Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 72: Only the Struggle Matters

Chapter 72: Only the Struggle Matters

A few seconds later, the scent of searing flesh soon filled the air, and her stomach twisted painfully in response. The moment the first piece looked decently cooked, Briar yanked it away from the fire and took a cautious bite.

... Tough. Stringy. And moreover, the taste was unsurprisingly awful.

Her expression soured instantly.

"Ugh. Figures." She forced herself to chew and swallow, glaring at the chunk of meat in her hands. "Why do monsters always taste like absolute garbage?"

Despite the taste, she continued eating. She had no choice. Her body needed energy to recover properly, and so did Klaus’s.

Speaking of which...

Briar glanced over her shoulder at the unconscious human. His condition remained unchanged. She clicked her tongue in mild irritation.

She tore off another piece of meat and chewed absentmindedly, watching the fire flicker in the dim gray light of the Shadow Realm. The silence was unsettling, even for the demoness.

Once she’d eaten enough to dull the worst of her hunger, she grabbed another skewer and walked over to Klaus.

With little patience, she knelt beside him and prodded his cheek.

"Oi. Wake up."

No response.

She scowled.

"Come on, you need to eat. I’m not carrying your half-dead body around, so wake up already."

Still nothing.

Briar sighed and shook her head.

"Tch. Fine."

Without further hesitation, she took a piece of the roasted meat and, quite literally, shoved it into his mouth.

Klaus’s body twitched slightly as his throat instinctively swallowed the food. Encouraged, Briar continued feeding him in this manner, pushing bite after bite past his lips and ensuring he didn’t choke.

After a while, his pale complexion seemed to regain a hint of color.

Briar smiled, satisfied.

"See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?"

Leaning back, she dusted off her hands and stretched her legs.

The Blackmane Stalker, now finished with its task, crouched a short distance away, watching her silently.

Briar gave the creature a lazy glance.

"Good job. Keep it up, and I might even give you a name."

The Stalker tilted its head slightly, as if pondering her words.

Briar chuckled, then turned her gaze to the dark horizon.

For now, they had food. But the Shadow Realm was an unpredictable place. More threats could appear at any moment.

She needed to decide their next move soon.

Should they stay and recover? Or should they press forward and seek a way out of this damned place?

Regardless, the sky darkened, and night descended. Thus, their second day in the Shadow Realm came to a close.

† †

The next two days were just a repeat of the previous. Once the morning arrived each day, Briar would command and send the Blackmane Stalker to hunt food. Then, the minutes later, the humanoid Hollow would return with the carcass of a Chitinous Scavenger. After that, she would send it out again to gather firewood and once the Stalker returned, she would set to work and prepared the meat.

The routine was monotonous, but necessary.

Briar had no intention of starving to death in this forsaken place. And with Klaus still unconscious, she was responsible for keeping both of them alive.

Her only company was the Blackmane Stalker, which, despite its monstrous appearance, followed her commands with obedience. She knew that the creature was only obeying her because she had completely dominated its mind with her demon blood and recalling what happened before, there was no way in hell she would call it her friend.

If anything, It was just a servant that obeyed every one of her orders without resistance.

This was the full extent of their short relationship.

With a full stomach, Briar sat at the edge and peered into the abyss below, sifting through every scrap of knowledge and information she had — both human and demon — about the known, explored regions of the Shadow Realm.

Unfortunately, none of them matched this sunless void.

’I figured as much. This new Shadow World wouldn’t follow the same rules as the others,’ she thought, irritation prickling at her mind. ’And even if someone had explored this place before... I doubt they made it out alive.’

Looking below, she could see the vast, empty terrain. Down there, the ground stretched endlessly, covered in uneven rock formations and scattered remnants of fallen creatures. The land was devoid of life; at least, none that she could see. But Briar wasn’t naïve enough to believe the area was truly empty.

If she had to guess, whatever roamed this world had yet to reveal itself. That was both a relief and a problem.

"Tch." She clicked her tongue and turned away.

For now, she had no choice but to wait.

Resting her elbows on her knees, she cast another glance toward Klaus. His breathing was steady, but he remained unresponsive. How long was he going to stay like that? She had no clue.

A soft rustle behind her made her glance back. The Blackmane Stalker had settled nearby and fixated its gaze on her. It hadn’t moved since finishing its tasks, as if awaiting her next command.

It would have been a cute little dog if it wasn’t for his monstrous appearance.

Briar sighed.

Three days in this forsaken place, and she was already growing restless. She wasn’t the type to sit around and do nothing. Not to mention, it was incredibly dangerous to remain in the same place for too long. After all, this Stalker managed to find them on the first day.

Would that be the same for whatever monstrosity hiding out there? If Klaus didn’t wake up soon, she’d have to make a choice; stay here and hope for a miracle or move forward and risk whatever dangers lay ahead.

Neither option was particularly appealing.

"...Guess I’ll decide tomorrow."

Lifting herself up, Briar dusted off her clothes and stretched. If she wanted to be ready for whatever came next, she needed rest. After a while, the demoness peeked her head out from the small cave and addressed her underlying:

"Wake me up if anything happens."

After giving that order, she returned to her resting spot beside Klaus and lay down. Closing her eyes, she gradually drifted into unconsciousness until sleep finally claimed her.

In the middle of the night, however, a sudden tap on her leg jolted the succubus awake. A surge of panic shot through her chest as her mind leaped to the worst possibility. Had another abomination found them?

However, when her vision adjusted, she saw the Blackmane Stalker staring at her. Its hollowed eyes carried what she could only assume was a puzzled expression.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

Dragging a hand through her hair, she rubbed the back of her head in irritation before shooting a glare at her so-called subordinate, who had so rudely interrupted her sleep;

"What is it? Did you notice something?"

The creature nodded, then raised a clawed hand and pointed in a specific direction.

Interested by that gesture, Briar pushed herself up and stepped out of the small cave. Squinting against the gloom, she followed the Stalker’s finger, scanning the darkness with her golden eyes.

And then, she saw it.

Realization clicked instantly, and for once, she was grateful she had given the order to be woken up.

Had she been alone, she never would have noticed it.

Out in the distance, several kilometers away, a faint orange light flickered against the darkness. It was far from their current position, perhaps six or seven kilometers away. From her position, It was quite difficult to make out anything, but the glow originated from a hill of sorts, and atop that hill, an enormous coral-like pillar stretched toward the sky.

From the looks of it, its upper branches reached just high enough to scrape against the swirling shadows above.

The demoness continued to stare at that faint orange light before It soon gradually faded.

’Hmm. Could that be other humans? It would be worth while if we had extra company, but it’s completely meaningless when their true intentions are unknown. Also, what if this is a trap from a Shadow Creature?’

Thinking about the matter for a few moments, Briar shook her head and decided investigate the source behind that light had no merits.

Instead, she turned her back to the distant glow and exhaled.

"Not worth the risk," she muttered.

The Shadow Realm was unpredictable, and caution had kept her alive thus far. If the light belonged to humans, then that was a problem in itself, desperation made people dangerous, and she couldn’t show herself before other humans as a member of the demonic species. What if it was a trap? That would be even worse. Either way, she had no reason to rush into unknown territory for the sake of curiosity.

The Blackmane Stalker remained still and looked at her. It made no sound and only waited for further instructions.

Briar clicked her tongue.

"Forget about it. We’re staying put for now."

After that, she glanced back at Klaus resting inside the small cave. Frustration began to build up, but she suppressed it quickly. Complaining wouldn’t wake him up any faster.

Returning to her resting spot, she sat down and crossed her arms, staring into the darkness.

’Three days, and no changes. How much longer can he afford to stay like this?’

If he didn’t wake up soon, she might have to drag him along, unconscious or not. Staying in one place for too long was a death sentence. Even if the Stalker kept them safe for now, there was no telling when something stronger would appear.

Briar cast one last glance toward the now-dark hilltop before sighing.

Tomorrow, she would decide for sure.

For now, she closed her eyes and let exhaustion pull her under once more.

† †

Dawn — if it could even be called that in a world without a sun — arrived with an eerie stillness. The swirling black mist above remained unchanged, and the landscape was just as desolate as before.

Briar stretched her limbs and rolled her shoulders, shaking off the last traces of sleep.

The Blackmane Stalker crouched outside the small cave, watching her expectantly.

The sight was definitely creepy. Sometimes, Briar even forgetd that the Awakened Ghoul was permanently under her [Mind Control]. Her reaction was understandable. In fact, it would be strange if anyone wasn’t creeped out by this.

"Go hunt," she ordered.

Without hesitation, the Stalker obediently nodded without resistance and slunk into the shadows, completely vanishing from sight.

Briar rubbed her temples, then turned toward Klaus.

Enough was enough.

"Klaus."

Of course, the young ascendant was still asleep. If he had heard Briar actually call him by his name, he would have been truly happy.

At that moment, Briar’s patience snapped. All his physical wounds and internal injuries has already healed so he had no business remaining asleep. She even had to endure having one of her breasts being ’bitten’ by an Awakened Hollow, just for the sake of keeping him alive!

And it wasn’t pleasant at all!

By some miracle, she has managed to survive and her chest was utterly sore. Anyone in her position would naturally be frustrated, right? Well... maybe not everyone. Truth be told, she was physically weaker than Klaus. The only reason she had survived that fight was because she happened to be a succubus and possessed her natural trait, [Energy Drain].

So, in reality, her victory wasn’t skill or strength. She survived purely on just dumb luck!

And this guy was still unconscious after she’d risked everything to keep him breathing!

With that thought in mind, the frustrated succubus grabbed his shoulders and shook him, hard.

"Wake up, damn it! How long are you planning on sleeping?!"

A low, groggy groan slipped past his lips in response.

Briar froze.

Following that, his eyelids fluttered. His fingers twitched. His entire body trembled, as if struggling to break free from unseen chains binding his mind. Then, with a sharp inhale, his void-dark eyes slowly cracked open.

Nikolaus, the slayer of the Awakened Tyrant, had awakened from his slumber.