Chapter 62: The Village in Flames

The thunder of hooves echoed across the countryside.

Fifty riders dressed in black surged forward like a wave.

Their dragon banners snapped violently in the wind.

Dust rose behind them.

No one spoke.

There was no need.

The smoke growing larger on the horizon told them everything.

Kael rode at the front.

Walter kept pace on his right.

Leon is on his left.

Behind them...

Darius, Iris, Grom, Hugo, and the rest of the Black Dragons maintained perfect formation.

Commander Severus Kane had noticed it earlier.

For a newly formed unit...

Their discipline rivaled veteran companies.

The young woman who had asked for help pointed ahead.

"There!"

"Our village!"

The peaceful farmland suddenly ended.

A wall of thick black smoke climbed into the sky.

The smell hit them first.

Burning wood.

Burning grain.

Burning flesh.

Walter's smile disappeared.

"...Damn."

Kael's expression hardened.

"Increase speed."

The horses surged forward.

Ashfall Village

The first thing Kael saw was the gate.

Or rather...

What remained of it.

The wooden walls had been smashed inward.

Not burned.

Broken.

As though something enormous had simply walked through them.

Dead livestock littered the fields.

Homes burned uncontrollably.

Villagers screamed as they ran through the streets.

Some carried children.

Others desperately tried to put out the flames.

Then...

Kael saw them.

"Wolves?"

Walter muttered.

Leon shook his head.

"No."

"Those aren't ordinary wolves."

Standing nearly the size of horses...

Their bodies were covered in black fur.

Red veins pulsed beneath their skin.

Their eyes glowed crimson.

Foam dripped from their mouths.

Instead of hunting...

They slaughtered everything in sight.

The system appeared.

Monster Identified: Bloodfang Dire Wolf

Threat Level:

C+

Normally Found:

Northern Wildlands

Current Location:

Impossible

Status:

Corrupted

Warning:

Extreme aggression.

Kael frowned.

"Corrupted?"

"What does that mean?"

There wasn't time to ask.

One of the wolves lunged toward a little girl frozen in the middle of the road.

Her mother screamed.

"NO!"

Kael moved.

Ice exploded beneath his feet.

CRACK!

An icy path shot across the ground.

Before anyone could blink...

He appeared between the wolf and the child.

CLANG!

His sword met the wolf's claws.

The impact shook the street.

The beast growled.

Its strength surprised him.

Walter charged next.

His shield slammed into the monster's ribs.

BOOM!

The creature crashed through a stone wall.

"Move the civilians!"

Walter roared.

"Now!"

The Black Dragons Fight

Darius immediately took command.

"Third Squad!"

"Secure the eastern road!"

"Fourth Squad!"

"Protect the wells!"

"Archers!"

"High ground!"

"Don't waste arrows!"

The soldiers moved instantly.

No confusion.

No panic.

Months of Kael's training finally showed their value.

Leon sprinted across the rooftops.

Three wolves leaped after him.

He smiled.

"Wrong choice."

His sword flashed.

SHING!

One wolf fell.

Then another.

The third barely landed before Leon's blade pierced its throat.

Nearby...

Iris disappeared into the smoke.

Moments later...

A wolf collapsed with a dagger buried in its eye.

Then another.

Then another.

No one ever saw her attack.

Grom's Leadership

On the western side of the village...

Several civilians had become trapped inside a burning barn.

The roof was beginning to collapse.

Without hesitation...

Grom rushed inside.

"Chief!"

One soldier shouted.

"It's going to fall!"

Grom ignored him.

He lifted an entire support beam onto his shoulder.

The old goblin gritted his teeth.

"Get them out!"

Children rushed past him.

Then an elderly farmer.

Then two women.

Only after everyone escaped...

Did Grom leap through the doorway?

A heartbeat later...

The barn collapsed.

Walter laughed loudly.

"Old man!"

"You still got it!"

Grom simply smiled.

"I've carried heavier."

Something Isn't Right

Kael cut down another Bloodfang.

Yet...

Something bothered him.

The wolves ignored food.

Ignored livestock.

Ignored each other.

They attacked only people.

The system responded.

Behavior Analysis

Abnormal.

Natural predators prioritize survival.

These creatures prioritize destruction.

Probability of external influence:

82%.

"Someone is controlling them."

The alpha appears.

The ground suddenly trembled.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the forest.

One.

Two.

Three.

The remaining wolves stopped fighting.

Every single one turned toward the tree line.

Then...

They lowered their heads.

Walter swallowed.

"...That's never a good sign."

The trees exploded apart.

A monster twice the size of the others stepped into the village.

Nearly four meters tall.

Its black fur looked like armor.

Massive scars covered its body.

Two broken horns protruded from its skull.

Its eyes...

Burned with crimson mana.

The villagers froze.

Some fell to their knees.

Others simply stared.

The system flashed bright red.

Monster Identified: Bloodfang Alpha

Threat Level:

B+

Current Condition:

Corrupted

Warning:

Highly intelligent.

Another notification appeared immediately.

Boss Monster Encounter

Objective Updated:

Defeat the Alpha.

Protect the Village.

The Alpha looked directly at Kael.

Then...

To everyone's surprise...

It spoke.

Its voice was rough.

Broken.

As if forcing human words through an animal throat.

"...Leave..."

The battlefield froze.

Walter blinked.

"...Did..."

"...did that thing just talk?"

The Alpha growled again.

Its eyes flickered.

For just a brief moment...

The madness disappeared.

Pain replaced it.

"...Run..."

It slammed its own head against the ground.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

As though fighting something inside itself.

Kael's eyes widened.

"It's resisting..."

Then...

A black symbol suddenly appeared on the Alpha's forehead.

A twisted rune.

Dark mana erupted from it.

The Alpha let out a horrifying roar.

Its brief moment of clarity vanished.

Its crimson eyes became completely black.

The system alarm blared.

Unknown Magic Detected

Curse Classification:

Forbidden Magic

Source:

Unknown

Recommendation:

Destroy the curse to save the host.

Kael tightened his grip on his sword.

This was no ordinary monster attack.

Someone...

Somewhere...

Had turned living creatures into weapons.

And if they could do it to monsters...

What was stopping them from doing it to people?

He took one step forward.

Ice gathered beneath his feet.

Light mana flickered around his body.

Deep within his veins...

His blood responded to his will.

For the first time since receiving the system...

Kael prepared to fight with all three of his powers.

The Black Dragons instinctively stepped back.

They knew that look.

Their commander was no longer preparing to win.

He was preparing to end the battle.