Chapter 383: Act 140 – The Enemies in the Mist (First Update)
Everyone turned around to see the knights of the embassy chasing after two silver-gray monstrous wolves amid cries of terror, but they were too slow; the nobleman who was attacked let out a brief shriek before his throat was pierced by the white, sharp teeth—his scream abruptly cut off—as onlookers watched helplessly as the wolves dragged the human corpse into the vast white mist.
“How did they get in here!” Earl Ouding yelled in anger, looking in that direction. “How could you let them in? Are you all idiots!”
The Lame Walker!
The direct descendant of the Howling Mist!
Brendel watched as the nobleman kicked his legs in a desperate attempt to escape the mist, his eyelids twitching slightly; it was indeed that guy. He immediately waved his hand and gritted his teeth, shouting, “Everyone, gather close! Those creatures are invisible in the mist!”
As soon as he finished speaking, two swirling mists passed close by a young man not far away.
“Be careful!”
Quinelle quickly raised her longbow, firing three arrows in rapid succession towards that direction. The three arrows, two in front and one in the back, seemed like three silver lines drawn in an instant, and two sprays of blood burst forth from the white mist.
But one arrow still missed.
The silver-gray monstrous wolf leaped sideways and then pounced on a nearby young man. The creature moved astonishingly fast; it nearly bit into the young man’s shoulder before anyone could react.
With a cry of agony, the monstrous wolf nearly tore half of the young man’s body apart. The blood-soaked young man widened his eyes, seemingly unable to believe he was dying, before collapsing backward.
“Quincy!”
The companions beside the young man immediately let out a furious roar. Seeing their friend, whom they had spent every day with, suddenly dead before their eyes, they were momentarily consumed by rage and drew their swords, wanting to rush forward to avenge their companion.
But Brendel’s reaction was even faster. Although he had anticipated the inevitable casualties, to see the young man he had carefully nurtured die before him left him with an anger that couldn’t be contained.
He almost immediately pointed in that direction, and ten beams of light suddenly pierced the mist, striking the Lame Walker and creating several transparent holes in its body.
At the same time, with a thought, the light net quickly formed an impenetrable network around the crowd, pushing back the nearby invisible monsters.
However, the knights of the embassy and the centaur elder guards farther away were not so lucky. Although the Lame Walker was merely a creature of silver rank, its unique ability to remain invisible in the mist unless it attacked allowed it to thrive in such an environment, gaining the upper hand.
Moreover, once the monstrous wolves initiated their attack, they coordinated in packs. Even if they encountered opponents with slightly stronger combat power, it would still be dangerous.
In an instant, over half of the thirty-plus knights had suffered casualties, and the centaur elder guards lost more than ten personnel—most of the attacked were dragged down by a single bite and then pounced on by two or more Lame Walkers, disappearing into the endless mist in the blink of an eye.
The air was filled with piercing screams.
The scene turned into a battlefield of horrors in an instant; all around, one could see beasts competing to snatch at the torn bodies of humans. Flesh and blood flew, and a complete soldier dragged into the wolf pack was reduced to nothing but a pile of bones in no time.
Antinna held her breath in fear but managed to stay by Brendel’s side, her face pale and the hand resting on her leather pouch trembling slightly.
Compared to the seemingly calm noble lady, Faina nearby had already lost all color in her face. Fortunately, the black-haired alchemist still exhibited some of the character of the Cruz nobles at that moment, using a few strange plants to shield herself and the two others from the encroaching mist.
Though Viscount Alman’s complexion was somewhat grim, he drew his sword to protect Faina, occasionally forcing back the silver-gray wolves attempting to crash into them.
The three of them managed to hold their ground with great difficulty. They looked up only to see the swirling mist multiplying, evidently indicating that the Lame Walker’s attack was only the beginning.
For a moment, everyone couldn’t help but feel a bit desperate.
Except for Brendel, who was commanding the Dragoon system to secure the young men’s formation’s flanks while keeping his mind focused on the battlefield.
Finally, after a moment, he caught sight of the presence of a magnificent wolf.
It had run to the center of the battlefield.
Brendel frowned.
“Flour, Diya, Wind Wall!” the young lord called out, wielding the Sword of Earth while looking back. He knew that the number of Lame Walkers would only increase, and while they might not pose a direct threat to him, they were a deadly danger to the young men under his command.
He had brought them to experience the battlefield, not to send them to their deaths.
Upon hearing Brendel’s shout, the elder sister of the Wild Elf sisters immediately took a step back with her younger sister and went to the center of the formation; having integrated with the myriad forms of nature, the Lubis mercenaries had already attained silver-tier peak strength, and casting a second-circle Wind Wall spell was far too simple for a silver-tier peak Elementalist.
The two sisters joined forces to cast the spell, producing a circular wind around their fingertips in an instant. “Wind, four wings!” Flour raised her hand and shouted; the swirling air at her fingertips expanded hundreds of times in a moment.
It was like a tornado that had appeared out of nowhere, sweeping around everyone and stabilizing into a circular current, forming a roaring wind wall with a radius exceeding a hundred meters outside the group.
The second-circle Wind Wall technique was a powerful countermeasure against physical arrows; under normal circumstances, it might not seem very useful, but here, it was indeed an effective tool against the Howling Mist.
As the wind rose, the surrounding mist immediately dispersed.
Everyone saw the air ripple like water, and then, within the storm circle’s range, more than a dozen silver-gray monstrous wolves simultaneously revealed themselves, momentarily startled—they clearly had yet to grasp what had just happened.
But Brendel had no obligation to explain to these uninvited guests. He pointed his hand, and dozens of light beams immediately turned them to ashes.
“Good idea,” Quinelle said, lowering her longbow, her eyebrows lifting in an involuntary expression of admiration. Having lived for over two hundred years, she had heard of the Howling Mist’s reputation; however, she felt ashamed that she couldn’t think of such a clever method as Brendel.
Once the wind blew and the mist dispersed, the Lame Walkers lost their most prized tactical advantage. The exposed Lame Walkers were merely monstrous creatures far stronger than ordinary black wolves, and the centaur elder guards could easily drive them out of the storm circle.
But Brendel knew very well that defense was only a temporary measure. To break free from the mist, he had to solve the problem once and for all.
“Mr. Kuran, I temporarily transfer command to you,” he ordered. “Carglis, you’re the deputy.”
“I’m the deputy?” Carglis was taken aback. If he took on the deputy position, he would have to face an endless sea of wolves and this bizarre assault. Could he do it well? He couldn’t guarantee that.
But if he couldn’t even face a few wolves, how could the ambitions he once held not seem like a joke? The young man pressed his lips together and nodded firmly, “No problem.”
Brendel gave him a thumbs up, but Kuran looked at him and asked, “What are you planning to do?” The old swordsman seemed far more composed.
“Of course, I’m going to take down the lead wolf,” Brendel replied. “Xi, get on my back.”
The red-haired girl, currently using her short bow to shoot down the black wolves on the periphery, turned back upon hearing Brendel’s words, brushing aside her slightly disheveled hair with her left hand, and then quickly handed her short bow to a young man beside her.
She unsheathed her Thunder Spear from behind and quietly walked up to Brendel’s side.
“Keep up with me; you aren’t scared, are you?” Brendel asked.
“It’s not my first time,” Xi replied, glancing at him with her amber eyes.
“Mr. Quinelle, can you handle it?”
“No problem,” the treant leader answered dismissively.
Brendel nodded. He had initially wanted to take Repal along, but Repal was a strength-type warrior and not suited for the battle ahead.
Taking a deep breath, he raised the Sword of Earth forward. It was at that moment that he felt a hand grasp his own.
He turned around to see Antinna’s tightly furrowed brows; this noble girl bit her teeth and looked at him, “Lord, have you forgotten what you promised me? You are now a responsible lord; why risk yourself alone again!”
Brendel was taken aback, but he pried Antinna’s hand away: “This is a battle, not personal heroism. Don’t worry, I’m confident.”
Antinna opened her mouth, but after biting her teeth, she forcefully swallowed the second half of her sentence.
“I understand,” she lowered her head and replied through gritted teeth.
Brendel didn’t know what the noble lady had come to understand, but he hadn’t lied. If they stayed here too long, giving the wolf tide a chance to circle around them, then all of them would only meet a death without a burial ground.
However, the cunning lead wolf would certainly not allow them to succeed easily.
If it were someone else, under such circumstances, they might only be left with a desperate fight. But Brendel knew that if he could make one successful strike.
Because that was him—
Because of all the memories of another soul that existed within this body.
“But how do you plan to get over there?” Kuran asked from the side. “Outside the wind circle, the black wolves are like a tide. It’s not easy to carve a bloody path, let alone how to get close to the lead wolf?”
“Should we have the centaurs clear a path?” Quinelle suggested.
“No need.”
Brendel shook his head, his right hand held the sword, and his left hand formed a sword shape before stabbing forward, shouting, “Everyone, follow my orders; split to the sides!”
The battlefield fell silent for a moment.
The centaur elder, Ward, turned to look at Brendel among the crowd. He was slightly taken aback but understood that military orders could not be defied.
With full confusion, the centaur elder raised his war spear high.
…
(PS: Recent update times may not be stable, as I mentioned yesterday, but there will definitely be two chapters; you can refresh around 8 PM every day.
Additionally, I am looking for a proofreader, you know, for typos and such.)(To be continued, for more chapters and to support the author, please log in and support the official reading!)
