WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 511: Hour of the Dog and the Wolf - 4

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"Kill them!"

"You wolf bastards!"

"Awooooo!"

"Woof! Woof!"

With Gruel's slaughter as the spark, battle broke out between the Beast Faction and the wolves. Seasoned warriors formed groups of three or four, guarding one another's backs. Wolves were often wounded and driven back by attacks wrapped in energy control.

They had brought only the best of the best, so the wolves could not take them down easily. They blocked wolf muzzles with gauntlets layered in dozens of sheets of leather, then split their heads open with sharp daggers or hammers.

While the Beast Faction warriors drove back the wolves, Gruel carried out a slaughter all on his own.

"Sal Baramach... Gah!"

The two blades Gruel swung tore apart a priest's body. Blades wrapped in energy control sliced through flesh like tofu and cut bone like cucumbers. As he slashed diagonally through one priest's ribs, Gruel searched for his next victim and chose his footing in advance. His foot slid across the earth.

Ground Leveling.

His figure vanished in an instant. At the same time, a blade lodged itself in the mouth of another priest crying out to a god. The cold dagger was not the god the priest sought, but it was enough to claim the priest's life.

"I don't know where you got the nerve. You're nothing but trash..."

It took less than a minute to kill the head priest and his group. As Gruel shook the blood from his blades, a voice reached his ears.

"...So you really are a master. Powerful. To think even a beastkin could reach that level..."

Hadn't he killed them all? Gruel flinched and turned around. Several steps away, a severed priest's head moved its mouth as it spoke.

"A doll curse? The real body must be elsewhere, with only its consciousness linked here. No wonder cowards like you wouldn't show yourselves before me."

"Khehehe. That's not all."

Gruel rushed over and stomped the head until it burst, but the priest's consciousness had already moved elsewhere. He looked around. An ominous presence came from the priests he had killed in an instant, corpses that should have already been dead.

"You insane bastard. Were all twenty of them your dolls from the start?!"

"They were dolls and sacrifices. They willingly gave their lives to teach beasts like you your place."

Blood clung strangely tightly to his body. It felt as though insects were crawling over him. As the unpleasant sensation tickled his fur, Gruel urgently shouted at his subordinates.

"You lot! Fall back! Don't step in the blood!"

"Blood for blood. Beast, know your place. ------."

A sound only beasts could hear. A smell only beasts could detect. Through their exceptionally sharp senses, the curse Agartha had planted long ago ran wild.

The curse of frenzy. The curse spread using twenty priests as sacrifices descended upon the Beast Faction.

Energy control was the art of distinguishing oneself from the world. By attaining Heaven and Earth Qi Art, one could block things before they reached the senses. Once one had a feel for it, one could even control its effects on the body. Upon reaching the principle, even the mind became clear.

Gruel, who had reached the principle, only became a little more sensitive. In truth, even that was caused not by the curse itself, but by the Beast Faction warriors who had fallen under it.

Still, that was enough. The head priest had never intended to target someone who had reached the principle in the first place.

"Grrrrr...!"

"Urgh, cough! Mooooo!"

The unpleasant smell seeping through the blood. Grating noises that irritated their sensitive hearing. Blood clinging stickily to their fur and making it itch. Their narrowing vision.

The sharp senses possessed by beasts were also a curse. Already worked up from fighting, the Beast Faction warriors panted heavily in agony.

"These damned idiots. Stop exercising so much and train your energy control! If you'd even gotten the hang of it, you'd have been fine!"

"I'm... fine, Chieftain! Maybe it's thanks to the energy control you taught us, but we can still tell friend from foe!"

"That's exactly why you're not fine! What good is that?"

Just as he said, Beast Faction warriors began leaving formation. Frenzied warriors wildly swung their blades at the wolves before them.

Casualties mounted. Gruel used Ground Leveling to cover them, but Beast Faction warriors who broke from the ranks began suffering injuries from the wolves.

"Chieftain. Should we retreat?"

"Is that even a question? Worry about how we're supposed to make them retreat!"

The curse had declined as energy control developed. Beast Faction warriors had trained in energy control, even if their levels varied. Not all of them had fallen under the curse of frenzy, and they were still close enough to help one another.

For now.

If they scattered too far for Gruel to cover with Ground Leveling, they would be hunted down one by one.

There was a solution. Knock the frenzied warriors in the back of the head and calm them down. But weakening their own forces while they fought wolves would only mean playing into the enemy's hands. They were caught in an impossible situation.

That was when, by a rough estimate, a beastkin army of over a thousand came rushing toward Gruel. They advanced in a tightly packed mass through the route Gruel had opened in advance, with enough troops to be called the main force.

They were not much help in a direct fight, but at that moment, they could not have been more welcome. Tools meant to restrain enemies, such as snares and ropes, worked well on frenzied warriors.

Gruel called out in delight.

"Reinforcements?"

"N-no! We ran away too!"

"What? You ran away?"

In war, there were main forces and detachments. Usually, detachments retreated toward the main force. The opposite almost never happened.

No matter how strong Gruel and his subordinates were, the difference in numbers and scale was absolute. How could they be retreating here?

There were too many sheep-kin and cow-kin responsible for traps for it to be a joke. Startled by the sudden news of a rout, Gruel asked again.

"From whom?"

"Dog beastkin! From the Baskerville Family!"

Gruel blinked.

"Baskerville?"

* * *

The Empire's strongest watchdog family, the Baskerville Family. Countless watchdogs had been born from the main house and branch families, and most had been sold off as bodyguards to the Empire's highest-ranking figures. From birth, they learned etiquette and proper conduct, along with energy control for hunting and protection. They had always been highly sought after.

Their hunting instincts and agility were on an entirely different level from ordinary dog beastkin. Their defining trait was a loyalty so absolute that they would not spare their own bodies for their masters. Dignified and gallant, loyal hounds who always watched their surroundings and protected their masters.

Yet now, they were slaughtering beastkin.

Sapien swung his spear shaft wide. The Baskerville twisted aside in an instant, trying to deflect the blow, but Sapien was an Obelisk who had defended cities against beastkin. He readjusted his grip on the shaft and crushed the Baskerville with sheer force.

The main force was no help. Traps and ropes meant nothing against an expert in energy control. Only the Obelisks could fight.

The enemy was also an expert in energy control, but Sapien's level should have been enough. Gaining a trace of confidence, Sapien shouted.

"Obelisks! Hold formation! They're beastkin!"

The Obelisks were probably holding out better than expected because their past experience had not gone to waste. Sapien looked over the battlefield and shouted.

"Face them bravely! Are you going to lose to beastkin twice?!"

"Why? What's wrong with losing to me?"

Sapien flinched and turned around.

Thud, thud.

A couple of Obelisks following him flew through the air, spraying blood. Beyond them stood a Baskerville dressed in a black suit, her gloved fist extended. An Obelisk quickly raised a shield to block the punch.

Boom. When the gloved fist struck the shield, ripples spread across its surface. The attack had clearly been blocked, yet energy penetrated within and shook the Obelisk's entire body.

Behind the Obelisk, who fell with blood trickling from their mouth, a young woman with pointed ears smiled as she twitched them.

"Because we're dogs?"

Only then did Sapien realize it. The Obelisks were not holding out well. Baskervilles born to guard nobles did not use weapons, so the armored Obelisks were simply taking longer to fall.

"Why are Baskervilles here...?!"

"Awoo. You recognized us. I guess we can't let you live."

Ghostfire burned in the Baskerville's eyes. Blue flames traced an arc as she rushed toward Sapien. Sapien gripped the spear shaft with both hands and instinctively raised it. The seemingly sluggish shaft barely slipped into the path of the fist falling like a meteor. Clang. A deafening crash rang out, too loud to believe it came from a fist striking iron.

'She's not just fast...! Her energy control is stronger than mine too!'

Sapien was pushed back about three meters and steadied his trembling arms. He had managed to react only because he had recently fought someone strong enough to reach the principle. Seeing Gruel's image overlap with his opponent, Sapien was horrified.

'As strong as Gruel? Then... don't tell me she's reached the principle?'

"I was going to kill you anyway. Woof."

A lean body beneath a fitted suit. Neatly cut hair. Pointed ears rising above it, and an unseen tail. A perfectly upright posture even in battle.

Above all, eyes that seemed to burn with blue flames. A Baskerville. Without time to dwell on it, Sapien spoke.

"Whose orders are these?! Did an Imperial noble order this attack?!"

"Master? Woof. If I had one of those, why would I be doing this?"

Even as she gave off a dangerous aura, the female Baskerville wore a sorrowful expression as she fiddled with her glove.

"Woof. Will you be my master?"

"Don't be ridiculous! You've killed how many Obelisks already!"

"If you don't want to, it can't be helped. Fine. We'll serve our king as we always have. But..."

The Baskerville nodded and asked.

"Where is the traitorous King of Dogs?"

"You...!"

"Answer."

A sinister premonition crawled down Sapien's spine. He swung the spear shaft wide and lowered his body. He blocked one, dodged one, and deflected one. But the Baskerville pressed deeper, braced a hand against the ground, and kicked him in the abdomen. Sapien's body was launched away and rolled across the ground in the distance.

The Baskerville was faster than he was at getting up. A dress shoe crushed Sapien's throat. With the recognized human pinned beneath her foot, the Baskerville bent down.

"If you don't answer, I'll go ask the next person."

"Urgh...!"

"Ah. Did I step too hard?"

Clench. Sapien grabbed the Baskerville's ankle with both hands. It was a desperate movement, as if he was trying to pull it away. The Baskerville bared her teeth and smiled.

"...I like that you don't give up. But it's too pathetic."

Sapien was not resisting. From where he lay on the ground, he could see it.

A figure falling from the sky.

The approach had been so silent it swallowed even sound, but perhaps she sensed it through beastkin instinct. Every hair on the Baskerville's body stood on end. When she sharply turned her head, she saw Shei clutching distorted space.

"Heavenly Sword Technique! Thunderbird!"

Lightning flashed. Kicking off from clouds formed in midair, Shei fell as though she had taken the shape of a bolt of lightning. Scattering even the power of lightning she had gained in Claudia, Shei swung her lightning down with all her might.

Blanca tried to leap away, but Sapien was gripping her ankle tightly below her. There was not enough time to shake off Sapien, who had rooted himself firmly to the ground with Earth Qi Art.

She did have loyal companions.

"Blanca!"

"Watch out!"

A watchdog's duty was protection. Even if the one they needed to protect was a member of their own family, they would throw themselves forward. Sensing the attack with beastkin instincts, two Baskervilles disregarded their own safety and leaped into its path.

Then Shei's attack engulfed all three of them. Thunder roared, fur scorched, and blood burned. The lightning-forged blade pierced even their protective energy control and took two lives.

"Blanca Baskerville. You came out this time!"

Thanks to their sacrifice, the one who survived had no time to grieve before facing the intruder. A boy who seemed to know her for some reason showed open hostility.

"...You're strong."

The price of her carelessness had been the deaths of her kin. Blanca cooled her heart and adjusted her glove. Showing her fury only through her eyes, Blanca said what she always said to humans.

"Will you be my master?"

Despite the unexpected offer, Shei neither panicked nor grew angry. For Shei, who had traveled back through time, it was not the first time she had heard that question. She scoffed and answered.

"I'll be your master, so why don't you bite your tongue and kill yourself?"

"...You want us gone too, in the end."

"In the end? I want you gone as soon as possible."

"Woof. It can't be helped. Then we..."

Blanca Baskerville gripped the wrist of her glove tightly.

Then the transformation began.

Her nails lengthened through the glove. Thicker and sharper than fingers, they looked more like claws than nails. Drawing out the beast's weapons, Blanca gave off billowing blue energy and growled.

"We have no choice but to become wolves."

Footnotes:

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