"The cave giants! Trolls! Incoming!"

All people with the same uniform of blue scrambled onto the giant brick wall that acted as the city's protector. Anxiety had joined them, choking the air they were breathing. Their cold sweat dripped from the top of their head to the chin, and at last, fell into the surface where they had stood.

It was no wonder as from afar, giants were invading—no invitation, yet stubborn enough to show themselves, furious and ravenous.

Troll.

Their appearance is more like that of a man with obesity with a height of three meters. Despite their weight, they possess strong-looking muscles that could rip a limb from an adult man. The fat under their skin, limbs, legs, and belly, is but their natural armor that reduces impact damage.

They seemed to be burdened with those muscles and fat, however, none were affecting their acceleration on charging. Slimy saliva sept from their jaw, splashing here and there as they ran. They were starving. Human flesh, so fresh and bloody, as they yearned for, and would get.

As the one at the bottom of the messed up food chain, humans refuse to stay quiet, or they have to let their bodies are being chewed. Humans with intelligence and awareness would fight back. Weaponry and magic, all armed. Now it is up to humans how they will utilize them.

"Where are the rest?"

"All in their position?"

"My God! What takes them so long?

The giants were getting closer and closer each second. Bows had been distributed for each individual in uniform. Buckets full of arrows had been stood by near them for every five meters above the tall wall.

"Felix! Hey, Felix!"

Someone above called the other one below. He then looked up to see who had called for three times already, "Huh? Silba? What's up?" he replied.

"We need more help here! Can you do us a favor?"

"Again?" he clicked his tongue, "Fine! I'm on my way!" he then hurried to the top of the wall.

As he arrived, a bow was forced to him, "What the—be patient, geez!" he grumbled, then snatched the bow.

"Quick! They're approaching!"

"But, bow, huh? You're the expert here, Silba! Show them, will you?

"Felix!" he stared with eyebrows crooked, "You're aware that's an act of racism, right?" he, the man with long ears, added.

"My bad! To associate archery with sylvan are one of many stereotype toward sylvan race and deserved a three years prison sentence for racism conduct, right?" he explained some law enforced in this city.

"I'm half sylvan! Basically, I am human too, like you! Just half, though!"

"Then you have the right for being a jerk toward them! You did nothing wrong, what did they do—"

"I know!" he stopped the talk, "I've forgiven them! Now we need to protect my new home, Libraria! You too, Felix!"

"You're too kind, you know that?"

One of the people on the wall raised his hand, a sign to aim the arrow at the horde. There were two rows of archers—the front one was aiming, while the back rows were standing by, replacing the front rows who had launched the arrows and replenishing it.

"All hail to Libraria and the sacred wisdom!"

"Long live Imperial!

"Defeat to those bear fang against the kingdom!"

All hailing and cheering each other with the words taught by the Chivalric Order of Imperial for long. Blue as the ocean uniform with the heraldry of narwhal equipped with shield and lance embroidered on their back, they are the proud knights of Imperial.

It had been five centuries long since Imperial was built with many hurdles and struggles, bloodshed, as well as the story of happiness and sadness. Today, a horde of giants had the audacity to destroy their city?

"Arrows at will!"

Waves of arrows were launched into the sky and rained down on the giants. Some were seen fallen to their death as arrows pierced their flesh. Some ignored the pain and kept on charging, even a few were using their fallen comrade, which had become a porcupine with arrows, as a meat shield, protecting them from the sharpest rain of arrows.

"Row switch, and keep firing! Don't stop before a new order is issued!" declared one of the knights with a bow and arrow in his hands.

In war, even the captain joined the rank to provide offensive support. This is done so the captain could observe the war directly and prepare with adaptive strategy and counter-strategy.

"Those with magic are allowed to imbue the arrow!"

As the said order was issued, the destruction of the arrows became more and more apparent as magical explosions, glacial eruptions, torrents, vortexes, stalagmite blades, and even bamboo shackles painted the battlefield side of the trolls.

Felix too was one of the knights who also enjoyed the destruction he had with the arrow. "Woohoo! This is the best! Silba, you're the best! Imbued the arrows again!" he exclaimed in excitement as he witnessed the destruction.

"Felix" Silba uttered, "your arrows had not even traveled more than ten meters long! It's a waste to imbue yours!"

"I know! Come on, guys! Can I have some trolls to kill? Just one! I want to see how it hits!"

"Sorry!" said one of the knights, "Finder's keepers!"

"More like further's keepers?"

And so the other knights added their jokes.

"I believe one shall come to say hi!"

"Say hi to death, that's it!"

"It's okay, Felix! You just want your arrow hits, right?"

Reacting to their joke and tease, Felix had enough and pouted, "Cheapies!"

Even in a war, proud knights of Imperial always had time to spare in the schedule even for a joke or two. They sounded like a bunch of children having fun on their field trip while actively skinning monsters alive. This was also proof of the power gap between both sides.

"Come on, kids! Stay focused on your arrow!" ordered one of the captain, who then approached Felix, "Leonharth boy, try this lance!"

Felix felt a bit confused, yet he nodded and accepted the lance given to him, "This lance, Lancelot Sir?"

The captain pointed his finger into afar toward the horde, "The backline! Look!" he ordered with his finger pointed sharp.

Far behind, there was one troll that seemed bigger, in terms of size, muscle, and fat masses. The head wore something that resembled animal skins that were tied crudely, covering to shoulders. Its muscular giant hand held a small oak tree that seemed had been pulled forcefully from where it grew, seen from the brown dirt stuck on its rooting.

"If the horde has a leader, it means they are invading! Not a wonder if there are many dozens of them at once!" the captain mumbled, "Felix, throw that lance!"

"But, captain—"

"It is not as strong as you have thought! Try it!"

He had the right to question the motif of his captain, yet his sour expression filled with confusion into a smile of victory from a predator winning his prey, "Understood, captain!" he obeyed.

On the edge of the wall, with his right hand holding tight on the lance while his left hand stretched and his finger pointing far into the horde as if telling everyone to look at where he was pointing.

He had locked his target, Felix then—with a single yet powerful swing—threw the lance at full force he almost launched himself too. The lance, as it had launched, strike sharp like an eagle lunged toward the rabbit.

The lance was seen. The leader noticed it was an attack against itself. It raised the oak tree forward to shield itself from the lance that fast as a meteor.

"Useless attempt!"

The lance pierced through, not only it crushed the little oak tree—it still maintained its momentum and continued piercing the troll leader as well as the other two trolls right behind it, leaving a noticeable hole in their bodies each. Realizing they no longer had the strongest among them, the giant caves shuddered at once and retreated.

On the other side, however, witnessing the leader of the opposing side had lost their leader, the knights cheered their victory. And with the hordes consumed by panic and cower, the knights desired for an absolute victory. They shot out more and more arrows at the retreating trolls. No survivors should be left alive, was in their thought. Victory from a foe surrendering is not a true victory.

"Good work, boy!" praised the captain as he gave a gentle pat at Felix's shoulder.

"Thank you, Captain Lancelot!"

"Now, I would like you to retrieve the lance, I am waiting!"

"Uh, pardon?"

"So do the others! Everyone scavenge the arrows you are shooting! Quick, before sunset!"

The cheer of victory turned into a groan of dissatisfaction mixed with fatigue in the air. This is purely their fault since their obsession had won against them to kill and use up tons of arrows at once toward retreating enemies. No arrows were left behind as long as they could be used again.

They were young knights, with no experience related to real war. The trolls' invasion was their only golden ink that must not be missed, so they could use it to write down in their paper of experience about their history as a member of the Chivalric Order of Imperial.

It has been no wonder for the knights that grow as a child that consuming heroic tales from the past, thus motivating them to write more and more of their own history. Especially one that they could retell to their grandchild. Libraria has been a city that is often visited by flesh-eating monsters. Thus, many knights or adventurers alike decide to live at Libraria to quench their thirst for the thrill of real battle and danger.

"It's not a big deal! I have trained since I was a child with my father, so I could be this strong! Train harder and I believe you can be stronger!"

One of many knights on the bloody grassland, scavenging arrows from the giant corpses, Felix Leonharth, decided to have small talk with others after pulling the lance he had launched from the crater it made before.

"Being humble, much?" teased Silba Evergreen, the sylvan.

Sylvan is easy to distinguish by simply looking at their long and sharp ears. The rest of their physical trait are no different from normal human beings. Sylvans are known for their dexterity and agility in archery, however, it is considered rude to associate Sylvans with archery itself. Similar manner as treating humans with dark skin as a slave, or Cattelburgh folks adept with horse riding because they smelled like horse shit.

"Yeah!" uttered the other, "Felix is too humble when talking about prowess!"

Other knights then contribute more and more complaints they had for him.

"I just train every day until night, yet I am not as close as you!"

"I hardly have time to train, wonder if I could as strong as Felix!"

"I am not that the greatest, really!" Felix tried to prevent the negativity to go any longer, "If I did not focus too much on javelin technique and sword, maybe those arrows I shoot would go as far as yours! Heck, even I could use stable magic like you all!"

The words silence the knights in their thought. Felix was right. Even though the war before had shown his prowess, which is one of the few reasons for him being recruited by the kingdom, he still possesses too much of skills he lacks, which are as important as the ones he has. Archery or other ranged attack skills are as mandatory as swordsmanship. Felix too having a hard time learning any magic.

Despite so many departments he missed, Felix has great chivalry to admit his weakness before many eyes that admire his achievement. It of course made him popular among the knights and adventurers, as well as the citizens from Libraria and North Cattelburgh, his homeland.

Unfortunately, Felix does not enjoy being the center of attention, let alone a role model.

"Hey, look!"

One knight pointed at the sky above the forest with the arrows he held. Immediately, everyone followed their sight toward where the knight was pointing to. A weird phenomenon colored the clear blue sky with a soft-looking cloud.

It felt like heaven sent them a warning, dozens of meteors so red with tails bright as the sun pay the land a visit from the infinite sky. Some were falling slow as snails, and others seemed to have no patience to crash toward the land. The impact of their landings might not be that strong, but it was enough to induce fear and panic from everyone at Libraria. It was a second after the first boom, anxiety is filling the air.

"Retreat! All of you, retreat! Return to the city at once!" the captain shouted the order.

Fortunately, everyone returned safely. But the meteor showers had yet to be done. They wondered if the five-meter tall walls would protect them, only prayers could come from their anxious lips. The showering meteor last for a long and so did the booms they made on landing. People had to fight the worst enemy humanity ever faced—fear.

"Dear Divinity, please safe us!"