The Pact: Bruno and the Crimson Veil

An hour had passed.

Mounted on Astrel, over a hundred soldiers rode behind me, ready for war.

Their battle cries tore through the air, echoing across the plains.

"Move out!" I shouted, taking the lead toward the forest.

The woods lay visible in the distance, about four minutes away on horseback.

Unfortunately, we had to enter enemy territory.

If we waited for a night assault, we'd be forced into a passive stance — and under moonlight, the Harudraks became even more dangerous.

I wasn't even sure I could defeat two 2★ Harudraks during the day... let alone under the night sky.

The forest ahead wasn't dense.

It resembled a park from the human world.

The Harudraks stood out clearly in the green landscape — black as night, easy to spot.

As we advanced down the central trail, the three squads split off as planned — one veered left, the other right.

The archers galloped toward the giant stones, seeking elevated positions.

That's when, up ahead, a Harudrak roared.

Ignis, coiled around my neck, roared back and hurled a massive fireball.

His training was finally showing results.

The projectile tore through the trees and blasted a flaming hole into the creature's chest. It collapsed instantly.

As we entered the forest, nearly a dozen near-1★ Harudraks charged at me.

With a single sweep of my spear, they were all cleaved in half.

The Black Spear had boosted my power to that of a Warrior — at least against enemies not using a partial Count form.

I hadn't reached that level yet… nor had I awakened my own Count form.

Riding Astrel, with Ignis at my side, we slaughtered any beast in our path.

Whether level 1 or near it, none could even touch us.

Astrel galloped through the forest center, as eager as I was for battle.

He kicked, bit, and hurled Harudraks aside.

Wherever we passed, at least one body was left behind.

Until…

A black wooden whip snapped toward me at high speed.

Ignis roared and vaporized the attack with a fireball.

And then he appeared.

A 2★ Harudrak.

Just as Many had warned, it was a terrifying creature.

It appeared in complete silence, moving so fast I only noticed after it had already struck.

Had it not been for Ignis's instincts, I would've taken the full blow.

It resembled a Trent — like a golem of black wood, with thick, living roots sprouting from its body.

Even atop Astrel, with Ignis around my neck — putting us nearly four meters high — it still looked bigger.

It had to be over five meters tall.

Standing on Astrel's back, I asked both him and Ignis to cover me from the other Harudraks.

I charged.

Channeling my Vitae into the Black Spear, flames engulfed the weapon, pulsing with intensity.

I struck diagonally — and was immediately blocked by two black whips.

It was slow…

But its control over the surrounding environment was terrifying.

I pulled back and spread my wings — tearing through my back with pain, but launching me skyward like a missile.

I flew toward it like a flash.

From above, I dove with a thrust beside its head — the strike carved a gash...

But it regenerated instantly, absorbing nearby wood.

Then it raised its hands.

Ten whips burst forth from all directions.

I dodged eight.

One struck my back, leaving a deep wound.

The last, I cut mid-air with my spear.

No time to breathe — I raised my left hand and conjured a basic fireball, hurling it straight at the Harudrak.

The flames engulfed it, dealing little damage — but it gave me the time I needed.

With a burst of speed, I pierced its waist with my spear and injected my Vitae — the flames began to burn it from within.

It roared in fury.

In response, it summoned dozens of small wooden golems that charged like a swarm.

There were about twenty, all near-warrior level.

The pressure was brutal.

Fighting the golems while dodging the main Harudrak's attacks was suffocating.

So, while dealing with the small ones, I spread my Nox.

It expanded like thick smoke — but I restrained it, avoiding a forest fire.

Once all the golems were covered in the haze, I flew high...

And dropped a fireball onto the cloud.

The explosion swept everything.

The trees were untouched, but of the twenty golems, only six remained.

With a swift motion, I conjured a spear of fire and hurled it precisely at the Harudrak's foot.

The weapon cut through the air — just about to hit...

But then, twenty whips ensnared me from all directions — no room to dodge, no time to react.

I crossed my fingers, summoning a small flame barrier around me.

I blocked the attacks from below with spear strikes.

But the barrier broke...

Two whips struck me hard, slamming me to the ground.

I stood up with difficulty…

And then I saw it.

There were now two 2★ Harudraks before me.

Before I could react, dozens of golems surrounded me.

What do I do? flashed through my mind.

Nex, I thought. I channeled Nex and Vitae through the spear.

The black metal burned with a nearly living sharpness, pulsing, ravenous.

With a horizontal slash, I destroyed half the golems around me — their bodies snapping like dry branches.

I ignored the survivors and flew straight toward the second Harudrak.

Using my spear's momentum, I came down with a vertical slash — but it vanished from sight.

How? my mind screamed.

I released the Nox, cloaking my movements in dense mist, and shot upward.

From above, I saw it: that Harudrak was an illusion.

The real one had been hiding from the start, right beside the first.

A chill ran down my spine. For a second, I felt an indescribable horror — an ancient, predatory presence.

But there was no time to hesitate.

I pointed my hand and fired a jet of flame. It wouldn't do damage, but it would ignite the trees — and that's what I needed.

Even damp and snow-covered, they burned until the fire died out on the cold, white ground.

There they were.

Both Harudraks, surrounded by small golems.

I activated my Spiritual Sense — no signs of another illusion.

With that, I summoned my chain and hurled it at one of the Harudrak's arms.

Using my wings, I launched into the air.

As expected, the monster's weight was immense. Its feet seemed rooted to the earth.

But it was exactly where I wanted.

Through the chain, I channeled a massive surge of fire. The energy surged along the metal and exploded across the creature's body.

Then I yanked the chain back and stored it away.

With the smaller golems still around, I charged in with my spear, weaving between them.

A single horizontal slash swept them aside.

But a whip came at me point-blank.

Not this time.

I raised my hand and conjured a condensed flame barrier — small but sturdy.

It held off the barrage of strikes as I advanced, slashing diagonally through both Harudraks, leaving deep gashes in their black torsos.

But my Vitae was already at 40%.

I'm still not a full Warrior. My reserves are limited.

"Ignis! Astrel! Now!" I shouted.

They responded instantly.

Astrel galloped to me. With a smooth motion, I mounted him. Ignis leapt to my neck.

Once again, we activated the Corpus Trium Ignium.

Our auras merged into a single entity — one being, cloaked in violet flame, born of fury, fire, and will.

This time, we were their equals.

Astrel, reading my thoughts, charged.

My Vitae and every ounce of flame energy surged into the spear.

And then, with all the power I had trained in secret, I unleashed the strike.

"Incursus Dominus Ignis!"

The Lord of Fire's Charge.

We charged as one.

The attack tore through the air, sliced through space — and incinerated the Harudrak in flames.

It was consumed.

Only the feet remained.

One of them was dead.