Chapter 244
As beastfolk grow, they develop eyesight and flexible muscles far superior to humans, allowing them to perform movements that surpass human limits.
Just like now.
The moment the charging horse beast’s speed met Dunbakel’s, she drove her left big toe into the ground.
Twisting her body as she pressed down. There was a narrow gap between the two beasts, and it was her golden eyes that caught it.
Seeing it was one thing—throwing herself into that gap took daring.
– “Aren’t you a beast yourself?”
Bold and daring.
One of Rem’s teachings. Dunbakel followed it to the letter.
She dove between the two beasts.
One wrong move and her head would’ve flown off, but her boldness gave her confidence.
Twisting her body to the side, she used her superb physical abilities to slip through the gap.
At the same time, she tightened her grip on her scimitar.
The blade, held parallel to the ground, met the beast and sang in harmony.
Crunchhhhhh!
Her right arm strained under the force, but she was prepared for that.
She braced her right wrist with her left hand.
Crossing the beasts took only a moment, and Dunbakel’s response was just as quick.
No—she had locked the scimitar’s position before she even leaped, and the results showed.
The blade slashed clean through the beast’s body.
It wasn’t even a magic weapon, yet it held out.
It could’ve broken, but Dunbakel had anticipated this.
‘Blades that hold up horizontally—apply force to the edge.’
Her scimitar was thick-bladed. Like most mercenary weapons, it prioritized durability over sharpness.
But at this speed, sharpness hardly mattered.
The blade cut through the beast and came out the other side.
Splatttttt!
She moved so fast that the beast’s black blood and guts streamed along the ground like a trail.
Intestines, flesh, blood, and even shards of bone stretched behind her. It looked like a work of art—if you didn’t look too closely.
“Haah!”
Dunbakel exhaled and inhaled quickly, then spun around.
Horses are not built to reverse direction easily.
Not even beasts can change that.
Dunbakel pushed off with her right foot, spun her body, and charged in the opposite direction.
The beast that missed her made a wide turn.
Neigh!
It howled and veered left to charge again, but Dunbakel cut across and swung her scimitar downward, using her full body’s spring.
From afar, it might’ve looked like she was swinging at empty air.
But the beast, charging right into the arc, caught the blow squarely to the neck.
Thud!
Thump, roll, roll!
The decapitated beast’s body tumbled along the ground.
Its head flew off behind it.
Black blood sprayed into the air, dotting Dunbakel’s white hair.
On her white head, the black droplets spread like stains.
Dunbakel flicked her scimitar in the air and charged forward again.
After dispatching two horse beasts, the dog-headed fiends attacked.
With the same charging momentum, Dunbakel’s scimitar danced.
Whish! Whoosh! Whang!
The crescent-shaped blade swung fiercely left and right, severing dog-headed fiends’ necks, forelegs, and parts of their heads.
– “What’s that weapon you’re using?”
Rem would start with a question and finish with violence.
Dunbakel always had to find the answer herself.
There were days she’d nearly crossed the river of death for using her scimitar to stab.
– “Don’t you ever think about weapon efficiency? Do beastfolk only care about mating? And for the record, if you come at me naked, I’ll split you with my axe.”
That mating thing—well, you had to actually like the person.
Rem? Not even if he were the last one alive.
Dunbakel shouted as she recalled that memory.
“Not even if you were the last!”
Whatever she meant, the nearby soldiers looked dumbfounded, but who cared.
With her cry, the crescent blade danced a slaughter.
Dog-headed fiends’ heads, bodies, and limbs flew through the air.
The soldiers couldn’t even see her blade move.
A line appeared in the air, and the monsters’ bodies burst apart.
With the process skipped, only the result was visible. The soldiers, feeling the threat fade, should have sighed in relief, but—
“Formation!”
These were standing Border Guards, trained by Encrid.
Do your best at your post.
A phrase stuck to Encrid’s lips, and so did they.
At the commander’s shout, they snapped into a simple formation.
Somehow, they all ended up with spears. In a straight line, spears facing forward.
If the horse beasts charged, they’d be skewered.
There weren’t dozens—just three or four. That was manageable.
‘We can handle this.’
Not arrogance, but confidence.
Who had trained them?
Even Dunbakel, right in front of them.
“Damn it!”
One soldier shouted.
Just then, two horse beasts charged, looking at the soldiers like they were a meal.
They couldn’t fight like Dunbakel.
So they thrust their spears and held firm. The beasts barreled in, relying on their tough bodies.
“Twist—now!”
The commander shouted at just the right time.
A heavy shock jolted through the spear, enough to twist the soldier’s arm.
The line pivoted left and right, forcing the beasts to the side. The spears, stuck in the beasts, broke.
A soldier, left with half a spear, rolled forward as he fell.
Trying to take the full force of a head-on charge is stupid.
– “Would you stand up to a cavalry charge like that?”
Instructor Ragna’s words.
He didn’t teach much, but every word cut like a blade.
His lazy eyes and manner didn’t fit the edge of his words, but the soldiers listened.
If not, they’d be dead by now.
They had to face the half-blood giant, Teresa, charging at them.
The soldiers gave everything.
Without their training, they wouldn’t have stood a chance, but the two beasts’ charge was stopped.
They didn’t take the impact head-on—they turned it aside. Of course, that required solid strength.
They’d been drilled and built up by Audin.
That’s what made this possible.
“Shit, it worked—damn.”
One soldier spat on the beast’s head, its broken spear shaft stuck halfway in as it writhed.
“Kihiiiing!”
The beast went mad, its chest impaled, blood streaming from its eyes.
The soldier’s legs trembled at the sight.
It wasn’t his first fight against monsters and beasts, and these numbers shouldn’t have scared him enough to piss himself.
But the beast in front of him wasn’t normal—something was off.
Not that there was time to think about it.
“No time to gawk!”
Another soldier stabbed the beast’s head with his spear.
Whack!
Now the dog-headed fiends.
There were too many for Dunbakel to handle alone.
The soldiers had to fight, too.
They wouldn’t die. They could handle this. Encrid’s training had made them strong.
If they’d been skilled before, now they were powerful.
Their personal abilities had developed incredibly—even apart from tactics.
One of the three who lost his spear drew a shortsword. Another drew an arming sword, the last held his broken spear. One swung his bow like a club.
“Damn it!”
They kept cursing, but fought well.
They struck, stabbed, and cut down the fiends as they came.
They formed a ring, guarding each other, slowly retreating.
If they just held out, reinforcements would arrive after seeing this mess. It’d be over soon.
Dunbakel fought even better.
Her scimitar looked like a crescent-shaped guillotine.
She really was going wild.
After the horse beasts were down, only the dog-headed fiends remained.
She slashed whenever she saw an opening, punching and kicking those who came near.
Every move was fast and strong, her springy muscles showing.
And she didn’t seem tired at all.
Incredible strength.
No wonder people called them the Madman Platoon.
She’d killed about half the fiends by now. The rest should’ve retreated in fear, but they still attacked as if cursed with rage.
“Kaah!”
“Karr!”
Their harsh cries rang in her ears.
As she fought, Dunbakel heard something strange coming from the forest.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A heavy sound.
Hoofbeats?
Then, a black shape shot from the woods.
It was at least twice as fast as a horse beast.
And it wasn’t even a horse—just looked like one.
But horses don’t have hands to hold weapons.
The huge creature wielded a log club and swung it wide.
Whoosh!
A heavy wooden club swept over her head. If she hadn’t ducked, her skull might’ve split open.
At the least, her stance would’ve broken.
Dunbakel rolled forward between the fiends as she ducked.
The excited dog-headed fiends snapped at her with their wrinkled faces and sharp teeth.
Most of them she blocked, shoved, or struck, but she couldn’t stop one. It bit down.
She let it bite her bracer, grabbed its head, and swung it like a club.
Whoosh!
Whack! Thump! Thud!
She battered three or four, then stabbed the one biting her with her scimitar.
Guts and black blood spilled out.
But its teeth were still stuck in her bracer.
‘How annoying.’
Meanwhile, the thing that had targeted her circled back.
A cavalryman? No, another monster.
A centaur—a monster, half-man, half-horse.
Lower body like a horse, upper body like a human.
His bare chest showed off thick muscles, and the sight made her want to gag.
“What the hell…”
Dunbakel muttered.
It charged at her again, log club in hand.
Crash! Whack, thud, smack!
The dog-headed fiends in its path were smashed to pieces.
Whoosh!
The club cut the air again.
Dunbakel leaned back to dodge.
It was close.
No, not impossible to avoid.
Thankfully, it cleared out the fiends and gave her a moment to breathe…
“Damn.”
No luck. There was more than one.
Several more centaurs burst from the forest.
“Kiyooooo!”
The centaurs let out battle cries.
Their pupil-less red eyes fixed on Dunbakel.
A few even eyed the soldiers.
‘I want to live.’
She really wanted to live.
That desire—when did it start?
After meeting Encrid, it had suddenly surged inside her.
That’s how desire for life is.
It takes hold unexpectedly.
Encrid—I have to see his face again.
Should I just run?
Could I?
He wouldn’t blame her.
But—
‘Those guys.’
Encrid remembered every one of his soldiers’ names.
She hadn’t even memorized five of theirs.
Could she let them die when she could save them?
Is it right to save herself, or to risk her life to save them?
There’s no answer.
That’s how life is—there are only choices.
Is surviving alone the best way?
Encrid, Encrid, Encrid.
She repeated his name.
She wanted to be part of his group—to belong.
Would surviving alone really be what he wanted?
Is that what a member of his group would do?
Is that really the best?
Encrid always did his best, sought the best.
After seeing him, what did she want to do?
Now wasn’t the time to judge right or wrong—just act.
She pushed aside all distractions.
Then Dunbakel focused on one thing.
‘Did I ever thank him for accepting me?’
She didn’t think so. She’d have to thank him in person if she survived.
Not just survive—she’d survive the way he’d want.
It seemed like a long thought process, but it was short in reality.
Brains work fast in crisis.
With a choice and a conclusion, Dunbakel acted.
“Look at me—!”
With her unique transformation, she shouted.
A powerful force swept out. Her golden eyes locked on the centaurs.
In an instant, fur sprouted, and Dunbakel took on a lion’s form, letting out a low, deep growl.
“Grrrrrr.”
With a sound sure to grate on any enemy’s nerves, she charged the nearest centaur, swinging her scimitar.
Whoosh!
Centaurs are more skilled than even master horsemen—true cavalry.
It twisted its upper and lower body together, dodging the blade.
A mounted rider couldn’t dream of such a move.
Dunbakel swung her scimitar with her right hand; as it dodged, she lashed out with her left, claws raking across the centaur’s eye.
“Gyaaaah!”
It screamed.
“Come on, you bastards!”
Was that aimed at the dog-headed fiends or the centaurs?
The watching soldiers couldn’t ask.
Dunbakel charged into the woods, the centaurs in pursuit.
Even the dog-headed fiends followed.
The soldiers survived.
Centaurs are among the trickiest mid-tier monsters.
Especially when in a colony—they’re considered more dangerous than flying monsters.
“…We’re in trouble.”
One of the survivors muttered.
—
“So, Dunbakel’s been missing in the forest for four days now?”
Four days after Dunbakel disappeared, the Border Guards sent direct reinforcements.
A fast vanguard arrived first.
It was just a single company.
The company commander questioned a soldier, who nodded.
“Yes.”
“And now the centaurs have formed a colony and taken over the plains in front of the forest?”
“That’s right.”
This time, it was Martai’s new lord, the former Border Guard Captain, who answered.
Everyone checked Encrid’s expression.
His face was as unreadable as ever.
But why did it look like he was furious?
(T/N: I like this change of pace. Please, dont die Dunbakel!)