Under the cold moonlight, the fierce battle gradually came to an end.
Yuri’s right hand, which gripped her sword, was already numb, her trembling fingers barely able to hold the hilt.
Her left hand, which had used the grappling hook again and again, was throbbing with a tearing pain—if she kept pushing, her left hand might be done for.
She still needed to work on reducing the strain on her arms, but that would have to wait until she made it back alive.
At her side, the Wolf King was in no better shape; its once-beautiful silver fur was now stained with blood, and several ghastly wounds cut deep into its body, some down to the bone.
Meanwhile, every one of the infected Silvermoon Wolves had been wiped out. Scattered on the ground, a few crystals pulsed with energy—those must be the magic cores dropped by Silvermoon Wolves upon death.
She didn’t know if any Abyssal Crystals had dropped. The odds were low, but the number of Abyssal creatures she’d slain tonight was more than the sum of the last several years.
But there was no time to check her spoils. One target remained—the most important one.
The Abyssal Nest.
No new wave of monsters had appeared, which meant the nest was left unguarded. This was the best chance.
If she could destroy the nest, tonight would finally end.
She couldn’t stop yet. She had to keep gripping her sword tightly.
Forcing herself to hold on, Yuri’s palm flared again, fire wrapping around the blade. Compared to the furious blaze that had once engulfed her sword, the flames now were much weaker, flickering on the verge of going out.
She was nearly at her limit.
“Can you still move?”
She glanced at the Wolf King beside her, and it seemed to understand, letting out a low growl in reply.
Those deep green beast eyes locked on the direction of the nest, its body crouched, ready to leap.
“All right, let’s go.”
Everything would be decided in this moment.
As Yuri pulled her gaze from the Wolf King, she noticed a swirl of black mist coiling around the Wolf King’s wounds.
No…
When did that happen?
A flicker of alarm crossed her gray-blue eyes. Once tainted by the Abyssal aura, whether human or monster, the victim would be corrupted and transformed, becoming a puppet of the Abyss.
When did it take hold of him?
Was it during the previous fight, or had it always been lurking inside him from the start, waiting to erupt the moment his will faltered?
The answer didn’t matter anymore.
The instant the Abyssal aura infected him, his fate was sealed.
He seemed to realize this, too.
A flash of resolve crossed those emerald eyes. The Wolf King threw back his head and let out a furious howl, body turning into a streak of silver light, racing toward the root of all this evil without hesitation.
He knew his time was running short. Before he lost himself completely—before he became one of those monsters like the rest of his pack—he would pour out every last ounce of strength, charging at the one who destroyed his home and doomed his kin, launching a final, desperate attack!
Dazzling magic circles erupted around the Wolf King, transforming into torrents of mana that shot toward the nest.
The nest seemed to sense this deadly threat. Its twisted branches shuddered violently, and a mass of thick, impenetrable black mist surged up in front of it, swallowing every torrent of mana the Wolf King unleashed.
The nest itself seemed to shrink; its size was clearly smaller than before.
And from within that dense black mist, a huge silhouette stepped out.
A figure over three meters tall—unlike the lesser Abyssal creatures made of black sludge, this one’s body had a rough, stony texture, as if it had been carved from a block of granite.
It had a vaguely humanoid shape, and from its back stretched massive wings, stone-like and bat-like. It was hard to believe such wings could lift such a heavy body.
Its head was hideous, its eye sockets filled with burning, ghostly blue fire. The moment it landed, the ground under Yuri’s feet trembled.
“A…gargoyle?”
Yuri drew in a sharp breath. Things were only getting worse.
Unlike the low-tier monsters she’d cut down like weeds before, this gargoyle was a mid-tier creature. It might only be a single rank higher, but the gap in power was like an unbridgeable chasm.
A mid-tier Abyssal monster might take several Gold-rank adventurers to barely hold their own.
Maybe even require a Platinum-rank adventurer to lead a team to bring it down.
This was far beyond what Yuri could handle.
Even at full strength, the Wolf King would only barely be able to match this gargoyle—never mind in his battered state.
Even so, the Wolf King didn’t stop charging.
He burned up the last of his mana. A brilliant blue blade of energy formed—he clenched it in his jaws and lunged, swinging one final strike at the gargoyle.
The blow landed with crushing force, knocking the gargoyle back several steps and gouging a deep furrow in its tough body.
White smoke drifted from the wound; the attack had hurt the gargoyle.
But the Wolf King’s desperate attack, though it did real damage, wasn’t enough to kill.
Steadying itself, the gargoyle raised its fist, a blast of frigid wind trailing its strike as it slammed squarely into the Wolf King.
“Boom!”
With a dull thud, the Wolf King howled in agony, sent flying. His huge body rolled across the ground, snapping several trees before finally stopping.
He struggled to rise, but vomited a mouthful of black blood.
The Abyssal aura was surging through his battered body, and his once-clear eyes grew clouded.
The Wolf King was being transformed.
The gargoyle didn’t chase, but turned to face Yuri.
But before it could fully turn, Yuri darted in front of it, leaping high, her sword slicing a crimson arc.
“Clang!”
The instant her blade struck, a huge shock jolted through the sword, nearly splitting the flesh between Yuri’s thumb and forefinger.
On the gargoyle’s thigh, all that was left was a faint, scorched mark—barely a scratch.
She couldn’t even break its defenses.
And there was backlash—her sword left the gargoyle unscathed, but her own right hand was nearly ruined from the shock.
No… This isn’t an opponent I can handle at all.
On the other side, the Wolf King was still being corrupted. Once he was fully taken over, she’d be facing both the gargoyle and the Wolf King at once.
If that happened, she’d be lucky to even leave a corpse behind.
She lifted her swollen left arm. Please, just hold on a bit longer—as long as I can get some distance… as long as I can get away…
But before she could fire the grappling hook, the fallen Wolf King hauled himself up again, his gaze locked on Yuri as he rushed toward her.
Had the transformation finished?
It was too late…
The Wolf King’s form flashed past her. Instinctively, Yuri raised her sword in defense, but her body suddenly felt weightless—she realized she’d been hoisted onto the Wolf King’s scarred back.
“You…”
It seemed he was holding on by sheer willpower, his mind not yet completely lost to the Abyss.
This must be his last time carrying her.
But before he could run far, his exhausted body collapsed, stumbling as he hit the ground. This time, he shielded Yuri with his body, not letting her be thrown off like before.
On the brink of death, the Abyssal aura kept eating away at him. The last trace of clarity in those emerald beast eyes was fading.
The Wolf King whimpered. Yuri, unable to understand, turned to Iris with pleading eyes.
The Little Evil God sighed.
“Yuri-chan, do it. Your animal friend doesn’t want to become that kind of monster. That’s why, after risking everything to carry you out, he wants you to end his life.
In his last moment, he hopes to die as himself—not as a crazed monster barely clinging to life.”
“I…see…”
Her trembling hands gripped the sword hilt. She saw the Wolf King raise his head with the last of his strength, gazing up at the bright moon above, letting out a hoarse, drawn-out howl.
Countless times in the past, he’d led his pack, howling at the moon like this. Now, it might be for the last time.
“Yuri-chan, hurry—the corruption is almost complete.”
Yuri was silent.
The commission was complete. She ought to feel happy.
If not for the interference of the Abyss, what should have happened here was a fierce duel between her and the Wolf King. Yet now, two who should have been enemies had fought side by side against a greater foe.
With a trembling blade, she aimed at the Wolf King’s throat.
“Sorry. This might hurt.”
The sword fell, and the Wolf King’s breathing faded away.
There was no time to grieve. Behind her, a heavy form crashed to the ground—the gargoyle had caught up, wings beating.
No escape?
She glanced instinctively at Iris, who was gazing back at her with those blood-red eyes.
“Your animal friend has gone on ahead. Now it’s your turn, Yuri-chan.
My, my… What will you do next?”