In ancient times, Sir was not a casual address. It was reserved for the learned, the virtuous, the worthy.
So when General Shaw began calling Fenric sir without his name, it meant something.
The first address was due to his strength. Now it’s due to his heroic heart.
In his eyes, Fenric had earned it. A man willing to stake his life to slay the Beast Queen and save the common folk—such courage was enough to be called a great hero.
(If General Shaw knew Fenric’s real motivation was "points, points, and more points," he might just spit blood.)
Fenric wasted no time arguing or accepting praise. He turned from the command tower, vaulted the parapet, and plunged straight into the seething sea of Taotie below.
From above, countless soldiers watched his back recede into chaos and felt their throats tighten. That lone figure seemed impossibly large.
He hit ground hard—and the change was immediate.
But the feral, ravenous Taotie soldiers around him suddenly faltered. Limbs slowed. Backs hunched. Heads sagged as if overcome by exhaustion.
Magnets.
Taotie soldier‑beasts shared a control link with the Beast Queen. Magnetic interference disrupted the signal; the beasts dulled, staggered... even dozed on their feet.
"..."
Fenric had known this from the original plot. He’d simply needed the right excuse to bring magnets into play.
He carved through the slowed creatures like a harvester through ripe grain.
Chop!
Three Taotie dropped in the time it took to breathe.
But there was no longer any point reward for basic soldier‑kills, so he didn’t linger. Blade flashing, he drove straight toward the distant bulk of the Beast Queen.
"Effective! The magnet works!" General Shaw slammed a fist to the railing.
"Everyone—full assault! Cut them down and cover Sir Fenric!" he roared.
"Compliance!"
Batteries of heavy crossbows unleashed storms of bolts; trebuchets hurled flaming stone. Infantry surged. Every arm of the Nameless Order shifted pressure to buy Fenric space.
Only Lin Mei couldn’t quite shake the knot of worry in her chest.
With the whole army cracking the Taotie line to open a path for him, Fenric advanced fast.
The defenders watched with held breath. Their hope—humanity’s hope—now rode that single charging figure.
The Taotie saw it too. A ripple of alarm spread through the horde as they realized the human who had slaughtered so many of their number was heading straight for their Queen. Packs peeled away and howled, crashing inward to swarm him.
In moments, Fenric stood in a ring of bodies ten thousand strong.
On the wall, palms slicked with sweat. Lin Mei leaned forward, knuckles white.
Fenric? Calm as still water. The Heart of the Brave left no room for fear. And with magnetic interference muddying Beast Queen control, these Taotie were slow, clumsy—livestock with fangs.
"Out of my way."
He hacked a path forward.
At last he saw it: the towering form of the Beast Queen, crouched behind a living barricade of massive elite guards.
The Beast Queen saw him too.
Its mind was webbed to every Taotie on the field. It felt their deaths—felt the black blade that tore its brood apart. Felt the magnetic noise chewing at its commands.
That human in black armor was the source.
"ROOOOAAARRRR!!!!"
A guttural roar shook the valley, raw with fury.
All around, Taotie answered, bellowing as one. The sound pounded against Fenric like a physical force—but he only tightened his grip and pushed harder.
The Beast Guards were enormous—elephant‑sized slabs of muscle bred to shield the Queen rather than hunt. Under strong command they were dangerous. Under magnetic disruption? Sluggish.
One guard thundered forward in a straight‑line charge.
Fenric sprang, clearing its head in a single bound. He landed on its back, drove Black Blade Shusui straight down, and pierced the skull.
The beast convulsed and collapsed.
You killed Taotie (Beast Guard). Gained 1,000 points!
"!!"
Fenric’s eyes lit. One guard is a thousand? Then what’s the Beast Queen worth...?
Two more lumbered in—too slow. Two more fell.
Magnets humming, blade dripping, Fenric advanced through the wreckage toward the Beast Queen.
The Beast Queen felt its guards dying. Felt command threads snapping one by one. The human carved through its defense as though walking downhill.
Not human, the Beast Queen’s hunted mind concluded in alien panic. This thing is not human!
It did the only thing left: issued a full retreat order to every Taotie still under its sway.
The horde began to break.
The Beast Queen turned—
—and tried to flee!