Chapter 39 True Reality
Fury burned inside my veins. The gleeful look in the Shamans eyes was imprinted into my mind.
The joy they took in killing my soldiers was a type of violence I had never experienced before.
They walked next to the corpses and kicked whatever remained of them.
The bones, covered in melted flesh, were flung around like rubbish.
Like the dead were just some kind of toy for them.
I took a deep breath.
Keep calm.
Ice-cold logic.
My fists unclenched, and I stopped thinking about rushing into the group of Stone Rank Shamans.
Even if I won and didn't die, that would have been a foolish move.
I looked around and saw that most of my soldiers were getting overwhelmed as more and more beasts kept flooding the second choke point.
Luckily, the group of Goblins near me was the only one.
It was at that moment that one of the Goblin Shamans looked up at me.
Our eyes met, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to still.
The sound disappeared. The fighting disappeared.
And just for a second, I could only think about the Shaman in front of me.
The Goblin smiled viciously, its ugly teeth showing.
As everything stilled, the thoughts inside my mind turned simple.
Kill.
Kill the ugly being in front of me.
Slaughter the Goblin that killed my men, avenge them, and win the battle. I clenched my fist, mana gathering inside my legs as I got ready to jump down. Then—
CRUNCH!
The grinning Goblin crushed the skull beneath its feet. Its grin brightened, but the thoughts inside my mind disappeared.
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
Magic. That fucker was using mind magic and almost manipulated me into doing something foolish. But it didn't know me. It didn't know that the crushing of the skull was the biggest mistake it was ever going to make.
The fury boiling inside my blood turned into icy-cold rage as I stared at the Goblin. It grimaced. Calmness returned to my eyes, and the world around me seemingly returned.
The sound of battle was heard again.
Then I mouthed something I was sure it was going to understand.
You will die.
The green filthy thing turned slightly pale, but I paid it no mind. Instead, I channeled the mana from my legs into my throat. It hurt. My vocal cords ached. I kept going despite it.
"Retreat to zone three! Third choke point!" I roared, overshadowing the sound of battle and death for a brief moment.
I broke down in another coughing fit, but that was alright. I watched as my soldiers sprang into motion. The reinforcements moved forward to help out the currently fighting soldiers. They slayed the animals together before moving back as fast as they could.
It was also at that moment that magic was flung from the back of our army.
It was not the Goblins, nor was it Sebastian, who had a separate task.
No, it was the twin duo who happened to awaken a trait.
Fireball followed by Ice Bolts smashed into groups of animal after animal.
The power was devastating. It could already compare to the strength of the Shamans.
That's what Rare Classes were for. Their Skills started at Rare.
In the far distance, a group of wolves got ready to pounce upon a couple of archers before a ball of fire enveloped the Wood Rank animals.
Their fur turned the same color as the forest. On my left, an Ice Bolt smashed into the face of a muscular charging boar, punching a giant hole straight through its skull.
I nodded, glad I had managed to recruit those two monsters.
I was even more glad that they followed my commands without hesitation. The call to retreat to the third choke point was the signal for them to spring into motion, and I was happy they did.
Let's go, I mouthed to Gerald, who nodded. By now, only he and I remained upon the earthen wall. The archers had long retreated. I glanced one last time at the Goblins, who didn't seem to bother to charge with the beasts.
They were trying to whittle us down.
I once again promised to take each and every one of their lives before we too retreated.
As we ran down the mound of earth, a wolf charged around the corner.
It opened its maw wide, ready to chomp down on Gerald's shoulder, but we had long heard the animal approach.
The man swung his gigantic double-handed sword with one hand and cleaved through the animal easily.
The wolf's momentum continued to go on, causing one half of its body to scatter behind us, while the other flew towards me.
Gerald kicked the second part away, and without saying anything, we continued running.
Behind us, the wolf was followed by its pack. We continued running but slowed down our pace. The animals continued to mindlessly charge behind us like we were some kind of prey as we made our way back towards the town and the third and last zone.
Just outside our archers' range, I turned back to the animals. There were ten, all Wood Rank. Besides them, there were no other beasts. I decided to engage with them and save a few arrows. My Mana gathered at the soles of my feet, and with a flash, I disappeared from my spot.
Mana Step was getting better and better.
I arrived in the midst of the charging wolves before the first could even react. My fist smashed into the leading animal; a grueling crunch was the result of my attack. I didn't bother checking whether or not the animal would live.
I knew it wouldn't.
In quick succession, I moved amongst the beasts, kicking, punching, and throwing the animals through the air. Each of my attacks was powered with Mana, therefore delivering enough force to one-shot all of those Wood Ranks.
It didn't even take ten seconds before I was surrounded by the corpses of ten wolves. My Unarmed Combat Skill was growing even more. I could feel it being on the verge of taking the next step.
I thanked the Gods for Minor Simulation.
Then I jogged back to Gerald, who watched me with his arms crossed.
"Satisfied?" he asked.
I glanced at the archers in the distance. Their eyes were filled with hope again.
I nodded.
Then we sped back towards the last zone.
The soldiers stood upon the walls, drew back the strings of their bows before firing at will.
It was quite the sight watching the volley of arrows arc into the sky, disappear into the dark sky before reemerging a moment later as they descended.
For a breath, I heard the whistling, followed by the cascade of thuds as the arrows pierced ground and animals alike.
I didn't linger to watch the spectacle. Instead, Gerald and I increased our speed, and finally, we arrived at the wall.
We climbed it with ease, a few soldiers running up towards us and making sure we were safe.
After confirming we were, they went back towards their posts.
Standing at the top of the wall, I breathed in deeply and Meditated, recovering my Mana.
A notification rang through my mind. I opened my eyes and glanced at the notification.
Meditation [Common] has reached level 8.
I dismissed the notification and closed my eyes once again, entering Meditation for a few more minutes. My Mana was now back to being full.
The moment I laid my eyes upon the battlefield, I saw the same scene from before play out. The rest of the close-range fighters and I stood in position, simply waiting and watching as the mass of beasts closed in upon us.
However, this time I noticed that the Beast Wave was significantly smaller.
And it shrank even further as the animals once again were confused by our maze. Others fell into holes, and even more went the wrong path. Volleys of arrows rained down from the sky, injuring more and more animals.
Minutes passed with deep anticipation, combined with an anxious heart that was forced to wait. Finally, after what felt like eternity, the first animals reached my soldiers, and the last battle began.
We couldn't retreat further, or else the town would be overrun.
We couldn't step back, or else our families would die.
This was where it was going to end. It was either us or them.
Weirdly, it was the wait before the fight that was the worst, and not the battle in and of itself. When you were forced to wait, all your worries, doubts, and fears would crash down on you. It was overwhelming.
So, I thanked my lucky stars as I watched a particular group of animals emerge through the maze. They shouldn't be here. Yet they were.
"Position 4!" I screamed, despite my aching vocal cords. "Stone Rank! Retreat at once. Gerald and I will take care of it."
I noticed Gerald frown, but he didn't refute my orders. We were the closest Stone Ranks to the beasts. Not only that, as we began to move towards our enemy, I couldn't help but feel the power that was oozing off it.
It wasn't just Stone Rank. It was at the peak of the Rank.
Even worse. It had multiple comrades at the beginning of Stone Rank.
Only Gerald and I were capable of taking on such a force.
We arrived within seconds, making sure not to waste any time. I scanned the battlefield briefly, making sure none of the Goblin Shamans were here, and after confirming they weren't, my full attention was devoted towards the group of beasts in front of us.
They were a group of wolves with midnight black fur that blended in perfectly in the dark. Besides their faint silhouettes, only their crimson eyes staring down on us were visible. I could feel the strength oozing off their bodies. Not every Peak Stone Rank being was the same.
This wolf was much stronger than Tom was.
"We have to take care of them quickly," Gerald said, and I nodded in response.