Chapter 59: The Madness of the Masks

While the Dungeon was battling its intruder, the battle of the camp had not yet ended. Although the herd of Beasts had been thinned considerably, the creatures showed no signs of running away.

Perhaps a leftover effect of the tiger's manipulation or something else, the Beasts did not relent in their attack.

However, with the threatening presence of the giant tiger gone, the humans had taken control of the situation rather nicely. Though most of the prepared arrows were spent, forcing the defenders into melee, the defense held firm.

"Switch!"

The Western Gate remained unbreached too. Following a cry that the present defenders were all too familiar with, a blood-soaked team of five retreated from the front line, another team immediately moving to replace them.

The ones who were replacing were the ragged Explorers who had been here from the start: Johanna, Stacy, Anna, and another two made up the numbers needed for a full party.

Despite switching his gear whenever it got rendered unusable from the fighting, Johann's armor had many dents and scratches, his skin having been healed many times over by the Healers. Stacy's greatsword was so slick with blood that it was getting hard to maintain a solid grip, making her glad for her decision to tie it to her arm.

As for Anna, her fingers were bleeding from how much she had to reload her crossbow despite the fact that she was wearing gloves.

Although the body could be healed many times over by the magics of the Healers, the mind grew weary from the continuous battle. There was no time to rest, however.

Johann was swinging a Warhammer, having discarded his shield. His original mace had broken, being snapped in half from intense use. He found himself liking the heavy weapon though.

"Haa!"

With an exclamation, another Beast that was sweeping at him with its claws instead had its legs twist unnaturally to the side due to the heavy impact. When it fell upon the ground, howling in pain, the hammer descended upon its skull, adding even more red to the ground that was already painted that color.

Because the Beasts didn't give anyone a break, removing the corpses away was nearly impossible, and Mages did not even bother to burn them anymore, conserving their mana. The accumulated bodies instead serve as an additional barricade. Any Beast wanting to get through needed to get past the mound of flesh first.

Johann breathed heavily, and after looking around for a moment, seeing Anna's accurate arrows and Stacy's brutal swings add to the pile, he leaned on his hammer for a moment.

Had it been an hour ago this would have been impossible, but seeing that the tide was thinning, the influx of attackers was less than before.

Just as he picked his hammer into his two hands again, already anticipating another Beast, his expectations were rewarded.

A lynx leaped over the bloody mound agilely, quickly descending upon one of Johann's party members. The man that was attacked used his shield in a practiced move, ready to deflect and counter just as he did before. He succeded, combining his steps and shield movement to deflect the force of the Beast to the side.

Just as he was about to thrust his sword as always, a figure that previously blended with the fur of the beast leaped and separated from the Beast.

Under the widening eyes of those who could see this, a figure wearing a skull mask and a cloak that was very similar to the fur of the Beast it was previously on, descended from its leap. And its target was the shield-using man.

In a split second others did not react due to surprise, a jagged blade gleamed in the feminine figure's hand, before deeply embedding itself in the man's collarbone. It was only then that a shout could be heard.

"CULTISTS!"

The man that was pierced with the blade collapsed to the ground as the weapon was ripped out by the cultist on top of him. The female cultist immediately began to move to the next closest person, that being Johann.

He would not be taken by surprise though. As he saw the bloody blade being thrust at him, he twisted his body, barely avoiding it, and swung his hammer in turn. The masked woman stepped backward, dodging it as well due to how slow it was. 

That, however, made her movement stop for a second. And sometimes a second was crucial in deciding life and death.

A thunderous *bang* could be heard, followed by which the woman staggered backward even further, blood staining her chest, followed by three arrows piercing into her shoulder, chest, and stomach. As she kneeled, the finishing blow arrived in the form of Johann's hammer descending upon her skull.

As he panted heavily, he was forced to once again return his attention to the incoming enemies from beyond the gate, the growls from beyond the mound unceasing.

Everyone was on edge due to the unexpected attack. They had grown used to unintelligent and predictable Beasts, forgetting the foe that had decimated their former home. It would seem that the bloodthirsty fanatics would not let them go until either side was dead.

"Fucking hell."

Johann cursed yet again, focusing on the defense even more than he had before. An intelligent, human enemy was bad enough, but such a fresh enemy when he was on the verge of exhaustion? The worst.

He had to be ready to defend against one or maybe even two Beasts simultaneously, and now a human factor was added.

His thoughts were interrupted as the next 'batch' had nearly arrived. Johann's expression turned even uglier than it was before. Four Beasts had gotten over the mound this time. And it would seem that each one had a 'passenger'.

As the Beasts charged at the defenders, the sounds that Johann knew were gunshots rang out immediately afterward. There were only two 'gunners' at the Western Gate, and they on;y shot when the situation got critical due to how limited ammo was. Now was one such moment.

One of the beasts lost its balance as a bullet was shot through its head, tumbling down the hill, its rider hurriedly getting away from it. Another ignored the wound that appeared in its chest, only falling when arriving at the defensive line, additionally having a couple of arrows stuck in it.

The other two Beasts remained alive as they engaged the defenders in a melee, though they weren't the main problem: their riders were.

The cultists moved swiftly with speeds surpassing that of a regular human. Despite that, one of them got shot down before reaching his target. The remaining three fought with their bizarre weapons that were either looted or self-made. Whatever the weapon was, it remained equally deadly though.

Johann, being at the forefront, had just slain one of the remaining Beasts, turning just in time to block a sickle made of bone with his two-handed hammer's shaft.

"Urgh..."

He groaned at the force that was exerted through the weapon, being thankful that the shaft didn't snap in half. As he locked eyes with the figure that held the sickle, he exerted all the force within his hands to push the cultist back.

Within a few seconds of this deadlock, Johann understood, however, that he was a bit inferior in pure strength due to his hands being pushed back. He felt sickened at the eyes in front of him that shone in a maddened light.

'This fucker!'

Remembering what atrocities those who had these masks committed, he roared as he tilted his hammer to the side, the cultist widening his eyes as the sickle slid down, losing his balance as he followed it.

Johann didn't let him recover. With all the force he could exert, he slammed the hammer's pommel into the cultist's abdomen, making the masked man cough up whatever was in his stomach and bend over.

As the cultist staggered, Johann brought the hammer backward before slamming it into the masked man's jaw with full force. The cultist's head popped like a watermelon as he fell backward.

At the same time, he witnessed Stacy impale her own opponent before beheading him. She, being stronger than Johann physically, seemed to have an easier time dealing with the threat.

'Wait. Where is the third one?'

As Johann's eyes searched the field of battle, he only saw Anna wipe away the blood from her dagger with her sleeve, a figure with numerous cuts and stab wounds at her feet. Johann sighed in momentary relief. He had nearly forgotten that the Ranger was not weak in close combat as well.

He furrowed his brows despite having overcome the opponents. He heavily doubted that was the last of cultists, so he shouted out his orders to those in the rear.

"Pull up! We will picked off if we remain in low numbers."

He saw, however, that most had a grim look on their faces as if it was a death sentence to do so. He found the reason in the form of another dead body not far from him. He had not noticed before, but it would seem that another member of his team had died to the cultists before they were killed by him, Anna, and Stacy.

Just as he was wondering how to raise the low morale, a familiar armored figure came forward while polishing her dulled sword. It was Marilyn, who was rather renowned and somewhat adored among the Explorers.

"We must not falter! The night is darkest before the dawn!"

As she came forward, she raised up her sword and shouted out.

"We defend our home! We will crush the enemy!"

Followed by her words, the sword began to glow as if blessed by the gods. The previously dejected crowd cheered at such a display, many of those who had the intention of fleeing found the courage to fight once again.

Johann couldn't help but think.

'When I try to motivate someone it is taken as an order... Am I that lacking in charm?'

He focused on the battle soon after, as more Beasts could be heard closely. It was already a miracle that they were given time to regroup, so he couldn't ask for more rest.

As he watched the people who joined his side, he felt a little easier as he prepared to fight once again.

But the next moment he almost took a step back due to the sight he witnessed. Four, Six, Ten, it was as if Beasts had broken through a dam, suddenly starting to arrive one after another, a dozen of them now charging through a mound of bodies.

Seeing traces of fear appear on those around him, Johann shouted out.

"This is the last stretch! We will kill them and see tomorrow's dawn!"

Under the sounds of gunshots and the roar of Beasts, the defenders shouted in turn as they charged at the incoming enemy.

Some of the Beasts and their riders fell under the bullets and arrows even before reaching the defenders, but most had charged through the projectiles, ignoring their wounds. A chaotic clash erupted.

At that moment numerous bones were crushed under weapons and bodies, the flesh was pierced by swords and fangs, cries of pain and howls of agony could be heard at the same time.

Stacy cleaved her sword downward at the Beast in front of her, crushing through its skull with overwhelming force. As the rider on top of It jumped off the dying mount and on top of her, trying to kill her with the same trick the first cultist used, the swordswoman instead used her greatsword as a metallic baton, swatting down the enemy.

As the cultist hit the ground, she raised her sword to cleave him in half. Just then the cultist threw his hand in her direction, a hidden dagger catching a gleam of light.

Stacy noticed it but could do nothing to block it, her only arm wielding the sword. She tilted her body slightly, causing the dagger that would embed itself into her heart to cut her side instead.

"Grr..."

As she gritted her teeth in pain, her anger was only amplified, and her sword descended the next second, cleaving the scrambling cultist's legs off.

"Aargh! M-my legs!"

She grinned at the sight of the shrieking man, before swinging her greatsword once again.

"A life for a wound, you bastard!"

The man's misery ended soon after, but the berserk woman would not be appeased with just that. She found the nearest target, wielding her sword yet again.

Not every defender was as strong as her though. Some were trampled and torn apart by Beasts, and some were overpowered by the cultists on top of those Beasts. Despite the presence of those who could deal with the masked people, the battle turned disadvantageous for the defenders.

As Marilyn wielded the mana within, her sword shone out brightly, blinding the cultist in front of her, leaving him wide open to the decapitation that the woman then performed. Marilyn shook her sword, shaking off some of the accumulated blood.

As she scanned the battlefield, she noticed that despite many cultists and Beasts being slain one after another, their numbers didn't seem to dwindle. It took mere seconds for her to find the answer though, as she saw that more enemies got over the mound of bodies and leaped into the fray.

Meanwhile, the defender's numbers dwindled with every fallen Explorer. As Marilyn engaged in battle with yet another enemy, she couldn't help but think.

'Damn you, old Larring. Where are you when everyone needs you?'

The old Mage went away from the Western Gate not long after the explosion that added another breach to the walls of the camp, the place where Matilda previously was.

Although it was true that another defense needed to be quickly organized at that place, he also promised to return to the Western Gate with reinforcements. And it had been nearly an hour since he said those words.

Marilyn deflected a cultist's weapon, before thrusting at the attacker's chest that was left wide open. After cleanly piercing the enemy, she slashed once again, sending the enemy to the ground.

Looking at the ever-increasing numbers of the enemy, she didn't doubt that this was the last, most concentrated attack. If they could defend against it, they would win, but looking at the defending Explorers falling one by one...

'We are just as likely to die here.'

The woman noticed a fellow defender to her side that was about to get attacked from the back, so she rushed towards him, ambushing the would-be ambusher instead. Cleanly killing the enemy, she turned and saw the ally that she had saved being beheaded by an axe that was wielded by a cultist in front of him.

"Damn it!"

Marilyn cried out in frustration, wanting to avenge the one who had fallen, but upon a brief look, she saw that the defenders were pushed back, and if she rushed out, she was likely to be surrounded.

Although she was trembling in rage at the taunting smile that was visible from under the mask of the cultist, she shouted out a loud order.

"Retreat! Don't let them get to our Mages!"

The Mages were not combatants, as they would have to spend too much mana to kill an enemy with a blast of it. In comparison, they were much better as Healers, even if they didn't absorb the Nature Crystal, so they were stationed in the rear, protected by another detachment of Explorers along with the gunners.

And right now due to the defender's losses, they were about to be reached by the enemy. If the rear fell, then those in front would get surrounded too, ultimately resulting in massacre and total annihilation. So Marilyn had no choice but to give ground to the invaders.

Despite the chaos of the battlefield, the woman was heard, and those who were able began to steadily retreat from the gate, fending off enemies as they retreated.

Anna had her crossbow on her back, long having run out of arrows, instead wielding a dagger in a reverse grip. She felt fortunate that she had taken a couple of lessons from Leo back in the day, and thankful to herself for absorbing the crystals in the Dungeon, enhancing her agility and endurance.

She was currently fighting a cultist who was wielding a jagged dagger, making the battle a contest of agility and reflexes.

Anna was ultimately at a disadvantage, being only a little slower, but even that was crucial. Additionally, her left side was blind, an eyepatch covering her eye. The cultist took advantage of that, Anna noticing an attack only in her last moment.

The dagger cut away her eyepatch instead of slashing across her face due to her reaction, but Anna also staggered, losing her balance, and fell to the ground.

Just as the female cultist was about to stab and finish her, Anna grasped a handful of sand from the ground, throwing it at the attacker, causing the cultists to grasp at her face, tearing off her own mask to rub her eyes.

Using the opportunity, Anna got back on her feet, preparing to finish the job. Just as she was about to lunge at the enemy, she witnessed something she didn't expect.

The cultist that was previously looking at Anna with reddened eyes floated midair as if grasped by an invisible hand, before being slammed into a group of cultists and Beast, turning into a meat patty.

After that multiple gunshots rang out and a volley of arrows pierced the enemy from above. As Anna turned around she saw a large amount of Explorers charging from the depths of the camp, an old man whose hands looked as if they were grasping something invisible leading them.

"The reinforcements are here!"

A shout could be heard from nearby, which was then met with cheers from the defenders. The fresh Warriors charged into the fray, slaying Beasts and cultists, Rangers and gunners rained projectiles upon the enemy.

As the familiar old man, Joseph Larring, came closer to her, Anna saw some cultists flying in various directions as if hit by an invisible truck, some bursting like balloons under pressure, and some being smashed into the ground, all while the old man swept or clenched his hands.

As he stood near, he finally spoke out.

"Sorry for being late, it took some time to gather everyone."

Anna could only absentmindedly nod at the display of power.

With the reinforcements having arrived, the tide has turned in favor of the defenders. The newly arrived Explorers teamed up and overwhelmed the enemies, those who were wounded were dragged out by their teammates and healed in the rear, and arrows constantly reaped a bloody toll.

The stream of cultists gradually thinned out, and finally, only the last four cultists remained.

Surrounded by corpses of Beasts and their fellows, one of them raised up his sword and charged at the Explorers while shouting.

"For the Scarred Lord!"

Johann swung his hammer, crushing his ribs, and then the skull.

Another two tried to rush soon after, but Stacy decapitated one of those who tried to get past her, and Marilyn blinded and then pierced the heart of the second one.

Finally, the last cultist lost his nerve and dropped his weapon, then began to run away, screaming. Anna's newly replenished arrows whistled as they cut through the air before they hit the fleeing cultist's back.

As the coward staggered, falling on his knees, Joseph's invisible palm of mana smashed down from above, crushing him into the ground.

With that, the last of the cultists was dead. The camp's battle was over.