Chapter 74

As we ascended the hill, what caught our eyes was the sight of over a hundred monsters surging towards the labyrinth city.

"…What the hell is that?"

Maanel muttered in shock. His voice trembled, but no one pointed it out. Everyone present understood the situation.

…In this situation, no one could blame Maanel for his reaction.

The monsters surging forward were not just orcs. Besides the large number of orcs, there were also higher-level monsters like hobgoblins, mid-level monsters, and even lower-level monsters, including a lich. Under normal circumstances, such a large-scale monster horde attacking the labyrinth city would cause significant damage. Moreover, there was a possibility that the monsters, like the hobgoblin earlier, were enhanced.

If that were the case, I couldn't even imagine the extent of the damage. Faced with such a situation, I was dumbfounded, my mouth moving without forming words.

"This is… no, it's impossible."

I negated my own words halfway through, judging that it absolutely couldn't happen.

I immediately dismissed the thought that came to mind and shifted my focus to the horde of monsters. At this point, there was no option to flee from the labyrinth city. The monsters would reach the labyrinth city before the evacuation preparations were complete. The only choice left was to fight.

At that moment, I resolved to fight the monsters before me.

"Maanel, take care of the people in the city!"

"Y-Yes!"

At my words, the city's adventurers hurriedly headed towards the people. Watching them go, I secretly resolved to settle the matter before the monsters reached the labyrinth city.

The nearest city to the labyrinth city had walls, but the labyrinth city itself had none. This meant that once the monsters reached this point, they could enter the labyrinth city without any obstacles. Given the current state of the labyrinth city, it was easy to imagine what would happen once they entered. Even if the people were evacuated, it was certain that they would suffer damage, and the labyrinth city's adventurers might be rendered incapable of recovery. This had to be avoided at all costs.

I wasn't the only one who made this judgment.

"We will defend this place."

With those words, the oppressive aura from Sieg, who had his hand on the magic sword on his back, intensified. Despite his own tension, Sieg tried to encourage us.

"Before we got here, I already told Laila about the orcs. The adventurers should be arriving soon. If we can hold out until then, we will have the numerical advantage."

"We can do it."

Despite Sieg's concern, Narseena showed no signs of tension. She looked completely confident, as if saying that we could definitely handle it.

In this situation, her attitude might be considered overly optimistic. Indeed, Sieg was surprised by Narseena's words.

However, I felt the same way as Narseena. Certainly, we were facing an unprecedented crisis. The monsters from the labyrinth appearing on the surface, and in an enhanced state, was a situation with no clear cause.

Still, the situation was far better than when we fought the mutated hydra.

Narseena's skills had been honed through battles with strong enemies, and I had significantly enhanced my abilities. Compared to when we first met, we had grown considerably, and this time, we had Sieg with us. Even if the monsters were enhanced, we could buy enough time with this number. I was confident of this.

…However, I didn't realize that this confidence was based on an overly optimistic estimate.

"…Huh?"

Narseena was the first to notice that the monsters, just a few hundred meters from the labyrinth city, had suddenly stopped.

"…What's happening?"

"They suddenly stopped? Why now…?"

Soon, Sieg and I also noticed the monsters' suspicious movements, but we couldn't figure out the reason. A sense of unease built up, and our faces contorted with an indescribable feeling. It was then that Narseena spoke with a tense voice.

"…! Magic! That lich is trying to cast a powerful spell using the surrounding monsters! And it's beyond tactical level."

The term "tactical level" brought back a memory from a book I had read at the guild about war. It described how hundreds of mages could combine their magic power to cast a powerful spell, which was called a tactical-level spell. Applying this to the current situation, the lich was using the monsters' magic power to cast a powerful spell…

"–!"

It was at that moment that I fully understood the crisis we were in. If the lich cast a spell like the one described in the book, the fate of the labyrinth city was clear.

Recognizing the danger, Narseena and I couldn't hide our anxiety. Sieg, however, hadn't grasped the situation, and my attempt to explain was cut short.

"Tactical level? What exactly…!"

In the next instant, a magic circle with a radius of over ten meters formed above the lich, cutting off Sieg's words. The sight of the glowing magic circle in the sky made Sieg's face pale, conveying the direness of the situation.

The despair that crossed my mind as I watched the magic circle form made me think it was too late. But Narseena's stern voice brought me back to reality.

"It's still in the magic accumulation stage! We can stop it now!"

I didn't know how much time we had before the spell was completed, but it wouldn't be long. We had to break through the horde of monsters and kill the lich in that time.

It was a clearly unfavorable battle.

"Let's go!"

Despite the odds, we understood that there was no other way to win. At Sieg's command, we ran towards the horde of monsters.

I apologize for the shorter text this time… I had planned to add a bit more, but I felt it would become excessively long if I did. I hope to update more quickly next time…