On the edge of the fields, five Foxman warriors were fighting a group of monsters.
“We’re done for! Too many injured over here—we can’t hold out much longer!” Two Foxman warriors had been wounded and were unconscious on the ground, while the two still standing protected them.
Ma Tinuo, team leader of Hunting Squad Third Team, spoke irritably. His puffed-up pale yellow tail looked red in the torchlight. “Where are the priests?! We need healing magic!”
A flash of black light passed before Ma Tinuo. He stepped back, baiting the red-eyed Little Demon’s axe to swing wide, then precisely pierced the monster’s eye with his long spear, destroying its brain. He kicked the Little Demon, which spat red fluid from its eye, and it tumbled into the field with a splash.
“Our squad’s priest is still on the way. Hope nothing happened along the route,” one of his teammates said, fending off a razor-toothed monster with a huge mouth on its belly.
Now every able-bodied warrior in the tribe was mobilized, fighting monsters all over the village. The monsters had red glowing eyes, wore a translucent layer of armor, and exuded an aura of death. Among them were Fenru Monsters, Little Demons, Ape Men, Void Ghosts with human faces on their bellies, and other creatures of various sizes. Their common traits: a lack of vitality, crimson eyes, and strange armor.
This monster group was clearly organized. Other squads only faced two or three monsters, but Ma Tinuo’s team was up against over a dozen.
“What the hell is going on with these monsters?! From what I can see, every part of the village has them, and their numbers keep increasing. This is practically an army! We can’t hold out long on our own.”
Ma Tinuo let out a battle cry, spinning his spear to deflect the web shot by a Spider-Armor Beast. His teammate took the opening to kill it. He glanced behind him. Not far away, women, children, and the elderly were entering a cave used as a shelter. That was Ma Tinuo’s group’s mission—to escort them inside.
Are they still not all in?!
Ma Tinuo suspected his group had so many monsters because of the people they were protecting.
“—Agh!”
“Lu Te!”
The Foxman warrior named Lu Te was sent flying, skipping twice across the field like a stone before collapsing. Another one down. Now only two Foxman warriors could still fight.
“Bastards!”
But Ma Tinuo couldn’t check on his subordinate. Just dealing with the endless waves of new monsters was consuming all his attention. Just as he was getting so frustrated he wished he could split into nine clones to have more hands—
Whoosh—
A black saber flashed through the air, and a Little Demon’s head went flying.
“Wa Luolan!”
Ma Tinuo recognized the distant figure. And behind Wa Luolan—
An orange-haired swordsman exploded into the monster horde, scattering them with shocking speed. Like a javelin, he charged forward with terrifying momentum and delivered a fierce flying kick to the side of a Black-backed Bear’s face. The beast’s head twisted at a grotesque angle as it was sent crashing into its nearby comrades.
The unexpected development left Ma Tinuo and the monsters momentarily frozen. Ten meters away, only a blue-haired youth was swinging his blade upward.
“Mr. Ma Tinuo!”
Ma Tinuo’s gaze met those azure-blue eyes. Almost instinctively, he understood. He ducked to the side, clearing a path for the “flight.” The blue-haired youth struck immediately, releasing a long blade whip from his sword—a thin chain with a silver blade at its tip.
“Ugh!”
With a cry of pain, the monster stumbled. The flying blade had struck the Red-armored Ape Man behind Ma Tinuo in its left eye. Ma Tinuo spun like a top and, in an instant, swept his spear horizontally at upper level. The spear tip, sharp and beautifully honed, slashed through the enemy’s throat, defeating it.
The monster’s knees buckled, and it collapsed to the ground. Ma Tinuo remained in his finishing stance, slowly lifting his head to look back. He saw Wa Luolan take down the last Void Ghost.
The muddy battle ended in the blink of an eye. Around Ma Tinuo, no living monsters remained. Some lay on the ground; others had turned to ash after their cores were extracted. He straightened up and surveyed the situation across the village. Those who could fight had already taken down the monsters; those who couldn’t were retreating. Things were turning around.
“Captain!”
“Lu Te! Are you okay? Is this a human priest?”
Still smelling of fertilizer from the fields, Lu Te climbed up from the field with a pink-haired human girl. However, the pink-haired girl avoided Ma Tinuo’s gaze.
“N-no, not a priest. I’m a cleric,” the pink-haired human corrected.
Wa Luolan took the opportunity to introduce the three humans: Cass, Bried, and Kersey.
“This human cleric helped me. She’s amazing! The moment her spell touched me, all my pain vanished! She’s even better than our priest.”
“N-no, not at all. It’s just a normal 《Rapid Minor Healing》 spell, and besides, Miss Lu Te’s injuries weren’t serious to begin with.”
As she spoke, Kersey began treating the other injured Foxmen. Their expressions were full of surprise, which made the Foxman priest, who had arrived late and was still panting, look quite embarrassed. He could only check if everyone was in any serious danger.
Lu Te’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “Amazing! Could you be the Ancestor Reincarnation, Kersey…?”
“Uh, I shouldn’t be that old,” Kersey said, a little embarrassed by the praise.
“Kersey, you healed me so quickly! Thank you so much!”
“I had broken ribs earlier. I was in so much pain I almost passed out.”
Lu Te smiled, showing her small fangs. When Kersey finished healing the last wounded warrior, Lu Te grasped Kersey’s hand gratefully, her big tail wagging. Kersey felt like she had just tamed a large canine, and she was too embarrassed to mention that Lu Te’s muddy hands had smeared dirt on her.
“You’ve brought amazing help, Wa Luolan! You saved us! You must come to my house for a drink someday!”
Ma Tinuo looked excitedly at the three humans who had assisted them. But Cass just scratched his cheek and said, “Thanks, but I’ll pass on the offer.”
Bried, meanwhile, was warily scanning the surroundings, flicking monster blood off her rapier.
Ma Tinuo remembered something important and turned to Wa Luolan. “Is Lord Valmor safe? She ordered us to protect the people.”
“Mother and the others are in the shrine, protected by a barrier.”
“Oh! Good. Now that the evacuation is done, we can really cut loose.” Ma Tinuo saw the shelter cave light up with a magic circle, indicating everyone was inside. He felt much relieved.
“Uncle Ma Tinuo, do you know what that is?” Wa Luolan pointed toward the edge of the village.
At the village’s main gate, a black shadow exuded an aura of death.
“Who knows. It’s been sitting there all along. Probably the head of these monsters.”
Against the backdrop of blue moonlight and towering trees, the figure sat majestically on the back of a Hexagonal Elk, draped in tattered black robes. Beneath its hood were two cross-shaped crimson lights, coldly watching the battle between the Foxmen and monsters.
“What the hell is that thing? That elk and that guy together are as big as a house!” Ma Tinuo’s warrior instinct screamed warnings. That cross-faced monster was far too strong. Taking a single breath near it would probably be suffocating.
“—! Wa Luolan, human warriors, be careful!”
Ma Tinuo warned them as he saw the hooded figure make its first move beyond simply “looking down.” The Hooded Cross Monster turned its head toward the forest. Then the Hexagonal Elk also started moving. They trotted away into the forest, growing distant.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
At the same time, all the monsters in the village stopped fighting and fled outward in an orderly retreat. Some Foxmen were still cursing and brandishing their weapons at the enemies’ backs.
Soon, the tremors and footsteps faded. The village fell silent, save for the crackling of cheap torches and the smell of burning dry wood and oil.
“Is… is it over?”
Ma Tinuo’s slit pupils stared at the enemy’s departing position. His big ears twitched, listening for any suspicious sounds.
“We can’t be sure. Uncle Ma Tinuo, first gather the Hunting Squad and do a patrol. Once we confirm everything is safe, then let everyone out of the shelter.” Wa Luolan turned to Cass and the others. “Everyone, please come with me.”
The three nodded in agreement. “We’ll follow your lead, Wa Luolan.”
Just as this monster army had suddenly appeared, it suddenly and orderly departed, leaving the Hunting Squad members feeling like they had dreamed it all. After confirming that no monsters were hiding anywhere inside or outside the village, they finally let the people out of the shelter.
“The great High Priest is here! Anyone injured can come to the High Priest for treatment!”
Baruma leaned on his staff, walking through the crowd with three Foxman guards. But his back was more hunched than usual, and his steps were unsteady.
Cass’s group and Wa Luolan stood by a tent, watching Baruma cast spells using his staff. However, he had arrived too late; most of the injured had already been treated. So he cast a spell to restore everyone’s stamina.
“Was he injured in the battle too? Compared to this morning, he looks a lot weaker… and his body seems to be trembling. I feel like he needs healing more than anyone,” Kersey said, shading her eyes with her hand. After taking a magic potion and drinking some water, she had just finished healing more injured Foxmen and was resting to recover her mana.
“Hmph. Tough life. When he was needed most, he was nowhere to be seen. And he still has the nerve to hide until the very end before showing up.” Wa Luolan’s tone was cold.