Chapter 83: The Hound and the Bull
Metal clashes and blood is shed as the true battle begins.
The incoming monsters make attempts at brute-forcing their way towards the city as the Royal Army stands their ground and defends valiantly.
Alvard grips his scimitar and brings it down in a diagonal motion, shouting,
"Eat this! Flame Strike!"
A wave of flame comes shooting out of his weapon, slicing through a small group of monsters. Alvard mutters,
"Tch. Not enough, huh?"
Recklessly, he slashes his blade multiple times while exclaiming,
"Take this! And this! And this! And this! Raging Wildfire!"
Out of a single point in front of him, multiple bands of fire shoot out, targeting various monsters as they scream and burst into flame.
He looks to his side and sees the same fighter from before, that was wearing similar clothing to Alvard, being overpowered by a very bulky goblin.
He jumps over, looking very annoyed, and chops the monster's head off. Angrier than usual, Alvard shouts,
"What the hell are you doing!? There's no time to be messing around! This is war!"
The fighter frantically stands up and bows down while replying,
"M-My apologizes, Commander Alvard! I understand that I, Leonard Orion, do not deserve the title of Vice-Commander!"
Alvard mutters,
"Don't sweat it... Just don't let your guard down!"
Leonard salutes, muttering,
"Yes sir!"
Turning back, Alvard stares down the monsters standing before him. The gaze of his amber eyes burn with a passion at his opponents as if a flame has been lit in his soul. He directs at the enemy,
"Let's turn up the heat! Burn! Guard of the Inferno, Cerberus!"
Behind Alvard, a patch of fire quickly grows into the shape of a gargantuan beast.
It's a blazing dog with sharp teeth, fierce eyes, and three heads. It towers over everyone, growling loudly.
Its body consists of lava that is slightly goopy as his three mouths drip with molten rock. The surrounding temperature gets noticeably hotter and the terrain is dyed with a sea of flame.
Completely terrified, Leonard takes notice of the hound as he screams,
"Run for your lives! Unless you wanna get burned alive!"
He dashes as fast as he can while other soldiers scramble to exit Cerberus' range.
From his position, Rigurd watches Cerberus lay waste to the environment. He mutters,
"It looks like Alvard is getting serious. I guess I shall do so as well."
Holding his axe in one hand, he holds his other arm out and chants,
"Create Weapon: Shield."
Growing out, a rugged and solid shield forms on him.
With no hesitation, he digs his boots into the ground and dashes forward, ramming through multiple monsters. He follows it up with a quick slash of his axe.
Nearing the end of his attack, Rigurd suddenly feels his axe come to a complete stop.
Glancing over, he notices a grizzly beastman grasping the blade of his weapon with its claws. Rigurd questions,
"Hm? What's this?"
With its grip still on the weapon, the beastman grins and swipes at Rigurd with its other claw.
Quickly thinking, Rigurd defends by putting his shield up. He tightens the grips on his axe and takes a step while muttering,
"Create Weapon: Warhammer."
In the beastman's grasp, Rigurd's axe begins to transform as it refines its blade on one side and forms a flat end on the other, both made with rock.
As it continues to change, Rigurd applies some pressure, causing the weapon to cut through the beastman's fingers.
The monster roars as Rigurd finishes it off by slicing it in half.
Scanning his surroundings, he takes a deep breath and shouts,
"Stampede! King of the Taurus, Asterion!"
Beside Rigurd, a pebble hovers in the air as it spins and begins to grow.
Increasing in size, the round rock forms into the shape of a beast. With two horns, four legs, and a body made of pure stone, the pebble has become a large bull, doubling the size of Rigurd.
It snorts, blowing dust out of its nostrils, and digs its hind legs into the dirt.
Pushing with all its might, Asterion dashes forward, ramming through the enemy forces and shaking the ground with every step.
The monsters continue to advance as it seems the Royal Army is barely holding them off. With their numbers lowered and their exhaustion piling up, it has become much harder to continue the battle.
Their formations are breaking apart and gaps are becoming more apparent. Back in the eerie dungeon, the man with the scar on his eye mutters,
"This is getting boring... These beginners have no idea on how to entertain their audience! Send in the pros in! Let's boost the cast a bit!"
The shadowy figure standing at his side responds,
"As you wish, sire."
The sitting man cackles loudly, his voice echoing through the dungeon.