Chapter 13.2
Several of the sand snakes had already outmaneuvered the shield wall by sidestepping to both ends and charging headlong into the formation of Wujin Iron Cavalry.
The cacophony of vultures' screeches fused with the shrill screams and bellowing rage. The same spectacle from the gate of the abandoned temple of the Crow's Nest played out before Kevin and his entourage. In the interim, the sand snakes assaulting outside the shield wall ultimately transformed the shield wall into scrap iron with a single heavy blow.
Numerous events transpired in an incredibly brief moment––the shield wall crumbled into bits and pieces with a thunderous boom. The metallic sheets that shattered had razor-sharp edges and corners, proving to be even more lethal than arrows. Even the iron riders in the front row were unseated.
Kevin remained standing amidst the overwhelming wreckage and gold-brown granules of sand, like a solitary spear. He aimed his longbow at the Mankao on the opposite side, narrowing his eyes.
As the gargantuan sand snake charged through the shield wall, the blind male lion, who had maintained its animal form for many years, pricked up its ears, pushed the howling baby lion grace away with its paws, and sprang up suddenly.
In the dim moonlight, his silhouette stretched out, elongating to an impressive height in the blink of an eye. A towering giant brazenly stood up, obstructing the Sand Snake like a mountain. It was Mai.
His back faced the Sand Snake, with his eyes blind and his right hand shriveled, but the corners of his mouth remained as resolute and decisive as they were a decade ago.
Kevin released the bowstring in his hand.
A hum resounded as the arrow pierced through the wind, flying through the gaps between debris and sand granules at lightning speed.
The glass bottle in Mankao's hand shattered upon impact, and the arrow, wrapped in the river's water vapor, penetrated the glass bottle, still unwavering. It pierced Mankao's body, causing all the movements of the Sand Snake he controlled to stop abruptly, before exploding.
The Sand Snake, which had attracted countless companions with its incredible strength, turned into scattered sand in the sky, blocked behind the mountain-like giant beast. It should have been a torturous process, but the former leader of the giant orcs, who were habituated to pain, showed no signs of changing his expression.
He appeared as confused as before, yet awake.
Perhaps he did not know who was behind him, whose land was under his feet, or who protected him, but he certainly knew that this was a battlefield, and he was a warrior. The path of a soldier is always brief because he always desires the living to go further.
"No!" Ben wailed and pounced on Mai.
Upon landing, he reverted from his animal form to human form and latched onto Mai's leg. He was only an eight or nine-year-old child, pitifully small compared to his father's mountainous stature.
Mai, who had been lost in mental confusion for years, was bewildered by the embrace, then lifted his broad palm and patted Ben's disheveled head. "You've grown taller again," he said, his voice hoarse from not speaking for so long. His tone was calm and gentle, as if he had just awoken from a nap and noticed that his son had grown up a bit.
Nonetheless, in the next moment, he broke Ben's grip and pushed him away. When Shaw caught Ben, Mai disintegrated completely into the sand, leaving a tall phantom in the air, which was carried away by the wind that silently approached.