Chapter 82

'What on earth is going on?'

Irina couldn't find words for a while about the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Humans, whom she had thought were threatening the king, were now fighting against Fury.

Especially the blond man, who had been teasing her all this time, was showing the most remarkable performance.

-I beg of you here.

Especially the words he had spat out, as if throwing King Velence at her, still confused her.

And then, when she heard everything from King Velence.

"...It turned out like this. So, I ask."

"Speak."

Irina hurriedly got down on one knee while trying to gather her confused thoughts.

King Velence asked with a face that was no longer youthful.

"Whose side will the Captain of the royal bodyguard take? If you side with Fury, there won't be another chance."

"What are you talking about! I am nothing but the captain of the royal bodyguard, sworn to protect the king."

Irina's eyes filled with urgency.

"Please do not doubt my loyalty."

"Is that so? Good to hear. Still, I haven't misjudged people."

King Velence smiled warmly for a moment, then took Irina's hand.

"Then, I ask you for help. Please... help me, Irina."

"I will follow your orders."

Irina nodded slowly as she rose from her seat.

She would ensure that no one approached the king.

The determination to protect the king at all costs was firmly etched in her eyes this time.

* * *

This is really dangerous as it is.

Is it because Fury is much closer to the wild than Anthromorph?

Mount had instinctively felt that way many times.

At first, he thought he could handle traps set by humans or anything like that easily.

After all, aren't humans supposed to live safely under the Great Wall without any real danger?

He had been thinking with a casual attitude that if such a lowly race were dangerous, how dangerous could they really be?

But when the blond human directly used the Body Strengthening Art, which could be considered a treasure of the beastmen, something seemed off.

Now, facing off against the Blue Lion, his instincts were screaming louder than ever that they needed to escape from here as soon as possible!

Staying here any longer might result in the complete annihilation of the squad!

Clang!

"...Ugh!"

But Mount didn't have the luxury to do so.

Retreating wasn't even an option in his mindset, and even if he tried to come up with another strategy, the man in front of him showed no sign of vulnerability whatsoever.

"Why the long face? Weren't you feeling pretty confident just a moment ago? I heard you're one of Fury's top warriors, so this can't be the end, can it?"

Herman burst into hearty laughter as he looked at Mount, drenched in blood.

The more he laughed, the more twisted Mount's face became.

'He's... too strong!'

Mount had to admit that fact now.

While his entire body was covered in wounds, Herman hadn't sustained any significant injuries.

Even though he was wheezing and gasping for air from exhaustion, Herman showed no signs of fatigue.

No, he seemed rather relaxed.

He even looked pleased.

How should I put it?

It was like the feeling of coming back to one's comfortable home?

Mount couldn't understand how a human, who supposedly only sought safety, could have such a feeling on the battlefield.

He was feeling a primal fear from Herman, who was approaching like an unstoppable adversary.

'Humans... Surely not all humans are like this, right?'

No, that couldn't be true.

Mount wanted to believe that.

Sure, he had heard that there were individuals among humans who could rival or even surpass Blue Lion, but perhaps Blue Lion was just hiding his true strength.

Perhaps Blue Lion was the strongest human of them all. So, he thought it wasn't unreasonable for him to be so easily overwhelmed.

But

"Anyway, I owe you an apology."

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe it's because I have only recently recovered from my sickbed, so my movements seem a bit sluggish, don't they? Since my still have many sore spots on my body, I understand if I am a bit sloppy."

"...Are you trying to deceive me? Should I believe such words?"

"Really. And what would I gain by engaging in a battle of words with you right now?"

Herman chuckled as he casually swept his sword, stained with blood, across the ground.

"I'm already winning."

Swish!

Mount heard those words and gritted his teeth.

The problem was he had no rebuttal.

"Anyway, there's nothing to gain from prolonging this fight, so let's finish it quickly. This time, I'll go."

Swish!

Mount instinctively stepped back as he swung his battle axe fiercely at Herman, who was charging at him with great speed.

But as Herman changed direction midway, the axe only struck the barren ground.

Shing!

Herman relentlessly swung his sword at Mount, not missing any opportunity to exploit his vulnerabilities.

Every time the sword flashed, it was followed by a blue aura, striking Mount like lightning!

It was so fierce as if a mighty lion was swiping its claws at its prey.

Mount's battle axe shattered. His left arm was deeply severed and flew into the air.

Crunch!

In a situation where everyone seemed to be dying, all Mount could see was his own mangled body and his crumbling army.

'Because of humans...! Because of these strange humans!'

He had heard of similar incidents forty years ago.

The incident is known as Fury's humiliation. The event where they had to turn away from attacking Anthromorph that was right before their eyes.

Wasn't it because of a human with blond hair and green eyes back then too...?

'This time, it can't happen! I can't let the great will of the Blood Wolf King be broken again!'

So Mount changed his mind.

If he couldn't have it, he would just self-destruct.

Mount retrieved the beads sealed under the handle of his battle axe and dropped it on the ground.

Thunk!

Thinking it might be explosives, Herman swiftly broke the sword's path before taking any clumsy action to disarm it.

Plop!

The sword passed through Mount's chin, pierced his skull, and popped out the other side.

"Kell, Kell...! Fury won't fall...!"

With those words, Mount twisted his head to the side.

However, the beads started hitting each other, sparking sparks, and soon they were shooting firecrackers very high into the air.

A red fog spread across the sky in an instant.

"What's this?"

Hermann narrowed his eyes, realizing it was a signal flare.

Understanding its significance would make it easier to respond. If it was a retreat signal, it would be more convenient, but it didn't seem to be the case.

And indeed.

"The captain... has fallen...!"

"The orders have been given!"

"For Fury!"

"For the Blood Wolf King!"

"For the Blood Wolf King!"

The beastmen roared in unison as they began to run towards Anthromorph.

Their demeanor showed they wouldn't even bother with the Elric and his friends behind them.

Without any tactics or strategy, they all ran in that direction.

"Ho-ho! How about that, humans! The order for a general attack has just been given! Not only our vanguard but soon our main army will also target Anthromorph! Your city will soon be trampled and turned to ashes... Ugh!"

Hugo, amidst the pile of corpses, burst into laughter, only to be silenced by an ice arrow striking him in the back of his head.

"Anyway, extras like him are useless. Just talkative."

Elric, with an attitude of 'what can you do', glanced down at the dead body of Hugo, then turned his gaze back towards Anthromorph.

King Velence seemed to be trembling with fear due to the sudden danger to the city.

[Don't worry too much.]

Upon receiving Elric's sound conduction, the king seemed to relax slightly.

'I hope he perform well over there.'

They had done all they could from the outside.

Now, it was up to those left inside.

Elric thought as much.

* * *

"Fu, Fu, Fury is attacking!"

"What? What nonsense is this! While the general winter is in full swing, how can those Fury bastards come here?"

"W-We don't know either. But the sentries' reports confirm it. We need to come up with a plan right away!"

The news of Fury's army advancing threw Anthromorph into chaos.

Already tumultuous due to the dispute over the Body Strengthening Art, now even the remaining bastions were shaken by the sudden threat.

"L-Let's surrender!"

"What on earth are you saying! Are you out of your mind?"

"Then what do we do! With no king and our forces and supplies insufficient thanks to the general winter! If we're exposed to Fury like this, we're dead!"

"I agree with the Finance Minister!"

"Me too!"

"Me too...! I don't want to die like this!"

"Have you seen such lunatics! Just trying to seize the royal family's secret art is punishable by death, let alone babbling like fools?"

The ministers and officials, each calling up their own soldiers or making gestures, reached a deadlock.

With a situation like this, even the citizens couldn't help but explode.

"Calling those things substitutes!"

"Overturn them! We can't entrust politics to such people! We can't entrust the city to them!"

"The king! Bring the king!"

In the moment when civil war seemed imminent even before facing Fury.

The Prime Minister, who had been keeping his eyes closed all this time, finally opened them.

"Shadow Guards. What are you waiting for? Arrest the traitors immediately."

His voice was low, but it carried a profound resonance, and almost no one around failed to hear it.

"P-Prime Minister! What are you... Oh!"

"Ugh! Th-This is..."

The ministers and officials who had been advocating surrender suddenly found themselves staring at the blade pressed against their throats, caught completely off guard.

Those who they thought were loyal until now.

The situation had progressed so rapidly that the other soldiers had no time to act.

Or before they knew it, their heads were rolling to the ground, blood spurting out.

"We have subdued all 31 individuals and their subordinates who either expressed surrender or engaged in clandestine dealings involving the Body Strengthening Art."

The figure who appeared to be the leader bowed before Prime Minister Norus as he reported.

Norus nodded silently and rose from his seat.

The arrested ministers and officials could do nothing but panic.

"Prime Minister! What in the world is this!"

"We were allies, weren't we!"

"The Shadow Guards! This is outrageous...!"

The Shadow Guards were a secret organization that had once secretly purged rebels across the Beastmen alliance to preserve the authority of the Tiger King.

However, it was believed to have disappeared with the dissolution of the Beastmen alliance and the decline of the authority of the royal family.

That it was still active, and led by none other than Norus, whom they had believed to be their ally all along, came as a profound shock to them.

Recruiting, training, and deploying so many personnel secretly throughout this small city...

Just how long had they been operating secretly?

"The royal family may falter, but their legacy remains scattered throughout. What has supported the royal family until now wasn't the petty ambitions you all harbored."

"…!"

"…!"

"…!"

"Ignorantly dreaming futile dreams, even the Blood Wolf King will soon be shaken and humbled."

Prime Minister Norus nodded to the waiting soldiers, awaiting their orders.

"Just a moment! Prime Minister! Please listen to me! I'm innocent! Innocent…!"

"I surrender! Spare me, please! Prime Minister? Prime Minister!"

There was no trace of hesitation among the Shadow Guards.

According to the immediate orders, many heads rolled, and soon the ground was awash with blood.

The audience fell into silence.

Even the citizens, with astonished faces, looked at Prime Minister Norus.

He still wore a tired expression, but his eyes shone with determination.

"I won't say more. Let's fight. To defend our city."

That was enough.

Until the citizens prepared for resistance.

[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]