Terradin Forest, Kingdom of Hensberg, Northern Continent
The figure of Fenrir, the "God-Slaying Wolf," slowly began to emerge from the shadows of the night. His jet-black fur glistened with streaks of blood-red that burned like fire in the darkness. His glowing crimson eyes exuded both ferocity and authority simultaneously.
With his arrival, the air of the forest turned icy cold, sending a piercing chill to the marrow of my bones. The atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.
I was utterly terrified. Not just me—Lilith was trembling too, her whole body frozen as if she couldn't believe what she was witnessing. She stood motionless as the beast walked ever closer to us.
Even the crazed Swordmaster, who was previously closing in on the unconscious girl named Elena, stopped in his tracks. Perhaps his puppet-like body had ceased moving because his master, frozen in terror, could no longer control it.
What would happen next? Were we all doomed to die by Fenrir's fangs?
Aauuuuhhhhh!
Fenrir let out a deafening howl that caused the very ground to tremble violently. No, not just the ground—the entirety of Terradin Forest seemed to quake.
"Elena... Elena..."
Dragging my shattered body, I crawled toward the girl, calling her name in desperation, hoping she would open her eyes and flee. Before us was no mere demon, elf, or S-rank monster. Fenrir was a figure that could stand on par with a god—the wolf who once clawed and bit the "God of Wisdom" to death.
None of us—whether demon, human, or elf—could possibly challenge such a mythical being.
Fenrir was calamity incarnate, a threat to both earth and sky.
With a leap that shattered the air with its velocity, Fenrir landed between Elena and the crazed Swordmaster. He swatted the man away with his front paw, sending him flying with such force that he crashed through several trees, reducing them to splinters.
Then Fenrir turned his gaze toward a direwolf lying helplessly near Elena's body. There was a fleeting glimmer of sadness in his glowing eyes as he stared at the direwolf. Afterward, he briefly glanced at Elena before shifting his attention toward Lilith.
"Wh-what is this? Why are you here, old Fenrir? Do you intend to interfere with me? Listen well—I am one of the Demon Generals! If you dare lay a claw on me, the entire demon army will hunt down every wolf in this forest and burn it all to ashes. Hahaha!"
Was Lilith out of her mind? Speaking like that to a ferocious wolf? Even if Fenrir was one of the world's legendary beasts, her approach was sheer madness.
Or perhaps Fenrir had a form known only to demons?
I remembered my father's words:
"Aella... do you know? The creatures known as mythical beasts exist to maintain the balance of the world. They are both harbingers of calamity and symbols of peace, pillars that uphold the equilibrium of heaven and earth."
Could it be true? Were these mythical beasts closer to the gods, the true guardians of balance?
"Domine tenebrarum, exaudi vocem meam, et da ignem nigrum, ut incendas adversarios meos in pulverem."
Lilith began chanting her spell.
"Ignis Tenebrarum!"
For the first time in this battle, she fully unleashed her "Flames of Darkness" Spells. The sky filled with massive black fireballs that blotted out the moonlight, their darkness swallowing the night. All these fireballs began to descend—it would be the end. The entire forest would burn, leaving nothing behind: myself, the forest, the girl named Elena, and the crazed Swordmaster already downed by Fenrir. Perhaps even Fenrir would be reduced to ashes.
But then...
Aaauuuhhhhh!
Fenrir howled again, a sound so powerful it shattered the fireballs in an instant, leaving no trace of them. The oppressive aura of his howl sent Lilith stumbling backward in terror. Her body shook as the reality sank in—Fenrir wasn't an enemy we could fight. We were mere moles faced with an indomitable wolf.
"Domine tenebrarum, solve vincula tua ad alligandos inimicos coram me."
As Fenrir advanced, Lilith frantically chanted another spell.
"Stay back, you old wolf! Vincula Tenebrarum!"
Chains of shadow erupted from the ground, far larger and stronger than those Lilith had used earlier. They wrapped around Fenrir, binding him tightly.
But with a single motion, Fenrir shattered the chains as though they were nothing.
Aauuuuhhhhh!
Another earth-shaking howl, and Fenrir suddenly appeared directly before Lilith. Fenrir swung its front paw, slamming her body with overwhelming force.
"Aaaargh!"
Lilith's screams of agony echoed through the night sky of the Terradin Forest. Her body was thrown even harder than when that crazed Swordmaster took the brunt of Fenrir's attack.
Her body finally came to a halt when it slammed against one of the massive trees in the forest. Fenrir was already back in front of her in an instant, howling fiercely right in her face. The air pressure from his howl blasted through the dense trees, forcing them to bend away. Lilith's body, too, was hurled into the air by the sheer force of it.
While she was still airborne from the force of the howl, Fenrir struck her again with a mighty kick, sending her flying higher into the night sky. As her battered body lingered in the air, Fenrir leapt up, clamped his jaws around her helpless form, and violently hurled her back to the ground. The deafening sound of her body colliding with the earth echoed even to where I laid-down, a chilling reminder of her suffering.
That night, the skies of Terradin Forest were filled with the echoes of Lilith's screams and cries of torment.
Suddenly, a piercing roar tore through the air. From the skies descended a colossal black dragon—a mythical beast from the Southern Continent. This dragon, known as "Morgoth, Ruler of the Night Sky," lunged at Fenrir, attacking him from behind to protect Lilith.
Fenrir growled in fury.
On Morgoth's back stood a man, one of the Demon Generals. My nemesis. The man who had destroyed my kingdom, slaughtered its people and my friends, and murdered my family. I watched as he drove his sword into my father's chest, the twelfth king of Nefetari, before my very eyes.
Dragnel Ravenger.
Dragnel's gaze landed on me as I lay on the ground. For a moment, our eyes met. My entire body tensed. Without realizing it and not knowing where the strength came from, my mouth was able to shout loudly.
"Dragnel!"
He stared at me for a long while, his sharp eyes seeming to recognize me—the elven woman now lying broken before him.
Aauuuuhhhh!
Grraaaahhhhh!
Fenrir and Morgoth howled and roared at one another. Dragnel descended from the dragon's back and picked up the injured Lilith. Then he mounted Morgoth again and flew off into the night sky. And they're slowly disappear in the darkness.
Fenrir remained still for a while, watching their retreat. He then turned toward me and Elena. My heart pounded with fear as his gaze fell upon us.
Was it our turn to face his wrath?
But Fenrir simply stood there for a moment before walking toward Elena.
"No... please... don't... don't hurt her. Please spare her..."
"No... don't... not her… please... please let her live... I beg you, don't do it..."
I mumbled weakly as I crawled, trying to drag my helpless body across the ground. Tears streamed down my face, flowing even more intensely as the terrifying figure of Fenrir approached Elena, who lay motionless. Fenrir now stood directly before Elena. But...
The God Slayer, Fenrir, simply touched his nose gently against Elena's body. Then, Fenrir turned its attention to the dying direwolf that had protected Elena earlier. Fenrir picked up the direwolf's broken body and disappeared into the darkness.
Why? Did Fenrir come here only to save us?
As I looked toward Elena with relief, my vision gradually began to fade. Along with that, I thought I could hear the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from the distance.
"My Lady! Are you alright? My Lady? What about the girl over there?"
"She's fine, it seems like her body has received healing magic and is in the process of recovering."
"Quick! The swordsmaster over here looks critical. Give him first aid immediately!"
Perhaps the Great Spirit Uriel had shown us mercy, sending help in our hour of need. Moments later, I lost consciousness entirely.