Chapter 237: Chapter 236 – The Wolf’s Rampage Amidst the Snow
The snow fell heavier, its white veil descending in sheets that swallowed the sky. The sunlight, which usually glimmered on the endless white, had all but vanished leaving the world buried in a haze of freezing fog. The air cut to the bone; each breath was a fleeting plume of mist, stolen instantly by the wind.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Sylvia and Velthya sprinted swiftly through the silent streets of a small town. Wooden houses half-buried under snow lined the path, doors barred tight as though the townsfolk had long since sealed themselves away. The wind howled between rooftops, carrying shards of ice that lashed at their faces.
"The weather’s worsening," Velthya said between breaths, her tail lashing wildly for balance. "If we’re even slightly slower, we’ll lose all visibility."
Sylvia glanced at her briefly, her crimson eyes glowing faintly in the mist. "Then we quicken the pace."
They surged forward, their strides carving long tracks into the snow two dark figures streaking through a white tempest. What should have taken thirty minutes was slashed to twenty. At last, the silhouette of a great building emerged through the haze: a golden-crossed tower rising from a massive stone complex.
The tall gates loomed, carved with the sigil of light. Sacred torches burned defiantly against the storm, as if challenging the snow itself.
Velthya halted, chest heaving, eyes narrowing. "Another branch of the Church..." she growled.
Sylvia stepped forward, fingers rising. Dark aura pulsed at her body’s edge, black chains trembling faintly in the air. "Unification "
"No." Velthya’s voice cut firmly.
Sylvia arched her brow. "What do you mean?"
Velthya strode past her, golden eyes flashing. "This time, let me. I won’t always stand in your shadow. The Church must learn... it’s not only you they should fear."
Sylvia studied her in silence. Her face remained calm, but her eyes glimmered faintly. After a few quiet beats, she gave a slow nod. "Very well. Show me."
Velthya drew a deep breath and shut her eyes. Her lips moved in low murmurs, an ancient incantation in a tongue even Sylvia scarcely recognized.
GROOOOOWWWWLLL...
Her body began to shift. Bones cracked, muscles stretched, her armor screeched as though refusing to contain the change. Then the armor fused with her, becoming a living shell of darkened steel.
Within seconds, Velthya towered five meters tall. Silver fur bristled, gleaming strangely in the snowstorm. Black talons, each the size of swords, jutted from her hands. Her fangs split her lips, and her golden eyes burned like twin suns in the fog.
A giant wolf stood, its breath steaming like a volcano vent.
Sylvia simply watched, unblinking. "Interesting..."
Velthya or the beast she had become threw back her head and howled.
AAWWWWOOOOOO!!!
The cry shook the air, shaking snow from rooftops. Birds burst from the trees in a frenzy. From inside the church, panicked voices erupted.
"Demon wolf!"
"Defend the holy temple!"
Velthya gave no time. She crouched, then lunged.
DOOOMMM!!!
Her massive frame smashed into the church wall. Stone exploded, the gates shattered, a tower crumbled with a thunderous crash. Snow and dust cloaked the sky.
Church soldiers in the courtyard screamed. Some lifted golden shields, but were tossed aside like rags when Velthya’s claws struck.
SLAAAASHHH!!!
Blood splattered across the white, painting stark crimson patterns.
BAMMM!
The giant wolf swung her arm, flinging five soldiers at once into a wall.
CRUNCH!
Her fangs clamped down, biting a paladin in heavy armor clean in two.
From atop the ruins, Sylvia sat in calm poise. Her black dress fluttered, small chains coiling lazily around her frame. Snow dampened her long black hair, but she brushed it back slowly.
FWOOSHH...
Purple Nether Flame lit around her, its heat evaporating falling snow before it touched her. A faint haze rose, shaping her silhouette like a demon queen on a shadowed throne.
Her eyes narrowed, watching Velthya’s frenzy. "Yes. Wreak havoc as you wish."
In the courtyard, screams, steel, and crashing stone mingled. Priests chanted, glowing circles flaring on the ground.
"Holy light, bind the beast!"
FWOOMMM!
Chains of light lashed toward Velthya.
But she only roared. GRAWWWRR!!!
Her hulking body spun, claws tearing through them. CRAAASHHH! The chains shattered into shards of lightning. Priests staggered back, burned by their own backlash.
Velthya slammed into them without mercy. BOOOMM! Her bulk crushed the front altar, their blood spraying high.
Sylvia sighed softly, her gaze still cold. "Brutal. But effective."
She did not intervene, only watched. Occasionally, a black chain cracked outward, WHIPPP! slicing down soldiers who tried fleeing toward the town. "None may escape," she murmured flatly.
Velthya grew wilder still. Her claws raked walls, toppled statues, shredded pillars. Each motion was a storm. Snow churned with dust, blood, and holy light that shattered against her dark aura.
The last soldiers trembled, their prayers broken, some dropping swords to flee.
Velthya’s blazing eyes turned to them. "No mercy."
SLAAAASHHHH!
They fell, torn in an instant.
Sylvia closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Enough."
Her flat tone carried louder than the wolf’s roars. Velthya froze, claws dripping red, and looked up at her. Heavy breaths puffed clouds into the storm air.
Slowly, her body shrank back. CRACK... CRACKK... Bones reformed, silver fur receded, armor became sleek once more. Velthya knelt in the courtyard, human again, blood streaking her skin and hands.
She chuckled hoarsely. "Haaahhh... that... was refreshing."
Sylvia descended from the ruins, her steps light on the snow. She drew close, gazing over the broken church. The building lay nearly flattened only half a tower leaned, ready to collapse.
"The second branch..." she whispered. "Fallen."
Velthya pushed to her feet, still trembling. "At this rate, the Church will awaken. They’re not only losing ground... they’re losing pride."
Sylvia gave a faint nod. The purple fire around her faded. "And tomorrow, the townsfolk will see this ruin. They’ll know... their holy light can be shattered by nothing more than a wolf’s bare claws."
Velthya grinned wide, teeth still bloodied. "A wolf with a queen at her side."
Sylvia’s gaze stayed cool. "Come. One more branch remains."
The wind howled WHOOOOSHHH! snow falling heavier, burying corpses in silence. The golden-trimmed temple lay sunken in white, only splatters of red showing through.
Two figures, one zombie queen, one lycanthrope walked away, leaving ruin in their wake. Their tracks vanished into the storm.
Far to the north, the sky grew darker than the rest of the isle. Black clouds sagged low, as if ready to collapse upon the earth. Wind screamed through the peaks, scattering icy needles.
FWOOOSHHHH!
Wings carved the storm. A shadow soared above Noir. His obsidian scales gleamed faintly under distant lightning. His eyes burned red, glowing like embers, fixed on the small city below.
At its center stood a great church. Golden crosses lined its walls, holy torches flared at each corner, as if defying the storm. From above, Noir saw dozens of soldiers patrolling the courtyard, blades glinting in torchlight.
A low growl rumbled from his chest, shaking the ground beneath. "This is the branch entrusted to me, my Queen..."
He beat his wings once. WHUOOOMM! The air churned violently, roofs shedding snow.
Then his vast chest swelled, and he dipped his head.
GRAAAAWWWRRR!!!
A torrent of pitch-black flame roared from his maw.
FWOOSHHHHHH!!!
It struck the church’s roof. In an instant, the building drowned in dark fire, no ordinary blaze. Sacred stone cracked, wood evaporated, snow boiled into hissing steam.
"FIRE!!!"
"Extinguish it, hurry!!!"
"By holy light, protect the temple!"
The Church’s forces scrambled. Priests raised staves, conjuring white rain from the heavens. FWOOOSH! Lances of light fell, attempting to quench the fire.
But it was no normal fire. The black flames clung, devouring whatever they touched. Instead of dimming, the holy light was swallowed, fueling the inferno’s surge.
CRACK! CRAAASHHH!
The roof caved, the front tower crumbled, stained glass shattered in colored shrapnel.
Soldiers who ran out fared no better. Noir’s first breath had already swept across the yard, bodies burned alive, shrieking as the flames refused to die even in snow.
"GYAAAAHHHH!!!"
"Help me! Aaaargghhh!!!"
Their cries drowned under Noir’s second roar.
GRAAAAWWWRRR!!!
Another torrent burst forth. FWOOSHHH! Dark fire surged, consuming the church’s far side. Within seconds, the temple no longer resembled a house of worship, only a black inferno devouring all: stone, timber, flesh.
The fire crawled swiftly across every surface. Heat mingled with snow, spawning a glowing mist.
Noir rose higher, wings buffeting storms. From above, he gazed upon his work. The church was no longer standing only a sea of black fire that crept endlessly, unquenchable.
"Enough," he rumbled, his voice rolling with the gale.
There was no need to check further. Hundreds already lay dead, the church destroyed, and the fire would feast until nothing remained.
With one last wingbeat WHUUUUMMM! Noir turned back, vanishing into thick clouds. His colossal frame disappeared into the blizzard, leaving only a trail of swirling wind and fading screams beneath the spreading fire.
Without a backward glance, Noir flew toward the castle. His mission was complete.