This being, which had appeared as if from nowhere and seemed to be the cause of the previously trembling earth, was no human.
It did have the physique of a man, but it was anything but one. It stood over four meters tall and possessed a muscular build impossible for any human to achieve.
This thing had legs like those of an ox, even a short cow's tail, was completely covered in hair, and finally, its head was not that of a man but that of an ox.
On its shoulder, to make matters worse, the creature carried an enormous club, larger and broader than a fully grown man.
["Demon, consumed by hunger," eyes the delicious-looking meal.]
["Dragon Slayer," rejoices at a promising confrontation.]
Once again, a flood of messages appeared, and the constellations voiced their thoughts on the arrival of this monster.
Finally, a message appeared that made Albert prick up his ears.
["Demon of Wisdom shows," is surprised to see a Minotaur here and wonders if it is not too strong for these weaklings.]
"A Minotaur? That's…" The corners of Albert's mouth lifted into a delighted grin, as if he had just found what he had been searching for.
At last, he straightened up and addressed his knights: "Men! Prepare yourselves, we will slay this monster and save the people of this village from its terror!"
His sudden declaration made some of the knights flinch in shock. They turned to him with puzzled looks that seemed to say: "Have you lost your mind?"
"B-but… th-that's… a monster!" were the only words one knight could stammer out in his shock.
Frightened and alarmed by their commander's order, more knights quickly voiced their displeasure at having to face such a beast — one far beyond the power of any monsters they knew.
Finally, Commander Reis turned to Albert.
"Young Master, with all due respect, this is a monster the likes of which we have never faced before. Everyone here can feel that its power far surpasses that of all other monsters — like the Dread Wolves, Mountain Spiders, and so on. We should retreat and return with reinforcements… I feel sorry for that poor thing, but against this, we don't stand a chance!"
Albert stared silently at his men for a moment before putting on a horrified expression and speaking firmly: "What are you saying?! What do you think will happen if we turn back now? This innocent person will die — and what if that's not enough for the monster and it turns on the other villagers?!"
His speech grew louder with every word, striking skillfully at the knights' hearts: "We cannot simply abandon these poor, innocent people to their fate! Even if they do these cruel things, what choice do they have? They only want to survive, just like we do!"
He paused for a moment before continuing: "And so it shall be — we will bring them peace! We are the proud knights of the Empire; under our swords, many monsters have fallen, and this one will be no different!"
["Hero of War," is deeply moved by your gripping speech and praises your leadership and determination.]
This fiery speech lit a blaze in the knights' hearts and made them forget their fear. Even Commander Reis now felt ashamed for wanting to leave these innocents to the monster.
"So, men, follow me, and together we shall slaughter this beast and gain immortal glory!" Albert roared, mounted his horse, and rode off.
Closely followed by his men, Albert left the edge of the forest and charged straight toward the Minotaur, who was just approaching the human sacrifice.
"HURRAH!!!" The knights' battle cry echoed across the plain, drawing the Minotaur's attention and making it halt and interrupt its actions.
Albert drew his sword and prepared for the coming clash. Not a hint of nervousness showed; he thought only of the benefits that slaying this beast would bring him.
With wide, sparkling eyes, an excited expression, and a subtle grin, full of anticipation for the achievement that the slaughter of this beast would bring, he rode on.
ROAR!!! The Minotaur let out a tremendous, bone-shaking roar that could probably be heard for kilometers. Its roar even made the ground quake and sent out a gust of wind that made even the sturdiest trees sway.
Albert, wholly fixated on his glory, snapped out of his delusion and, as his clothes flapped in the wind, caught sight of a shocking message.
[Your troops have been affected by the Minotaur's howl. Their morale is rapidly declining, and their ability to make decisions has been severely impaired.]
He had no time to worry about his troops, for the Minotaur had already begun moving, its focus locked on the intruders.
The beast raised its club and charged.
Albert, rushing toward it, decided against a direct confrontation and leapt swiftly from his horse to narrowly avoid the club.
With a crash, the Minotaur's massive club struck the horse, hurling it several meters away like a wet sack.
The Minotaur did not stop there; it barreled straight into the dazed group of knights. With its horns lowered, it plunged into the disoriented ranks.
It caught one knight in the front directly. Its horns pierced through the knight's shield like tofu, skewering him like meat on a spit.
As the Minotaur swung its head back, the knight flew from its horns. Then it raised one massive leg and stomped another knight flat like a cockroach, turning him into bloody paste.
Already, two battle-hardened knights had perished before the fight had even truly begun.
Albert watched in shock from afar.
He had known the monster was strong, but he had not expected this. When the voice of his commander, Reis, rang out, Albert and the other knights quickly shook off their stupor.
"Get it together, or do you want to die here?! Keep your distance and take formation!"
Reis issued commands with practiced ease, showing once again his experience in handling critical situations.
He tossed aside his shield, having realized that even a blocked strike would be fatal. Gripping his sword with both hands, he lunged at the Minotaur from behind.
Distracted by the other knights, the Minotaur noticed Reis too late.
Just as it turned to strike him down, it was met with the cold blade of his sword.
Swish!
Reis delivered a clean cut to the beast's side and quickly retreated to avoid the club.
"A hit!"
"That's it! Eat that, you monster!"
The knights cheered at the sight of their commander's feat, their determination reigniting.
Reis, however, wore a grave expression and called out to his knights: "Stay focused — it's not over yet!"
"That strike… wasn't deep enough!"
He glanced at the wound he had inflicted. It was barely more than a scratch, with little to no blood flowing.
The Minotaur seemed hardly affected by the injury. Instead, it only enraged it, making it focus entirely on Reis.
The beast snorted audibly and charged. It raised its massive club, clearly intending to tear Reis apart with a single blow.
Reis remained calm and focused, readying himself. But just as he was about to dodge, his eyes widened at something behind the monster.
"Hmph. You dare show me your back? Eat this!" Albert roared.
He swung his mana-charged sword, sending out a slash of energy that struck the Minotaur's unprotected back perfectly.
This blow was impossible to miss.
A deep wound opened on the Minotaur's back, and blood sprayed forth.
ROAR! The beast stopped short of Reis, letting out a loud, pain-filled scream.
Reis seized the moment and lunged at the Minotaur, his blade cutting through the air toward its throat.
But something was wrong — just before he reached it, the Minotaur snorted loudly, and a strange energy filled the air.
Its muscles seemed to swell even further, and a red aura enveloped its body.
When Albert noticed this anomaly, he shouted to Reis: "No, wait!"
But it was already too late.
Reis's sword struck the beast's neck, but instead of slicing through, the blade shattered as if it had hit something harder than steel, leaving Reis defenseless.
The Minotaur, recovering shockingly fast from Albert's strike — or perhaps ignoring it entirely — rose up before its foe.
It swung its club with lightning speed.
Reis had no time to react. The blow caught him, hurling him away like a rag doll.
"No…!"
"Commander!"
The knights cried out in grief, momentarily forgetting the enemy in their midst.
The Minotaur did not wait.
Having taken down its target, it turned to the rest. It charged at a trio of knights, swinging its club mercilessly at them.
"Not on my watch!"
Albert leapt in between and actually managed to block the club with his sword. But it was no easy feat — he had to give everything just to keep from being overwhelmed by the Minotaur's might.
A barrage of club strikes followed.
The Minotaur struck without mercy, Albert parrying each blow with great effort, sustaining minor injuries in the process.
"Damn it, I can't hold him much longer!"
At last, Albert's strength began to fail, and he retreated. The Minotaur pressed forward, horns lowered.
Seeing no escape, Albert decided to do something he would rather not.
"Raise your shields!"
He suddenly jumped behind the three knights and ordered them to lift their shields to block the Minotaur's charge. Though he knew the shields couldn't withstand the horns, he used it as a pretext for his actions.
With a crash, the shields met the horns and, as expected, were pierced.
The three knights were skewered at once and flung aside.
It's a shame it couldn't be avoided, but they've bought me enough time… Albert had already taken a battle stance, raising his blade and pouring endless mana into it.
Unleashing all his power, he swung his sword.
"Eat this — my strongest ability!"
He delivered two lightning-fast slashes, creating two crossing arcs of energy that shot toward the Minotaur with unparalleled speed and force.
Cross Slash!
The sudden, concentrated strike took the Minotaur by surprise. Charging blindly at its target, it had no time to dodge and was hit directly.
The crossing blades of energy carved into the beast's body, blood spraying wildly as it collapsed helplessly to the ground.
The blow was simply too much, even piercing through its temporarily strengthened hide.
Haah~ Haah~ Albert panted heavily, leaning on his sword to keep from collapsing. His sudden use of the skill had drained all his mana.
"I-is… is it over?" one knight asked, staring in shock at the Minotaur's corpse.
Slowly, more knights dared approach the beast's body. Others went to their fallen comrades, grief and shock on their faces.
Albert eventually ordered his soldiers to bring back the bodies of the dead, including Commander Reis's. But not only those — he insisted on bringing the Minotaur's corpse as well.
Before the now twenty-six-man troop set off back to the duchy, Albert decided to take a special course of action.
He gathered his knights directly in front of the five-meter-high totem, beside which the human sacrifice was still bound.
"My knights!"
He suddenly raised his voice, drawing all attention. "Hear me! Today, we have lost many comrades and friends and are in mourning… but! Do not be overcome by grief — show the resolve worthy of a knight of the Empire!"
"We may have suffered losses, but we have slain a beast that would undoubtedly have become a future threat to our Empire."
He paused, letting his gaze sweep over the men. "Our comrades died with pride, giving their lives for the citizens of the Empire and for justice!"
His proud voice and cunning speech brightened the knights' expressions, filling them with pride.
"But truly… I know how hard it is to swallow your anger. So…" Albert drew his sword, his gaze falling on the human sacrifice. "They are not to blame for their deaths, nor are we, who fought beside them… it is these beasts, disguised as humans, who bear the responsibility!"
Suddenly, Albert swung his sword and, before the shocked eyes of his men, beheaded the human sacrifice with an indifferent, determined expression.