Chapter 339

Ryudmila, who initially went wild over Oleg’s betrayal plan, had no choice but to submit.

If she remained loyal to Ryurik, she would end up a corpse like Nazar, becoming fertilizer for the forest.

Ryudmila chose her own life and her relationship with Abigail over loyalty.

From the plan Abigail revealed, Ryurik’s life was already as good as over, no matter which side she chose.

Rather than dying and becoming fertilizer, her survival tactic was to live and side with the victor.

Both Abigail and Oleg knew her nature, so unlike Nazar or Vasiliy, they planned to “persuade” her to join their side.

After the persuasion, Abigail began cautiously leading Ryudmila out of the forest.

Moving while thoroughly hiding their tracks meant their speed was slow, but… it also meant they weren’t discovered by humans.

Meanwhile, Ryudmila’s subordinates, after receiving Jin’s Sword back from Abigail, sprinted in the opposite direction.

Their goal was to distract the pursuers and aid Abigail’s escape.

Freide’s pursuit squad captured two snow leopards and recovered Jin’s Sword, but failed to locate the three Paladins.

The only clue was that they were heading north again.

Freide, realizing the southward movement was a decoy, abandoned the chase and began moving north.

It was unclear if the cleverly escaped Paladins would join the enemy’s main force, but ultimately, they would head toward the Northern Wall.

—

The strike force, unaware of the conspiracy and betrayal unfolding in the forest, followed the original plan and sprinted north, exiting the forest.

They had to engage Valdemar’s northern army a few times, reducing their numbers by nearly half.

“Chase them! Before they join the other beasts!”

Valdemar, drenched in beastman blood, raised his greatsword and shouted.

Though the distance had widened, they couldn’t give up the chase.

If Vasiliy’s forces reunited with Ryurik, humanity’s strongest combatants could be lost in vain.

Though, in reality, Vasiliy was desperately rushing toward the Northern Wall, not reuniting with Ryurik.

An hour earlier, Ryurik had also exited the forest and was moving toward the Northern Wall.

His arm was deeply slashed to the bone, and he had lost an eye, but he managed to wound Hasarl’s leg and create enough distance to escape.

Furious, Hasarl used torn beast hide to stop the bleeding and pursued Ryurik while filling her hungry stomach with fire-roasted beastman meat.

Though slower than Ryurik, her injuries weren’t severe enough to stop her.

In truth, the northern army’s best strategy was to halt the chase, regroup, and retreat to Pailoon Castle.

Given how they had persistently stalled for time, it was clear they had already called for reinforcements.

Without knowing the size of the enemy’s additional forces, continuing the chase was like sticking their heads into a tiger’s mouth.

Yet, the northern army chose to increase their pursuit speed instead of retreating.

As discussed during the strategy meeting, letting Ryurik escape meant potentially giving up the chance to reclaim the area near the Northern Wall.

They had no choice but to fight.

Their strongest fighters had no intention of retreating anyway.

“I’ll kill you…! I’ll definitely kill you!”

Hasarl, radiating killing intent like a tidal wave, pursued Ryurik with a ghostly appearance.

Ryurik’s hit-and-run tactics had pushed her patience to the limit.

The wound on her leg only fueled her anger further.

The strange mix of freezing cold and burning pain reminded her of the moment she was injured, and she gritted her teeth, cursing.

If she had been even slightly slower, she would have lost her leg.

The renewed pain only added fuel to her raging anger.

And so, the humans endlessly pursued the beastmen.

The noon sun disappeared beyond the horizon… and finally rose again.

The final morning had arrived.

—

“Got you, you damn bastard!”

After over ten hours of relentless pursuit, Hasarl finally caught up to Ryurik.

Instead of running on her injured leg, she used Life Force tendrils like spider legs to support her body, leaping and landing with one foot, stubbornly pushing forward.

It was a determination that could only be called a human victory.

“You monster of a woman…!”

Even Ryurik was intimidated by her tenacity and persistence.

Though only a few dozen kilometers remained to the Northern Wall, the relentless Beastman Devourer made further progress impossible.

“Anyone would say you’re the monster, you two-legged dog beheading people!”

Hasarl and Ryurik, growling at each other, clashed again—one filled with rage and disgust, the other with anxiety and frustration.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Woooooh!”

The clash of superhumans representing humanity and beastmen.

Neither was in peak condition, so they couldn’t fight with the same destructive force as at Pailoon Castle.

Ryurik had lost his left arm, sustained major injuries to his right arm, and lost an eye. Hasarl, too, was exhausted, and her right leg barely functioned.

Thus, the battle was more desperate than spectacular.

Every time the wolf beastman’s body was marked with fresh bloodlines, Hasarl also spilled her own blood on the snowy field.

Ryurik could no longer use his regeneration trick of tearing off his own head.

After continuous battles, injuries, and over ten hours of relentless running without proper rest, even his immense regenerative abilities were nearing their limit.

With his slowed regeneration, he would die before fully recovering if counterattacked.

So, instead of preemptively cutting off parts of his body to avoid Jin’s Sword, he desperately rolled and leaped to evade the blade itself.

Hasarl wasn’t faring much better.

Her body had long been in terrible shape, and her stamina was nearly depleted.

She couldn’t even attempt Up-hwa, which consumed massive amounts of Life Force, and using Durandal twice would completely drain her energy.

Her injuries were severe.

Her skin was torn in many places, and her arms and shoulders, having endured countless impacts, felt like they might shatter.

Her right leg, unable to bear weight, had to be forcibly moved with Life Force threads.

Yet, she was gaining the upper hand.

Perhaps due to her combat experience, she was growing accustomed to the beastman king’s fighting style.

=======[ Hasarl ]========

“Woooooh!”

She deflected Ryurik’s right arm, aimed at her head, by tilting her sword.

In the past, she would have lost balance or been flung back, unable to withstand the force.

But now, she could perfectly block it.

She loosened her grip on the sword hilt, leaving only her ring and little fingers, while strengthening her left hand’s grip.

Instead of taking the blow head-on, she let it slide naturally.

– Screeech!

The claws grinding against the blade sparked like metal on a grinder.

Durandal’s blade was pushed back, coming toward her.

– Crack!

She caught the blade on her shoulder armor, stepping forward and bending her left leg at the right moment.

The sword, carrying her will, cut through the shoulder armor but settled on her shoulder instead.

The impact cratered the ground.

The earth beneath her feet cracked like glass under a hammer, spewing a snowstorm.

Yes. The trick to blocking Ryurik’s attacks was simple.

Taking it head-on would send her flying due to the weight difference, but deflecting the force diagonally into the ground allowed her to hold her ground!

“Kuh…!”

Ryurik, failing to send her flying, let out a short groan.

Twisting his waist to redirect the remaining force, he spun into her embrace.

A follow-up slash.

A mix of blue and gold light arced through the air, cutting through the winter wolf’s waist.

– Slash!

Ryurik rolled forward to dodge, but not completely, as his flank was split open.

Though his thick fur and muscles prevented the blade from reaching his organs.

“How’s that? Feels like your end is near, doesn’t it!”

She immediately leaped up, thrusting Durandal at Ryurik’s throat.

“Not yet!”

Ryurik leaned back, kicking upward with his legs.

His claws aimed vertically at her torso.

A direct hit would cleave her in two.

But this was an attack she had faced before.

“Kyaaaah!”

She focused Life Force into her left hand, releasing it downward.

Simultaneously, she twisted her body sideways using her waist’s elasticity.

– Boom!

The concentrated Life Force exploded outward.

Her left arm, blocking Ryurik’s kick, screamed in pain. She felt her cracked bones shattering.

No matter. As long as it wasn’t severed, she could still move it.

In the past, she would have been sent flying. That would have left her open to follow-up attacks.

But not now.

Her left arm, deflecting the attack diagonally. Her entire body, forcibly twisted using her waist.

The force meant to send her flying was caught in the spin, twisting Ryurik’s power.

The direction of the force, meant to propel her into the air, spiraled instead.

Her entire body spun in the air like a top, along with Durandal in her right hand.

The swirling slash shredded Ryurik’s legs.

“Khaaaah…!”

The wolf beastman lost balance and fell backward, his tattered legs spraying blood.

His end was near.

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