The Witch waved her wooden wizard's staff, and a rose-red light emanated from it, forming a cloud of entirely rose-red powder that drifted gently away, falling like a misty veil, enveloping the ground floor plaza of the giant cylindrical tower.
Just like that.
The Goblins, who were almost recovering their vision from the [Blinding] state, were enveloped by the rose-colored misty veil and surprisingly succumbed to an irresistible drowsiness, swaying left and right, and falling to the ground in deep sleep.
"This… this is the Witch's magic!"
The Elf Archer saw this, turned her head to look, and found the Witch smiling slightly at her.
"Goblins, nocturnal monsters. Sleep Cloud can only make them sleep for about ten minutes."
The Witch, who had chanted the spell smoothly, spoke normally again, becoming slow and deliberate, with pauses in her speech unlike ordinary people.
"Ten minutes is enough."
The Elf Archer's eyes sharpened, and she continuously drew her bow and shot arrows, using this to vent the hatred and anger in her heart.
Arrows like meteors harvested the lives of one Goblin after another.
By the time the rose-pink mist covering the plaza had completely dissipated and the sleeping effect of the Sleep Cloud magic had worn off, there were no standing Goblins left in the spacious plaza; all had turned into corpses, lying scattered on the ground.
"Finally… finally all killed."
The Elf Archer leaned against a wall pillar, letting out a long sigh.
Her slender arms were trembling slightly, whether from the fatigue of continuous drawing of the bow or the lingering aftermath of anger.
"Let's go down."
"I feel there should still be survivors in the plaza."
The Sword Saintess said to the Elf Archer.
"Mm…"
The Elf Archer nodded.
Because of the Witch's Sleep Cloud, the survivors in the plaza also fell into a deep slumber, and under the dual torment of physical and mental exhaustion, they slept even more soundly.
Naruto and the three women arrived at the ground floor plaza of the giant cylindrical tower and began searching for survivors.
The Elf Archer took off the brown cloak from behind her and draped it over the Forest Elf woman whose arm had been pierced by a short sword.
"I'll heal her injuries."
The Sword Saintess came to the Forest Elf woman's side, placed her hands flat above her, a trace of holiness and compassion appearing on her flawless, beautiful face, and with slightly parted red lips, she chanted a spell: "Commander of Judgment, Lord of the Sword, Person of the Scales, please have mercy on the world—descend a miracle, dispel the pain!"
A fine, soft, white light rain drifted from the Sword Saintess's hands, covering the Forest Elf woman's horrifying wounds.
Truly like a miracle, whether it was the gash from the sword that tore skin and flesh, or the bruises from the whip, all healed at a visible speed.
"Thank you."
The tsundere Elf Archer, after sincerely thanking the Sword Saintess, continued to deliver finishing blows and search for survivors.
The result was cruel.
Except for the Forest Elf woman, everyone else had died.
With a rather heavy heart, the Elf Archer picked up her unconscious clanswoman, whose breathing had stabilized, and prepared to leave the ancient ruin fortress through the tall stone gate of the giant cylindrical tower.
"Wait a moment."
Seeing the Elf Archer about to step into the dark stone gate, Naruto stopped her abruptly.
Naruto turned sideways, looking towards the stone gate, his azure eyes flickering with light, showing intense interest.
"Oh~ Is this the oppressive feeling of a High-Tier species?"
"Thump," "Thump," "Thump"...
A muffled, drum-like thud suddenly sounded from the passage behind the stone gate.
That wasn't the sound of drums.
It was the tremor of some giant creature treading barefoot, each sound spaced precisely to match the human heartbeat.
"Fall back! Everyone fall back!"
The Elf Archer, sensing something was wrong, turned back and shouted at everyone.
"Whoosh~"
Strands of incredibly oppressive aura, like materialized black tentacles, infiltrated the ground floor plaza along the edges of the stone gate.
A colossal creature had to bend down to squeeze through the nearly ten-meter-high stone gate. Its gray-black body was incredibly majestic and robust, with muscles of varying sizes resembling carved rocks, powerful and full of strength. Veins beneath its skin pulsed menacingly, and two sharp fangs protruded from its lower jaw beyond its wide mouth. Its dull yellow eyes trailed two golden lights in the darkness, and a pair of sharp horns grew from its head. Around its waist, several unknown skulls were strung on an iron chain as decorations.
"A… a Troll appeared!"
"Is this the oppressive feeling of a High-Tier species? It's terrifying, I feel my hands trembling uncontrollably!"
"A subordinate of the legendary Demon God General, a terrifying monster capable of fighting numerous Silver-rank Adventurers for a hundred days without exhaustion, also known as… an Ogre!"
The Sword Saintess, the Witch, and the Elf Archer stood ready, facing a formidable enemy.
"Hiss––"
The Troll bared its teeth in a sinister grin, exhaling a foul and pungent breath. Its gaze, like lightning, swept across the plaza strewn with corpses, yet showed no sign of anger.
"I was wondering why the Goblins were so quiet today."
"It seems they can't even do the work of cannon fodder properly!"
The Troll dug its ear with a palm the size of a millstone, and a casual lift of its hand created a strong gust of wind pressure.
It completely disregarded the few "ants" before it, and while picking its ear, it questioned:
"Humans, you don't seem to be the army of the Forest Elves. Knowing this is our fortress, you still dare to come and stir…"
Before the Troll could finish, Naruto directly interrupted him: "Is this big guy in front of me a Troll? He certainly looks much stronger than a Goblin Hero."
"How about it?"
"Do you want to challenge him first, otherwise I'm going to use him for practice."
Naruto's mouth curved upwards; he was already rubbing his fists, eager for a fight.
"Human brat!!"
The Troll roared, swung the giant club of unknown metal in his hand, and smashed it fiercely towards Naruto.
With a loud "Boom."
The entire giant cylindrical tower seemed to tremble three times, the ground shook violently, rubble splattered, and thick smoke rose. The wind pressure alone from the metal giant club's impact forced the Elf Archer to retreat as if she could not bear it.
"Hmph—"
The Troll, knowing his attack missed, once again lifted the heavy metal giant club, which weighed a thousand pounds, onto his shoulder. His other large hand, palm up and fingers clenched, grew increasingly ferocious: "Are you looking down on me, human!"
"I am a high-ranking officer under the Demon God General, leading hundreds and thousands of monster legions."
"Since that's the case, I'll show you my power."
Before he finished speaking.
A cluster of flames magically shot up from the Troll's upward-facing palm.
This flame instantly surged and grew larger, rolling into a fireball, and accompanied by the Troll's obscure and difficult-to-understand incantation, it became increasingly intense and terrifying.
"We can't let him finish casting the spell!"
The Witch noticed the terrifying power contained within the fireball in the Troll's hand, her face changed dramatically, and she immediately began chanting a spell.
The Sword Saintess also chanted: "Commander of Judgment, Lord of the Sword, Person of the Scales, please protect all living beings; the blade of sin shall be stopped before the light shield."
But their speed was still half a beat too slow.
The Troll's face was illuminated red by the firelight. He raised the fireball with one hand; the fireball continuously rolled and burned fiercely, actually expanding several times, finally becoming larger than a house.
At once, the entire plaza was illuminated, and the ambient temperature suddenly rose, with rolling heat waves.
"No, my Shield of Redemption can't block it!" The Sword Saintess's heart sank instantly when she saw this.
At this moment.
Naruto flashed in front of the three women, his fingers flying, leaving multiple afterimages, forming hand seals extremely quickly.
"Hmph—Exploding Fireball!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!!"