Chapter 64

"Damn it! What the hell is this territory! It wasn't just a tiny village, was it!"

In the middle of the open farmland with no place to hide, the thieves at the front were mowed down by a barrage of arrows.

Gozurin deflected the arrow that flew at him and used the corpse of a fallen subordinate as a shield.

It just didn't make sense. This was supposed to be a small village with a population of around 200. Yet, judging by the momentum of the arrows, the enemy had a force of about 50 archers.

To make matters worse, the arrows were strange. They were extremely short compared to normal ones.

"Are the enemies fairies or something? Damn it!"

Frustrated by the inexplicable situation, Gozurin cursed.

"Boss! Boss!"

"Hey, you're still alive."

When he turned to the voice, he saw his lieutenant using a nearby corpse as a shield just like him.

"It doesn't make any sense! What the hell is this place!"

"Idiot, do I look like I know?!"

"Anyway, if we keep this up, we'll all be wiped out! We should retreat—"

The next moment.

A particularly loud "swish" cut through the air, and the lieutenant's upper body, along with the corpse he was using as a shield, was torn apart.

...

"Got it! Did you see that? Amazing power! Amazing power! The body was split in two!"

"Alright, calm down a bit..."

Damian, who was cheering excitedly in front of the gate, was scolded by Yuri.

Damian was wielding a large crossbow, not a handheld one, but one that was placed on the ground. It was named "Ballista" after a warrior from a certain hero's tale.

The arrow was as thick as a stake, and it took the strength of two large men to pull the string.

About a month ago, when there was still plenty of time, Damian had created a prototype, which he suddenly put into actual combat, and it had achieved impressive results.

"By the way, you should have evacuated with the women. You can't fight properly anyway."

"What are you talking about! This is a historic day, the first time my weapon is used in actual combat! I can't miss it!"

"...I see."

Yuri replied with a sigh at Damian's passionate words.

While they were exchanging words, the villagers stationed on the wooden fence continued to load and shoot arrows one after another.

"Amazing, amazing! More and more thieves are dying from my crossbow! Everyone, you're doing great! Keep it up!"

Hearing Damian's excited cheers, a few of the archers nearby continued to shoot with wry smiles.

The thieves, who were hindered by the rain of arrows, were thrown into chaos again when Noein sent the golem into the fray.

If they stayed in the shadows of the corpses, they would be beaten to death by the golem. If they moved, they would be exposed to the rain of arrows.

The golem, on the other hand, moved calmly even in the rain of arrows, rampaging in the middle of the thieves.

None of the thieves had the time to set fire to the golem, and the one-sided slaughter continued.

Eventually, the thieves began to retreat, unable to bear it any longer. The leader-like man was desperately shouting, "Don't retreat! Advance!" but most of the thieves ignored his orders and ran away with their backs turned.

"...It's about time for Bart and the others to make their move."

As Yuri muttered, Bart and his team emerged from the forest, cutting off the thieves' retreat.

After confirming this, Yuri said to the men waiting with swords, spears, and axes in front of the gate.

"Let's finish this with a pincer attack! We're going in too!"

"Ooh!"

...

"The enemies are running! Let's go!"

In the forest, Bart, who had been hiding further out from the road where Noein and the thieves had passed, led about 15 villagers out of the forest and blocked the thieves' retreat.

From the opposite side of the road, Rick and Dant, also leading about 15 villagers, emerged and surrounded the thieves.

The thieves, whose will to fight had been completely broken by the rain of arrows and the golem, looked at the enemies approaching from behind with desperate expressions.

"Drop your weapons! If you surrender, we won't kill you! Drop your weapons and kneel!"

Not only Bart, but also Rick, Dant, and the other villagers shouted this.

Hearing the words "we won't kill you," the thieves dropped their weapons one after another, knelt down, and begged for their lives.

Bart kicked the stomachs and faces of the surrendering thieves, knocking them out to prevent any resistance.

The other villagers followed Bart's example, but they were inexperienced in battle.

Some hesitated to hit hard and only made the thieves bleed from the nose, while others hit too hard and possibly killed them with a single blow.

While Bart and the others were neutralizing the thieves, the rain of arrows stopped, and a group of men poured out of the gate with a roar.

Led by Yuri, the carpenter Dmitri, and Noein's slave Zadrek, about 20 of the strongest men in the Arquvist territory charged in.

The thieves, who had been struggling to escape the rampaging golem, were overwhelmed by the sudden charge and finally collapsed.

...

"Boss! Boss! Help meee!"

"Ah! I can't take it anymore! I can't take it anymore!"

Gozurin was certain of defeat as his elite subordinates were cut down one by one. This was a complete and utter defeat against such a small village.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

This was where it all ended.

No way. He couldn't let the enemy who had mocked them get away with it. He would take one last shot at them before dying.

Gozurin set his sights on the puppet mage, the one who had caused their defeat and whom he hated the most in this battle.

Aiming at the mage, who was still protected by two guards and a woman in front of the gate, Gozurin activated the technique he only used in critical moments—Body Magic.

Gozurin's Body Magic was incomplete. It could enhance his physical abilities for a few minutes, but when the magic wore off, the accumulated fatigue would make him unable to move properly.

But it didn't matter if he was going to die here. If he could take down that mage, it would be enough.

As Gozurin focused, his head suddenly felt hot.

He kicked off the ground with explosive speed and ran towards the mage.

He punched one of the enemies who tried to block his path and kicked another who tried to interfere, closing in on the mage.

"Dieee!"

As he was about to stab the mage with a scream—his face was kicked by a woman who appeared in front of him at an incredible speed.

He took the kick to the face but, relying on his enhanced physical abilities, managed to hold his ground.

"Damn!"

The woman blocking his path was a rabbit girl. The rabbit girl's explosive power far exceeded that of a normal human. In terms of speed, she could probably match Gozurin, who was using Body Magic.

Moreover, the two guards on either side—a ugly man and a sharp-eyed man—attacked him.

"Damn it!"

Gozurin pushed his magic to the limit, enhancing the effects of Body Magic to a level he had never experienced before.

Pain as if his brain was burning, and blood flowed from his nose, eyes, and ears, but he ignored it and pushed the magic to its limit.

Swinging his sword at an inhuman speed, he fought on par with the three enemies—the woman in front and the two men on either side.

"Let me kill him! Let me kill him! Let me kill him!"

"No."

The rabbit girl, with a bloodied face and a demonic expression, coldly said and kicked him.

Gozurin dodged the kick, took a step back, and maintained his distance.

'Look up!'

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his head. He looked up instinctively, but there was nothing there.

"Damn it!"

It was a trap.

As he turned to look behind him, Gozurin's vision spun.

The world turned upside down. When he looked down, he saw the sky, and when he looked up, he saw his headless body.

In front of him was a large, bearded man with a shaved head.

The man, who had just swung his sword horizontally, looked slightly surprised, as if he had encountered an old acquaintance.

(Did I know this guy?)

The last thought that crossed Gozurin's mind was surprisingly trivial and unimportant.