The Wyverns moved through the cloudy, obscured sky — an occurrence Christia had witnessed before. However, what she had never seen in the hundreds of years since the establishment of the Labyrinth Conquerors was them carrying Orcs on their backs.
Upon closer observation, the Wyverns had saddles to provide stability for the riders, their seating part made of a blue, sticky Slime-like material. In any case, they were evidently not regular horse saddles.
Faced with this unprecedented situation, Christia felt a moment of unease, but she quickly redirected her focus, descending straight down. As the pursuing monsters closed in, she prepared to cast <<Air Blades>>, but the Orc-mounted Wyverns veered around her and descended as well.
“…Is it just me, or are they coming at us?” Tsutomu asked, seeing that the Wyverns, while being shot down one after another by the skills of the Explorers, seemed to be primarily targeting Absolute Helix and Scarlet Devil Squad.
“They ARE coming at us,” Garm nodded in response and readied the large tower shield he carried. “Daryl, Xeno, Hannah — let’s go.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Leave this to me!”
“Aww, yeah! Lemme at ’em!”
The four Absolute Helix Tanks dispersed, each unleashing a different-colored Combat Cry. Notably, Hannah’s was still in the default red; she had attempted to change it to blue, but was not yet successful.
The Wyverns, unable to ignore the powerful pulls of their auras, immediately changed direction toward the Tanks. Although it was unusual for Wyvern to carry Orc, it did not dramatically increase their strength. Therefore, Tsutomu tried to guide his horse to a position where he could heal the Tanks.
“Whoa–!”
But then, in addition to the surprise attack from the clouds, the ground started shaking. The horses panicked, and the Explorers’ ranks were thrown into disarray. Fortunately, Tsutomu, accustomed to earthquakes, quickly cast <<Fly>> and took flight, distancing himself from the ground.
“Everyone, cast <<Fly>> and get off the ground!” Tsutomu issued instructions through the megaphone hanging from his neck.
He assisted Amira, who was losing balance nearby, by lending her a shoulder for support as they flew into the air. After Amira managed to take off, Tsutomu received a somewhat resentful glance from her, but he paid it no mind and prioritized confirming the well-being of the others.
Amidst the chaotic battle, Tsutomu instantly grasped where the members of the Absolute Helix clan were fighting. He decided to head towards the location where the four Tanks were battling the Wyverns and Orcs, so as to make sure that he could heal his friends.
Then, just after leaving his current spot, the ground exploded, kicking up a cloud of dust. Emerging from the previously empty ground was a gigantic monster resembling an earthworm — a Sandworm.
With a gaping mouth that could easily swallow a human whole, the monster erupted from the ground, and more of them continued to emerge from various locations. Fortunately, no one within Absolute Helix’s ranks had become their prey, but some members of the Scarlet Devil Squad and Labyrinth Conquerors had been swallowed whole.
“Alma!”
Judging from the panicked voice of Weiss, who was lending his shoulder to Cecilia, it was likely that Alma was among those who had been swallowed. Tsutomu spent a moment to confirm the safety of his clanmates, and then he immediately headed toward Weiss.
“Kill the Sandworms before they burrow into the ground!” Christia promptly ordered, “First, the one in the northwest. Second, southeast. Third, north. The Explorers can still be saved! Everyone else, work on slowing them down!”
Since Sandworms only had teeth for plowing through soft soil, those swallowed could be rescued as long as the monsters did not burrow too deep. Following Christia’s instructions, the Explorers stabbed their bladed weapons shallowly into the Sandworms to impede them, and the Labyrinth Conquerors swiftly headed to the spots where the swallowed Explorers could be.
Tsutomu, positioning himself near the Sandworm that had swallowed Alma, turned to warn Amira as the latter leaped out with a raised greatsword,
“Don’t cut too deep — there are people inside!”
“Yeah, I know!”
Amira proceeded to slam her greatsword’s face into the Sandworm, causing it to writhe violently like a fish out of water. The people inside, who had been struggling in the monster’s belly the whole time, made some pained movements.
Seeing an opening, a Labyrinth Conquerors squad leader threw a thick spear at the monster, piercing its head. Jumping up, he held the spear embedded in the Sandworm’s head and, with the momentum, thrust it into the ground.
Immediately following that, a squad member used a knife to nimbly cut open the Sandworm’s belly, revealing Alma, covered in slimy fluid, heaving and spitting.
“Worst. Experience. Ever.”
Alma, completely drenched in the Sandworm’s gastric fluid and blood, made squishing sounds with every movement. Tsutomu could not help but feel sorry for the state she had ended up in, but seeing that monsters were pouring out from other openings in the ground, he quickly shifted his focus.
It seemed that the others had succeeded in stopping the Sandworms and rescuing the Explorers from their bellies, ending this phase of the fight with no casualties. Though the rescued individuals, like Alma, were covered in fluids, it was a relief that they had avoided being slowly digested with no chance of escape. Just being covered in fluids was a mercy in comparison.
“All personnel, retreat to Sentrea! Now we’ve seen how different this Stampede is. We must bring this information back.”
In tandem with the aerial ambush, there was also a ground assault. Moreover, the Stampede itself, which had been visible in the distance, suddenly changed direction, veering off their course toward the Royal Capital, instead heading toward the Explorers. Christia, noticing the abnormal movements of the monsters, quickly ordered a retreat.
“I don’t know why, but the monsters seem to be concentrating on the members of Scarlet Devil Squad and Absolute Helix. The marching band will board the carriages and provide maximum support to the two Clans.”
The band’s conductor, hearing the instructions, immediately waved his baton, concentrating the music in the direction where the Scarlet Devil Squad and Absolute Helix were.
“After the marching band has been sent on their way, Labyrinth Conquerors will provide cover. Weiss and his Scarlet Devil Squad will deal with the insect-type monsters emerging from the ground. Absolute Helix, handle the monsters coming from the sky. But remember — don’t push yourselves too hard. This is a retreat.”
Responding promptly to Christia’s instructions, Weiss, with his pair of red-stained swords in hand, plunged into the swarm of insect-type monsters emerging from the cracked ground.
One by one, Weiss cut the monsters down, but then he was ambushed by a swarm of Poison Spiders crawling out of the ground. Various insect-type monsters crowded around Weiss as he was now immobilized.
“<<Phoenix Flame>>.”
However, the spider-type monsters that had bitten into Weiss’ body burned up in an instant, turning into charcoal. The bite marks that were all over his body quickly healed, enabling him to continue swinging his swords amidst the horde of monsters.
“<<Meteor Stream>>.”
Meanwhile, Alma, still covered in fluids, also quietly unleashed her rage. Holding the Black Staff that she had borrowed from Cecilia, she swiftly annihilated the monsters on the ground. Close-ranged Attackers exploited the opening created by Weiss, cutting down the monsters left and right.
“I REALLY need a break,” Diniel said as she calmly shot arrows at the approaching airborne monsters.
“<<Medic>>. There you go.”
Tsutomu, by Diniel’s side, healed the Tanks and served as an extra pair of eyes for Diniel.
“You know, Tsutomu, I think they’re targeting us specifically. You should get away.”
The speculation that only Explorers were being targeted seemed accurate, judging by the fact that the Labyrinth Conquerors and the marching band were mostly unscathed. However, even among them, monsters targeting Tsutomu were clearly more abundant, and Diniel looked at him with a gaze reminiscent of seeing a jinx.
“<<Air Blades>>. …Wait, so why is it US? <<Heal>>. …Even if there’s a commander-type monster in this Stampede, there’s no way every single one of them can know what it wants.”
“The Wyverns are clearly not normal, too. They’re way too good at dodging arrows — and the Orcs somehow know how to deflect attacks. It’s so annoying.”
While she complained, Diniel predicted the direction one of the Wyverns would dodge and released two arrows. Following the satisfying sound of the impact, the Wyvern’s muffled cry echoed. The Orc on it tried to block the other arrow with its shield, only to fall from its mount, the arrow dragging it down by its arm.
The two Clans serving as the rearguard were also retreating, their horses fleeing through the gaps in the monsters’ ranks. Among them, the ones who played the central role were Weiss, with the ability of <<Phoenix Soul>> for automatic recovery, and Garm, making use of his experience and high VIT.
“We’re counting on you, Garm.”
“Leave it to me.”
If he were to be honest, Tsutomu did not want his Clan members to take risks. However, when considering everyone’s abilities and making the best decision, such choices had to be made.
Tsutomu, contrary to his inner thoughts, gave clear instructions with a resolute attitude and let Garm take charge as the rearguard. After the battles with the Shell Crab and the Fire Dragon, Garm had recognized Tsutomu as the leader, and as such had no doubts about his decision.
Even when facing the Fire Dragon and Devourer Dragon, Tsutomu had always given the best instructions without any sign of fear. Garm, being appointed as the rearguard by Tsutomu, wore a proud expression — and then there was Daryl, looking at Garm with a slightly envious gaze.
“<<Dragon Form>>.”
“<<Dual Wave Slash>>!”
While Garm and Weiss held the line, drawing the attention of the monsters, the Attackers continued to unleash their attacks. As the corpses of monsters piled up one after another, a mass of green gas flew in an arc, landing on the two rearguards.
“<<Medic>>, <<Heal>>.”
Tsutomu, as one of the Healers, worked tirelessly to provide support and recovery to himself and his companions, contributing to the annihilation of monsters. Though they were still dealing with the pincer attack from the ground and sky, they managed to retreat at sufficient speed.
The band withdrew to safety on their carriages, and the Labyrinth Conquerors headed to assist the two Clans targeted by the monsters. With the addition of the Labyrinth Conquerors, the situation became much more favorable — but the rearguard was still struggling.
“No need to hold the line anymore! Just run! The Stampede is upon us!”
“All right! No need to tell us twice!”
The ground continued to crack, and more Wyverns rained down from the sky like a storm. Behind them, a massive horde of monsters — the Stampede — approached. The members of the Labyrinth Conquerors and Scarlet Devil Squad simultaneously turned around, casting <<Fly>> and finding suitable horses to mount while they made their escape.
As a precaution, Tsutomu, receiving Undine’s protection through a <<Contract>>, approached Garm. Cecilia, the Healer of the Scarlet Devil Squad, followed close behind him.
“Garm, retreat’s already been called. We’re leaving.”
“It has? Well, all right…”
“C’mon, Weiss, you’re pushing it. Let’s get out of here.”
“…Yeah.”
The four of them, with the support of the band and the Labyrinth Conquerors, withdrew from their position. After that, they simply directed their horses forward as the whole frontline force was forced to retreat to Sentrea.
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