strong. Each time Allen swung his hammer, three or four monsters broke apart.

When he shoved them, whole groups of ten tumbled back.

"Hahaha! This feels amazing!"

"Let's get going! It's time to finish this!"

"Good idea!"

We sprinted right back to the pupil.

Still, the squad had not emerged.

Just as Allen and I were about to finish off the remaining ice monsters—

A flash!

Light exploded from the small passage the squad had entered. And then—

SHWAAAA—

Intense light poured from the passage, like a beam of brilliance breaking through black storm clouds!

The real shock came a moment later.

All the ice monsters bathed in that light collapsed instantly. The same thing happened within the passage.

RUMBLE—CRASH CRASH CRASH—

Chunks of ice tumbled down everywhere.

Even my own elemental was startled.

My magic twisted and surged out of nowhere.

It didn't feel unpleasant at all—on the contrary, it felt exhilarating, like catching a cool breeze atop a mountain in late summer.

Wondering what was happening, I dashed to the narrow passage.

That's when Donnie and the squad came running out.

All wore expressions of absolute shock.

"What happened?"

"It's hard to explain! All the monsters inside the passage have been eliminated... Young lord! Behind you!"

At Donnie's warning, I kicked off the ground and leaped aside.

The squad darted away as well. In that brief instant, I saw a huge shadow loom overhead.

BOOM—

The Guardian crashed down on the spot where I'd just stood, then whipped around, slashing with its forepaw.

SMASH—

Two squad members failed to dodge and were sent flying. There was no time to help.

The Guardian was already about to slam down on the two who'd been knocked away!

THUD—

Thankfully, both rolled aside in time.

"Mont! Get healed first!"

"It's nothing!"

But I saw drops of blood streaking down from under Mont's helmet.

Still, I trusted my squad. If someone really needed healing, they'd pull back themselves.

As I activated my Buffer, I shouted,

"Clear the monsters first, then finish this!"

"Yes, sir!"

The squad withdrew a safe distance from the Guardian.

Then, each one unleashed Whirlwind, tearing through the ice monsters. That's when it happened.

Suddenly, the pupil was filled with blinding light—again, all the ice monsters in the area crumbled away without resistance.

As I moved, I glanced toward the narrow passage.

I couldn't believe my eyes for a moment.

A beam of light was shining from Eilin's hand.

What in the world...?

"Let's finish the beast!"

The swarming ice monsters had all turned into mere chunks of ice.

Even the Guardian had retreated, keeping a wary distance from the light.

Furious, it looked as if it might explode in rage again.

"It's going to burst again!"

"Get clear!"

"No! Disable it!"

I leaped straight at the Guardian.

The squad, who'd been retreating into the passage, changed direction and followed hard on my heels.

The instant I landed, I unleashed a horizontal Sword Line.

CHUANG—

A crimson ray shot toward the Guardian. At the very moment it was gathering strength for another outburst!

PUH-PUH-PUNG—KUKWAKWANG—

As the Guardian erupted first, everyone charging at it was thrown back.

"Cough!"

I skidded across the floor but sprang up immediately.

Some squad members were coughing, but almost as one, everyone dashed toward the Guardian again.

The Guardian had also taken a direct hit from the crimson ray and was down.

That was its last explosion—its last disabling.

"Hyah!"

I was first to leap and drive my sword down; the others all jumped at once, swords drawn back.

Allen too charged forward in a contest of spirit.

SMASH—SMASH SMASH SMASH—

My greatsword plunged into the Guardian's neck. Then, the squad's swords struck its body all at once.

Allen's hammer slammed into its head.

We hacked at the Guardian's neck with mad ferocity.

Its neck bone was incredibly tough; its neck's flesh was already half-severed!

Five! Six! Seven! Eight! Nine!

CHOP—

The ninth blow took the Guardian's head. Allen chopped off the severed head for good measure.

Thunk—

Its head flew to the pupil's wall, struck, then dropped and rolled. Only then did we lower our weapons.

"Haha! I finished it off this time!"

Ignoring Allen's crowing, I looked to my squad.

Everyone was exchanging exhausted looks.

Then I looked to Eilin.

She too was gazing at me with a stunned, grateful expression.

In her hand was a sword.

Was that brilliant light coming from that sword?