Chapter 148: The Subjugation
On the left flank, Doran, Elion, and Wizard Ryder battled a wyvern just as fierce. This one fought savagely, its scales thicker and movements more erratic. But Elion's shadow steps, Doran's brute strength, and Ryder's spells kept it off balance.
Blades and spells collided with flesh again and again.
On the right, Kael, Veyra, and Delilah moved like a single entity.
Kael's fire danced in beautiful spirals, his sword ablaze with relentless heat.
Veyra darted in and out of the wyvern's reach, striking nerves and tendons with pinpoint accuracy.
And Delilah?
Though her fire spell didn't harm the wyvern, her defensive magic proved invaluable. Each time the wyvern tried to crush Kael or sweep Veyra with its massive tail, a crimson shield flickered into place, absorbing the brunt of the force.
Together, the trio controlled the battlefield—Kael kept the wyvern's attention with swift attacks, Veyra exploited every opening, and Delilah ensured none of them fell.
But not everything was going smoothly.
Away from the wyverns, the Radiant Knights were under siege.
The remaining wounded Wyrms, sensing death if they interfered in the wyvern battles, turned their attention fully to the escort lines.
Over forty Radiant Knights were suddenly thrown into chaotic combat.
Even though most of the Wyrms were injured, they were still deadly.
The knights quickly formed ten squads of four, each group fighting tooth and nail to hold their ground. Their training and gear gave them a fighting chance, but even so, the outcome wasn't in their favor.
Blades clashed and screams rang out. Blood dyed the forest red.
Though wyrms weren't as large as wyverns, they stood 2 to 3 meters tall and 5 to 6 meters long, appearing monstrous to the knights' eyes.
Had they not already been wounded, the Radiant Knights wouldn't have stood a chance.
And even as they fell one by one, they took men down with them.
…
Thirty minutes passed.
By then, Kael's team struck first.
With a thunderous roar, the right-flank wyvern collapsed to the ground, its head severed, fire still seeping from its throat.
Kael, panting, immediately turned and dashed toward Nash's position.
He arrived just in time.
The central wyvern had gone into a frenzy, its wings ruined and blood pouring from dozens of wounds.
Nash lunged, but the beast twisted and nearly clipped him with a tail strike.
Kael's sword interrupted it mid-swing.
He struck the joint with all his strength, breaking it clean off.
"Now!" Kael shouted.
Nash didn't hesitate.
His red-aura-coated spear glowed with golden light once again.
He drove it into the wyvern's open mouth. The [Volt Impale] spell activated, and electricity surged.
The creature's head exploded in a violent burst of lightning.
CRACK!
It slumped forward, smoke curling from its lifeless jaws.
Nash collapsed to one knee, panting. "Thanks for the assist."
Kael nodded and turned away.
Behind them, the final wyvern shrieked in agony as Doran's burning gauntlet punched through its chest. Elion stabbed through the skull from behind, and Ryder's final spell froze the beast's remaining heart in place.
All three wyverns were dead.
And the Wyrms?
Only two remained.
Four screeched and flew away into the hills, bleeding heavily.
The other six had already been pinned down and executed by the Radiant Knights.
Soon, the other knights helped the remaining teams and killed the final two wyrms.
"No need to chase after those," the Count ordered, as a few knights tried to pursue the fleeing wyrms.
"The subjugation is successful," he muttered.
But victory came at a cost.
Ten Radiant Knights had fallen in the battle.
Their bodies lay scattered across the battlefield—some charred, others mauled. Nearly twenty others were injured, four too severely to move.
The air reeked of blood, ash, and shattered magic.
Count Alden walked forward silently, his armor still gleaming.
"Gather around," he said coldly. "Heal the injured using potions."
A few servants immediately rushed to obey.
Then he turned to Doran. "Store the dead in your spatial ring. We'll compensate their families once we return."
Doran nodded grimly. "Yes, my lord."
He then turned to Nash. "Extract the elemental stones from all the wyverns and wyrms. Also, tell Sir Ariel to disassemble the corpses and extract valuable materials like the wyverns' scales, horns, blood essence, and hearts. They'll sell for a good price."
Though he wanted to store the wyvern corpses whole, the space rings in his possession weren't large enough to hold them all.
I've heard wyvern meat sells for a reasonable price, but storing them is impossible, he thought.
He only had two spatial rings—one with 160 cubic meters of space and the other with 180.
Nash stood tall, bruised but unwavering. "As you command."
Those who could still stand began the grim task of collecting magic elemental crystals, dismantling corpses, and using water to wash away the bloodstains. Even Raven stepped in to help pitch tents alongside the other servants.
None spoke a word.
The battle was over, but exhaustion weighed heavier than victory.
"What should we do with the rest of the corpses, my lord?" a Radiant Knight asked, while others turned their gaze toward the Count.
"We'll leave them behind. My spatial rings can't even hold two wyverns."
Count Alden suddenly noticed that most of the Radiant Walkers possessed spatial rings. Though their rings only had around 20 to 30 cubic meters of space, it was enough to store many valuable materials.
"Hoho, you guys can take the valuable materials if you want," the Count said, understanding their intention.
All of them sprinted into action.
The Radiant Walkers dismantled the corpses and stored valuable parts like the wyrms' horns and scales. Wizard Ariel and the other two wizards used runes to extract the blood essences and kept them for themselves.
Meanwhile, Nash and the other knights took the remaining valuable materials—wyvern tendons, eyes, and even flesh, as wyvern meat was useful in the market.
Within two hours, they had taken everything of value, leaving behind only flesh and bones.
"Let's depart before nearby magical beasts arrive."
Count scanned the surroundings and decided to move two kilometers away from the battlefield.
Although everyone was exhausted, they all knew that camping near the corpses would be the worst decision. Some even suggested moving farther, but due to the heavy injuries, they settled near a cavern at the hill's base.
"We'll rest here for the night."
Though it was only afternoon, the Count decided not to continue the expedition for the day.
He also didn't hesitate to use Uncommon Healing Potions on the severely injured.
In truth, he only had a dozen Uncommon Healing Potions and two Rare-grade Healing Potions.
Unless it was an emergency, he never considered using them.
But I already lost ten Radiant Knights, he thought. They were part of his main knight squad and loyal to his family. That was why he chose to use the expensive potions.
"Gather wood and start preparing food," he ordered and headed to the tent prepared for him.
Jovie, Raven, and the other servants nodded and hurried off to gather firewood.
"Will this expedition be successful? How long will it take for the injured to heal?" Raven asked.
"It'll take a day for them to walk again. But they won't be able to fight for a while. As for whether this expedition will be successful... I'm not sure either," Jovie muttered as they quietly gathered wood.
They soon returned and began preparing food for everyone.
The knights tended to their wounds. Most relied on low-grade common healing potions—bitter in taste but effective enough for shallow cuts and bruises.
Even Radiant Walkers, despite their enhanced healing, didn't hesitate. Natural recovery would take a week for even minor wounds. No one wanted to risk infection or lingering pain.
Night fell quietly.
The soft hum of crickets echoed beneath the darkened sky, disturbed only by the occasional groan or cough from the tents. Lanterns flickered with dim light.
The stench of blood had faded with the wind.
Raven sat in silence inside a modest cloth tent, opposite Jovie. Neither spoke as they held plates in their hands and ate quietly.
The food was bland—the silence, heavier.
After dinner, he let his tired eyes close. For a moment, sleep claimed him.
Then, a gentle shake stirred him awake.
Fingers cold as steel nudged his shoulder.
"Raven. Wake up."
He opened his eyes to find Jovie crouched beside him, a finger pressed to her lips. Her other hand pointed toward the flap of the tent.
Confused but obedient, Raven slipped out of his blanket and followed her quietly. Outside, the camp was mostly still. A few soft murmurs came from the tents of the wounded. Even the night guards leaned lazily against rocks or their spears.
At that moment, the entire camp was enclosed by a dome-shaped defensive rune array—invisible, yet solid as an iron wall to anything hostile.
Delilah was managing the array. From her position near the edge of the camp, she briefly glanced at Raven and Jovie. She narrowed her eyes for a heartbeat, but said nothing.
Guards often left the camp to relieve themselves. If they didn't return within the hour, she might intervene. For now, she turned back to the rune crystal in her hands and resumed meditating.
Jovie picked up the pace as they left the rune array.
They moved silently, boots making no sound on the damp grass. The air was cold.
'Isn't this the direction where we came from?'
Raven's mind raced, wondering why they were returning to the battlefield.
And yet, he followed her footsteps quietly.
Ten minutes passed in silence before the rotting scent of corpses reached them.
They had reached the battlefield.
The ground was torn, trees burned, and blood had soaked deep into the soil.
And the corpses—they weren't alone.
Dozens of wolves, their fur matted with filth, ravaged the wyvern and wyrm remains. Most were small—Rank-1 Magical Beasts.
But at the center stood one larger than the rest. A Rank-2 Direfang Wolf, its mane streaked with shadow essence, turned its glowing yellow eyes toward them and growled.
The others joined in, snarling and closing in.
Raven instinctively reached for his spear and readied himself.
But Jovie calmly stepped forward.
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
Then, twenty armored skeletons appeared out of thin air, silver-plated helms catching the moonlight. Their hollow sockets glowed with cold blue light, and a faint pulse shimmered in their ribcages.
At first, they lay like corpses, unmoving.
Then came motion—slow at first, then fluid.
They stood up.
Swords gleamed, and shields lifted. They aligned into ranks with terrifying discipline.
Jovie curled her lips upward and muttered,
"Kill them."