Chapter 318

“Sometimes, for the sake of victory, you have to throw your allies into the fire. Isn’t that the same for you? How many were you planning to sacrifice just to cover one of my eyes?”

Ha-shal-leur couldn’t refute Ryurik’s words.

Even if it wasn’t what she wanted, they too had sacrificed troops for the sake of victory.

“Actually, shouldn’t you be grateful? If I hadn’t spared my subordinates, your masters would be rolling on the ground as corpses by now. Did you think I couldn’t do what you did?”

Ryurik’s threat was true. The moment he spotted Ha-shal-leur targeting Ryudmila, he immediately figured out the humans’ strategy.

It was a plan to tie him down while accepting massive troop losses, quickly reducing the number of great warriors to gain an advantage in high-level combat. It was indeed an efficient strategy, but once he realized it, countering it wasn’t difficult.

In fact, there was a much simpler way to stop Ha-shal-leur’s charge—a method that guaranteed victory.

If Ha-shal-leur targeted the great warriors led by Valentin, he could just ambush the masters fighting Oleg or Nazar while running along the walls. Ryudmila would lose her life, but in return, the enemy’s masters would also be helplessly cut down.

But as a warrior, his pride couldn’t accept such a method.

“Oh, really? How kind of you! Boris might be a bit sad, though!”

Of course, Ha-shal-leur didn’t care about warrior pride. She tightly gripped Durandal and charged at Ryurik. A swirling crimson Life Force enveloped her, and Durandal, having absorbed the power of her feats, emitted a chilling aura.

The hero’s full-powered charge. With each step, shattered fragments flew into the air.

“Don’t worry about that. The Ivanov bloodline will continue through you!”

“That won’t happen!”

Ryurik laughed, baring his claws. The Winter Wolf and the Ghost of Feats collided with a roar.

Shattered boulders cascaded down like a landslide.

—

“He’s strong…!”

The moment sword and claws clashed, both warriors had the same thought. Their opponent was far more powerful than they had imagined—as strong as they themselves were.

The shockwave tore through the surroundings like a storm. The collision was so intense that the fortress walls crumbled just from their impact. Ryudmila was sent flying helplessly.

“Lady Ryudmila!”

Several warriors hurriedly carried her away. They had to retreat from the walls they had fought so hard to climb, as staying there would mean certain death.

– CRASH!

The fortress walls, which had stood firm for centuries, screamed as they collapsed. Every time the two superhumans clashed, violent shockwaves shook the surroundings.

A collision akin to a natural disaster. On the shaking walls, warriors—both human and beastman—had to crouch and steady themselves before even thinking of fighting.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Woooooh!”

Ha-shal-leur and Ryurik moved away from the watchtower, leaping across the collapsing walls, clashing relentlessly. The entire fortress of Pailun had become their arena.

Ha-shal-leur, leaping off shattered boulders to swing her sword, her cloak already torn to shreds. Ryurik, spinning in mid-air to dodge, kicked at her with clawed feet.

“Tch!”

Ha-shal-leur clicked her tongue, laying her sword horizontally and bracing it with her left arm. The Life Force controlled by Hersela densely covered it like a curtain.

– BANG!

The Life Force curtain shattered instantly, and Ha-shal-leur was sent flying like a cannonball. The ground, unable to withstand the impact, split with a deafening roar.

[Are you okay?!]

“I’m fine!”

Ha-shal-leur shook off the numbness in her left arm and stood up. In the past, even if she had defended, her body wouldn’t have withstood the shock. But now, perhaps it was the level of a hero. The Life Force emanating from her and the power of her feats within her body protected her to some extent.

“That’s right, it’d be a shame if it ended so easily!”

A beast’s roar filled with joy. Ryurik, using the falling debris as stepping stones, charged at her again. The distance closed in an instant.

“You’d think the same, Ai-shan Gi-or!”

“No.”

Ha-shal-leur gripped Durandal with both hands and lowered her stance. In a war of mutual resistance, she always preferred to eliminate the enemy as quickly as possible. The fewer casualties, the better.

To her, Ryurik’s psychology was nothing but the ramblings of a madman. All she wanted now was to cut off Ryurik’s head as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy.

“Then it’s a shame!”

Ryurik swung his arms wildly. The air at the tips of his claws tore apart.

As he charged forward, he let out a sharp cry.

Hersela’s eyes darted rapidly, tracing the trajectory of the claws.

A flurry of strikes, like a storm, made it feel as though he was facing ten swords at once.

The claws, which didn’t shatter even after clashing with the Jin Eun Sword, held a power that couldn’t be blocked even for a moment by the tendrils of Life Force.

Hersela, with her blue eyes blazing, faced the winter wolf’s storm head-on.

The swung longsword collided with the claws, unleashing a dazzling flash.

The sound of collisions, loud enough to burst eardrums, continued incessantly. The surrounding ground shattered into pieces, scattering debris everywhere.

“Haha! Hahaha! Truly an unbelievable power! Are you even human?”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

Hersela swung her longsword, knocking Rurik’s arm aside, and then pressed forward. The tip of Durandal aimed for the wolf’s heart.

“Alright, I get it. Clearly, you’re not human!”

Rurik flipped backward like a somersault. Having his heart pierced would be a dangerous injury even for him.

Even with his regenerative abilities, recovering from wounds inflicted by the Jin Eun Sword was too much.

Indeed, the blood flowing from the cuts all over his body showed no signs of stopping.

Though they were just shallow wounds, not deep gashes.

“That’s your opinion!”

Instead of chasing him, Hersela reached behind her with her left hand and drew a black iron spear.

A red aura coiled around the spear’s tip. She stepped forward with her left foot and thrust her left arm forward. A red beam shot through the air.

The Falling Fire Spear.

To Hersela, it was no different from the Heavenly Arrow, but Hersela insisted that different weapons should have different names.

Since there was no reason not to comply, Hersela called it as Hersela wished.

The flash of light extended at the speed of a beam. Rurik couldn’t hide his confusion.

The spear’s tip wasn’t aiming for him.

“This…!”

Rurik turned his gaze toward the trajectory of the thrown spear.

The spear launched by the Beastman Devourer was flying toward his subordinates, who were pounding on the city gate below the wall!

“Basil! Victor! Fall back from the gate!”

Rurik shouted urgently.

Hersela smirked.

Her left hand had already slipped back into her robe.

—

Hearing the king’s shout, the two great warriors looked up and saw the spear flying toward them. They retreated in panic.

It was the same technique as the arrow they had seen earlier. Even before the spear hit, they could guess its power and effect.

Their only mistake was not realizing that the weapon Hersela had thrown was completely different from the silver arrow.

The spearhead, designed to explode upon impact, shattered spectacularly exactly two seconds after the spear’s impact, just as Asha had guaranteed.

A crimson meteor shower swept across the front of the city gate.

“Gwaaaaah!”

“Kuhuk!”

The beasts’ screams echoed as they pounded on the gate.

Victor and Basil managed to retreat, but not completely. They clutched their severed legs and rolled on the ground.

Unfortunately, the other warriors weren’t as agile as their great warriors.

—

With a single spear throw, Hersela had half-destroyed the gate assault team, but she didn’t spare a single glance at the gate.

Her true target had never been there in the first place.

The moment Rurik’s gaze turned toward the gate, Hersela immediately drew four daggers from her robe.

A crimson aura coiled around the blades, igniting into flames.

Up-hwa.

The unquenchable fire, fueled by Life Force.

‘Go ahead, regenerate until you die!’

Hersela threw the daggers like tossing a ball.

Four streaks of fire raced toward the winter wolf.

By the time Rurik looked back at Hersela, the flaming blades were already upon him.

‘Fire? No, it’s different!’

His primal instincts rang an alarm. The moment Rurik saw the Up-hwa, he knew.

Those crimson flames were as dangerous as the Jin Eun Sword… no, perhaps even more so!

But, having turned his gaze for just a moment, he had no time to deflect the daggers.

Four daggers pierced his left side.

“Guhk!”

At that moment, Hersela was certain of her victory.

Though Asha’s explosive mechanism didn’t activate due to the Up-hwa melting it, that didn’t matter.

Once the fire was lit, there was no way for him to extinguish it.

All he could do was burn endlessly until his regenerative powers ran out. Or so she thought.

She was mistaken.

“Amateur!”

Rurik, with his claws extended, slashed his own body.

From his left collarbone to his right waist, the winter wolf’s upper body split diagonally.

“No way…!”

Before a startled Hersela could react, Rurik’s right arm struck his own torso.

With a thud, his body was flung far away, burning fiercely as it tumbled across the ground.

Only a portion of his upper body, his right arm, and his head remained in place.

Less than a third of his body remained. The wolf’s head at the end grinned.

Regeneration began even before the severed flesh hit the ground.

By the time Hersela charged at Rurik, the winter wolf was already fully regenerated, ready to face her.