Chapter 80

Aldis, who had thrown himself from the city wall, gently floated down with magic just before landing, as if nothing had happened.

The surroundings were in the midst of a chaotic battle. Few noticed his absurd appearance.

Drawing "Soten Saika" from his waist, Aldis began to run towards the area where the civilians were being pressed by the beasts. On his way, he hunted the beasts, and soon discovered a group of militiamen surrounded and in a dire situation.

"Damn! We're surrounded!"

"Weren't we supposed to outnumber them!?"

"My legs...! My legs are hit!"

"Someone! Cover us! ——Help us!"

The number of militiamen seemed to be less than ten. The pack of beasts surrounding them, at a rough glance, numbered over thirty.

In the entire battlefield, there were more humans than beasts. However, while the allies had a leader, the enemies were just a mass of instinct. It was inevitable that the distribution would be uneven.

Aldis released "Koku Shun Ka" and "Tsukihada Fubuki," sending them ahead. The thin yellow-green and pure white blades flew straight, slicing through the air.

The blades attacked the backs of the beasts surrounding the militiamen, catching them off guard. First, two beasts were beheaded from behind without a chance to react. Next, two more were pierced through the torso as they hesitated, confused by the sudden change. Then, two more were struck on the head from the front as they bared their fangs in response to the threat.

The beasts, having lost six of their companions in an instant, began to growl, wary of the new enemy.

"What the...!?"

"Reinforcements!?"

The militiamen, who had been saved, seemed to be unable to understand the situation, with the sudden fall of the beasts and the invisible attacker.

A violet shadow cut through the beasts that had been hostile towards the two floating swords. After sending the two swords ahead, Aldis, wielding "Soten Saika," tore through the pack.

With each swing of his sword, another beast fell. It was more like a task than a battle.

Swinging his sword as if practicing in training, Aldis methodically moved his arm, and the beasts fell in sync. To the untrained militiamen, it probably looked that way.

The pack of over thirty beasts was completely cut down in less than a minute.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah... We're saved. Thank you, swordsman... or mage?"

The quick dispatch of the beasts demonstrated Aldis's skill with a sword. However, the militiaman's confusion stemmed from Aldis's attire.

He was not clad in armor, nor did he carry a shield. He wore only an unusual robe, a short violet one that did not seem to offer any protection for close combat.

The militiaman's hesitation, which led him to correct "swordsman" to "mage" and end with a question, reflected his confusion.

"Those who are injured, fall back and get treated. Someone help them. The rest, continue to eliminate the beasts. Always surround them with more than double the number. I'll take on the larger packs."

Without waiting for a response, Aldis began to clear the surrounding beasts.

Being given orders by a young-looking Aldis might not have been pleasant for the militiamen. However, after witnessing his prowess, no one voiced any complaints. In a battlefield, age and youth were meaningless.

"Words cut your form and lead you to the realm of sleep —— Sleep Mist!"

Swinging "Soten Saika" and making "Koku Shun Ka" and "Tsukihada Fubuki" dance, Aldis cast the sleep spell around.

The beasts, rendered powerless by his sword and magic, were quickly neutralized.

"Finish off the sleeping beasts!"

The militiamen, who had been taken aback by the sudden turn of events, came to their senses at Aldis's voice and began to finish off the defenseless beasts.

The situation in the area, which had been overwhelmed by the number of beasts, changed dramatically.

"With this many hunted, the rest should be able to push them back."

After confirming the situation, Aldis looked around for his next destination. His gaze was drawn to the front lines, where mercenaries were engaged in fierce battles with monsters.

The next target set, Aldis, with his two swords, plunged into the battlefield of the mercenaries. The roars of humans and monsters, the dull sounds of the monsters' claws clashing with the mercenaries' weapons, the occasional chanting of spells, and the explosions on the ground. Amidst all this, a faint crack was heard.

At the front lines, the mercenaries were fighting against powerful monsters.

"Despair of the Grasslands," "Whips," "Trolls," and "Hounds." Each of these monsters was dangerous and could not be handled by inexperienced fighters.

"Monsters are gathering from the forests and mountains too..."

Aldis frowned at the presence of monsters that usually inhabited forests and mountains, in addition to those that lived on the grasslands.

The soldiers and militiamen fighting the beasts were not having an easy time. However, the danger of fighting monsters was on a different level from fighting beasts. Even the relatively weaker monsters like "Despair" and "Whips" were too much for most mercenaries.

However, the mercenaries on this battlefield were not just any mercenaries.

"Free Cloud," "Dragon Vanguard," "Spirit Guide," "Red Three Swords." Each of these groups was renowned across the land.

A large mercenary swung a heavy axe, severing a "Whip's" tail. A tall mercenary thrust a spear into the gaping mouth of a "Despair." Some manipulated the monsters with agile movements, while others sealed their mobility with support magic. The scene was filled with the forms of those who specialized in and excelled at battle.

Of course, the monsters did not just sit back and take it. A "Troll's" powerful jaws tore through a swordsman's arm, and a "Hound's" claws sliced through a mercenary's leather armor, causing a rain of blood. Not all mercenaries were on par with the "Free Cloud" in their ability to fight monsters.

In some areas, mercenaries were overwhelming the monsters, while in others, they were locked in a life-or-death struggle.

"Ted seems to be doing fine. Then I'll... huh?"

After a quick glance at Ted, who was effortlessly slaying monsters, Aldis's attention was drawn to a single mercenary. This mercenary, clad in leather armor, was fighting three "Despairs" alone.

* * *

From behind, only the deep green hair and slender frame were visible. The mercenary walked lightly towards the front "Despair."

"Shaaaaaa!"

Without hesitation, the mercenary approached the threatening "Despair." Just as the distance closed, the mercenary's body blurred.

"Guhaaaaa!"

In an instant, the "Despair" was cut diagonally, turning into two grotesque chunks of flesh.

"Shaaaaa!"

The remaining "Despairs" attacked the mercenary from both sides. The mercenary, without showing any panic, took two steps back and struck the mouth of the "Despair" coming from the left with a round shield attached to his left arm.

The "Despair" flinched.

How much strength did this slender frame possess? The mercenary deflected the "Despair's" charge with one arm and decapitated it with a single stroke. Then, turning to the opposite side, the mercenary thrust forward, directly at the last "Despair" that was charging.

"Gehaaaaa!"

With a final scream, the "Despair" collapsed, drained of strength. The green-haired mercenary had easily dispatched three "Despairs," known as the "Despair of the Grasslands."

Of course, there were many skilled mercenaries on the battlefield. The heavy swordsman of "Dragon Vanguard" was using his strength to scatter the monsters, and the female mercenary of "Red Three Swords" was manipulating the monsters with light steps. However, the green-haired mercenary stood out among them.

The other mercenaries were fighting the monsters as a team. Even among the skilled mercenaries, few could fight monsters alone like Ted. The mercenary who had quickly dispatched the three "Despairs" was clearly head and shoulders above the others. He might even be stronger than Ted.

"Interesting."

Aldis was intrigued by the mercenary. His sword technique was too clean for a mercenary.

Most mercenaries' sword techniques were self-taught. Some, like the assassin who had once attacked Aldis, had learned proper sword techniques, but they were few. Mercenaries were often third sons from rural areas, orphans from slums, or roughnecks who couldn't find proper jobs. They either learned from senior mercenaries or taught themselves.

Aldis himself had never learned proper sword techniques. He had learned from a mercenary who was like a parent to him and had stolen techniques by watching his comrades. However, the sword technique he saw in front of him was clearly that of someone who had been trained in proper sword techniques.

(Moreover, he's skilled. A former regular soldier turned mercenary?)

However, the monsters did not care about Aldis's musings and continued to surge forward. Two more "Despairs" and four "Whips" were heading towards the mercenary who had just dispatched three "Despairs."

(That's too much for one person.)

The green-haired mercenary was skillfully adjusting his position to avoid being surrounded and showed signs of retreating. Aldis, judging that he needed support, ran towards the mercenary with "Soten Saika" in hand.

"Hey, swordsman! Do you need backup!?"