524 – Time Of The Dog And The Wolf – 12
The strongest card I have is Jizan. The wolf king cannot overcome this club imbued with the power of the demon. I have to stop this formidable enemy, Fenrir, with just Jizan.
How? Damn it. If I could do that, I would have been a regressor.
There is only one thing I can do. Swing Jizan diagonally. I will create a wall from the wolf’s shoulder to its side, preventing it from passing without changing its center of gravity.
This will give Fenrir two choices. Attack by bypassing Jizan, or attack me while hitting Jizan.
If it had chosen the former, I would have been in trouble. Even if I have become stronger through transcendence, I will die if I fight two or more overwhelming opponents. I don’t know if Azin or another strong person will come to my aid in time, but that is not something I can control.
However, I believed in the wolf’s ferocity.
“Grrr…!”
It hits Jizan without slowing down at all. That tremendous speed turned into a shock in an instant, shaking Fenrir’s body.
At the same time, a strong shock hits my body. Fenrir’s front paw, which was stretched out to the side of Jizan, hit my shoulder. Immediately after that scene was imprinted on my retina, my vision went dark for a moment.
I feel a pain as if I had been hit in the back and waist. My lungs spasmed because my bones had pierced them. When I came to my senses, I was lying upside down, far from where I had been, and my body was broken.
I expected it and reacted accordingly. I won the psychological battle with Jizan.
However, the stakes are too different. My body was ruined by the blow Fenrir inflicted, which was at the level of raw power. My side feels like it’s bursting, and I have no feeling in my left arm at all.
Fortunately, I’m still holding Jizan, but if Fenrir fights me again… I will lose my life, whether I win or lose.
“Woof! Woof woof!”
Azin barked fiercely and clung to it. It attacked Fenrir, sticking to it as much as possible, not giving it a chance to fight back, even for a moment.
“Fight me!”
However, Fenrir cleverly began to use me now. It took advantage of the moment when Azin and I were briefly separated and lunged at me. Azin, who was startled, hurriedly intervened to protect me, but it was a trap. It turned its head in an instant and knocked down Azin, whose posture had collapsed.
“I don’t need you, dog. You’re just a hindrance without your ferocity.”
“Woof woof! Don’t run away!”
If I miss, I will die. Realizing that, Azin raised its claws even though it had fallen and grabbed Fenrir. However, it cannot counterattack while holding on. As soon as Fenrir’s claws pierced its body, it struck Azin’s face with its front paw as if it had been waiting.
Bang. Azin’s body sank about a foot. Fenrir continued to crush Azin and said.
“Humans try to make dogs their tools. That’s their ferocity. They try to make me a dog, tame me, and use me.”
“Woof! Woof! Squeak…!”
“If you want to use me as a tool, you have to overcome my ferocity.”
Puck, puck, puck. The ground shook every time it kicked its front paw. Azin did not let go of its claws even as it gradually dug into the ground. If I let go here, I will die.
Knowing that, Fenrir continued to kick Azin.
“Aoooo! Ferocity is not just for humans!”
Blood flowed from Azin’s mouth. Just when Fenrir was about to kick its front paw again without hesitation, despite its misery.Jizan flies around in circles. It’s not threatening, but it’s impossible to block. The moment Fenrir ducks to avoid Jizan, Aji pushes Fenrir hard and escapes.
Fenrir has lost his advantage, but he notices where Jizan is flying from. He also notices that there’s nothing left to protect me.
He makes eye contact with me as I gasp, having thrown Jizan. There’s nothing left between Fenrir and me. Fenrir barks as if he’s going to eat me and lunges.
“Yes. This is a fight for survival.”
And then a faint, ghost-like shadow suddenly appears. Two blades like fangs interlock above Fenrir’s head and below his jaw.
Fenrir’s tail stands up straight, sensing danger. He pulls his body up in the air to avoid the blades. However, Grull’s dagger grows like a snake and wounds Fenrir’s body. Two bloodstains scatter in the air.
“Growl!”
Fenrir bares his teeth at the intruder who has attacked him. Grull, whose surprise attack has failed, laughs and shouts.
“I prefer this kind of fight to all the nonsense you spout about politics and diplomacy! I fight to survive. How simple and easy to understand!”
Grull of the Beast Faction. He has finally joined the battle, having been biding his time while waiting for the right moment. I wonder what the symbolism is in him shouting so proudly at this late stage.
“At this late stage…”
“You’ve done well to hold out. As long as you’re alive, that’s all that matters.”
Fenrir runs towards him as he answers calmly. It’s an incredible speed, befitting the king of beasts. It’s a speed that’s difficult to react to with simple qi, but Grull disappears like a scarecrow and vanishes in front of Fenrir.
“I’d be in danger if I didn’t choose my ground in advance against that wolf king.”
It’s too strange to even call it fast. No matter how agile you are, you have to move your feet and legs. However, Grull moves faster than Fenrir by simply sliding his feet a little, without lifting his feet or moving his legs.
“While you were fighting the wolf king, I chose all the ground in this area. I’m the fastest in this area right now.”
Grull moves his feet. As if he had pushed the ground away, Grull disappears from view in an instant and appears behind Fenrir. Fenrir turns his body around and is on guard, but as if he had expected it, Grull follows him obliquely and stabs him with his dagger.
It’s common sense that a single human can’t stand up to the king of beasts, but those who understand the truth transcend common sense. Fenrir’s body, which had not been badly injured even when fighting Aji, was now covered in wounds.
‘Even a dagger with qi doesn’t seem to work very well. Even if that was a real wolf, it would have been an attack that would have cut off its arm.’
Grull doesn’t let up on his attack, but he doesn’t relax. If he were a human, he would have cut the throats of more than ten people, but Fenrir stares at Grull with a fierce look in his eyes, even as he is cut by the dagger.
‘He doesn’t even flinch or get scared in pain. This is getting difficult.’
Taking advantage of a brief pause in the attack, Fenrir lunges like lightning. Grull instinctively uses Ground Selection to move. He appears about 30m away and staggers from the sudden shock. In that brief moment, Fenrir’s claws had grazed Grull.
‘It’s a speed that I can’t catch up with without Ground Selection. If I don’t understand the truth, I’ll just be a meat shield. Even this…’
“Auuu!”
Ground Selection allows for fast movement over short distances, but it’s not suitable for moving over long distances because it requires choosing the ground in advance. It’s difficult to explain simply in numbers, but the ground that Grull has chosen is about 500m. He has to settle the fight before he uses up all of this ground.However, the gap in pure power is considerable. He wrapped his qi around his body and extended his blade towards Fenrir, who was charging at him. Fenrir instantly lowered his body and dug in.
He tried to lift Fenrir up with his knee and slam him down. Faster than he could, Fenrir’s teeth flew up and bit his knee. It’s common knowledge that a wolf’s bite is powerful. Gruel, terrified, shook Fenrir off with his qi and created some distance by rolling on the ground. Gruel broke out in a cold sweat.
‘It’s a mindless charge with no technique, but it’s powerful in its own right.’
…The moment he thought that, Fenril turned his head sharply and followed right after him. Gruel’s spine tingled.
He had already seen the ground roll three times. In the meantime, he had learned and figured out where Gruel had escaped to. Just when Gruel was prepared for a collision.
“Woof woof woof!”
Aji suddenly appeared and bit Fenrir. Fenril immediately grabbed Aji’s head fur and threw him to the ground, but he took six or seven steps back because of Gruel, who had jumped out at that moment.
‘It would have been difficult to fight without the King of Dogs. I understand a little why he doesn’t want to fight without the King of Dogs.’
Gruel is better off than that. Because he has the strength to fight in that gap.
The Beast Warriors are fighting the wolves around them. Baskerville and the priest have encountered the returners.
There is no better opportunity than now. I raised my trembling body. It hurts and my head is spinning, but the effect of the leap is certain, so my limbs move quickly.
I’m really scared of tomorrow. I took advantage of the gap in their fight to retrieve Jizan and prepared the last trap to catch Fenril.
The fight continues. Gruel and Aji, who had rolled on the ground, chased after Fenril. When Fenril was distracted by one side, the other side jumped in and took advantage of the gap. Fenril was gradually taking damage from the combined attack of the two.
But everyone felt it in their hearts.
‘We need a decisive blow! The fight won’t end like this!’
I can’t read the beast’s mind, but Fenril and Aji must be thinking the same thing. That’s why Fenril used me as bait to catch Aji earlier.
Yes. We need a blow that will pierce the skin and rip the guts out, even for the King of Beasts. We need powerful teeth, magic, or the power of a relic like Cheon-ae.
…And Jizan is in my hands now.
I have to do it.
“Wolf. It’s time to admit defeat.”
You used me as bait to catch Aji earlier? Then I’ll do it now.
I have to use myself as bait to lure Fenrir in.
“You are the King of Beasts, and you have gained strength because you represent the violence of other beasts… But you know. Wolf. Humans are already the masters of the world.”
Fenril’s ears perked up. The King of Beasts took on a human form to communicate with humans. I continued speaking, reminding him of that.
“A pig-like man with teeth can fight you almost equally. Even without qi, we can create magic or devices that can defeat you. The electricity of a single city is as powerful as the pack you lead. If the king of a country marches, a pack of wolves like you will be wiped out in an instant.”
My words stopped the fight for a moment. Fenril glared at me with a fierce look, even though he had a more threatening enemy next to him.
“If you can’t win, submission is also an option. Aji may seem stupid, but he’s actually wise.”
“Dumb? Stupid?”
“Yeah. He became a friend of humans because he was stupid.”
When Aji, who had been accused of a surprise attack, put a question mark over his head, Fenril bared his teeth and shouted.”Because I’m strong, you’re telling me to run away? To hide and not show my teeth? Human, is that why you’re going to conform? By killing your own wildness?”
“No. I don’t need to do that. I’m human.”
If the power of a human is strong, then that’s my power, and I’m also conforming to some extent. Because I can’t die a dog’s death.
“But you’re a wolf. With your strength, you can’t beat a human even if you come back from the dead. Whether it’s wildness or whatever, surviving is the priority. In order to live, it’s better to pull out your teeth, cut off your claws, and get rid of your wildness.”
“If you want to do that…!”
Fenrir stomped on the ground. Fenrir, who moved so quickly and sharply that even Grull and Aji missed it for a moment, charged at me to kill me.
“Try it! Pull out my teeth, cut off my claws! Tear out all my wildness and tame me! Break me with your wildness and make me your dog!!”