The two towering monsters continued advancing across the plains, their massive bodies growing larger and larger as the distance between them and the town rapidly closed. The moment they reached a certain point, both the Forest Wolf King and the Goblin King released deafening roars that shook the battlefield itself.
The monsters behind them immediately surged forward.
I checked my mana reserves.
"Still at ninety percent… good."
"Your recovery speed is keeping up well thanks to the potions and Mana Absorption," Travy calmly said. "But do not become careless. Boss monsters are completely different from ordinary enemies."
"I know."
I immediately raised my hand toward the incoming horde.
"Chain Lightning!"
This time, I fired five consecutive casts.
One toward the center of the formation.
The other four toward each side of the advancing army.
BOOM!
Violent arcs of lightning exploded across the battlefield as the electricity spread from one monster to another. Wolves convulsed from the shock while goblin riders were thrown off their mounts entirely.
The momentum of the third wave faltered once again.
"Everyone!" the Knight Commander shouted from below. "Same strategy as before! Reduce their numbers before the boss monsters arrive!"
The adventurers and knights immediately followed the order.
Arrows rained endlessly from the walls while mages continuously bombarded the approaching enemies with fire, wind, and earth magic.
Meanwhile, I focused on supporting whichever area needed help the most.
Whenever a flank became overwhelmed, I immediately redirected my spells there. If goblin archers attempted to fire toward the walls, I eliminated them before they could properly aim.
Then—
I sensed mana fluctuations from deeper within the enemy formation.
"Goblin Mages!"
The moment I shouted those words, several experienced adventurers instantly reacted.
"Target the mages first!"
Archers quickly shifted their focus while offensive mages began firing toward the backlines of the monsters.
The Goblin Mages barely managed to cast before arrows pierced through their skulls or explosive magic swallowed them whole.
"Good catch," Travy commented. "If their spells reached the walls, the casualties would have increased."
I silently nodded while continuing to fire support magic.
The frontlines were also holding remarkably well.
Rube, Bronks, and Funfer coordinated almost perfectly despite the chaos around them. Bronks anchored the front with overwhelming defensive strength while Rube efficiently cut down any monsters that broke through. Funfer moved like a shadow around the battlefield, eliminating threats before they could properly react.
Meanwhile, Lain and Elise supported from the walls with deadly precision.
Watching them fight made it obvious why the Sunbane Party was respected.
Eventually, only a few hundred monsters remained.
But by then, the two kings had already arrived.
The pressure they emitted was overwhelming even from a distance.
The Forest Wolf King moved with terrifying speed despite its enormous body while the Goblin King swung its gigantic club wildly, instantly crushing adventurers unfortunate enough to get caught directly.
I narrowed my eyes.
The Wolf King was too agile.
If nobody restrained it, the casualties would rise rapidly.
I immediately turned toward the Knight Commander.
"Knight Commander! Please allow me to join the frontlines!"
He looked at me sharply.
"Reason?"
"I can immobilize one target using restraint magic."
The Knight Commander narrowed his eyes for a moment before glancing toward Romanoff below.
"Oi, Romanoff! The kid says he has binding magic!"
Romanoff, who was currently cutting through goblins near the gate, immediately understood the opportunity.
"Let him through!"
The gates opened briefly.
Without hesitation, I rushed onto the battlefield.
The smell of blood and dust immediately hit me the moment I stepped outside the walls.
My target was clear.
The Forest Wolf King.
The monster was far too fast for normal fighters to pin down properly.
"I'll create the opening," I muttered.
"Then trust the others to capitalize on it," Travy replied.
I immediately raised my hand.
"Dark Blind!"
A wave of darkness exploded toward the Wolf King.
The monster suddenly howled violently as its vision disappeared, causing its movements to become erratic for a brief moment.
I immediately followed up.
"Dark Bind!"
Shadowy arms burst from the ground and wrapped themselves tightly around the Wolf King's legs.
The monster struggled violently.
The sheer amount of mana required to restrain it was enormous.
I gritted my teeth and poured even more mana into the spell.
"Hit the legs!" Rube roared.
The experienced adventurers instantly moved.
Rube slashed directly at one of the Wolf King's hind legs while several others targeted its joints and tendons simultaneously.
The massive beast finally lost its balance.
BOOM!
The ground trembled heavily as the Wolf King collapsed.
Then the higher-ranked adventurers swarmed it without hesitation, aiming primarily for the neck while carefully preserving the valuable fur.
The Wolf King let out one final howl before its body finally stopped moving.
I staggered slightly from exhaustion.
"At least five hundred mana consumed…" I muttered internally.
"And twenty-five percent of your wit," Travy added. "Maintaining restraint magic against a boss monster is mentally exhausting."
Before I could recover further, Funfer suddenly appeared beside me holding several potions.
"Here. Drink these."
He handed me five mana potions.
"You'll need them for the Goblin King."
"Thank you, Sir Funfer."
"Don't mention it. Just focus on helping us finish this."
I immediately drank all five potions.
The replenishing sensation spread throughout my body almost instantly.
Then I turned toward the Goblin King.
Unlike the Wolf King, the Goblin King relied more on brute strength than speed.
That meant blinding it was unnecessary.
"Dark Bind!"
Once again, shadowy arms burst from the ground and wrapped around the giant monster.
But—
ROOOAAARRR!!!
The Goblin King released a deafening roar and violently forced itself free.
The backlash immediately drained even more of my mana.
"Goblin Knights spotted one kilometer away!"
The lookout's warning echoed from above.
I quickly looked toward the distance.
An entirely new army was approaching.
Goblin Knights.
Larger, bulkier, and far more organized than normal goblins.
Their glowing red eyes made them look even more terrifying.
Meanwhile, the enraged Goblin King continued rampaging through the battlefield.
Several adventurers were already injured.
I clenched my teeth.
"If binding isn't enough…"
"Then disrupt its body directly," Travy immediately answered.
I poured massive amounts of mana into my spell.
"Lightning Stun!"
CRACK!!!
A concentrated bolt of lightning struck the Goblin King directly.
The monster's entire body froze momentarily from the shock.
"That's our chance!" Rube shouted.
He and the other adventurers immediately attacked.
Rube sliced through the tendons behind the Goblin King's knee while the others relentlessly targeted its exposed joints.
The massive creature finally lost balance.
BOOM!
The Goblin King crashed onto the battlefield with enough force to shake the ground and scatter dust everywhere.
"Finish it!" the Knight Commander roared as he personally joined the assault.
I also continued supporting them.
"Water Slash!"
Compressed blades of water flew rapidly toward the Goblin King's arms, carving deep wounds that prevented it from properly swinging its massive club.
Blood poured endlessly from its injuries.
Then—
The Goblin King finally collapsed.
A loud cheer erupted throughout the battlefield.
But there was still one final wave.
"Everyone! Eliminate the remaining monsters!"
The Knight Commander immediately redirected the army toward the incoming Goblin Knights.
Meanwhile, my body already felt incredibly heavy.
"My wit is nearly depleted…"
"You pushed yourself beyond your normal limits," Travy quietly said. "But you adapted well."
I inhaled deeply.
"One last spell…"
I gathered the remaining mana I had left.
"Chain Lightning!"
I launched three heavily reinforced casts directly into the approaching Goblin Knights.
Massive arcs of lightning exploded across the battlefield, stunning large portions of the incoming enemies while heavily injuring the frontlines of the formation.
But the moment the spell ended—
My vision blurred.
The exhaustion finally hit all at once.
My body suddenly lost strength, and I nearly collapsed onto the battlefield.
Fortunately, Funfer caught me before I hit the ground.
"You've done enough," he calmly said. "Leave the rest to us."
The moment I heard those words, the tension supporting my body finally disappeared.
For the first time since the battle began, I allowed myself to relax.
Then darkness quietly consumed my vision.
…
The final wave only lasted fifteen more minutes.
With both kings dead and their momentum shattered repeatedly throughout the battle, the remaining Goblin Knights were eventually overwhelmed by the combined forces of the adventurers and knights.
Then—
"We have successfully repelled the stampede!"
Romanoff's powerful declaration echoed across the battlefield.
The Knight Commander raised his sword high into the air.
"Victory belongs to Roste Town!"
The exhausted adventurers and knights erupted into cheers.
Some laughed loudly while others collapsed onto the ground in relief.
They survived.
Meanwhile, inside one of the medical tents near the walls, I remained asleep peacefully while recovering from mana exhaustion.
Nadia sat nearby while monitoring my condition.
The Sunbane Party soon entered the tent.
"Oh? Nadia, how's Art doing?" Lain asked softly.
"He's stable," Nadia replied with relief. "He's just completely exhausted."
"Well, Arty used an absurd amount of mana today~" Lain lightly laughed.
Soon after, Romanoff and the Knight Commander, Herald, also entered the tent.
"How's the kid?" Herald immediately asked.
"He's fine," Nadia answered. "His body simply needs proper rest."
Herald visibly relaxed after hearing that.
"Those restraint spells must've drained him badly," he muttered. "Using them twice against boss monsters is insane."
Romanoff crossed his arms while looking at my sleeping figure.
"Still hard to believe…"
Herald glanced toward him.
"What's this kid's actual rank anyway? D-rank? Maybe even C-rank?"
Romanoff answered with a single calm word.
"F-rank."
Silence filled the tent.
Herald blinked.
"…You're joking."
Romanoff slowly shook his head.
"That is indeed his current rank."
Herald stared at me for several seconds before sighing deeply.
"Out of everyone on that battlefield… this kid was honestly the most surprising."
"I agree," Romanoff replied. "His adaptability during battle was exceptional. He constantly analyzed which areas needed support and immediately adjusted his actions accordingly."
Rube nodded in agreement.
"I noticed that too. Even while supporting from the walls, he never wasted his spells carelessly."
"And that Chain Lightning spell…" Herald muttered. "It practically destroyed the monsters' momentum every single time."
Elise hesitated briefly before speaking softly.
"Chain Lightning is usually considered difficult to use efficiently because enemies are often spread apart… but against tightly packed monsters during a stampede… it becomes devastating."
Romanoff gave a low chuckle.
"He adapted the spell to the situation almost immediately."
Then Funfer calmly spoke.
"If I may add something."
Everyone turned toward him.
"After the Forest Wolf King died, I gave Art five mana potions."
Nadia's eyes widened slightly.
"Five?"
Funfer nodded.
"And he showed no signs of mana overdose."
The room instantly became silent again.
Mana overdose occurred when someone replenished mana beyond what their body could safely handle.
The fact that I consumed five mana potions without suffering backlash meant only one thing.
My mana capacity was abnormally high.
"Honestly…" Romanoff muttered while rubbing his chin, "promoting him only to E-rank might already be too low."
Nadia lightly nodded.
"Rian also mentioned that he qualifies for E-rank already. Possibly even D-rank if he passes the magic examination."
"That sounds reasonable," Herald admitted.
Then Nadia added one final statement.
"…Master is also interested in him."
Everyone immediately froze.
Nadia's master was a famous Magus known not only for alchemy, but for mastery across multiple magical disciplines.
If someone like that became interested in an adventurer…
It could completely change that person's future.
Eventually, Herald broke the silence with a tired sigh.
"I guess this town won't be enough to hold someone like him forever."
The Sunbane Party quietly nodded.
After all, adventurers naturally moved from place to place in search of growth.
Romanoff looked toward my sleeping figure once more before smiling faintly.
"It's up to him where he chooses to go next," he said calmly. "But I definitely want to hear more about Artorius in the future."
Everyone inside the tent silently agreed.
Because after witnessing today's battle…
They all understood one thing.
Artorius was only beginning to spread his wings.