Heart of Burning Steel

Chapter 45: In the End, I Still Have to Do It Myself, You Useless Subordinates

Chapter 45: In the End, I Still Have to Do It Myself, You Useless Subordinates

The berserk wolf had completely abandoned all reason but retained its honed combat skills. After a long howl, it lowered itself, tensing its three remaining limbs. In an instant, a surge of immense brute strength dispersed the black and purple mist, and a white shadow shot out like a cannonball, skimming the ground as it thundered towards the young city guard at blinding speed.

The distance of just over ten meters was nearly negligible at such a speed. Acting on instinct, Anrea raised his shield and braced himself for the impact—but how could the wolf's current strength compare to what it was before? He immediately felt as if he'd been struck by a speeding dragon-carriage. Both feet left the ground, his entire body lifted into the air, and the steel shield in his hands was crushed inward, with cracks spidering across it.

He crashed hard onto the ground, his back slamming against the cold stone pavement. The impact made the young guard feel as if his lungs would burst, but before he could even groan, a furious howl echoed across the gate area.

"Awooo!!!"

The white wolf shook its head and retreated a few steps, its eyes red as blood, and purplish-black lines spread from its head, snaking across its body. The collision had injured it as well, but what truly made the beast howl in pain was the small knife lodged in its neck and the long gash along its side.

It was a sharp boning knife, nothing more. It was about the length of a hand—even in normal combat, it would be too small and cumbersome for use, let alone against this berserk giant white wolf.

But that was the reality. During the recent impact, Anrea hadn't merely taken the attack; in that brief moment of contact, the young guard used his opponent's momentum to deeply embed his only weapon into a vital point.

Thick purple blood flowed from the wound in the wolf's neck. The activation of its berserk power, while invigorating its blood and muscles, also exacerbated the damage it had sustained.

"Cough... If not for that momentary pause during its attack, I probably wouldn't have even touched its fur. It's too fast..."

Anrea's body twitched involuntarily from the pain. His helmet had fallen off, revealing short white hair. He spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling his insides churn violently. Still, he summoned his willpower, forcing himself up, grabbing the heavily deformed shield, and inching towards the access passage leading to the central tower.

The narrow space there could provide a terrain advantage; perhaps he could hold out a little longer!

But the enemy didn't give him that chance.

With a squelch and a clang, writhing muscles pushed the knife out of the wound, and the metal clattered to the ground, ringing sharply. The beast's powerful physique temporarily healed its torn blood vessels. Though it had lost much blood and was forced out of its berserk state, its remaining strength was still more than enough to overpower the injured guard.

This human—he was the one who had caused it immense pain!

Rage burned away its fleeting rationality. As Anrea tried to flee, the white wolf didn't waste time roaring or testing the waters; it bared its fangs and lunged. In an instant, it crossed the short distance and intercepted the young guard, blocking his escape.

They faced each other—the human's blue eyes locked onto the red beast eyes of the monstrous creature. Anrea could clearly smell the thick stench emanating from it, hear its guttural growls, and see saliva dripping from its sharp fangs. He abandoned any hope of escape, raising his battered shield in front of him, knowing that once the standoff ended, his life would too.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion shook the air.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

The explosions continued without pause, each closer than the last, reverberating around the southern gate.

The giant white wolf shivered, letting out a low growl as if sensing something terrifying, but its simple mind couldn't focus on two things at once. Ignoring the strange booming, it lunged with all its might, aiming to tear out the human's throat.

Anrea had no attention to spare for the strange sound either. Judging the beast's trajectory, he immediately crouched, moving his shield to cover his right shoulder, protecting his vital areas as best as he could.

Even if the tremendous force would worsen his internal injuries or even kill him instantly, it was still better than having his throat ripped out.

Holding his breath, gathering all his strength, Anrea felt a strange stirring within, something shifting deep inside his body, as though some power were awakening. He had the premonition that if he survived this attack, he might experience a complete breakthrough—though, realistically, he knew death was more likely.

But the expected attack never came.

"Boom!"

Another explosion rang in his ears, leaving Anrea dazed from the shockwave.

Moments later, he regained his senses, only to hear a deep, commanding voice in front of him.

"This beast is stronger than the others... Still alive?"

Not knowing what had happened, Anrea turned towards the source of the voice. The shocking scene before him jolted his injured mind back to full clarity. Dumbstruck, he stared, unable to utter a word.

Before him stood a black-haired, red-eyed man in casual attire, his foot planted on the giant winter wolf's head, crushing it halfway into the solid stone ground—likely the cause of the earlier explosion. The massive beast struggled beneath him, clawing at the man. Despite its sharp claws that could easily shred clothing, they couldn't penetrate the flesh beneath, only drawing out glimmers of dark red light and a sound like grinding metal.

"What happened here?"

The warrior seemed unconcerned with Anrea's daze, speaking calmly: "Five Silver-tier winter wolves managed to break into the main city. If I hadn't arrived in time, even one loose beast could've caused catastrophic damage... I need an explanation."

"My lord, this was all my failure!"

Snapping back to reality, Anrea recognized the man as none other than Joshua, the lord to whom he had recently pledged loyalty. Fighting through the pain, he quickly recounted everything that had happened.

"...That's how it was. On my commander's orders, I shut the gates immediately to prevent more monsters from entering... The winter wolves' fur allows them to blend perfectly with the snowfield, and they seem to possess strange bursts of strength far beyond their kin. The guards were overwhelmed, and I too was gravely injured because I underestimated them."

After finishing his report, Anrea felt a sharp pain in his chest and coughed twice, while Joshua fell into thought.

"The southern beasts have grown this crazed... It seems Ural Fortress failed to hold back the creatures in the mountains."

With each word, Joshua increased the pressure under his foot. The giant wolf beneath him let out pitiful, anguished howls, but the dark-haired warrior showed no intention of letting up. He turned his gaze northwest, worry flashing across his eyes. "The Black Forest Fortress hasn't sent a report in three days. I thought it was merely routine, but it seems something is terribly wrong."

Crack!

As his foot reached its limit, the winter wolf's skull caved in under the force, shattering into pieces. Gray brain matter and purple blood splattered across the ground.

Joshua turned, striding over to Anrea. After briefly examining the young guard, he shook his head. "Three broken ribs, severe internal injuries... You actually withstood a berserk beast's frontal attack with a human body—I don't know if I should call you brave or foolish."

Sighing, the black-haired warrior grabbed the back of Anrea's collar, effortlessly lifting him up, and started towards the church in the city center.