CHAPTER 102: ONLY DUTY

Muffled growls echoed around her. Scarlett slowly opened her eyes, feeling as if her head was about to explode. A sharp pain shot through her temples, and her expression immediately contorted. Every fiber of her body vibrated with discomfort and confusion.

She tried to move, but something was holding her back. Her limbs were stiff, bound. Then the memories began to return, like sudden stabs. And with them, the fear.

She wanted to scream, but her throat only produced a muffled moan. A dirty gag squeezed her lips, preventing her from doing more than babbling.

Her vision gradually cleared. The darkness gave way to a terrifying image: her companions, tied up like her, motionless, their eyes wide with panic. Some were trying unsuccessfully to free themselves. Others were just trembling.

"Grrrr...!"

The icy sound of a growl forced her to turn her head violently. Then she saw them: a pack of silver-furred wolves, their fangs bared, tied to stakes driven into the mud. They howled and struggled with savage rage, as if the slightest mistake would set them free.

A tremor shook Scarlett from the core. The blood drained from her face.

She searched desperately for Kael, knowing with bitter certainty that he was the only one behind this. She wanted to scream at him, demand answers. Why? Why did he lie to them? What had she done to deserve this? They had barely spoken before...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The unmistakable sound of footsteps in the rain caught her attention. She slowly looked up, and there he was.

Standing on a ledge, above them all, Kael watched them with an indifferent expression. Wet from the rain, with his sword still on his back and his black eyes fixed on her as if she were part of the landscape.

For his part, Kael calmly watched the desperate expressions on Scarlett and the others’ faces. Although the others had nothing to do with him, he couldn’t let them live. That would be too stupid of him.

And it would only bring him trouble, which he didn’t want to deal with.

With a thought, Kael activated the Moonfire Zu, and the energy from the sword flew out as he waved his hand, cutting the ropes that held the silver wolves.

As soon as they felt free, they charged toward Scarlett and company, who wet themselves in fear and terror.

The rope that bound her sank into her flesh, soaked by the rain and her sweat. Scarlett gasped, her body trembling as she watched the silver wolves break free from their bonds one by one. The first stake fell into the mud with a dull crack.

The largest one advanced first. Golden eyes gleaming, thick saliva dripping from its jaws. The others followed, moving hungrily.

"Mmmgh! MMMGHH!" Scarlett screamed from behind her gag, shaking like a trapped animal.

The first bite tore off her thigh. Flesh ripped, tendons burst. Blood spurted in a dark arc, mixing with the mud. Scarlett twisted her body, a muffled scream tearing at her throat.

The second wolf sank its fangs into her side. A wet sound. Warm entrails peeking out from the gashes. She felt it: her intestines shifting, cold air entering where it shouldn’t.

She fainted.

And woke up.

This time, it was his arm. The wolf shook it like a bone. The skin tore with a slimy snap, the splintered humerus peeking out from between shreds of flesh. Something in her mind snapped. The screams were no longer human.

Kael watched from above.

The silver wolf lunged at her chest. Its teeth closed around her left breast. A tug. Flesh separated from her torso with a sticky sound.

Scarlett saw it. The throbbing lump between its jaws before it swallowed him whole.

This time, passing out wasn’t a relief. He came back only to feel the hot snout sink into his open belly, gnawing, tearing. Liver. Kidney. Pieces he no longer recognized.

She wanted to beg. She wanted to die.

Finally, the wolf closed its jaws around her neck.

And the world went black.

Kael watched as the silver wolves slaughtered the others. He didn’t leave until they left nothing but bones.

After the silver wolves were finished, Kael left in the rain, his figure disappearing into the distance.

The cycle had closed on Kiran Mountain.

What came next was not redemption, nor rest.

It was the journey.

The five regions still awaited him.

...

The situation in the city had reached a critical point. Ever since the Silver Wolf of Viscount rank appeared in the middle of the town, everything had quickly fallen apart.

What began as a manageable threat turned into a nightmare that spread through the streets like a plague.

The rain fell relentlessly, soaking the cobblestones blackened by ash and blood. Bodies piled up in the corners, forming grotesque mounds of shattered armor, lacerated flesh, and empty stares pointing skyward.

Among them were children, the elderly, nobles, and more, muddy and forgotten. The city reeked of rusty metal, open entrails, and damp smoke.

Morale was at rock bottom. What little hope remained faded with every muffled scream, with every corpse dragged away by the dirty rain-filled current.

The lightning boars attacked mercilessly, killing anything that moved. The silver wolves, agile and deadly, tore apart entire formations before quickly disappearing. Organized groups tried to resist, raising shields, reinforcing defenses, and shouting orders.

But their unity crumbled in the face of brutal reality: the difference in power was abysmal.

For every savage beast they managed to bring down, five more appeared. On the other hand, for every knight who fell, there was no replacement, no reinforcement, no hope.

Colson surveyed the battlefield. There was no room left for strategy or illusions. The situation was untenable. The only way out... was sacrifice.

He knew what he had to do.

If he wanted to win, even if it was just for one second longer... if he wanted the young people to have even the slightest chance of living... he had to give it his all. Here. Now.

His gaze met that of Milson, his old rival. He didn’t need to say a word. A slight smile full of determination said it all.

Milson stepped forward. His face was calm, but his soul was burning.

"It seems there is no other choice... right?" he muttered, as if speaking more to the dead than to the living.

Colson closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his mana essence was already beginning to flow, roaring like an internal storm. His aura unfolded in an invisible explosion that shook the air around him.

"It’s the only way," he said firmly. "If we want the young ones to survive... someone has to stay behind."

And they both knew it. Neither would return from this battle. But that was the burden that real men carried in silence.

No tears. No glory. Only duty.