Chapter 577 — The Investigation Team’s Crisis
The seventy-five Olog-hai riders mounted on Vampire wolves had been pursuing the adventurer fleeing down the mountain path. Because most of them were tightly packed along the narrow trail, they had no room to dodge the powerful shockwaves released by the four rock golems of the “Rock” series that Tauro had taken out of his magic storage.
Under Tauro’s control, the four shockwaves were fired with precision and without mercy, sweeping through the ranks of the Olog-hai and their wolves.
A thunderous “thump-thump-thump-thump!” echoed along the mountain path as monsters and nearby trees were blown away. Almost every monster was killed instantly.
The few survivors who remained alive tried to escape with their injured bodies, but Tauro and his companions took care of them without hesitation.
Thus, the Olog-hai riders—the pursuers chasing the adventurer—were wiped out in an instant.
“…I’ll say this because I’ve fought them before, but those rock dolls are seriously unfair,” Ankh said in disbelief while wiping blood from his great magic sword.
“Haha… yeah, you’re right. Even I didn’t expect it to turn into such excessive overkill.” Tauro replied awkwardly. “
The four Rock-series golems finished their task and were stored back into Tauro’s magic storage.
“And there are fourteen of them in total… If you were their enemy, that would be terrifying,” Ragune agreed.
“More importantly, shouldn’t we hurry? The investigation team is surrounded by at least this many—probably more—Imperial troops, right? If Tauro doesn’t send the Rock series to help, they might be completely wiped out.” Aeris pointed out sharply. “
They had wanted to question the fleeing adventurer for details, but he had already run off to request reinforcements from the military to help with the investigation team’s situation.
“Alright, this is an emergency. We’ll use Teleport and get there as fast as possible,” Tauro said, extending both hands.
Aeris and the others quickly formed a circle and joined hands.
“Teleport!”
With that, the group vanished instantly from the spot.
In front of the cave leading to the ancient underground ruins, there was a square that the investigation team had leveled during their preparations.
Around it, a defensive wall built with earth magic served as a shield while the investigation team—over three hundred people—held their defensive line and barricaded themselves inside.
Attacking them was a mysterious army of five thousand that had secretly crossed the treacherous Antas Mountain Range and invaded the Kingdom of Sart.
It was a legion of monsters that didn’t raise a military flag, but it was clear that they were Imperial forces. Magic spells, arrows, and stones flew through the air while battle cries and the clashing of swords echoed in the area.
“Damn it! Why is the Empire’s army in a place like this!? This is a violation of the border!” shouted Negame, the leader of the investigation team, known for his distinctive glasses and serving as the lord’s representative. He slammed his fist on the table again.
Ignoring his outburst, the captain of the territorial soldiers and the B+-rank adventurer acting as the adventurers’ representative continued discussing strategy over a map of the area.
“Currently, our casualties have already exceeded 60, and treatment can’t keep up. Thanks to the efforts of the soldiers and adventurers, we’ve managed to maintain the front line—but in warfare, losing thirty percent of your forces is considered annihilation. We’re already close to twenty percent losses. What should we do? Surrender?”
He paused briefly.
“Though even if we surrender… the enemy secretly crossed the border. If they’re truly Imperial forces, there’s a very high chance they’ll kill us all to silence any witnesses.”
He spoke not to Negame, but to the researchers, scholars, and several adventurers gathered around the table.
“…Some of my members—those confident in their speed—have already gone down the mountain to request reinforcements If they manage to shake off the pursuers and escape, reinforcements might arrive in about seven days at the earliest.” The man who was the adventurer’s representative explained the possibility of being saved
“Seven days…Food isn’t the problem—we have plenty. But weapons are running short. And with their relentless attacks day and night, their numbers alone are pushing us to the limit. In this situation… can we really endure another seven days?” ” one scholar murmured, a reality that makes you want to turn away.
“…If we don’t hold out, we’ll just be killed, It’s obvious their goal is to silence us. They immediately unleashed monsters on us the moment they encountered us. All we can do is delay them here for as long as possible and wait for the kingdom’s army to arrive.” the captain answered calmly.
Just then, a battered soldier rushed into the cave.
“Part of the barrier has been destroyed! Adventurers are fighting to stop enemies from entering through the gap, but the mages capable of using earth magic to repair it have collapsed from mana exhaustion! If this continues, they’ll break through!”
“Got it—I’ll go seal it!” the adventurer representative said, rushing to his feet. Realizing his own earth magic wasn’t strong enough to completely rebuild the wall, he added, “Captain, move those rocks behind us just in case! We might be able to use them to block the breach!”
With that, he dashed out of the cave where the meeting was being held.
Outside, the cries of the Imperial army grew even louder—though most of it consisted of monsters’ snarls.
Negame, completely inexperienced in combat, had left everything to the captain of the guards.
Instead, he was desperately thinking about how he himself might survive.
Should I escape while using everyone else as a shield? No…that’s impossible. Even the fast adventurers who ran for help were probably dead by now. There’s no way I could outrun the enemy myself.
As he sank into these unproductive, escapist thoughts, another soldier burst into the cave.
“Another section of the barrier has been destroyed—they’ve broken through! The battle has turned into a melee!”
“What!?”
The cave erupted into panic.
Once it became a chaotic melee, the side with fewer numbers had no chance of victory.
It seemed their only fate now was complete annihilation.
Prepared for death, the captain of the guards gripped his sword and walked out of the cave.
Negame stared blankly at his departing figure.
Then—
A shocking sound echoed through the hustle and bustle of the battlefield roared.
“What now!?” Negame screamed hysterically.
“I-it seems to be on our side!” the soldier shouted.
“What do you mean seems!? Seems!? Has the national army arrived!?”
“I don’t know! But two giant rock golems suddenly appeared and are standing in front of the destroyed wall, cutting down the enemies!”
The soldier himself couldn’t fully comprehend the scene unfolding before his eyes and could only report what he saw.
Yes—
Tauro and his party, the Black-Golden Wings, had arrived on the battlefield.