Chapter 727: 21-39 Fritz’s Valiant Stand

Note: This chapter contains significant depictions of blood.

The defining traits of Rock Wolves were their blistering speed and seamless coordination as a pack.

Against such agile opponents, the lumbering Goliath was not particularly effective.

“They fear fire! Who here can use fire-attribute magic?” Fritz-dono bellowed, scanning the perimeter.

“I—I can!” one of the female knights called out.

“I can use it as well!” added Captain Bernardo-dono of the Egeria Kingdom investigation team, alongside another mage from his squad who raised a hand in affirmation.

“Excellent. The three of you, aim in the same direction and unleash Fireballs simultaneously. Target that one over there—the one with the darker coat.”

“Understood!”

Both expedition captains had wisely concluded that it was best to defer command to Fritz-dono, who clearly possessed extensive experience in this brand of warfare.

“Fire!”

Three blazing spheres of fire streaked through the air. Just a hair’s breadth before impact, the dark-furred Rock Wolf violently twisted its body to evade. Yet, that sudden evasion created the exact opening Fritz-dono wanted.

“Wind Cutter!”

Seizing the momentary lapse in the pack’s coordination, Fritz-dono unleashed a mid-tier wind-attribute spell. The invisible blades sliced across the vanguard, wounding three of the wolves.

“The cuts are too shallow! Do it again!”

A second synchronized barrage followed seamlessly, leaving three more beasts bleeding. This swift retaliation forced the pack to tighten its perimeter, their growls growing noticeably more cautious.

“Stay calm! One-on-one, a Rock Wolf is nothing to fear. As long as we disrupt their coordination, we will win!” Fritz-dono’s roaring voice rallied the camp, instantly rejuvenating the knights whose resolve had begun to falter.

It was true. A single Rock Wolf stood barely a meter long, roughly the size of a large dog, and their only true weapons were their fangs.

Their hides were not impenetrable; a standard steel blade could cut through them easily enough. The real danger lay entirely in their pack mentality and their ruthless, synchronized flanking maneuvers.

“That dark one from earlier is almost certainly the alpha.”

Having taken the brunt of Fritz-dono’s Wind Cutter, the dark-furred leader had retreated into the shadows of the rear guard, a deep gash weeping crimson across its back.

“When they lunge at you from different angles, keep your composure and swing your steel. Remember, once they are airborne, they cannot change their trajectory! That is your strike zone!”

Fritz-dono projected his voice so every soul could hear, drilling the tactic into their minds: master the terror, wait for the leap, and cut them down while they are helpless in mid-air.

While executing such a feat required immense nerve, he knew that projecting absolute certainty was paramount to keeping the panic from spreading.

“Standing around waiting won’t settle this. Let’s pin them down… Wind Bullet!”

A barrage of invisible concussive force battered the frontline. Five of the wolves lost their footing, broke formation in a frenzy, and charged directly at Fritz-dono.

“Hmph!”

Because they charged blindly without their usual synchronized rhythm, Fritz-dono met them with absolute composure.

Stepping heavily forward, he brought his greatsword down in a devastating vertical arc, cleaving the skull of the lead wolf clean in two. Without breaking momentum, he fluidly reversed the blade, a sweeping low cut severing the legs of the two wolves lunging closely behind.

Losing their front paws, the crippled beasts tumbled forward into the dirt. The remaining two wolves in the rear were forced to check their momentum slightly to avoid crashing into their fallen packmates.

Fritz-dono caught the micro-second delay and delivered a punishing horizontal slash.

The steel ripped through their muzzles, sending the pair reeling backward with agonizing shrieks. Before they could recover, a second blinding horizontal stroke slashed through their exposed throats.

“Incredible…”

A collective gasp of awe rippled through the surrounding knights who witnessed Fritz-dono neutralize five beasts single-handedly in the blink of an eye.

Fritz-dono immediately fell back, reclaiming his position within the defensive ring.

Though he had slaughtered three and completely incapacitated two, his eyes remained sharp, refusing to lower his guard.

“Stay sharp, everyone! This is the most dangerous phase. Now that their cohesion is shattered, they will either break and run, or launch a chaotic, desperate frenzy.”

True to his tactical insight, the sight of their kin being systematically dismantled pushed the remaining Rock Wolves past the point of caution. Abandoning all strategy, they gave in to raw instinct and swarmed the camp.

“Here they come! Never turn your back to them!” Fritz-dono shouted, his greatsword cleaving another incoming wolf entirely in half.

“Understood!” Gloria-san called back, her own blade running through a wolf that had lunged at her flank.

And then, the battle dissolved into a brutal melee.

The tight defensive circle meant to protect Jade-dono and the two younger female knights began to fray under the sheer volume of teeth and claws.

“Ahhh!”

A piercing scream shattered the din. One of the less experienced female knights had fallen. Turning on her heel, Gloria-san saw a massive Rock Wolf pinning the girl to the earth, its jaws snapping downward toward her exposed throat.

“Like hell you will!”

Without a shred of hesitation, Gloria-san hurled her shortsword. The blade flew true, burying itself deep into the torso of the wolf and pinning it away from the trembling knight.

“Tch…”

But the desperate throw left Gloria-san completely unarmed.

Sensing her vulnerability, four Rock Wolves leaped at her simultaneously from the blind spot.

“Get back!”

Just as Gloria-san braced for the impact, expecting the worst, Fritz-dono threw his massive frame between her and the beasts. His greatsword flashed in a sweeping arc, hacking down three of the incoming wolves, but the momentum left him exposed. The fourth and final beast sank its fangs deep into his left forearm.

Fritz-dono didn’t even flinch. Grimacing through the pain, he brought his right hand around, his sword cleanly decapitating the wolf while it was still clamped onto his flesh.

“Fritz-dono!”

“Gloria, are you unharmed?”

“Y-Yes… I am. Forgive me, that was careless.”

“Save the gratitude for later. Use my steel.”

Fritz-dono was currently wielding his heavy, horse-mounted longsword, so he smoothly drew the shortsword from his waist and pressed it into Gloria-san’s hand.

“Much obliged!”

With a terse nod, Gloria-san gripped the weapon, immediately spinning to cut down an incoming wolf. In the next breath, she claimed another.

By her side, Fritz-dono’s heavy blade claimed two more lives in rapid succession.

Having lost over two-thirds of their pack, the remaining Rock Wolves finally realized they were utterly outmatched. Breaking off their assault, the survivors turned and scattered into the wilderness.

Silence settled over the blood-soaked clearing.

“We… we survived…”

Fritz-dono alone had slain thirteen wolves. Gloria-san had claimed seven. Combined, the remaining knights had accounted for another fifteen.

After delivering a final, merciful strike to four heavily wounded beasts groaning on the ground, the exhausted task force finally allowed themselves to draw a breath.

However, Fritz-dono quickly shattered the momentary relief. “We need to clean this up immediately. The stench of this much fresh blood will only draw worse predators to our doorstep.”

At his direction, the knights began wiping the gore from their blades and washing the splattered crimson from their armor.

Utilizing the massive strength of Goliath, Fritz-dono began hoisting the carcasses of the thirty-nine Rock Wolves and tossing them directly into the central pit, which had not yet been backfilled.

The meat of a Rock Wolf was notoriously rancid and inedible, and their coarse pelts held virtually no commercial value. In a wilderness setting like this, disposal was the only viable option.

Several of the carcasses tumbled directly into the dead center of the pit—the exact spot where the liquid from the golden vessels and the viscous contents of the adamandite containers had been pooled.

The moment the flesh touched the mixture, the bodies began to dissolve at an unnatural speed, melting away into nothingness without leaving a trace behind.

“My, this is fascinating…” Jade-nefroi-dono murmured from the edge of the pit, his eyes gleaming with intense intellectual curiosity as he observed the rapid dissolution.

Once the final carcass was cleared, Fritz-dono finally let the tension drain from his shoulders. Gloria-san walked up to him shortly after.

“Fritz-dono, I return your shortsword. It saved my life out there; you have my thanks.”

Fritz-dono offered a warm smile, taking the weapon back. “Think nothing of it. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Only now did Gloria-san notice the steady stream of crimson leaking from his left arm where the wolf’s fangs had torn through his uniform.

“Fritz-dono, your arm! You need immediate treatment!”

“Ah, right. Suppose I’ll take you up on that.”

Since a few other knights had sustained minor lacerations during the chaotic melee, Tiffany, the squad’s designated healer, immediately began administering restoration magic.

“Thank you, Tiffany-san,” Fritz-dono smiled gently as the magic knit his flesh back together.

Tiffany’s cheeks flushed a bright crimson. “I—It was nothing…” she stammered, quickly gathering her supplies and hurrying away to tend to the others.

With order finally restored, the crew tossed the remaining camp scraps and organic waste into the pit before beginning the backfill process.

With Goliath executing the vast majority of the heavy lifting, the hemispherical depression was completely filled, leveled, and packed tight with fresh earth in less than an hour.

“Excellent. Now we can depart without leaving any loose ends behind.”

From this junction, the expedition would officially divide: the Egeria Kingdom’s team would chart a course due north, while the Klein Kingdom’s contingent would journey south.

“The road ahead should be clear thanks to your efforts. You have our deepest gratitude,” Captain Bruno-dono of the Egeria squad stated, offering a crisp military salute to express his appreciation.

“Not at all. We owe our success entirely to the capabilities of the Shouro Empire’s Goliath,” Captain Bernardo-dono of the Klein Kingdom replied, returning the salute with equal respect.

As the time came to bid farewell to Fritz-dono, several of the female knights cast lingering, downcast glances in his direction.

However, before anyone could take their first step away from the clearing, an event occurred that drained every ounce of color from their faces.

Without warning, the tightly packed earth of the buried pit erupted violently into the sky.

End of 727