After the first two beasts were killed/crippled, the wraiths realized their strategy. Once the dark lord realised it, he ordered all four wraiths to immediately pursue William's group. William's group had a head start, the wraiths fast but struggled to catch up.
Telo rushed forward after crippling a demonic wolf. He met John just as the latter finished dealing with a pinara-type beast.
The two of them now advanced together. If any more demonic beasts had bypassed them, while they were dealing with beasts William might need their help.
They were right to think that—but they wouldn't be able to hold off the demonic beasts for much longer. The wraiths had adapted to their strategy and developed one of their own to counter it. More and more beasts began to appear along the unpaved road. As long as John and Telo kept moving, the beasts couldn't overtake them. The road allowed them to hold direct paths, the quickest route, beasts would always be slower in the dense forest.
Three demonic beasts appeared at once this time. John and Telo despaired
They tried to block them, but could only hold off one each. The third beast leapt into the bushes, trying to bypass them.
The beasts they were engaged with were cautious and gave no openings to strike a decisive blow. They couldn't easily disengage either. Even if they could, they couldn't afford to turn their backs to them, doing so would be a death sentence.
In the end, they could only place their trust in William and push their pace. The beasts remained cautious for now, but they won't be able keep that up for long.
Meanwhile, William had increased his pace. He could sense that John and Telo would no longer be able to assist him.
He had already covered over 40 kilometers and would be able to stop just 10 kilometers away.
He was panting heavily, his breath wheezing. Sweat soaked his clothes. Still, he dared not stop. He couldn't stop. He was so close to his destination.
In truth, it wasn't uncommon for warrior initiates to run 50 kilometers or more in a single go. With proper preparation, they could handle it. But sprinting at high speed for 50 kilometers was a monstrous task, especially after hours of fighting the dark tide and facing several intense battles against demonic beasts.
He used to be the best warrior and the vice commander of his garrison. But that was long ago. He hadn't trained rigorously in years now. Not because he couldn't, but because he thought he wouldn't need to anymore. Mostly, he had chosen a quieter life, he had a family. Now, however that same family stood on the brink of annihilation. He couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up.
Thinking of his daughter, his son, his wife, all the villagers and comrades depending on him, he pushed himself harder.
He was only a few kilometers from the outpost now. A small valley stretched ahead of him, with low scattered hills beyond. Beyond those hills lay the Lord's domain. These hills marked the boundary of his territory.
His heart surged with hope at the sight of them, and his legs found renewed strength. He quickened his pace.
He was just about to descend into the valley when he heard it—a distant, unmistakable sound of footsteps.
His heart sank.
A demonic beast had caught up to him.
He couldn't run any farther. To do so would be to risk an attack from behind—and worse, risk harm to Isabella, strapped to his back.
Gritting his teeth, he turned around. Thinking quickly, he unstrapped Isabella and laid her beside a large boulder. This stretch of the path was graveled and barren, with little vegetation. It was practically an open field.
He had to dispatch the beast as quickly as possible. He didn't like fighting in the open where there was no cover, where attacks could come from any direction.
Unfortunately for him, the beast before him was one of the hardest to deal with.
It was a tiger-type demonic beast. As the apex predators of the forest, wild tigers were already formidable let alone when they become a savage beast. When currupted becoming these demonic beasts, they were fierce monsters to deal with.
As the creature drew closer, William sensed something different. Its aura was thicker than usual. His scalp tingled. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
He remembered this sensation.
It was a wraith, a wraith fused with a demonic beast.
The threat level had just multiplied tenfold. William had to kill it, fast. He vividly remembered the phantom attack the beast in the village had launched. If this one had the same ability, the consequences would be catastrophic. His daughter wouldn't survive another assault.
He clenched his jaw so hard it nearly broke.
"I WILL NOT LET YOU COME ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HER!" he roared, sprinting toward the beast.
The tiger-beast roared back, crouching into a ready stance. At the last second, it sprang backward to evade his downward slash.
William had anticipated it. He lunged forward at the last moment.
There was no way the beast could avoid the strike entirely. However, it met his greatsword with one of its front paws. Though it suffered shallow gashes, its hidden nails absorbed much of the impact. The strike lacked the momentum to cause serious damage.
William had limited maneuverability. He couldn't circle around—the beast would gain direct access to Isabella. He had to keep himself between her and the creature at all times.
After several exchanges, neither side could gain the upper hand.
Time was not on William's side.
The beast, the wraith, seemed to know this. It stayed cautious, never fully committing to an attack.
William was growing desperate. Several long minutes had passed. The beast had multiple scratches, but nothing serious. William always had to initiate, and the beast always evaded. He couldn't risk leaving Isabella's side, not even slightly. The creature might circle back to her.
It was stalling. William knew it and he couldn't let that happen.
I will not let this beast take my daughter away from me.
He charged again, putting all his strength into the attack. The beast backed away as usual but this time, William didn't stop.
He threw his greatsword, aiming straight for the beast's head.
The creature didn't expect such a reckless move and was caught off guard. It tried to intercept it with its paws, but it was too late. At the last moment, it twisted its neck awkwardly, and the blade missed its head by a hair's breadth—piercing its chest just below the left shoulder.
The beast roared in pain.
The sword didn't go deep, but it left a nasty gash. As the beast jerked its body, the sword fell to the ground. Its left front leg moved awkwardly now. It wasn't a crippling injury, but it had reduced the beast's mobility significantly.
The problem was, his sword was now beneath the beast. Without his weapon he couldn't risk approaching an almost uninjured beast. The creature wasn't moving away from it either.
Before he could come up with a plan, another demonic beast arrived. And another one was fast approaching in the distance.
William despaired.
He couldn't fight two beasts. Let alone three.
He clenched his fists, hands trembling. No escape. No way out.
He looked at Isabella. She lay there helpless, still unconscious. Her small, lovely face had turned pale.Thinking of losing her pained his heart.
She was just 7 years old, full of innocence. She hàd full life ahead of her. As her father was his duty to protect her.
No, I can't let this happen... she's still alive. I can save her.
Time seemed to slow. His mind surged into overdrive.
I can't give up now. I won't. I will not let anything happen to her. I won't let these monsters take her. I won't let my weakness cost me everything.
Not anymore.
Not again.
Never again.
He drew his dagger and charged at the tiger-beast's neck.
The beast bared its fangs, snapping at his arm. He didn't flinch. Instead, he poured every ounce of strength into his strike.
Then—something changed.
A strange power surged within him, like a dam breaking. Moments ago, he'd felt drained—but now, his body felt light, as if he were floating.
Just before the beast's jaws could close around his arm, his body moved, lightning-fast. He dodged the bite by a hair's breadth and drove the dagger into the creature's neck.
A fountain of blood burst forth.
He had awakened through sheer willpower.