I had started to take it up a notch, raising my speed by another level.
The cold air of the Depths was blowing against my face as I sprinted to the Fenriswolf.
'Good idea, Seraphir. I didn't think about that.'
Instead of thinking of stalling time for the girls to free all the people, I just decided to stay back while watching the two girls decide on how to manage the situation.
'I am too used to just standing back and watching things unfold.'
Although I was most certainly a living person, I rarely acted like one. I got too used to taking tasks and just doing the things that I was told to do, that I forgot that I have an own will.
During my time as a mercenary, I couldn't be considered as a human. I was more comparable to a weapon or a tool or a living weapon than a functioning person.
ROOOAAR
I got brought down back to earth by the roar of the Fenriswolf as it discovered me approaching him.
The gigantic white wolf was silently watching me, analyzing its new prey.
I looked back, staring into his large blue eyes. They reflected an unusual intelligence, embodying a silent intent.
The intent of a predator hunting its prey.
"Let's get this over with." I muttered quietly as I dashed to the wolf, raising my speed once again.
The wolf seemed to either understand what I said or deem me as a danger as it too started to get serious, raising one of its paws to slash me with it.
I rolled to the side, dodging the strike by a hair.
The wolf reacted instantly, spinning around and hitting me with its tail.
Crrrr
My sword howled as I took the tail-strike head-on, blocking it.
Together with the momentum, the strike held a great power, exceeding the usual strength of the wolf.
I couldn't completely stop the attack, its momentum pushing me back, so I used the tail as an anchor.
I spun around, thrusting my sword into the tail and using it as a means to leap myself into the air.
In the air, I didn't have the mobility that I had on the ground.
It seemed like the wolf realized it too, as it used that situation to bear its fangs, trying to crush me with a bite.
I watched how the fangs of the wolf approached me, calmly analyzing the situation.
In a situation where I should've felt fear, I felt nothing.
I was used to such things already.
I raised my sword and spun it around, before thrusting it into the upper lip of the wolf.
The wolf stopped momentarily, howling in pain.
I put my left hand on the nose of the wolf, propelling myself forward, and used my other hand to pull out my sword.
I landed on the head of the wolf, directly in-between its eyes.
"Goodbye.", I muttered quietly, showing one last sign of respect to my enemy. "You did well."
The wolf panicked.
As an attempt to save its life, it shook its head, trying to throw me off of it.
I read its intention like a book, so I leaped into the air before it managed to shake me off.
Airbone, I pointed my sword downward, using the Ether in the atmosphere to create a invisible platform beneath my feet.
The wolf howled one last time, dashing at me like the feral animal it was.
It slashed and whipped randomly, trying to catch me in one, any, of its attacks.
A futile attempt to save its life.
Using the platform, I dashed forward, thrusting the tip of the sword in-between its eyes, drilling the blade through its brain.
One last desperate howl escaped its lips before all life vanished out of the body.
The now lifeless body of the wolf fell to the ground as the iron smell of blood spread around the air.
A loud 'thump' sounded as the body of the Fenriswolf fell to the ground.
***
***
"The cult of Umbral, you say?" A captain of the armed forces asked as he listened to the two girls talking, his arms crossed.
After Seraphir and Ellen arrived back to the Overworld, they immediately called for help.
As the caster of the spell was now dead, the barrier ceased to exist, thus allowing the people to call for help.
It didn't take long for the armed forces to arrive. The armed forces are made out of high-ranking mages and combatants, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.
It is an elite force, even more powerful than the imperial army.
"Yes." Ellen nodded, confirming the question.
"I see." The man stroke his chin, thinking about the information that he just received. "I have heard about them, but they barely leave any clues behind, so the existence of the cult was unconfirmed."
The man then smiled before patting the shoulder of Ellen.
"You did great, girls. Thanks to you, we now have at least something to work with." The man took out a pen to note all the informations that he just received. He then paused as he seemingly remembered something. "Wait...you said that someone stayed behind to buy time for you all?"
Seraphir and Ellen nodded.
As he received the confirmation of his question, his eyes narrowed and his face turned serious.
"Then we have to hurry up. He might still be alive."
-"Who might be alive?"
The voice of a woman rang out, asking the question. The captain turned around to the voice. A small smile appeared on his face as he identified the owner of that voice.
He wanted to say something to her and greet her, but was overtaken by the two girls.
"Principal!"
Ellen and Seraphir called out in delight, happy to see the familiar face of the academy principal of Sylpheon.
"Hello, my lovely girls." The principal responded with a wide, friendly smile as she waved her hand at the two girls.
She then turned her face to the man, her face instantly growing serious. She still had an smile on her face, but that smile wasn't a friendly one.
Anger was welling up inside of the principal as she thought about someone having the guts to harm her students while she was in the Empire.
"What happened, Johan?"
"It seemed like a cult tried to kidnap the people present inside the potion shop." The face of the principal tensed as the man proceeded to talk. "They were all dragged into the depths and encountered a Fenriswolf."
"A what?!" The principal turned to the girls, worry visible in her expression. "Are you alright, kids?"
Seraphir shook her head.
"Yes, we are."
The principal sighed in relief. Even though she would have to say that she likes every one of her students equally, she had to admit that she had a liking for talented students.
And Seraphir and Ellen were two of the students with the most potential in Sylpheon. Even though death was a normal thing, even at a young age, she didn't want even more young, talented mages to disappear.
After all, each one of them could change the history of the world if they manage to develop something groundbreaking.
That and the fact that they are important individuals of their respective race are reasons why she was so worried about those two specific individuals.
"But someone stayed behind to stall time for us."
Ellen added in an agitated tone.
"We have to save him as soon as possible!"
The principal nodded.
"Melina." Johan, one of the captains of the armed forces, called out her name. Audible tension was existent in his voice. "I've called you here because your students were involved in this incident, but it seems like I have to ask you for another favor."
The principal, Melina, chuckled lightly, as she knew exactly what he wanted to ask of her.
"Yes, yes. I know. Saving him would be the least I could do for him taking care of my students."
-"That's not needed."
A familiar voice rang out, interrupting the conversation of the two adults.
"Mr. Voidwalker!" Ellen beamed with joy as she saw her savior approaching them, unscathed.
However, Mr. Voidwalker ignored her. His full attention was aimed at the principal.
"I apologize for being late, principal. Something difficult came up."