Author's Preface
After parting ways with the elder, Ceeo had already found where the previous attack had happened. There stood two armed guards, both wearing damaged and bloody leather armor. It seemed that they could just barely keep standing; they were so tired.
"I will take care of things now; you can go ahead and rest!"
The two men quickly turned around. Their sadness and even tiredness almost instantly vanished, but only for a mere moment.
"Thank you very much, Master Ceeo!"
As soon as they left their posts, their mood returned to sour; Ceeo, on the other hand, observed the area. The southern area led to a forest where villagers would usually go for hunting, gathering wood, or other materials. It had always been a beautiful part of the village, as the residents took great care of the trees in the close vicinity.
However, the situation was different at this time. The well-maintained trees were clawed all over their lower parts, and some were even missing branches. Also, the stench of blood still lingered in the area.
Ceeon quietly took a deep breath, then he knelt down and closed his eyes and relaxed his entire body, though he still held onto his blade in the scabbard. Although he was meditating, and it seemed he was completely defenseless, he was well aware of his surroundings. Moments turned into minutes; time moved by ever faster, but he stayed perfectly still.
Suddenly, with a swift motion, he jumped up. In that very moment, he drew his blade and slashed it above him. His reaction was spot on; the moment he attacked, a wolf was just about to jump on him, and while the beast was in the air, he decapitated it. Although he moved fast enough, he was still splashed by the beast's blood. However, he had no time to be bothered by it.
Dozens of other wolves were already ready to attack. However, they could not match his speed. Even while looking at a different target, he managed to behead another one. He had already killed three of them when the rest realized that their numbers had begun to dwindle. They were about to run away; however, with a swift jump, Ceeo beheaded another two, leaving only eight.
"Strange, they seem too calculated..." A thought crossed his mind as he slew another one. "It is as if they are being controlled or coordinated!"
In two minutes, the wolves were all defeated; each had its head cleaved off only. Their head was perfect for some basic alchemy, and the rest could be utilized for food, clothes, and beds in the orphanage.
With a swift motion, Ceeo slashed his blade to the side, cleaning most of the blood stuck to the blade off; however, he was also covered with blood. Just as he was about to unsheathe his blade, he heard a powerful roar coming from deep within the forest.
"A magical beast!" He muttered as he braced himself for the upcoming fight.
Although even the weakest of the magical beasts required a Sword-Sovereign to be handled without any incident, Ceeo still felt ready to face it. He brought his blade over to his stomach and held it with two hands.
For a few long minutes, nothing happened, but a powerful gust of wind came. It was so strong that it not only forced Ceeo to shut his eyes, but he was even pushed back by it; however, without a hint of hesitation, he dashed to the side. Just in time, in fact, as he felt on his side that something brushed past him at great speed.
As soon as he was finally able to see, he saw a massive snow-white wolf. Even on all fours, it was almost as tall as he was standing. It was growling as it stared at Ceeo, and then suddenly it stepped forward, at which Ceeo unleashed an incredibly fast slash, aimed at the beast's neck. Although it pulled away, a slight cut was left on its throat.
Chills. Ceeo felt chills running down his back, not only because he was up against a magical beast, but also because of the beast's cold aura. The air was rapidly cooling, and soon, his breath was clearly visible, and then, the beast jumped towards him.
Holding his sword with both of his hands, he prepared to thrust it through its throat even if it meant getting injured. It was a flawless idea, as he did manage to cut its throat once again, thanks to his incredibly high speed, but his strength was lacking.
The moment the blade cut the beast, it clawed at his hand and pushed his hand down with such force that he almost dropped the blade. Making a quick decision, he pulled his hands away as hard as he could, making the already deep cuts worse, and then pushed the blade into the beast's neck from a different angle, but it also failed to kill it. The sword snapped, leaving its tip behind in the beast.
His hands were shaking, and he could barely hold the broken sword, both from the pain and from the injury; however, the beast was in a worse situation. Its throat was bleeding from multiple wounds, and the snow-white fur it had had was painted red all the way down to its stomach.
The two decided to perform one last attack with whatever strength they had left. Ceeo brandished his broken blade above his head, then brought it down. As for the wolf, it clawed at his ribs.
Speed over strength; though the claw pierced Ceeo's side, breaking some of his ribs, he did manage to decapitate the beast. The massive body of the wolf collapsed like a house, leaving a big dust cloud.
Almost immediately, the temperature returned to normal; however, it was not the most concerning factor for Ceeo's. He forcefully removed the corp's claw from his side, and then he knelt down, trying to regulate his breathing.