Chương 20: Chapter 20: Fury Mode and Acquiring the Knight Squire's Heart
The wild wolves swarmed forward. Though the fully armed soldiers initially stood their ground, the disruption caused by their comrades infected with wolfbane quickly dismantled the formation. Under Su Nan's command through the Wolf Pack Effect, the lurking Wolf Messenger emerged from the forest. It attacked the soldiers with ruthless precision, inflicting shallow wounds to spread the wolfbane further.
Both Warren Pasha and the militia captain froze momentarily at the sight of the wolf-like creature under the bright daylight, its savage form blurring the line between man and beast.
"By the Stormlord…" Warren muttered, pressing his sword hilt against his forehead in prayer. "Scatter! Break formation!"
He quickly realized the error of keeping the soldiers grouped together. Against an ordinary knight squire, the phalanx would have been effective. But against a monster whose claws carried a contagious toxin, the compact formation turned into a death trap. The creature's swipes infected multiple soldiers at once, and the wild wolves added to the chaos, tearing into their ranks.
The militia captain, now desperate, turned his horse to flee, but the Wolf Messenger charged at him with terrifying speed. Both man and horse were sent flying, tumbling violently to the ground.
Warren urged his mount forward, but the sight of the glowing red eyes of the Wolf Messenger caused his horse to rear in terror, refusing to advance. "Damn it!" he cursed, dismounting just in time to roll away from the creature's pounce.
Springing to his feet, Warren drew his bow with practiced speed and loosed two arrows in rapid succession. Both struck their mark, piercing the Wolf Messenger's chest and pinning it to the ground.
"Finally…" Warren exhaled in relief, only for his breath to catch as the creature rose again, its eyes burning with fury.
With a guttural snarl, the Wolf Messenger grasped the arrows embedded in its chest, yanked them free, and howled in rage.
"What in the…" Warren's voice faltered. "Is this thing immortal? How is this even possible?"
Back at the castle, Su Nan observed through the Wolf Pack Effect, his lips curling into a thoughtful smile.
"So, the Control the Wolf Pack potion works on a spiritual level. It's derived from the soul-related data I obtained from scanning Orl the Guardian. That explains why the Messenger's howl could terrify the horse but had limited effects on Warren. The spiritual influence isn't strong enough to control humans with higher intelligence—it merely provokes and agitates them."
This Control the Wolf Pack ability was akin to a rudimentary spell. Through artificial intelligence and potions, Su Nan had not only revived the ancient lore of werewolves but also enhanced and optimized it far beyond its original scope.
As the chaos unfolded on the battlefield, Su Nan decided to proceed to the next test: a direct confrontation between the Wolf Messenger and the knight squire.
From the castle's upper window, Su Nan issued his command through the Wolf Pack Effect. "Go, my loyal servant. Claim his life."
A thousand meters away, Warren Pasha faced the oncoming Wolf Messenger. He met its claws with his dagger, momentarily matching its strength. He felt a flicker of hope—its raw power wasn't overwhelming.
Su Nan, however, had already analyzed Warren's combat data through the Wolf Pack Effect:
Strength: 2.3
Speed: 1.9
Constitution: 2.3
"Impressive," Su Nan mused. "Far above the average knight squire and stronger than Robert or that rat knight squire I dealt with before."
Despite his strength, Warren was beginning to falter. After a brief exchange, he retreated, retrieving his bow. With a sharp shot, he loosed an arrow that struck the Wolf Messenger squarely in the eye, the force driving it through the skull and out the back of its head.
This should have ended the battle.
But to Warren's horror, the Wolf Messenger rose again, grasping the arrow protruding from its skull and pulling it free. Its wounds began to heal at an unnaturally rapid pace.
"What kind of monster is this?" Warren whispered, dread settling into his chest. "Do I need to involve the church? Those priests always talk about divine protection against such things…"
Yet even as he considered retreat, the Wolf Messenger's golden irises began to glow with a reddish hue. Its breathing deepened, and its muscles bulged. The blood dripping from its wounds seemed to boil, filling the air with the scent of fury.
Fury Mode was activated.
With its power doubled, the creature lunged at Warren, abandoning defense entirely. Each strike grew stronger and faster. Warren, though experienced, found himself unable to keep up. After three grueling minutes, the Wolf Messenger landed a devastating blow, sending Warren flying into a tree with enough force to shatter its trunk.
The knight squire crumpled to the ground, his body broken. The Wolf Messenger leaped onto him and delivered a final strike to his chest, ending his life.
One of the Pasha family's pillars had fallen—not to a knight or an army, but to one of Su Nan's "hunting dogs."
Following Su Nan's next command, the Wolf Messenger ripped open Warren's chest with its hind claws and extracted his heart.
From the castle tower, Su Nan spoke to his AI. "What are your thoughts on the knight squire's heart? It seemed… unusual. Could this be a sign of some mutation as he approached the threshold of becoming a full knight?"
[AI Response]:
"Yes. This heart shows early signs of mutation, likely due to the transformative process required to become a full knight. It could serve as valuable research material for new potion recipes. After all, aside from wizards, knights are this world's most extraordinary anomalies."
Su Nan's lips curled into a smile. "Perfect. Let's dissect this mystery and uncover its secrets."
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