The moment Daroon lifted his halberd, the massive horde of Minotaurs that had been converging from all corners of the forest began to breach the camp's perimeter. Their enormous silhouettes, torches in hand, emerged in lines between the trees. The flickering flames illuminated their crude iron armor, casting a crimson glow over their sharpened axes and the fierce glint in their eyes.
"This is where the real fight begins!"
Hiyalkho's voice resonated from the blade as Hiyalkho hurtled toward three Minotaurs.
Having already unleashed a colossal surge of icy power in the heart of the camp, felling dozens of Minotaurs in the blast, Hiyalkho was now drawing on the remaining strength amid the aftermath.
The frozen ground and shattered shards of ice scattered about bore witness to the explosion he had wrought, yet the aura enveloping the blade had visibly weakened
Nevertheless, Hiyalkho accelerated further. The fading glow of the blade momentarily flared brighter, and a more intense blue aura rippled along the edge of the sword.
The blade of blue light arced through the air, slicing obliquely across the first Minotaur's nape. Before its thick breath could even cease, the sword recoiled and slashed straight through the second Minotaur's flank, severing it cleanly. In the final rotation, its keen trajectory pierced the third Minotaur's chest dead center. In that brief instant, three corpses crumpled to the ground, but the dazzling strike had drained Hiyalkho's remaining energy precipitously.
The light emanating from the blade dimmed noticeably, and its outline soon wavered. His movements no longer carried the same razor-sharp precision as before. A subtle but unmistakable sluggishness had crept in.
"Hiyalkho, take care not to press yourself too severely."
Tirrellda cried out urgently. Thanks to the contract binding her to Hiyalkho, she could vividly sense condition. Hiyalkho's power was depleting rapidly, the essence that formed Hiyalkho flickering like a dying candle.
"Don't worry! This much is nothing to me!"
Hiyalkho replied, but even Hiyalkho's voice lacked its former vigor. The blade's light flickered unsteadily.
"Into the forest! We need to fall back deeper into the woods!"
Daroon shouted as he took a bold step forward and charged ahead. Gripping his halberd with both hands, he swung it horizontally in a wide arc from right to left. The axe blade tore through the air, precisely bisecting the torso of the Minotaur lunging at him. Thick muscles and bones parted without resistance, and dark crimson blood sprayed wildly.
The massive body flew backward as if propelled, colliding head-on with another Minotaur. The two tangled and staggered before crashing to the ground, but three more Minotaurs trampled right over them. The sound of hooves crushing their comrades echoed, and the earth heaved like mud underfoot.
Daroon exhaled sharply and advanced again. He drew the halberd back and thrust it forward. The spear tip impaled one Minotaur's abdomen, driving through the heavy flesh until it struck the spine. The beast arched back with a agonized bellow, and Daroon twisted the tip before yanking it free.
Blood gushed forth, and the next foe entered his vision. Daroon hefted the halberd with one hand and brought it down from above. The axe blade embedded deeply between the Minotaur's shoulder and neck, the crack of splintering bone resounding as the torso was rent nearly in half.
The Minotaur staggered, spewing blood-flecked breath. The gash between shoulder and neck exposed the ruptured chest cavity, with hot blood and swollen clots spilling out in limp pulses. It knelt, attempting one final gasp, then collapsed. Daroon kicked the corpse aside and readjusted his stance.
Tirrellda and Hiyalkho followed closely behind Daroon, naturally maintaining formation. As Daroon led the charge, wielding his halberd to subdue enemies ahead, Tirrellda supported from the rear with quick spells, while Hiyalkho darted to the flanks, swiftly cutting down encroaching Minotaurs to clear the path.
"These bastards just keep coming!"
Daroon furrowed his brow, baring his fangs through gritted lips, and swung his halberd with full force once more.
The axe blade sank deep into the enemy's torso, crimson blood erupting from between the ribs. In that instant, sensing the thunderous hoofbeats from behind, Daroon twisted his body swiftly, pivoting to thrust the halberd straight back. The spear tip pierced the Minotaur's eye, embedding deep into its skull.
Red fluid trickled slowly to the ground. Then, the enormous body shuddered violently once before slumping lifelessly in silence.
Daroon stared at the corpse for a moment, then swallowed hard, his breathing ragged. Sweat streamed inside his helmet, but his gaze remained unclouded. Though hordes of Minotaurs still surged forward, he refused to yield a single step.
He advanced one more pace and muttered under his breath.
"Keep coming. I'll cut you all down."
Tirrellda steadied her breath quietly, channeling mana to her fingertips. As she extended both hands forward, a chilling aura gathered at her tips, forming sharp fragments of ice.
The translucent ice shards shot forth like arrows, piercing the Minotaurs' throats and chests. White frost spread from the embedded wounds, freezing the flesh solid. Yet her power had waned compared to before. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her lips trembled faintly.
"Just a little further... Just a bit more, and we'll reach the forest!"
The moment they stepped beyond the camp's boundary and into the forest's threshold, the soil beneath their feet sank softly. Overhead, tangled branches veiled the sky like a canopy, while thick tree trunks lined either side like ramparts. Moonlight filtered thinly through the leaves, but the woods remained shrouded in darkness. The dank scent of earth and decaying foliage hung heavy, and an eerie silence swallowed their footsteps.
The Minotaurs began pursuing into the forest. Their massive frames snapped branches as they passed. Rustling leaves cascaded down in showers. Yet in the forest's gloom, their movements grew cumbersome. Torchlight faltered, obstructed by the branches, failing to illuminate ahead properly.
Daroon emerged suddenly from behind a massive tree, its bark rough and moss-encrusted, plunging his halberd deep into a Minotaur's flank. As the spear tip pierced the armor, the beast knelt with a pained roar. Daroon withdrew the weapon and vanished behind another tree.
On the opposite side, behind an ancient trunk, the forest's aura stirred subtly in the deep shadows.
Under the moonlight, pale fingertips emerged quietly. White frost particles drifted silently from them, and in an instant, the air chilled to freezing.
Tirrellda's voice whispered forth.
"Ice arrows, pierce the foes."
From her fingertips, an ice arrow wreathed in blue light shot out. As it cleaved the air, it froze the surrounding atmosphere, leaving a white trail.
Tirrellda's ice arrow transfixed a Minotaur's throat. Frost bloomed like a spreading bloom around the wound, crimson blood seeping through the cracks.
The ice arrow shattered upon impact, spraying red blood in all directions. The hulking figure staggered two or three steps before crumpling to the ground.
"This is the only way we can fight now."
Daroon whispered. In the forest, ambushes and retreats proved more advantageous than head-on clashes. They darted swiftly between trees, picking off Minotaurs one by one. Striking from the shadows and vanishing immediately yielded results.
Tirrellda cast another spell from behind a thick oak. Ice shards flew from her hands, freezing the Minotaurs' legs solid. As the frost-bound ankles caused them to lose balance and fall, Hiyalkho slipped through the gaps, slashing throats. Blue trails of light flashed in the darkness, and blood fountained upward.
Daroon, concealed behind a massive trunk, waited before thrusting his halberd's spear tip into a passing Minotaur's leg. The beast, its limb impaled deeply, screamed and pitched forward. Daroon rushed in, bringing the blade down on its neck, the edge carving halfway through the thick flesh.
But the Minotaurs were adapting to the forest's darkness. They moved more cautiously, back-to-back, advancing in unison. They raised torches higher to scan surroundings, swinging axes at suspicious shadows and thickets.
"Autōi! (Right here!)"
One Minotaur spotted Tirrellda hiding behind a tree and bellowed loudly. In an instant, three or four charged toward her. Tirrellda hastily conjured an ice barrier for protection, but the Minotaurs' axes hammered down. The translucent ice shattered into fragments.
"Graaaah!"
Daroon leaped from behind a tree, swinging his halberd wide. The axe blade raked across a Minotaur's back, carving a deep gash. But another swung its axe from behind, and Daroon barely blocked with his halberd. The shrill clang of metal echoed through the woods.
Hiyalkho spun through the air, slicing between two Minotaurs. Hiyalkho's blue-glowing blade severed one neck before piercing the other's chest. Yet the light from the blade grew ever fainter. The sword's outline blurred, struggling to maintain form.
"If we keep this up, we'll tire out first..."
Tirrellda exhaled shortly and said. Her mana was nearing depletion. The ice shards forming at her fingertips were smaller and weaker than before.
Minotaurs shook torches throughout the forest, seeking hidden foes in the shadows. Their heavy footfalls resounded from all sides. Snapping branches, crushed underbrush, and ragged breaths echoed in the dark. More and more poured deeper into the woods.
"We have to take that one down!"
Hiyalkho pointed the blade tip at the Minotaur commander and shouted. The commander, the wooden mask still perched on the shoulder, directed subordinates. More Minotaurs clustered around the commander.
"Especially that puny runt! He's been a nuisance with his spells all along!"
Hiyalkho shook the sword toward the wooden mask on the commander's shoulder. The masked figure pulled out another wooden doll, muttering under the breath. A dense green aura swirled around the figure
"Tirrellda! Hit him with a spell!"
At Hiyalkho's resonant call, Tirrellda nodded. She extended both hands forward and drew a deep breath. A chilling vortex began to whirl at her fingertips.
"Rise, spear of winter's frigid wind."
Ice crystals rapidly converged before her hands. Starting as small fragments, they grew larger, shaping into a long, razor-sharp form. Blue light swirled within the transparent ice, and thin threads of cold aura rose from the spear tip. White frost formed as the surrounding air froze.
"Become a spear of ice and impale the enemy."
Tirrellda thrust her arms forward with a cry. A lengthy ice spear launched from her hands like an arrow. As it sliced through the air, it left a white trail of frozen atmosphere. Spirals of cold aura trailed from the spear's end.
"Kir' Quak!!!"
Seeing the incoming ice spear, the masked figure swiftly extended one hand. A dense green light spread from his palm, manifesting a round shield engraved with intertwined skulls and serpents before his outstretched hand.
The shield's surface writhed with distorted faces baring rotten fangs, grotesque beasts, and slender bone patterns, forming a macabre tableau.
The moment the ice spear collided with the green shield, its tip shattered into fragments scattering everywhere. But in that instant, the spear's rear split in two, transforming anew.
The splintered ice pieces reconverged rapidly, forming a keen ice sword. It bypassed the shield, hurtling toward the masked figure. The blade gleamed blue in the moonlight's reflection.
"Now's the time!"
Hiyalkho spun in a wide circle through the air, charging toward the masked figure. The blue trail cleaved the darkness.
"Gotcha! That annoying little pest from the start!"
Hiyalkho's blade pierced the masked figure's neck. The sharp crack of splitting wood rang out as the mask cleaved in two. Dense green fluid oozed from within, accompanied by a tiny scream.
"Kiiiiiiaaaaaak—!"
The masked figure let out a final shriek as it tumbled from the Minotaur commander's shoulder. Its small body hit the ground and went still. Mask fragments scattered and rolled across the earth.
"Akh!"
The Minotaur commander roared in fury, swinging his massive double-bladed axe at Hiyalkho. The blade whistled through the air like wind. The weighty, powerful strike slammed into Hiyalkho.
"Uaaagh!"
Hiyalkho let out a short resonant cry as he was flung far away.
Hiyalkho blade's light wavered wildly, and for a moment, the sword's form blurred, appearing to fragment and disperse. The outline rippled like waves, unstable and faltering.
Just then, black smoke billowed from the fallen masked figure's corpse. It was a sinister mist, black laced with dense green. The fog swirled upward before swiftly seeping into the Minotaur commander's body.
The mist flowed through his nostrils, mouth, and every pore. His skin briefly took on a bluish-black hue before reverting. But his eyes shifted from their original tawny to a blood-red. Green flames flickered within his pupils.
"KwaaaaaaK!"
The commander howled toward the sky. His voice transformed gradually. Something alien mingled with his original guttural roar—sharper, more malevolent, colder.