The creature was truly nightmare fuel. I mean, all one had to do was take a look at its burning red eyes and they would understand. I had never seen a monster that screamed I am evil incarnate more than this.
"…Yeah," I muttered.
"That's definitely a boss monster."
The Terror Wolf lifted its head and released another roar, creating a vibrating sound that rolled across the battlefield like thunder. The very air itself rippled at its command, flattening banners and knocking several soldiers off their feet.
My hair blew back as the shockwave spread outward, carrying with it the foul scent of rot and blackened blood. Dust and mud blasted through the trenches like a sudden storm.
"Oh come on!" I shouted over the noise. "What is this, a movie?!"
Mages further up the battlefield began casting while hurling insults at the beast. Unlike the rest who stayed behind the trenches, these ones were directly in the heart of the battlefield.They wore what had once been white cloth that draped to the floor, marked with a crest of an angel-like woman with a halo.
Each robe was adorned with golden embroidery. The clothing didn't look protective at all. In fact, it looked purely ceremonial, an outfit meant for events or church meetings.
If they weren't covered head to toe in mud and battlefield grime, one could call their clothing quite holy and impressive. The same thing couldn't be said for the people wearing them. Unlike the regalness of their attire, they swore loudly on the battlefield while hurling insults at the beast.
"Thy putrid creature of the abhorrent evil Tenebrus! I was born for this day, to rid your disgusting presence from our planet! Thy holy lady has blessed me with the opportunity to end your miserable existence, you stupid mutt!"
Rather than concentrating on chanting, one priest was busy insulting the Terror Wolf while it mauled his comrades.
"Those lunatics must have a death wish!" I said, turning toward Luna and pointing at them.
She let out a light sigh before nodding slightly, as if fully committing would be sacrilegious.
"Well, the Priest Mages of Prima Lux are rather fervent in their passion."
Fervent? That was putting it too nicely. They were straight-up lunatics.
"You put it too nicely. They're battle maniacs. Crazy religious fanatics."
Luna raised an eyebrow while staring at me as if saying and what are you?
Which I found rather insulting. There was definitely a difference between me and them. My outbursts were due to the frustration caused by the zombie plagues and the deaths they had inflicted on me. These lot were just straight-up cuckoo.
I wasn't like them… right?
Right?
"Hey, Luna. I'm not like them, right?"
"Well… you do share some similarities."
"NOOOOO!"
We moved further down the trenches while batting away pursuing creatures. The mages nearby had formed some sort of protective formation. I wasn't sure when it started, but now we were covering each other in a circular defence with a support mage in the middle.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield itself, things were much less organised. Large glowing circles appeared in the air as groups of battle priests stepped forward, their hands raised toward the sky.
"Please, oh Holy Prima Lux, guide us!" one of them shouted. He dropped to his knees mid-shout, arms thrown wide, tears streaming in disturbing joy.
"Prima Luuuuuux! Grant thee thy power so we may smite this foul beast! Holy magic of the most beloved! The creator!"
Golden magic erupted forward in massive waves, slamming into the Terror Wolf like cascading sunlight. For a moment, the battlefield filled with radiant brilliance as multiple beams of light covered the field.
'Wait… these zealots might actually take it out.'
The priests continued chanting, voices rising in unison.
"Prima Lux! Prima Lux! Prima Lux!"
The holy light grew brighter and stronger. For a moment I actually thought it might work. A small amount of respect for these crazy mages began forming. But of course, life was never that easy. The wolf roared again. This time a black wave burst from its mouth.
The sound was so resoundingly loud that the very ground trembled. The golden magic that once seemed like a death sentence shattered like glass. The shockwave tore through the priest formation, scattering several of them like ragdolls. Those hit directly by the black particles screamed in agonising pain.
"…What the actual hell?" I said.
The once-fervent priests began running and repositioning as they tried to avoid the monster's attack.
All but one priest ran.
This single priest dropped to his knees in front of the charging monster, raising his hands toward the sky.
"GLORY TO PRIMA LUX!" he screamed with absolute conviction. "The Light looked upon her creations and wept WHEN SHE LOOKED AT YOU! GLORY TO PRIMA LUX AND CURSE YOU, you slobbering, matted, spiritually bankrupt excuse for a predator! Your mother was a mop! A wet mop! And your father—your father was whatever wolf DRAGGED itself through the mud and thought 'yes, that will do!' YOU ARE THE RESULT OF LOW STANDARDS, BEAST—"
The wolf didn't even slow down.
Crunch.
The priest disappeared beneath one enormous paw, turning into nothing but red paste.
There was a brief silence.
"…Well," I said slowly. "I guess this is what you call fervent, Luna."
She looked just as shocked as I did.
"Yes… fervent. Very, very fervent."
Around us, soldiers were already retreating into deeper trench lines, scrambling to obey the command echoing across the battlefield.
"Forward to the Church! We must advance as the commander has said! Ignore the beast!"
That last part sounded suspiciously optimistic. Like ignore the beast and it will leave you alone. As if I pretended it couldn't see me, that it couldn't see me. That only worked in movies. Not in real life.
'Tough luck for them. Luckily I'm in the trenches. I can actually ignore it. Hahaha!'
Luna grabbed my sleeve and started moving.
"We follow the trenches," she said calmly.
"Good plan," I agreed instantly.
We sprinted along the trench line as chaos erupted to the left of us. The Terror Wolf barreled through a group of soldiers like they weren't even there, scattering bodies and weapons in every direction. More mages fired spells from the flanks.
Fire.
Ice.
Radiant bursts of magic. The wolf plowed through them like a walking disaster. It wasn't like it was taking no damage. Blades cut its flanks and scorched lines formed across its hide. One ear was even torn. One could say it was not in the best condition. But it might as well have been. It moved like it wasn't hurt at all. If anything, it looked more enraged. A true beast.
'Absolutely not. I've got to stay far away from that thing.'
"I've decided something," I announced while running.
"What?" Luna asked.
"I'm not dying this run."
"That is usually the objective, not dying. I do not think anyone but those crazy— I mean fervent priests—are ready to give their lives like that," Luna said.
She didn't get it. I had already died numerous times today. The last thing I wanted was that beast resetting my progress. We turned a corner deeper into the trench network. The walls rose higher here, reinforced with wooden beams and sandbags. It was relatively safer.
"See?" I said confidently. "We're good. We stay in the trenches, we avoid the big ugly wolf, we reach the church, everyone wins."
Behind us, the Terror Wolf roared again. The ground shook. I waved vaguely in its direction.
"Have fun fighting that thing!" I shouted toward the soldiers further back.
"Lucky you!"
One of the soldiers turned and stared at me like I had personally offended him.
Luna looked at me with visible confusion.
"…Why would you say that?"
"Morale," I said wisely.
She stared. "You are a very strange person."
"Thank you."
I glanced back toward the battlefield and grinned.
"Later, big buddy," I muttered under my breath. "You're not my problem."
Then I felt it, a sudden pressure, like a weight pressing against the back of my skull. The hairs on my arms rose.
"…Wait."
I slowly turned my head.
"…Why does it feel like something is looking at me?"
Luna stopped walking.
"…Kura."
"What?"
Her voice had lost its usual calm tone.
"…Do not move suddenly."
That was not reassuring. Very slowly, I looked back toward the battlefield. The Terror Wolf had stopped moving, completely. Hundreds of soldiers were still running across the field. Magic still exploded around it. But the beast itself had gone still. Its massive head turned slowly. One glowing red eye locking directly onto me. My stomach dropped.
"…Oh."
The wolf's lips peeled back, revealing rows of jagged black teeth in something that almost resembled a smile.
'I must be imagining things. There is no way that wolf is smiling at me.'
I closed my eyes and opened them again. It was still staring in my direction.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Luna exhaled slowly.
"You provoked it."
"What do you mean I provoked it? I just waved! What are the odds that the mutt decides to turn around when I do that?"
The Terror Wolf crouched. Muscles coiled beneath its plague-ridden skin.
And then—
It started running straight toward the trench.
"…Right," I said calmly. "We are so cooked."