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It was a Fomoire even larger than the rest, clearly an enhanced variant within the group.
It charged forward, shoving aside its own allies, raising its weapon high in a massive overhead swing as it approached.
"BOOM!"
Directly in front of it, a Level 4 vanguard widened his eyes in terror through the slit in his shield.
Moments later, like a storm sweeping through, the monster's staggering strength crushed down, the shield bent inward, and the vanguard was blown away, tearing a hole in the front line instantly.
"Bete, patch the gap!"
"Tch, what the hell, seriously!"
The white-haired werewolf man clicked his tongue. He immediately switched from a skirmishing role to the front line, charging ahead.
But he was still a step too late. With the breach made, several monsters had already broken into the formation.
"Ooooohhhhh!!"
The monsters that invaded the formation roared thunderously.
The mages and supporters, previously protected by the vanguard, now stood like defenseless prey before the monsters, faces drained of color.
Line and Lefiya were among the mages. Facing monsters head-on, they were so terrified they nearly forgot to breathe, their hearts pounding out of control. The fear gripped them completely; they couldn't even dodge properly.
"ROAR!"
A Fomoire's attack exploded outward.
"Lefiya!"
Lefiya instinctively tried to evade, but the monster was far too fast.
Fomoire were monsters that threatened even Level 4 adventurers. When attacking in groups, even top-tier Familia vanguards had trouble holding them back. A delicate mage like Lefiya stood no chance.
"CLANG!"
At the last instant, just as Lefiya was about to be struck by the club, a flash of silver light swept in from the supporter ranks.
A blade carved a circular arc, redirecting the incoming club with a curved trajectory, guiding it downward to the ground.
"BOOM!"
The impact burst outward as Lefiya avoided a direct hit, but was still flung away by the shockwave.
"Tch! What monstrous strength!" Ryoji pulled back his katana, his arms trembling slightly from the recoil.
The power gap was at least tenfold!
If he hadn't used the Tai Chi Sword method to neutralize most of the force, he might've been crippled by just that one hit. Even so, both his arms were more than just numb, they were half-paralyzed.
"ROAR!"
The Fomoire bellowed again and raised its club toward the one who had provoked it.
"Ryoji!" Tiona called out in shock, subconsciously moving to help.
"Idiot! Don't abandon your post!" Tione quickly pulled her back. There were others around Ryoji too, it wasn't like the line would collapse immediately. Meanwhile, their side had to keep the monsters contained on the front lines.
Ryoji shifted his footing.
He had planned to dodge and counterattack, but the shockwave from the falling club had almost blown him away, and it was nearly impossible to mount a proper response.
"-Flickering Light and Passing Shadows!"
A vicious gleam lit up in Ryoji's eyes.
Then, he charged straight at the Fomoire.
Dash!
Slash!
It was a relentless advance with no fear!
His erratic breathing and shifting wrists caused the goat-headed monster to hesitate for just a moment, only reacting as the silver blade approached its face. It instinctively raised its club to block.
But in that instant, Ryoji's attack speed exploded, increasing by several times, leaving the monster swinging at thin air as the blade shot forward.
"CLANG, SSHHRAAK!"
The monster's muscles were so hard they reminded Ryoji of the floor boss Goliath.
His arms shuddered violently, but the katana tore through with unnatural force, ripping the tendons of the Fomoire's right arm.
"ROOOOAAAR!!"
Its right arm was instantly rendered useless, the club fell from its grasp, and the searing pain made it howl in rage. It retaliated with a punch from its left. But Ryoji was already on the move; he stepped lightly off the ground and used Sword Step to retreat, cleanly evading the monster's strike.
"Tch! Hah!"
While Ryoji was stalling the Fomoire, several supporters from the rear finally rushed up with shields and encircled the monster, temporarily containing it at the center of the formation.
"Shuā!"
Ryoji pulled a sword piece from the pouch at his lower back.
Shortly afterward, the blade tore through the air with a sharp whistle and pierced straight into the Fomoire's eyeball, swiftly stabbing into its brain and causing brain matter to explode outward.
The Fomoire's struggle came to an instant halt, then its body dissolved into black smoke.
"It's down!" Someone immediately cheered.
"Is this really the time to celebrate? There are two more over here!" Ryoji scolded, striding toward the other two battle zones.
There had been three Fomoire that breached the formation.
The strongest one was intercepted and taken down by Ryoji, but the other two weren't as lucky. A handful of Level 3 adventurers could only barely hold them off with shields, and no one even dared to attack.
And then,
A golden slash flashed through the formation.
Deep slashes opened across both Fomoire bodies. A golden-haired girl swayed her long hair as she moved, her rapier sliced through them like a hot knife through butter, reducing both monsters to pieces.
Without acknowledging the cheers and praise around her, she quickly exited the formation, even rushing past the frontline, charging straight into the monster horde.
With the power of a Level 5, she began a one-woman massacre among the Level 4 monsters.
"Amazing… as expected of a first-tier adventurer."
Ryoji let out a breath of relief. As the executives joined the battle one after another, the frontline stabilized once more, and the rear guard was secured again.
"You're insane! I've never seen a Level 2 go head-to-head with a Fomoire, and you actually killed it!"
Someone beside him immediately voiced their disbelief, looking at him as if he were some kind of monster.
But Ryoji was not satisfied.
He had used three special abilities just to barely bring down one Fomoire. Without them, he could only barely hold his ground, killing it would've been impossible.
"The flame will soon be released, , "
Emerald hair fluttered in the wind. A silver magic staff glowed with magical power. The breathtakingly beautiful Spirit/Elf, Riveria, was fully immersed in her chant.
"You, embodiment of the flames of Hel,
Burn all that exists,
Unveil the curtain of bloody war,
Scorch all in your path,
O sword of Surtr.
My name is Alf."
"---Laevateinn!"
For a full minute, her chant echoed like words of encouragement, helping the vanguard grit their teeth and hold the line.
Then,
Flames roared skyward.
Pillars of fire erupted from the magic circle beneath the ground. With a deafening roar, the flames avoided the frontliners like Ais and spread outward in a radial formation.
The blazing inferno, hot enough to burn the ceiling itself, did not simply pierce through the Fomoire. Instead, it engulfed their entire tribe, leaving no trace behind.
Riveria's wide-range annihilation magic incinerated all fifty Fomoire in just a matter of seconds.
Heat and ash filled the air.
The world was wrapped in blazing flame.
Every adventurer, including Ryoji, lowered their weapons, feeling as though they had just been reborn.
(End of Chapter)
PS-"For every 100 power stones, I'll release one bonus chapter (Current-0)!"