Against All Odds

"The barrier will be down in an hour."

Mage Karsen's warning resounded throughout the camp, increasing the alertness of all members. Everyone took their positions, readying their spells, weapons, and consumables. Archers were positioned on the second wall while warriors stood at the front of it. Healers and mages took their place wherever needed.

All the injured people who could still walk positioned themselves at the first wall, equipped with explosion trinkets. Although it might seem cruel, this decision was countless times better than them being ripped apart by beasts, unable to defend themselves. Everyone was nervous, but no one was scared. After all, what's the use of fear when death is nothing but certain. This was it. This was the end. Soon, they would all be joining the Goddess' embrace.

An hour went by quickly, and everyone sentimentally looked at the shimmering barrier that had been protecting them for the last few days as it melted away into nothingness. Countless roars reverberated across the barren field, fusing into a horrifying cacophony of impending doom.

Without needing anyone to shout commands, everyone readied whatever they had at hand and waited for the horde to come into range.

Tension took hold of the atmosphere as seconds that felt like hours passed until a loud bang at a distance broke the dreadful silence. The first wall had fallen. 

Despite the selfless sacrifice of the explosion squad, the beasts continue to charge forward, barging through the veil of smoke and ruins of the destroyed wall.

"Fire!"

Volleys of arrows, some enchanted, some mundane flew through the air, slaying whatever beast that dared to stand in their way. Fortunately, the lady luck stood on the mercenaries' side as the ruins of the first wall naturally created a kill zone, where the archers can let loose freely and effectively. Still, the horde seemed unending. The general-ranked hadn't even shown itself yet, choosing to stay back and command its troops.

Amid countless arrows, some spells, and a few projectiles mixed in, causing chaos among the abominations. Despite the non-stop bombardment, the monstrous tide never stopped, slowly creeping toward the second wall.

"Men! Prepare for Impact!"

Mercenaries with shields of all kinds positioned themselves at the front and spearmen stood behind, while swordsmen and alike stood where they saw fit. After years of working together, no one needed commands to figure out where they were needed.

Lanse himself stood on the frontline, his mind fully focused on the incoming enemies. A heavy shieldman and a sabre master stood by his side. They were two of the oldest members of the Rox Mercenary Corps, and thus their bond with the leader was much stronger and their fighting compatibility much better.

The defender slammed his tower shield on the ground and lifted his visor. "You nervous, Lanse?"

"I don't think this is the time to be chit-chatting." The sabre master cut in. Adorning a leather armor in this type of situation might seem like a bad idea to many, but she was an avid believer of the saying, "The best defense is a good offense".

Not taking his eyes off the incoming horde, Lanse replied. "That's what I should be asking you. Anyway… Don't you guys dare die before me like that bastard Gunt. Or else, I'll personally come and murder you. "

"Well,... I can't promise that. And how would you kill the dead anyway, haha." The shieldman let out a chuckle, but the sabre master only averted her gaze to the side. 

Not long after that sudden chit-chat, the first enemy managed to break through the kill box and reach the first line of shields. A spear suddenly flew past the blocking shield and pierced an enemy's head, killing it on the spot. But, almost immediately, another joined and then another… Soon, the human wall was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of abominations. Lanse and his companions also joined the battle, slaughtering one foe after another, but it was merely just a drop in the ocean. Only a few minutes had to pass for things to take a turn for the worse.

Wiping off the vile blood of the beasts from his face, Lanse observed the battlefield. The formation had long been broken, leaving some unfortunate mercenaries utterly isolated. Penetrating the wall of humans, some beasts managed to climb up the wall, wreaking havoc among the ranged units. The situation was hopeless. Unless the hero peronally came to rescue them, it was certain that they would all meet their end here. No, even if such a miracle would happen, it was simply too late to save anyone. 

To make matters worse, the general-ranked beast had shown itself on the battlefield, slaughtering mercenaries with each attack. Explosions were frequent as everyone made sure to equip an explosion trinket on them. Thanks to that, the endless horde had been reduced to a… sizeable army. Of course, it didn't help the situation at all since almost two-thirds of the Rox Mercenary Corps had been annihilated.

Keeping the enemies near him at bay, Lanse searched for his friends. A few meters away, the defender was still holding out, and the sabre master right behind him, covering his blindsight. They were battling a knight-ranked beast, accompanied by two squire-ranked and several soldier-ranked. Lanse decided to leave them alone and headed for the big boss. After all, only a leader was fit to battle another leader.

Bang! Crack!

A spell suddenly hit a gathering of beasts in front of Lanse, instantly decimating all of them and freezing nearby beasts. Perhaps the spell's target area was intentional because the path to the general-ranked beast was now wide open.

'Thanks, Karsen.' Nodding inwardly, Lanse broke through the stunned enemies, slashing and finishing off multiple beasts with his blade. As he killed more and more, the black helical rings that coiled around his arms like a tattoo grew larger, increasing his attack power even more. Such a usage of black magic would have already killed an ordinary person, but, Lanse was immune to its damage because of his innate ability which greatly strengthened his soul.

Slashing the final beast that stood in his way, Lanse finally faced the general-ranked beast. It towered over him, baring its razor-sharp fangs at Lanse. The beast was livid seeing a human who killed off many of its kin standing in its way. The creature looked like a hybrid between a polar bear and a dire wolf, except that it was larger than the two combined.

Usually known as Ursargs, the species always make an appearance on the front lines because of their abundant numbers. The species rarely ever produced beasts higher than knight-ranked, so they can be easily slain by a well-coordinated army. But, an appearance of a commanding beast changes their danger rating by a thousand times higher. That was the reason why Baron Darloc's subjugation army was annihilated so easily. No one expected a general-ranked Ursarg to appear after all.

[The higher the rank, the larger the Ursarg is. The general-ranked is around three meters. The higher ranked also preferred to stay bipedal and resembled more of a bear, while lower ranked such as soldiers and squires resembled more of wolves and walk on all fours.]

Grrrgh!

Dodging the Beast's deadly swipe, Lanse slashed at its right leg but the thick hide prevented his blade from sinking into the flesh. But, that was expected. After all, Lanse's real goal was to uncover a small unprotected area by cutting off the hide. Suddenly, the helical black rings around Lanse's right arm busted out in the form of a serpent. The tenebrous serpent sunk its deadly fangs into the Ursarg's thigh, injecting as much venom as possible.

But, that action only made the Usarg more livid as it started slashing with iits deadly claws even more ferociously than before. The venom needed a few minutes to take effect but if this continued, Lanse would be in the goddess's embrace long before that. Besides, it would just paralyze the beast for a few minutes in the best situation. Otherwise, the venom will just slow the beast down a bit.

Trying to dodge an attack, Lanse shifted to his right but there was a corpse on the ground which obstructed his movement. The claws of the Ursarg swiftly moved to mutilate Lanse but then a giant tower shield got in the way, blocking the beast's fatal attack. His companion had finished up their side and came to help. Noticing the absence of the sabre master and a stern but somber look on the tanker's face, Lanse decided to stay silent and focus on facing the enemy in front of him.

The giant Ursarg bared its terrifying fangs, snarling at the two pesky humans standing in its way. In the background, Thundering sounds of explosions and guttural cries of the beasts continued like a cacophony of the end of the world. Only a few dozens men were left from a mighty mercenary corps consisting of over a thousand individuals. Yet, the enemy numbers still seemed unsurmountable.

Shortly after Lanse had begun battling, mage Karsen cast a barrier to prevent other Ursargs from approaching, but it was uncertain how long the barrier could stay. Before it disappeared, they had to at least fatally wound if not kill the damn general Ursarg. Only then can the fallen mercenaries rest peacefully in the goddess's arms.

Brandishing his crimson blade, Lanse rushed forward, aiming to strike the beast's neck. The defender also followed suit to block whatever attacks may come toward Lanse.