As the golden sun rose over the horizon, Samael started another productive day. After washing up, he went straight to the Liesco Knights tent.

Today was their final day of the joint mission. Which means he'll have to discover whether the priest was really the culprit.

Somehow, Vapad's managed to avoid him all this time, but no more shall that happen.

As Samael arrived at tent 46, he was greeted by Portugal.

"Samael! You're quite early today," Portugal said as he rose to his feet.

Their plan today involved going deeper to scour for information. Samael will dig near the Georgo road.

Honestly speaking, Ajax was supposed to come and join this mission as well. However, circumstances forbid, as a camp near Stellaris was raided by an army of hybrids.

As for the Liesco knights, they weren't going in with Samael. They were simply to handle the information he would give and bring it back to base. Samael intends to infiltrate some of the wolf dens to see their structure inside. That way, the other warriors could develop plans and tactics to take them out of battle.

But he also could not risk losing his information, so he's tasked the Liesco knights to leave as soon as he retrieves them.

"We'll mobilize in 30 minutes," Samael said.

Portugal nodded. "We'll start preparations right away," he replied.

Samael left afterwards when he bumped into Vapad outside.

"A-ah, sir Samael. Good day," the man said.

Samael stared at Vapad for a few seconds before he gave a brief nod.

"Very well, I'll be on my way now," Vapad said as he went inside the tent.

Samael went ahead and checked his gear, making sure his potions and armor were in top condition.

Afterwards, he meditated for a few minutes before rising up and making his way back to the Liesco knights.

Once inside, he was greeted by the back-and-forth bickering of Seth and Quich.

"I told you to stop displacing my goddamn sharpeners!" Quich roared.

"I keep telling you I didn't touch it!" Seth fired back.

"You fucking liar!" Quich screamed as she threw a chair at Seth.

Seth narrowly dodged the projectile. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He spat in disbelief.

"STOP!" Portugal roared, silencing the two.

"You're acting disgraceful! Get your shit together and finish your preparations!" He ordered.

Quich cussed under her breath as she went back to her table with heavy steps. On the other hand, Seth leaned back as he stared daggers at Quich.

For knights, they sure are rowdy, he thought.

"Samael, I didn't see you there," Portugal said as he combed his hair back.

"I'm sorry for the mess. But we're ready to depart now. Just say the word," Portugal said.

"Now's the time," Samael said.

"We can't waste too much, as we don't know what lies on the other side of the fog," he added.

"I understand," Portugal replied before he shot a look at the knights.

"Knights! Get into position; we'll depart soon," Portugal said.

Noticing the visible tension between Quich and Seth, Samael swept his gaze at the tent as he extended his Void compass.

Afterwards, he swiftly dug under piles of clothes, taking out a few items buried beneath.

In his hand nestled a brown brick-like item.

Is this the sharpener? Samael wondered.

The two remaining items were a dagger and what seemed to be a 3-inch narrow metal pipe.

A dagger and... What even this is, Samael thought as he rose up.

Perhaps it was a form of sigil, considering all of the knights had one hanging from their belts.

Not wasting another second, Samael made his way towards Quitch.

"I believe you lost this," Samael said as he handed the woman what he found.

"Yes! You found it!" The woman beamed.

"How did you even locate it?" she wondered.

"I just did," Samael said before he went ahead of her.

Tension before a mission was not optimal. They need focus, and emotions such as anger have no place among them right now.

As Samael made his way forward, he spoke.

"I will clarify. Your mission is to bring back the information I get. After that, you're done. Return back here and send it directly to general Timeus," Samael said.

"It will be done," Portugal said.

"Then, let us depart," Samael said.

***

Samael's footsteps echoed in the air, accompanied by the Liesco knights. Much like before, their formation remained the same.

They entered the forest roughly an hour ago. They've been keeping a consistent pace.

Their group has already passed the boundary between the average and hostile regions. Now, they're halfway through. Due to this, tension was high in the air.

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Everyone remained silent and kept their guards up. They all knew one wrong move was enough to put their mission into shambles.

Cold sweat trickled down their foreheads, drenching their backs as their faces had long paled.

Their hands remained on the hilts of their blades as they advanced forward. However, Samael remained calm.

Currently, it should not take them too long to get to their desired location. It was only a few more kilometers ahead.

That being said, the signs of Imgrave wolves were more frequent. But worse. There were far more corpses scattered around, indications that the quantity of abominations here was far more prevalent.

Not only that, the putrid stench of decay was akin to that of a mountain of corpses.

The scent of blood was also far more potent. Samael could almost see how the wolves bled their prey.

The landscape was not fair either. It was nigh unrecognizable from its previous appearance. It was as if a war had ravaged this place and left it dead.

Well, it is left for dead.

Samael had been constantly rewriting his map. The only thing he's relied on is his own knowledge. They already had to take multiple detours because he concluded there were far too many wolves ahead.

It was truly deserving of its title as a hostile zone. But Samael fears it will only get worse from here.

So far, Samael has already noted down dozens of coordinates for these dens. He already noted the best positions and routes they could take, along with the path these monsters take.

"We're not too far off," Samael said.

The Liesco knights gulped in unison, their grips tightening. Vapad himself was shaking on his knees as he tried his best to keep up. Lest he get mauled to death.

As they went further and deeper, Samael had to kill a few hybrids along the way. Unlike the pure breeds, these bastards were far too unpredictable.

Hybrids did not follow normal wolf behavior. They had a no-pact mentality and were more than willing to maul each other once they got hungry.

Further observation yielded that these beasts had the lower half of humans, albeit more hairy and grotesque. Their upper half was similar to wolves melded with humans, except their "claws" were elongated bones protruding off their fingers.

They were monsters to the last inch.

Observing the ones they fought, Samael has noted that they were far more aggressive than normal imgrave wolves but dumber. But their lack of intelligence was made up for by their unique bodies, allowing them to wield weapons the wolves couldn't.

The wolves, on the other hand, isolated these creatures. They didn't even seem to see these beasts as their own, as they allocated a different den for them.

Samael found a few and made sure to note them down, specifically warning to never approach or even come close.

As the seconds passed by, Samael finally halted his steps, startling the men behind him as they frantically gazed around.

"Is something wrong?" Portugal asked, his voice hushed.

"We've arrived," Samael answered.

The Liesco knights narrowed their gazes, unsheathing their blades as they clustered up.

"I'll be back. Keep yourself hidden. As long as the potion I gave you does not wear off, you'll be okay," Samael said before he chanted.

"Abyss walk."

As Samael's aura darkened, he gave a forceful kick to the ground, flying up with speed not even the Liesco knights could see.

As Samael closed off the distance, the more dense the fog of decay became. If it weren't for his absurd vigor, he would've been infected with rot long ago. He even had to cover the knights with his own Astral veil.

Using his Void compass, Samael was able to pinpoint the location of large structures just a few hundred meters ahead.

These buildings were far larger than the ones he was used to. They towered taller than the decaying trunks and were larger by ten folds.

Samael could also sense odd contraptions ahead of him.

Traps. Advanced ones. They're fairly well hidden deep in the earth, in a perfect spot, and covered well by the fog, Samael thought.

Samael slowly backed away in the shadows, noting down every detail he deemed necessary.

After updating his map and notes, Samael went a little closer, just enough to feel the presence of a horde of Imgrave wolves.

However, he could definitely tell there was more than this facade.

Although barely, Samael could feel multiple presences within the towering structures. While similar to the wolves, there was something about them that made him hesitant.

But hesitation means defeat.

Samael slowly slithered his way through the traps, avoiding them without much trouble due to his Void compass.

Unfortunately, he was unable to trigger them, as that could reveal his position.

As Samael inched closer, the more he felt the armies of wolves residing within the den.

Eventually, he reached the entrance of the den, a massive hole with a long metal pathway that took on the appearance of a crystal.

However, the pathway was swarming with abominations circling the den. Luckily, he was skilled in stealth.

Samael blended with the shadows, hastily passing through the wolves as he traveled in their blind spots.

Slowly, he made his way towards the large entrance. As he stepped foot inside the den, Samael finally felt the abnormally strong aura of multiple wolves. They were located deeper in the base and were far less in number.

Samael's figure turned to a blur as he breezed through the long corridors.

The den was composed of multiple tunnel systems and was completely made of metal. Not only that, but there was no light source whatsoever. The density of the fog was also at an all-time high.

However, Samael's mood continued to darken as he noticed something.

The base was not alone.

The den was linked to multiple other bases. If his Void compass was true, then there was another lair in the middle.

Samael could feel a suffocating aura in that place. So much so that his Void compass was warning him not to venture any deeper.

But Samael remained steadfast.

Samael kept his pace, passing through multiple rooms and dead ends. He sharpened his senses, trailing the aura of the peculiar wolves.

As the seconds burned away, Samael soon found himself in a unique hallway, one covered in a dark, pulsing substance.

Upon careful observation, Samael could see a faint smoke emanating from those substances. Not only that, but they wrap all around the walls.

Is this the source of the fog? Samael wondered.

Samael slowly walked towards the room ahead, crouching down as he took a peek.

There were multiple imgrave wolves twice the size of the normal ones. Their fur was slightly golden, and they had four eyes littering their faces.

Their aura was also far superior. Samael estimated they were probably a rank or so higher than the normal ones.

What are these? They were never mentioned in the invasion reports, Samael thought.

Perhaps they were new breeds? Or were they simply hidden until the right moment? Samael did not know.

Samael's gaze slowly swept the place, his eyes quivering. The wolves lay in a defensive formation, almost as though...

Are they protecting that? Samael wondered.

In the middle of the room was some form of monument with a solid black ball in the middle. In its surroundings were root-like substances similar to those he saw earlier, stemming from the ball itself.

That's the cause of the fog? Samael thought.

As much as Samael wanted to investigate further, he chose to retreat. He did not know what these wolves were capable of. He could not risk jeopardizing his mission.

Without another glance, Samael swiftly made his way out, making sure to draw all the corridors he passed through.

Within minutes, Samael managed to make it out of the camp, tracing his way back to Portugal and the rest.

Sensing movements in the fog, the Liesco knights rose to their feet, brandishing their weapons as they glared at the darkness.

However, they were able to exhale in relief as Samael walked out of the fog.

"Here, take this and go," Samael said without any explanation, handing over a notebook.

Unfortunately, it was not that easy.

GROWL...

Multiple red eyes formed from the dense fog, slowly forming the shape of a wolf.

Samael couldn't help but cuss under his breath— a wolf lunged at him, its maw wide open.

Samael swiftly weaved to the side, dodging the beast and delivering a cleave with speed, cutting the beast in two.

As the corpse of the wolf plummeted down, dozens more came hauling from the fog, swarming the Liesco knights and Samael.

Not backing down, Samael faced the attacking abominations head-on. He grabbed one of the beasts by the jaw, stopping it from closing as he forcefully tore it open.

Using the dead body of the imgrave wolf, Samael threw the beast to its approaching kin, the sounds of their bones pulverizing left trails of echoes in the air.

On the other hand, the Liesco knights grunts rumbled on as they swung their blades without stop.

Blood and sweat marred their faces as they struggled to keep up with the waves of enemies.

Vapad, on the other hand, casts one ability after the other.

Seeing this, three wolves charged at him, two of which rammed themselves at the Liesco knights, breaking their rank while the remaining one dragged Vapad away.

"ARGHH!!!" Vapad screamed as he vanished in the fog.

"Fuck!" Samael muttered as he shot a glance at the knights.

Seeing the conditions of Portugal's men, Samael flew towards them as he spoke. "Don't move,"

"Abyss spikes."

A plethora of Onyx black spikes burst from the ground, impaling the wolves high up in the air.

"I'll go after Vapad!" Samael said.

"Go! We'll handle the rest!" Portugal replied.

Without wasting another word, Samael bolted in the direction of the priests.