The portal to the central square manifested and from there Shanny, Trudy, and Darius walked out.
They all were carrying the health potion and arrow supplies master summoned from the dimensional portal.
[Party 2 should be on the eastern gates while 3 on the west. We need to split up and help them.]
Shanny said to her two comrades.
[I think most of Party 3 has been wiped out from the notification windows I saw. Two of us should help them.]
Trudy said.
Darius nodded to her.
[I will go to Party 3. Tarran is excellent with the bow. Better than Ashta even. Party 2 won't really need another archer as long as the boy is with them.]
Shanny agreed with him.
[That's decided. Darius, take Trudy with you and go to the western gate. I'll go help Party 2.]
The middle-aged archer and the one-armed swordswoman immediately agreed to her instructions.
Trudy had lost an arm fighting the guardian at the temple and Darius would be able to compensate for her injured state.
While Shanny alone could definitely fill up the loss of Maddock in Party 2.
It was a fair order and dispensed swiftly.
Shanny had a good head on her shoulders to judge critical situation and lead.
The three of them then settled most of the supplies by the goddesses statue and each took with them a crate of intermediate health potion and two quivers of enchanted arrows. One explosives, the other normal.
Shanny carried all of hers, but Trudy took the quivers from Darius's hands, leaving the man with the crate.
They soon went separate ways, east and west of the central square, toward the inner walls gates where the other two parties had retreated to.
The guardian was eventually defeated and the reanimated enemies fell once more and the rest of the monsters were no longer berserk.
But the ogres had managed to destroy the two inner walls gates before then.
Along with less than a dozen soldiers accompanying them at each of the gates, both Party 2 and 3 were trying hard to keep the monsters from breaching into the city even further.
The soldiers could not see them, of course. So the Loro guards were sometimes astounded by the monsters' sudden deaths.
[Ashta, save your arrows on the ogres! Blind them as they pass through! I'll handle taking them down!]
Norn shouted to the Party 3 leader. Its remaining member.
Ashta's face was still dark. She still had not gotten over the deaths of her comrades.
But she fought on anyway, though with not that much vigor.
[I only have three arrows left after the fourth ogre just now!]
She replied while slashing her daggers through two goblins.
[Just do what you can!]
Norn said after splitting a direwolf in half with her halberd. Goblin riders had begun entering the city as soon as the outer walls gates fell.
Kroaahhh!!!
Five ogres suddenly walked through the gates. They trampled down the remaining soldiers aiding the two heroes.
[Ashta!]
Norn called out to her rear.
[There're too much! We need to retreat to the square!]
Ashta said while hesitantly grabbing her bow. Fully aware of how empty her quiver was.
Swooshh!
Suddenly arrows flew past the two heroes and struck the five ogres entering the inner wall district.
Boom!
The giants' heads were decimated by the exploding arrows.
Darius and Trudy had arrived.
[Take this, Ashta!]
Trudy said handing out the two quivers to the last member of Party 3. One was filled with the wind arrows and the other with the exploding ones.
Norn and Ashta were definitely relieved to see their comrades from Party 1. Even though they clearly noticed Trudy had lost an arm.
[You guys are here! Where are the others?]
Norn asked.
[Lady Serafina sent Shanny, Trudy, and I to help you all. Shanny's already heading to Party 2 as we speak.]
Darius reported.
[Darius and I will help you guys defend the western gate!]
Trudy added as she drew her sword alongside Norn and decapitated a goblin with it.
She then turned to the Party 3 leader.
[Ashta, you need to keep in touch with Zecht and check how his side is doing. We need to retreat to the central square as soon as one of the gates has fallen.]
Ashta stared at them incredulously. She still wanted to retreat right away.
Kroaahh!!!
More ogres and other monsters flowed into the gates, threatening to reach the statue at the square.
Darius drew his arrow.
[We need to hold the horde off as long as we can here! It'll be much worse to fight their huge number in an open space like the central square!]
Boom!
His exploding arrow fell an ogre.
Norn quickly raised her halberd.
[Darius and Ashta will take care of the ogres with their explosives! Trudy, we will handle the rest!]
The former maid nodded.
[Understood!]
Seeing the three had made the decision, Ashta could not help but to go along with the plan.
On the other side of the walls, Party 2 alongside their helper were already deep in battle against the monsters.
Kroaahhh!
Six ogres rushed in through the eastern gates along with a flood of goblins and direwolves.
Despite the corpses of a dozen ogres and the piles of other monsters strewn around the gates, the monster reinforcement did not waver from marching into the inner wall district.
[We're going to die!]
Luan screamed at the sight of the monsters.
Shanny grunted at her terrified state, knowing full well what fear does to someone in the trial.
[Pull yourself together! You'll definitely die if you keep being afraid like that!]
She turned back to the enemies. Intense aura suddenly burst out from within her.
['Shanny (★★)' has gone berserk!]
The woman immediately charged toward the horde.
[Just stay here and kill the monsters that got past us, Luan! Tarran will take care of the ogres with his explosives!]
Zecht said before joining Shanny fighting the onslaught ahead.
Hearing the instruction, Tarran quickly drew arrows from the quivers Shanny brought to him.
The boy nocked, fletching across the chin, and sent the arrows loose.
Boom!
In seconds he killed the ogres entering the gates.
But despite Tarran's rapid firing and Zecht's and Shanny's fierce counter against the horde, the monster army was endless and overwhelming.
Soon, Zecht and Shanny were getting pushed back that Luan had been forced to joined them in the frontline.
Although the enemies were no longer berserk, it would take someone with their full strength to withstand the horde flooding through the eastern gates.
Krrchh!
[Garghh!]
A direwolf managed to leap at Luan unexpectedly and mauled her neck.
Zecht immediately pulled the creature away from the girl and threw it to the air like a sack of grain. The wolf was soon torn in half by Shanny's blade.
[Sister Luan!]
Tarran shouted as he was battling a dozen goblins and aiming three ogres beyond him.
The boy remarkably still held his composure despite the terrible sight of his comrade.
Zecht tried to reach for the health potions he had replenished from the crate Shanny brought.
But two more direwolves immediately jumped at him, leaving him no chance to do anything but fight.
['Luan (★★)' is on the brink of death. Her life is in danger!]
He grimaced over the sight of the bleeding Luan that was lying helplessly on the ground, convulsive and gagging heavily from her wounds.
She could not even take hold of herself even to grab her own health potion.
[We can't help her while trying to fight off this horde, Zecht! Though I doubt we can hold the gates for long!]
Shanny said as she battled alongside the Party 2 leader. Two more dozens of goblins and direwolves were encircling them.
Hearing Shanny's words, the scarred man let out a strong grunt.
He reached for the back of his ear as he struck his heavy sword to an approaching goblin.
[Ashta! Party 2 is retreating to the central square! Meet us there so we can join forces and defend the statue!]
[Alright! I was about to tell you the same thing!]
Ashta replied promptly.
With the decision, Zecht immediately threw Luan gently to his back and made a swift escape toward the central square.
Shanny quickly joined him while Tarran escorted them by providing covering shots from the rooftops.
The horde quickly flooded through the gates now that no one was guarding them.
Tarran had to fire down many enemies and parry a lot of arrows just to create an opportunity for his comrades to flee. He even got himself grazed on the shoulders by some crossbow goblins.
['Tarran (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
I watched Zecht fled with Luan on his back.
The man called for retreat as soon as his comrade got hurt and knew that he could not help her right away except if they fled to a safer location.
He formed a quick decision that altered the battle in favor of the lives of his comrades.
The 3-star mercenary definitely cared for his allies more than I did with mine.