Chapter 1906: To The Last Drop of Blood (5)

From the start, King Huvuki and Maraka knew that it would come to this.

Despite their last-minute preparations, showcasing the greatest side of their entire race, the horde won’t go down that easily. It’s a mythical horde sent from the God Realm. Against such impressive enemies, they would need to get their hands dirty.

In order to make a difference, they would need to fight themselves.

ROAR—!

The giant ice bear unleashed a thunderous roar, focusing the blizzard to rain onto them.

"On me!" King Huvuki shouted as he plunged into the hole in the net.

He and the giant ice bear plummeted down to the abyssal hole to the core of the earth—sliding on shards of ice like a living avalanche. Several of the crimson wolves that were scaling the wall reached, but they were met with the war hammer that froze their bodies into ice and hurled them away.

Blowing snow from the blizzard merged and turned into icicles, stabbing those from behind.

King Huvuki kept rotating and swinging his hammer, knocking crimson wolf after crimson wolf.

And when he reached where the ground should be, the giant ice bear roared again.

A concentrated wind of snow blasted out of its mouth—creating a thick platform of ice to prevent them from falling into the massive hole created. It doesn’t entirely cover the hole. Only a small part near the ice-stone wall, letting the depth between them and the ground where the crimson wolves were coming from.

It was mayhem.

Dozens of crimson wolves lunged across the gap and went straight for King Huvuki.

Blood dripped from their furs, making the ice more slippery.

King Huvuki and the giant ice bear worked together—fending the crimson wolves and pushing them to the hole. Other than raining powerful energy beams, the net also created a big covering against the red moonlight coming from above, weakening the crimson wolves.

Even though the weakening effect is not much, it was more than enough.

Seconds later, Maraka landed on one knee.

His katana was in his right hand, stretched to the side, and it hissed with energy and red force.

As soon as he raised his gaze, his body blurred.

Maraka went straight at dozens of crimson wolves that immediately attacked him, plowing through with swing after swing, cutting their bodies to pieces. And those who are strong enough to endure a slash, he kept slashing, stacking the weakening effect from the replica of the Amuerus Katana.

Due to the ritual’s excess energy, his physical strength was beyond the limit.

And not to mention, the hundreds, if not thousands, of years of experience from the sacrificed Tigermen were branded into his very body, making him move effectively and expertly like a sword master. All of his moves were gentle, yet the effect was brutal.

Each swing was perfect with no wasted movements.

Just as he turned, his eyes bear witness to dozens of crimson wolves leaping over the hole.

Maraka raised his katana, but then, a shadow blurred past him—and in the next second, all of them were reduced to ash before melting into blood again. He looked to the left and saw Kyran landing. Even with a severely wounded body, he can still fight.

’Incredible,’ He thought inside. ’For him to keep going, his will to fight is as ferocious as his race.’

Kyran faced the endless incoming horde.

He was standing strong, but his legs were shaking, and his hands were twitching.

Excruciating pain webbed across his body, spreading across his pain nerves—overpowering his ability to regenerate even under the Blood Moon. His four azure eyes stared forward, but they were squinting, holding back the pain.

Despite his condition, he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t give up.

For the first time, the crimson horde had been stopped—truly stopped—and it had taken everything the Dwarves and Tigermen had. There would be no more chances after this. Dargena City had to survive. Everyone inside it had to make it through this.

He can’t give up.

Even if he could no longer stand up. Even if he could no longer feel his body. He needs to keep going.

As long as his heart is still beating, he needs to resist.

"Come at me..." Kyran wanted to roar, but what came out was a weak growl. "Come at me."

For ten minutes straight, Kyran, Maraka, and King Huvuki held the line.

It was unfathomable.

Even the armies waiting for the ice-stone wall to be taken down, which would be the start of their fight, were taken aback by this. King Huvuki told them that they would at least hold out for five minutes, but this was already double that.

Long enough for the armies to think that they actually have a chance.

Long enough for an envoy from the Dark Elf Kingdom to arrive at the battlefield.

He came from the direction of the Dwarven Kingdom. Must be teleported here.

"Dear mother of dark nature..." the Dark Elf stared at the battlefield and sucked in a cold breath. Dark red sky. Blizzard. Decimation for miles and miles away. And constant shockwaves coming from beyond the ice-stone wall. "How is this possible?"

"What is your purpose for coming here?" A dwarf asked, snapping him from his stupor.

"Ah," He cleared his throat. "Who is in charge?"

"I am," A dwarven general riding a war bear approached. "What message did you bring?"

"On behalf of Dargena City, by the authority of Vivian of the Silverstar Pack and Lord Gelmar, you are ordered to capture one of those things alive and teleport it to the Dark Elf Kingdom." He kept his voice clipped, professional—no room for offense in wartime. "This must be done in haste."

"Capture in alive...? Do you even know how strong they are?"

"I can imagine. But still, you have to complete this task."

"Why? What’s the reason for this stupid task?"

"No time for questions. Capture one, and bring it to the teleportation formation. I’ll be waiting there."

The urge to snap the Dark Elf’s neck surged through the dwarven general. His men—thrown at a crimson wolf for a capture mission? He needed to know the real reason. Needed to demand answers. But the battlefield was already swallowing the seconds whole.

Crack—!

"General! The wall is cracking!"

Looking over to the wall, the dwarven general frowned and ground his teeth.

A crack finally formed, and it was spreading rapidly.

In under ten seconds, there are already dozens of small cracks in the center area of the ice-stone wall. Lady Luck had been helping them for the first ten minutes, but there’s only so much she could do. Now, luck has run out.

Roar—!

A crimson wolf’s snout pierced through the wall.

It roared and glared at the army on the other side.

Several Tigermen reacted instantly to the breach, driving their weapons toward the crimson wolf.

But its fur and skin were tough.

It took two of them hacking repeatedly for almost half a minute before its head finally rolled.

"Get ready!" the dwarven general commanded. His voice was loud and strong. "Get in position! Prepare for battle!"

Crack—!

His command had barely reached the armies when a hundred new cracks splintered across the ice-stone wall, and it happened at the same exact moment, catching the armies off guard. Each one was driven by a crimson wolf on the other side.

It was a sign that Kyran, King Huvuki, and Maraka had reached their limits.

They were being pushed back.

However, the armies were ready—the plan mentioned what to do when this exact situation occurred.

All of them knew what to do.

On the other side, the battle had reached the breaking point. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

King Huvuki swung his ice hammer again and again—but the rhythm was slowing. A crimson wolf had bitten deep into the giant ice bear’s flank, piercing through the dark ice armor, and now it was climbing. More wolves swarmed behind it, clambering over the bear’s massive body, burying both beast and king under a tide of crimson fur and fangs.

It didn’t take long before King Huvuki was forced to leap away.

"Save yourself!" He roared at the giant ice bear. "Leave!"

But the giant ice bear didn’t listen, seeing that he had no intention to leave. Still in the fight.

On the other hand, Maraka were also in the same position.

Stamina was their greatest weakness against the endless crimson horde. Even after everything they had thrown to thin down the number, the crimson wolves kept coming at a steady stream endlessly. Maraka drove his katana through a crimson wolf’s belly and sliced it sideways.

Its innards spilled across the ice platform before its body dissolved into blood before hitting the ice.

He panted heavily and looked ahead.

At the sight of more crimson wolves coming in, his willpower shrank.

’It’s impossible to stop them...’ He thought helplessly. ’There’s no end to them.’

But instead of charging in again, the crimson wolves stopped at the other side and glared at him.

Each one growls.

It began as a low, rolling thunder—a hundred crimson wolves vocalizing in unison. But what caught Maraka’s attention was that they began slamming their bodies together with wet, percussive cracks. The sight made Maraka’s grip tighten on his katana.

He thought it was madness.

Being held back this long made them all lose their minds under the Blood Moon.

But they weren’t breaking. They were merging.

One by one, the wolves dissolved into blood like they were killed. Their bodies collapsed inward eerily, shedding solid form for liquid crimson, and the pools began to crawl toward one another. More crimson wolves threw themselves into the mass.

Then more.

The blood rose, surging upward, sculpting itself into an enormous shape.

A giant crimson wolf.

As soon as its body fully manifested, muscle and fur and fang carved from pure blood, Maraka’s eyes went wide. Just a small, rumbling growl from its mouth—and an enormous pressure hit him from above. An invisible hammer that slammed him to his knees.

He tried resisting it.

Every fiber of his being exerted strength to stand up, but his body refused to obey.

Maraka was rooted on his spot, pinned and helpless.

ROAR—!

The giant crimson wolf unleashed a thunderous roar.

It was the sound of annihilation. The ice-stone wall behind, the wall that had held against the horde for more than ten minutes, fractured from end to end in a single, shattering exhale. Stone crumbled. Solid ice cracked and shattered.

And then, in the span of a blink, the creature charged.

Having had enough of these ants blocking its way, it dashed in for the finishing blow.

It became a streak of blood—a line of crimson drawn straight toward him.

Maraka’s life flashed before his eyes. Every happiness. Every sadness. Every moment that had led him to this night flooded his vision. Death was no longer approaching. It was already right before his eyes— wearing the shape of a giant crimson wolf.

At the last second, a shadow crossed between them.

It was Kyran.

KABOOM—!

An earth-shattering explosion detonated at the moment of impact.

The moment of impact detonated with earth-shattering force.

Kyran crossed his arms, core locked, and channeled every ounce of strength and energy to enhance his body. But the charge was beyond him. Beyond his capabilities. The blast hurled him backward through the ice-stone wall, shattering it entirely.

He tumbled for miles, a broken projectile bouncing against the ground roughly.

Everything was ringing, blurry, and red.

Kyran lay broken on the ground—eyes fixated on the Blood Moon above. It gazed down with passive indifference—his struggle had been nothing to it. Not even a flicker of interest. His legs were gone from his senses. Pain was the only proof he still lived, crawling through every nerve.

And then suddenly, that pain that made him feel alive disappeared.

He felt nothing.

Like a curtain being closed, darkness began to devour the edges of his vision.

At that moment, he realized something.

He was dying.