As if on cue, a volley of fireballs followed, one after another, arcing from the camp's perimeter and landing precisely on the simple hide tents. The fire, fanned by the wind, grew in intensity. In the blink of an eye, the camp was a raging inferno of smoke and flames. A chorus of piercing screams, terrified shouts, and the scrape of drawing weapons shattered the silence of the night.
In the flickering firelight, dozens of well-equipped figures charged into the chaotic camp like phantoms of the night, their sharp blades cutting down the beastmen who were still stumbling from their sleep, too dazed to react.
"It's human mercenaries! All warriors, to arms! Attack!" Fury blazed in Mira's panther eyes. She let out a piercing war cry and shot forward like lightning, charging straight for the black-robed Mage, Freya, who was still launching fireballs from the camp entrance.
To catch bandits, first catch the king. She had to take out the greatest threat first—the Mage.
However, Mira had barely covered ten meters when a towering warrior wielding a greatsword suddenly intercepted her from the side. It was Dario.
Dario's broadsword whistled as he swept it horizontally, aiming for Mira's slender waist.
Mira's pupils contracted. In the face of mortal danger, she was forced to twist her body, bringing her crescent blades up diagonally in an attempt to block the thunderous blow.
CLANG!
An ear-splitting shriek of metal on metal exploded through the air. Mira felt an unstoppable, overwhelming force surge from the point of impact, numbing her arms and making the web of her thumbs feel as if they would split. Her crescent blades were nearly torn from her grasp.
The force blasted her backward, her feet carving two deep furrows in the ground as she slid several meters before she could finally dissipate the terrifying momentum.
Her heart sank. From that single exchange, she knew. The bearded human with the greatsword was at least a High-Rank Warrior. The gap between them was too vast; she was no match for him.
"Ceona... are they...?" Mira fought back the bile rising in her throat and glanced back frantically. She saw that Ceona had also burst from the burning tent, a sharp dagger in her hand, being forced back step-by-step by Klaus, the scout armed with a short crossbow.
Dozens of awakened beastman warriors charged from their tents, roaring, trying to mount an effective resistance. But they had only taken a few steps when a dense volley of swishes cut through the darkness.
Bolts tipped with a faint blue light struck them with unerring accuracy in their throats, chests, and other vital spots. The formidable beastman warriors fell without so much as a scream, their bodies stiffening before collapsing to the ground. The wounds quickly turned black—the bolts were clearly tipped with a potent poison.
"The bolts are poisoned!" Mira's face went pale with horror. Powerful Steel Crossbows and their accompanying poison-tipped bolts were strictly controlled military-grade supplies in every kingdom. A common mercenary legion should never have been able to acquire them.
"Don't get distracted when you're fighting me, little kitten!" Dario's rough, mocking voice rang in her ear. At the same time, his massive greatsword, like a door plank, was already descending on her head with a scream of tearing air.
With no room to dodge, Mira could only cross her crescent blades above her head to meet the blow.
BOOM!
Another massive impact. Mira was once again sent flying backward by the irresistible force, crashing heavily to the ground.
Without even a moment to breathe, she ignored the feeling of her bones being shattered and rolled away from Dario's follow-up strike, immediately launching a counter-attack.
With a sharp cry, she channeled her aetheris. A white light instantly coated her crescent blades. Warform: Crescent Tempest! In an instant, a dozen tangible blades of aetheris, like intersecting arcs of moonlight, flew towards Dario in an overwhelming barrage.
Faced with such a fierce assault, Dario's expression showed no hint of panic. He swung his greatsword in wide, powerful arcs, creating an impenetrable fan of steel.
A rapid-fire series of clinks and clangs like a sudden downpour rang out, and every single one of Mira's aetheris blades was effortlessly blocked.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, Dario's greatsword suddenly accelerated its spin, unleashing his signature warform—Whirlwind Strike!
The heavy blade transformed into a deadly tornado, bearing down on Mira with suffocating pressure. She fought desperately to defend herself, her crescent blades clashing against the greatsword again and again, sending sparks flying as the sound of screaming metal filled the air.
But in the face of such a vast gap in power and skill, her resistance was futile. Finally, she was forced back, stumbled, and could no longer hold her ground, collapsing to one knee as she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Not bad, little panther, but you're still a long way off!" Dario lifted his right foot and kicked her square in the chest.
Mira grunted as she was sent flying, coughing up another gout of blood. She struggled, using the tips of her crescent blades to prop herself up, her sternum cracked and sending waves of agony through her.
Ignoring the blood dripping from her mouth, she screamed hoarsely toward the firelight, where Ceona was still locked in battle with Klaus. "Ceona! Take the children and run! Go now! We're no match for them!"
By now, Ceona's eyes were completely bloodshot. A berserk aura radiated from her as she, too, entered a state of rage.
She was drenched in blood, both her enemies' and her own. Her elegant robe was torn to shreds, her hair disheveled as she relentlessly assaulted the scout, Klaus.
Klaus, who had been holding the upper hand with his agility and poisoned crossbow, was now struggling, barely able to parry Ceona's reckless, frenzied assault.
"I can't leave, Mira!" Ceona shrieked between attacks, her voice filled with grim finality. "You take Kray! You have to take him!" While the beastman berserker rage could multiply strength and speed and greatly reduce pain for a short time, the cost was rapidly burning through one's life force. Once the rage ended, the user would fall into extreme weakness, even risking death.
"No! We leave together or not at all!" Mira's eyes were wide with fury. She took a ragged breath and, ignoring her own injuries, charged forward again with her crescent blades, attempting to flank Klaus and create an opening for Ceona to escape.
"Hey, ganging up on him? That doesn't sound like your so-called beastman honor," Dario sneered. His greatsword cut through the air with a vicious whistle, once again blasting Mira back. He then spun and clashed head-on with the berserk Ceona. The heavy blade slammed against her blood-red claws with a deafening screech, successfully saving Klaus from her assault.
Even in her berserk state, Ceona was no match for the High-Rank Warrior, Dario.
The battle had become a one-sided slaughter.
The individual combat prowess of the Salt Blade mercenaries far surpassed that of the cobbled-together beastman warriors. More terrifying was their flawless coordination. Mercenaries with tower shields formed a front line, while their comrades behind them took precise shots with longswords and short spears.
This cold efficiency was not the chaotic style of mercenaries; it was the chilling discipline of a well-trained army.
Roars of fury echoed through the camp.
The minotaur guard, Casen, and a few other powerful beastman warriors also went berserk, unleashing a final, mad charge with the remaining warriors, trying to break through the mercenaries' encirclement.
But it was all in vain.
Freya's cold, merciless chant rang out.
A series of fist-sized, destructive Explosive Fireballs detonated in the center of the charging beastmen.
The violent explosions threw up clouds of dust and severed limbs. The beastman warriors were decimated.
The last glimmer of hope was extinguished.
Mira's heart plunged into a bottomless abyss. She could only close her eyes in despair, waiting for death.
But the expected agony never came. In that instant, a figure threw herself in front of Mira.
It was Ceona.
"Mira... run... now!"
Ceona unleashed the final, most piercing roar of her life.
She shoved Mira aside, then turned. Filled with endless grief and resolve, she threw herself at the advancing Dario.