The battlefield trembled as the monstrous horde surged forward, a chaotic tide of claws, fangs, and steel. From the ranks of the knights and adventurers, a collective battle cry erupted, shaking the air with raw determination.
"Hold the line!" Gale Valtor's voice thundered above the chaos. "Shields up! Brace for impact!"
The first defensive formation of the Dawnstead Knights locked their shields together, forming a near-impenetrable bulwark of steel. Behind them, the second row of knights wielded spears, their tips gleaming under the rising sun, ready to pierce through any creature that tried to break through.
To their flanks, the adventurers moved in staggered squads, their more flexible formations allowing them to counter any beasts that slipped past the knights. Some specialized in ranged combat, notching arrows and preparing spells, while others readied themselves for close combat.
A sudden ripple in the air signaled the deployment of the mana barrier—a massive dome of shimmering light that covered the entire battlefield. The knights' spellcasters, positioned at the rear, channeled their energy into maintaining this protective veil. This barrier was crucial—it negated the effects of the unstable mana overload, preventing their allies from suffering its unpredictable consequences.
Then—contact.
The goblins slammed into the knights' shields, their crude weapons sparking against reinforced steel. Their numbers were overwhelming, but the disciplined formations held firm.
"Push them back!" one of the knight unit captains roared.
Spears thrust forward in unison, impaling the reckless creatures. The goblins shrieked, their blood staining the earth. But more took their place, leaping over their fallen kin in a relentless charge.
The direfang wolves were next. Faster and more vicious, they darted between the gaps in the formation, their jaws snapping at exposed throats and limbs. But the adventurers were ready—swords flashed, daggers struck, and elemental magic exploded mid-air, intercepting the beasts before they could do damage.
"These things are frenzied, but they're not thinking straight!" an adventurer called out, ducking under a wild goblin swing before countering with a decisive slash.
"Yeah, their attacks are reckless! We can outmaneuver them!" another shouted.
At first, the horde seemed like an unstoppable flood. But then, the tide shifted.
The knights held their ground, their rigid formations unbroken. The adventurers adapted, striking with precision, targeting weak points, overwhelming the enemy with skill rather than brute force.
Kai, now fully warmed up, weaved through the battlefield, his katana igniting in flames with each slash. He moved like a blur, his movements almost effortless as he carved through goblins and wolves alike.
"Hah! These guys are nothing!" he smirked, slicing through another goblin with a flaming arc.
Elsewhere, Belle stood near the mid-line, watching but not yet engaging. Her silver eyes narrowed as she expanded her Aura Sense, reaching beyond the immediate battlefield, beyond the clashing steel and the dying cries of monsters.
Then—she felt it. A shift in the air. A deep, primal disturbance.
Beyond the hills in the distance, something was moving. Something larger.
And then she heard it. A guttural, echoing howl—one that made even the most hardened adventurers pause.
Belle's heart clenched. This wasn't over.
Another wave was coming. And this time, it wasn't just goblins.
The second wave came crashing into the defenders like a storm. Unlike the chaotic rush of goblins and direfang wolves from the first assault, this new horde moved with terrifying momentum—an unstoppable force of armored boars, each creature as large as a warhorse, their tusks gleaming like jagged lances. Their eyes glowed with the same unnatural red haze, filled with relentless bloodlust.
For a brief moment, a false sense of confidence lingered among the adventurers. Some of them laughed, riding the high of their first victory, assuming this wave would be just as manageable.
Then the first impact shattered that illusion.
With explosive force, the boars rammed into the knights' front line.
The shield wall, which had held firm against the first wave, buckled under the sheer power of the charge. Steel clashed, wood splintered, and men were sent flying as the creatures plowed through the defenses. A knight near Gale took a direct hit—his body lifted off the ground before crashing down like a ragdoll, his shield bent inward.
"Hold! Hold the damn line!" Gale bellowed, planting his feet like a pillar amidst the chaos.
The knights gritted their teeth, trying to lock their shields together once more, but the boars were too fast, too brutal. Unlike goblins, who relied on sheer numbers and erratic movement, these creatures charged in perfect unison, each strike targeting weak points with unnatural precision.
The adventurers struggled to adapt.
"They're breaking through!" someone shouted.
"Where the hell are the mages?!"
"Incoming—!"
A second charge sent another cluster of knights sprawling, their formation shattered like glass. The adventurers, despite their combat skills, weren't trained for structured warfare. Many had fought powerful beasts in the past, but facing a stampede of enemies working in tandem was something entirely different.
Kai barely dodged a lunging boar, its tusks grazing his side as he twisted away. "Tch—damn things are faster than they look!" He swung his katana in a scorching arc, flames igniting along the blade as it bit into the boar's thick hide.
It should have gone down. But instead, the creature kept moving, thrashing wildly, nearly taking Kai's head off with its massive weight.
They didn't feel pain.
Kai's eyes widened. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me—"
Another adventurer wasn't as lucky. A boar rammed into his chest, breaking ribs on impact before hurling him backwards. His sword clattered uselessly to the ground.
The defenders were being pushed back.
The once-organized battlefield turned into a desperate struggle. The knights, battered and struggling to hold their ground, fought tooth and nail to reform their shield wall. The adventurers, though skilled, were slow to adapt to the sheer ferocity of the new threat.
The boars didn't just rely on brute force—they exploited weaknesses, striking gaps between armor, knocking weapons aside, and tearing through the ranks with relentless aggression.
The adventurers needed to change tactics—fast.
Belle, standing further back, was already assessing the battlefield. Unlike the others, she wasn't thrown into a frenzy. Instead, her Aura Sense flared to life, a web of energy stretching out before her.
She saw it—the pattern of their movement. The boars weren't attacking at random. They were coordinating.
"THEY'RE TARGETING WEAK POINTS IN FORMATIONS!" Belle shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. "DON'T FIGHT THEM HEAD-ON! BREAK THEIR MOMENTUM!"
Gale's sharp eyes flicked toward her. He had already sensed something was off, but now her words confirmed it.
"ARCHERS! MAGES! FOCUS FIRE ON THEIR LEGS!" he commanded. "DISABLE THEIR SPEED! TRIP THEM UP!"
From the back lines, archers quickly adjusted their aim, their arrows now targeting the creatures' knees and ankles instead of their thick hides.
Mages raised their staffs, casting Earthen Spikes and Ice Walls directly in the boars' paths, forcing them to stumble and break formation.
The battlefield began to shift.
Kai smirked, gripping his katana tightly. "Now we're talking."
With newfound strategy, the adventurers and knights fought back—not with brute force, but with control.
Adventurers on the flanks began baiting the boars, dodging their charges at the last second, then striking at their exposed sides as they stumbled past.
Shield-bearers repositioned, using terrain to funnel the enemy into tighter spaces, reducing their speed.
Mages increased their pressure, freezing the ground beneath the boars, making them skid and crash into each other.
Kai, fully adapting to the new flow, took a leading role in cutting them down. His flames now targeted the weakened points, his swordplay shifting to match their movement.
Belle, instead of fighting directly, orchestrated counterattacks, pointing adventurers where they were needed most.
The tide finally turned.
One by one, the armored boars collapsed, their bodies littering the battlefield. The battle was almost over.
Belle's Aura Sense flared.
A pulse—deep, slow, and ominous—brushed against her awareness, like distant thunder rolling through the air. It wasn't just one presence. It was multiple.
Something was coming.
A wave of unease settled in her chest, starkly contrasting the fading clash of battle. Around her, adventurers were catching their breath, sheathing their weapons, and exchanging victorious nods. The last goblin had fallen, the wolves lay scattered, and the battlefield was beginning to quiet.
But Belle knew better. This wasn't over.
She turned sharply, eyes locking onto Gale, who had just finished cutting down a direfang wolf lunging at him. His blade gleamed, reflecting the morning light as he wiped away a streak of blood from his gauntlet.
"Vice-Captain!"
Gale's head snapped up. Belle's voice carried urgency—too sharp, too certain.
"What is it?" he asked, immediately on alert.
Belle's silver eyes narrowed as she scanned the horizon. "There's more coming. A third wave. And it's different."
Gale's gaze swept across the battlefield. From his perspective, the fight was over. The field was littered with monster corpses, and their forces had sustained only minor injuries. The adventurers were already lowering their guard—some clapping each other on the back, others sighing in relief.
"Are you certain?" Gale asked, his tone measured.
Belle's response was immediate. "Yes."
Kai approached, overhearing the conversation. Despite his usual carefree attitude, his expression was unusually serious. He tapped Gale's armored shoulder.
"You should trust her, Vice-Captain." Kai's tone lacked its usual laziness. "She's got a scary sixth sense about this kinda thing."
Gale hesitated, glancing between them. He was skeptical—but he also knew better than to dismiss intuition in battle.
"What are we dealing with?" he asked.
Belle exhaled. "Something big."
The moment she said that, the air shifted.
A deep, guttural roar erupted from beyond the hills. The sound reverberated through the air, carrying a weight that sent an involuntary chill down everyone's spine.
Then—the ground trembled.
A vibration, faint at first, steadily grew stronger, as if something immense was moving beneath the earth.
The adventurers who had begun celebrating froze, their expressions shifting from relief to confusion. Some turned toward the hills, gripping their weapons. Others took hesitant steps backward.
Another roar rang out—this time closer.
A veteran adventurer cursed. "What the hell was that…?"
The earth shook again. Then, in the distance, dark figures began to emerge—massive, hulking shapes, far larger than the monsters they had just fought.
And then—the third wave arrived.
A low tremor pulsed through the ground, faint at first—like a distant heartbeat beneath the battlefield.
Belle felt it before she heard it. A deep, almost primal vibration ran up her legs, setting her instincts on edge. Something was coming. Something big.
Then—BOOM.
The earth cracked beneath a colossal weight. A thunderous footstep. Then another. The rhythmic pounding of something massive sent a wave of silence over the battlefield. Dust rose in plumes from the distant hills. Then, a silhouette emerged from the morning haze.
A hulking ogre, nearly four meters tall, stomped into view. Its grotesquely muscled frame was covered in thick, scarred hide resembling weathered rock. Jagged tusks jutted from its lower jaw, and a crude iron club—more like a massive slab of metal—rested on its shoulder. It exhaled heavily, its breath visible in the cool air, nostrils flaring as it scanned the battlefield with dull, yet murderous, yellow eyes.
But it wasn't alone.
Armored Boars—larger than the previous batch—charged alongside it, their iron-reinforced tusks gleaming like spears in the morning sun. Their hides, unnaturally thick, rippled with muscle and dense plating. Their frenzied snorts filled the battlefield as they stomped forward, their hooves hammering the earth like war drums.
For a heartbeat, everything froze.
Then the murmurs started.
"An ogre? That wasn't in the briefing!"
"The hell are those boars?! Their skin—those aren't normal!"
"Shit. This isn't just a monster horde anymore…"
A younger adventurer, barely out of training, stumbled back, his sword shaking in his hands. Veterans clenched their jaws, adjusting their stances, while the knights held firm, but even their disciplined formation wavered at the sheer presence of the new enemies.
Belle narrowed her eyes. She could feel it—the mana density was spiking again. A deep, unsettling surge of energy, pulsing unnaturally through the battlefield. It was almost like… these monsters were drawn here.
Then, Gale Valtor's voice cut through the hesitation like a blade.
"Formation! Shields up! Lancers, brace for impact! Mages, charge your spells! Healers, prioritize the wounded!"
The knights snapped into action, their well-trained discipline kicking in. Shields locked together in a solid defensive wall, their spears bristling outward. Mages positioned themselves just behind the lines, chanting incantations, their hands glowing with gathering magic. Healers scrambled to revive the fallen and stabilize the injured.
The adventurers, though less structured, quickly fell into their battle formations. The frontline brawlers gritted their teeth, preparing to intercept. Archers and ranged casters climbed onto elevated positions for a better vantage point. Some squads exchanged quick, desperate glances—this wasn't the battle they signed up for.
Kai cracked his knuckles, stepping forward. "Now this is getting interesting."
Belle, standing slightly behind the main defense line, clenched her fists.
This wasn't just a random monster attack anymore.
Something—or someone—was causing this.
End of Chapter 21