Chapter 316

The halberd, having lost its will, was swept away by inertia and crashed down onto the base of the fortress wall.

*Clang!* Fragments of debris bounced up. The intense shock shook the hand gripping the spear shaft. Valentin’s fingers went limp and released their hold.

“Guh… guh…”

The air in his lungs, mixed with blood, forced its way out, tearing through his severed vocal cords. Foamy blood flowed from the gaping wound, staining the beast’s chest fur red.

– Thud.

The head, slipping off, fell with a heavy thud and rolled on the ground. A fountain of hot blood gushed from the severed neck, painting the surroundings red. It was a clean decapitation by Jin’s sword. In the face of that, the regenerative abilities of the beastman meant nothing.

Valentin, killed in a single strike, knelt down with a *thump*. His lifeless body collapsed forward. A light breeze brushed through Hersela’s hair.

Hersela, shaking the blood off her sword, looked down with a sneer at the wolf’s head that had rolled to her feet. The face was filled with nothing but seething anger, as if it hadn’t even realized its own death.

A pitiful end unbefitting a great warrior. The tongue sticking out between the teeth looked ridiculous.

Hersela chuckled, picked up Valentin’s head, and leaped over the fortress wall. Red tendrils, like tentacles, sprouted and anchored her body horizontally against the wall.

[Why are you taking that?]

Hersela asked, curious. Even if it were a trophy, it was an unnecessarily bulky burden. Unless the battle was completely over, it wasn’t something to carry around now.

“I plan to use it. It might not be as good as Boris’s hide, but if I play with it like a ball in front of them, it might shake them up.”

Hersela spun Valentin’s head around and grinned.

[You’re truly a devil.]

Hersela sighed, at a loss for words. The attitude of the woman who had taken over her body always left her bewildered.

In many ways, she was an extreme woman—like a fusion of a rabbit and a wolf.

Judging by her past actions and the beliefs she held, she could have been a model for clergy, but the provocations she occasionally spat out were so sharp that even Hersela was left in awe. She was merciful to people, but her cruelty toward enemies was shockingly brutal. At times, she seemed even more ferocious than herself.

Of course, Hersela’s evaluation went in one ear and out the other for Hersela. Hersela’s sarcasm meant nothing to her. The Hersela she remembered was a hundred times more vicious and cruel than herself.

There was a six-year gap between the Hersela she knew and the actual Hersela, but Hersela didn’t notice the discrepancy. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared much.

Whatever had happened in those six years, it couldn’t serve as an absolution. Even before she had taken over, it was clear that this woman had led the Ka`har warriors and committed all sorts of atrocities.

‘…So now, who should I target next?’

Valentin’s death had been so swift that Ryurik and the other great warriors hadn’t yet noticed her presence. She needed to take down one more while she had the chance. Clinging to the wall, Hersela quickly scanned the battlefield.

Despite the knights’ fierce fighting, the situation wasn’t looking good. Pure-blooded warriors were rampaging, and even the mixed-bloods were climbing up and engaging the soldiers in close combat.

Ryurik was creating a crimson wave, and the other great warriors were still standing strong.

—-

“Keep shooting! The moment I arrive will be your last! You’ll be begging for death!”

The hyena, deflecting Milia’s arrows with thrown spears, sprinted toward the watchtower. Every time the two metals clashed, the air exploded, scattering shockwaves.

On the other side, Damien, who had appeared out of nowhere, was locked in a fierce battle with a snow leopard beastman wielding twin swords. Unable to keep up with the enemy’s speed, his armor was in tatters, but with the support of the holy knights, he was managing to hold on.

“You’re so cute! Want to make a hybrid with me?”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

The snow leopard, perched on the swung greatsword, laughed shrilly.

“There’s no right of refusal!”

The two blades, gripped in reverse, came down toward Damien’s shoulders. As Damien gritted his teeth to shake off Abigail, a massive arrow, roaring like thunder, flew toward them.

“Abigail! You missed one!”

The hyena beastman, Lyudmila, turned and shouted. The arrows from the watchtower had been targeting only her until now, so her reaction to the shot aimed at Abigail was a beat too slow.

Of course, the warning was also a bit late.

“What good is telling me now!”

Abigail, in a playful tone, threw the sword in her left hand toward the arrow. She intended to deflect or alter its trajectory. It was a reckless decision.

– *Crack!*

The sword, colliding with the arrow, split in two with a scream. Milia’s anger, directed at the female who had been flirting with her ‘lover,’ was unlike anything before. The arrow she had fired this time carried a completely different momentum!

“Ah.”

Abigail let out a short cry. It was already too late to try anything else.

Milia’s snipe pierced the snow leopard’s shoulder. The severed arm flew into the air.

“Ahhh! It hurts!”

Abigail, thrown backward, screamed at the top of her lungs, clutching her severed shoulder. A burning pain surged from the wound. The silver arrow slowed her regeneration.

“Lyudmila! Switch places with me! I’m going to tear that archer apart!”

“Stop talking nonsense and just play!”

After confirming that Abigail was relatively unharmed, Ryudmilla dashed toward the watchtower. Thanks to the arrow aimed at Abigail instead of her, she had the luxury of running without interference until the next arrow flew.

The watchtower was within reach.

—

“What are you doing, Milia?!”

[Your acquaintances, truly, none of them are in their right mind.]

Ha-shal-leur sighed. Getting provoked by something not even directed at her and leaving an opening—such carelessness could easily lead to a meaningless death. The distance between her and the hyena beastman had already significantly decreased. If they ended up facing each other head-on, how did she plan to handle it?

Milia’s archery skills exceeded Ha-shal-leur’s expectations in a good way, but her close combat skills were still worryingly lacking. Though it had been a while since she last saw Milia in action, Ha-shal-leur clearly remembered her swordsmanship. She couldn’t believe Milia could stand against a grand warrior.

The only consolation was that the snow leopard’s arm had been severed, so Damien could rest easy.

‘Should I take down the hyena first? Or Oleg?’

Only those two seemed immediately important.

Taking down the hyena would mean no one could intercept Milia’s arrows anymore. On the other hand, taking down Oleg would eliminate a future threat while freeing the two masters.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Ha-shal-leur began running toward the watchtower. It was a decision based more on minimizing losses than maximizing gains. While Freide and Noah seemed like they wouldn’t die anytime soon if left alone, Milia’s fate was uncertain.

The red spider sprinted up the wall. The distance between them began to close rapidly, though Ryudmilla didn’t notice.

It was around that time that Vasily and Viktor struck the castle gate. A deafening roar shook the entire castle.

—

War is a series of variables. No matter how well-planned the strategy or how rational the decisions, a small coincidence or sudden misfortune can twist everything.

This battle was no different. The beastmen’s attack on the castle gate brought misfortune to Ha-shal-leur.

The tremendous noise and vibration caused both sides to momentarily freeze. Though the silence lasted only a blink of an eye, in that moment, a beast spotted the red glow rising above the castle walls.

“There you are—!”

The winter wolf’s eyes flashed as it roared toward Ha-shal-leur. Everyone on the castle walls turned their gaze to where Ryurik was looking.

There, a woman stood horizontally, draped in beast fur, her red tendrils piercing the wall to anchor herself.

“Count Medyan?! I couldn’t see her, but there she is…!”

“That hair…! Could it be Valentin?!”

Both humans and beastmen were equally shocked.

“This monster…!”

The most shocked was Ryudmilla. Just by looking at where the beastman devourer was hanging, it was obvious who she was targeting. Her hands and feet turned cold, and her spine froze. She had almost died without even realizing it.

‘Damn it…! Who would’ve thought it’d end up like this.’

Ha-shal-leur frowned as she pulled herself up onto the castle wall.

It was an unexpected setback. Who could have predicted the entire wall would shake? The life force stakes she had embedded were shaken loose by the vibration, nearly causing her to fall. She barely managed to anchor herself with a burst of life force, but the resulting glow made her visible even on the castle walls. While she avoided falling, she was now exposed to the enemy.

‘At this point, I have to take down that hyena…!’

Ha-shal-leur turned her head toward Ryudmilla and dashed along the castle wall. Her blazing blue eyes left a long afterimage. Though in human form, her speed surpassed that of a beastman grand warrior. Ryudmilla’s face turned pale.

The beastman devourer held what was unmistakably Valentin’s head. The dangling wolf’s head overlapped with her own face in her mind. Considering there wasn’t much difference in skill between Ryudmilla and Valentin, this was a future that could very well become reality.

“Don’t come any closer! Fight Her Majesty, fight Her Majesty!”

In a fit of panic, Ryudmilla hurled a spear toward Ha-shal-leur.

Ha-shal-leur channeled her life force into her Ice Blade. Her left arm, pulled back like a loaded gun, was wrapped in a crimson vortex. Now that she was exposed, there was no need to worry about being seen by the enemy.

“She’s next after you!”

The strike, more like a cannonball than a bullet, obliterated the spear tip upon impact. The shockwave echoed throughout the castle.

Ryudmilla let out a defeated groan.