As they had expected, it was four giant Ghoul Knights who dashed out from the shadows, their dark eyes staring death right at the group.
The Ghoul Knights (Guardians) were greatly towering, broad-shouldered, and covered in plates of bone armor that clacked with every movement. Their glowing dark eyes swept across the chamber like searchlights, and their jagged claws scraped against the stone floor. They looked less like creatures and more like sieges of weapons carved from flesh and death.
"Four Ghoul Knights, coming to attack us and leaving just one to protect the Ghoul Lord. That's rare," Alexa commented as she stared at the Ghouls approaching.
"Guess the Ghoul Elders got a shift today. They must be—"
Before Jon could finish his statement, a sudden whoosh surged from behind, followed by a cold gust that swept over the party. Thick, grey mist exploded into the chamber like a smoke bomb, swallowing the light from their torches and clouding the space around them.
"Fog spell!" Alexa shouted.
But her voice was already muffled.
Dozens of low, echoing growls filled the chamber. From all sides, silhouettes moved through the fog like shadows in a nightmare.
"The Ghoul Elders," Callum muttered grimly, tightening his grip on his sword.
Thirteen shapes crept forward, each draped in black and bone. Each one seemed to mutter incantations, their long fingers tracing runes into the air, keeping the fog thick and disorienting. Sharp dark eyes gleamed through the haze, blinking in perfect synchronization. They had surrounded them.
"We should regroup!" Callum ordered.
The group quickly gathered in one spot, each of them facing a different direction. The fog had almost covered their view, but they could still detect the Ghouls by their shiny dark eyes.
"Well, guess we thought wrong. The Ghoul Elders were actually planning how to kick our ass," Jon said.
"Too bad, but we'll be kicking theirs instead," Alexa said and tried to move.
However, Callum quickly held her back. He knew she wanted to attack them, but he had to remind her that these weren't the Ghoul Warriors or Hunters she'd faced before.
"Hey, Alexa!" Callum snapped. "This fog isn't something you can outrun. Your speed won't matter if you can't see what's coming. Stay close... We fight together, or we die one by one."
Alexa gave him a stare and nodded after hesitating for a moment. It was clear that the fog was overwhelming, and fighting alone was literally courting death.
"Lira, we need your shield," Callum then turned to the young girl.
Lira nodded at once and activated Guardian Shield.
The Ghoul Elders were B-rank Ordinary Monsters, so the shield could be quite effective against their attacks, depending on how long the clash lasted.
The skill required mana to activate, and if she happened to run out of mana, there would definitely be a problem... that's if Callum and the rest hadn't taken down the Ghouls by then.
The Ghoul Knights possessed long claws the length of sword blades, each arm gathering about seven blades. It would be a great nightmare if any of those blades made contact with skin, and this was one of the reasons Callum and his friends had to be careful.
Crimson Severance.
Blitz Step.
Titan's Grip.
Guardian's Shield.
The consumption of mana soared in the jagged tunnel of the dark cavern, as the clash began.
"CROOOOO!"
"CROOOOOOOO!"
"CROOO~!"
The Ghoul Knights voiced what sounded like battle cries as they charged at the group with rage, thrusting their unforgiving arms as they sought blood.
Ghoul Knights were A-rank Ordinary Monsters, which meant their attack could only be tamed by 20 percent. Lira might have said it was useless at that point, but to Callum, it wasn't.
While the guard kept the Ghoul Elders' supporting weapon attacks at bay, Callum and Jon focused on the Ghoul Knights.
They were literally the main threat in the scene and needed hard force to take them down.
Alexa and Lira took out the Ghoul Elders one by one... Though it didn't go that easily since the Ghoul Elders weren't as weak as the Ghoul Warriors and Hunters, they still defeated them.
Alexa used her twin daggers without running around this time, and it definitely wasn't bad. After all, she had always practiced this way in the training rooms... It was never a new thing.
The Ghoul Knights launched crazy attacks against the two young men, who didn't fail to save themselves from the strikes.
When in a fight, one had to understand one logic...
"You have to escape any enemy's attack to stay alive."
"Receiving the enemy's attack and then waiting to make yours would only lead you to death."
"CRAAAAAAA!!!"
The Ghoul Knights became furious as they noticed the kids escaping their strikes. They moved several steps forward—it was clear they could see perfectly in the fog.
At a point, one of the Ghoul Knights finally fell into Callum's trap, as he landed a successful strike with Crimson Severance.
The Ghoul Knight was an A-rank Ordinary Monster, so he had to make a double strike before he could take it down, but it was worth it.
Jon, on the other hand, was facing off with one Ghoul Knight, while Callum was facing the other two.
Crimson Severance still did a great job in both offense and defense, but it didn't go as easily as he had expected.
The Ghoul Knights made sure that Callum was worn down, showing no sign of exhaustion even after a long fight.
Callum was even on the verge of tripping, but he had to stand strong. He knew his performance here would determine whether he lived or not.
And he didn't want to die...
Not now... at least.
Gathering the greatest courage he could muster, he made a final slash that divided both Knights into two halves at once, sealing his victory.
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[You have slain an A-rank Ordinary Monster, Ghoul Knight. +200 EXP]
[You have slain an A-rank Ordinary Monster, Ghoul Knight. +200 EXP.]
[You have slain an A-rank Ordinary Monster, Ghoul Knight. +200 EXP.]
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Callum smiled and then turned to the others.
Fortunately, Jon had finished off the other Ghoul Knight and had joined Alexa and Lira to take down the remaining five Ghoul Elders.
And without hesitation, he attempted to join them as well...
However, just then, while he was on the verge of turning, he suddenly noticed another Ghoul Knight from the distance emerge from nowhere.
The Ghoul Knight held a bone spear in its long-clawed hands, and before Callum could react, he saw the Ghoul Knight throw the spear toward them...
On direct observation, Callum quickly discovered that the spear was heading toward Lira's direction.
His eyes widened at that realization, and he quickly took off, dashing toward the target.
It was dramatic in the end, as Callum managed to reach her—but unfortunately, not fast enough.
TUUSH!
Good news was that he got to her and pushed her away.
Bad news was that he hadn't reached there fast enough, and the spear had hit the young lady on her shoulder hard, piercing through her skin.
.
.
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[A/N: More Golden Tickets, more chapters! Thanks for reading!]