A raven soared across the twilight sky. The sun was shrouded in shadow, leaving only its outer rim visible—a radiant ring of gold. It blazed with fierce light, defiantly resisting the encroaching darkness. By all rights, it should have been early morning, the moment just after sunrise. Yet the rolling hills were bathed in the fiery hues of a burning sunset.
The walls of the Royal Capital glowed crimson, as did the Temple of Odis, standing apart in the distance like a solitary island—the stronghold of the Raven Warriors.
How nostalgic…
The ravens, messengers of Odin, heard the words of their master from the heavens above. Far below, hordes of monsters clashed violently against the defenders’ lines. Tilting its wings, the raven circled lazily through the sky.
The heroes who are to be guided into the next world will reveal their worth even more clearly in this battle. Their master had dispatched his ravens, his loyal servants, to every corner of the earth. The seals that had bound the monsters beneath ice were weakening on a global scale.
The solar eclipse had diminished the seals’ power. And Ymir, having consumed the Frost Orb, was at this very moment releasing magic that further loosened the seals within every dungeon. Monsters poured forth from dungeons in all four directions, flooding the land and battling the knights defending the capital’s walls. Rion and his companions, together with the thousands gathered at the temple, would have no choice but to fight through the coming apocalypse to the very end.
Monsters were awakening one after another across the land. The war between monsters and humankind was being fought not only at the royal capital, but throughout the entire kingdom—and even beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Asgard.
The fate of the world rested upon this battle, reaching even lands that Leon and his companions had never seen.
As the raven flew along the battle lines, a gigantic wolf suddenly crossed the front.
—Oh?
Even the All-Father seemed intrigued.
—So, Wolfbone moves first.
A colossal wolf, as large as a hill, raced across the crimson-stained fields. Surrounded by lesser wolf monsters, it slipped effortlessly through the defensive formations with astonishing speed.
The raven turned its wings toward the temple.
Four defensive armies, each numbering roughly a thousand warriors, guarded the temple from the east, west, north, and south. High above them floated the gods—Thor, Heimdall, Loki, Uru, and Sigris—ready to support the front lines.
Yet the divine power of Solana, Daughter of the Sun, was nowhere to be found among them. She appeared to be waiting in reserve at the rear, together with the young devotee who served her.
The voice of the chief god carried a note of amusement.
—I see…
The raven flew deeper into the formation, toward the temple itself.
Upon the walls were stationed the dwarves’ massive ballistae, adventurer archers, and ranks of mages. But in front of the walls, across a stretch nearly thirty meters wide, the formation was unusually sparse.
Numerous gaps had been left open with deliberate care, as though inviting the enemy forward.
—The swiftest monsters will slip through the defensive lines and make straight for the temple.
—So that is what they are anticipating.
Fenrir, the Wolfbone, and Freyr, the God of Fertility. There are limits to how effectively formations can defend against such powerful and swift enemies.
Therefore, they made a decisive move.
They created a gap in their formation in front of the city walls. Within that space, Rion and his men would intercept any enemies that charged in. The idea was that if the enemy’s swift attack would devastate the rear, then they shouldn’t have concentrated their formation there in the first place.
It was a gamble, placing Rion and the other main adventurers in the rear to guard against the enemy’s swift attack. This increased the burden on the front lines, but that’s probably why the gods were waiting in the sky.
In fact, Thor was about to descend upon Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, and Heimdall was about to descend before Ymir on the ground.
—The forces are evenly matched.
The chief god declared.
—Therefore, whoever defeats either of their main forces first will have the advantage.
Because the now-free main force could head to the next battlefield to provide support.
The ravens cawed once more and rose higher. It looked down on the battlefield, watching the heroes fight.
First—its path was that of the Wolfbone Fenrir, which was cutting down the enemy formations as it advanced.
◆◆◆
The chains flashed, scattering sunlight as they rattled through the air.
Before the temple walls, Mia swung out her chained axe, sweeping aside the charging wolves. Any that survived her assault were swiftly dealt with by Felix’s blazing firebolts.
Reeling the axe back with a sharp pull of the chain, Mia curled her lips into a fierce grin.
“Ha! Just like we thought—they came charging in right from the start!”
Most of the monsters had been halted by the gathered soldiers and adventurers. Along the front line stood the Sentinel Golems brought by the dwarves, serving quite literally as living walls.
Yet some creatures ignored all obstacles and pressed onward toward the fortress. One of them was a gigantic wolf standing well over five meters tall—
Fenrir.
“So we meet again.”
The enormous wolf lunged forward, jaws gaping wide.
Mia and Felix leapt in opposite directions. Fenrir’s fangs snapped shut with a thunderous clack, biting only empty air. Even passing by the beast was enough to unleash a violent gust that threatened to sweep them off their feet.
“This thing’s insane!”
Mia clicked her tongue in frustration.
“Hmph!”
Fenrir twisted around with startling speed and fixed its gaze on the walls. Dodging the arrows and ice projectiles raining down upon it, the great wolf sprinted through the deliberately created gaps in the defensive formation.
Mia and Felix immediately gave chase after the monstrous wolf.
“…Just as we expected, the enemy has already chosen its main assault force.”
“Yeah. That’s exactly what’s happening.”
The swift giant wolf, Fenrir.
And the World Serpent, Jormungandr, whose immense size allowed it to crush soldiers and knights beneath its coils.
Neither could be compared to ordinary monsters. The enemy likely numbered in the tens of thousands, but creatures of such overwhelming power would never advance in step with goblins and kobolds. They would always surge ahead of the horde.
The battle was divided into two fronts.
On one side, vast numbers of adventurers and soldiers fought to repel the endless waves of monsters. On the other, Rion, Mia, the gods, and the strongest warriors faced the titanic monsters that could brush aside entire defensive lines as though they were nothing.
If the former was a battle of attrition—a struggle where victory would take time to decide—then the latter was a contest of lightning strikes, where the outcome could be settled in an instant.
If, for example, Jormungandr burst through the defenses at the very beginning and smashed the temple walls, the entire defense could collapse in a single stroke.
No matter how many adventurers and soldiers they gathered, it would all be meaningless if they failed to withstand the devastating charges of the strongest monsters.
That was precisely why Mia and the others had prepared a plan.
“—Fenrir’s yours, Rion.”
A small figure leapt down from the great tower and landed directly in the giant wolf’s path.
Against the swift Fenrir, they would send warriors just as swift: Solana and Rion.
That was the essence of their strategy—
To match each known enemy powerhouse against the ally best suited to counter it.
Felix narrowed his eyes even further.
“So far, everything is proceeding according to plan. Lord Thor is engaging the World Serpent Jormungandr. Heimdall-sama, who has fought Ymir before, is confronting him once again. Uru-sama, whose tracking abilities are unmatched, is handling Freyr. And Hati the Wolfbone should be dealt with by the gods as well.”
Running a hand through her crimson hair, Mia tapped the handle of her axe against her shoulder armor. There was always the possibility of unknown enemies appearing. Still, there was no reason not to make use of the information they already had.
In a lower voice, she added,
“Though I doubt it’ll go that perfectly.”
At that moment, a chill crawled down her spine.
Killing intent.
Mia spun around.
A towering humanoid monster stood behind them, looking down upon the pair.
Felix’s expression stiffened.
“Mia, don’t tell me you just had to say something like that—”
“How is this my fault!?”
A hulking figure, well over two meters tall, stood before them draped in rough, tattered cloth. Its staff bore a wolf-shaped ornament at its tip, and its mouth was split all the way to its ears. Slowly, grotesquely, those jaws spread open.
A low chant seeped from between rows of jagged teeth.
“…Wolfbone Hati.”
The incantation continued.
Mia and Felix instinctively stepped backward.
The flaw in their strategy was obvious—
No matter how carefully they planned their match-ups, the enemy was under no obligation to cooperate. The battle would not unfold exactly as they wished. Hati had likely ridden on Fenrir’s back—or used some similar means—to cut straight through the battlefield and reach this point.
Felix glanced toward the sky.
“The gods aren’t coming. They may be occupied on other fronts… or dealing with Freyr.”
Mia clicked her tongue and raised her chained axe.
Then—
“Get down!”
A voice rang out from behind them. Arrows and blazing firebolts rained from the walls toward Hati’s massive frame. But every single projectile was stopped by a magical barrier. Hati drove the butt of its staff into the earth.
The ground beneath Mia and Felix suddenly lurched.
“Whoa—!?”
Chunks of rock tore free from the earth and rose into the air before being hurled toward the walls. Cries of alarm erupted along the battlements, followed by the thunderous sound of shattering stone and timber. Fragments of destroyed giant ballistae rained down from above.
Hati opened its grotesquely split jaws.
“Caw!”
Around the giant’s body, spheres of fire and ice materialized. One after another, they slammed into the fortress walls. The runes carved by the dwarves blazed brightly, as though screaming under the strain as they struggled to absorb the impacts.
Felix’s composed features twisted with alarm.
“To unleash attacks of that magnitude against the walls from this distance…!”
A mage’s strength was measured by power and range.
The monsters of the mythic age surpassed all standards in both. Twisting its torn mouth into something resembling a grin, Hati raised its staff toward Mia and Felix.
The corner of Mia’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t funny. And yet, somehow, she felt like laughing.
“…And here we are, just ordinary adventurers.”
The levels that represented an adventurer’s strength were thirty-four for Mia and forty-two for Felix. Unlike Rion, they did not have a goddess like Solana fighting at their side. Nor were they blessed with multiple divine gifts. The boy who had once been a rookie adventurer was now racing ahead, striving to become a hero beyond the reach of those who had once guided him.
The Crimson Axe in Mia’s hand glimmered faintly, as though encouraging its wielder.
Leaning on his staff, Felix extended a hand toward her.
“It seems we’ll have to become heroes in this battle as well.”
“…Yeah.”
Mia tightened her grip on her axe and grinned despite herself.
“Guess we don’t have much choice.”
Mia tightened the chain around her right hand.
She exchanged nods with Felix, who stood to her left.
She had trained with this narrow-eyed wizard, whom she initially disliked, several times, avoiding his gaze each time.
“Now—I won’t lose!”
She glared at Hati.
“Your wolfbone Skol relatives gave me a hard time. It’s time to settle the score!”
◆◆◆
A heavy boom echoed across the battlefield, and the ground trembled beneath my feet.
Beside Solana, I faced the gigantic wolf. I flicked my gaze to the right for a moment. In the distance, Mia-san and Felix-san were engaged with another powerful foe—most likely Wolfbone Hati.
Floating in the air, Solana crossed her arms.
“We really do seem to have a connection with wolves.”
The great wolf Fenrir stared at us, breathing heavily. The beast was larger than a house. Its mere presence pressed down on me like a physical weight.
“…And in the end, you chose neither to join the monsters nor to flee into the new world—”
Fenrir bared its savage fangs in a grin. Each tooth, slick with saliva, was as large as a sword.
“Yet you still stand against us, fighting to protect people who have absolutely nothing to do with you.”
As it spoke, Fenrir began circling around me.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Like a predator stalking its prey and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The sight made my skin crawl. Every instinct in my body screamed at me not to let my guard down.
“The ‘pack’ you speak of seems quite different from our own.”
Keeping my short sword at the ready, I never took my eyes off Fenrir. The giant wolf fell silent after that. The sounds of fierce battle echoed through the sky, and the ground continued to tremble beneath our feet. Yet the standoff between Fenrir and me was eerily quiet.
Focus.
Right now, I felt like I could hear even a single drop of water falling.
Fenrir let out a lone howl.
That must have been the signal as shadows rushed in from all directions—the wolves that had broken through the battle lines. They leaped at me, claws and fangs bared, intent on tearing me apart.
“Wake up!”
Explosions of flame erupted around me.
From the crystals embedded in my equipment, I summoned the wind spirit Sylph and the fire spirit Salamander.
“Woof!”
“Pii!”
I combined two types of spirits using Loki’s blessing, “Friend of the Spirits.” When wind fed the flames, what would have been ordinary fire transformed into a raging inferno. The wolves blasted away by the explosion turned to black ash in an instant.
From the gauntlet on my right arm, I summoned Undine, the water spirit, as well. Water surged up from the moat and rose into a makeshift wall that I sent rushing toward Fenrir.
“…So you truly intend to win, do you? Just because you managed to defeat Freyr—”
If our forces were evenly matched, then I couldn’t afford to lose my own battle either.
“Of course I do!”
As if answering my shout, Fenrir sprang toward me.
Thunderous crashes echoed from every direction.Everyone was fighting out there too—I was sure of it. And so would I!
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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