Chapter 43: Knight’s Hymn

“To think we would meet again…”

Through the visor of his helmet, Adam stared at the wound he had inflicted on the great silver wolf. The scar still marked its face, an irregular groove between the shiny fur, a clear reminder of the time that beast had almost taken his life.

The wolf recognized him.

His silver eyes flashed with unsettling intelligence, and a deep, low growl vibrated in his throat, threatening.

The sound was not directed at Adam.

It was directed at the others.

The lightning wolves and silver trolls that remained shuddered. They instinctively backed away, bowing their heads to the authority implied in that roar, before quickly dispersing, abandoning the place as if his presence alone was enough to decide that this hunt would be personal.

Now only the two of them remained.

“So you don’t want your prey to be snatched away… right?”

A crooked smile spread beneath Adam’s helmet, and a low laugh escaped his throat as mana began to rise around him, dense and vibrant. His posture gradually changed: his feet barely slid across the ground, his shoulders relaxed, and his sword descended at a strange, unpredictable angle.

It was the same stance with which, in another life, he had fought his way through enemies far more powerful than himself. The stance that had been born not of talent… but of desperation.

He turned his face slightly toward Asterin, who floated nearby, silent, watching everything with calculating attention.

“I will show you the fencing I forged when I had nothing left to lose.”

Asterin’s lips barely curved.

“Then prove that this path deserves to be called glorious.”

Adam turned his attention back to the large silver wolf of rank III. The great beast lowered its body, muscles tensing beneath its silver fur, ready to pounce.

The air between them grew heavy.

This wasn’t just a battle.

It was a debt to be settled.

And this time… he wasn’t going to lose.

…

In the northern zone, under the enormous shadow of the rank V lightning wolf, Lucas advanced in his black armor at the head of the knights, clearing a path through the beasts. Swords fell again and again, and monsters fell in constant succession.

From a distance, it might have seemed that they had the situation under control.

But Lucas knew that this was an illusion.

Every movement, every command, every charge was conditioned by the presence that dominated the field from a distance: the Rank V Lightning Wolf.

It didn’t need to attack.

Its mere existence altered the rhythm of the battle.

Lucas couldn’t help but shiver. It was the first time he had been so close to a creature of that level, an entity classified as a minor calamity, capable of destroying a small town if it decided to move.

He clenched his teeth.

He couldn’t afford to waste mana unnecessarily. He regulated its flow to the bare minimum and advanced with lethal precision. His sword traced rapid arcs in the air, clean cuts that pierced fur and flesh, felling several lightning wolves in a matter of seconds.

But even as the beasts fell around him…

He knew that the real battle had not yet begun.

…However, if Lord Zephyr were present, everything would be different.

Lucas pushed that thought away sharply. He couldn’t afford distractions like that. Behind him were not just walls… Families were trusting that the line would not be broken.

He gritted his teeth.

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword until the metal creaked under the pressure and channeled just enough mana.

Not a drop more.

Then he launched his attack.

The air split with a deafening roar as his sword descended, unleashing a wave of force that tore through the ground in front of him. The earth split open in a violent crack, swallowing the ranks I and II monsters advancing on the front line, tearing them apart on impact.

Dust rose into the air.

Lucas raised his sword, pointing it directly at the immense silhouette of the rank V lightning wolf.

And he shouted.

“By the light that never dies! By the land that saw me born! If fear calls in the night, my steel will answer! My fall will be its dawn… and honor will live in every wound!”

His voice rang out across the battlefield.

And for a moment…

No one backed down.

Lucas felt his body fill with power. Small golden dots began to light up on the surface of his black armor, like living embers embedded in the metal. It was the effect of the Knight’s Hymn, a technique reserved exclusively for knights of High rank and above.

The force coursed through every muscle.

He moved with renewed ease, cutting across the battlefield like a dark flash. His sword sliced through the air with brutal precision; in his wake, bodies fell one after another.

The sight ignited the spirits of the other knights. Inspired by the golden glow and unstoppable advance of their commander, they redoubled their efforts and pushed the line forward.

Then…

HOWL!

The sound tore through the battlefield.

Lucas and the others froze for a moment. The howl came directly from the rank V lightning wolf.

An invisible pressure descended upon them.

It was heavy. Suffocating.

The murderous intent emanating from that Minor Calamity made the air difficult to breathe. Even Lucas had to force his lungs to fill with air; if it weren’t for the Knight’s Hymn reinforcing his body, he would have fallen to his knees.

Another howl echoed, this time vibrating like an electric shock that ran through the ground.

A new figure emerged from the forest.

A huge Rank III lightning wolf advanced toward the field, its fangs sparkling with blue lightning, its aura expanding violently.

Lucas watched the scene, and a bitter expression crossed his face. He let out a dry laugh.

“So you finally sent your elite soldiers.”

Lucas did not take his eyes off the rank III lightning wolf.

The beast took a few steps forward, its claws leaving smoking marks on the ground. Electricity crackled around its body, spreading in small discharges that blackened the earth in its path.

It wasn’t rank V.

But he was no minor enemy either.

Lucas adjusted his stance. The golden glow of the Knight’s Hymn intensified slightly on his armor, and he shouted with determination.

“Close formation!”

The knights reacted instantly, compacting their ranks as the storm raged above them.

The rain showed no sign of letting up.

On the contrary.

It fell more violently, heavy and cold, beating down on their armor as if the sky itself were trying to crush them. Each drop seemed charged with electricity, sparking as it hit the ground blackened by combat.

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