The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, with swords scattered across the ground, remnants of a fierce battle.
The adventurers had the upper hand in terms of their high levels, superior equipment, and vast combat experience. However, they had been caught off guard by an unexpected wave of attacks, leaving many of them injured and their movements noticeably stiffer.
On the other hand, while Jack and the others were low-level and poorly equipped, they had the advantage in numbers. Their relentless and desperate assault, combined with Lilith's fire support and harassment from the rear, allowed them to hold their ground.
When the two sides clashed again, they were evenly matched, exchanging blow for blow in a brutal contest.
However, as the battle dragged on, the adventurers grew increasingly terrified. Staring at the red-eyed teenagers in front of them, they began to feel an unsettling fear.
It no longer felt like they were fighting humans but rather something far more dangerous—ferocious beasts in human form.
"How is this possible? I cut him, yet he doesn't retreat, and there's no pain on his face. Instead, he comes at me with even more fury!"
"Are they really human? Why do they feel scarier than dragons?"
"Could they be monsters in human form?"
"Are they not afraid of death?"
These questions echoed through the minds of all the adventurers as fear spread like a virus in their hearts.
They had insulted Jason, and Jason had already dedicated himself entirely to this battle.
For Jack and the others, defeat was not an option. If the right hand was broken, they would switch to the left. If both hands were disabled, they would kick or bite with their teeth. Even if it meant biting into an adventurer's flesh, they would not stop fighting.
Their desperate tactics left more of them injured, but the adventurers were beginning to retreat, their confidence faltering. Some were so terrified that they could no longer grip their weapons.
Even Ren, no matter how oblivious he could be at times, realized that if this continued, the adventurers on his side were bound to lose.
Just as he was about to step in and provide support, a sudden chilling sensation swept over his skin. Instinctively, he raised his holy sword to defend himself.
"Clang~~~"
The crisp sound of steel clashing rang out, and Ren was forced back a few steps, putting distance between himself and the attacker. "Is it you?"
Standing before him was Irene, the one who had taken the magic sword from Jason.
"Scattered Flowers!!!"
Irene wasn't one for idle chatter during a fight. When her surprise attack failed, she immediately twirled her sword with a flourish, launching another strike at Ren.
"I've already given you a chance, but if you don't know when to quit, don't blame me! Now, cut it off!" Ren shouted as he advanced instead of retreating. A glowing circle of light appeared on his holy sword, and he slashed forward with full force.
Their blades clashed again, and the impact almost knocked the sword out of Irene's hand. She was forced to retreat, taking six steps back before she could stop herself. Glancing down, she was relieved to see her magic steel sword remained intact.
"Step aside. You're no match for me," Ren said, turning away to help the adventurers.
"Why are they always so naive? Do they really think my people will give up so easily?" Jason muttered to himself, shaking his head as he observed.
Just as he predicted, Irene tightened her grip on her sword and charged at Ren once more. Though she remained silent, her fighting spirit surged. She was determined to defeat him.
"What a nuisance. Meteor Sword!" Ren raised his holy sword and slashed it downward, unleashing a massive burst of sword energy that tore a deep trench into the ground as it shot toward Irene. If it hit, she would surely be cleaved in half.
However, Irene had anticipated this. She sidestepped the attack just in time, evading the sword energy with ease. Using the momentum of her dodge, she lunged at Ren and delivered a swift upward kick, sending him flying into the air with blood spraying from his body.
Though his armor protected him from any fatal damage, a deep wound now ran along his side, enough to rattle the usually composed Ren.
"Blood... I'm bleeding... Damn it!" Ren's face twisted with rage as he felt the pain of the wound. His expression grew feral, and he swung the holy sword wildly, abandoning all semblance of technique.
Ren's previous attack patterns had been easy to predict, but now, his erratic strikes made him much more dangerous. Irene found herself hard-pressed to block each powerful swing. She gripped her sword with both hands, continuously retreating as she deflected the blows.
"You idiots! How are you losing to a bunch of kids? If that's the case, I'll kill every last one of you myself to avoid the embarrassment!" Ren bellowed at the adventurers.
"Yeah, it's disgraceful," one adventurer muttered in agreement.
"We're seasoned adventurers! It's ridiculous that we've been pushed to this point by a group of brats!" another added.
"As followers of Lord ren, not only did we fail to help him, but we even let him get hurt. What a shame!" a third adventurer lamented.
"Anyway, Lord ren has issued a death order. We're as good as dead, so let's see who can go crazier!" someone shouted, rallying the others.
"Kill!"
Ren's words reignited the adventurers' fighting spirit, and the fear that had gripped them earlier was now replaced with frenzied determination. Their morale surged, and the battle shifted once more.
The battlefield became a scene of madness against madness. Though Jack and his group had initially gained the upper hand, the adventurers began to press them back, leveraging their superior strength. However, killing Jack and the others wasn't going to be easy. Despite the adventurers' advantage in levels and equipment, they had already been wounded by the relentless assaults from Jack's group.
Jason, observing the chaos, knew that if the fighting continued this way, both sides would suffer heavy losses. That was not the outcome he wanted.
"Raphtalia, how are you feeling? Can you still fight?" Jason asked, turning to her.
"I'm fine now," Raphtalia replied. She had been resting due to her motion sickness after casting a spell, but she had recovered by this point.
"Good. Then let's move out. And Filo, I need you to support Jack and the others!"
"Yes, Master Jason!" Filo responded with enthusiasm, ready to leap into action.
After Raphtalia responded, she cast a spell called [Phantom Invisibility], causing her body to vanish on the spot. Filo, too, disappeared, only to reappear right in front of an unsuspecting adventurer. She immediately unleashed her [High-Speed Kick].
The adventurer was taken aback, not expecting such a massive Filolial to appear in an instant. In his moment of shock, Filo struck him with a powerful kick, launching him into the air. The sound of something cracking, like an eggshell, echoed through the battlefield as the adventurer soared skyward, letting out an "ohhh" before crashing back down, unconscious and defeated.
With Filo joining the fray, adventurers were being kicked away one after another. Her strength was a clear reminder that she was destined to be a future queen. However, aside from the first adventurer who was unfortunate enough to be struck fatally, the others managed to survive, though badly injured.
As they hit the ground, they saw a terrifying sight: a group of blood-soaked youths charging at them, looking like vengeful spirits emerging from the depths of hell. It was too late for them to flee.
One by one, as more adventurers lost their fighting ability, the tide of the battle finally shifted in favor of Jack and his comrades.
Meanwhile, Ren continued his frenzied assault on Irene. Even her newly acquired magic steel sword had become chipped and damaged from clashing with Ren's holy sword.
Eventually, the magic steel sword could no longer endure, and it shattered in two, leaving Irene defenseless. At that moment, a figure materialized behind Ren, wielding a long sword—it was Raphtalia, concealed by her [Phantom Invisibility].
Just as her sword was about to strike, the holy sword in Ren's hand emitted a warning sound, much like Jason's [Double-Headed Black Dog Shield] which possessed a similar alert function.
The alarm snapped Ren back to his senses, and he hastily turned, bringing his sword around to defend.
Despite this, Raphtalia didn't flinch. She continued her attack, but rather than aiming for Ren, she shifted her target to his holy sword.
Her long sword slammed into the holy sword, pinning it against the ground.
Caught mid-turn, Ren's body was twisted, making it difficult for him to apply any force. With Raphtalia pressing down on him, the tip of his holy sword was driven into the earth, throwing him completely off balance.
At that exact moment, a cold gleam flashed in the air as Raphtalia raised her sword and brought it down in one fluid motion. The strike was clean, swift, and precise. She gracefully flicked the blood off the blade in mid-swing before smoothly sheathing it. Her movements were as fluid and natural as flowing water.
A harsh sound screeched from Ren's armor, followed by a gush of blood spilling from the fresh wound.
Ren, now drained of all his strength, dropped to his knees. He tilted his head back to look at Raphtalia, his expression one of disbelief. "So fast..." he muttered weakly.
"Apologies, Sword Hero," Raphtalia said softly, nodding before turning to walk toward Jason. She glanced back with a triumphant smile, satisfied with her victory.
"Sword Hero? Huh..." Ren's voice had lost its former fierceness. Instead, it was filled with self-deprecation, as if mocking his own failure.
At that moment, the skies opened up, and heavy rain poured down as though trying to cleanse the battlefield of its filth. Ren lifted his face to the sky, letting the rain wash over him. He cast his gaze toward the fallen adventurers who had followed him—now lying defeated one by one.
A profound sense of failure washed over him. Everything felt real, but Ren couldn't bring himself to accept it. He felt disconnected, as though trapped in a surreal dream.
Doubt gnawed at him. He began to question the worth of his own existence, wondering if he truly was the Sword Hero or if this was all just a cruel illusion.
The driving force behind Ren's endless battles with ferocious monsters had always been his desire to catch up to the formidable Jason. But now, he couldn't even defeat one of Jason's followers.
It was like trying desperately to amass wealth, striving to become the richest man in the village, only to find out that even the lowest servant in the richest man's house had more wealth than he did. The frustration and humiliation were overwhelming.
At this moment, the battle on the other side had finally reached its conclusion, with all the adventurers lying defeated on the ground.
Although Jack and the others were covered in wounds, their bodies battered and blood-soaked, their clothes drenched in red from the rain, and even the ground beneath them stained with blood, there was a gleam of excitement in each of their eyes.
It was unclear who started it, but soon, they all began to roar—loud and primal. It was a sound of release, a cry to the heavens, a triumphant declaration of their hard-earned victory.
Their voices seemed to challenge the sky itself, as if to prove that no matter how powerful the enemy, they could overcome it.
Victory would always belong to them.