EnCoffin Me Chapter 67
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 67
No one responded to him. Zhen relinquished control over the wind and snow. His expression darkened as he sensed the approach of a formidable enemy, and he began pulling his domain inward. Like Alexio, his domain was highly sustainable, but now he chose to conserve his strength as much as possible, preparing for the hunter's sudden strike.
The hunter noticed his movements but didn't stop him. Instead, he gave a cold laugh.
“Aren't you going to speak?” He raised his sword, an exceptionally brilliant blade, as if forged from sunlight itself. He looked like a messenger of a god descending from the radiance, with hair and eyes of such splendid hues most revered by the Holy Temple.
However, this dazzling brilliance seemed much dimmer compared to Lucius.
Andrei noticed this and smiled, signaling the soldiers protecting him to step back, exposing himself fully to the hunter's gaze. The edges of the single horn on his head glowed faintly and were translucent, indicating he could activate a protective barrier at any time. Unicorn defenses were always exceptionally strong, and he was confident in his ability to protect himself.
“It's not that I don't want to speak. It's that I truly don't know,” Andrei said calmly. “Prince Alexio has absolute freedom. None of us have the right to interfere.”
While he spoke, Cravenson at the back was distributing everdark stones to several dark creatures. He also placed one beside the unconscious Helgodon. If the battle turned unfavorable later, they would certainly need to evacuate Helgodon first. Lucy had already made the necessary preparations. Her stockpile of bones was already considerable, but she still lacked powerful skeletons.
She touched the skeletal lizard in her pocket. This skeleton carried a particularly special and familiar power, making it especially easy for her to control. Coupled with the lizard's unique skills in life, its strength was considerable. After a moment's hesitation, Lucy called Cravenson over and whispered a few words to him.
“Isn't this too risky?”
“There's no better way.” Lucy lowered her eyelids. “Marshal Olsen said the reinforcements won't arrive for at least another hour. The blizzard is just too fierce.”
“Have you made up your mind?”
“Yes!”
Cravenson stopped trying to persuade her and let out a deep sigh, gently patting the lich's head.
“Let's go out. We'll let the others know. We're coming to create an opportunity for you.”
Lucy nodded. Just as she was about to leave with Cravenson, her ears twitched. She turned back and looked toward Helgodon's direction.
“Lucy?”
The lich girl shook her head, then returned to Helgodon's side. She picked up the everdark stone and examined it closely. Helgodon had been completely cut off from the outside world for a while, unable to even absorb energy, but now it seemed to have absorbed some energy from the stone. Lucy checked again, then suddenly looked up at Cravenson.
“Mr. Cravenson, do you trust… me?”
She was still not very good at talking to people. Her gaze flickered at first, but soon, it steadily became firm, and she looked up at the fallen angel.
“Please trust me. This is not just a child's whim.”
She reached out her hand to Cravenson—
“Mr. Cravenson, please give me all the everdark stones. I want to recharge Helgodon.”
Outside, the battle had ceased, and the two sides stood facing each other amid the raging blizzard. Andrei could no longer hold the enemy back. The hunter's face was expressionless as he raised his sword toward him.
“All this stalling, are you waiting for reinforcements?”
“……”
“I won't give you that chance. One hour is more than enough,” the hunter said coldly. “Alexio isn't nearby. Those few weak dark creatures alone can't stand against the Silver Crusaders. You're all just bluffing.”
Although his tone was calm, Aamon's heart sank slightly. According to the plan, Alexio should have been at the camp by now. The Holy Temple knew he was on good terms with many dark creatures and would not leave them unprotected. But now, reality had diverged from the plan. The vampire had abandoned the weak dark creatures in the camp and chased after Lucius directly.
Delvie's side was probably in great danger. He needed to resolve the situation here quickly and immediately return to provide assistance. Later that night, Mr. Theo would also arrive at the mine to retrieve the still-warm results.
“Aren't you afraid Mr. Lucius might suddenly return?” Unable to hold him back any longer, Andrei exchanged a glance with Olsen and decided to provoke him directly. “Among hunters, there are ranks. Mr. Lucius is undoubtedly the best. I wonder what you are…”
Aamon's pupils contracted sharply. He naturally knew the saint from ten thousand years ago. Being compared to him stabbed a painful spot deep in his soul. He didn't know why he felt such near-anger, as if he'd been compared countless times before. He suppressed this strange emotion and stared intently at the unicorn before him.
“You're asking about Lucius?” The hunter sneered, not sparing these people any hope. “He's not coming.”
Aamon no longer intended to delay. This time, he had brought not only half of the Silver Crusade's main legion, but also the power to unleash a light burst. He merely raised his hand, and several white-cloaked soldiers stepped forward. As light gathered around them, their bodies began twisting unnaturally in the intense brilliance, transforming into various grotesque forms.
So the light bursts on the northern front wasn't just caused by an excess of light elements. They could also be triggered deliberately? Olsen clenched his fists, straightened his back, and issued a single command to everyone.
“Hold the line! Stay alive!”
In the temporary shelter, one everdark stone after another lost energy and shattered. Lucy fought to keep from trembling. She didn't know if her judgment was right or wrong. If she was wrong, it would mean wasting a massive resource. But her soul told her to pour as much energy as possible into Helgodon at this moment.
“Freyna… Freyna… my goddess Freyna…” she whispered a prayer. Merciful goddess, please bless Helgodon.”
As she prayed, the silver wolf lying on its side barely twitched an ear.
Helgodon knew he was deep in a dream.
Even in his dream, he felt exhausted, his body's energy constantly depleting without replenishment from the outside world. He wanted to whimper in discomfort, but could make no sound. He suffered, reaching the limit of his exhaustion again and again, only to break through it each time, like a long, drawn-out race. And at this moment, he finally reached the finish line.
A steady flow of energy surged in from the outside. Helgodon relaxed his limbs comfortably, as if he were basking in spring. Gradually, he began to hear voices. He opened his eyes to see a vast, radiant full moon reflected in his gaze.
Beneath the full moon stretched a thousand miles of frozen snowfield.
The voices grew clearer. He saw figures standing atop a lookout post built from massive stones. Clad in silver-gray fur coats, their wolf ears perked up.
【Look, this is my tribe.】
【My tribe will endure for generations, never ceasing, just like this eternally falling snow.】
The werewolf king spoke, shifting through different appearances and hairstyles to show various werewolf kings, but always wearing the same wolf crown and piercing ice-blue eyes.
【The werewolf tribe will endure as long as the moon!】
Then the scenes faded into a snow-covered wasteland. On this barren land stood white bones. As Helgodon approached, he realized they were the remains of wolves.
This was a burial ground.
Strangely, he felt no fear. Instead, he continued forward, his four paws lightly treading the snow. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from behind him, and he began to run with the wind. The wind grew stronger, and he ran faster. Many glowing sprites shouted beside him, while the wolf kings' skeletons let out low howls in the storm, as if telling him the stories of every generation of werewolf kings.
【After the king dies, he becomes the wind and snow, becoming a spirit.】
【The sprites ride the wind and snow, flying to the deepest part of the snowfield.】
【There lies our god, the first god of werewolves, beloved by the Goddess of Moon.】
【That place is—】
【Behemoth of the Earth!】
Helgodon suddenly awoke from his dream. He opened his ice-blue beast eyes, hearing the cracking sounds of his bones throughout his body. He arched his back on the soft bed, letting out a low growl. A faint taste of blood lingered in his mouth. It was someone's blood, infused with immense dark energy. This energy had helped him through the hardest ordeal.
Lucy couldn't help but shield her eyes with her hand. When she lowered it again, the silver giant wolf was gone, replaced by a boy with wolf ears atop his head and silver-gray fur accents on his clothing. The boy opened his ice-blue beast eyes, tentatively opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He was still not used to speaking human language.
Lucy blinked, then blinked again, and let out a small, amazed whisper.
“Werewolves really have a human form!”
Helgodon: ……
“Of course.” His enunciation wasn't quite clear yet. But now wasn't the time to practice speaking. He sensed the light outside beginning to swell rapidly, a precursor to the light burst.
Since waking, Helgodon had awakened the memory heritage of the werewolves. He knew he was meant to be the one charging ahead.
“Outside, bad?”
“Yes! There's a hunter who looks a lot like Mr. Lucius…” Lucy quietly explained the situation to him. As she finished, Helgodon gave a slight nod. His wolf ears twitched swiftly and stood upright.
“Fight,” he said decisively. “I go, charge.”
“But—”
Helgodon had already rushed to the front line. He felt he had never run so fast before. A few hundred meters passed in an instant. He suddenly appeared beside Cravenson, startling the fallen angel into fluttering his wings. Cravenson collected himself and looked at the unfamiliar wolf-eared boy.
“Hel… godon?” he asked uncertainly.
The wolf-eared boy nodded slightly. Then, without hesitation, he stepped past him and continued forward.
“Wait, Helgodon! You just regained—”
The wolf-eared boy was already standing opposite the hunter. The hunter looked at him and furrowed his brow.
“What… kind of creature are you?”
No werewolf had ever taken human form. It had been common knowledge for ten thousand years. Even the well-informed Aamon had never seen a human with wolf ears growing from their head.
Helgodon took a deep breath, about to say his name, but suddenly stopped.
He realized he couldn't pronounce his own name.
“……”
Thinking for a moment, when the hunter asked again, Helgodon grinned and bared his sharp fangs.
“I'm… your dad!”