"Archers, aim for the giant wolves' legs to slow them down! Those on the outer perimeter responsible for defense, if injured, quickly retreat back into the formation, and be replaced by those behind them!"

Todd carefully calculated the strength ratio between the two sides. The beast pack originally had twenty-four giant wolves, nine of which were killed, leaving fifteen. Our side originally had about one hundred and forty warriors, but now there are less than one hundred and ten left.

"Hold the formation steady, don't let the war beasts charge in, we can win this battle!" Todd pulled a leg-damaged warrior from the outer edge of the circle into the formation, then took his place and began fighting alongside the others.

The giant wolf roamed for a while, then suddenly stopped, retreated a short distance, and began to approach the Empty Howling Sword.

A few seconds later, a large, unsteady she-wolf emerged from the forest and slowly walked toward the circle.

Its body was covered with cavities, and its abdomen was bulging high. Judging from its shape, it was filled with wriggling "spheres" and emitted an eerie red light through its belly.

As the mother wolf drew closer, her belly grew larger and larger, her movements became faster and faster, and the red light grew brighter and brighter.

Knowing something was terribly wrong, Todd immediately ordered his soldiers to concentrate their arrows on the strange she-wolf.

At the same time, the giant wolves around came to the mother wolf's side and used their bodies to cover her as she continued to move forward.

As they drew closer to the circular formation, the mother wolf let out a baby's cry and suddenly quickened her pace. The sphere inside her belly seemed like an inflated balloon, as if it might burst at any moment.

Todd roared, shoved aside the warriors beside him, covered his entire body with his metal skin, took a step forward, and plunged the blade in his hand into the she-wolf's head.

boom!

A loud bang.

The violent explosion occurred in front of the camp gate, and the huge blast wave overturned the fence and scattered the snow.

The circular defensive formation formed by the barbarian warriors was instantly disintegrated. Blood began to flow from the mouths and noses of the warriors who were standing closest to them, and it was clear that they were about to die.

Todd was thrown several meters away by the explosion, his head ringing in a cacophony of sound, a complete blur.

The world seemed to turn into a slow-motion movie in his eyes. Giant wolves leaped into the air, their sharp teeth reflecting a blinding light; barbarian warriors raised their hands to shield themselves, the fear on their faces slowly widening; a second and a third self-destructing she-wolves appeared at the edge of the forest.

Todd slowly stood up, and the passage of time around him slowed down, eventually freezing in a still image.

One after another, previously unseen images flashed rapidly before his eyes.

A sick barbarian boy is being escorted by a group of barbarians through a snow-covered forest to the shaman's house.

A barbarian boy, clinging to his mate's leg, looked at the pack of wolves before him. Several barbarian hunters with torches stood before him, driving away the wild beasts for him.

A barbarian youth led a group of warriors in a fierce battle against the enemy forces before them.

The memories flashed incessantly, and finally Boyle's pale blue spirit appeared before Todd.

“I am an incompetent man, an unfit leader…” Boyle’s spirit flickered, his expression somewhat bewildered, but mostly filled with sorrow: “My people cared for me and trusted me, but I failed to provide them with a better life…”

Todd exclaimed in surprise, "Weren't you wandering in the soul space? How did you break through the barrier and come here?!"

"The explosion created a rift in your soul world, and from there I saw what happened to my people, and through that rift I came before you." Boyle's spirit began to fade, and a smile slowly appeared on his face: "Todd, I owe you so much, but I still beg you to lend me your power one more time. In these last moments, I hope to do something for my people..."

"In the final moments...where were you?!"

Time passed and things returned to normal, and everything around us restarted.

But Todd discovers that his body is beginning to evolve, and an uncontrollable fighting spirit rises from the depths of his soul.

Ackerman held his tattered wooden shield high, the giant wolf's fangs drawing ever closer in his pupils, yet he had no power to retaliate and could only close his eyes and await his death.

A pair of jet-black iron claws emerged from behind him, gripping the giant wolf's upper and lower jaws tightly. With a swift movement of the claws, the giant wolf was torn in two.

A three-meter-tall humanoid monster leaped into the pack of war beasts, its jet-black iron scales repelling all attacks from the giant wolves. A breath of icy frost from its mouth froze the seven surrounding giant wolves into blocks of ice.

Seizing the opportunity, a self-destructing she-wolf climbed onto the monster's back. After the violent explosion, the monster was unharmed. It shook itself off, threw the she-wolf's shattered body to the ground, and then engaged in a fierce battle with the remaining war beasts.

In less than a minute, the entire War Beast Corps was wiped out.

The pitch-black monster glanced back at the surviving barbarian warrior, dropped the still-dripping wolf head in its hand, sprawled on all fours, and ran like the wind towards the northern battlefield without looking back.