I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy
Chapter 430

Chapter 430

Ian gave a small nod, as if satisfied, and pulled on the reins. As the black steed naturally turned back toward the battlefield, Lucia spoke up beside him.

"Are you really okay? You scared me half to death."

"I'm fine. It was nothing."

Just an event cutscene, really.

Ian tightened his grip on the reins, the thought passing through his mind.

Lucia fell into step beside him, continuing, "Don't worry. No one saw anything."

"I'm not so sure about that." He glanced past the mangled corpse of the beast, still lying where it had fallen, and looked toward the battlefield. Then, slowly, he turned his head to the side.

"I think someone did see something."

Just beyond the tree stump nearby, Diana was watching him with narrowed eyes. The moment their eyes met, she flinched and quickly looked away.

Lucia's voice followed soon after. "It's Diana. It's fine."

Well, that's true.

Ian gave a nod and let the battle hammer rest at an angle across his shoulder as he turned his gaze back to the battlefield. It wasn't that he trusted Diana—he just knew her too well. If anything, she'd go out of her way to pretend she hadn't seen a thing. She wasn't the type to pry or gossip. That sort of thing wouldn't help her survive, and she knew it.

"Stay close. Don't go off on your own." He added the words and didn't wait for a reply before snapping the reins. With a snort, the black horse kicked off the ground and charged forward as if it had been waiting for the command.

"Hold formation!"

"Take them down—"

The battlefield, filled with fierce combat, rushed up to meet them. It was the same scene Ian had witnessed the moment he snapped out of the vision. The reason he could move so decisively without hesitation was simple—this wasn't his first time.

Neigh!

One way or another, the tide had clearly turned in the Wolves' favor. Only one warhorse still rampaged across the field, and even that one was already engaged—surrounded by three Wolves.

When the frontmost Wolf narrowly dodged its charge, the other two struck without hesitation, slicing into its flanks. The rhythm was precise, almost like a primitive hunting pattern. Risky, yes—but the Wolves moved with practiced coordination, handling the threat with remarkable skill.

Crunch! Crack!

One beast lay collapsed, flailing, as three more Wolves clung to it, hacking at it without pause. It swung its legs, head, and tail in a wild frenzy, but the Wolves slipped around each strike with sharp, agile movements.

Their strength wasn't as overwhelming as it had been in the last battle—likely because the dark energy flowing through them wasn't as potent this time. Their weapons were rough, and this wasn't a proper cavalry formation either.

"For His Highness the Prince—!"

Another beast was locked in combat with Seren and her warhorse. It looked like she had already torn one apart and was now dealing with her second. As her steed stomped and pierced the fallen beast with its hooves and horns, Seren shredded the beast's hide with a long, slender greatsword soaked in dark blue shadows.

Ian's brow twitched faintly. Her movements looked a bit unsteady.

Is she hurt?

But it didn't seem to be affecting her ability to fight—at least, not yet.

Thud, thud, thud.

Ian didn't slow the black horse's pace. He hadn't charged in for their sake to begin with.

Shhhk—

One of the Wolves, in the middle of hacking away at a fallen beast's body, turned around at the sound of air splitting behind him.

His eyes, visible through a mask slick with bodily fluids, widened in an instant. The thick fog blanketing the ground had burst upward like a fountain, and from it, a massive ash-gray beast leaped out.

It looked like a leopard or tiger—one of the shadow beasts, the kind said to serve Inaskurgl. It was closing in on the Wolves without making a sound.

Crack!

Its jet-black claws lashed out, and its gaping jaws, filled with stalactite-like fangs, bore down toward the Wolf's dark blue eyes.

Thud—whoosh!

Just in time, the black horse lunged in, throwing itself between the beast and its target.

Ian, already gripping his battle hammer with both hands, twisted his torso and swung with a force that made his teeth clench tight.

The flat face of the battle hammer slammed squarely into the side of the charging beast. The shadow beast was sent flying, crashed into the ground, then bounced back up.

Even as it rolled, it kept writhing. But Ian, who had followed through with the swing and charged past, didn't look back.

...They'll finish that one off just fine.

The reason he'd dashed forward was because he'd spotted a wave of shadow beasts approaching the Wolves. Their color nearly matched the fog, and they made almost no sound—but that strange, unnatural presence was impossible to fully hide.

"Agent of the Saint!"

"G-Go for it! Kill it before it regenerates!"

The Wolves' shouts came a beat too late. Ian didn't spare them a glance. It wasn't just one beast—there were more.

Grrrhh!

The black steed veered sharply, nearly stumbling, its breath ragged. Ian, barely managing to steady his balance with the hammer pulled inward, quickly shifted his grip back to both hands.

Crack!

He swung upward, catching another shadow beast as it lunged at him. This one—large, like a gray saber-toothed cat—was struck cleanly and knocked away, sent tumbling by the impact.

My back's gonna snap at this rate, fuck!

Gritting his teeth, Ian poured strength into his core and arms. The hammer, still cutting through a wide arc, finally began to slow.

Grrrk...

As the black steed wavered and barely regained its footing, Ian tightened his grip with his thighs and adjusted his hands along the handle.

Tatatat—

The horse, its hooves skidding against the ground, suddenly launched forward again. Just after, Ian twisted his body and swung the battle hammer in the opposite direction. Another shadow beast had leaped at him—likely realizing it had been spotted.

Smash—

The hammer slammed into the beast's body in a horizontal arc, sending it flying. But Ian's expression only tightened further.

Shhhk—

Before the last swing had even fully stopped, another beast leaped at him from behind.

As long as it doesn't rip my head off, I can probably take one hit...

He braced himself, steeling for the impact.

A dark blue streak cut through the air in a straight line, piercing directly into the gaping maw of the incoming beast.

Swoosh—

Its head jerked back, as if something had yanked it from behind. Its momentum vanished in an instant, leaving it suspended in midair. It lasted only a heartbeat, but Ian saw everything—the blunt blade protruding from its mouth, the crossguard, the hilt, even the counterweight at the end.

"Leave your back to me, Agent of the Saint—" The cry rang out just a moment later, slow but clear.

Ian turned toward the voice on his left. Seren was collapsing forward, having thrown her sword with all her strength. Even as she lost her balance, she had forced the words from her throat.

Thud-thud, thud-thud—

Her warhorse came charging from behind her, its bladed horns thrashing as if to rip the falling beast to shreds.

Grrrr...

At the same time, Ian's black steed picked up speed again, thundering across the battlefield. Ian clutched the hammer tightly, eyes scanning for the next target.

Shreeee— Clang!

Ian circled the Wolves, swinging his battle hammer without pause. One shadow beast rushed in; another tried to ambush from the fog, only to be cut down thanks to the Wolves' sharp instincts.

Smash!

Even a charging mount beast, caught in the confusion, was struck down without hesitation. Nothing that came close was spared.

"Strike between the eyes!"

"Glory to the Agent of the Saint!"

"Victory to our noble Highness!"

The seven remaining elite Wolves howled as they finished off the beasts Ian had struck. Even within the domain of Inaskurgl, the beasts were not immortal—they could still be killed.

"Aaaaargh—" Lucia, now seamlessly among the Wolves, let out a fierce shout as she swung her flail.

Crack! Crunch!

Despite her small frame, the beasts struck by her weapon had their skulls reduced to pulp in an instant.

Diana, keeping her distance from the others, occasionally drew and loosed arrows from her horn bow. Her eyes held a weary, almost hollow look, but every arrow found its mark—driving cleanly into a beast's eye or down its throat.

The balance wasn't something that could last forever, but fortunately, the battle ended before it tipped the other way.

Swish—

At some point, the remaining beasts, which had stopped and begun watching Ian, turned all at once and started to retreat. Just as silently as they had arrived, the waves of gray fog receded and melted into the distance.

Only after the monsters had completely vanished from sight did Ian pull back on the reins and bring the black horse to a halt.

His breath caught in his throat, his chest rising and falling heavily. His hands, still gripping the battle hammer's handle, trembled with small, uncontrolled spasms.

Huff... grrr...

The black horse also breathed heavily, its violet eyes still glinting with the lingering heat of battle. Ian shifted his gaze, resting the hammer across the horse's back.

Crack—squelch—

The Wolves had scattered, jabbing their weapons into the fallen beasts for a final kill to be sure none would rise again.

A short distance away, Seren stood beside her warhorse, bent forward, gripping her knees with both hands. Thick, sticky fluid trickled down from the gap in her face guard. She had coughed up blood.

She really wasn't okay. Had she taken a hit in some surprise attack?

Ian jumped down from the saddle in one smooth motion. In the same instant, he tucked the battle hammer back into his pocket dimension. He steadied his stance and caught his breath for a moment.

"Well done." He then whispered as he placed a hand on the black horse's neck, letting a small measure of chaos power flow into its body.

It would cause the beast to mutate further—but he didn't mind. The black horse was already fully bound to him. With just a bit of focus, he could sense its condition as if it were his own.

"Sir Ian." A voice came from behind—slightly breathless, but familiar.

It was Lucia. Ian turned to find her standing there, her hood fallen back to reveal her helmet and half-mask. Like the horse, she was covered in beast fluids from head to toe.

"I'm glad you're okay. You fought hard." fog-like breaths escaped around her mask, but her eyes were clear. In fact, they looked bright—almost refreshed.

"No injuries?" Ian swept back his damp hair with a shaking hand and asked.

"No. I'm fine," Lucia answered, adjusting the flail back behind her waist as she came to stand before him.

"The cloak got a little dirty, though." Lucia lifted a corner of her cloak draped over her shoulder. It was damp with beast fluids, though still in far better shape than Ian's, which was dripping filth with every movement.

"Doesn't look like just a little, to me," Ian replied with a faint chuckle, then shifted his gaze past her. About twenty paces behind Lucia, Diana stood quietly.

Their eyes met, and Diana flinched. Ian's smile deepened as he gave a small nod.

Startled, she averted her gaze at once, lifting a finger to her mask in a rushed gesture.He'd meant it as a silent well done, but clearly, it had been interpreted differently.

"Guess I must've looked pretty bad earlier," Ian murmured.

Lucia, who had been running her hand down the black horse's flank, gave a nod. "You did. But don't worry. Like I said, no one saw anything. The moment you changed, the horses started going mad. Everyone was too busy dealing with that."

"Figures..." Ian clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Lately, it had become more frequent—falling into visions whenever he encountered beings tied to the void or the demons. At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if he dropped dead during one of these so-called event cutscenes.

"...Guess that's why I need you, huh," Ian muttered, then casually reached into his pocket dimension with his right hand. Resting in his palm was a long, thin strand of jet-black thread—shaped like a snake.

—Truly, you're cruel, my friend... To keep me locked away for so long...

A voice slithered through his mind, and Ian answered it with a dismissive snort. Annoying as the thing was, he figured he'd better keep it close from now on. After all, Yog could forcibly snap his consciousness back if needed. And since its top priority was Ian's survival, it wouldn't sit idle and let him die standing still.

"So, what did you see, exactly?" Lucia's voice came quietly as she subtly checked the positions of the remaining Wolves nearby.

Ian, who had been watching Yog slip between his gauntlets, looked back at her.

She leaned in slightly and whispered, "The vision. It looked like the chaos inside you was resonating with this domain."

"Yeah... something like that," Ian answered, lifting his head to gaze at the sky above, where darkness churned in thick, sluggish waves. "I saw the beyond. And I saw Inaskurgl—right before I came back."

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