The path to Myura was narrow.

The city was located high up on a plateau. A mountain range stretched eastward from the kingdom, forming two massive ridges. Thus, the entrance to Myura was surrounded by steep mountains, creating a single path leading to the wastelands of the uninhabited zone. The dense forest acted as a natural fortress. As one traveled further east from Myura, the greenery gradually disappeared, giving way to the desolation of the uninhabited zone.

For the monsters to invade Myura, they would have to climb through this mountain range. The path leading into Myura was the kingdom’s last defensible line. If Myura fell and allowed the monsters to invade, countless beasts would spread out in dozens of directions, overrunning the land like a plague.

The monsters currently tearing into the soldiers had no understanding of this, but Behemoth, who had roamed the continent for thousands of years since the age of myths, remembered it clearly.

Boom!

A mantis’ massive foreleg, shaped like a sickle, crashed against the shield held by a soldier. The shieldbearer gritted his teeth, holding his ground. Enraged that its attack hadn’t landed, the giant mantis lifted its foreleg higher in fury.

As the mantis’ torso opened up, the spearmen hiding behind the shieldbearer thrust their spears forward. Their weapons pierced the chest and head of the mantis. The soldiers flinched, attempting to pull their spears out, but the shieldbearer shouted.

"Push! One stab won’t finish it off!"

As he said, the mantis still swung its forelegs wildly. When the spearmen pushed forward again, the mantis staggered and collapsed, losing its balance. A horde of other monsters swarmed over it. The mantis, unable to put up much of a fight, was crushed under the weight of the advancing monsters, its body bursting open.

"More are coming!"

The scene was less a battle and more a fight against a flood. The soldiers pushed back the monsters trying to break through their shields.

"Hold the line!" "Don’t let them through!"

There was no strategy, no tactics. The soldiers merely stabbed the advancing monsters with their spears, shoved them back with shields, and slashed them with swords. It was like trying to bail out water from a sinking ship with buckets. The soldiers fought off the monsters in much the same way.

"Damn it!"

Someone was snatched away by a claw. The soldiers moved even faster. There was no time to mourn the death of a comrade. They had to work quickly to fill the gap left by the fallen, moving with desperate speed. A sound like the barking of dogs filled the air. The high-ranking monster, Fenrir, was charging toward them with a wild fury.

Behind the soldiers struggling with their spears, a commanding voice rang out.

"Make way!"

A knight was charging forward. The soldiers opened a path for him. The knight’s sword glowed with a blue aura.

"Move aside!" "The knight is here! Clear the way!"

The knight plunged into the torrent of monsters. The creatures howled in terror as they sensed the aura radiating from the knight’s sword.

"Come on, then."

The knight spoke as if casting a spell on himself, lowering his arm that had been raised high.

On the battlefield, aura was a miracle. The blue light, like a raging current, cut through the monsters as it surged forward. The creatures standing in the knight’s way were felled with a single swing of his sword, collapsing in heaps.

With each swing of the knight’s arm, a path was carved through the enemy.

"I told you not to rush ahead!"

Behind the knight, who wielded the blue aura, other knights were charging forward. Though not all of them wielded aura, their presence was enough to turn the tide of battle.

As the other knights joined the fight, the battle, which had been a desperate defense, shifted to an offensive. Inspired by the sight of the knights mowing down the monsters, the soldiers rallied with shouts of determination and followed closely behind.

"Push them back!" "Stab them!"

As the knights opened a path, the soldiers cleaned up the remaining monsters, stabbing and slashing them as if sweeping up debris. The monsters stood no chance against the organized assault led by the knights. Though some creatures continued to charge with their red eyes gleaming, they were decapitated the moment they approached the knights.

Two hexapeds leaped forward, seemingly intent on taking the knight down with them in a suicidal attack. However, the knight’s swift reactions rendered their ambush futile.

The hexapeds were sliced in half.

"Good, let’s go!"

The knight shouted. They could advance further—no, they might even be able to drive the monsters out of the gorge entirely.

The knight drew upon the mana within his body. He could still fight. The aura emanating from his sword glowed even brighter. Those following him were invigorated by the radiant light, charging forward with renewed vigor.

From behind, a sharp voice called out in warning.

"Don’t go any further!"

But the voice didn’t reach the knights and soldiers who were rushing forward. The inexperienced knights and soldiers were advancing far beyond the front lines, deep into enemy territory.

All they could think about was cutting down and killing the monsters in front of them. They had completely forgotten that the high-ranking monsters had yet to appear.

The troops pressed onward, slicing through the monsters like water parting under a boat.

"You bastard!"

The knight slashed at a monster. Each time he dealt with one, the cheers of his comrades spurred him on like a whip.

He swung his sword again and again. By the time the knight realized something was wrong, he had already gone too far. He turned back. The main force was no longer in sight. He was isolated with only a few soldiers by his side.

"When did…"

The knight’s voice trembled. The soldiers and knights who had followed him lowered their arms.

Behind them, high-ranking monsters that had yet to reveal themselves began to stir. A massive Fenrir, its fangs bared, growled at the knight. Its gaze was fixed on the aura radiating from the knight’s sword.

Grrrr…

The sound of Fenrir’s growl was closer than anything else. The knight lowered his sword. The blue light still shone brightly.

If it’s just one.

The knight considered his path back. As long as he could return, everything would be fine. His mistake could still be covered up. But if he couldn’t make it back, it wouldn’t be a matter of blame.

The knight raised his sword again. The aura glowed, as if signaling that hope still remained.

"Let’s return."

The knight’s quiet command set the soldiers and other knights into a defensive stance.

"I’ll go first. Follow after me when I break through."

Without waiting for a response, the knight charged forward.

"Ahhhh!"

His sword, brimming with aura, cut through the air. The soldiers, filled with a mix of fear and hope, watched as the knight swung his sword to carve a path back to the main force.

The first Fenrir was felled by a single strike from the aura-infused sword. Encouraged by the hope of slaying a Fenrir in one blow, the knight took a step forward. The soldiers, desperate, followed in his wake.

"Retreat!"

As the knight cried out and swung his sword, a massive shadow fell over him. Another Fenrir. The knight twisted his body, attempting to counterattack, but the Fenrir’s jaws closed around his armor faster than he could move.

The knight collapsed under the weight of the giant wolf. Yet, even then, his hand held firmly onto his sword. Another knight rushed forward to rescue him.

Thunk.

The knight who charged was also taken down by an attack from another high-ranking monster. It wasn’t just one or two—there were many. The knights froze in place. In that brief moment of hesitation, the claws and fangs of the Fenrir pierced the knight’s armor.

Slice.

His neck and limbs flew through the air. Even as his right hand soared through the air, it still gripped his sword tightly. But the aura that had once gleamed from the blade vanished like mist in the dawn sky.

No one spoke. The knight’s death seemed to freeze time itself. For what felt like an eternity, his helmet hovered in the air before it clattered to the ground. The severed head rolled to the feet of a soldier.

Frozen in shock, the soldiers were surrounded by monsters. Although there were still knights remaining, it didn’t seem to raise their morale much.

The monsters’ gazes suffocated them.

A Fenrir, its mouth stained red with blood, crouched low to the ground, growling. The soldiers closed their eyes, preparing for the inevitable death that awaited them.

Boom!

What opened their eyes was a massive explosion. The soldiers instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces from the intense heat that followed.

“…!”

The monsters that had been surrounding the soldiers had melted away. A massive spell cast by the mages had, in a single burst, wiped out hundreds of monsters.

"Magic!" "Damn, I thought I was dead for sure."

The soldiers, regaining their spirit, gripped their weapons with renewed resolve. However, the high-ranking monsters that had avoided the spell’s range bared their fangs and began to approach the soldiers. Just then,

Slice.

The sound of flesh being cut echoed through the air.

But it wasn’t the sound of a person being cut. The Fenrirs were sliced apart as if they were mere pieces of wood. The knight’s sword wasn’t even imbued with aura. It was pure skill that allowed the knight to cut down the high-ranking monsters with ease.

“…! That’s…!”

The soldiers’ voices were filled with hope.

“It’s the knight from the Black Crow Order…”

The knight wore pitch-black armor. While slaughtering the Fenrirs, the knight did not allow a single blow to land on them.

As the last Fenrir’s head was severed, the knight stood before the surviving soldiers and lifted their visor slightly. The knight’s face, with silver-gray eyes and slightly flushed cheeks, showed no sign of exhaustion despite the fierce battle.

"Everyone, return to the main force."

Teodora’s firm voice carried clearly across the noisy battlefield. The soldiers, as if entranced by her words, nodded and passed by her. After ensuring that the soldiers had returned, Teodora turned her attention back to the battlefield where more monsters were pouring in. She frowned at the sight of the dead knight who had charged ahead recklessly.

The monsters growled, as if to question what she was looking at. Teodora sighed and turned her head. The atmosphere had changed. The monsters bared their fangs and growled low, but none dared to charge recklessly.

Teodora unleashed her aura from her sword. The white energy surged like a mist, wrapping around the blade and glowing brightly. The monsters grew more agitated as they watched the aura. Some even crouched, muscles tensing, as if ready to leap at her at any moment.

And then, a deafening roar tore through the sky.

Teodora instinctively took a step back.

The ground trembled beneath her feet. The monsters’ morale seemed to surge. It appeared that the main force of the enemy was about to join the battle.

Teodora responded by raising her own energy even further. The aura surrounding her sword thickened, whipping up gusts of wind. The tremors in the earth grew stronger. Teodora tightened her grip on her sword, sensing the growing presence of Behemoth.

“We’ve unintentionally pushed the front line forward. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

A voice spoke from her right. Paola, now wielding a sword in one hand and a spear in the other, had joined her. When Teodora glanced at her weapons, Paola shrugged.

“…I lost my mace when I threw it to smash a monster’s head. Unfortunate.”

Sensing what Teodora’s glance might mean, Paola added, as if to excuse herself.

“Just because I don’t have my mace doesn’t mean I can’t fight.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

From her left, another voice joined the conversation.

“It’s been a while since we’ve fought this hard.”

The Margrave was tying back his long hair. He hefted a massive sword that seemed large enough to require two hands, yet he wielded it effortlessly with one.

“Is it alright for you to be this far forward on the front line, Margrave?”

Paola asked the Margrave, who snorted.

“People may say I’m cowardly for retreating in the past, but Paola, the skills you saw back then aren’t gone.”

To back up his words, the Margrave raised his large sword. The blade, soaked in blood, did not reflect the sunlight.

“Well, if your skills are the same as they were back then, then I can rest easy.”

Teodora glanced back. The shieldbearers were pushing forward, forming a new defensive line.

“We’ll hold the line here.”

“Of course.”

The Margrave’s sword and Paola’s sword both ignited with aura. Behemoth’s outline grew sharper, its presence looming closer like a massive mountain of rock. How long would it be before they faced it head-on?

The knights, filled with tension, raised their swords.

The second phase of the battle began with the mages launching their second large-scale spell.

The dream felt like swimming through thick fog. Within that fog, Maxime’s consciousness flickered faintly, like a brief flash of lightning.

Wake up.

His mind commanded his body.

Wake up.

The fog around him began to clear. Thoughts that had sunk deep now began to surface.

Crack.

The sound of wood breaking echoed.

Maxime opened his eyes in an unfamiliar carriage.

Teodora.

In the haziness of his barely conscious mind, one name surfaced in Maxime’s thoughts.