Wolf of Mien

Dusk fell on the Mien Frontline, at the border of the Duchy of Uno.

Invaders from the Kingdom of Falor, clad in dark blue military uniforms, raised their country's latest weapon development – the improved bolt-action rifle with extended range – and charged towards the border line.

But they had only made it halfway when fireballs rained down from the sky above.

Two-meter diameter fireballs appeared out of thin air in the sky, like small meteorites, crashing down upon the dense crowd.

BOOM!!

The fireballs exploded on the ground, flames sweeping across the battlefield, incinerating a section of the charging enemy forces into charred fragments.

This was the counterattack of the Uno Soldiers.

On the approaching front line in the distance, mages in grass green military uniforms could be seen casting magic.

However, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Falor, though fearful, still charged forward bravely, undeterred by death. Upon seeing the mages, a commander even shouted commands towards them:

"The mages are over there! Concentrate fire!! Concentrate fire!!!"

Bang bang bang—!

Instantly, countless bullets poured towards the mages.

When the bullets struck the mages, a smooth magic shield appeared on their surface, blocking all the bullets.

But the next second, the shield shattered under the dense rain of bullets.

The mages themselves were also pierced by the bullets.

There was nothing they could do about it.

The effective range for magic to work was within fifty meters.

But the bolt-action rifles developed by the Kingdom of Falor had an effective range of up to six hundred meters!

If the mages stood further away to cast spells, their magic couldn't reach the enemy forces.

But if they stood closer…

It would be like it was now, being torn into flesh and blood fragments in the dense hail of bullets, dying completely!

Once firearms were developed, mages lost their former dominance on the battlefield.

They were no longer high and mighty nobles, nor were they noble spellcasters.

On the battlefield, they had only two identities.

The living.

Or the dead.

The death of the mages slightly lowered the morale of the border soldiers, but they quickly recovered.

On this bloody front line where countless people died every day, the death of a mage was not something worth caring about at all.

More than the death of the mages, what they cared about was how to fill the void left by their deaths.

Without the support of mages here, relying solely on their outdated old firearms, they were no match for the enemy.

But thankfully…

They hadn't reached the end of their rope yet.

Moments after the mages died, several assault squads from the Duchy of Uno also charged out of the trenches, rushing towards the enemy forces through the hail of bullets.

One four-person squad charged the furthest forward.

Three of them, one holding an iron shield, charged at the very front, with the other two providing cover fire with their guns.

As they approached the enemies charging at the forefront, a small figure abruptly darted out from within their formation!

Based on his build, he should have been a youth.

His age was likely no more than thirteen.

He wore the dark green military uniform of the Duchy of Uno, with the rank of sergeant sewn onto his small shoulders.

The youth held a military dagger in his hand.

To others, it was a short blade, but given the youth's height and age, it was a long saber.

The youth darted out from the formation with the blade, magic power flickering on the edge. Under the eerie cold glow, the blade light directly slashed across an enemy's throat!

Precise!

Swift!

From revealing his figure to killing an enemy with one strike, the entire process probably took less than two seconds, and the enemy was already dead under the youth's blade!

And the youth, after taking down one person, didn't stop.

He continued to rush towards the next enemy, facing the incoming bullets.

The blade in his hand was like the scythe of the God of Death reaping life. After the blade light flashed, an enemy was sure to fall.

"Damn brat—!"

Some enemies became aware of the youth's presence.

They turned their guns and started shooting at the youth, but his small, slender figure became an advantage in that moment.

Dodging and weaving left and right, he somehow managed to avoid every single bullet.

Soon, the enemies realized the youth's target was clear: their squad's commander!

"Don't let him get close...!"

Someone shouted a warning, but in an instant, they were pierced through the throat by the ghost-like youth.

However, their warning did grab the attention of the squad's leader.

The blonde youth looked at the figure charging towards him in the twilight, his pupils contracting slightly.

"The Wolf of Mien...?"

He clearly recognized who the youth charging at him was.

Precisely the enemy's ace, known as The Wolf of Mien on the Mien Frontline over the past year!

Although he looked small and slender like a youth, it was said he was a genius who had immersed themselves in the domain of magic for many years.

It was said they were close to forty years old, a combat expert invited by the enemy's royal family.

It was said the reason they maintained their youthful appearance was because they enjoyed bathing in the blood of young girls.

It was said...

No one targeted by them had ever left the battlefield alive.

The blonde youth stared intently at the youth charging towards him, but a hint of disdain curled on his lips.

This Wolf of Mien sounded terrifying, but seeing them in person, they were just a little kid who didn't even look like they'd reached adulthood.

Because they were close, the blonde youth could even see the kid's appearance.

Their skin wasn't extremely fair, but compared to soldiers constantly exposed to the elements, it was much, much fairer.

Their hair was dark gold, the hair color of most nobles in the Duchy of Uno. It seemed they had a bit of noble blood.

Their eyes were obscured by their hair, so the exact appearance couldn't be seen clearly, but from the faint glint occasionally visible, they were likely blue.

Their facial features were delicate, even refined. Even with dirt and bloodstains on their face now, it couldn't hide that beautiful face that could charm young girls to death.

The blonde military officer wasn't someone who judged by appearance.

But still, he didn't think this small, weak-looking little guy in front of him could possibly charge up and kill him.

And at this moment, he even hoped the other party would charge over.

Because at his waist, he had the new model revolver from Falor assigned to every military officer.

The bullets fired from this handgun were extremely powerful. Within ten meters, they could directly shatter the magic shield of a Title Rank mage!

As long as this Wolf of Mien in front of him dared to approach, he would turn this wolf into a dead wolf!

"They're really coming..."

The blonde military officer had only been thinking it to himself. He hadn't expected the Wolf of Mien to consider him an opponent.

After all, his position was relatively safe within the defenses.

But as it turned out, the other party really did see him as prey, and charged straight over!

"Hmph, asking for death."

The disdain on his lips became even more obvious. The blonde youth immediately raised his handgun, aiming at the youth getting closer and closer.

The distance between them was now less than ten meters. At this range, even a new recruit had a high chance of hitting an enemy's vital spot, let alone a trained kingdom military officer.

The blonde military officer aimed the gun at the youth's forehead, watching their figure get closer and closer, a cold sneer in his heart.

"Become my military merit! Wolf of Mien!"

Although it was a bit regrettable to kill such a 'little beauty', after all, there were quite a few people in the upper echelons of the Kingdom who liked this type of boy.

But there was nothing he could do. On the battlefield, the blonde military officer couldn't hold back.

Even though he didn't think the Wolf of Mien was that formidable, he still needed to be cautious and not give the other party a chance.

The blonde military officer's movements were decisive, and he drew his gun extremely quickly.

From drawing the handgun to aiming at the enemy, less than a second passed before the gunshot rang out!

Bang!!

Propelled by the flash of fire, the bullet flew out of the muzzle, shooting towards the youth charging towards him.

If nothing unexpected happened, at such close range, the youth would definitely be pierced through.

But in the next instant, the blonde military officer's expression changed from smugness to astonishment, then to panic.

CRASH!

The sound of a bullet piercing flesh didn't ring out. Instead, there was the sound of something shattering.

It was a magic shield!

A mage's magic shield!

The blonde military officer saw it clearly: the transparent Magic Shield only appeared just as the bullet reached the young man.

The bullet shattered the Magic Shield, but for some reason, its trajectory was deflected, grazing the young man's cheek.

The bullet did not pierce the young man's forehead!

"Damn it—!"

Realizing this, the officer finally panicked.

He controlled his right hand, which had fired the shot, and re-aimed the arm, which had risen from the recoil, at the young man.

However, in less than a second, the young man had already rushed in front of him!

Clang—

The short blade cut a golden arc in the setting sun.

Blood droplets scattered in the sunlight like golden beads.

The blonde military officer's throat was effortlessly slit by the opponent's short blade, which was infused with Magic Power.

It's a Title Rank.

Only a Title Rank Mage could use an Instant Cast Magic Shield at this distance to deflect a bullet!

This kid, who looks like he's only in his teens, is actually a Title Rank?

This thought flashed through the blonde military officer's mind as his gaze fell upon the young man.

In his final moments, the falling officer saw the young man's Sapphire-like eyes.

Those eyes were devoid of any emotion, looking at him as if he were trash casually discarded by the roadside.

With just a glance, the young man stepped over his body and sprinted towards the next target.

And this was the last image the blonde military officer saw before closing his eyes.