The sword and axe dance.
The silver flash tearing through the air was fierce. With each burst of blood, chunks of flesh and gore fell to the ground with a wet sound.
I stepped forward, coated in filth, until a pure white shadow suddenly surged up before me.
Power instantly surged into my hand gripping the sword.
With a sharp strike, I executed a downward swing.
One of the snow leopards charging at me was sliced in half. Although it had its claws out, it was far from overcoming my aura.
The hand axe maneuvered through the air like a jay.
After a while, the axe returned. With a crisp sound, the smooth handle was gripped in my hand.
Before long, the surroundings were littered with corpses.
The number of fallen snow leopards had surpassed ten already. Although the monsters howled in desperation, desperately summoning their strength, there was an undeniable fear radiating from their eyes.
They were no match for me.
This was not an exaggerated or arrogant assessment. It was an objective gap between me and the snow leopards.
No matter how many monsters came, my victory was guaranteed.
Unless they were high-level monsters, the snow leopards seemed to be intermediate-level beasts.
The wolf monsters I had hunted right before the hunting festival were intermediate-level. I had taken down more than ten at that time, and now, I was confident I could handle twenty of them.
I had undergone remarkable growth over the past few months.
I had gotten lucky, and I had crossed the line of death several times. Thanks to that, I had become stronger than I could ever compare to before.
Wasn’t the proof right before my eyes?
The snow leopards bared their teeth in display. They seemed to want to express hostility toward me, yet their bodies were already hesitant, retreating.
If they chose to run, I wouldn’t mind.
I already had enough game to bring back to the village.
There was no need to unnecessarily shed blood. Moreover, the snow leopards served the role of keeping humans at bay in this area.
However, they did not move with rational judgment.
They were creatures driven solely by hatred and violence. They showed no signs of fleeing from me or the elves.
Instead, they dispersed, preparing their formation.
Their intentions were obvious.
While several strong individuals monitored me, the remaining snow leopards seemed to be preparing to take down my companions. And this was quite a valid strategy.
Only Pope Eyong could handle the snow leopards alone.
Moreover, even Pope Eyong seemed reluctant to confront the monsters head-on. Ishya and Abiyang were certainly not capable of handling the snow leopards.
Especially Abiyang, who had grown pale and sat helplessly on the ground for quite some time. Judging by the trembling of their legs, it seemed they would be unable to move for a while.
I sighed and reestablished my stance.
The heat of battle that had inflamed my body dispersed in a white breath. It was then that vague instructions slipped from my lips.
“…Ishya.”
“Uh, yes?!”
At my low call, Ishya startled and replied.
She seemed to be in a daze, even jumping in surprise. I sensed an unfamiliar emotion in the way she looked at me.
Amazement, admiration, and fear.
It meant she still did not fully trust me.
Since I hadn’t even expected it, I felt no disappointment. I decided to convey the words I needed to tell her.
“Step back and shoot arrows. Focus on targeting those coming towards Abiyang.”
“You and Pope Eyong…?”
“Pope Eyong will manage on his own…”
I secured the hand axe at my waist as I concluded.
“I’ll take care of myself.”
A howl echoed as the snow leopards cried out like wolves.
Taking this as a signal, the predators of the snowfield leapt forward, propelled by their muscular strength.
Three snow leopards were charging at me.
As I planted my feet and generated strength in my legs, snowflakes scattered around. Gritting my teeth, I felt the surrounding air compress, and before long, I found myself standing in front of the snow leopards.
It was one particularly large specimen compared to the others.
It appeared to be a high-level monster, not an intermediate one. In that case, taking it down in one blow would be impossible.
With a clash, the blade and claws scraped against each other, sparking flames. The snow leopard pulled back, trying to bite me.
Its pristine white fangs gleamed threateningly. Just before that mouth opened fully, I thrust my head against its dark snout.
With a thud, the monster’s jaw muscles froze in place.
In that moment, I leaned back and flipped the snow leopard over. Immediately after, I twisted my muscles as if to wring them out and thrust forward with all my strength.
It was an application of the Holy Kingdom’s vision overturn technique.
With a thud, the earth and moss erupted. At the same time, the two snow leopards barreled in from the sides.
The third one was still pinned down in the ground.
I decided to completely give up on my sword. After all, my back-up weapons remained.
The hand axe soared once more. I wished for that strike to end it, but the snow leopard also had the ability to learn.
The snow leopard deflected the successive hand axes with a clang, clang.
Unfortunately, it seemed the hand axe wouldn’t serve any more purpose than restraining them. I lowered my body and tunneled into the space of the monster that hadn’t been restrained by a hand axe.
However, the snow leopard was no easy opponent.
Utilizing its agile muscles, the snow leopard curled its body around, responding to me directly. The sudden drop in its body sent us rolling across the snowfield.
While we tussled, my strength prevailed.
With both knees pressing down on its front legs, my fist smashed into the snow leopard’s snout.
The sound of cartilage shattering echoed.
In the midst of it all, the struggling snow leopard’s hind claws raked across my back. But even the claw that grazed me could hardly carry any real force.
It left only shallow marks on my body protected by magical power.
Meanwhile, the snow leopard that escaped the hand axe’s control unleashed a horrifying roar.
Grrrrr!
It seemed to realize the situation had turned unfavorable, opting not to rush in recklessly. I took a deep breath, setting myself back up.
And momentarily making eye contact with the snow leopard.
The monster wisely turned its body, changing its target.
It was aimed toward Abiyang.
“Ishya!”
“There’s another one coming!”
However, Ishya had already been nocking an arrow.
True to her words, there was indeed one more monster charging toward Abiyang. While Ishya was struggling to restrain one, the snow leopard that had been targeting me seemed to be homing in on Abiyang.
This was troublesome. I had no weapon in hand.
It was then that something peculiar caught my eye.
Amidst the trajectory of the charging snow leopards, a small sprout began to emerge. Upon seeing this, I dashed straight for the hand axe lying on the ground.
And as I grasped the axe that had fallen to the ground, as if waiting, roots shot up.
To bind the snow leopard.
This was Pope Eyong’s support. Although the snow leopard tore the roots out quickly, that brief moment was crucial to me.
“Well done, Pope Eyong!”
“I’m not helping you! I’m saving the elf!”
Of course, Pope Eyong couldn’t take my praise honestly.
Hearing the shouts of desperation while grappling with the roots and bow, I cleaved through the air.
My body, thrown, tackled the snow leopard, which had just freed itself from the roots. Before the monster could react, the hand axe came down again and again.
With a crunch, thud, crack.
Three strikes of the axe were enough. The beast’s four legs trembled as if electrocuted, announcing its end.
Now only one snow leopard remained to deal with Pope Eyong.
As I stood there in a daze, a noise brushed against my ears.
A dull sound as something bounces off leather.
My eyes caught the source. There was one more snow leopard charging at Abiyang from the opposite side.
Ishya’s arrow had failed to pierce the monster’s hide.
Instinctively, I hurled my hand axe. The snow leopard curled its body, ready to accept the blade on its back.
Blood burst forth, but that was all.
The snow leopard rolled on the ground once and then lunged at Abiyang.
That gaze radiated with fierce intent to kill. It seemed determined to take down at least one of us.
“Kyaaaah!”
The monster’s malice was unfathomable.
What was it that compelled it to risk its life for the sake of harming others?
I had no grounds to judge.
With a mighty crash, the sound of bones cracking reverberated.
Abiyang trembled. Frightened eyes showed through the crouched head.
And dripping, dripping, drops of blood.
The snowfield became drenched in crimson.
I was bitten on the arm.
Not Abiyang, but me.
Ishya, who caught on to this, shrieked.
“Y-you human!”
My jaw shook with pain. The sensation of the beast’s fangs crushing my bone was nothing to enjoy.
However, I was accustomed to pain.
Gritting my teeth and tightening my arm, I felt the muscles contract, catching the snow leopard’s teeth. The snow leopard thrashed, scratching at my arm with its forepaws.
Until my remaining fist struck its brow.
With a thud, my fist lodged in, and the snow leopard let out a pitiful whimper. Though its teeth were caught, it was impossible for it to express any further sounds.
It simply waited for me to pound its body to the ground.
Only then did Abiyang lift their trembling head.
Their eyes reflected confusion.
So, I flashed a bitter smile.
“I said I would protect you.”
A great knight does not tell lies.
Nobles must uphold their duty anytime and anywhere. Just like now.
I finished off the snow leopard with the hand axe embedded in its body.
The one that had been grappling with Pope Eyong for a while could not evade my hand axe. The battle concluded there, and only one issue remained.
“…How do I carry this back to the village?”
I was only worried about how to transport the day’s hunt.
But this much should at least lessen the elf village’s food worries for a while.
Still, there was one more nagging feeling in my heart, the strange presence I felt before the snow leopards attacked us.
I thought I caught a glimpse of a reflection.
I tilted my head but soon brushed it off.
I hoped it was just a misunderstanding.
My heart felt uneasy.
“One of the scouts reported that they found a human captured by the elves.”
In the dim night, in the temporary tent set up in the coniferous forest.
A girl with gray hair listened silently to the report. The strain she had endured showed in her worn-down gaze; fatigue clung to her like a shadow.
Yet, the girl could not sleep.
Not until she achieved her goal.
The girl let out a weary voice.
“A human? In this deep coniferous forest?”
“Yes, that’s correct. We couldn’t confirm their exact identity. They were being attacked by snow leopards at the time, and from a distance, all we could ascertain was that it was a young male…”
The girl’s breath hitched sharply.
Then, she took a deep breath.
After a few seconds of inhaling and exhaling, she looked at the soldier with aquamarine-like eyes.
“How do you know they were captured?”
“They appeared to have their hands bound, making it difficult for them to move.”
The girl fell silent. For a while.
When her lovely lips parted again, a chilling dread settled in the tent.
Like frost.
“Let’s move there immediately.”
Fate was approaching.
