Chapter 263: Trust Me. I’ll Take the Lead. (2)


    The lieutenant looked bewildered. Why on earth would they open the fortress gates and charge out into the fray? Unfortunately, hecked the ability to grasp the unfolding battle as keenly as Grant could.


    “The ones down below are quite capable. If they fight to their deaths, the number of monsters will significantly decrease,” the lieutenant remarked, reluctant to risk his own life by suggesting others sacrifice theirs instead.


    Grant’s lips twitched in irritation at the cowardly remark.


    “If you don’t prepare to open the gates immediately, I’ll cut off your head first.”


    “…Understood. I’ll obey.”


    As Grant’s orders were ryed by the stationed officers, the soldiers began to move.


    After assessing the situation a bit longer, Grant shouted again.


    “Archers, focus your fire on the flying monsters and those on the outskirts! Aim carefully to ensure our allies aren’t caught in the crossfire!”


    “The rest of you, raise your shields and draw the monsters’ attention! Leave the attack to the hunters!”


    “Move quickly! We’re heading out now!”


    Boom!


    “Hoo-rah!”


    The fortress gates swung wide open. Turian soldiers, shields raised, charged out with roaring battle cries.


    Archers concentrated their fire on the approaching monsters from the outer edges. They were seasoned veterans, capable of executing theirmander’s orders with precision, having faced countless battles against monsters.


    Once the gates were fully opened and all the soldiers had exited, the hunters stationed on the fortress walls shouted down.


    “Grant! What are you doing? Are you insane?”


    “Get a grip! The sudden attack is just pushing the monsters closer to us!”


    “Look at their numbers! We’re all going to die at this rate!”


    Grant, who was arming himself and descending from the wall, nced at the yelling hunters and spoke coldly.


    “We’re abandoning the fortress to fight. If we die, you’ll die too. If you don’t want to die,e down here and fight.”


    “You… you bastard…”


    The hunters found themselves in a helpless position. With the fortress’s regr forces now fully deployed, their options were reduced to either joining the fight or fleeing.


    But even fleeing wasn’t a viable option. The gates on the opposite side of the fortress were still firmly shut. Even if they managed to escape, what awaited them afterward would be far worse.


    Grant smirked knowingly and delivered his parting remark.


    “Don’t forget that your hunter certification and agreements have already been sent to the royal court.”


    The Kingdom of Turian didn’t keep duplicate copies of all hunters’ certifications and agreements without reason.


    Hunters who refused to fight monsters were useless to the kingdom. If they were caught fleeing, they’d be banned from entering any region of the kingdom. In the worst-case scenario, they could even be executed.


    “Damn it! We were going to fight anyway!”


    After all, they wouldn’t have climbed the fortress walls if they didn’t intend to fight. They had battle experience and had nned to give it their all.


    They really were prepared to fight hard—until that lunatic Ghiin showed up and upended their strategy.


    “Let’s go. We don’t have a choice.”


    At one hunter’s prompting, the others nodded in agreement. They had nowhere else to go anyway.


    Regardless of the reason, they wouldn’t havee to a dangerous ce like this unless they were cornered.


    “Screw it! It doesn’t matter if we die here or there!”


    “Those crazy soldiers are fighting well enough; we’ll manage somehow.”


    “Let’s move! We need to form a proper formation!”


    The hunters let out battle cries and charged forward. By then, the soldiers had already formed shield formations.


    With the addition of the hunters from within the fortress, the monster assault began to lose momentum. Most of the monsters near the fortress had been thinned out thanks to Ghiin rampaging deep within their ranks.


    The hunters who had been fighting earlier sneered at the neers.


    “Hey, you scared little cowards. Afraid toe out and fight? This is our job!”


    “Idiot, look who’s talking. You’re out here now only because you were forced. Just stay back and watch me kill them all—you might piss yourself otherwise.”


    Harsh words flew back and forth, but the hunters didn’t stop grinning.


    Thisrge-scale battle was a first for them too, and the thrill ofbat began to stir their spirits.


    The reason they could fight so fiercely was simple: it was all thanks to Ghiin. His overwhelming strength was what made it possible.


    As all the forces merged into one, Ghiin smirked.


    “You should’vee sooner. At least you’vee to your senses now.”


    Boom!


    Swinging his greatsword, he scattered the monsters around him and turned to shout loudly.


    “Soldiers, focus solely on defense and drawing the monsters’ attention! Hunters, follow me! We’ll retreat for now!”


    At those words, Ghiin suddenly retreated. The monsters, now without a target, turned ferocious once again and charged forward.


    “Follow quickly!”


    The cries of the Fenris Knights echoed from all sides. They understood that in battle, Ghiin’s orders were absolute.


    The hunters, regaining theirposure, fell back, rushing after Ghiin. This movement caused the soldiers of Turian to take the lead in holding the front line.


    “What should we do?!”


    The retreating hunters left the soldiers in confusion. As the frontline was their responsibility, they couldn’t simply pull back.


    Grant quickly regained hisposure and shouted, trusting in Ghiin’s judgment. If they had followed him this far, it was better to stick to his strategy until the end.


    “Extend the defensive line! We’ll draw the monsters’ attention!”


    ng! ng! ng!


    Roar!


    The shield wall extended in a long line. The monsters viciously attacked the soldiers blocking their path.


    “Ugh!”


    A myriad of monsters had gathered. Naturally, many of them could easily leap over a mere shield wall.


    “Spearmen!”


    Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!


    Grant relied on the most straightforward tactics tobat the monsters.


    However, these weren’t human foes. Many monsters had grotesque physiques and strength that far surpassed human limits.


    Flying monsters, in particr, bypassed formations entirely, swooping down to attack from above, making them even harder to fend off.


    Archers who had followed them from the rear, along with those on the fortress walls, worked tirelessly to intercept the flying creatures, but their efforts had limits.


    The soldiers were gradually pushed back, unable to maintain the defensive line.


    Screech!


    “Argh!”


    “Fall back slowly!”


    “What are the hunters doing?!”


    As the soldiers were driven back, a dent began to form in the center of the defensive line.


    Seeing this, Ghiin remarked calmly.


    “Good. They’re holding out well. It’s time for us to counterattack.”


    Kaor shouted from the side.


    “The soldiers are being pushed back! Hey! We need to step in now!”


    Ghiin nodded in agreement.


    “Alright, let’s go.”


    “To where?”


    “From now on, we’ll focus on one side.”


    Boom!


    Ghiin shot forward, cleaving monsters with his greatsword as he roared.


    “Follow me! Break through the left nk! Ignore the monsters advancing ahead! The soldiers will handle them!”


    Whirr!


    The crimson glow in Ghiin’s eyes deepened. His massive greatsword began to radiate the same intense red light.


    This was a sharper, more distinct glow than before.


    Ghiin had activated the “Third Core”, drawing out all his mana.


    BOOM!


    With a single strike, dozens of monsters exploded, their bodies scattering in all directions. Ghiin charged through the left nk, carving a path through the monsters.


    “Move faster! That guy’s so damn fast it’s hard to keep up!” Kaor shouted, running after him, gritting his teeth as he followed.


    “Waaaah!”


    The hunters, inspired by Ghiin’s incredible strength, roared as they surged forward.


    Boom! Crash!


    Screech!


    The monsters’ nk began to copse. As Ghiin opened up space, knights and hunters poured into the gaps, attacking the disoriented monsters.


    Even the flying monsters couldn’t stop their advance.


    Thrust!


    Dozens of spears shot out, piercing the oing flying creatures.


    Although it was impossible to intercept every flying monster, those that descended were shredded by thebined attacks of the knights and hunters.


    They were more than capable of handling a few monsters on their own.


    Boom!


    Ghiin’s greatsword showed no signs of slowing down. The monsters couldn’t withstand even a single strike, exploding with each blow.


    But that wasn’t all.


    Whirrr—!


    At some point, several spears began to orbit around Ghiin.


    Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!


    The spears shot out, striking nearby monsters before returning to Ghiin’s side.


    Ghiin continued his straight charge, eliminating monsters at a distance with his magical spears. This made the knights’ and hunters’ progress increasingly easier.


    Screech!


    The monsters’ cries filled the air. The group of monsters gathered in the rear had a nk that had beenpletely shattered.


    This was Ghiin’s favored “nk rotation strategy”. Originally designed for cavalry to exploit the vulnerabilities of heavily armored infantry from the rear and sides, it required precise coordination and training to execute sessfully.


    Normally, such a tactic could be countered by an opponent’s own cavalry or by piercing the center with infantry to set up a counter-surrounding maneuver.


    But monsters didn’t know tactics. They only cared about fighting whatever was in front of them, which made them more susceptible to human strategies.


    As long as there was a strong enough individual to break through, the n could seed.


    “Run faster! Strike their rear before the defensive line copses!” Ghiin shouted as he stomped the ground with one foot.


    BOOM!


    The ground trembled, causing the surrounding monsters to stumble. People were astonished by the overwhelming force, but there was no time to marvel.


    Ghiin was moving so quickly that keeping up with him was already a struggle.


    Sizzle!


    Ghiin’s body, drenched in monster blood, continually emitted a red steam.


    Crack!


    The sound of bones twisting echoed ominously.


    In truth, his body was far from fine. Activating the Third Core had already pushed him to his limits.


    Though he could now amplify his mana more intensely and sustain it longer than before, he couldn’t maintain this state indefinitely.


    ‘I have to push harder, faster.’


    Under normal circumstances, he would have conserved his strength and fought strategically. But now, there was no time for that.


    The soldiers of Turian and the hunters were not properly trained. They weren’t a unified army, making it difficult for them to follow Ghiin’s tactics effectively. No matter how well hemanded, there were limits.


    The hastily formed defensive line couldn’t hold the monsters off indefinitely. They needed to strike decisively and eliminate the threat while the line still held.


    Grit.


    Ghiin clenched his teeth and pressed the attack. If the offensive faltered, the monsters would only be more ferocious.


    Boom! Boom!


    Drip.


    At some point, blood began to drip from Ghiin’s nose. His hand holding the greatsword trembled slightly.


    But he didn’t stop. He continued to drive the monsters back.


    It was only then that the knights and hunters following behind Ghiin began to realize what was happening.


    “We… are attacking their rear?”


    “What’s going on?”


    “I don’t know! Just keep pushing forward!”


    Screech!


    Monsters that had been charging toward the front suddenly found themselves attacked from behind as well.


    Grant, astonished by the drastic shift in the battle, clenched his fist tightly.


    ‘Amazing! To carve through that horde and attack their rear like this! How does he evene up with such tactics in this situation?!’


    Though monsterscked intelligence, they were far from easy opponents. The problemy in their overwhelmingly superior physiquespared to humans. Even the weaker ones made up for it with sheer numbers.


    Yet, despite not being a cavalry charge, Ghiin had managed to break through the horde and seize the rear.


    Grant felt a pang of regret. If they had trusted Ghiin and quickly advanced formation from the start, the casualties would have been much lower, and the battle far easier.


    But he shook his head immediately. Regret wouldn’t change the past. All that mattered now was focusing on the fight.


    “Advance further! Hold the line a bit longer! Reinforcements areing from behind!”


    This strategy required the front line to hold firmly for it to work. Only then could pressure be applied from both sides.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Grant’s rallying cries spurred the soldiers to grit their teeth and push forward once more.


    Screech!


    The monsters had no idea what was happening. Acting purely on instinct, they turned to face the new threats behind them, attacking the nearest enemies.


    The number of monsters pressing forward dwindled. With half the monsters turning to face their rear, the defensive line began to stabilize.


    Boom!


    Ghiin poured everyst ounce of strength into decimating the monsters at the forefront. As time passed, their numbers continued to dwindle dramatically.


    Watching Ghiin, one hunter shouted loudly.


    “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! Just a little more, and we can win this!”


    Motivated by Ghiin, the knights and hunters who still had strength left became an even greater force.


    They surged forward in unison, ughtering any monsters in their path.


    But their efforts soon caught the attention of the most powerful monster on the battlefield.


    Growl.


    Amid the horde was a visiblyrger monster with two heads.


    It was the Twin-Headed Ogre.


    In every monster wave, there was always a leader thatmanded the horde. This wave’s leader was undoubtedly the Twin-Headed Ogre.


    From its position at the rear, the creature was now charging forward, trampling its own kin in a disy of ferocity.


    “RAAAAH!”


    The Twin-Headed Ogre let out a guttural roar, so powerful that the surrounding monsters stumbled and retreated.


    Unlike most monsters, the Twin-Headed Ogre possessed higher intelligence. While it didn’t fully understand what had happened, it was aware that its situation was dire.


    The massive creature wielded a giant club—essentially a thick tree crudely stripped and shaped to fit its enormous grip.


    Thud. Thud. Thud.


    As the Twin-Headed Ogre barreled toward the rear, knights and hunters froze in fear.


    Just the sight of its charge sent nearby monsters flying. Any that obstructed its path were swatted aside by its colossal club.


    “Fall back!”


    “Leave that thing to someone else!”


    “Focus on taking down the smaller ones first!”


    The hunters began clearing the area around them, their gazes inevitably drawn to Ghiin. No one dared to face the monstrous ogre head-on.


    Only one person here could confront such a beast.


    The Fenris Knights also turned to Ghiin, shouting.


    “My lord, we’re counting on you!”


    “Something like that is no match for our lord!”


    “Let’s quickly clear the area to give him room to fight!”


    Ghiin had already carved through thousands of monsters single-handedly. Taking down the Twin-Headed Ogre should be no problem for him.


    After all, in the past, even when he was weaker, he had defeated far more terrifying creatures like the Blood Python.


    The knights and hunters wore confident smiles. Having someone like Ghiin on their side made any battle feel far less daunting.


    Ghiin nced around at his allies. Their faces were filled with anticipation, their expressions brimming with faith in him.


    Seeing their smiles of trust, Ghiin couldn’t help but grin as well.


    And then…


    “Cough!”


    Ghiin suddenly coughed up blood and dropped to one knee.


    “……”


    The sight of Ghiin coughing blood drained the color from everyone’s faces, leaving them pale with shock.