Proofread by Thomas F
Aya Bandstone
We advanced toward the golem's in formation—our at the front, which had not changed since the first try.
Shield warriors still led the way, but there was a change in the people behind us.
We are only a few steps behind the twenty-five-meter invisible line. The moment we stepped over it, the golems would awaken and come at us, like they did the past two times.
"Stop,"
The order rang out as we reached the invisible line.
"Everybody remembers the strategy?" asked the Colonel loudly. "Yes!" we replied in unison.
"Shield Warriors step forward."
"Mages, archers, ready, you are going to get only one chance!" he ordered, and I took the step forward with my men.
The moment I did, the golems activated, while at the same time, strings of bows pulled and staffs lit up.
The arial golems flew up, while the rhino golems moved toward us. The shield golems remained in front of the command golem and the raptors.
They always used the same strategy.
"Saltar!"
The command golem ordered the attack the moment energy covered them.
"Fire!" ordered the Colonel.
Immediately, a powerful combined spell attack shot from behind toward the front and the sky. The spells we used are the ones that could be combined and strengthened by the skills.
The same with arrows as the power of skills and spells covered them.
Six streams of spells shifted their aim from eleven rhinos to target six of them, while seven arrows sped towards the densely spell-covered aerial artillery golems.
Feeling the power of the attack, I couldn't help but shudder.
These are combined spells, not a perfect combination. True combined spells are really hard. These are loose combinations, which have been tested across ages.
Still, it is difficult to cast them, not to mention getting the specific variation of the spell needed.
After a significant expenditure by the dominion, Colonel Orok's unit underwent training with them for close to a year, yet they could barely cast it successfully.
They wouldn't be able to do it in the confusion after the battle begins, where enemies come from all directions.
It will be stressful. Casting in such an environment will make those spells explode uncontrollably. I don't know whether the Colonel will take such risks with his own men.
The spells reached the six rhinos, and arrows reached the artillery when they responded.
The horns blazed on each rhino, and they sent the powerful beams at the incoming attack. The artillery in higher numbers made the same response.
I watched with bated breath.
I had expected the power of both attacks, and we know how powerful they are, but we have prepared for them.
The energy attacks clashed against the spells and arrows. Immediately, a loud explosion rang out. Clouding everything in waves of colorful energy.
I hope the attacks aren't destroyed. If it had, it would've been game over for us.
I had just thought that when loud explosions rang out as the attacks crashed against the rhinos' outer shells and aerial artillery. Hearing that, I felt relieved.
Now, it only has to work.
That will depend on how much power the golems' attack reduced our attack power before they clashed against the golems.
A moment passed, and then another, when I heard the golems' roar that shook my heart, but a smile appeared on my face.
"Shield's up!" I shouted, but also projected it through the link.
In the last two attempts, the Colonel ordered me not to do this, but this time he gave me some of the command.
The shields move forward at the same moment. Five rhinos came toward us through the cloud of explosion, while, on top of us, the single artillery golem launched an attack with birds descending on us.
We succeeded in our attack. We finished six rhinos of the eleven and seven aerial artillery golems of the eight.
I looked ahead and saw rhinos suddenly increase their speed.
At the same moment, raptors begin to come out from behind the shield warriors. Both made a blaring roar that sent a shudder through my soul.
We removed twelve from the fight, and it caused this reaction.
It happened last time as well, and it caught us off guard. It is the reason we failed, but this time, we are prepared for it.
'Mages, archers focus on aerial targets and raptors!' ordered the Colonel. His voice was calm as before.
The spells shot toward the birds above and single artillery and raptors on the ground, while leaving the rhinos to us.
"They are here!" I shouted as rhinos emerged in front of us, activating Shield Wall and Brace for Impact, along with Bulwark Arms to bear what is coming.
A moment later, a large golem rhino clashed against my shield, with such force that it nearly knocked the air out of me.
Despite the preparations and pushing with all my strength, I shook from head to toe and was pushed back a step before stopping.
Which is not easy, given the rhino is still pushing across the shield.
It roared, and the next moment, its horn glowed, and it shot the beam toward me. I gulped down blood that came to my throat and swung my sword toward the beam, activating the Edge Blade.
I defended, before looking past Rhino's, toward the raptors.
The spells worked, and we had trimmed their numbers to fifteen from eighteen. They are less defensive than the rhinos, but those bastards are fast.
They are dodging the spells coming toward them, just like the birds of which we took down two.
They have now divided themselves into three groups of five: one coming from the front, while the other two move to flank to the left and right.
The mages are still attacking them, and I hope they take out a few more in the next few seconds before the Raptors engage. They are the trickiest bastards to deal with, along with those birds.
'They are coming!' I warned my men, who were ready to take them.
At the same time, I moved back and turned left with the Anchored Stride. The rhino may be huge, but it reacted fast and moved toward me while launching another energy beam.
This time, I defended with my shield before swinging my sword with Edge Blade and Sunder Slash.
My sword struck hard against its neck.
The energy may be covering them fully, but hitting anywhere does not produce the same damage. We found out in the last two battles that hitting the joints causes the maximum damage.
Here, the damage means the energy layer covering them is getting thinner and paler.
'Damn these raptors!' cursed Holr painfully.
'Are you good?' I asked while moving to dodge the horned head of the rhino. It is powerful enough that it injured my internals. I don't want to clash directly against it if I don't have a choice.
'I am, but these bastards nicked me on the neck!' he replied. Hearing that, I felt relieved.
Against each rhino, two people are fighting, but there are three against the raptors, and even then, they are hard to deal with.
Holr just got cut in the neck by the bladed tail of the raptor.
My shield clashed against the head. I didn't have a choice. The rhino may be big, but one shouldn't make the mistake of thinking it is slow.
In time, it launched an energy attack that I wasn't able to dodge against.
I moved, pushing everything I have in Anchored Stride and then hitting the rhino with my sword and defending both energy attack and its head smash with my shield.
I used that moment to move quickly, appear on the other side, and attack again.
I dodged, defended, and hit the rhino.
At first, there seemed to be barely any effect, but soon, I began to see it as the film became paler and thinner. The biggest was shown when No Quarter was activated, and I attacked it with rapid, powerful attacks.
I am using every skill I have in my arsenal aside from Firm Clamp and Iron Rebuttal.
I made the mistake of using the Firm Clamp on my first try, and I still remember how easily it lifted me. If I hadn't learned the skill, it would have smashed me to the ground.
I wouldn't have been able to fight any other battle after that.
As for Iron Rebuttal. Well, it turned out that the one I have doesn't work on non-living. It works on living and dead things, well, undead things, but not on the non-living.
It is quite regretful, I couldn't use it. It could be said to be one of the most powerful skills, as it allows me to use part of the enemy's strength that it attacks me with.
"Altar!"
I heard another call and sighed internally. Yes, we are finishing the golems, but we are also losing men.
In just minutes, over twenty-five of our people have surrendered, and more are surrendering every minute. So, we not only have to finish the golem, but do it fast.
So, I pushed my skills further, harnessing as much power as I could out of them.
We have to defeat these golems; they are key to the safety of the dominion and all the people who live in there. I don't want my friends or my men slaughtered or turned into undead.
I have to push beyond the limit.
I continued to attack, with every attack weakening and making the film paler and paler, until it had become transparent and barely discernible.
'It is coming!' I thought, and in that exact moment, the rhino roared.
As it did, the spells covered me. Strengthening me spells armor and enhances my strength.
It came, and it is fast. I planted my shield forward and activated the Shield Wall, Brace For Impact, and Bulwark Arms, while my men reinforced me further with their skill.
A moment later, the rhino clashed, and it did with such power that my bones were fractured.
I shook, but I didn't move back. Instead, I shift my weight to the leg with the shield and whirled with all the power it could summon in me, activating Sunder Slash and Edge Blade.
My blade struck the rhino, and the barely discernible film disappeared, with my blade clashing with the rhino's stone-like metal, where there is not even a scratch.
'It was defeated!' I thought, with a small smile appearing on my face.
'Twenty-four!'
The voice of the Colonel rang out in my mind, and everyone's, and we became alert. We never defeated so many. The last time a change occurred was when we defeated twelve.
Likely, there will be a change at twenty-four.
I had just thought that when it happened, and it is bigger than I had thought.
…
Remus Silver
"Twenty-four," said Mage Aldridge as the rhino moved toward the defeated group.
They have never defeated so many and so quickly. It hadn't been fifteen minutes since the battle had begun. It finally gave me some hope.
"The real challenge will begin now," said General, and I nodded as I saw the biggest movement of Golems through the opaque screen.
The shield titans, which until now had remained in place, are moving, and they are not moving alone.
The command golem is with them.