Chapter 20: Confront
"The Orcs are talking and laughing? Huh. They seem intelligent and well-organized," Athena muttered, gripping her longsword tighter in her right hand while holding a metallic shield in her left. Without hesitation, she dashed forward.
Like a shadow, she moved faster than a galloping horse and arrived at the heart of the battlefield just as Superintendent Henry, Inspector Elijah, and the rest of the police force joined the fray.
In mere minutes, heads rolled, and the sandy ground turned crimson with blood. Police officers and private mercenaries slaughtered the low-rank monsters relentlessly, doing everything they could to reduce their numbers. But it wasn't easy.
The sheer volume of monsters made it nearly impossible to avoid injury. Casualties quickly mounted, especially when goblins began coordinating their attacks.
Athena noticed that the goblins were deliberately targeting the mercenaries. With swift, decisive steps, she leapt into the chaos. She held nothing back.
Her sword moved like a blur of steel and death. Every swing and thrust was executed with masterful precision, cutting down goblins, kobolds, and wolves in her wake. The battlefield became a symphony of clashing metal, savage roars, and the dying screams of monsters.
Suddenly, taller wolves, Hobgoblins, and elite Kobolds joined the fight.
Without hesitation, Athena sliced down two charging goblins with a single stroke and advanced toward the nearest tall wolf.
Sensing danger, the wolf shifted its focus to her and lunged, jaws wide open, aiming to tear her apart.
"Obsidian Shield!" Athena shouted.
A mysterious dark aura surged from her body, encasing her metallic shield in a black, crystalline layer.
With a dull clang, she slammed the shield into the wolf's open mouth, shattering its teeth.
Without missing a beat, she angled her sword and slashed at the beast's neck with incredible speed.
A normal sword would've barely scratched the creature's tough hide. But a shimmering, invisible force enveloped her blade—Basic Sword Aura.
With a clean sweep, she decapitated the intermediate-ranked beast.
And she didn't stop there.
She rushed toward an elite Kobold and cut it down in three swift strikes. Within minutes, she had slain over seven intermediate-rank monsters, lifting the morale of the nearby soldiers.
Cheers erupted from the men as Athena, soaked in blood, continued to cut down anything in her path.
While she became the hero of the frontline, Baron's Elite Squad engaged the Orcs.
A barrage of twelve Aether bullets shot from their rifles, striking the Orcs in various places—some in the eyes, some in the chest, and some missing fatal areas entirely.
But none of the Orcs died.
Instead, a strange reddish aura enveloped their bodies, pushing them into a frenzied state and bolstering their strength.
Realizing ranged attacks were ineffective, the Elite Squad abandoned their rifles and charged in for close combat.
Steel clashed with steel as their weapons met the massive axes and blades of the Orcs, filling the air with thunderous echoes.
Athena watched the battle, her eyes narrowing as she sensed the immense strength of these high-rank monsters. A powerful urge to face them surged within her.
"But they're already—" she began, then paused, her eyes catching something strange.
One of the Orcs, though wielding a massive sword like the others, moved with refined precision. It parried an Elite Knight's strike, feigning imbalance.
But Athena, well-versed in the art of Shadowstep Dance, could see the deception.
That Orc's swordsmanship… it's better than mine. It's baiting Knight Jayce!
She bolted forward, her voice ringing out.
"Sir Jayce! Don't fall for its feint—it's baiting you!"
"What are you talk—"
Steel met steel.
In a split second, the Orc's sword surged with brute force. Jayce's weapon shattered like brittle glass, and the monster's blade crashed into his armor. The impact sounded like thunder.
Jayce flew through the air—his body limp—before slamming into the ground fifty meters away. Blood bubbled from his mouth. His chestplate had collapsed inward, and his arm dangled like a broken branch.
A hush swept over the battlefield.
Athena froze. Her breath hitched. Her legs faltered beneath her, the image of Jayce's broken body seared into her mind.
I was too late...
The Orc's burning red eyes locked onto Athena. A slow, malicious grin spread across its tusked mouth.
It stomped forward, dragging its massive blade behind it, the metal carving a groove in the blood-soaked earth.
"Grrraah…" it growled—low, guttural, but deliberate. Not mindless. Intentional.
Athena tensed. This one wasn't just strong—it was a cunning beast.
"It's an Orc Commander!" one of the Elite Knights shouted. "A mutated monster—possibly descended from a magical beast! Watch out for its special abilities!"
"You're not going anywhere near her, you damned monster!" a voice yelled.
Shirley burst from cover and sprinted toward Athena, her face twisted with fury.
Baron and the others followed, having remained hidden in search of the enemy leader, never suspecting it had been hiding among the Orcs all along.
"Aunt, I'll be fine! Don't lose your cool!" Athena shouted as she charged toward the Orc Commander.
The massive creature sneered, revealing jagged teeth. Raising its blade, it lunged.
"Obsidian Shield!"
The black crystalline layer returned to Athena's shield. She braced for impact.
BOOM!
Their weapons collided, releasing a powerful shockwave.
Unlike Jayce, Athena only slid back a few feet, still standing tall. Her sword glowed faintly with the invisible edge of Sword Aura.
Another brief silence fell.
I can't block that head-on for long, she thought. I'll cripple it first.
The Orc Commander roared in frustration and raised its sword again.
But this time, Athena activated Dark Dash, a knight technique, and vanished from the spot, reappearing behind the Orc Commander.
Her blade cut low, surgical, ruthless, slashing clean through the thick flesh behind its knee.
A spray of dark blood arced through the air. The tendon snapped with a sickening twang.
The Orc staggered but stayed upright, its monstrous strength keeping it from collapsing.
But Athena saw it—the leg trembled, unstable.
'Good. You're strong, but you're not invincible.'
She watched, eyes narrowed, as its flesh began regenerating quickly. But the tendon remained severed.
'It can heal fast... but not enough to restore tendons. If I take the other leg, I can immobilize it.'
She moved to strike again, but the Orc, sensing her intent, spun and swung its blade.
"Shit!" Athena cursed, narrowly dodging with Dark Dash. Then she disappeared entirely.
Shadow Stealth—the first technique of the Shadowstep Dance.
Infuriated, the Orc roared and turned toward the other monsters.
Before it could take a step, a second cut opened behind its other knee. Blood gushed from both legs. It stumbled.
At that moment, Baron Alexander and Shirley arrived, blocking its path.
Baron moved like a falling comet—his broadsword aglow with radiant energy.
As he descended, the blade carved a glowing crescent through the air. It slammed into the Orc Commander's shoulder, slicing through sinew and muscle, forcing the beast to its knees.
Shirley followed in his wake, her sword blazing like molten steel.
"Burn!" she shouted. Flames exploded from her weapon as she slashed across the Orc's torso, igniting its flesh in a fiery torrent.
The creature howled—a deep, enraged roar that shook the battlefield.