Chapter 554 – The Two Sides Wear Each Other Down

The battle between the Guardian Stone Golem and the Olog-Hai had become a brutal spectacle.

Even after losing half their number, the Olog-Hai showed no sign of retreating. With reckless ferocity, they continued throwing themselves at the Guardian Stone Golem.

To shatter the stone guardian, the Olog-Hai had somehow procured weapons—battle axes and war hammers—which they wielded against it. They weren’t fighting without strategy.

Witnessing this adaptability, Tauro and the others felt a chill at the intelligence displayed by what should have been mere monsters.

The members of Blue Thunder Beast had already confirmed the Olog-Hai’s strength in an earlier fight, including their ability to coordinate with one another.

The Olog-Hai weren’t merely powerful; they also fought with clear coordination.

The fact that the Olog-Hai had the intelligence to switch weapons depending on their opponent suggested they might quickly devise countermeasures against adventurers as well.

If that were to happen, it would likely mean greater casualties among adventurers—and villages or towns might even come under threat. It reinforced why the Adventurers’ Guild prioritized them as targets for extermination.

While keeping an eye on the Olog-Hai, Tauro’s group also carefully observed the movements of the Guardian Stone Golem, which displayed overwhelming power against such formidable monsters.

“What do you think, guys?”

Tauro asked his friends for their thoughts on how to deal with the Guardian Stone Golem.

“It’d help if the Olog-Hai attacked it with magic so we could see whether that works… But it’s the guardian of these ruins, and a mass of rock that size probably won’t take much damage from ordinary spells,” Aeris replied calmly.

“Yeah. With something that big, normal magic won’t do much. And doesn’t it look like there’s something built into its shoulders?” Ankh pointed out.

There was a noticeable hollow in the front of the golem’s shoulders.

“I wonder what that indentation is. Is it a design element?” Zion tilted her head as she observed it.

“Of the half of the Olog-Hai that were killed, quite a few bodies look as though they exploded and were blown apart. Doesn’t that look less like they were crushed and more like they were shattered by a powerful attack?” Tauro noted as he observed the remains from afar.

“…You’re right. That means something might have happened before we arrived,” Ragune said, impressed by Tauro’s observation.

“Ah! The Olog-Hai are suddenly scattering and fleeing!” Aeris called out as the battle shifted.

At that moment, the golem assumed a stance as if bracing for something.

In response, the Olog-Hai broke formation and scattered in every direction in fear.

“What’s going on?” Ankh asked, staring at the Olog-Hai’s movements, which were completely unlike their earlier coordinated, fearless assault.

Then, in the next instant—

GWAAN!

With a thunderous impact, several of the scattered Olog-Hai were blown away as though struck by an invisible force.

“Wh—!?”

Jack, leader of Blue Thunder Beast, who had been quietly watching the battle, cried out in surprise.

They were watching from concealment, but it was clear: an attack had been unleashed from the golem’s shoulder area—a shockwave.

What was even more astonishing was that the Olog-Hai had anticipated it, scattering to minimize casualties.

They must have suffered it once before Tauro and the others arrived—yet they had quickly adapted, spreading out to reduce the damage.

“This guy is incredible…” Ankh muttered, unsure whether he meant the golem or the Olog-Hai.

“They’re both incredible, that’s for sure,” Tauro replied quietly.

“With that attack, the number of Olog-Hai has fallen to fewer than fifteen,” Aeris reported after counting.

Right as she spoke, the Olog-Hai began retreating.

The golem pursued them, smashing and trampling another five as it gave chase.

“For something that big, I thought it’d be slow—but it’s fast even when in pursuit…” Ankh said in disbelief.

“That means we’ll have to be careful if we need to retreat as well,” Tauro said.

In his mind, Tauro organized what they had learned about the Guardian Stone Golem. Destroying its core, its apparent weak point, was essential. The shockwave attack likely required a charge-up and couldn’t be fired repeatedly in rapid succession, which suggested a window of opportunity between blasts. Its movements also seemed mechanical and patterned.

As for the Olog-Hai, they fought in coordinated formations comparable to human groups.

In fact, they seemed more adaptive than when we had first encountered them.

Against the Guardian Stone Golem, they had focused attacks on its head and torso, attempting to chip away at its surface.

It was clear that the Olog-Hai understood the existence of the “core” and were trying to destroy it.

“Everyone, the Guardian Stone Golem that was pursuing the Olog-Hai is coming back. Now it’s our turn. Our priority is to defeat it before it can unleash another shockwave—we don’t know how long the interval is. I think we can counter the shockwave with defensive barrier magic, but what do you think?”

“When the shockwave comes, fall back to us—the support teams. Aeris will use barrier magic, and Zion will deploy defensive shields to counter it,” Tauro replied, supporting Jack’s proposal.

“We can use barrier magic too,” Gemma, leader of Silver Twin Mages, added competitively.

Her sister Gemis nodded in agreement.

“…Okay. We’ll rely on you, then. The Olog-Hai scattered to minimize the damage, but we’ll gather inside the layered defensive magic and endure it. We don’t have time to waste. Move out!”

After confirming the Guardian Stone Golem’s return, Jack, leader of Blue Thunder Beast, gave the order.

With that, the party leapt from concealment and rushed into the square—the battlefield awaiting them.