Chapter 57

– Kwaaaang!

With a fierce explosion, the windows on the third floor of the special building shattered all at once. Flames shot up from the broken window frames.

A deafening roar that drowned out the noise of battle. For a moment, the eyes of both humans and beastmen were drawn to it.

Except for one person.

Freide charged forward. Ignoring the rain of shattered glass pouring down behind her.

She didn’t care what was happening behind her. Her only thought was to kill the beastman in front of her.

“Kreuk!”

Olga hurriedly raised her halberd and swung it. Her reaction was delayed, distracted by the sudden explosion.

The glowing saw blade slashed across the female wolf’s torso. A spray of blood and chunks of flesh scattered.

“Kyaaaak!”

Pain dulls reactions. Even for a beastman.

A dagger pierced her abdomen, roughly tearing through her insides.

Like swallowing poison, Olga screamed as if her stomach was melting. Her halberd swung reflexively, cutting through empty air before embedding itself in the ground.

Freide’s mace struck Olga’s knee from the side. The knee joint tore through the skin and popped out, causing Olga’s leg to buckle.

“Olgaaa!”

Alexei’s axe, swung belatedly, struck Freide as she tried to finish Olga. The mace she used to block shattered, scattering metal fragments.

Freide was sent flying, tumbling across the ground like someone who had collided with a carriage. The garden grass turned red.

“Kuh, agh…!”

She spat blood, struggling to lift her trembling body. Shards of metal were embedded in her shoulder, blood dripping down.

She was in a state where the next attack would likely bring her down, unable to block or dodge.

But Alexei’s attack didn’t follow.

“Kuuuuk……”

Olga, severely injured, collapsed forward. Alexei, who had been chasing Freide, hurriedly caught her.

In that moment, Freide, with trembling hands, pulled something from her waist and swallowed it.

—

Kamenev couldn’t help even as he watched.

Well, he was too busy blocking my sword.

Ai-mel-ra’s longsword left blue afterimages as it drew dozens of arcs. The endless slashes bound the bear beastman’s feet.

Kamenev’s gauntlet sparked, scattering fragments each time it blocked the sword.

“Haaaaaa!”

A storm of slashes. His arms felt like they were being torn apart, his lungs screaming for air.

The pain surged. His body screamed from the relentless attacks.

He ignored it.

This level of pain was nothing. Even the act of breathing was a waste.

He poured all his remaining strength into wildly swinging the longsword. Endlessly. Faster. More fiercely.

“This… bitch…!”

Kamenev groaned. The black iron gauntlet shattered.

Jin’s claws raked his arm, blood spurting out.

Jin. A cursed metal that even nullified the beastman’s greatest strength—their regenerative abilities.

The symbol of humanity.

The bear beastman roared in fury, raising his bloodied fist.

=======[Boris]========

“Kuuu…”

Boris gritted his teeth.

The situation was clear. A single moment of distraction had turned the tide.

Olga was near death, and Kamenev was increasingly in danger.

The three sent to the special building had likely lost their lives too. He hadn’t anticipated the enemy having such firepower.

…Over the past four years, he thought he’d gathered all the information on the special students.

At least Alexei was still standing, but if the one who caused the explosion came out, it was over. The raid plan had essentially failed.

Then, the only success was the primary objective entrusted to Natalia. It was far from enough for the lives of the entire militia.

At the very least, he had to take down one master here.

Boris glared at the knight in front of him. A female knight, battered and breathing heavily, pointing her spear and sword at him.

Her fighting style was bizarre.

Using even the enemy’s body as a springboard, she moved through the air as if spinning, attacking with weapons from her limbs. It wasn’t a knight’s style.

It was like three or four eagles swooping down with their claws out. Wildly free and irregular movements.

Even Boris was relying on instinct to counter. Predicting or analyzing her attack patterns was impossible.

The only reason he had the upper hand was due to the limitations of the human species. But even that wasn’t enough to feel safe, as the Jin mixed in her weapons hindered his healing.

That damn metal.

Boris clenched his teeth. There was no point holding back now.

With a long howl, Boris charged at Nigel.

The greatsword swung even more fiercely. Abandoning defense entirely, enduring the wounds, he focused solely on attack—a mutual destruction tactic.

Nigel’s expression darkened. A brutal bloodbath ensued, blood gushing like a fountain.

====================

With Boris’s howl, the beastmen’s demeanor changed.

Their expressions hardened, determination filling their yellow eyes. The battle was reaching its climax.

“Khaaaa!”

Alexei violently threw Olga, whom he had been supporting.

A wolf wielding a halberd came flying towards me.

Scattering blood and entrails like propellant.

A throw I couldn’t have even imagined.

Before my bewildered mind could react, my battle-heightened body moved swiftly.

The longsword deflected the halberd, sparks flying, and a follow-up slash severed the beast’s arm.

Olga’s right arm was cut off, spraying a shower of blood onto my face.

“Gah!”

My vision was momentarily blocked.

Reflexively, my sword slashed deeply into something.

The next moment, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder.

“Ahhh!”

Sharp teeth crushed my shoulder guard, sinking into my flesh.

My left shoulder felt like it was about to fall off.

Wiping the blood from my eyes, I assessed the situation.

A battered female wolf was hanging onto my shoulder, biting down.

Her abdomen was sliced open, her upper and lower body barely connected by her spine.

The floor was littered with spilled entrails.

Is this the vitality of a beastman?

It was a miracle she wasn’t dead from such a fatal wound.

“Groooar!”

Alexei and Kamenev charged at me simultaneously.

A desperate, all-out assault without looking back.

As I tried to evade, Olga grabbed me with her remaining arm.

Damn it, she’s really persistent…!

“Let go!”

I slashed her neck with my longsword.

Blood poured out, soaking my shoulder.

The wolf’s body slumped and rolled on the ground.

Her grip was so strong that her head remained lodged in my shoulder.

An axe and a fist were closing in on me.

Too late.

A fierce sense of danger surged up my spine.

I gripped the longsword with both hands and swung.

– Clang!

A deafening sound, and a shock that felt like my arm was being torn off traveled through the blade.

Somehow, I managed to block the axe.

Blood gushed from my bitten shoulder, and my arm was bent backward.

Kamenev’s fist was coming.

No time to swing the sword back.

“Gah, ahhh!”

I screamed, taking the incoming punch with my head.

– Thud!

Something crunched.

My consciousness wavered.

My vision turned black.

Ah, this is bad. Dangerous-

“Beast brat!”

Freide’s saw blade slashed through Kamenev’s back.

Spurting blood soaked her coat.

Kamenev’s movements stopped.

Freide’s left hand plunged into the bear beastman’s wound.

“Now, die!”

Freide roared, blood mixed with her voice, and yanked out her left arm.

Half-severed spine and all.

“Gahhh!”

With a final scream, Kamenev finally collapsed.

Freide, perhaps from the reckless pursuit, staggered and knelt.

Alexei’s axe aimed for Freide’s head-

– Clang!

It was deflected by my longsword.

This bastard, how dare he…!

Maybe it was the blood streaming down my forehead, but the enemy’s figure was tinged red.

My vision was shaking, everything spinning.

My head felt like it was splitting, my whole body burning hot.

Thoughts weren’t connecting.

The lion’s right foot shot out.

Sharp claws aimed for my torso.

“Kyaah!”

I gritted my teeth and kicked back.

It’s fine. As long as it doesn’t break, I can fight.

Even if it breaks, I can fight.

“Barbarian!”

The saw blade flashed.

With a sickening sound, Freide’s strike lodged into Alexei’s left leg.

Though she didn’t have the strength to tear through the flesh, it was enough.

Alexei staggered, his right claw weakly slashing the air.

My foot plunged into his lower abdomen.

With a groan, Alexei’s waist bent.

A blue flash like lightning pierced the lion’s lower jaw.

The lion’s head split vertically, spewing blood and brain matter.

Bits of brain clung to my face, sliding down my cheek.

Alexei’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed, twitching.

Definitely dead.

“Haa… haa……!”

I staggered towards Kamenev.

Even with his spine ripped out, the bear beastman was slowly regenerating, writhing on the floor.

I had to finish him.

Each step made my body sway.

But I could still move. So I walked.

Because my limit hadn’t come yet.

No, that’s wrong. That’s not it.

I shook my head in denial.

I have no limits.

Because I decided so.

I approached the groaning brown bear and plunged my sword into his head.

Kamenev went limp.