WHOOSH!

Another Flaming Arrow shot out.

A spark erupted in the chest of the Vine Blight, whose head was already aflame. Simultaneously, a rock struck it squarely on the head. Its human-sized body swayed twice before crashing to the ground.

"Just one left," Kase said, breathing a sigh of relief.

’Is it over?’

Before Colin could even process the thought, a voice suddenly appeared in his mind, as if someone had inserted themselves into his thoughts to speak.

Colin? Are you free?

It was the Mage’s voice.

Glancing over, he saw the Mage was indeed standing at the edge of the battlefield, looking in their direction.

You can talk to me. Just speak, and I’ll hear you. Long story short, there should be an Array directly to your east. Take your men and destroy it!

Colin asked, "What does the Array do?"

If you destroy the Array, this Golem in front of us will go out of control. Otherwise, there’s no way to destroy this thing. Hurry! We can’t hold on much longer!

"I understand."

Also, be careful of the Druids. We haven’t seen any sign of them over here.

He fired another Flaming Arrow, taking down the last Vine Blight.

Colin let out a long breath.

’So everything up until now has been a diversion.’

’The Druids wanted to tie us down with the Blights and let that Ice Golem finish the job. But thanks to the Gray Squad’s scouting, it’s all come back to a head-on clash.’

’In the end, it still comes down to raw power!’

As he was thinking, Colin turned and called for Kase to climb out of the pond with him and rejoin the other Adventurers.

"Attack to the east!"

Before he had even found his footing, Colin shouted to the Adventurers around him.

Then, he and Kase charged to the front of the group.

Under the cover of the Insect Shell Shield, the two advanced steadily.

The Half-Orc, of course, needed no convincing. His numerous brushes with death had taught him to completely trust his companion.

And everyone behind them remained silent in tacit agreement.

No one turned back to ask why, nor did anyone question the command. Right now, time was life. They had no choice but to trust these allies, who had proven to be the most capable fighters besides the Gray Squad.

BAM!

Kase thrust his Shield forward, sending a Twig Blight flying, while a backhand swing of the Battle Axe in his other hand forced back another approaching enemy.

Following behind, Colin peered past the edge of the Shield, sizing up the path ahead.

’They must be wary of Burning Hand.’ The Blights ahead were posturing menacingly, but they didn’t dare charge all at once. That was why Kase was able to advance with such ease.

Well aware of this, Colin continuously chanted a Spell in his mind, ready to cast his Magic at a moment’s notice.

’In any case, this is good news.’

He glanced back.

The Adventurers were all following, though one or two were occasionally cut off... Left alone in a mob of monsters, their fate was easy to imagine.

As they pushed forward, Colin saw that the monsters’ attacks were gradually weakening. He could also clearly see the Blights massing not far ahead.

’Looks like that’s the final line of defense.’

"Get ready, Kase," Colin growled in a low voice.

The Half-Orc didn’t respond, but Colin knew he understood and was prepared.

The dozen or so meters vanished in an instant.

The massed Blights charged.

The moment they met the enemy, Kase slammed his Insect Shell Shield forward.

The heavy Shield, like a Siege Hammer, sent a large group of monsters flying. For a moment, fine, withered branches flew everywhere over their heads, making it feel as if they had truly crashed into a pile of dead shrubs.

’Now!’

The Spell he had silently repeated hundreds of times in his mind was uttered in an instant, and Flames blossomed amidst the monsters.

Sparks flew before them as the monsters’ line was broken through.

Ignoring everything else, the two trampled over smoldering embers and leaped into a small pit behind the Blights.

At the bottom of this small pit was a strange Array drawn with frozen thorns and dead branches. In the center of the Array were several bucket-sized, blood-red ice crystals.

It wasn’t hard to imagine that if Colin’s caravan hadn’t escaped back then, they might have become part of these ice crystals too.

Colin looked around.

Just as the Mage had said, this was indeed the Frostland Druids’ sacrificial site.

But the problem was, the place was empty.

The Adventurers behind them began to pour into the pit one after another, and the pursuing Blights followed.

"Prepare your defenses!"

As he shouted, Colin and Kase smashed the blood-red ice crystals on the ground and stomped on the branches that formed the Array.

As they worked, the Array, which had been emitting a faint glow and a cold aura, slowly lost its power. ’At this rate, the Array in the distance has probably failed too,’ Colin thought. ’The Gray Squad will be freed up and should be here to support us soon.’

’For everyone here, the best outcome would be for the enemy to flee...’

A rhythmic sound echoed in his ears.

Colin’s heart sank. It seemed the outcome wasn’t going to be so good after all.

Before the Adventurers could even secure their footing, a white Wolf Pack emerged from the forest, attacking from all sides.

This cut off most of the approaching men, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

"The Gray Squad will be here soon! This is the final battle!" While shouting to boost morale, Colin swung his sword and cut an approaching Twig Blight in two.

A sharp jolt struck his back, like a punch. He spun around and launched a Flaming Arrow at a distant Needle Blight, while Kase used his Shield to knock away a Twig Blight that was attempting a sneak attack on a comrade.

"They’re so slow! And Bob was going on about how reliable they were," Kase complained.

Colin took the moment to catch his breath and recover his stamina. "It can’t be helped. No one knew these guys could summon something that huge."

Both of them simultaneously stared at the ground, terrified that a rat or some other creature might sneak up on them. The tragic fate of that young nobleman a few days ago was still fresh in their minds.

Just then, two Wild Wolves charged at them.

Kase threw his Battle Axe, the blade embedding itself directly in one wolf’s head, and slammed his Shield toward the other.

However, that Wild Wolf was remarkably smart.

It leaped aside to dodge the attack and continued its pounce toward the Half-Orc.

Of course, Colin wasn’t about to stand by and watch.

His Sharp Long Sword slashed into the Wild Wolf’s open jaws. But as the blade cut deeper, the wolf’s body suddenly erupted in a cold mist, and countless icy snowflakes rushed toward his face.

’It’s a shapeshifted Druid!’

Colin quickly kicked at the cold mist.

However, an iron-banded wooden stick shot out from the mist and stabbed him in the abdomen, forcing him back several steps.

Colin sucked in a sharp breath, nearly falling to the ground.

Although his armor absorbed most of the impact, the sharp pain in his abdomen still prevented him from making any further moves.

CLANG!

Metal clashed against metal, and faint sparks flashed within the mist.

The Half-Orc and the Frostland Druid were fighting in the mist!

The whistling wind from their swinging weapons tore the mist apart, slowly revealing the figures of Kase and the Druid locked in a standoff.

The tall Half-Orc had been stabbed in the chest, and his Battle Axe lay on the ground, dropped at some point. At the same time, he had drawn a Javelin to counterattack. Its trembling tip had struck the enemy’s shoulder, but it was clear at a glance that it hadn’t penetrated very deep.

SQUELCH.

The Druid pulled his Wooden Spear free, and the two-meter-tall, mighty Half-Orc immediately crashed to the ground.