Chapter 440: Beyond ExpectationsAs soon as the battle started, it was different from what was nned, the people who were supposed to attack Takumi and his party from behind did not show up. Forbach was irritated.


    And, despite the sheer number of people that he gathered, the members of the dark guilds and the mercenaries were dispersed.


    「……what the hell is that!」


    A metal horse armored Tsubaki and a 3 meter tall Metal Golem were beating up his subordinates left and right in front of Forbach. It was as though he was watching a parody of a scene.


    「……just what the hell is that!?!」


    The ten immortal soldiers he prepared out ofcency were all killed by the magic spear-wielding Sophia, Maria, and Takumi.


    「What the actual fuck!!」


    The mages and archers were being overpowered by two girls firing magic at them. The mages of the dark guilds and mercenaries were frantic just trying to keep up a magic barrier. Even so


    Forbach intended on letting the immortal soldiers loose on Takumi’s party, then using his trump card, the ck Ogre, to attack them. At this rate, they would tear through the center and the front will copse.


    However, Forbach concluded this toote.


    「Shit! What the fuck are those guys at the rear doing!?」


    It irritated Forbach that he did not see the troops who were supposed to ambush from the back, but not even in his wildest dreams could he have thought that something worse was happening in the woods back there.


    「How……… did ite to this……」


    A hoarse voice escaped from Forbach’s lips.


    Let’s return to the start of the battle.


    A short distance from the road withrge boulders on either side was a grove of trees.


    There, mainly the fighters of the dark guild 『Moonlight Owl』were concealing themselves so they could cut off their targets’ retreat and encircle them, in order to ambush them so they would kill their target with certainty.


    There were those holding bows, there were those carrying giant axes, and there were those with staves ready to start chanting.


    These people who were on standby to move as soon as the signal from Forbaches were a gathering of some of the most skilled people among the dark guilds. Even if, say, they didn’t see the signal from Forbach, they were a group of people who had gone through fights without mistaking their target for someone else.


    However, those so called elite fighters from the dark guild were about to know the true meaning of horror.


    「<em>Hyu</em>!」


    A voice that wasn’t a shriek leaked from someone’s mouth.


    A secondter, something could be heard falling, and these professional killers who were calmly waiting looked at the source of the sound with a scowl.


    「Wha!? …………」


    The man to notice the first let out a startled yell became the next person to suffer the fate of the first.


    <em>Dosa</em>!


    「<em>Uwaaaaa</em>ーーー!!」


    What rolled by his feet was the head of apetent mage even in the organization. Without knowing what had happened, their head fell off, andrge volumes of blood spurt from his body.


    「Hiiiii!! Huh!? W-what’s wrong with my feet!?! 」


    A man who fell into a panic realized that his body couldn’t move freely, causing him to panic even more.


    <em>Zashu</em>!


    「Eh!?」


    He heard a piercing sound then he realized that there were ws jutting out from his own chest as he vomited blood. It was then that the man’s consciousness ceased. For all eternity.


    「It’s an attack! Watch out for friendly fire!」


    The instant after a man regained his senses and shouted, hopelessness manifested right in front of him.


    「It’s the same even if you notice, you knoooow!」


    Her upper half was that of a girl, and her bottom half was a gigantic spider. It was a monster you didn’t even need to be an adventurer to know. A single one is said to be able to ruin a small country, a disaster level S rank monster, an Arachne. As it was a monster capable of speaking human tongue, it might be even higher. The man’s thoughts ended there.


    The inside of that grove was the most ideal ce for the Arachne, Kaede. Erasing her presence with a high level Stealth Skill, Kaede’s stealth was further strengthened by her presence concealing robe.


    An assassin who can do soundless three dimensional maneuvers from tree to tree and attack.


    When ites to silent killing, there was no one better among herrades than Kaede, and there was no one inside that grove that could escape her aim.


    It only took a few moments for the grove, where many lied hidden for an ambush, to flood with the thick stench of blood.


    In that spot remained only headless corpses and bodies whose heads and chests were pierced by ws. Kaede sought new prey and headed back to Takumi’s side.


    ***


    <strong>Footnotes:</strong>