#218
Lycanthrope (3)
“Uh, yeah. If you’re busy, no need to come. We’ll see each other next time. Take care.”
With a brief farewell, his friend’s call ended.
Putting down the smartphone, he turned his head slightly to glance at the bed in the corner of the room.
“Sigh.”
There lay a man fast asleep, resembling himself as if dead, and he couldn’t help but exhale another deep sigh for what felt like the umpteenth time.
‘He’s still far from waking up. Well, it’s only been a day, so that makes sense.’
Even though he was aware of this fact, the series of events had apparently made him anxious without him realizing it.
Hugo slumped down on the edge of the bed where Seong-hyun Han’s true self lay sleeping, rubbing his temples with one hand.
‘Things have been chaotic already, and now with Hans and Harley…’
Fortunately, Harley had only become a bit unruly; it wasn’t as serious as Hans, who had committed slaughter without a shred of pity for his goals.
Still, with the power of the skill “Tyrant of Madness,” he was managing to control the madness relatively easily.
‘But the problem is that we can’t completely escape its influence!’
It was an unavoidable situation since they had crossed the walls by utilizing the madness.
And that little influence began…
Harley’s primal wildness, his simplicity that avoided deep thoughts, and his propensity to solve everything through violence melded into a horrific synergy.
‘For now, I’m distracting myself by indulging in food and turning my attention away.’
But that wouldn’t last long.
He needed to come up with another plan quickly.
‘After all, the easiest way to handle a bomb is to just blow it up. Somewhere safe where damage won’t occur.’
And the site where that bomb was to explode was already prepared.
He had already made significant preparations.
‘The place I’m most concerned about right now is…’
Heinz II was in contact with Vice President Kayla McClair of the Republic to smoothly carry out a plan to attack Obaifo, and since there was nothing particularly noteworthy among the other avatars, there was just one place to worry about right now.
‘…Enamel Continent, Elven Kingdom.’
*
[Giants have appeared in the Southern Altalica Forest. The forest keeper is leading the sentinels in combat. While support is on its way, they are being cautious to minimize damage, so it won’t end quickly.]
[Is this the third giant after the Bella Gorge and the Sorata Swamps? To have everything erupt all at once right after the Lycanthropes’ scheme! It has become clear that they are surely connected to the Abyss… and the Undead King.]
Tsk, even though I could see they were in a tough spot, I refrained from messing with them. Could they really be minions of the Undead King? I shouldn’t have trusted those guys!
‘But I’m just as taken aback over here…’
Right after dealing with a general-level Lycanthrope from the north.
Harris swallowed the unspoken question as he turned clockwise to engage in four additional battles.
Maybe it was a special case when they first met a general-level foe; the ones leading the subsequent groups were merely knight-level.
Thanks to this, he had enough energy left to stay connected to the network and receive real-time updates…
‘Just how many are mobilized for this? More than that, it’s surprising that such a number could hide until just before the attack.’
Reports of battles were pouring in from all directions.
Conflicts with giants, of course, and multiple encounters with Lycanthropes.
The Elven Kingdom had long been in a state of emergency like never before.
– Harris: So what is the emblem on their chests… ? It seems like the reason why the World Tree’s gaze has been obscured, and why I, along with other Elves, couldn’t recognize them.
– Hannibal Strauss: Hmm, it feels similar to the golden insignia engraved on the Oath of Reversal guys. This looks less like a golden mark and more like a testament to a contract with some higher entity. Though it doesn’t seem like a normal deal, so the cost probably isn’t insignificant.
– Heinz II: They really are involved everywhere. The fact that Obaifo itself was an Eastern branch has also been confirmed.
‘Are you telling me that a couple hundred people are all contractors? Are they some kind of Demon King or something?’
With a deep sigh, Harris slumped his shoulders in the face of the complex situation.
One thing was certain: they had not prepared for the current assault in a short period of time.
When they had enlisted the succubus Siana, they had already established which regions and which officers were left behind.
‘That guy, the Clown. He has been active for over 20 years in the Oath of Reversal. His main areas of operation were the Eastern Empire and the entire Republic… and the Enamel Continent.’
It filled him with dread to think of all the tricks that may have transpired during all that time.
‘Ah, I really don’t want this to turn into more of a mess. The rewards are even blander than I imagined.’
Whether it was a special service for a first-time event or a premium for defeating a general-level enemy, the rewards from the World Tree after breaking the altar were nothing compared to what he had received initially.
Despite being better than nothing, the feeling of disappointment was inevitable.
‘Moreover, I didn’t even receive rewards for the last altar I destroyed. …Well, I couldn’t completely eliminate the rift after the ritual was over, so it couldn’t be helped. But I hope that all the rituals haven’t concluded already.’
As he wallowed in self-pity alone…
‘… Here we go again. But it seems they’ve spotted me too. Is it another general-level one?’
He felt a fierce momentum rushing directly towards him.
It couldn’t have sensed his presence, which merged with nature from this distance; they must have caught the scent of the summoned spirits.
‘Thanks to Harley, I was able to learn more about their special traits.’
The first guy he met had been a tad slow to recognize him, probably because he was in the middle of conducting a ritual.
The senses of a general-level Lycanthrope could detect not only physical phenomena but also traces of mana, making it hard to conceal one’s trail with just spirits.
Unless he deliberately stirred up a ruckus to confuse them briefly, of course.
‘I think this one is stronger than that last one…’
But Harris himself had significantly grown stronger since then.
This time, he had not one, but two ultimate spirits, Watt and Pascal!
‘Strike first for the win!’
Harris drew his bow, Temis, and focused his energy into a single point.
Only a few seconds remained before the beast arrived.
But that time was…
Just enough to launch a devastating attack to start things off.
*
The giants that had appeared on the Enamel Continent weren’t just clashing with the Elves.
Before things could really kick off, security was the top priority, so they had no choice but to gradually open rifts in areas far from the World Tree.
Even though the Lycanthropes could block the World Tree’s influence through their contracts with revolutionaries, it wasn’t a 100% foolproof plan, so they needed to proceed as cautiously as possible.
[———!]
Kwaaaang—!
“Form hunting units! Don’t overdo it! Just buy time until backup arrives!”
In the northwestern part of Enamel Continent, outer hunting squads composed of various savage beastmen clashed with the White Giant.
“Ha ha ha! I’ve never chased such a large prey before! It’s giving me chills!”
“So those Ion Continent folks were just playing around with this kind of thing?”
“If you’re going to bluff, uncurl that coiled tail! Focus! Dozens have already died to this thing!”
“···Tsk!”
Even if they didn’t directly clash with them, there were cases of Elves fighting the giants at the edges of the combat zone, with support arriving from nearby.
Just like the eastern border near the Central Swamps with the Lizardman community, Sorata Swamps.
“Let’s move in! Forest Keeper.”
“…I really appreciate the help. I was just thinking how I might actually die here.”
“Aah—? The Forest Keeper is saying that? I should pull in the underlings and request for additional support. We shouldn’t take too long as the swamp is connected.”
Since relationships between the races were not that bad to begin with, and given the warnings about the giants spread at the recent Continental Summit, it wasn’t that surprising.
It might be a bummer for those who caused the incident, but quick response had led to the situation calming down quicker than expected.
However…
“Wow! This is better than I thought! I never anticipated I could call forth the giants I’d only heard about! The revolutionary must be reconsidered!”
The Lycanthrope King, Baukalakas, who didn’t care about such matters, snickered while counting his connected subordinates.
Although they had opened rifts as pre-arranged after the revolutionary had vanished, it wasn’t necessarily because they trusted him.
They merely felt it was too precious to abandon a plan they had spent years preparing to reduce the World Tree’s influence while supplying madness to enhance their power…
‘That guy must have been keeping an eye on us from the start? Well, I appreciate the gift! Thanks to that, the losses incurred in getting here were much less than expected.’
Though two generals had died along the way and one was likely to die soon, even that wasn’t a major loss compared to what he had thought.
The mental distraction caused by the master-level Elves and Forest Keepers watching over the giants must have played a big role.
“Kikikik! I mean, what can they do when the infamous giants are approaching from all directions?”
Still, even if the situation seemed favorable, there was no point in dragging it out any longer.
If the Elves weren’t fools, they would have already caught on to the anomaly and be preparing, and they probably requested support from neighboring countries in case things went sideways.
To defend the center of the Enamel Continent, where the World Tree was, that would be vital.
Indeed, right where it was in his sight.
“Keheheheh!”
Fsssh—
Pusss—
Unable to suppress his laughter, he watched as one by one, ferocious beasts rose onto their feet from the thicket around him.
At the same time, a bloody gleam lit up in the heart of their bright yellow eyes.
Crack!
Thud—
Their bodies swelled up, mixing the black mana flowing within them with madness, granting them tremendous power.
The number present was less than half of what it had originally been, but the overall fighting strength was higher than before.
‘It won’t last forever, but it won’t matter since all will be over before then!’
With his subordinates glowing with the crimson light in their eyes, the Wolfman King Baukalakas began to ramp up his speed toward their target.
Growl—
Kuoooh!
Thus, the transcendent king, a general surpassing ultimate limits, and hundreds of knights and warrior-level Lycanthropes…
Finally, they invaded the Elven Kingdom’s capital, Drasha.
*
The Lycanthropes had prepared extensively for this infiltration for a long time.
The rituals to open the rifts of the Abyss and the contracts inscribed on their chests were just part of it.
The king, aided by the revolutionary, had directly shaken the World Tree’s causation over time and had concealed himself to craft entrance routes into the Elven Kingdom.
Moreover, they had taken measures to evade the spirit’s surveillance, including training to detect the spirit’s residue for strategic avoidance.
It was a plan that had consumed time, resources, effort… and the lives of many.
“Move quickly! Inside!”
“Get all the arrows out of the warehouse!”
“Everyone who can fight, to your positions!”
However, no matter how thorough, there were limits to preparations.
If the number had been small, it might have worked, but with hundreds of invaders approaching the capital, it was impossible not to notice.
The Elves of Drasha had been in full war preparations even before the Lycanthropes arrived.
[How are the preparations going?]
[The defensive measures are all set. The Sentinels’ squad leader and the head gardener have finished the preparations, and the nearby Forest Keepers are on their way as fast as they can.]
Sigh… What a mistake. It would have been best to intercept them before they reached Drasha. It was too late to realize the number approaching was beyond our estimates.
Even if they were discovered halfway, the endeavors of the invaders hadn’t been totally in vain.
In the first place, what they desired was precisely this level of achievement.
To limit the battlefield to the capital where the World Tree was, protected by the Elves…
After the tension had flowed for a time, as the invading Lycanthropes began their advance towards Drasha, the real war finally began.
And in that instant…
“……!”
Harris, who had just slain a general-level foe some distance away and was catching his breath, suddenly felt a strange sensation and blinked his eyes.
“…What is this?”
It was an instinct.
Conveyed through a particularly strong bond with the World Tree compared to other High Elves, it was a powerful premonition.
‘…Double? No, triple?’
For some reason, though there was still no direct will conveyed, he could understand its meaning well enough.
His gaze subtly shifted in one direction.
Toward the capital, Drasha.
Gulp—
It was a clear crisis situation, yet somehow it felt like the sweet scent of a jackpot awaited him.
