Elaine was visibly struggling to maintain her hold on Fang, the strain etched on her face. The Faery Knights, sensing the urgency, began preparing their strongest attacks. Any moment now, the barrier would fall, and the fiery wolf would be unleashed once again.
Broken watched the scene unfold, his mind racing.
If they’re struggling this much against a single Eternal Flame wolf like Fang, what does that say about Elaine in her Eternal Flame form?
If Elaine was even stronger than this, it wasn’t hard to see why the Faery Knights doubted his ability to defeat her. Their concerns seemed reasonable, but their rash actions had only driven them into chaos and left Broken feeling unjustly cornered.
If only they had been more open. If they had expressed their doubts and worked together instead of treating me like an enemy from the start. Perhaps we could have prepared better. Maybe they don’t trust humans at all…
Broken sighed inwardly. After all, it was a human who had caused their suffering for so many years, the curse that had turned their friends and family into beasts. Their bitterness and distrust had festered over centuries of loss, their anger deepened by time.
But still, it wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t the one who had brought this curse upon them. And yet, they acted as if he were to blame, casting their doubt and frustration upon him without truly knowing his intentions.
“Idiots,” he muttered to himself. If they had just put aside their pride and asked for help instead of making accusations, we might not be in this mess.
The wolf let out a deafening howl, its body twisting violently as it finally broke free from Elaine’s barrier. In an instant, Fang leaped into the air, landing on a nearby boulder. It stood there for a moment, its fiery eyes scanning the battlefield before launching off the rock with terrifying speed.
The Faery Knights, regaining their composure, rushed to corner the beast, attacking in unison to contain its rampage once more. But Fang moved too quickly, evading their strikes with raw power.
Ivana turned to Broken. “Broken, how can we defeat that wolf? We need to do something.”
“I don’t think we stand a chance, Ivana. The biggest risk I can’t accept is losing you in the process.”
“But… those faeries, and Elaine… they’re in danger.”
Broken sighed. “At least now we know the raw power these high-level Faebeasts hold. It’s clear that only an organized raid party could defeat something like Fang. If the Knight Commander is this strong, then Elaine in her Eternal Flame form… she’d be even more dangerous.”
Fang’s relentless movements finally broke free from the last remnants of Elaine’s magic control. The massive wolf bolted, escaping Elaine’s weakened restraint entirely.
“This is bad!” one of the Faery Knights shouted. fгeewebnovёl.com
Fang moved with terrifying speed, bounding toward Elaine and securing her tightly in his massive, burning embrace. A low growl vibrating from his chest as his sharp teeth hovered dangerously close to her face.
“Lady Elaine!” the Faery Knights shouted in unison, rushing to her aid. But when they saw her trapped in Fang’s deadly grip, they hesitated. Their hands froze over their weapons, too afraid to act, knowing one wrong move could cost Elaine her life.
The Knights stood frozen, their expressions filled with dread. The sheer force and presence of Fang crushed their courage, their hopes fading as they realized how powerless they were against his overwhelming might.
“Attack with all your strength!” one of the knights yelled, panicking.
“Wait! We can’t act impulsively!” another urged.
“We’re running out of time-Lady Elaine is in danger!” a third knight shouted.
“Broken, we must do something to save her!” Ivana said.
Broken tightened his grip on his spear, his mind racing as he weighed his options. Should he intervene to save Elaine? Would Fang really strike her, or was something else happening here?
The situation had backed him into a corner. If he attacked Fang, the Faery Knights might turn on him, exploiting the moment to attack Broken as well. They were already suspicious of him, and this could escalate into a bigger mess.
If things get worse, I’ll have to summon Gaia, he thought, his resolve hardening.
Of all the faeries here, only Cedric, Cecilia, and Elaine had shown him any kindness. The rest… they didn’t matter to him. He didn’t care about these knights-they were nothing but a hindrance, already showing they were powerless against a single Eternal Flame wolf.
The five Knights surrounded Fang, weapons drawn, their focus channeled for what they hoped would be a decisive strike. But Broken could see the truth-they were helpless. They could barely hold their ground against Fang.
Suddenly, something happened that caused everyone to freeze in place.
Fang, locked eyes with Elaine. Molten magma dripped from its body, splashing onto Elaine, burning away parts of her garments.
The massive wolf’s jaws, large enough to engulf Elaine completely, inched closer to her face. Yet, there was no immediate attack. Fang was frozen in place, his gaze fixated on Elaine, as though some part of his former self was still fighting against the curse that consumed him. “Wait!” Morel shouted. “Look!”
“Are we all seeing the same thing?” one of the knights murmured in disbelief.
It was as if something in Fang recognized Elaine.
Fang raised his head to the sky and let out a powerful howl, the force of it sending shockwaves that blasted everyone in every direction. As the soundwaves ripped through the air, Fang leaped away from Elaine, distancing himself from her.
Fang released another earth-shaking howl, but this time, its body began to twist and warp, as though being sucked into a spinning vortex. In mere moments, Fang vanished from sight.
“He’s gone?” Broken murmured. “Could Fang still retain some of his own consciousness?” “Is it possible that the Faeries’ hopes are real, Broken? That they might still have a chance of regaining their true forms?”
“Fang didn’t harm Elaine at all. There must be something behind that, whether it’s due to some magic skill of Elaine’s or something else.”
The Faery Knights immediately rushed to Elaine. Morel gently lifted her, checking her
condition.
“Lady Elaine… Are you alright?”
“I’m fine…” Elaine whispered.
One of the knights exclaimed with relief, “Sir Fang still recognized Lady Elaine as our leader! I’m sure he still has some consciousness left within him.”
Morel, his voice resolute, said, “We must pursue him. We need to capture Sir Fang and return him to his cage, or he might return here and endanger the other faeries.”
Elaine, though clearly exhausted, nodded in agreement. “Yes, we must devise a plan to bring Sir Fang back before he causes any more harm.”
“I will gather the troops and organize a hunt immediately.”
Amidst the fleeting celebration, as hope cautiously began to take root in the hearts of the
Faeries, a realization struck.
“Where is Cedar?” one of the knights asked, suddenly alarmed, referring to the mage faery
knight.
Before anyone could respond, a piercing scream tore through the air.
“Help!!!”
All eyes whipped in the direction of the shout, and there, they saw Cedar standing, his eyes wide in shock, his body frozen. A sword protruded from his back, blood seeping from the
wound.
Behind him stood Broken, the blade in his hand, thrust into the knight’s body.
The scene fell into a chilling silence as the Faery Knights, still reeling from Fang’s disappearance, stared in disbelief.