Chapter 445: Taming the Wolf

“Hmm...”

Karyl slowly opened his eyes.

Upon activating the Will of Lycanthrope within Pharel, a mental space unfolded before him—reminiscent of when he first unsealed Mael’s box. Yet this place was starkly different from the snake’s domain.

If the realm inside the box had been filled by an eerie chill, this one blazed with searing heat, as if the air itself were aflame.

Ghrrrr...

A low growl echoed, not far.

As Karyl focused his gaze, he spotted crimson cracks within the darkness. They quickly spread across the ground like a spider’s web, splitting into dozens, then hundreds of fissures.

“Mael.”

Karyl raised his arm, staring at the massive black beast before him. However, the blue serpent—always quick to interject—did not appear.

“Allen?”

The Great Sorcerer was also absent.

Raising his other hand, Karyl noticed that the Ein Trigger, the mark of the Blazing King, was no longer etched on his skin.

“Just the two of us, then,” he whispered, eyes fixed on the crouching, colossal wolf.

“Unlike Mael, you don’t seem capable of conversation. Hmm... In that case, I suppose I'll have to figure out how to tame you.”

At that moment, the eyes of the enormous wolf snapped open, glowing a menacing red, and its sharp fangs gleamed in the dark.

“ROAAAARRR...!!!”

The wolf, its massive mane ablaze, lunged at Karyl. With a sweep of its colossal paws, the ground split open beneath it, erupting in molten flame.

Massive chunks of rubble hurtled toward Karyl like cannonballs, terrifying in both speed and force. Yet he did not flinch, swinging the sword of Polsetia to shatter each projectile.

Swish—!

BOOM...!

The rubble disintegrated upon contact with his blade, not like stone but like smoke being consumed by fire.

This heat is unreal... It’s nothing like Ramine’s flames.

Karyl wiped his stinging cheek with the back of his hand, eyes locked on the Lycanthrope.

If Ramine’s fire was pure and elemental, the Lycanthrope’s heat was more like molten lava—dense and viscous, clinging to its target until it dissolved away.

With each swipe, the beast hurled splashes of molten fire that stuck to Karyl’s skin like tar. It was a hellish scene, as if torn straight from the underworld.

Thoom—!!

The ground shook as if an earthquake had erupted. The wolf was astonishingly fast for its size—but not so fast that Karyl couldn’t react.

“To tame you, I’ll need a leash first!”

“...!”

Suddenly, Karyl maneuvered through the wolf’s attacks, slipping into its blind spot and leaping onto its shoulder.

Thwack—!!

Then, he slammed the pommel of his sword into the back of the beast’s neck.

“

Yelp!

” The wolf squealed and collapsed, writhing on the ground.

But what happened next was baffling.

“HRAAAAWRRR...!!!”

Despite the crushing blow, the wolf roared with renewed ferocity. Its fiery mane flared, and the ground beneath them cracked from the intense heat.

It seemed that Karyl’s vicious strike, delivered with the intent to knock the wolf unconscious, had only managed to enrage the beast.

The Lycanthrope bared its fangs and twisted its head. Then, with a snarl, it lunged directly at Karyl.

“So, your physical power is unmatched, huh?”

The wolf’s raw power mirrored its savage, fierce nature.

KA-BOOOOM...!!!

The Lycanthrope opened its massive maw, unleashing a torrent of molten flames that burned as fiercely as magma.

“This ain’t a wolf. More like a hellhound.” Karyl chuckled drily. He twisted his body at an angle, narrowly avoiding the searing flames.

THUD!

The wolf charged at Karyl as if it had anticipated his move, slamming into him with brutal force and sending him flying.

Flames clung to his clothes, weighing him down and slowing his movements.

Pat, pat!

As Karyl frantically tried to brush off the clinging flames, the Lycanthrope seized the opening and unleashed another blast of fire.

KA-BOOOOOM...!!!

This inferno threatened to consume Karyl whole, completely cutting off his field of vision. There was no room to dodge.

“Hmph...”

Karyl steadied his stance, gripping his sword firmly. His sharp gaze locked onto a singular point at the center of the roaring blaze.

Swish—!

In one fluid motion, Karyl drew the sword of Polsetia and swept it in a graceful arc—like flowing water—cleaving through the flames with precision.

SHRRRACK! KABOOM!

The sea of fire split apart, dissipating on either side of him. Without hesitation, Karyl turned around and dashed into the darkness, thrusting his sword forward.

Shink!

A smile crossed his lips as he recognized that familiar sensation—he had pierced flesh.

“Spewing fire to hide your next move? Predictable. In the end, you’re just another beast. No wonder Mael beat you. I guess he was right. Wolves really are inferior to snakes.”

“HRAAAAWRRR...!!”

The Lycanthrope's deafening roar ripped through the air, but Karyl didn't flinch. He drove his sword deeper into the wolf, up through the roof of its mouth until the blade erupted from the top of its skull.

Then, with one swift pull, Karyl dragged the sword downward, splitting the beast's jaw with a wet, tearing sound.

Slash!

Blood spilled into the ground, along with bits of flesh. This time, the wolf’s legs buckled, a sign that the pain was unbearable.

However, Karyl didn’t let the beast fall. He seized the creature’s mangled jaw and forced it upright. The surge of agony jolted the beast, keeping it alert.

Thud!

The massive wolf toppled forward awkwardly, its head landing at Karyl’s feet. He firmly stepped on the creature’s head, gazing down at it with disdain.

“Am I really that strong, or are you just that weak? Is this all it takes to earn the right to challenge a god? The Tarak I killed in Pharel might’ve put up a better fight than you.”

“Ghrrr...”

Karyl rested his sword on his shoulder, his eyes filled with disappointment. Though the Lycanthrope was on par with the dragons, to Karyl, who bore two dragon hearts, its strength was rather underwhelming.

“...Don’t you dare compare me to a wretched snake.”

“Oh?”

Karyl raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the wolf’s ability to speak with such clarity. Its eyes, aglow with intelligence and defiance, met his without flinching—prompting a smirk from him.

Crack...!

The beast’s spine contorted with a sickening crack, the sound of tearing muscle echoing through the darkness.

The Lycanthrope slowly rose onto its hind legs.

“Ghraaar...!!”

A guttural growl rumbled deep in its throat as its black fur stiffened, hardening into armor-like scales. Razor-sharp spines bristled along its back.

In the blink of an eye, the wolf sprang back, then slowly straightened its spine until its posture resembled that of a human.

Shrrrack—!

From its wrists emerged sharp, golden scales that intertwined and extended into crescent-shaped blades stretching up to its elbows.

Though its enormous frame had shrunk somewhat, the Lycanthrope still towered over Karyl, nearly twice his size.

“So this is your true form. I thought Hwarin could stand on two legs because she’s human, but oh well... Now you might be better than the wolves you’d find in a forest.”

“Ghhhrr...”

Despite its upright stance, the beast only growled at Karyl, not uttering any words. Karyl simply shrugged, as though unimpressed by the creature’s display of ferocity.

Phew...!

Hot breath poured from the wolf’s nostrils, radiating waves of heat.

One step.

Karyl carefully observed its movements.

Two steps.

This time, he watched its eyes, reading the intent behind them.

Three steps.

Whoosh...!

Neither of them waited any longer. Karyl and the Lycanthrope lunged at each other at the same time, acting on pure instinct.

CLANG!

The crescent blades on the beast’s forearms clashed fiercely with Kary’s sword, the collision deafening.

It didn’t cut?

Karyl frowned as he noticed that the scales on the wolf’s blade-like forearms were completely unscathed.

Whoosh!

Without giving him time to think, the wolf leapt from the ground, swiping at him again with its right arm.

“ROAAAARR...!!”

The beast zigzagged through the air with terrifying speed. Sparks flew each time its razor-sharp scales clashed with Karyl’s blade.

BOOOOM...!!

With a feral roar, the wolf crossed its arms and slashed at Karyl’s throat. The sheer force sent forth a shockwave that split the air.

Karyl retreated, pulling back his blade to block the unrelenting onslaught.

“Well, well...”

He could feel his hand starting to sweat on the hilt of the sword.

The Lycanthrope gave him no time to recover, leaping again and slashing downward with its murderous claws. The strike echoed with an eerie whistle—like a guillotine blade cutting through the air.

“Ugh...!”

Realizing he couldn’t evade in time, Karyl quickly summoned the Freezing Talon, wielding both weapons to intercept the attack.

CRACK...!!

The blade of the Freezing Talon cracked under the crushing force, scattering shards of ice into the air. Karyl grimaced and hurled the broken weapon aside. At least he had managed to parry the murderous slash—just in time.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Although the Freezing Talon was a formidable artifact from the Magical Era, it was no match for a mythical beast originating from the era of the gods. Another strike would have shattered the weapon entirely.

Kill or be killed, huh?

Karyl couldn’t remember the last time he had felt a thrill like this. It was nothing like Yula’s overwhelming presence or the grandeur of the Platinum Dragon. This was blade against blade—nothing more.

For the first time in what felt like ages, Karyl was truly fighting an equal. Of course, the Lycanthrope’s wild, savage strikes could hardly be called swordsmanship, but that didn’t change the fact that a single slash could end the fight.

“You’re quite entertaining.”

Amid the wolf’s frenzied assaults, Karyl found himself recalling a new kind of mastery he had never before experienced.

Being a wild beast, the Lycanthrope isn’t bound by forms. Its attacks are unpredictable.

As Karyl studied the Lycanthrope’s movements, a realization struck him—a truth no Sword Master, no Tarak, not even the Tower or Pharel, had ever taught him.

The Lycanthrope fights like a raging storm.

A faint smile curled on his lips.

“You truly are a Master Key.”

Zzzing—!

Karyl unsheathed Lakna, its blade glowing faintly with a cold, otherworldly power as his energy coursed through the hilt. This weapon was something else entirely, leagues above the Freezing Talon.

“You’re different from Mael. You’ve opened another path for me to explore. So now...”

THOOM—!

“Bow down to me!”

Karyl shot toward the Lycanthrope like a bullet, slamming its head into the ground with such force that the earth—and the very air—shuddered.