Chapter 191: Racial Genocide
Afterwards, Marl handed Alice over to the two of them and conveyed the Bishop’s intention, requesting that they take Alice to the Church of the Sanctuary to meet the Bishop.
Naturally, Lio and Vito agreed, and then departed with the people from Holy Land Town who were willing to accompany them to York Town.
There were not many willing to go with them, only a little over three hundred, mostly women and children.
Nearly seven hundred others stayed behind, determined to take up arms and exact revenge on the Werewolves.
Puniel was, of course, more than happy. Those who had survived in the heart of the Nation of Werewolves were ones who had truly faced and even slain more than one Werewolf.
Living each day on edge, they only needed a bit of training to become elite warriors.
Moreover, the crossbows they brought along matched Puniel’s taste perfectly.
It was only a pity that the second batch of Apprentices from the Monastery had already returned with information on Oscar’s preferences.
Otherwise, with those capable second batch Apprentices present, they might have made the crossbows even more refined.
Nonetheless, he still instructed the craftsmen willing to stay behind to begin manufacturing the crossbows and taught the other craftsmen how to make them. He aimed to equip these elite warriors with crossbows within a month. At that time, it would also mark when he would lead the warriors to launch an offensive from this place.
...
In the hinterlands of the Nation of Werewolves.
After Lio and Vito had departed, George once again followed the guidance and advanced.
And the further he went, the more Werewolves he encountered. He even saw some that were noticeably smaller than normal Werewolves.
Those should be the Newborn Werewolves from the Paradise, he thought, feeling slightly invigorated. This meant he was nearing the core of the Werewolves.
What he had heard about the Paradise where humans were raised had deeply disturbed him. Even just hearing those words caused fury to well uncontrollably from the depths of his heart.
However, as he ventured deeper, the ground beneath his feet grew increasingly dark, and the color of the trees and grass more ashen. The number of Werewolves also dwindled.
Perhaps the Morning Star was being obscured, George thought.
Yet the further he went, the more he sensed something was off—until he saw a fortress that seemed as if it had been dipped in ink. The surrounding trees and grass had also turned black, appearing from a distance like dark silhouettes.
There was no trace of life, not even Werewolves.
“Is this... the former Marquis's fortress?” George furrowed his brows. He sensed an extremely bizarre aura.
The fortress before him seemed... alive?
After a moment's hesitation, George picked up the last Oak Spear from his back.
It was stock from Holy Land Town. He had originally brought three, but the other two had been used when he encountered Werewolves on the road.
Given George’s current strength, even a sturdy Oak Spear could barely withstand one battle.
He took a deep breath and gripped the spear tightly. Then, Holy Light faintly spread across the spear, enveloping it completely. George twisted his body and hurled the spear at the fortress.
The thrown spear tore through the fortress like it was paper, easily piercing a large hole.
George could see the dense clouds behind the fortress through the hole.
“Something is definitely wrong,” George narrowed his eyes and drew his sword. Holy Light began to gather upon its blade.
Just then, the pitch-black fortress melted like wax, collapsing into a massive mound of black mud. It twisted grotesquely, as if kneaded by invisible hands, eventually forming a giant black wolf the size of a hill.
George’s pupils shrank. He saw what resembled a collar around the giant wolf’s neck, and at the bottom of the collar hung a Cross. Tied to the Cross was a ‘human’ whose internal organs had been removed, tongue cut out, throat and eyes gouged.
The remaining markings on the face allowed George to recognize it was Hode.
“He was a Temple Warrior. When I established the Nation of Werewolves, my child offered him to me,” the black giant wolf spoke.
Its voice rumbled like muffled thunder.
From the tone, George realized it was the Wolf King who had fled under his bombardment previously.
“I’ve always been curious,” Ymir’s voice echoed like thunder, “the Lord you believe in—would He really do this? Let His warrior endure such agony just to keep him alive?”
The black giant wolf lay down slowly.
“This is a giant wolf formed by combining the Earth Vein Magic and the power of the great Wolf God, through the magic of a human heart, and devouring this fortress,” Ymir said. “Your power may erase me, but can it erase divine power? Can it erase magic? Can it erase the Earth Vein? Can it even erase the stones and soil that make up this body?”
“How would I know without trying?” George replied as the Holy Light on his sword continued to gather.
“Heh. Then give it a try,” the giant wolf remained unmoved, a mocking glint in its eyes.
George narrowed his gaze and slashed.
Boom. A golden stream of light pierced the giant wolf’s forehead.
George frowned at the sight.
“Seems like you're unsure too,” Ymir's voice sounded again. “That strike is much weaker than the one you unleashed that night.”
The black body quivered like rippling water, then reformed a new wolf head.
“It is nearly a Natural Nemesis to Dark Creatures. Its effect on divine power is weaker, though it can still erase it. Against magic, it has a certain counter-effect but cannot completely negate it. As for the Earth Vein, it cannot penetrate it at all. Against stone and soil, it causes only physical damage,” Ymir analyzed calmly.
“Is that the essence of your power? Or is it because the one wielding it is you?” Ymir inquired.
But before George could respond, he continued.
“No need to be so cautious. Sit down and let’s talk,” Ymir said. “If your power is only at this level, you cannot kill this incarnation of mine.”
“I am not only Ymir the Wolf King, but also the Werewolf Priest, the Wolf God, and the king of this Nation of Werewolves. Although the territory I currently control is only the size of half a Marquis’s domain, the Earth Vein Magic I can command is still immense. I could even remove all other forces constructing this body and operate it solely with Earth Vein Magic.”
“Of course, I won't do that now. It would harm the Earth Vein. If it were to be damaged or drained, this land would suffer irreversible consequences.”
“You’ve been to the Church Nation, haven’t you? You’ve seen what happened after Gluttony consumed the Earth Vein Magic. But even that only consumed the Earth Vein Magic—it didn’t kill the Earth Vein.”
“Of course, the Earth Vein isn’t human. Even if it's killed, you humans could still relocate the people here or deliver food specifically to them. Humanity could still survive on this land.”
“So, will you choose to kill the Earth Vein of this land?”
Ymir's voice remained steady. His newly formed pitch-black eyes stared at George.
Taking a deep breath, George planted his sword in front of him and looked at the black giant wolf.
“What are you trying to say?” George asked. “We are enemies. That is the will of the Lord, the command of the Bishop, and the consensus of all humanity.”
“Heh. Yes, we are indeed enemies. Even as I invite you to talk, I will never deny that,” Ymir’s deep voice rumbled like thunder. “Since time immemorial, since the gods first departed, humans and we have been mortal enemies.”
“Do you know why the term ‘Dark Creatures’ first appeared?” Ymir asked, then continued without waiting for an answer.
“Of course you don’t. Because from the moment you were born, the term existed, and you knew that Werewolves were Dark Creatures.”
“But in truth, there was no such term in the beginning. When the gods walked the earth, we, like humans, were just one among many races. We too walked beneath the... Morning Star, enjoying its warmth and the breath of life.”
Ymir’s voice carried a tinge of nostalgia. He raised his head, as though he could see the Morning Star beyond the clouds.
Then he lowered his gaze, pure black eyes locking onto George.
“But when the gods departed and no longer walked the earth, a massive war erupted,” Ymir’s voice continued.
“A war of all races. Was it to seize living space? For resources? Or merely to flaunt power? No. Such trivial benefits could not justify such a vast war. It was a war of pure genocide. Every year, a race—or multiple races—would be exterminated.”
“And the instigators of that war were humans. They declared war on all races,” Ymir’s head lowered further, nearly touching the ground. With a head that large, George had to look up just to meet his eyes.
“Magic Crystal Cannons roared, easily erasing mountain ranges. Floating cities—each strike could sink a kingdom. Humans rewrote and redrew the continents to suit their will.”
“In the sky, knights rode enslaved dragons. On the ground, armies shook the earth. They slaughtered the unprotected races—chieftains who once wielded ultimate authority, and wombs that had just conceived life—everything was slain by humans.”
“It was sheer cruelty, exterminating all. So cruel that even the gods, who had already departed, could not bear it. They returned—only to be slain by humans.”
“That was what terrified all races—the power and savagery of humanity.”
“That war of extermination lasted fifty years. In those fifty years, countless races were wiped out. Those lucky enough to survive came to be known as Dark Creatures.”
“Was that mercy? No. It was only because the Human Empire was on the brink of collapse and could no longer continue the genocide.”
“So, the Human Emperor who started that war cast a Curse. He stripped Dark Creatures of their natural ability to reproduce. All Dark Creatures could no longer reproduce through natural mating, nor walk beneath the Morning Star. He wanted them to hide in the shadows, to die out naturally in fear and helplessness.”
“Dark Creatures again sank into despair. Even their gods had been slain by humans. They could no longer resist—only await extinction.”
“But perhaps fate could not bear human cruelty. That Human Emperor died in the tenth year after casting the Curse.”
“After the death of that powerful and cruel emperor, Dark Creatures rejoiced. After exhausting countless bloodlines, they finally tore a rift in the Curse—gaining a unique way to reproduce.”
“We Werewolves chose to transform humans through Wolf-Toxin, using special Werewolf mothers to give birth to normal Werewolf offspring. This reflects our fear of humans, our admiration of their power, and our hatred for them.”
“Of course, after that Human Emperor died, some races that still retained power managed to retaliate slightly and earned the right to be removed from the list of Dark Creatures. These are the foreign races you humans now recognize.”
“For example, the Fishmen. They are not strong, but because they live in the deep sea and can block human naval routes, they were grudgingly acknowledged.”
“This is the origin of the term ‘Dark Creatures’. Its very existence is a testament to humanity’s sins.”
“And your Faith, the ones loved by your Lord—are such people. The Dark Creatures you oppose are merely the weak races nearly exterminated by humanity.”
The wolf’s head lifted, towering over George. Its massive form and overwhelming presence were like that of a god.