They carefully infiltrated the Twin Impassable Mountain Ranges. The anomaly that they discover from the group of monsters and beasts they encounter in the road between Peruna Village and Istark City and inside Sei Forest was nothing to the oddity they see inside the Mountain Ranges. It looks like they have step in to another world.
Black Moon Fox body size was double to it's normal size, and not just that. An Ogre was riding behind his back. Everyone was dumbfounded.
Confusion and fear of the unknown, and so, the knights started to doubt if going into the Twin Impassable Mountain Ranges and annihilates all monsters and beasts can be even done. Just watching from the abnormalities infront of their own eyes, fear creep at the back of their necks. They lost their will to fight just like that. It vanish in the first sign of adversity. How fickle.
Ultear snap back to reality when she felt a hand hold her. She turn to see who it was. It was Kurtis with a determine look, waiting for her order even though he's not a knight under Ultear's Squad. His will to fight hasn't vanish. It's still there burning passionately like before.
"What should we do? Just give me an order and I will gladly follow them."
"You're not a knight under me, aren't you? Why are you awaiting my orders? Wait for commander Julius's instead." Ultear chortle.
"Don't wanna," Kurtis stubbornly stated as he held her hand tightly. "Though I said that I'll gladly do any order you give, charging towards those monsters will ve suicide."
"Yeah, and I don't plan to make you commit suicide infront of me. Everyone's lost the drive to go any further. Let's retire for now and make another plan."
Commander Julius agrees with Ultear's idea to retreat since they won't be able to do anything with those kind of monsters. They have evolved into something more hideous and ferocious than before.
As they were retreating, the Silver Wolf sniff their scent and started charging towards their direction without any hint of hesitation. Everyone panicked. They started scramming all over the place while ignoring their commanders instructions and order not to start panicking, remain on their position and carefully run in an orderly manner to make it easy for the four elder knights and two commanders to protect them while they escape. But it was all in vain.
None of them listen because all them were eaten by fear.
"Damn it!" Commander Julius click his tongue in annoyance as he rescued two knights who is about to become a Silver Wolf's food. As the Silver Wolf charges, the other monsters and beasts around the area heard the commotions and immediately head towards them. With their abnormalities wasn't just in their physical features, but also their speed and strength. With just a minute of their rampage, half of the knights were annihilated.
It was devastating to watch. The knights body were torn to pieces by the Silver Wolf's claw, their flesh were shredded by the Black Moon Fox's fangs, and their bones crack with the Ogres bat. The forest was them filled with scream and shriek of anguish, torment, and fear.
Kurtis and Ultear tried their best to save as many knights as they could but it was still useless. Two elder knights were slaughtered and the other one was heavily wounded with his left arm cut off.
"Don't stop running!" Ultear shouted to the remaining knights. It was an order to keep running if you want to live. Ultear gritted her teeth as she mercilessly murder the mutant beasts and monsters. Their strength and speed were doubled but they still don't stand a chance with Ultear's overwhelming physicality and skills. But, like everyone else, she's still a human who can get tired and who can depleted her stamina even how much of a monster she is.
"Kurtis!" Ultear kick him before the Ogre's bat reach his back. The bat landed to Ultear instead. She use her left arm to shield herself. Ultear then swing her sword without hesitation, killing the Ogre. Ultear is thinking that they're just beasts and monsters, she don't need to hesitate before killing them because none of them were humans.
"Take commander Julius and leave! I'll hold them back while you're retreating!" Kurtis said.
"What? Are you crazy? No! You can't stop them all by yourself!" Ultear shriek in protest.
"You're already out of gas. You've been fighting nonstop since earlier. Even with your extreme physicality, you can't hide the fact that you still gets tired. You're just overwhelmingly strong but you don't have infinite stamina, Tear." Kurtis pointed out. "Just trust me, I'll hold them back while you escape."
Ultear is speechless. What Kurtis just said is true. She can already feel her limbs and legs tremble. She's losing her strength and is losing her breath. She herself knows that she will not last any longer and Kurtis knows that. That's why he ask her to leave with the wounded Commander Julius.
Kurtis wanted Ultear to retreat while he still can protect her because he knows that Ultear will be blaming herself with the deaths of the other knights. It's her idea to infiltrate the Twin Impassable Mountain Ranges after all. Kurtis can already see the guilt in her eyes and the will to make up for that through overstraining herself while fighting those monstrous beasts and monsters. He can read her like an open book.
"Listen well, Tear. It's not your fault, okay? Don't blame yourself." Kurtis held both of her cheeks and stared at her eyes.
"W...what are you saying? Of course it's not my fault. And I'm not blaming myself." Ultear confidently stated yet she couldn't even look at him in the eyes. Kurtis sigh and give her a peck on her lips.
"You don't have to deny but now's not the right time for this. Get ready, on three, not after three but on three, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Ultear take commander Julius unconscious body and prepare to leave. Ultear glance back at the unrecognizable body of her knights and comrades. It was an execrable and revolting scene.
"Don't get killed, Kurtis."