Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Training

TL: Potato-tan

Proofreader: Asianpotato

A man lay face down in prostration. Only the back of his head was visible, revealing nothing but black hair and a robe.

The prostrated man was in a spacious, cavernous room, roughly twenty meters square. In the center of the room was an altar, atop which burned a greenish flame.

The flame, burning in midair without any firewood, was nothing short of supernatural.

The man spoke.

“An unexpected obstacle has appeared. Two paladins of the church and a man of unknown identity have appeared.

Kurung. The greenish flame flickered violently. The man pressed his head even lower.

“No, it is not the moon. It is the sun, Lutheon. While one paladin is insignificant, we should take note of the other.

In a room where no other voice could be heard, the man answered the concepts and wills that echoed in his mind.

“The other is a guess. He was wearing a coat, and when I last saw him, he wielded a white ax and a dark greatsword. I tried to kill him with a ghoul, but I failed. He was much stronger than I expected. We may need to alter the plan or give it more time.

Silence. Despite no longer receiving any wills, the man remained prostrated. The flame still burned.

The vibrant green that rippled across the gray stone floor would have been ominous and eerie to an ordinary person, but to the demon worshiper Herokeinin, it was a glorious light.

Soon, another will come. And it was more than just a will. From the greenish flame on the altar, a thin, slender flame extended.

At a point in front of Herokeinin, the flame gathered and transformed into a stone with strange patterns engraved on it.

Herokeinin, who recognized the object, almost raised his head. He was so surprised. Herokeinin barely managed to calm his excitement.

“Thank you. I will not disappoint you.”

The flame on the altar had grown smaller than before. The flame appeared to have expended its power in forming the stone. Herokeinin believed his guess was correct. The stones were worth it.

The greenish reflections on the floor gradually faded. Despite the absence of the flame that had illuminated the cavern, Herokeinin remained prostrated for several minutes. Then he slowly rose to his feet. He picked up the stone that had fallen on his head.

The stone was the size of a fist. Other than the fact that it had patterns engraved on its surface, it was so ordinary that it wouldn’t have been strange to find it rolling around on the floor of a cave.

However, those who knew its value would not be afraid of an army. Herokeinin smiled grimly.

The preparations were almost complete. He had even received an unexpected gift. It was a fight he couldn’t lose. Even if a dragon appears,

However, all the dragons were dead or gone. All that remained were dragonkins with diluted blood.

Suddenly, Herokeinin recalled the thought of the dragon he had just had, and along with it, another thought followed.

As he passed through towns and villages in disguise, he heard a strange rumor. A dragonslayer appeared in a northeastern city.

A dragonslayer signified that a dragon had appeared, but no one seemed to believe the rumor seriously. It was just a topic of conversation to replace the lack of snacks. And so did Herokeinin, who had been listening.

“Even if a dragon appears, it cannot be stopped. What must happen will happen. That is the natural order.”

Herokeinin muttered to himself as he put the stone in his pocket and left the cavern.

All that remained were the white wolf and the little wolf. However, the white wolf was dying, so it would disappear on its own if left alone.

The same went for the little wolf. If more time had passed, it might have been different, but in the current situation, it was nothing more or less than a troublesome obstacle. Herokeinin chuckled.

“It’s just a little puppy. . .”

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“There are a few words I hate the most.”

Ulca straightened her back. Her amber eyes burned like flames.

“No one can call me a dog, a puppy, or a doggy.”

“Do you know? The genetic difference between wolves and dogs is almost nonexistent. It’s only 0.04%.”

Ulca ignored Russell’s remarks. Whether she ignored them because she didn’t know or because she knew, Russell seemed to understand one thing.

Ulca was angry at the moment. She was also enraged.

Ulca, who had slammed the floor once more, ran forward and swung her long, sleek legs.

The momentum was so fierce that it seemed like it could break a thick log in half. And if the testimonies of the villagers were true, she would indeed be able to break it.

However, it was not a log that stood in her way; it was Russell. Russell’s left hand caught Ulca’s leg. It was too easy, considering the momentum with which she had flown through the air.

Ulca, unfazed by the capture, leaped up, using her remaining leg, and kicked once more.

Russell, who ducked his head and upper body to avoid the kick, pulled in the leg he was still holding and hit Ulca in the abdomen. Ulca couldn’t get her feet on the floor like before, so she rolled around.

“Ugh, ack, cough. . .”

Her esophagus was filled with bitter water. Saliva dripped down. Ulca, focusing her unfocused eyes on the floor dripping with gastric juice and saliva, realized that Russell had let go of her.

Just now, the blow had been more of a push than a blow. That’s why Ulca felt even more humiliated.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

Ulca charged forward. Fists, arms, elbows, shoulders, knees, feet, and other movements closely related to martial arts poured out at Russell. At first glance, it seemed like a haphazard, almost comical display of movements.

Russell, however, believed it to be a martial art that combined thought and technique, deserving of the title.

Was it something that the white wolf, Managarmar, had taught her? Or was it something that Ulca had acquired on her own? Either way, one thing was for sure: Ulca had a talent for martial arts.

Russell calmly received, blocked, deflected, and interrupted Ulca’s attacks.

He dodged a fierce punch aimed at his face by tilting his head to the side and blocked a knee aimed at his heart by raising his own knee. He deflected an elbow aimed at his temple with the back of his hand and kicked away a kick aimed at his side from the middle.

“Eek!”

Ulca flipped over and skidded across the floor. Russell jumped up lightly, folding his legs to avoid it, and Ulca’s eyes flashed with determination.

It was a very short moment of respite, but for Ulca, it was a moment of overflowing opportunity to attack. If she could push him out of the circle, she would win.

The attack that aimed to push him out while he was in the air, however, was in vain as Russell pushed Ulca’s shoulders back with both hands and flipped her over.

Russell had pushed Ulca back hard, and Ulca got up with a roar of anger. Ulca turned and charged at Russell, who was standing with his back to her.

At that moment, Russell disappeared. Ulca, startled by Russell’s sudden disappearance, felt a strong shock to her ankle and was lifted into the air. Russell had simply copied Ulca’s attack, which he had just used to skid across the floor.

The difference was that Russell had dodged it, but Ulca had not.

Shadows fell across Ulca’s face, which had lost her balance and was flailing in the air. Russell’s fist was there.

Bang!

With a bone-chilling sound, Ulca flew backward.

The villagers watched the fight with their mouths wide open. Even those who had previously laughed at the idea of cleaning up a corpse now find themselves in a state of shock.

The people who had been born in the village or had flowed in and settled there knew that one of the unchanging truths they had known for a long time was being broken now.

Ulca was not invincible.

“Haak, haak, haak, haak. . .”

Ulca, who had long, gray, hedgehog-like hair spread out on the ground, breathed heavily, looking at the gray sky.

She could smell a strong, bloody scent coming from her nose. When she wiped it with her hand, a lot of bright red blood came out. Her whole face was hot. No, her whole body was hot.

Her heart was beating so violently that she wondered if it had ever been like this before, and the blood flowing through her veins was running like a wild horse in the grasslands. She felt like she could do anything, but she couldn’t.

She couldn’t win.

A single thought ran through her mind. She was shaking and crumbling the tower of pride she had built up over many years.

None of Ulca’s attacks had worked. And that was almost without moving from the spot.

It was a circle of about three steps, but Russell had taken all of Ulca’s attacks within a radius of less than two steps, or even one step.

Ulca couldn’t understand how it was possible. If Russell was as old as he said he was, he had only lived half as long as she had. He was stronger than Ulca was today. Overwhelmingly so.

“Are you just going to keep lying there? Are you surrendering?”

Ulca slowly raised her body. Maybe this man could handle it.

“No.”

Ulca wiped the remaining blood from her nose and spat it on the floor. Despite the blood smearing her nose and mouth, Ulca’s intense and thunderous face seemed to possess a more savage charm.

“Not yet.”

Russell opened his eyes wide without realizing it. Something had caught his keen senses. Something was happening inside Ulca’s body.

Russell’s senses registered the realization of a species’ potential, including will, mana, and technique, in the world.

Ulca’s body started to change. Gray, rough fur sprouted on her smooth white skin. Her bones creaked as they grew longer and larger.

Her snout protruded, and her hands and feet became those of a beast with long claws. The wolf’s tail, which had been protruding from her back, grew longer and more luxurious.

The villagers, who were already far away, couldn’t stop their legs from taking them further away.

Hailyn muttered.

“Therianthropy. That’s amazing.”

A werewolf that was 2.3 meters tall stood there. The werewolf roared.

“Kwaaaaaa!”

Russell laughed as if he found it ridiculous.

“Now you’re transforming after all this?”

The werewolf charged. The werewolf’s attack was ferocious. The martial arts that Ulca had previously displayed were nothing but the blows of a beast. However, the claws, like daggers, looked sharp enough to cut even rocks.

Now that the werewolf was taller, the attacks that came down from above were so shadowy that they could cast shadows. However, Russell still stood in place. He didn’t step out of the circle or draw a weapon from his coat.

He dodged the simple attacks that came in a straight line and punched the exposed side.

A strong shock spread through the huge werewolf’s body. The werewolf had a trickle of blood coming from the corner of its mouth, but it didn’t stop. It became even more ferocious.

“Kuaak!”

The fight between Russell and the werewolf was a close-quarters battle. They were so close that if they twisted their bodies slightly, they would touch each other’s fur or clothes.

Russell noticed that the werewolf was not using its feet as much as it had before. Instead, it concentrated more on using its hands and newly acquired means of attack.

Russell, who had avoided the wolf’s jaws snapping up and down, punched it right in the face.

With a loud bang, several sharp, white teeth flew through the air like snow, and the werewolf fell back.

“Growl. . .”

The werewolf’s large hand wiped the blood from its mouth. Russell looked closely at the werewolf’s snout. In the area where the teeth had been broken or pulled out, new teeth were growing.

He even has good regeneration. Russell chuckled.

It was clear that this fight would not end quickly. He didn’t know how long the state would last, but he thought it would last a few more minutes, and Russell didn’t want to drag it out. He was starting to get hungry.

“Kaak!”

The werewolf roared and pounced again. At some point, as it approached Russell, the werewolf raised its hands together and held them high. It was a pose to bring down its fists like hammers.

However, Russell did not make any particular move, even as he watched the fierce pose. He didn’t thrust his fist or kick into the wide-open chest and abdomen in front of him. He just stood there.

Whoong!

The werewolf brought down its clasped fists, and the villagers screamed. They imagined Russell turning into mincemeat in one second.

“Grr, grrr. . .”

Russell did not turn into mincemeat. He raised both arms and grabbed the werewolf’s wrists with his hands.

Surprisingly, the werewolf was unable to shake off Russell’s hands. Even when she was Ulca, she had been able to smash logs and throw rocks weighing hundreds of kilograms. Now that she has undergone therianthropy, she should be able to do even more.

But she couldn’t.

The werewolf gritted its teeth and put all its strength into its body. The muscles throughout the body contracted and relaxed, but the result remained the same.

Russell slowly lowered his arms. Then the werewolf’s arms came down in the same way. Her clasped hands were now loose.

As he lowered his arms with force, the werewolf, who was bigger than Russell, had to shrink more and more. In the end, its legs buckled, and its knees touched the floor. Russell, the one who had forced the werewolf to kneel, spoke.

“Look at me.”

The werewolf looked up at Russell without realizing it. The moment his amber-wolf eyes met his purple eyes, they grew wide.

Soon, something amazing happened. The process of therianthropy that Ulca had undergone earlier was happening in reverse. Her snout shrank and became a human nose and mouth, while the gray, rough fur that had covered her face and body seeped into her skin. Her bones creaked as they shortened and grew smaller.

The werewolf returned to Ulca in that way.

Russell chuckled.

“Did I win?”

Ulca appeared dazed. She no longer displayed the contempt she had shown when they first met or the anger she had shown later. Then she hung her head.

“Yeah. You won.”

“The blessing of the moonlight?”

“It’s yours. You deserve it.”

“Good. Then it’s time for the victor to make his demands.”

Russell released Ulca’s wrists and laid down on the floor. Russell remained in the center of the drawn circle. Russell looked at Ulca, who seemed to have no idea what was going on, and patted his knees.

“Lie down here.”

“What?”

“Mothers love their children very much, but they don’t hesitate to discipline them. They always spanked their butts, regardless of their age. But it seems like your mother only spoiled you.”

Of course, Russell had no ulterior motive. He just didn’t like the presumptuous attitude she had shown him since they first met.

Ulca trembled. Her mouth was open, and her face was bright red.

“W-w-well, you’re saying you’re going to s-spank my b-butt? Even m-my m-mom, no, my mother didn’t do that.”

“Then you’re not going to do it?”

“A, Are you crazy? Of course not.”

“The daughter of the great wolf, Managarmar, is not going to keep her promise. That’s disappointing.”

Ulca’s trembling body suddenly stiffened.

“I even agreed to the condition that I would lose if I left this small circle. You were the one who accepted it. Aside from that, you can do therianthropy, and you didn’t tell me you were going to do it beforehand. And yet you’re saying you’re not going to keep your promise?”

“Uuuuu. . .”

Russell was right. Ulca couldn’t think of anything to say, no matter how hard she racked her brain. Because she was a dog—no, a wolf.

Hesitantly, Ulca finally moved. The villagers around the square had been getting closer as the werewolf turned back into Ulca. Ulca, who had glanced at them, whispered with a sullen face.

“Hey, can’t we do this somewhere else? Huh? I’m the guardian deity of this village, you know. . .”

Russell was adamant.

“I don’t care. Lie down.”

“Uuuuu. . . This is ridiculous. . .”

Ulca kneeled on Russell’s lap. The villagers, who had approached as the fight ended, looked on with puzzled expressions.

Only the parents with children realized what the posture was. Arnold and Sally giggled, and Ethan’s eyes widened.

With her hands, Ulca covered her face. She couldn’t bear to look at anyone else. The wolf’s ears drooped forward. So did the tail.

Russell raised his right hand with an expressionless face.

“I’ll only hit you ten times. Count the numbers each time you receive a hit. If you don’t do it properly, I’ll add more.”

“Just do it already. . .!”

Russell shrugged and brought down his right hand. Ulca screamed.

“Ouch!”

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