“Thank you for your hospitality, Sir Bosch. I apologize for visiting you so suddenly,” Lucas Crawlmarine said.

“Not at all. I am simply disappointed that I could not have prepared a better reception for you, my lord.” A man in his 30s responded while bowing his head. His name was Calburn Bosch. He was a knight of the Crawlmarine family, and he had become the new lord of Bosch last year in his dead father’s stead.

“Anyway, I have something urgent I need to discuss with you. Is that okay?” Lucas asked.

“Of course,” Calburn answered before glancing at the other members of the Bosch family. They gave a polite bow before leaving. As soon as the door closed, the dignified expression of the two figures disappeared.

“What brings you here, Your Excellency? Didn’t you say a year ago that you would never come visiting?” Calburn said.

“Do you really think that I came here because I wanted to, Calburn? There was no other choice,” Lucas answered. On the afternoon of the day Eugene departed for Marine Forest, Lucas left for the Bosch territory along with about a dozen knights and soldiers, and instead of taking the same path as Eugene, he took a secured, direct path without any roamers.

In the end, Count Lucas left later than Eugene, but arrived at the Bosch territory at around the same time.

“What do you mean you couldn’t help it? What’s going on…?” Calburn asked with a worried expression.

“He came back alive,” Lucas answered.

“What? Who are you talking about?” Calburn asked.

“Luke,” Lucas said.

“Lu…ke? Heup!” Calburn gasped and his eyes filled with shock.

“Moreover, he came back as an aide to a high-ranking vampire nobleman of the continent—a knight who has territory in the Caylor Kingdom,” Lucas explained.

“Y-Your Excellency! T-then what should we…” Calburn stuttered without being able to hide his shock.

Lucas responded with a grin, “Who do you think I am? I’ve already taken appropriate measures.”

“What? Appropriate measures…? Like…what?” Calburn asked.

“Well…” A crooked smile appeared on Lucas’ face as he recounted the events from a few days ago. As he continued to explain, Calburn’s expression gradually loosened. “As I have expected from you, my lord. If it’s the monster of Marine Forest, even a high-ranking vampire will be helpless.”

“Haha. He might survive since he’s a bigshot of the Dark Clan, but the other knights and those bastards from the Perseus Mountains will likely die or be severely crippled in the aftermath,” Lucas muttered.

“And the same will go for that dirty bastard?” Calburn asked.

“Dirty? Isn’t that too harsh? Whose blood flows in Luke’s veins? Are you calling me dirty as well?” Lucas said with a frown.

“Ah! T-that’s not what I meant. I was referring to his mother…” Calburn hurriedly explained.

“Half of his blood came from my father. Did you really never suspect why he was the most talented of your siblings?” Lucas asked.

Calburn’s expression hardened in an instant, and he bowed his head while biting his lips.

“It was a slip of the tongue. I apologize,” Calburn said.

Lucas glared at Calburn’s crown for a moment, then grinned before slowly leaning against the back of his chair. “Anyway, my plan will ensure that he won’t survive Marine Forest, so don’t worry. However, you must protect me as well if something similar happens, sir.”  

“I understand, my lord. I appreciate your deep consideration,” Calburn responded while raising his head.

Lucas offered a silver glass of wine before speaking, “Remember. Our secret must be taken to the grave.”

“Of course. I will keep my mouth shut until the day I die. For both you, and for me,” Calburn answered.

Clang.

The two people bumped their glass before gulping down the wine with a smile. However, neither figure’s eyes reflected their smiles.

***

Kuwuuuuuuugh!!!

The beowulfs roared loudly as they tore apart the lycanthropes. The unintelligent counterparts were only slightly smaller than the beowulfs.

Originally, the two forces would have been on par with each other, and although both the beowulfs and the lycanthropes were strengthened under the full moon, a unilateral slaughter was taking place in Marine Forest. The reason behind the overwhelming disparity between the two groups was because of Galfredik, whom the beowulfs referred to as the ‘dark knight.’

“Uwuuuugh!” Galfredik shouted while wielding a battleaxe. His eyes were dyed even redder than usual, and he was emanating fear without restraint. As a result, the monsters surrounding him were weakened. This made it easier for the beowulf warriors, as well as Luke and Partec’s group, to deal with the monsters.

It wasn’t just Galfredik who provided great assistance to the four humans either.

“Everyone! Take one mana stone each!” Lanslo shouted while stabbing and swinging his long spear. The four humans started to feel exhausted after fighting for more than ten minutes at full force.

Shuack!

The tip of Lanslo’s spear contained silver, and it painted strokes of silver under the moonlight as the lycanthropes fell with pained cries. An ordinary knight would have had trouble facing even a single lycanthrope. However, Lanslo had inherited the blood of an elf. He brilliantly employed various techniques of his family with agile, energetic movements. His eyes accurately grasped the vital points of the lycanthropes, even though the creatures moved faster than any beast. The spear techniques of his family, which had been honed over hundreds of years, also allowed him to strike the vital points of the monsters without failure.

The long claws of the lycanthropes occasionally made contact with his body, but the solid defenses of his plate armor and his fast movements allowed him to nullify the blows to minimize the damage.

While Lanslo fought splendidly and fiercely, the four men recovered by consuming superior-grade mana stones and promptly returned to battle.

A few minutes later…

Hundreds of lycanthropes and roamers lay unmoving on the blood-soaked ground. It was hard to identify their original appearance from their disastrous shapes, and the surviving monsters started to flee in fear. However, the beowulf warriors were dominated by madness and murder, and they fiercely chased after the fleeing opponents while disregarding their own injuries.

Kuwuuuugh…!

At that time, a terrible roar embraced the forest and caused the very air to tremble.

Kuwuugh!?

“Keugh!”

“Agh!”

All creatures stopped in their tracks, regardless of whether they were humans, elves, monsters, or other races. The unidentified roar had contained a terrifying force capable of striking fear into the hearts of all creatures.

“Kuwuh? What is this?” However, the Origin’s vassal was largely unaffected. He simply frowned while muttering.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Everyone’s eyes turned towards the quick, yet consistent rumble. It was growing louder.

A large monster appeared through the thick trees and the bushes. The beowulf warriors were massive and reached about two meters tall. However, even they only reached the chest of the overwhelmingly large monster. It was a bipedal, two-horned monster with the head of a wolf.

“Lycanthrope king?!” Wolfgan shouted in disbelief.

“Phew… Lycanthrope king? What is that?” Galfredik asked while breathing heavily.

Lanslo quickly responded, “It is the final evolution of the lycanthrope. It’s rarely seen, even in evil lands. I can’t believe it’s in a place like this.”

“Final evolution? Does that mean it’s a high-ranking monster?” Galfredik asked.

“It’s a superior-ranking monster, also known as a champion monster,” Lanslo answered.

“…!”

Champion monster—it was a term referring to the king of each race of monsters, and it was closer to a myth or a legend than anything else. There were stories of champion monsters, but living witnesses were far and few between.

Kyawwwwwoooooo…!!!

“Kugh!”

“Agh!”

The champion monster roared once again, and the majority of creatures stumbled or fell to one knee. Even Galfredik was forced to take a step back while clenching his teeth.

However, one person stood proudly without faltering. The figure even advanced toward the lycanthrope king with bold steps amidst the terrifying roar, even though the monster was several times larger than him.

“Master!”

“Sir Eugene!”

Eugene left behind the surprised shouts of his comrades and pushed his Fear to the limit.

Fwooooosh!

The energy materialized and flamed over Eugene’s blood-stained, flesh-soiled shoulder.

“…!”                                                                                   

No one could hide their shock as the invisible Fear manifested into a vivid red color and soared like a living flame.

Kuwuuuuuuuuuugh!!!

The Origin’s roar swirled like a storm amidst its malice and killing intent.

All living creatures were affected by the roar of the lycanthrope king. However, an Origin’s roar affected both the living and the dead. A Vampire Origin stood at the pinnacle of all undead. An Origin was the lord of lords—an overlord.

Kyaoo?!

The lycanthrope king’s large figure turned stiff for a moment, although it had appeared with arrogance and overconfidence just a moment ago. In the first place, it was impossible to compare the lycanthrope ruler of a mere forest to an overlord of all vampires. The authority of an overlord was incomparably greater.

Crack!

Eugene’s fang punctured his lip, then he drew his mouth closer to the ogre-killing spear.

Wooong!

The demon spear uttered a cry of joy after absorbing its master’s blood, and Eugene threw the spear with all his might. Madarazika burned with Eugene’s Fear as it shot forth like a red meteor. The lycanthrope king panicked and attempted to deflect the projectile.

Kwarararara!

Kyaoooooo!

However, Madarazika ripped apart the creature’s skin and muscles without mercy. One of the monster’s arms was instantly turned into a bloody rag, and the lycanthrope king retreated while crying in pain.

Shuuuaccck!

Eugene took the opportunity and pounced on the lycanthrope king as his fear burned crimson all around him. The sight was reminiscent of a large ball of flame scattering in the wind, or the wings of a bat spreading wide.

Kwarararara!

The wolf-slaughtering blade glowed with an eerie red light as it aimed for the heart of the lycanthrope king. However, the champion monster managed to barely twist its body by relying on its instincts and reflexes.

Cracck!

Kuwuuuuughh!

The lycanthrope king burst into a terrifying scream as the blade pierced its left shoulder. Eugene pulled out the sword to pierce the monster’s heart, but the monster struck down with all of its strength.

Boom!

Eugene was thrown against the ground.

The lycanthrope king immediately turned around and began to flee without looking back.

“Master!”

“Sir!”

Eugene’s companions ran toward him with worried shouts. Eugene jumped up without delay and started running while shouting, “Galfredik! Lanslo! Follow me after you clean up the mess here! The rest of you, join up with the Perseus Beowulfs!”

Eugene followed after the lycanthrope king like an enraged beast.

“Kieeeeeeek?! Sir! Wait for me! Wait! I’m not scared or anything, but wait!” Mirian came out of hiding and hurriedly flew after Eugene.

“Kuhahaha! Now that’s my master!” Galfredik cheered.

“We will take care of these as fast as possible!” Lanslo shouted.

And the rest…

They were stunned speechless and could only stare blankly at Eugene’s disappearing back.

***

Kwaaaaaaaa!

Eugene came to a 20-meter-high waterfall after chasing the lycanthrope king for several minutes through the dark forest. The monster was just about to enter the cave located behind the waterfall.

Eugene jumped up without hesitation and cut through the waterfall to enter the cave. The wet, slippery cave was quite large and pitch-black. However, such an environment was rather comforting for the ‘dark lord.’

Tap. Tap.

Eugene followed the trail of the lycanthrope king by relying on his fear and heightened senses. Eventually, he came to a stop.

Krrrrr…

The monster was growling at the far end of the darkness.

“That’s…?!” Eugene exclaimed with surprise. He had no reason to be surprised by the lycanthrope king, and instead, his eyes were fixated on a silver barrier that the creature was hiding behind.

The long, pentagonal barrier of silver was about one meter wide and a little over two meters long. It was clearly a ‘shield.’

Moreover, the indescribably elaborate inscription on the shield’s surface was…

“The red dragon. Then…”

It was the same crest that was etched on Wolfslaughter’s pommel and Madarazika’s spearhead. The lycanthrope was crawled up into a ball behind the shield of the Batla Duchy.