Lord of Caldera

Before he had even finished speaking, monsters emerged from the trees—nolls, creatures with hyena-like heads that walked on two legs like humans. Intelligent enough to steal and use human tools, and known to travel in massive packs, they were highly dangerous. Large villages had been reduced to ruins under noll raids more than once.

"Damn it! Are they insane?"

"They're attacking even after seeing this many of us? What in the…" A soldier who had risen to his feet stopped mid-sentence, his face turning pale. The number of nolls emerging from the woods was staggering, likely over three hundred. Every face in both camps turned ashen.

"Emergency! Form ranks immediately!"

"Defensive formation! If we're late, we're all dead!"

"Grab your weapons! Shields up! Spears ready!"

Ki ki ki ki.

They scrambled to form ranks, and the nolls cackled, seemingly amused by the chaos.

Walter barked orders, his face drawn with urgency. "You! Take the left flank!"

"What!? Why should we follow your orders…?"

"If you don't want more casualties, do as we say, idiot! Don't you know anything about Western tactics?"

"Damn it!" Leon scowled, but he had no choice but to agree. No matter how much they disliked each other, they needed to join forces now. As the Winslow knights rushed over, Walter quickly laid out a strategy.

"We'll cover the front and right flanks. The left flank will have the fewest casualties, so if it breaks, remember, it'll be on you!"

"Just shut up! We know what we're doing, so get on with it!" Leon snapped.

As they bickered and formed ranks, both men froze. Everyone else, knights and soldiers alike, followed suit. Nolls continued pouring out of the woods without end.

Ki ki ki! Ki hi hi hi!

"Dear gods…" The knights and soldiers looked at the mass of nolls with despair. Altogether, the horde must have numbered around five hundred. Even if they somehow won, nine out of ten men would likely die.

"This is insane… Where on earth did all these things come from?" someone muttered, his voice trembling. It echoed the thoughts of everyone present. Increased monster sightings had become common, but this was on another level.

"What are you all standing around for? Prepare to fight!" Walter shouted, gritting his teeth. He understood the fear but knew that losing focus now would mean certain death. They'd have to fight to carve out an escape.

Beric, his voice shaking, called to Sylas. "Sir Sylas! Please, help us secure the left flank!"

"Is that necessary?" Sylas asked calmly.

"What!? What are you saying?" Beric stammered, flabbergasted.

"We have Ray and Toby, don't we? You're overreacting," Sylas replied.

"Are you joking right now?" Beric burst out, his fear turning into anger.

"I know that the two of them can handle ten knights' worth of strength! But do you really think that'll tip the scales here?"

"Ten knights, you say?" Sylas chuckled. He thought it was amusing that Beric, who had tried so hard to keep Ray on his side, still underestimated her and Toby's power. But it wasn't all that surprising; after all, they had only seen them using restraint, never unleashing their full strength in combat.

Sylas turned to his retainers. "Ray, Toby."

"Yes, my lord."

"Go and take care of them."

"Understood!" They shot forward like lightning, leaving Beric and Leon gasping.

"S-sister!?"

"What's happening!?" Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

Their shouts of shock were joined by Walter's furious outburst. With every knight needed, what were those two doing?

"Have they gone mad!? Get back here, now!"

Most were still stunned as the two knights collided with the pack of nolls.

Ki ki ki ki! Ki ha ha!

The nolls, chortling at what they thought were foolish prey, lunged forward as one, brandishing their crude weapons at the two knights.

Wham!

In an instant, the bodies of dozens of nolls were torn apart, their severed limbs and shattered pieces soaring through the air.

They were like natural disasters in human form—a storm and a blaze. Each time Toby and Ray moved, dozens of nolls vanished, leaving only blood and scattered body parts in their wake. Even the knights couldn't quite catch the speed of their movements. Just as the two moved forward, pieces of the nolls' corpses fell to the ground or were flung skyward.

Ki, Kiheeek! Kihahk!

One noll at the center shrieked, its voice echoing with a ghastly, eerie sound. Unlike the others, this one had different-colored fur and attire, marking it as the pack leader.

Kiieeek! Kiiik!

In response to the leader's cries, the nolls finally regained their senses. The ones at the center retreated, forming ranks, while those at the rear lined up in formation. A few of the knights widened their eyes as they saw the weapons the nolls were holding.

"Crossbows? Are they operating crossbow units now?" one knight exclaimed.

"Who was the idiot that let them get their hands on those?" another cursed.

Although crossbows took time to reload, they were easy to aim and extremely effective against humans. That's why most people weren't allowed to carry them—if monsters got hold of even a single crossbow, it could be disastrous.

'Even a weak goblin with a crossbow could kill a knight...!' a knight thought.

And here there weren't just a couple but twenty crossbows. Even if each noll aimed at only ten targets, there would be no way to avoid the bolts.

"Watch out…!"

Kiiiiiik!

At the leader's command, the crossbows fired in unison. Twenty bolts shot toward Toby and Ray. Some onlookers gasped silently, while others squeezed their eyes shut, certain the two knights would soon resemble pincushions.

But once again, the two knights defied expectations.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed across the battlefield, and all twenty bolts clattered harmlessly to the ground. Most people blinked, unable to process what had just happened, until someone muttered in awe.

"They deflected all of them…?"

Twenty bolts, all fired at once. Even if each one of them managed to deflect only ten, it would still be beyond human capability. Yet, there they stood, unfazed, their breathing steady, as if it had been nothing at all. Shaking off their spears and swords, the two exchanged a quick look.

"I'll handle the ten on the left," Toby said.

"Then I'll take the ten on the right," Ray replied.

No sooner had they spoken than the two charged forward, causing the leader to cry out in terror.

Kiheeek!

The order to block them was almost understandable to human ears. The nolls rushed forward to protect the crossbow users, but it was all in vain.

"Out of the way," Toby growled.

Slice!

With ease, Toby and Ray tore through the nolls as if they were mere paper, leaving a bloody path in a straight line toward the crossbow unit. In no time, they reached the shooters.

Kiheek!

Slash.

Just as the nolls struggled to reload, a flash of light from Ray's sword and Toby's spear felled them. Ten swift strikes, and each crossbow-wielding noll was beheaded.

With the crossbows taken care of, the two turned their gazes toward the leader.

Kiheee!

The leader, catching the deadly looks from either side, screamed and tried to flee. Everyone watching could tell—it wasn't a call to arms but a pure scream of terror.@@novelbin@@