The wounded Gorthak lifted its head high, then gathered a huge amount of energy inside its mouth. It was about to unleash another Wind Blash.
Crowne sharpened his gaze.
"Ronan! From the left, quick! Don't daydream!" he shouted.
Ronan dashed forward, his body covered by a thin layer of mana. He swung his sword toward the Gorthak's leg, striking from the other side of its back.
Clang!
The slash struck hard, shaking the ground. Though it did not cut through, the Gorthak was pushed half a step back.
Crowne didn't waste that chance. He spun, his sword coated with a dense layer of mana, and slashed straight toward the Gorthak's gaping mouth.
CRAAASH!
Blood burst from the side of the beast's jaw, the Wind Blash exploding inside its own mouth. The Gorthak's body recoiled, crashing into the trees behind it, shattering more than a dozen massive trunks.
Blood dripped endlessly from the wound. The Gorthak stood, but nearly collapsed again. It was gravely injured by its own attack.
"Good!" Ronan shouted.
"Don't let it breathe. Attack again!" Crowne roared.
Ronan nodded and rushed forward. The two began moving once more, attacking systematically. The infected Gorthak was left helpless.
Victory was within reach.
**
Meanwhile, on the other side.
A defensive circle had formed, but the second and third Gorthak were already charging. Balls of wind shot out continuously, each explosion tearing apart the defensive line.
"Hold the formation! Don't loosen up! Fire your spells again!" Dorian shouted, his face covered in blood. Not his own blood, but splatter from adventurers who had just been hit by Wind Blash.
Dorian kept thinking. Endlessly defending only pushed them into a tighter corner. He felt this strategy was doomed.
Frustration ate at him. He cursed his aging body and weakened state. If only he was still in his prime, this would never have happened.
"Arrrrghhh!" another adventurer screamed.
The adventurers felt their condition worsening. They had to do something—anything—other than just hold the line. Yet all of them waited for Dorian's command.
"Guildmaster, what should we do?" one adventurer asked beside him.
Dorian clenched his teeth. "Damn it." He was torn, but finally steeled his resolve.
He raised his sword, wrapped in a storm of crackling lightning, and stepped out from the defense. The other adventurers turned instantly toward him.
"Those who can fight up close, with me! Those who can use spells or ranged weapons, give cover as far as you can. Healers and supporters, do your best to keep us alive. We must fight with everything we have. Every one of us is needed," Dorian commanded.
The adventurers nodded. "Understood!" they shouted together.
Dorian and several others advanced to the front. They planted their stances firmly, exchanged nods, and quickly formed groups to divide the battle into several squads.
Dorian gave his instructions clearly, and the others agreed.
"Now, forward!" Dorian yelled.
"Yaaaaahhh! Attack!" the adventurers roared.
The three Gorthaks opened their mouths again, preparing to unleash Wind Blash. But this time, the adventurers already knew what to do.
As the blasts approached the melee fighters, the mages cast a single-layered barrier. Not to completely stop the Wind Blash, but to slow it down just enough for the close-range fighters to dodge.
"Thanks," Dorian muttered.
He leaped aside. One Gorthak loomed before him. At close range, it opened its maw, ready to fire.
BOOM!
The explosion almost consumed him, but Dorian dropped flat to the ground. The Wind Blash missed him by an inch.
Rising to his feet again, he steadied himself, lightning sparking violently from his blade.
He drew a long breath and exhaled slowly. "Please… die!"
[Judgement Thunder!]
Slash!
The strike tore through the air with frightening speed, cleaving into the Gorthak's mouth. The force was so overwhelming that the beast's jaws split open.
"GRAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The Gorthak's scream shook the battlefield.
"Now!" Dorian roared.
All three squads of adventurers turned toward that single Gorthak. They nodded as one, then launched their combined assault.
BANG!
BANG!
BOOOOM!
Strike after strike pummeled the wounded Gorthak. The barrage tore its body apart until it collapsed, unable to rise. Seeing that, Dorian steadied his stance once again.
[Judgement Thunder!]
CRAAAAASSSHHH!!!
The lightning-charged slash struck directly at the Gorthak's head. Half its skull was cleaved clean through. At last, the monster was slain.
"It's… dead?" one adventurer whispered, trembling.
For a moment, silence reigned—before it exploded into roaring cheers.
"YAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Excellent!"
"We did it!"
But only a short while later, the other two Gorthaks roared and fired more Wind Blash. This time, the adventurers dodged instead of blocking.
They knew holding the attack head-on was suicide. By avoiding them, they survived. Now their focus shifted entirely to the remaining two beasts.
The battle raged on. An hour later, all three Gorthaks lay dead. Relief swept over Dorian and his men.
At first, that was so. But moments later, the ground trembled again—like giant footsteps shaking the forest.
"Don't tell me…"
Dorian raised his stance in dread. His fears came true. More Gorthaks appeared—not one, not three, but dozens. And their size dwarfed even the King Gorthak.
His hands shook. "Damn. This is bad."
The adventurers panicked as well. None of them knew if they stood any chance this time. The possibility felt razor-thin.
"Guildmaster, what do we do?" one of them asked.
Dorian shook his head. "I don't know."
**
The heavily wounded Gorthak charged toward Ronan, its rush so swift it nearly swept him away. But Ronan rolled across the ground, sprang up quickly, and stabbed into the beast's calf.
Its movements were easier to read now, slower than before.
"Good," Crowne said.
As the Gorthak shrieked in pain, Crowne leapt high, spinning midair, his sword gleaming with deadly light. He aimed at the beast's nape and—
SLAAAASH!
Its head was nearly severed. The final roar shook the skies before its massive body slammed to the ground.
But Crowne didn't stop there. He swung again, just as powerfully, and this time cleaved the neck clean through.
The Gorthak was finally, truly dead.
Ronan panted heavily, then smiled in relief. "We did it."
Crowne did not answer. He felt the forest tremble once more. That same aura was approaching.
"…Not yet," Crowne muttered under his breath. He raised his sword again, his eyes burning with fury.
"They're coming again," he said grimly.