Chapter 133 – Forced retreat

Scarlett, Kodan, Ropar, and Austin were like four sharp weapons that stabbed into the Golden Lionmane Beastmen’s formation. The latter fell into momentary confusion, but they quickly regained their composure, realizing there was still a chance for a hundred-odd Silver-ranked Beastmen to triumph over a few Gold-rankers.

The Beastman adjutant tried his best to lead his men against their foes, but he soon realized that it was folly to rely on numbers. He was also categorized as a ‘Gold-ranker’, but there was a great difference in the quality of the Element Powers between them, let alone skill.

Scarlett was still a novice when it came to using her Element Power, but she had eaten the Golden Apple which greatly strengthened the amount of electricity she could invoke. The lightning that surrounded her body was more like thick curtains of light.

Every time she swung her halberd, several lightning bolts discharged into the midst of the Beastmen that reach more than a hundred feet. The ones struck directly in their chests had smoldering cavities in them. The more she fought, the stronger she became, almost entering the state of a God Acolyte. Her eyes glowed as white lightning poured out from it, and she eventually reached a point where she merely pointed her finger to direct a lightning bolt into a Beastman, turning him into cinders.

Lightning flashed repeatedly in the forest, dazzling all those who watched her. Faena stared at the Beastmen hiding behind rocks and trees with an unhinged jaw, completely forgetting about the things that she came to do.

“Is she the daughter of the Wind Spirit King Casas, the Lady of Lightning?” She stammered.

“What a tremendous Element Power—” Rono’s eyes glinted repeatedly as lightning streaked across the ground.

Elman’s face was just as pale as the two. Even though the old swordsman near the red-haired girl controlled his Element Power far better she did, the latter appeared to be more powerful than he was.

However, his attention was mostly on Brendel and Ropar. If Scarlett was like a Lightning Goddess, then the Lizardman Ropar was a Fire God. His Greatsword had flames dancing in the air as he dissected the Beastmen easily. Flames even covered his entire body and he did not even flinch from the heat.

Elman could not understand it.

In truth, while the Fireclaw Lizardmen appeared like they had a physical body, half of it was comprised of the Fire Element. These Element lifeforms had long lifespans, and those who became chieftains meant they had emerged victorious under countless battles. Ropar came from a world of burning plains and had considerable fighting skills. Each thrust of his greatsword ensured that at least one Beastman would be struck down.

The second Gold-ranked Lionmane Beastman rushed in to block Ropar’s advance by lunging at him, but he did not think that the Lizardman simply allowed the sword to pierce through his chest. He looked up at Ropar’s face in shock and confusion; why did the Lizardman allow the blade to run through his heart?

But the Lizardman only glared back with eyes lit ablaze by fire. It was the unique trait of the Fireclaw Lizardmen. They were Battle-thirsty, and their combat abilities rose if they received damage. Although the Beastman’s attack was a critical blow to Ropar, the latter’s strength rose tremendously.

Ropar’s counterattack came swiftly as the Lionmane Beastman attempted pulled out his blade but it was all too late. The blazing greatsword cleaved the latter into two and set the remains on fire.

The Lizardman Chieftain pulled out the longsword on its body and threw it away in silence, bringing out a jet of flames as the blade was drawn out. He briefly checked on his subordinates. The thirty-odd Silver-ranked Fireclaw Lancers had become strong enough to reach the threshold of what a Silver-ranker could achieve.

Their charges on the battlefield were like an unstoppable flaming meteor that forced the enemies to scatter. The Lionmane Beastmane were unable to defend against them, causing the left flank to lose its formation.

But the Lionmane Beastman adjutant did not notice the increasing number of casualties, as he was busy staring at Brendel in cold sweat.

In his eyes, the youth before was a complete monster in human form. The usage of his Element Power clearly belonged to someone who had just become a Gold-ranker, but his combat prowess was even more terrifying than any Gold-rankers who mastered their Element Powers completely.

Brendel’s broadsword looked like a dragon releasing its breath when he raised the weapon over his head. Flames spewed out from his silver gauntlets and spun around Halran Gaia like a hurricane. When he finally swung it towards the ground, the spiraling pillar of flames instantly engulfed the adjutant’s squadron of Lionmane Beastman, turning them into ashes in mere seconds. A few managed to escape the attack, but rock needles suddenly thrust up into the air after a series of loud cracking noises, and they turned the hapless survivors into pincushions.

A single slash across the ground caused a large hole in the center of the Lionmane Beastman’s formations.

Brendel took a single step forward, and the Lionmane Beastmen from Toquinin retreated in an uproar.

“Prepare your crossbows now! Hurry!” The adjutant screamed in terror.

The warriors from Toquinin sent to the Green Tower were elites. Even the crossbowmen were carrying Magic Crossbows. As soon as they heard their commander’s order, they woke up from their daze and hurriedly prepared their projectiles. Yellow light glowed from their crossbows, and it was clear that the crossbows were imbued with Earth Magic.

“Fire!” The adjutant roared after a few seconds.

The taut strings sang as dozens of yellow lines trailed from the crossbows to Brendel’s body, but before the projectiles could find their mark, a shield of red flames materialized out of thin air and turned them to ashes.

The Beastman adjutant stared at the flames and forgot to breathe as he realized the attacks failed completely. If there were gamers around Brendel, they would have yelled in frustration and envy instantly—

‘Just how amazing is this bastard’s equipment!’

Halran Gaia, Bahamut’s Grasp, The Warrior’s Ring are Fantasy-ranked artifacts, along with countless magic artifacts. His Defense and Physique stats surpassed a Guardian Knight class, while his damage output was even higher than a Berserker or other related DPS class. And evven if Brendel’s equipment was discounted, the number of techniques he had could only be compared to a pure pay-to-win player.

[What a sneaky cat. You ran away the moment I cut down your leader, but it’s a mistake to think you’re safe just because you’re hiding in the back.]

Brendel quietly remarked to himself, after he heard the Beastman adjutant’s commands and discovered his location. He reached for the Shale Longbow on his back and dismissed the shield of flames after the volley of crossbow bolts ended. He pulled the longbow’s string fully and aimed:

“Earth to earth, dust to dust, Arrow of Stone!”

Brendel’s shooting skills were derived from his experience as a level 130 warrior. With the addition of a Mercenary’s proficiency, he was absolutely confident that he would hit him at this distance. He released his fingers, and the arrow flew like a comet towards the adjutant.

The latter was still a Gold-ranker and immediately deflected the arrow away, but the projectile’s magic transferred itself across the blade and turned the Beastman’s flesh into stone.

“Lonmmf, mff, mmmmf!” Rono jumped up and shouted as he mistakenly identified as the weapon in Brendel’s hands to be a Longbow of Petrification, a weapon that was wielded by a legendary humanoid creature called Medusa.

The reason for Rono’s garbled words was due to Elman. The viscount frantically covered the black-haired youth’s lips when he realized Rono was about to make a mistake.

Brendel’s hidden trump cards were starting to frighten them, and they felt a cold dread spreading all over their backs. The Lionmane Beastmen were pushed back completely.

Even though the Beastmen still had greater numbers, Kodan and Austin were veteran Gold-ranked swordsmen who were experienced in battles. They struck at the Lionmane Beastmen’s formation and forced them to lump together. This made it impossible for the Beastmen to surround their enemies and become ineffective instead.

With the death of their two commanding officers, they quickly lost their morale and their formation was broken. The Beastmen’s left flank was the first group that ran away. They had the biggest number of casualties due to the Fireclaw Lizardmen’s charges, and once the Beastman adjutant died, they ran away and disappeared in the Dark Forest.

The center formation immediately received pressure once the left flank disappeared. They also started to flee, but their retreat was disorderly and panicked as the right flank realized what was happening. Their numbers dwindled down quickly but Brendel did not allow his men to pursue them.

It was because the Druids had appeared.

The majority of the fleeing Beastmen were quickly taken as prisoners by the Druids who bound them up tightly, with only a handful escaping. This result was not surprising to Brendel, but Aouine’s ambassadors were still reeling in shock. It was only after they returned to Brendel’s camps to receive treatment, did they realize what kind of miracle had happened.

Dolant sat down silently with a dark expression as Merial treated his wounds, but the female aristocrat and Count Austin went over to thank Brendel for their treatments. Still, they felt a little uncomfortable. They originally intended to arrest the youth but ended up working with him to fight the Beastmen.

There was something that greatly puzzled them. How did the Lionmane Beastmen know that Aouine’s civil war in the north was going to happen? Who leaked the kingdom’s information to them? Then there was the fact that Kirrlutz threatened them without revealing the details about Brendel.

Was it even possible to arrest the young man, given how strong he was?

Austin suspected that the Kirrlutz’s ambassadors perceived the youth as a threat and hoped that Aouine would somehow foolishly hand him over.

But Brendel did not stay and talk with the ambassadors. He was fiddling with his cards when he heard Carglise calling out to him. The latter briefly reported the results of the youths.

[Excellent. It seems like I really must raise him to become my adjutant.]

Brendel was pleased to find out that Carglise managed to defeat two Lionmane Beastman all by himself. Even though it could not compare to Scarlett, he was actually the only person amongst the youths to succeed alone.

“My lord, I feel like there’s something wrong.”

“Oh?” Brendel nodded in approval: “Go ahead and speak freely.”

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