Slash!
On the battlefield, Iron Bull swung his axe with all his might, burying it into the neck of the enemy before him.
Blood sprayed as the would-be ambusher clutched his neck, collapsing to the ground with a resentful wail.
His face splattered with blood, the minotaur stepped on the corpse and cast a concerned look at the gnoll before him, who was struggling to stand while leaning on a spear.
“Are you alright?”
“I'm fine.”
Muge the gnoll clutched her still-bleeding waist.
Standing under five feet tall, her posture seemed even more hunched than usual.
Yet she still stubbornly raised her head, baring her teeth as she forced a bitter smile at Iron Bull.
“Not dead yet.”
Seeing this, Iron Bull breathed a sigh of relief.
He scanned the chaotic battlefield first, making sure the immediate area was temporarily safe.
Only then did he slide the sheepkin off his shoulder.
The unconscious sheepkin fell with a thud in front of the gnoll.
Iron Bull said in an appealing tone,
“Could you keep an eye on this guy for a bit? I'm worried someone might accidentally trample him to death.”
“This guy...”
Muge the gnoll frowned and nudged the unconscious sheepkin with her foot, teasing,
“He really is a weakling.”
When the gnoll looked up, she saw the minotaur had already turned around, so she couldn't help but ask,
“Hey, where are you going?”
Iron Bull raised his axe and replied, “The battle isn't over yet. I can't stop.”
“You idiot...”
The gnoll looked at the minotaur's limp arm. Perhaps she had aggravated her own wound, as she winced and bared her teeth.
“Wait!”
Clang!
Deflecting an incoming pitchfork with his axe, Iron Bull roared without looking back, “What else is there?!”
“Ride this.”
The gnoll pointed her spear to the side.
Slash!
Amidst spraying blood, the minotaur pulled out his axe and followed her gaze, spotting a frost wolf playing dead on the ground.
The spear in the large beast's chest had already been pulled out, and the wound had stopped bleeding.
Sensing someone watching it, the frost wolf actually raised its head.
Its eyes were filled with savagery.
But after catching the gnoll's fierce glare, it shrank back.
It let out a series of low whimpers.
“You...”
Iron Bull's eyes widened.
“You tamed it?!”
“Hurry up, stop wasting time!”
The gnoll swung her spear, thrusting it at an approaching enemy as she spoke:
“I'm in no condition to ride it right now, otherwise I wouldn't have given you this chance!”
Hearing this, the straightforward minotaur hesitated for only half a second before rushing over.
With a leap, he vaulted onto the frost wolf's back.
Ignoring the beast's clear reluctance, he squeezed his legs tightly against its flanks and bellowed,
“Yah!”
...
Slash!
Pulling out her spear, the blood of a would-be human ambusher sprayed onto the gnoll's face, lending a touch of color to her pale complexion.
She watched the back of the minotaur as he rode the frost wolf, hacking and slashing his way through the enemy with his battleaxe, and her lips curled up slightly.
In a voice only she could hear, she whispered,
“That's more like it.”
“This way, you won't die so easily at least.”
“I really don't want your wife coming to weep to me later...”
Her expression instantly turned stern again. She kicked the unconscious sheepkin lying on the ground next to her and grumbled,
“Get up! Stop playing dead!”
But the sheepkin showed no signs of waking.
The gnoll blinked, and as if resigning herself to reality, she sighed and resumed swinging her spear.
Fending off the approaching enemies.
“Seriously, you'd better remember this!”
“You owe me a massive favor!!!”
...
Slash!
In an inconspicuous corner of the battlefield,
an Imperial Guard was struggling to swing his heavy broadsword, slaying and driving back the common soldiers surrounding him.
Normally, someone clad in power armor shouldn't have been pushed to such a degree by common soldiers.
But this Imperial Guard was different.
Across his waist was a massive wound that had nearly torn his body in half.
This made it impossible for him to even stand.
He could only endure the agony,
supporting his weight with one hand,
while swinging his broadsword with the other to keep the encroaching enemies at bay.
His name was Dart.
He was a kobold.
When that wyvern had made its entrance earlier, he had been extremely unfortunate to be targeted by a beam of sword qi.
Normally, he could have dodged it.
But at that exact moment, his luck had run out, and he was surrounded by a group of wolf knights.
As Dart attempted to evade, the wolf-riding riders seized the opportunity to pounce on him.
They pinned him to the ground.
And so, a tragic turn of events unfolded.
Amidst agonizing pain and the screech of metal, the sharp sword qi pierced straight through his power armor,
and into the poor kobold's abdomen.
Had it not been for the powerful vitality granted by his dragon blood, such a horrific wound would have killed him long ago.
“Damn it!”
With another sweep of his sword, Dart took down two approaching soldiers, but his eyelids were growing heavier by the second.
He couldn't help but curse,
“When I get back, I'm going to give those bastards in the Equipment Department a thorough beating!”
“This armor's quality is garbage!”
Though he cursed aloud, his heart grew colder and colder.
In truth, Dart knew perfectly well there was nothing wrong with the armor.
For a Bronze Rank like him to survive a direct strike from a Gold Rank expert was proof enough of its quality.
That alone spoke volumes.
But Dart simply couldn't accept it.
He had worked so hard to join the Imperial Guard.
He had finally achieved his dream.
He had finally...
found a kobold partner he loved...
More blood seeped uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth.
Dart felt his vision growing increasingly dark.
He... was about to die.
Yet, Dart bit down hard on his tongue, forcing himself to stay conscious.
He prepared to channel all his remaining mana to activate the final trump card the Equipment Department had installed for them.
Just as the mithril circuits on the armor's surface began to pulse with a red glow,
a wolf's howl suddenly echoed!
“Awooo!!!”
Following it was the sharp sound of rushing wind!
Dart raised his head with great difficulty.
Through his armor's visor, he saw a frost wolf leap over the surrounding crowd, landing right in front of him.
Spinning around, the beast lashed out with its powerful tail, sending several humans flying!
Right after,
the figure on the frost wolf's back swung his battleaxe, cleaving through several more humans who had been closing in.
For a moment, none of the enemies dared to step forward!
When Dart finally saw who was riding the frost wolf, his eyes went wide.
His fading vision even cleared up slightly.
It was... a minotaur!
“Are you alright?!”
Iron Bull turned his head to look at the black power armor slumped on the ground, its occupant on the brink of death.
He kept warily swinging his axe,
preventing anyone from launching a sneak attack.
“I guess you could say I'm not doing too great.”
Dart let out a bitter laugh.
Although he didn't know how this minotaur had managed to hijack a frost wolf from the wolf knights,
he at least knew they were on the same side. That was enough.
Thus, Dart said,
“Don't worry about me. I'm a goner. Go support the others.”
Iron Bull paused. When he saw the massive tear across the abdomen of the power armor, nearly splitting it in two, he finally understood. A trace of sympathy flickered in his eyes.
“Then... good luck...”
With those words, Iron Bull hardened his heart and looked away. He swung his battleaxe, preparing to fight his way out of the encirclement.
Since this person was beyond saving, he naturally wouldn't waste time here.
This was a battlefield, not child's play.
But just as he rode the frost wolf to pounce on another human,
a sudden change occurred!
Rate on N.U.
