Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint-Chapter 517: Time of Dogs and Wolves (5)

A fight where opponents cling to each other, striking wildly with brute force—that was a dogfight. And as the name implied, dogs were the masters of it.

In battles that relied on close-quarters reflexes and agility, canine beastkin possessed an innate talent.

If her opponent had been anyone else, Shei would have won.

Her Heavenly Reversal Technique, which shaved away the limits of a living being, outmatched the reflexes of even a Baskerville. And beyond that, it was a technique that promised near-absolute defense against any opponent she had fought before.

Even if this was the first encounter in this timeline, the regressor had fought Blanca before—enough times that her body remembered.

‘Tch...!’

But Reason twists even absolutes.

'Blanca’s Reason isn’t that great. If we ranked them, hers would be at the very bottom. But...!'

Reason manifests through will alone.

The mere possibility that one can wield Reason changes the entire scope of danger.

Blanca’s Reason was Bestialization.

Her claws could grow and retract at will.

Her fur could lengthen and shorten as she pleased.

A seemingly simple ability, no different from a druid who had formed a pact with the King of Beasts.

‘In a dogfight, she’s as good as an actual dog!’

But only those who had fought her understood the true horror.

No matter how deep one pressed into her guard, she always maintained an extra margin—the length of her claws and fur.

At any moment, her claws could suddenly extend and tear through flesh.

At any moment, her fur could grow and block vision.

That single hidden card, exclusive to her, created an intangible, ever-present pressure.

Of course, Blanca felt the same suffocating pressure from Shei’s invisible sword, Tianying.

But one rarely notices their own pressure.

"You've got a good sword."

"Tch!"

The moment Shei stepped into range, Blanca's claws shot out.

Their speed—enhanced by both qi and Reason—was like a flash of light.

As if her arm had suddenly extended, five slashes streaked toward Shei.

Thanks to the distance she had maintained in advance, Shei barely dodged with Heavenly Reversal and retaliated with Tianying.

The invisible blade aimed for Blanca’s skin—

But her fur surged forth, wrapping over her body.

Slice.

The qi-infused fur was cut away—

But Blanca herself remained unharmed.

Claws and fur. Attack and defense in one.

It created an overwhelming sense of inevitability—as if she could not be defeated without some extraordinary countermeasure.

The regressor was once again reminded of just how unfair Reason truly was.

...And, of course, Blanca felt the exact same way about Shei.

After countless regressions, Heavenly Reversal had evolved to an absurd degree.

It was just as suffocating for Blanca.

Once again—one always remembers the hits they took, but forgets the ones they landed.

"Seems like you know my Reason. Were you interested?"

"Hmph. As if I’d care about something like that!"

"Then I suppose you also know... why we became wolves."

Of course, Shei already knew.

She had heard it so many times before the regression—it had been drilled into her head.

Even in this timeline, it wasn’t exactly a secret.

She was confident that saying it out loud wouldn’t change anything.

So Shei shouted without hesitation.

"Because you bastards killed people, that's why!"

"...And do you know why we killed them?"

"Does that even matter? What matters is that you’re murderers."

Blanca smiled faintly at the familiar accusation.

Imperial citizens—ignorant of the full story—always spoke the same way.

They cursed the Baskervilles, denouncing them as monstrous hunting dogs that had no place in modern times.

Some even argued that their very existence was an abomination.

Yet, who had trained them to kill humans in the first place?

"Woof. We only ever obeyed our masters' commands."

"Then you should have obeyed until the end! If you wanted to question orders, then you shouldn’t have attacked humans at all!"

"That’s true."

Blanca’s voice was almost mournful.

"Why, I wonder... why couldn’t we remain dogs until the very end?"

She glanced around at the battlefield.

This had been a surprise attack, launched with elite forces.

It had been **effective—**but only because Blanca had been able to move freely.

If she became isolated here, trapped in enemy territory, the Baskervilles would be annihilated.

The enemy had Grull.

With the sickening feeling of chewing on her own flesh, Blanca spoke.

"Leave only three. The rest, fall back."

The Baskervilles nodded in unison and swiftly retreated.

Shei felt a wave of relief.

The Baskervilles were stronger than both the Obelisks and the forces of Ende.

If they had fought to the death, the casualties would have been immeasurable.

But they were retreating.

That alone was a welcome sight.

‘I could end this with Blanca right here, but don’t forget! My real target is the King of Wolves! I need to save my energy for Earthshatter!’

One ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Baskerville remained behind to block Sapien—

While the other two ran toward the city.

Their actions weren’t subtle.

They weren’t hiding—they were calling her out.

A blatant provocation.

But what choice was there?

Shei couldn’t let them rampage through Ende and slaughter civilians.

She glared at Blanca’s retreating figure and shouted:

"So you’re running away?!"

"Next time, we’ll return with our king, woof. Let’s settle this properly then."

"If you want to die, be my guest!"

And just like that—

The Baskervilles, who had claimed hundreds of lives in mere moments, vanished as swiftly as they had come.

Shei, catching her breath, cut down the right arm of the last remaining Baskerville—

Waiting for the signal that still hadn’t come.

"Not yet?"

Countless winds clashed against one another.

I didn’t like war, but I did like chaos.

Everyone carried their own winds, their own ambitions, entangled in a state where anything could happen.

And in the midst of thousands of intertwined wills, only the strongest determination would remain and shine.

But, somewhat melancholically, this time, I had to shape that determination according to my will.

Amidst the chaos, I had to extract only the desires of those who wanted to protect the city.

I let out a sigh.

Is this what war is?

A fight where people might change.

But am I the one who should change them?

This wasn’t the King of Beasts.

This was just a king.

As I lamented, Teia, dressed in her racing attire, muttered to herself beside me.

“So this is war~. Mm, it’s really scary.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

She stepped lightly on the ground, as if trying to ease her nerves, but her movements were slightly off—perhaps affected by the distant screams and clashing steel.

After taking a few deep breaths, she turned to me and asked:

"Are we ready?"

"Yes. Here you go."

I handed her a brown fur scarf.

Teia examined it, turning it over in her hands.

Made from raw fur, it looked rough and hastily crafted.

She hesitated, then asked, almost in disbelief:

“Huh? Is this... a gift?”

"It’s a muffler made from the fur of Azzy, collected by the ram beastkin while cleaning."

"Oh. So, it's a scarf made from the King of Beasts’ fur? That’s an honor!"

"If you wear it, the King of Wolves will chase after you like a mad beast."

Teia had just been about to wrap it around her neck with excitement, but at my words, she froze.

Only for a moment.

With a deep sigh, she yanked the muffler around her neck.

At least the inside had been properly finished, so it wouldn’t chafe her skin.

Teia fiddled with the scarf and asked:

“So, giving me this means it’s time to head out, right? Where do I go?”

Instead of answering, I picked up a stick and drew on the ground.

A simple map—

Ende, the wolves.

And Grull and the Baskervilles charging toward each other, having broken away from their respective sides.

"Thanks to Lord Sapien holding the main camp, the Baskervilles came to attack it."

"Thanks to Grull’s assault, they sent out priests to counter him."

"While each side tries to strike at the other’s weak point, the Baskervilles are targeting the front line that they themselves created—while we are forming a new front from Grull’s side."

"Right now, both forces are moving in a circular flow around a central point."

"Mmm. I don’t get a single thing you just said."

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

Teia tilted her head, utterly lost.

But that was the beauty of a drawing—even if she didn’t understand it, she could still see it.

Studying the map, Teia pointed straight at the center of the circle.

"Heeey~. It kinda feels like I should head straight to the middle, right?"

"Exactly. That’s why the finish line keeps changing. I’ll pinpoint the exact location later, but for now, you need to figure out the best route to reach that area."

"No problem. I’ve memorized all the terrain around here."

The horse beastkin had an exceptional memory for geography.

There was no risk of her getting lost and charging straight into the enemy camp by mistake.

Now that she understood the general plan, it was time to move.

"Let’s head out. Azzy, the Obeli guard dogs, and I will escort you to the perimeter."

"I can handle it alone."

"You can’t let your stamina drain because of the wolves. The lives of Ende’s citizens depend on your hooves, your stamina, and your focus."

I meant it as a typical motivational speech before battle—

But Teia took it seriously.

"I like it here."

"Ende?"

"Yeah. Maybe I’m being selfish, but... we only know how to run. We live to run. We die running."

She brushed her hoof against the ground, mumbling.

"We push ourselves past the pain of a bursting heart, straining every muscle to overtake the other racers.

We turn everyone else into mere extras—just for the sake of a single first-place finish."

Her voice was quiet.

"I love running. But... I think it’s wrong to love nothing but running."

"A place like this needs to exist.

Because only then will there be a place for those who don’t want to run."

The reason she had so willingly volunteered for something this dangerous, something that could get her killed—

It wasn’t just because she was confident that no one could catch her.

She had a desire to protect Ende.

And now—there was finally something she could do to help.

I hadn’t created that desire.

It was already there.

After all—who would ever wish for death or destruction?

People just wanted to live well.

All I had done was strengthen the winds that already existed.

"Your running will end up saving the horse beastkin who don’t want to run."

Unintentionally, I had ended up cheering her on.

Teia grinned wide and held up a V-sign with her fingers.

"It’s good to have at least one thing to be proud of! And I—I'm fast!"

Turning her nervousness into laughter, she boldly stepped forward.

Behind her, the Obeli guard dogs and pig beastkin followed in formation.

The wolf hunt had begun.