SPLASH!

The sound of water splashing left trails of echoes in the decaying forest as Samael wiped his disheveled, wet hair, ridding it of grime and blood.

Underneath him was a puddle of blood as he emptied canisters upon canisters of water. The cold sensation gave Samael a hint of clarity. However, it did not help the thoughts plaguing him.

Why were there no records of Priest Vapad? Lucas gave me those documents himself, so how? Samael wondered.

Perhaps Lucas simply deemed the existence of Vapad to be normal? After all, Timeus did say the church and the knights were closely tied.

But delving deeper, it still did not make sense. Vapad was clearly familiar with the Liesco knights.

It seems he'll have to dig deeper.

As Samael made his way back, he was stopped at the checkpoint once more.

"Sir Samael, what are you doing at this time of the night, sir?" The knight asked.

"Hunting," Samael briefly answered.

"A-Ah, understood," the knight said as he made way.

As Samael walked towards his tent, he inhaled the cold night wind. However, his brows furrowed soon.

It's oddly silent here, Samael thought. It was quite uncommon considering how lively it was in the morning, much more considering it's a camp.

When morning arrived, Samael swiftly went to work. He asked around regarding priest Vapad.

"Priest Vapad? He's a good person. I guess it is to be expected considering he is a priest," a man answered as he chuckled.

"How long has he been working on the front lines?" Samael asked.

"Well, priest Vapad arrived when the invasion occurred. He was sent by the church as part of the aid group," the man answered after some time.

"Do you remember anything else?" Samael asked.

"No, not really," the man replied.

Samael thanked the watcher before he wandered again, asking a female knight a new set of questions.

"Well, as far as I know, priest Vapad is a very kind man. He often prioritizes the weak and injured before himself. He tends to be selfless sometimes, which worries me," the female knight answered.

Samael expressed his appreciation before he left. Based on the intel he gathered, priest Vapad was fairly new, but he's already viewed as a good Samaritan by the camp.

He was also a part of the Liesco knights now, which further made Samael feel suspicious as he was not in the records.

Due to this, Samael had to piece together the bits of information he gathered and arrive at a conclusion.

Priest Vapad was in his 40s, wielded a minor talent for light element, and was capable of purification, which was the reason he became a part of the Liesco knights.

It appears that purification abilities can temporarily fix the fog of decay. However, not all possess it.

Nonetheless, Samael was bound to know more. If priest Vapad was, in fact, a part of the Liesco knights, then he would be part of their mission.

Samael rose to his feet as he stormed his way towards tent 46, where the Liesco knights waited.

Upon arrival, Portugal greeted Samael, informing him their force was ready to mobilize.

Now it was time for their battle plan.

Samael took out a map of Georgo Road, the same map he marked down, showing it to the other Liesco knights.

"They've already covered this much," Miya uttered in surprise.

"They sure are hardworking," David chimed in.

"Enough of that; what's the plan, Samael?" Portugal asked.

"We'll enter through here," Samael said as he pointed at the hostile regions.

"Four marks?" Portugal asked.

"Yes, it's quite infested, as there have been numerous sightings recently. It seems the imgrave wolves there are starting to advance," Samael said.

"I see," Portugal said.

"We'll assess the situation; if we can, we'll proceed with extermination. If not, we leave and request an assault team," Samael said.

"Understood," Portugal said.

"Is your team able to go now?" Samael asked.

"Without a doubt," Portugal answered.

Samael returned his map back to his dragon horde remnant, his gaze silently shifting towards priest Vapad as he replied. "Good, let's go."

***

The sounds of footsteps reverberated in the decaying forest as multiple silhouettes traveled through the fog.

The Liesco knights kept their guards up, their gazes shifting back and forth.

In the middle of the group was Vapad. He was to be protected as he was a non-combatant.

Due to this, Samael had quite a hard time observing the man. But he was not giving up that fast.

Samael came to a halt as he examined the next path they would take.

There seem to be no tracks whatsoever. No fur either on the left, Samael thought.

Samael's nose flinched a couple times. A mild scent of urine... but a lot more pungent, Samael thought.

Is this what imgrave wolves piss smell like? Samael thought.

"Do we go left?" Portugal asked Samael, breaking him from his stupor.

Samael's brows furrowed as he stood up. "Yes, left is the safer option," Samael replied.

"Very well," Portugal said as he beckoned for the Liesco knights to follow.

As they ventured deeper, the fog of decay worsened. Not only that, but Samael's been noticing the increased telltales of Imgrave wolves.

Yet, they've barely faced any.

Are the wolves avoiding us? Samael couldn't help but ask himself.

The signs are clear, yet they're nowhere to be seen, he thought, confusion brimming in his pupils.

Something was amiss.

"Let us hasten our pace," Samael said as he burst forward, putting the Liesco knights in disarray.

Stolen novel; please report.

As Samael passed through the sea of fog, the signs kept increasing, to the point where he saw freshly mauled carcasses scattered around.

Samael halted his steps as he crouched down, caressing the leftovers of the imgrave wolves.

It's still fairly fresh, Samael thought.

But where are they? Samael's gaze swept his surroundings, his Void compass reaching outward.

Hm? Samael's brows furrowed as he rose to his feet, advancing forward before stopping in front of a towering metal infrastructure.

It was a bundle of steel clamped together, with a large entrance in the middle. In its vicinity were tracks and more leftovers of what seemed to be the lunch of these imgrave wolves.

Yet...

"What is going on...?" Samael asked in disbelief.

There were no wolves. No one was hiding in the fog. It was simply... empty. The camp was deserted.

Did they move recently? What ridiculous timing! Samael clenched his jaw.

The mission has failed. They've located the camp, but their main objective is nowhere to be seen.

But he was not giving up so easily.

Pouring his full strength, Samael expanded his Void compass even further, pushing it to its very limits.

Hope is not lost, Samael thought as he opened his eyes.

Tracks. The wolf's tracks were still visible, albeit faintly. As long as they exist, Samael can find them. And he will find them.

"What's going on, Samael?" Portugal asked as he hungered for air.

"The wolves have gone," Samael answered.

Portugal shot a glance at the empty metal den as he spoke. "Then shall we head back?"

Samael wore his hood up.

"No, we hunt them," he replied.

Portugal jerked his head back at Samael. "Follow them? We can barely see their tracks!" He retorted.

"I'm a tracker, Portugal. They won't escape from me," Samael answered as he strode forward.

"Shit," Portugal cussed as he followed Samael deeper.

Samael swiftly moved through the dense fog, his gaze darting back and forth. He kept a lookout for the faint traces of the wolves, may it be the nearly faded footprints or the shallow scent of their piss, fur, and saliva.

"Aren't we getting too deep?" Vapad asked.

"No time to waste; those abominations haven't gotten too far yet," Samael said as he shot a quick glance at Vapad.

The priest had been sweating bullets as he struggled to keep up the pace; his face was pale, and he kept glancing about.

Samael's gaze narrowed for a brief moment before he focused his attention ahead.

As Samael kept his chase, the more the signs became prevalent. However, the knights were not faring well either.

They were breathing hard with uneven intervals; their faces were drenched in their own sweat, and they were slowing down significantly.

But Samael remained steadfast.

As the minutes piled up, visible changes in the terrain could be seen.

There were far more manholes, fewer trees, and more destruction. The rays of the sun were now unable to pass with ease.

The stench of iron permeated the air, further worsening the conditions of the knights.

As the seconds ticked by, anticipation brewed in the air. Tension was at an all-time high, and so was fatigue.

"How are we sure we can reach them?! We've been running for hours!" Seth exclaimed.

"No! We're close!" Samael said as he crouched down, running his fingers across the dirt and painting it crimson.

Its fresh Samael thought as he brought it closer, smelling it.

Human blood Samael concluded as he dashed forward.

He can sense it. The wolves were not far off. Their scent has gotten stronger over time. Their footprints were also more visible than ever before.

Samael stretched his Void compass even further, reaching hundreds and thousands of meters.

There! Samael's eyes flew open.

The wolves were resting on a spot roughly 400 meters from them. Judging through his compass, Samael deduced there were about 46 of them.

Without another thought, Samael uttered it under his breath.

"Abyss walk."

Samael's aura darkened, albeit slightly. With it, any noise his steps made was consumed, leaving not a single trace of sound as he walked forward.

"What the fuck?" Seth cussed, his tone hushed.

"Samael, what—?" Portugal was cut off as Samael raised his hand.

Samael shot them a glance, beckoning for them to stay silent before he tilted his head forward.

Up ahead, beyond the decaying roots and woods, were multiple silhouettes walking on all fours. The figures were half the size of adult men and had canine teeth.

The Liesco knights exchanged looks as they hesitantly unsheathed their blades.

Portugal came close to Samael as he whispered. "This is not wise, Samael. There's far too many of them, and we have a non-combatant!"

"They will surround us before we can even do anything—"

Growl....

Vapad's face paled as the squad shifted their attention to the side. There stood an imgrave wolf, saliva dripping off its maw.

"Oh shi—"

AWOOOOOOOO!!!!

"IN POSITION!" Portugal bellowed as he dashed back into formation, raising his shield and unsheathing his blade.

The other members of the crew swiftly went into action as they circled Vapad, protecting him from harm.

Meanwhile, Samael slowly rose to his feet, his face stone cold and devoid of emotions, as he recalled Crimson Raven from his dragon horde remnant.

As the blaring call of the abomination wailed in the air, waves of Imgrave wolves soon followed.

They came hurling from the fog, stirring the dust as they barreled forward.

"FUCK!" Portugal cussed as he raised his shield, blocking the charge attack of an imgrave wolf, nearly knocking him down. Fortunately, an arrow stuck the wolf in the eye, blinding it and giving Portugal time to counter with a slash.

However, it didn't end there.

The wolves easily circled the group, launching attacks one after the other, nearly breaking their defense.

"CAST A FUCKING ABILITY, VAPAD!" Seth roared as he formed a makeshift shield, deflecting the attack of an abomination to the side.

"O-on it!" Vapad said as he uttered.

"Light veil."

A flow of light latched onto the knights, boosting their abilities further. However, Samael remained standing in place, watching the struggle before him as he thought.

They are weak.

At that moment, a surge of red miasma engulfed the field, devouring everything in its path along with a torrent of pressure, nearly flattening some of the wolves.

Slowly, dread seized the hearts of the wolves as they glanced at Samael.

Passive [Fear] has taken effect!

Crimson Raven grows stronger...

As Samael took a step forward, the wolves flinched back, cowering before him. In their eyes, Samael appeared akin to a demon walking in a sea of darkness with nothing but his crimson eyes in its midst.

The Liesco knights watched the wolves freeze in fear; their furs stood on all ends, and they couldn't help but whimper.

"What in the world?" Miya subconsciously said.

Looking at the wolves, Samael felt Crimson Raven shudder in joy.

It was time.

Samael's figure turned to a blur as he blew the earth behind him, bursting forward and startling the abominations.

Without giving the beasts time to react, Samael swung his axe with tremendous speed, severing multiple wolves in the process.

The other abominations dashed back, but Samael kept the chase, nimbly pivoting his foot as he took a sharp turn.

"Void Cleave."

A wave of Void matter flashed for a second, vanishing into the fog as fast as it came.

Before the knight's eyes, the wolves attacking them earlier fell down, cut in half as their organs spewed out, staining the earth red.

Priest Vapad couldn't help but gag as he recoiled back. Unfortunately, Samael was not done yet.

Increasing his speed further, Samael lunged forward, severing the heads of seven imgrave wolves within seconds.

Their blood spewed up, raining down on the decaying earth as their corpses fell limp.

Seeing the massacre, the remaining wolves exchanged looks before they ran up to Samael, giving up on their fear as they opened their maws.

However, as they bit down, Samael's figure exploded into a flock of ravens, confusing and surprising the wolves.

The flock of raivens gathered in the air, swarming down as they took Samael's shape.

"My turn," Samael said.

"Abyss spikes."

The ground shook as a plethora of onyx black spikes protruded from the ground, impaling the abominations without mercy, tearing their flesh, and reducing them to nothing but mere specks of dust.

Devoured Void Essence of "Imgrave Wolf" [Hatchling III] +960

Devoured Void Essence of "Imgrave Wolf" [Hatchling III]...

Devoured Void Essence of "Imgrave Wolf"

Samael swung his axe back and forth, spilling blood as he marched onward.

Whimpers, growls and cries of pain reverberated in the air, dancing in the wind and sending shivers down everyone's spines.

Devoured...

Devoured...

Devoured...

Samael's footsteps left trails of echoes in the air as he towered over a cowering wolf. The last of its group.

The abomination stared at Samael, fear brimming in its pupil as it struggled back, shrinking in a corner.

Slowly, Samael raised his arm up, his axe dripping blood as he it descended.

PING!

Devoured Void Essence of "Imgrave Wolf" [Hatchling III] +960