Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint-Chapter 522: Time of Dogs and Wolves (10)

The collapse of the ground was not as significant as the commotion suggested. It wasn’t as if an abyss had opened up—just a mere drop of a few dozen meters. For beastfolk or wolves, such a fall wasn’t fatal. The real danger was from falling rocks, but with the collapse now mysteriously halted, only a few had been injured or killed purely by the impact.

And to the King of Beasts, a drop or a boulder was no different from a ditch or a pebble encountered on a walk. Whether Jizan fell, the ground caved in, or shattered stones rained down like a storm—it was no more than a drizzle dampening one’s clothes.

That was why Azzy and Fenrir continued their fight even as the ground crumbled beneath them, dismissing it as nothing more than a light drizzle. They leaped across the breaking earth, smashing each other into the ground, contributing further to the destruction.

When Azzy collapsed amidst the dust, a shadow lunged at her. She tried to evade, but in the end, Fenrir clamped down on her arm.

"Awooooooo!"

"Yelp! Kiing! Kaeng!"

No matter how much Azzy struggled, Fenrir refused to release his bite. She struck his head and twisted her body, but his fangs only sank deeper into her forearm.

A wolf never easily lets go once it has bitten down. Azzy knew this, so instead of trying to pry him off, she bared her teeth and lunged at Fenrir’s nape. The moment he sensed her intent and slightly shifted away, she struck his cheek with full force.

Had Fenrir been in his wolf form, such a strike wouldn’t have made him let go. But the King of Beasts had taken on a human shape. Fortunately, a human’s jaw was not designed to never release a bite. The gap between form and essence caused Fenrir’s fangs to slip.

Even so, Azzy wasn’t unharmed. A long wound ran across her arm, with blood streaming from the torn flesh. She lifted her arm with a pained expression.

"Beasts can do anything."

Covered in blood and dust, Azzy stared at Fenrir, who bared his fangs and growled.

"If you're scared, run. If you can't, bite. Scratch, maul, dig, bark, threaten."

"Woof..."

"Protect humans? Hah. Sure, you can take them into your pack. Keep them close and guard them."

Fenrir’s gaze was filled with hatred as he glared at the presence behind Azzy—the humans buried beneath the earth, those picking through the wreckage, and the few using dogs to find survivors. They ran across the debris, distinguishing between wolves and humans, aiding in the rescue.

They had once been beasts, just like wolves. Yet now, they dedicated themselves to humans. Risking their lives for them.

"Awooooo! But we cannot abandon ourselves to protect humans!"

Fenrir let out a mighty howl. His cry reverberated through the heavens and earth, and wolves responded to their king’s fury, once again charging at the humans.

"Violence will continue! It won’t disappear! Humans will harass you, kill you, abandon you, neglect you! That’s why, even for the future, a dog must be able to become a wolf!"

Fenrir roared on behalf of all violence. Compared to his overwhelming presence, wounded and battered Azzy could only answer in a weak voice.

"...I don't like pain."

"Then fight back!"

"I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to kill. I don’t want to be abandoned. Woof, I’ll be good."

"That’s not your choice to make, dog!"

"It’s not a choice. Woof, fighting won’t solve anything."

Azzy was kind and gentle. She had been prevented from attacking humans for some reason, but even if she could, it wouldn’t have changed much.

She was friendly toward humans and welcomed other beasts into her pack. Unlike the wary kings of other beasts, Azzy had always stayed close to humans.

"Baring my teeth, growling, barking, biting—if I hurt them, they fear me. They call me bad. Woof. I’m good. I have to be good... so they won’t fear me. I like that."

"Even if they use you, abandon you, work you to death? Even if they ignore you?"

Azzy had fought at the forefront, becoming bloodied against the wolves, yet she still refused to run. Because behind her were humans. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

"Even so, one day, they’ll like me more. If I keep my promise, if I protect them—one day, they’ll cherish me too."

"Ha. Foolish nonsense."

They stood as opposites. Their words merely represented their beliefs—there was no way they would accept each other. In the end, it was strength that would decide, leaving only corpses to tell the outcome.

The peace Azzy longed for could only be achieved through violence. But tragically, she alone could never accomplish it. Most of her violence had already been taken by Fenrir.

"A collar is not a promise; it’s subjugation! Humans don’t keep their promises! Just like how they’re not helping you now!"

"That’s not entirely true."

Well, if the strategy was well-planned, it was well-planned. There was someone to fight in her place. Unfortunately, that someone happened to be me.

"Yeah. I do think some respect is in order. On an emotional level, I agree with you, wolf."

With only Jizan as my weapon, a few weak magic items, and my opponent being the King of Wolves—if the situation weren’t so perfectly set, I would never have stepped forward. Muttering to myself, I gripped Jizan and faced Fenrir.

"Woof...?"

Azzy looked at me. Her face was filled with disbelief, but her tail wagged furiously, betraying her happiness.

"Why are you here?"

"To keep my promise."

"Woof? Aren’t you weak?"

"I'm strong enough to help you. As you said, I’m fighting with you in front."

That was what I said. But this place was truly dangerous.

The King of Wolves may have taken on a human form, but he was still a beast. We could communicate, but my mind-reading ability was useless against him. The one advantage I relied on—sensing murderous intent and reacting first—was gone.

And on top of that, he was stronger than Azzy. If I relied solely on Jizan, I’d be slaughtered like an insect. The only saving grace was Azzy being here.

Fenrir’s eyebrow twitched at my presence. He had been ready to release his bloodlust immediately but suddenly hesitated. Sniffing the air, he stepped toward me. Azzy tensed and moved to block him. Fenrir wrinkled his brow and spoke.

"...Woof? You are...?"

"Hello. Just an ordinary human."

I bluffed, hoping he wouldn’t recognize me, but his next words rendered my worries meaningless.

"You... had your violence taken away too?"

Was it a sense of kinship? Or was the King of Wolves, like the King of Beasts, a being of the same nature? Fenrir instantly realized my nature.

And beyond that, he seemed to understand what had happened to me.

"So it seems. Unlike Azzy, though, I’m not happy about my situation."

Azzy and Fenrir had split into complete opposites. A dog that protected humans and a wolf that opposed them.

Meanwhile, I had fallen into neither. Deprived of power, I was cast adrift. And in a future I hadn’t even seen, the King of Sin would be born to destroy the world.

If I couldn’t see the connection now, I’d be an idiot. Unfortunately, I wasn’t Azzy. Ah, blissful ignorance would have been better.

"Your fangs and claws were taken? But you’re human. How could a human have them taken?"

"Because I was human, it was probably easier to change me. It’s hard to make up one’s mind, but once the resolve is there, pulling out one’s own claws and fangs is much easier."

That was something even Fenrir hadn’t considered. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he growled.

"Human, just what are you trying to do?"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"I don’t know. I’m a victim just like you, so don’t ask me."

I pretended not to know, but... I had a rough idea.

Azzy was the King of Dogs. She could never harm a human and devoted herself to their service. She was the ideal guardian of humanity. Of course, due to the limitations of her species, she couldn’t prevent humans from harming each other.

If someone had tried something similar with a human, what would they have wanted me to become? There was no need to ask. They had probably intended to create the King of Humans, the ultimate protector of mankind. Somehow, things had gone awry, and instead, the King of Sin had emerged first.

“Human. Are you really fine with this? Fine with being used now that your violence is gone?!”

“Of course not. I’m the King of Beasts, after all. A beast can do anything, and human violence belongs to me as well.”

That was why I sympathized with the wolf. Even if I was the King of Humans, I could never be humanity’s guardian.

But human violence was about using everything as a tool to achieve a goal. Using a dog as a weapon against a wolf—that was also human violence.

“But opposing you here doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned my violence. Humans prefer dogs over wolves.”

“...”

Because of the conceptual separation, Azzy had become sensitive to human emotions, while Fenrir had come to embody the ferocity of beasts. Perhaps he could even sense human violence.

Fenrir stared at me. He sniffed a few times, as if deep in thought. After a long moment, he spoke in a low voice.

“I am the violence lost by beasts. But you... you haven’t lost your violence. You’ve only lost the fangs and claws to display it.”

“Yeah. I just know my place and keep my head down.”

“Human violence is the cunning that turns everything into a tool. You’re still violent. Plenty violent.”

“I appreciate the recognition, but could we call it intelligence instead of cunning?”

Fenrir’s violence clashed with human violence. That was why he had no choice but to attack humans. The catastrophe the regressor had seen in the past must have been Fenrir, fully complete and unchecked.

Fenrir had now turned his full attention to me. Until now, he had only seen Azzy as an object of hatred, but now he clearly recognized me as well.

“...To come here for an old promise, despite being toothless. Hah. Unexpected.”

“Woof! Not unexpected! A promise is a duty!”

“Well, circumstances might make it impossible to keep, but most of the time, keeping a promise is beneficial.”

Right. Unless the regressor handled things well, I couldn’t let Azzy die, and I definitely didn’t want Fenrir rampaging unchecked.

If Fenrir was truly the disaster that would bring forth the King of Sin, then I had to stop him. The King of Sin wouldn’t leave me alone anyway.

I pulled out Jizan and swung it a few times in the air. I didn’t fully understand what this club was, but my instincts told me how powerful it was.

“Here. I brought a special club just for you. Looks scary, doesn’t it? Want to back off like a good little beast?”

If he had been an ordinary King of Beasts, maybe he would have backed off.

But—

“Awooooo—.”

Like Azzy and me, Fenrir was bound by something. He had no intention of retreating.

He stretched his neck and let out a deep, resounding howl toward the sky. His cry spread far and wide, echoing through the heavens. Releasing all his pent-up emotions, Fenrir shook his gray fur and fixed his gaze on me.

“Let’s see whose violence is greater, shepherd.”

Me? Against you? I’d die. Most likely, I’d die.

His intense stare was terrifying. I lowered my gaze and took a small step backward.

“No. You’re going to fight Azzy. I’ll be supporting from the back.”

“Woof! Human is weak! Don’t bite!”

“No, Azzy. You can’t just announce that I’m weak like that.”

“Woof? Human strong! Bite!”

“No. Telling him to bite me isn’t helping either.”

Fenrir probably already knew I was weak, but still—I needed to stay as far away from this fight as possible.

...Not that the wolf seemed to have any intention of letting that happen.