The mercenaries wielded a wide variety of weapons: sword and shield, long spears and lances, daggers and scimitars, axes, hammers, bows, and even slingshots. They lined up in two rows, melee at the front, ranged at the back. The Inferior Horned Beasts opposite them seemed to be waiting for something, restraining their War Dogs and Razor Beasts from moving.
A slender figure walked out escorted by the mercenaries, and Oliver, turning his head to look, was taken aback.
This appeared to be a woman under thirty, with a very tall and slender figure, draped in an oversized snow-white fox fur coat. Her shiny black hair fell over her shoulders and back, constantly shimmering with lights, as if alive. Beneath was a black leather outfit, hugging her voluptuous figure, of unknown material. Tight leather pants wrapped tightly around her long, beautiful legs, and she wore heavy boots on her feet.
The woman possessed an utterly captivating aura, exuding a charm known as "mature" in every gesture. Silver pupils, enchanting phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, dark red lips, and a beautiful mole beneath the lips lent her an endlessly alluring presence.
However, what caught Oliver's attention wasn't this, but the purple long staff in her hand, its tip encrusted with a red gemstone where energy was converging.
High mana, high elemental affinity, this woman was a Caster! Oliver's heart settled — with a Caster present, how could they not be victorious?
"Mr. Boris, launch the attack quickly. I can sense the energy of Chaos, it's the Ten Thousand Demon Rock! There is a Ten Thousand Demon Rock nearby, and the Fallen Hunter is activating it to summon more Beastmen!" The Female Spellcaster didn't even glance at the Imperial Merchant, her expression cold, her tone commanding. The Mercenary Leader responded with utmost respect, "Yes, Lady Trovik."
"Watch your back! Beastmen love to encircle and ambush," she warned before starting to chant a spell, getting ready to cast. Sky-blue mana gathered around her body. Observing this, the Mercenary Leader hesitated no longer and commanded, "Attack!"
"Yes!" The rear-line mercenaries drew their bows and fired arrows, as those at the front had already engaged with the Inferior Horned Beasts. The Inferior Horned Beasts formed a line, many getting hit and falling, causing their formation to descend into chaos. The mercenaries seized the opportunity to charge into the Beastmen's lines, initiating brutal melee combat, with screams and howls reverberating through the air.
"Ice Armor!" With the start of close combat, the Female Spellcaster's spell came into play, creating frost-like white hardness on the surface of the leading mercenaries' bodies. The Inferior Horned Beasts' long spears merely bounced off these frost crystals. The mercenaries grinned, one of them using his shield to deflect a spear before driving his longsword deep into an Inferior Horned Beast's head, then kicking it aside. Another Inferior Horned Beast took the chance to thrust its spear at his side, only for the frost crystal to deflect its tip. The mercenary even had time to use his shield to bash away a charging Razor Beast, before smugly raising his longsword at the Inferior Horned Beast.
Come over here!
Often, what people fear most is not other things, but fear itself. Magic is an unknown power, and a strong one at that. When the Inferior Horned Beast saw it couldn't harm the human, it let out a wail and fled.
The same scene occurred all along the battle line, as Inferior Horned Beasts fell into chaos under the mercenaries' assault and scattered to flee. The mercenaries' morale soared as they pursued the escaping enemies, but the Mercenary Leader shouted, "Don't chase, don't chase far."
The leader's orders still held sway, and the mercenaries abandoned the pursuit. Yet, as they were about to retreat, deeper in the forest heavier footsteps and louder roars emerged: "Roarrr!"
A massive half-humanoid creature burst from the forest, appearing before them all. It stood over twice as tall as a normal person, wielding a large axe, with long horns like a goat on its head. Beneath the horns was a beastly face and a powerful body, the enormous hooves steaming with heat from its nostrils. Disdainfully glancing at the fleeing Inferior Horned Beasts, it snagged one hapless beast with ease and tore it in half.
The remains were cast to the ground, where the Chaos War Dogs and Razor Beasts pounced upon them, devouring the flesh in an instant.
"It's the Beast King! It's the Beast King!!! Fall back, fall back, reorganize the formation!" The Mercenary Leader, eyes wide with shock, screamed repeatedly. He raised his great axe, readying for battle.
The mercenaries hurriedly retreated as one by one, half-humanoid beings wielding large axes emerged from the forest. Though not as tall or robust as the Beast King, they stood over three meters high. The Beastmen laughed coldly as they charged the battlefield, the ground trembled slightly, seemingly afraid of these harbingers of disaster.
"They're Horned Beasts. They're formidable warriors, the main force of the Beastman Tribe!" Oliver muttered to himself while retreating, while the Imperial Merchant kept moving toward the Female Spellcaster's side, where the people congregated.
At this moment, only the Caster gave Oliver a sense of safety.
The previously smug mercenary retreated the slowest due to his far-flung pursuit. As he was running, he heard wind by his ear and turned to feel a chill run through his spine—the Beast King was already upon him!