Chapter 18: Devastating Strike
Karl Liebknecht was consumed by an inexplicable anxiety. In fact, as soon as he stepped into the Greenland Forest Trail, he had a badpremonition. Yet, under the mockery of Brodin, the leader of the Knights Order, and Clarence, the chief mage, Karl had to suppress the fear deep within him. This feeling peaked when the mages and knights decided to go on an adventurous hunt near the ice lake in the Greenland Forest. Karl firmly opposed such noble-style pastimes that had nothing to do with serious matters, but his attitude couldn’t change Brodin and Clarence’s minds. Although Brodin didn’t join the adventure, he provided seven excellent knights to assist the mages. That damned Brodin clearly wanted a share in the mages’ adventure as well.
Two days passed with no news from the mages and knights. Even Brodin began to panic, but Karl couldn’t figure out what might have happened to them. Logically, a group of eight senior mages and seven highly skilled knights should be enough to handle any expedition. Although the Greenland Forest was a paradise for magical beasts, no particularly dangerous ones were known there. Even if there were, such a powerful group could even take on a dragon.
Karl didn’t dare slow down the army’s progress. Everything had to wait until they reached Fortress Bruce. Without the mages’ help, the Knights Order’s strength was diminished, and Karl’s worries seemed to be turning into reality step by step.
Komer stood there, arms crossed coldly, staring into the distance. From here, he couldn’t see the soldiers of the Storm Infantry Regiment marching in formation, but he could sense the pulse of this army. This was the last and best spot for an ambush. It seemed the leader of this infantry regiment was quite capable—despite the fatigue, he had set up defensive positions along this winding route and planned to move quickly in segments. Did he suspect something due to the disappearance of the mages, or was he just naturally cautious? But this wouldn’t change the outcome of the battle. Such an unconventional fight couldn’t be won simply by defense.
Xuro and his companions were already in position. Uma’s eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light. Vladkov and Sorenberg waited eagerly for the final strike. Rebrí and Mihajović had successfully provoked the anger of the wolf pack, skillfully guiding the enraged wolves toward them. Everything was ready—the show was about to begin.
Mechnov was in a terrible mood. He was a practitioner of light magic who had just been promoted to mage, and he was unhappy that his companions were going on a hunt while he was forced to follow the army. He had always believed that Clarence held prejudices against him, but that cowardly wretch, Burzin, didn’t dare to oppose him. It was because of weaklings like him that the control of the mage group fell into the hands of those not belonging to the Light Church. But after two days with no news from his companions, he began to fear as well. He even thought about suggesting that Bronin and Karl temporarily withdraw from the Greenland Forest. Although Bruce Fortress was only a day’s distance away, Mechnov believed that only the Bosson Plains were safe. Bruce Fortress was located on the edge of the Greenland Forest and bordered the desolate Leon, where there were also many dangers.
But Bronin and Karl would surely not accept his suggestion, and Mechnov didn’t want to reveal his cowardice. He could only silently hope that Clarence and Burzin would return soon. Glancing around suspiciously, Mechnov seemed to hear some strange noises. He cautiously raised his head to look ahead and behind—everything was normal. The army’s long formation remained tightly packed, with officers carefully directing the troops. The Greenland Forest was a paradise for magical beasts, but with such a large army marching through, even they wouldn’t dare to interfere.
A strong sense of unease made Mechnov stop in his tracks. His sensitive ears caught sounds like howls coming from deep within ancient times. What was making those noises? The puzzled expression on Mechnov’s face also alerted Bronin immediately. Now, there was only this last mage left in the entire army. Although his most trusted assistants hadn’t returned yet, the main force of the knight order was still there, though they weren’t skilled in magic and could only cast some basic, rudimentary defensive spells. The mage’s expression also made him feel somewhat uneasy.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Mechnov?” Bronin asked, gripping the reins of his horse.
“It seems something’s not right. Don’t you feel it, Mr. Bronin? It’s too quiet around here—no birds or animals in sight. I even heard a strange howling sound just now.” Mechenov’s face turned pale as the magical energy in the air grew stronger. Damn it, it was the aura of a magical beast. What kind of beast? In a panic, he pulled out the staff he had just crafted. Inexperienced as he was, Mechenov stammered in terror, “There are magical beasts around here, Mr. Bronin! Tell your knights to be on guard! Messenger, hurry and warn the soldiers to be cautious!”
“Mr. Mechenov, what kind of magical beast is it?” Bronin’s heart tightened instantly. A faint glow appeared around his knight’s spear, and his anxious warhorse also showed signs of danger approaching.
“Wait—ah, it’s wolves! A pack of wolves! How is this possible? Why would wolves migrate this season?! Mr. Bronin, we’re in terrible luck—we’ve run into a migrating wolf pack!” Mechenov cried out in despair. He still didn’t know how many wolves there were. These fierce wolves would tear apart anything that dared to block their path, and their lack of intelligence meant they wouldn’t care if you were a real enemy or not.
The howling grew louder as it approached, quickly turning into a torrent of howls. Karl cursed inwardly at his bad luck. He had seen wolves before—they weren’t particularly ferocious magical beasts, but they were social creatures, and their temper became even more violent and aggressive during migration. It seemed his fears had become reality—things were off to a poor start.
It was as if the story of Komer and the others was repeating itself, only this time he was the one causing it. Thousands of wolves chased after the swift-moving Rebrí and Mihajović. The few purple-gray wolves, repeatedly mocked, furiously exhaled icy breaths in an attempt to attack Rebrí and Mihajović, but they always missed by a hair’s breadth. The wolf packs, divided into two large groups, attacked the long marching army from both flanks.
A cold aura covered the forest path. The army, stretching for thousands of meters, was attacked by two waves of wolves, forming two massive assault zones that rushed in like floods.
Although he cursed inwardly, the battle-hardened Karl remained composed. Though the gray wolves were fierce, they did not attack out of mere malice but only when they perceived a threat from the humans. The messengers promptly ordered the soldiers to form groups and create defensive circles, with enough space between each circle to allow the wildly roaming wolves to pass through. Karl’s decisiveness and wisdom proved crucial. The wolves surged like a tide, and the well-prepared Storm Infantry immediately became targets of their frenzied attacks. Thick ice mist filled the forest paths, freezing many weaker soldiers on the spot, turning them into prey for the wolves. However, this army was significantly better than the previous one. The soldiers did not collapse under the wolves’ assault; their defensive circles effectively repelled the attacks, though at a heavy cost. The wolves launched violent attacks on these humans who blocked their path, and the soldiers were still unaccustomed to fighting magical beasts, suffering heavy losses at first. Only after gradually adapting to the wolves’ tactics and the environment did they manage to stabilize their positions. Sorenberg and Vladkov finally appeared quietly. The two dark knights, radiating an aura of darkness, blended into the chaos dressed in the same attire as the Homer soldiers, going unnoticed in the turmoil. As soon as they appeared, they targeted the knights and officers who were leading the defense against the wolves. With their fierce dark energy, they struck instantly, killing many soldiers. The Homer soldiers thought it was some kind of psychological shock that drove their own men mad, while the Holy Knights had no chance to react before being slain. Hidden in the forest, dark mages continuously cast spells to enhance the two dark knights’ combat power, pushing it to its limits. Eventually, the mages even resorted to dark magic to attack the Holy Knights. Caught off guard, the Holy Knights lost their defensive capabilities almost immediately and were torn to pieces by the surrounding wolves.
Borin swung his knight’s spear like a mad tiger; the three gray wolves were torn to pieces by the fierce blasts from his spear, their agonized screams only fueling their more vicious attacks. He couldn’t understand how his knights could suddenly lose their fighting spirit and fall to those wolves’ claws. Though the wolves were ferocious, his knights should have been able to slay them—even the purple-maned wolves couldn’t inflict real harm on them. Yet he watched helplessly as knight after knight was reduced to pieces under the wolves’ assault.