Wendigo (4)

“Alright, we’re in a crisis, so let’s take care of those things first!”

Azadine reassured Zebec while firing his arrows.

Thanks to Scott using magic to scatter the Wendigos beforehand, it became easier to shoot. Though Wendigos appeared to be beasts, their true nature was that of undead, meaning arrows alone couldn’t kill them. So Azadine, Mediam, and Ismail aimed at their knee joints to hinder their movements.

As the Wendigos approached, Sir Zebec, Sir Brock, Guillaumevalt, and Brand formed the front line. Wielding the steel sword Azadine had given him, Sir Zebec swung and cut down the oncoming Wendigos.

With their knee muscles and joints torn apart by Azadine’s arrows, the Wendigos struggled to move properly, making them easy targets—even Guillaumevalt managed to take one down.

The defeated Wendigos were then reanimated by Scott’s necromancy, forming a wall of flesh against the approaching horde.

“You damn orc! Just because I’m letting you be doesn’t mean you can cross the line!”

Zebec openly raged at Scott for blatantly using necromancy.

“They were already undead!”

Scott replied as he continued casting his spells.

‘Well, there’s some friction, but things are running smoothly.’

That was Azadine’s assessment of the situation. The Wendigos before them were powerful enough to crush armor and kill people with a single swipe of their claws.

However, by systematically slowing their movements with ranged attacks, having skilled swordsmen like Zebec and the strong Brand at the front, and having Scott support them with necromancy, they had formed a highly effective team.

On the other hand, Guillaumevalt and Sir Brock were practically useless. Azadine had advised Guillaumevalt to use a spear instead of a sword, but after just a few attempts, he foolishly used his spear to block a Wendigo’s frontal attack—only for it to snap, leaving him unarmed.

Sir Brock fared slightly better, at least attempting to assist Guillaumevalt with his shield, but the moment he blocked a Wendigo’s strike, he was sent flying across the ice.

Despite these minor issues, the Wendigos continued to fall one by one before the party.

But then…

“Hey, isn’t it getting too cold? How are you warm-blooded ones doing?”

Shati, the Naga, asked.

“Hm?”

Azadine also felt the cold seeping into his body. Despite the intense combat, which should have raised his body temperature, the surrounding chill was overwhelming it.

It didn’t take long to find the cause. The Wendigos that hadn’t entered the battlefield were breathing out freezing air from a distance, lowering the overall temperature of the chamber.

“Damn…”

“That’s impressive.”

Even though they were undead, their attack method was surprisingly cunning. Even if they didn’t directly hit them with the icy breath, lowering the entire area’s temperature posed a serious threat.

“W-What do we do? You warm-blooded people?! I can’t withstand this!”

Shati, seemingly sensitive to the cold, clutched her head in distress.

“What else? We do this!”

Azadine charged forward to lure the Wendigos into attacking. As one exhaled a freezing breath and lunged at him, he effortlessly leaped over it and kicked it backward, sending it straight into the area where the magical energies of the orc and Lady Lise clashed.

-BZZZZZT!

The Wendigo’s body was caught in the magical crossfire, sparks flying from its fur before it burst into flames. A pungent, burnt smell filled the air as the Wendigo caught fire.

“One more!”

Azadine rushed another Wendigo, crippled by an arrow to the knee, delivering a powerful low kick that snapped its leg completely. He then grabbed the fallen creature and spun it like a windmill before hurling it into the magical battlefield, where it, too, was set ablaze.

“Ugh! The smell!”

“Wait a minute! What the hell are you doing?!”

Walter recoiled in shock.

“Y-Yeah! Burning them won’t get rid of the cold! Just kill that orc, and I’ll handle the Wendigos!”

Lady Lise was also taken aback.

‘Hmm. What should I do?’

If the Wendigos continued exhaling freezing air, Azadine’s group would be in serious danger. But who should he choose?

Should he side with Walter, the orc mage once employed by the Nagasura Empire? Or should he ally with Lady Lise, a witch who wielded Nether magic?

Both had their issues.

‘If it were up to me alone, I’d save the orc mage.’

Walter could provide valuable information about the Nagasura Empire, and Azadine had a natural aversion to Lady Lise, who seemed to enjoy harming others. However, killing her in front of her husband, Sir Brock, would be problematic.

Moreover, the orc’s solution involved destroying the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth.

‘Do I really have to choose one over the other? There has to be another solution… but there’s no time.’

At that moment, Sir Brock gripped his sword and advanced toward Walter.

“I’ll kill this orc! I won’t let him harm my wife!”

“Oh? For once, I think I married the right man! Clear the way and strike him down!”

Lady Lise rejoiced as Sir Brock took her side.

“You fools! I knew your species was stupid, but this level of idiocy is baffling!”

Walter grabbed his poleaxe.

‘That’s a magic staff.’

Azadine realized that Walter’s weapon was actually a staff with an axe head attached. In essence, it was still a staff, just with a large, heavy, and sharp metal ornament on top.

“No time to hesitate!”

Walter swung his staff.

-CRACK!

Once again, Sir Brock went tumbling across the ice. Walter, having effortlessly sent Brock flying, pulled a copy of the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth from his robes and clutched it tightly.

“No! He’s releasing the stored magic!”

Scott screamed.

Indeed, the energy stored within the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth was unleashed, instantly tilting the battle between the two mages.

“Kyahhh!”

Lady Lise was flung backward.

“Now that things have come to this, the followers of Yaegas must handle the Wendigos on their own!”

The orc mage Walter shouted as he lunged at Lady Lise.

“Damn!”

Zebec stepped forward to protect Lady Lise, but Walter swung his staff—essentially a poleaxe—with terrifying force.

Zebec met Walter’s strikes with his sword, carefully deflecting each one without letting their weapons clash. He knew that directly crossing swords with an orc of such monstrous strength would end with him being overpowered.

However, this also meant that he had to dodge each attack while maintaining his stance. Even a master swordsman would struggle to handle a complete novice like this, let alone someone wielding a polearm.

But then…

-Thwack!

Zebec subtly pressed against the back of Walter’s poleaxe as it came down, redirecting it to strike the frozen sewer floor. Stepping forward, he swiftly slashed at Walter’s neck.

“Hmph! Golden Titan’s Art!”

Walter cast a spell, turning his body as hard as steel, causing Zebec’s blade to glance off his neck.

“Die, Holy Knight!”

Walter fired a colorless magic bullet at Zebec with one hand, but Zebec countered with a white magic shield.

It was impressive. Most opponents would instinctively relax after landing a decisive strike. The moment one inflicts a fatal wound, the tension naturally eases.

Walter had deliberately allowed the blade to strike his neck, expecting that Zebec would let his guard down—only to counterattack. However, Zebec never lost focus, responding instantly.

Walter switched from spellcasting to a physical attack, throwing a powerful punch at Zebec. But Zebec caught Walter’s fist with his palm, absorbed the force, and leaped backward, landing safely.

‘That’s incredible.’

Azadine was surprised by Zebec’s skill. He had always known Zebec had some talent, but he never expected him to be this competent.

‘Well, he was Ject’s disciple, after all.’

Azadine recalled Ject the Arbiter, the man who had given him such a hard time.

“Hmm.”

However, the outcome was still in Walter’s favor. He had forced Zebec aside, clearing the path to Lady Lise.

“Well done. I’ll take it from here.”

Azadine stepped in to block Walter’s advance.

“A member of the Messenger Clan, huh?”

Walter flexed his muscles, and with a sickening crunch, his clothes tore apart, revealing his massive, vein-covered frame.

“Because of you, my lifespan has shortened! I’ll kill you all!”

“That was an accident. Do we really have to do this? I don’t want to kill you.”

“Silence! Do you think inferior species like you could ever be a threat to us, the ones blessed by Kanak, the Orc God? You insult my warrior’s resolve by fearing muscle acquisition!”

Apparently, orcs feared gaining unnecessary muscle mass more than losing a fight in hand-to-hand combat. Azadine smirked.

“You really won’t consider a truce?”

“Never! I am a devoted follower of the Kurt Pantheon! Now that things have come to this, I’ll just kill all of you!”

“You’re making it easier to justify killing you.”

“You bastard!”

Walter lunged at Azadine, swinging his poleaxe effortlessly with one hand while conjuring a colorless magic bullet with the other.

Azadine dodged with ease, pulling out a traditional arrow and using it to deflect the incoming magic bullet.

“?!”

How could a mere arrow deflect an attack strong enough to wound someone?

It was because Azadine was spinning the arrow in his hand, redirecting the bullet’s force and preventing the arrow from breaking. His control and precision were extraordinary.

Walter was unsettled.

‘The Holy Knight from earlier was skilled, but this one… this one is different.’

At that moment, Azadine kicked something up—it was a chunk of ice.

“You still won’t settle this with words?”

“You bastard!”

“What a shame.”

Azadine threw the ice—but not at Walter. He hurled it at the ground.

-Smash!

The impact sent shards of ice flying at Walter.

“Ugh?!”

Azadine followed up by slicing into the frozen ground, sending even more ice fragments toward Walter.

“You! What are you—cough!”

Walter charged, but Azadine avoided direct combat, continuously moving and striking the ice to pelt Walter with shards.

“…Ugh?! Cough!?”

In the already freezing air, Walter’s lungs began to struggle. The cold seeping into his body made it harder to breathe, and if he inhaled too carelessly, ice particles would enter his lungs, causing him to cough violently.

“Cough, cough… W-What is this!?”

With his oxygen intake disrupted, Walter’s body quickly weakened. His massive muscles, once his greatest asset, now became a burden.

“Ugh!”

-Thud!

Azadine lightly stabbed the tip of his sword into Walter’s thigh. Though it didn’t penetrate his thick muscles, it caused enough bleeding to weaken him further. He swiftly followed up by targeting Walter’s wrist and forearm, leaving the orc bleeding all over.

“Aaagh!”

Walter collapsed onto the ground. Already suffering from oxygen deprivation, the sudden blood loss sent his heart racing, making it even harder to breathe.

‘This is bad!’

Bleeding increased his heart rate, making his breathing more erratic. Already struggling to inhale, Walter now felt like he was drowning.

“Ugh?! Damn it, you’re… cunning!”

Walter finally realized what Azadine had been aiming for all along.

“Not bad for a human, right? So, tell me—”

Azadine’s voice grew cold as a menacing aura seeped from behind his mask.

“—is destroying the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth really the only way to stop the Wendigos?”

But instead of answering, Walter bared his curved fangs in a twisted smile.