Revenge — a theme that never gets old, no matter how many times it's played out.
Wade knew Darrick held a deep grudge against the demons, but he never learned the exact story behind it. Still, judging by how Darrick trained like a madman the moment he heard the demons were involved, it was obvious enough: among the forces attacking Val City, his enemies were there.
So after Darrick left, Wade gave him a small "nudge," guiding him toward the area around Val's Dungeon.
And that was when Doslepo showed up. One glance was enough for Wade to tell he was strong — strong enough that Darrick might not be able to beat him.
A failed revenge would be boring. Wade wanted to see just how far the Farron Keep had tempered Darrick.
Even more importantly, if Darrick won this fight, it would spark even more enthusiasm for Sein Dungeon.
After all, from head to toe — equipment, technique, and even aura — he had become the perfect image of an Abyss Watcher.
So the Aging Untouchable quietly stepped in, placing a weakening debuff on Doslepo. Bad luck for him — wrong place, wrong time.
Wade took out his recording stone. He planned to make hundreds of copies of this glorious moment and spread them everywhere.
The wolf Darrick was patting was one of the four wolves who had received wolf blood along with their master.
"Awooo!"
With a deep howl, the wolf's body swelled violently. From human-sized, it now rivaled Terl's berserk form — a massive, towering giant wolf.
The other three transformed as well, all gripping greatswords in their jaws as they assumed an extremely dangerous stance.
Several other wolves around them stood upright, transforming into slimmer, more agile werewolves.
The evolution path was simple: eat a Rare candy → become a werewolf. Receive wolf blood → become a giant wolf. And the two transformations could even coexist.
Who would've thought wolf blood and Rare candies would interact so strangely with this world's beasts?
"Tch."
Doslepo stepped back. Things were getting troublesome.
Normally, he could defeat them. But with Wade's weakening debuff on him, even a victory would come with a heavy price. And even if he won, the mercenaries outside were still watching closely.
Damn it. How did it suddenly turn against me? Where did everything go wrong!?
"Let's take it easy,"
Doslepo said, eyes darting around, searching for any escape.
"Maybe you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't recall holding any grudge against you."
Darrick tightened his fists, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
What could be more insulting than your sworn enemy forgetting you?
He's reacting, Doslepo thought, masking his relief with a slight smirk as he continued provoking him.
If Darrick lost his composure, he could slip away.
"What grudge could we have? Did I kill a companion? Maybe your siblings or parents? Sorry, I really can't remem—"
"Boom!"
Before he could finish, Darrick leapt high, bringing the Farron Greatsword crashing down with all his weight.
The stance — unmistakably that of the Farron Undead Legion. He had mastered it completely.
"Tch."
Doslepo casually stepped back, dodging the strike that split the earth. He was just about to mock him—
But when Darrick landed, he instantly sprang up again, spinning midair with blade in hand, descending like a raging storm.
Wolf Leap!
It resembled Lion Claw at first glance, but the details were different — Wolf Leap carried the savage, instinctual fury of a demon wolf.
"Huh!?"
Doslepo didn't expect it. He tried to dodge, but pain suddenly flared through his eye sockets — freezing his movements for a split second. He was forced to lift his arm to block.
The impact shattered the ground, dust exploding outward.
For the first time, Doslepo felt real pain — blood dripped down his arm.
The Farron Greatsword had cut through his supposedly tough skin and only stopped at bone.
A human… broke my defense!?
Humiliation twisted his face. He roared, firing a purple magic blast straight toward Darrick's face.
But Darrick anticipated it. Withdrawing his sword, he slipped aside with a low movement.
Another Abyss Watcher stance.
And even if he hadn't dodged, the blast wouldn't have hit — the giant wolves were already charging in, prepared to slam into Doslepo to protect him.
Their attacks were fierce, sharp, and relentless — the embodiment of the Wolf Knight's companion. In moments, Doslepo's body was riddled with cuts — shallow, but far from negligible.
Agitated, his attempts to counterattack were constantly interrupted by the phantom of the Aging Untouchable, each illusion making his body flare with pain.
This wasn't a fair fight at all.
"Get lost!"
Doslepo's arms twisted into massive claws, swatting the giant wolves aside—
But behind them stood Darrick, already in position.
Whether from the Mad debuff or pure agitation, Doslepo lost all calm. He swung violently—
But hit nothing.
Darrick slipped past every strike like a wolf dancing through the darkness, leaving deep cuts on Doslepo with every movement.
His fighting style was less like combat—
And more like a dance.
A pure, unwavering Abyss Watcher dance.
It was a technique forged to hunt monsters — demons, included.
A perfect counter.
The more Doslepo missed, the more terrified he felt. How had this human learned a technique seemingly designed just to kill him?
A sense of doom filled him. At this rate… he might lose.
"Roar!"
His tail stabbed into the earth. A second later, misshapen tentacles burst from the ground, forcing Darrick and the wolves to retreat.
"Damn it, I can't exert any strength!"
His back convulsed, sprouting leathery wings. Taking advantage of the brief opening, he shot into the sky.
Demons used their bodies as weapons — the stronger they were, the more freely they could distort their flesh.
Most demons only used crude magic blasts, but rare ones were true spellcasters.
"Trying to run?"
Darrick grabbed a sword from a wolf's mouth and hurled it. It pierced straight through Doslepo's chest.
Doslepo glared with venomous rage but didn't pull the sword out. He flew toward… the Flesh City.
Darrick mounted a giant wolf and gave chase. He must not escape.
Doslepo's plan was simple: devour the Flesh City to recover. At the very least, it would delay Darrick. In his weakened state, he couldn't flee far.
On the battlefield, the rampaging Flesh City had turned into a massive sea of rotting sludge, constantly mutating. Anything that came close was consumed.
The coalition forces could only pull back and bombard it with spells.
"Look! Something's flying in the sky!"
Doslepo quickly became visible, and the coalition fired spells toward him.
"Annoying pests,"
Doslepo muttered, ignoring them. Even at a distance, he could easily control the Flesh City.
At his command, it split into several massive chunks that hurtled toward the coalition — and one chunk veered toward Darrick.
"It's him! He's controlling the monster!"
Gasps filled the battlefield.
Normally, Doslepo would bask in their fear. But right now, he only wanted to escape, absorb a chunk of flesh, and flee.
Once healed, he would return and slaughter these hateful humans.
But suddenly—
A primal sense of danger erupted behind him, sharp as a wolf's fangs closing in.
He spun around — and saw only a greatsword filling his vision.
"CRASH!"
Doslepo slammed into the earth, carving a deep crater. Only then did he realize the screaming wasn't directed at him—
But at the man who struck him down.
Darrick landed in a low crouch, one hand on the ground, the other gripping the Farron Greatsword. In that moment, he looked like a black beast straight out of legend.
Doslepo spat blood — the blow had nearly killed him.
"H-How…? Why did your strength suddenly increase?"
Just moments ago, Darrick had been far weaker. Why the sudden surge?
Darrick's answer came through steel — and a wolf's howl.
He had activated the wolf blood.
As an incomplete Abyss Watcher, he possessed wolf blood, but unlike true Abyss Watchers who wielded passive strength, his required manual activation and had a time limit.
But in the time wolf blood burned through his veins — he could proudly call himself a true Abyss Watcher.
"Damn it!"
Doslepo went berserk, attacking wildly — but Darrick dodged everything, slipping past each strike with uncanny movement.
And Doslepo couldn't dodge Darrick at all. Soon, blood poured from countless wounds, and even his regeneration was suppressed.
Impossible. A human was overwhelming him this badly. Death loomed close.
"I… I…"
Cornered, trembling, no escape left… he saw a giant wolf opening its abyssal jaws toward him.
With a forced, pathetic smile, he stammered:
"C-Can we… talk this out?"
Darrick shook his head and raised the Farron Greatsword. His mind was strangely calm.
He wondered:
Did the Farron Undead Legion feel the same clarity when they hunted abyssal monsters?
"Schlkk—"
Outside the crater, the flesh monsters went wild.
The army could eventually subdue them — except…
Without Doslepo's control, their bodies swelled like overfilled balloons. Terrifying power built inside them.
They were going to explode.
"Barrier!"
The coalition shouted, but their formation was scattered — they couldn't protect everyone.
Many people were going to die.
As the monsters grew larger and larger, someone pointed upward in shock.
"A star!"
A star? In broad daylight?
Everyone looked — and froze.
Have you ever seen a star fall right before your eyes?
Now they had.
A meteor glowing with blue light plummeted from the heavens, splitting into pieces before hitting the ground — each fragment striking a flesh monster with perfect accuracy.
But wait—
Even crushed, the monsters would still explode, wouldn't they?
That thought flashed through everyone's mind when suddenly—
Magic barriers appeared around each monster.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
A chain of massive explosions shook the battlefield — yet no one was harmed.
Drew stared at the barrier around him, stunned.
"This… this magic is—"
He looked ahead.
A group of robed figures had appeared silently.
Professors from the Magic Association!?
He wondered if he was hallucinating.
Why were professors here? Could Charon have requested their aid? And what was that meteor spell? He had never seen anything like it.
It felt like… a spell born from the stars themselves.
"Graaahhh!"
A twisted shriek erupted as the remaining chunks of flesh gathered, forming yet another giant monster.
But with the professors here, Drew felt confident. They could handle this easily.
"What a mess to walk into…"
A familiar voice came from among the professors.
Drew blinked — and when he saw the speaker, he was no longer just confident.
He was wondering what feast he'd have after the battle.
The figure was elderly, back straight, wearing loose robes that revealed a body sculpted to perfection. His presence was calm, almost mundane.
Sword Saint Gapar drew the sword at his waist — a plain blade, one that looked like it could've been picked up off the ground.
He walked forward — each step covering a hundred meters — until he stood beside the flesh monster.
"Ugly."
Gapar swung his sword casually.
And then — countless radiant sword lights erupted across the sky.
Not far away, Darrick lifted a severed, bloody head and looked toward the glowing sword lights.
"So pretty."