Chapter 770

Chapter 770
ROOOOOAR!
The pack of abominations shrieked with animalistic fury as they hunted the retreating dwarven youngsters.
They possessed an all-consuming loathing for the living. Lured by the essence of vitality, they fanned out by instinct toward the figures escaping into the horizon.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
Plunging directly into the heart of the demonic cloud, a giant azure wolf tore forward.
A portion of the creatures shifted their malice toward Kyle and Dark, but given the overwhelming multitude of foes, only a small fraction truly swarmed them. The vast majority remained fixated on the trail of the dwarves.
CRASH!
Kyle whipped his blade with maximum intensity, discharging a torrent of internal energy. The concussive wave radiating from his steel shredded dozens of horrors in a heartbeat.
For a warrior like Kyle, who had attained the pinnacle of martial prowess, dispatching a few brittle undead was a simple task.
The genuine threat lay in their limitless numbers. Furthermore, the high-ranking clerics and dark sorcerers of the Salvation Order were watching from the rear—there was no telling when they might intervene.
“Curse it… Come on, focus on me, every last one of you.”
Kyle gnashed his teeth and pressed his chest low against Dark’s fur.
Whish!
Gnarled talons and jagged ribs whistled just above his skull.
Kyle responded instantly with a sweep of his weapon, and a ripple of sapphire radiance sent the encircling monsters flying.
THOOM!
The airborne carcasses collided with the others, seeding disorder. Yet Kyle did not press the advantage. He gave the harness a sharp tug.
“Dark! To the right!”
“Understood!”
Dark’s frame pivoted with the grace of a master performer, gliding through the narrow apertures in the throng.
The lunging beasts pivoted their heads toward Kyle. He brandished his sword and bellowed at the front line.
“That’s it, look at me! Right here, you filth!”
WROOOOAR!
Kyle, perched atop Dark’s back, zig-zagged through the field. With every shift in direction, the monsters adjusted in unison, trailing his every movement like a shadow.
“Over here!”
BOOM!
Another eruption of mana went off, vaporizing a fresh cluster of enemies.
The vitality he radiated was like the most brilliant signal fire in the wasteland.
The undead began to pursue him with genuine desperation.
GRAAAAAA!
The hollow sockets of the dead locked onto Kyle. Their fingers clawed the air in his direction.
SNAP!
Kyle vaulted from Dark’s spine and brought his blade down in a heavy arc.
EXPLOSION!
A fierce pressure wave detonated, grinding the nearby corpses to dust.
Simultaneously, Dark lashed out with his massive paws, rending the undead on the opposing flank.
“Once more!”
Kyle leapt back into the saddle, and Dark sprinted through a gap that had just been cleared.
Even at a dead run, Kyle never ceased his sword strikes, bleeding off mana with every swing.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sounds of destruction echoed as the monsters in their vicinity collapsed.
Utilizing energy in this reckless manner was exhausting. But against such a tide, he had no alternative.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Dark, in his majestic blue wolf form, kept sprinting across the bloody ground without losing momentum.
Riding high, Kyle’s lungs burned with heavy breaths, but his sharp eyes never wavered.
Not enough. It’s still not enough.
A significant portion of the horde was trailing him now, but it wasn’t total. Many were still stalking the dwarven children.
At the very least, the sky was nearly clear. The hired blades had depleted most of their sorcery against the flyers during the previous clash.
The few that remained were instinctively drawn to Kyle alone. Even if a handful slipped through, the guards protecting the youths were capable of repelling them.
Under Ghislain’s brutal regimen, even those men had developed the prowess of true knights.
Thudududu!
Dark let out a shout while in mid-stride.
“Top left! A winged terror is diving!”
“I see it!”
Rather than swerving, Dark leaped high into the atmosphere.
The aerial beast diving from the clouds attempted to rake them—but Kyle’s steel found its mark first.
CRACK!
A group of flying horrors were cleaved in two, falling like stones to the earth.
THUMP!
Dark hit the ground and crushed the monsters congregating beneath his paws.
The more strength he exerted, the faster the spiritual essence forming his physical shell dissipated.
Fortunately, Ghislain had provided a massive transfusion of mana this time—allowing him to maintain his form for now.
Kyle cast a look of respect at Dark.
“Damn, you’re actually proficient at this. I’m impressed.”
“I’ve survived hundreds of warzones at my master’s side. If I put my mind to it, I could probably take down a transcendent or two.”
Kyle let out a bark of laughter at Dark’s arrogance.
Regardless, having the wolf beside him was an immense comfort.
ROOOOOOAR!
The monsters surged toward Kyle and Dark once again.
Dark whirled and whipped his tail around. One of the charging ghouls was sent flying like a discarded toy.
Kyle harnessed Dark’s spinning momentum to lash out with his sword in the other direction.
KABOOM!
At his tier of power, every motion triggered a catastrophic release of mana, carving through the monsters.
However, the price was steep. At this pace, his reserves would hit zero soon.
Just a bit longer…
Kyle inhaled deeply and scanned the rear.
The children had put more distance between them—but it wasn’t sufficient. The dark sorcerers and the priests of the Salvation Order were still a wild card.
He had to escalate the pressure.
“Dark!”
“Cling on!”
Dark plunged into the thickest part of the swarm at top speed. Kyle twisted his torso while moving, butchering monsters with a relentless rhythm.
BOOM! CRUNCH!
Blade and claw functioned in perfect harmony, harvesting the monsters.
Whenever Kyle was exposed, Dark moved instinctively to shield or dodge. When Dark was cornered, Kyle carved out a path for him to maneuver.
Words were unnecessary—a mere shift in weight or a flicker of intent was all they needed. They functioned as a single entity.
The synergy was immaculate.
WRAAAAAA!
The monsters crowded increasingly around the pair. But that only facilitated the dwarf children’s flight.
As Dark continued his erratic path, he spoke up.
“Shouldn’t we be considering a tactical withdrawal?”
Kyle paused, then shook his head in defiance.
“No. Not yet. The youngsters are moving too slowly. They’re dwarves—their legs are short.”
“You’re a stubborn idiot. But I finally see why a person like you became a Hero’s comrade.”
“Let’s just hold the line a little longer.”
If it were only the lumbering undead, Kyle would have retreated by now. But the mutated chimeras possessed terrifying speed.
And the intentions of the remaining dark mages were unknown. He had to buy more time.
BOOOOOOM!
Kyle triggered another massive mana burst, showing no restraint, scattering the monsters yet again. Dark followed up instantly, providing flawless support.
The more Kyle and Dark caused havoc, the more the horde reoriented to chase them.
The monsters were devoid of intellect. They followed only the primitive directive to extinguish any life they could see—leaving them no choice but to gravitate toward Kyle and Dark’s display of power.
One of the dark sorcerers, who had been directing the flow of the horde, narrowed his vision and hissed.
“What is this…? Why would a human sacrifice himself for dwarves?”
The man’s capability was significant. And the wolf he sat upon moved with the fluidity of a spirit—it was no common beast.
The dark mage hesitated momentarily before leaning toward his partner.
“That massive blast from before—it looks like he’s tapped out on that front. What’s the play?”
“Hmm… if we bypass that human and keep moving, we’ll just sustain unnecessary casualties. He’s more dangerous than we calculated. He seems to be at the ceiling of the high ranks.”
“Then why don’t we just end him right here? If we leave him be, he’ll just keep nibbling at our forces and slowing the march.”
As he spoke, the dark mage stole a glance behind them.
The priest of the Salvation Order remained motionless and silent—an unspoken signal that they were expected to resolve the nuisance themselves.
The second dark mage also noted the priest’s cold demeanor before answering.
“Yeah, that’s the better option. Those brainless monsters are being led around by the nose like cattle.”
“Tch. Because of one man, we’re going to have to dip into our own mana pools.”
Managing such a colossal swarm required a staggering amount of energy. That was why they had simply unleashed them—allowing them to seek out life on their own.
Now, they were forced to actively expend mana to override those basic instincts.
The dark mages extended their hands and whispered the command.
“Slay that human… Devour him…”
In a heartbeat, the entire ocean of monsters shifted—every single pair of eyes locked onto Kyle simultaneously.
Even the ones on the far periphery now pinpointed him with unerring accuracy.
GRAAAAAAAH!
Kyle and Dark sensed the shift in the atmosphere immediately.
But rather than showing trepidation, a smirk touched Kyle’s lips.
“Perfect. This is how it should have been from the start.”
Even with thousands of nightmares charging his position, Kyle did not waver.
Instead, he spurred his mount deeper—faster—right into the center of the storm.
“Not a single soul among you is leaving this field.”
KABOOM!
Kyle ignited his mana once more, clearing the immediate area. His sword carved into the dirt, and explosions rippled through the enemy ranks from every angle.
But the sheer volume was staggering.
As every monster focused solely on him, lacerations began to mark Kyle’s skin.
Dark, too, began to lose his imposing stature. Kyle had managed to preserve his own stamina thanks to the wolf, but that advantage was fading fast.
Kyle’s breath came in ragged gasps, his vision swimming with red. His physical form was screaming for him to stop.
Yet his blade did not falter. If anything, his strikes became more surgical and lethal.
Don’t break.
You can do this.
Don’t you dare move back.
Silently demanding more from his failing body, Kyle forced out another wave of energy.
BOOOOOM!
His mana sliced through the center of the swarm like a hot blade through wax.
The resulting blast crushed several monsters before they could even let out a sound.
Dark didn’t waste the opening. He lunged forward, his claws doing the rest.
BANG! CRUNCH! THUD!
Gore and bone fragments rained down.
In this desperate hour, Kyle and Dark were a more formidable barrier than a stone fortress.
One after another, then dozens more—
In tandem, Kyle and Dark decimated hundreds of the foul creatures.
Observing from the distance, the priest of the Salvation Order knit his brows.
…A remarkable human. And the spirit he commands is equally noteworthy.
It wasn’t merely their raw output—their tactical intuition was superb. They were manipulating the horde with extreme efficiency, creating the largest possible impact with the least amount of movement.
He could step in and crush them personally—but he had no desire to reveal his hand.
That human is at the zenith of the high-rank knights. His technique is without error.
At that level, even a transcendent could be bitten if they weren’t careful. And a man of his caliber was doubly dangerous.
Furthermore, the devastating magic Kyle had utilized earlier was still a concern for the priest. He suspected the man might be holding back a trump card for a high-value target.
The Salvation Order’s doctrine was constant: preserve the core. They were outnumbered by the Coalition—efficiency was mandatory.
Cunning and cautious, the priest finally gave the word to the dark mages.
“We have lingered long enough. Slay them.”
The two dark sorcerers stiffened. The man causing the chaos was clearly superior to them in a fair fight.
And the spirit he rode was far from mundane.
But one did not refuse a priest of the Order.
“…As you command.”
Regardless, they liked their odds. The monsters were still a sea, and their targets were clearly at their breaking point.
The dark mages began to weave their spells in the shadows.
BOOOM!
Each time Kyle’s sword descended, a brief silence followed. The horde—once seemingly infinite—had been cut down to less than half its original size.
This was the fruit of pushing himself past all reasonable limits.
The debt was now coming due. Every inhale was a struggle, proving just how close to collapse he was.
Dark was in a similar state. Visibly smaller and fading, he surveyed the remaining enemies and spoke.
“Time to go. We’ve done more than our share.”
“…Not yet. Just a bit more.”
Kyle shook his head with grim persistence.
The distance was better, yes—but safety was not guaranteed. Given the way the monsters were acting, it was obvious the sorcerers were pulling the strings.
And once they committed their full power, they could force the horde to move with unnatural speed.
Just a little longer. He had to stay standing.
Dark let out a low growl.
“You moron. If you keep this up, you’re a dead man. It’s smarter to retreat, regroup with the kids, and act as a rearguard.”
“If the fight reaches them, they’ll be slaughtered in the crossfire.”
“…Didn’t you used to say you loathed how Julien and Deneb were always playing the martyrs, helping everyone?”
Kyle managed a weak laugh.
“Yeah, I did. But I told you then—they were sticking their noses into things they didn’t have to. This is different.”
“How the hell is it different?!”
“I’m telling you—right now, if I don’t protect those children, nobody will.”
“You idiot—”
Dark whipped his head around before the insult could land.
SHHHHHHHHH!
An oily, mist-like tide of corrupt mana surged toward them.
Dark lunged upward to intercept the blast with his own form.
BOOOOM!
“Augh!”
Kyle was thrown from the saddle, tumbling onto the hard earth.
He scrambled to his feet, eyes wide.
“Dark!”
“Curse it all…”
Dark’s size had plummeted to nearly half of what it had been.
He had exhausted far too much essence absorbing that concentrated strike.
Dark immediately reached out to Ghislain’s mind to signal their distress—he was on the verge of calling for help.
Shit…
But the situation on the other front was just as dire. Everyone was pushed to the wall, fighting to keep Deneb alive.
Reinforcements were not coming.
At that moment, another malevolent aura bore down on them.
Dark turned his head and screamed.
“GET OUT OF HERE!”
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Those were the last words he uttered before his spirit form shattered and vanished into the air.