Roland rubbed his eyes. What the hell was this? If the mutations of evil beasts were still within the realm of biology and could be somewhat understood, this creature before him was clearly as absurd as a horror movie.
From afar, it looks like a giant turtle with two heads, but up close, you'll see it's actually two wolf heads.
"Could these be the test subjects of the Science怪人?" Roland mused. The colossal creatures stood nearly as tall as the city walls, measuring six meters in length with six legs—short, thick, and rhinoceros-like. Yet a single leg alone could rival an adult's torso. As for the heads... those two wolf heads bore no resemblance to the iconic two-headed monsters from films. They neither raised to roar in turn nor fought each other, showing no sign of defiance. Instead, they hung low, their eyes vacant and lifeless, moving forward like slow-moving zombies.
The most striking feature is likely the exoskeleton beneath the monstrous creature. Its grayish-brown surface appears dull and lacks luster, covered with algal vegetation, giving it an exceptionally hard appearance. Like a turtle's shell, it extends from head to tail. If this creature could retract into its shell like a turtle, it would indeed be quite challenging to eliminate.
Roland, however, was undaunted. A slow-moving monster like this was bound to be a prime target. Even if firearms couldn't penetrate its armor, they could still blast the exposed wolf head. If it retreated into its shell, they could simply detonate explosives to shatter it completely.
"Your Highness, this is a hybrid beast," Iron Axe God leaned in nervously. "I understand why different species of evil creatures act in groups. They must have been driven here by this hybrid." "Like lions herding sheep?" Roland nodded. "This is quite different from the one you encountered last time." "I've never seen a hybrid of this type before. Though it looks clumsy, don't underestimate it—any hybrid is likely to be difficult to handle." "It's within range," Roland said. "Try shooting first." Snowflakes drifted from the sky as the unpredictable northwest wind blew, making it an unsuitable day for archery. Yet the two hunters selected by Iron Axe appeared confident.
They climbed the watchtower, determined the wind direction, and shot arrows into the air.
The two arrows, as if with eyes, soared to their peak and, under the combined forces of wind and gravity, struck the target shell at a near-vertical angle.
Just as expected, the arrow was deflected, and Roland even heard a bounce notification in his mind.
The two men remained calm, continuing to draw their bows and release arrows, swiftly firing two more consecutive shots.
The final volley of arrows proved effective, with all strikes landing in front of the monster. One arrow pierced the wolf's head with precision, while the other embedded itself into its neck.
However, instead of roaring in anger or sprinting faster, it paused briefly, then tucked its head and feet into the shell and continued to move forward slowly.
The change left everyone stunned.
The monstrous beast now resembled a tank with lowered ground clearance, its armored hull nearly touching the ground as it advanced. Even the most skilled archer could not penetrate its body with an arrow.
"Fire the gun," Roland ordered.
Now the target is only fifty feet from the wall, so even a flintlock without rifling won't miss.
Carter and Iron Axe and their crew immediately moved to the barrier wall, leveled the gun barrel against the wall, aimed, and fired.
A plume of white smoke drifted past, and Roland could clearly see the fragments of the bullet striking the shell, with a small piece of the shell shattering. The hybrid species remained unaffected, continuing at its original speed.
The armor's strength still falls within the carbon-based biological category, he thought. Unfortunately, lead bullets are too soft and prone to warping, making them unsuitable for penetrating thick armor. Relying solely on these four guns to shatter the hybrid-type armor is unrealistic; explosives would be the only viable option.
Iron Axe's assessment aligned with Prince's. He immediately designated the deputy of the lance squad to transport explosives, while the demonic beast had already pressed itself against the city wall. Realizing it could no longer advance, the creature's shell began to tremble violently, striking the wall repeatedly at lightning-fast frequency like an electric hammer. Stone fragments flew everywhere, and cracks rapidly spread along the cement joints.
The rubble wall exhibits exceptional compressive strength but demonstrates negligible tensile and shear resistance, rendering it virtually ineffective against seismic forces. Those standing on the structure experienced intense tremors, followed by a piercing grinding sound that soon reached their ears as a swarm of crustaceans had carved through the wall.
The impact did not stop, and it began to move again, embedding the entire front of its body into the wall.
The militiamen fled in panic from the cracked section of the wall, while Roland was lifted mid-air by the invisible Nightingale and leapt down from the top—had anyone been watching Prince, they would have seen him land with his feet dangling in midair, ghostly and unsteady.
When Fan Na arrived with great caution carrying a package of explosives, he was astonished to find a nearly nine-foot-wide breach in the middle section of the city wall. The evil beast that had crossed the wall ceased its vibrations but continued to move forward slowly at its previous speed.
"Quick!" The iron axe roared. "Light it and place it under this beast's feet!" Though his hands trembled, Vanna's mind unexpectedly cleared, recalling every detail of the explosive pack's operation from training. Unlike test specimens, the final product featured reduced charges, encased in wooden boards with spent ore fragments between them. The ignition system was optimized with a flint-and-wire pull method. Should it fail, a normal ignition fuse remained at the pack's tail. In a frantic attempt, he tore open the outer oil-soaked cloth, gripped the exposed copper wire bend, and yanked with all his might. A sharp hissing echoed from the wooden box, followed by smoke—proof of successful ignition.
The salt-soaked fuse burned with a slow, deliberate pace, taking about ten breaths to complete. As Fan Na watched the box emit wisps of white smoke, the world around him seemed to fall into a hush. He had witnessed the weapon's devastating power firsthand—had it exploded in his hands, he might have been reduced to nothing but a lifeless shell.
Nine breaths.
Vanne listened to her thudding heartbeat, silently counting down the seconds, and approached the monster step by step, planting the explosive device along its path.
Five breaths.
Then it just pressed on, and nothing could stop it.
Three breaths.
Vanne turned and ran.
Two breaths.
A sharp thud—Vanah felt a violent jolt beneath his feet, and the world grew noisy once more.
He turned his head and saw a white plume of air surge from beneath the shell—snow kicked up by the explosive, which at first glance resembled a swirling cloud of mist. The monstrous beast finally halted, as if it could no longer bear its own weight, and the massive armor crashed to the ground with a thunderous crash. Then, black blood gushed forth from the shell, drenching the surrounding ground.
"Oooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohooohoo
Vanne slumped onto the floor, only to realize by then that his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
It's finally over.
When all of them thought so, the horn blared again across the border.
Another wave of evil beasts emerged from the horizon, charging toward this remote border town.