kscans

Chapter 210 - The Church's Formidable Enemy

The Saint's Church.

Twenty meters from the main gate.

To minimize damage to the city, the Knight Order had assembled. And, as if seeing their chance, the monsters appeared as well. Slimes, Anacondas, and Wolves. Goblins and Bears. And ten Rock Wolves.

The Knight Order had formed a defensive line so as not to reveal the movement of the detached force of adventurers. The monsters did nothing, simply watching them.

The two armies glared at each other. Just then, a roar echoed from the depths of the forest.

Humans and monsters alike turned their gaze. What emerged was a creature three times the size of a Bear, with three horns and red eyes.

A knight muttered, "That's... the Earth Bear. Why?"

Altorine said, "This is unexpected. A high-ranking monster on the front lines. However, we cannot stop the operation. This is the crucial moment."

Everyone nodded.

And then... the Earth Bear roared.

The monsters charged. The Knight Order, undaunted by the approaching horde, readied themselves. The distance closed, and then, they clashed. The knights held their shields to the front, focusing on defense, and counterattacked in the brief moments when the monsters' assault slackened.

It was the same tactic as before. It was unclear what the monsters were thinking, but at the very least, they showed no signs of being wary of their surroundings.

Altorine said, "Good, things are going smoothly. All that's left is to pray for the success of the adventurers' surprise attack."

She stared straight ahead.

Meanwhile, the adventurers...

Upon leaving the city, they immediately entered the forest, equipped with Scent-Masking Pouches so as not to be detected by the monsters.

An adventurer watching the battlefield muttered, "I can't believe the Earth Bear is already out. This is a big change from the plan. But the Knight Order's movements are completely unshaken. I guess that means we're proceeding as planned."

Another adventurer next to him said, his face anxious, "But what do we do? At this distance, the Earth Bear will reach us in no time."

The plan had been for the Knight Order to hold the line and draw the monsters in, not advancing at all. The goal was to reduce the number of monsters so they could focus on the Earth Bear, which was supposed to still be in the rear, deep in the forest.

But now the Earth Bear was out, and if they continued to thin the ranks, it was certain to attack them itself. And it was within striking distance.

Naturally, the adventurers at the front of the battle would be targeted first.

"And now I'm worried if the guys on the other side will even pull it off," another adventurer said, growing even more anxious.

If they themselves were this scared, they couldn't imagine what the adventurers on the other side were feeling. They didn't even know if they were there. The chance to launch their surprise attack was when the Knight Order pushed forward.

That was the signal to begin the operation.

Amidst the anxiety, an adventurer said, trying to suppress his own fear, "We've come this far. All we can do is believe. Whether we live or die is decided by each of our actions."

They waited for the moment to come.

The battle between the knights and the monsters was fierce.

The monsters, seemingly unaware of their intentions, continued to push and pull.

A knight rushed to the Pope's side. "Your Holiness, the monsters are pressing us as planned. May we begin the counterattack soon?"

He was growing impatient.

The knights were anxious, wondering when the Earth Bear would attack. And in a way, their fears came true. Seven Rock Wolves joined the monster horde.

The remaining three stayed by the Earth Bear's side, as if guarding it.

Seeing this, Altorine said, "It seems they are on their guard as well, but only superficially. In that case, we will make our move here. Inform the knights. We begin now."

The knight saluted and ran off.

Receiving the Pope's orders, the knights pushed forward with their shields.

The monsters recognized that the humans were counterattacking, but that was all. They charged forward without a second thought.

Just then...

""Oooooooohhhhhh!""

From the forests to the left and right, humans suddenly appeared.

The monsters were stunned. In that opening, the knights charged. The Anacondas and Slimes were crushed under their momentum.

The Wolves were slain by the adventurers who had come from the flanks. The Bears and Rock Wolves, who were a little further back, had remained calm. It seemed they had been a bit too complacent. They had attacked without thinking and had fallen for a surprise attack.

The Rock Wolves glanced at the Bears. The Bears seemed to understand and nodded.

The Bears charged all at once.

Seeing this, an adventurer shouted, "The Bears are coming! We can take them!"

He and his party intercepted them.

It was a physical party of a swordsman, a spearman, and two archers. They had experience hunting Bears. They thought it would be an easy fight.

As they were engaged with one, something leaped out from the Bear's shadow. The swordsman couldn't identify the approaching shadow before his life was extinguished.

His comrades saw their leader's mangled form, torn apart by a Rock Wolf.

"No... The leader..." an archer stammered.

As he stood there in a daze, the other archer shouted, "Idiot! Get away from there!"

The archer looked to see the Bear nearby, its right paw raised high. He was cut down, his life ended.

Of the two remaining, the spearman said, "We're pulling back."

He retreated in fear.

The archer followed suit and fled.

An adventurer who had been watching while fighting muttered, "They're... working together."

This was bad. Powerful monsters coordinating their attacks would only lower the adventurers' survival rate.

"Everyone, be careful!" the adventurer shouted. "The Bears are fighting alongside the Rock Wolves!"

All the adventurers went on high alert.

The Knight Order was still held up by a wall of Goblins and hadn't been able to join them. There was nothing between the adventurers and the Bears. They would be upon them in an instant.

"Don't try to win! Just hold out until the knights can join us!" another adventurer shouted.

They entered a defensive formation.

The Bears charged the adventurers and crashed into them. The Rock Wolves slipped through the gaps and attacked. Of course, they tried to fight back, but with fur as hard as rock, it was not easy to wound them. However, every adventurer knew that water was their weakness.

The magicians chanted, "Water Bullet!"

Countless bullets of water flew through the air.

Just as they were about to hit the Rock Wolves, a Bear stepped in front and took the hits, acting as a shield. The Bear, seemingly unfazed, continued its charge.

Its target was the magicians. Having just cast their spells, they couldn't move immediately.

Just as they thought they would be killed, adventurers with shields formed a wall and took the hit. They were pushed back a little, but they managed to stop the Bear's advance. In that opening, spearmen stabbed the Bear from the side.

"We'll protect you! Keep it up!" an adventurer shouted.

The magicians, regaining their composure, prepared to cast again.

Amidst this back-and-forth, they were finally able to join up with the Knight Order.

"Sorry we're late!" a knight shouted. "We will now annihilate them!"

At his cry, everyone let out a war cry.

The Bears roared back in defiance. After their mutual roars, the battle resumed. The knights with shields blocked the Bears' attacks, and the adventurers followed up. The knights wreathed their swords in water and attacked the Rock Wolves. The attacks landed, but they didn't do much damage.

However, their movements slowed slightly. In that opening, the magicians fired their water bullets, which hit their mark. The knights then cut down the completely immobilized Rock Wolves.

Seeing that the human side had a slight advantage, the Earth Bear advanced with its Rock Wolves.

The approaching Earth Bear struck fear into them with its appearance alone. As some of the adventurers prepared to fight back, the Earth Bear's eyes glowed.

The next moment, the branches of the surrounding trees grew to twice their normal size and shot out. They moved like tentacles, and their speed was such that those who couldn't react in time were impaled.

Some managed to dodge but were caught and crushed.

A knight said, "So that's the power to control trees... It's more troublesome than I thought."

He wanted to click his tongue in frustration.

They had thought its ability to control trees would only serve as a wall, but its speed and sharpness made it a sufficient threat as an attack.

The knight captain said, "Your Holiness... at this rate, the operation..."

At his fearful expression, Altorine replied, "We will change the plan slightly. I will fight the Earth Bear now. Please carry out the operation in the meantime."

At her command, the captain said, "B-But, then..."

Before he could finish, Altorine cut him off. "If we continue like this, our casualties will only increase."

Her face allowed no argument.

The captain's face was a mask of determination and resolve. "Understood. Then we will accompany you."

The other captains felt the same.

"May fortune be with you in battle," Altorine said.

She drew Claíomh Solais and charged the Earth Bear.

The other monsters tried to attack her, but the knight captains intercepted them. The Earth Bear, seeing the human approaching, sensed that it was a formidable opponent. It manipulated the trees, and tentacle-like branches shot out at Altorine.

Altorine cut down the approaching attacks with her sword. Her movements were swift and without a single wasted motion.

When she was within sword's reach, she swung her sword in a wide arc. The Earth Bear met her attack with its right claw.

And so, the counteroffensive began. And in the Empire...