The Densoph rushed at the human army, protecting the gates in droves.
"Be careful of their fangs! They have a brain crystal power that sharpens them!"
Those were already long and sharp to begin with, and that power, while not particularly powerful, was useful enough for them to survive among more powerful monsters.
The military knew this well, because since how often they reproduced and how voracious they were, they periodically culled their population.
The Densoph were like an ocean tide that came crashing down from all directions—they had no pattern or order whatsoever as each one surged forward without a moment's delay.
The problem was there weren't just them among the rats. Even if not in the same numbers, packs of Leylarhads, Vursiths, Dread Howls, and many others were among them.
They actually kept slightly away from the horde of Densophs, but when they smelled the scent of human sweat, they couldn't resist the temptation and joined in the attack.
There was no particular reason for them doing that, aside from the overwhelming urge to tear into fresh meat.
The sound of guns echoed throughout the forest clearing. They were like thunders that shook every corner of the battlefield.
The soldiers aimed at the monsters' heads, often finding their mark, but it was all futile in front of their incredible numbers.
The Densophs were still the most troublesome opponents, not because of how powerful they were, but because of those damn numbers.
It was so bad that the soldiers started throwing grenades and using rocket launchers.
Thaids passively generated a mana film that enveloped them like a shield. This rendered bullets and laser guns ineffective against Thaids stronger than a certain threshold. At higher levels, even cannons proved useless against them.
This film was called Natural mana Barrier.
Against other kinds of thaids, such kind of attacks the soldiers were using wouldn't work, but Densophs didn't have a strong enough natural mana barrier to prevent the fire from reaching them and the blast from killing them.
Each time a bullet or a laser beam was shot, a rat fell.
A soldier threw a grenade over the heads of the other creatures who tried to run away from the lasers. It detonated under their feet, sending them tumbling backward.
"That'll teach you."
Roma and Raveena were on the northern and southern sides of the eastern gate, repelling the most powerful thaids that approached the walls. They were few. The problem was that Densophs rushed to them when they saw them.
Both groups had already deployed several traps around the area's perimeter. If any monster got too close, it would be caught.
The trap would not be that useful, but it would keep the monsters at bay long enough for the squads to kill them.
It was just that.
"Fuck… A group of at least 500 strong Densophs are approaching our position!" Roma said. "They will make the mines blow off! Stop them!"
The team moved.
The soldiers on the walls kept firing their guns at the monsters. But even so, the situation wasn't looking good.
The monsters were now awfully close to the two elite squads.
"Don't let them get to the minefield!"
Groups of hundreds of Densoph charged straight through the lasers, rifles pointed at them.
Roma and her team engaged. They each channeled their brain crystal power and unleashed their power.
One soldier possessed exceptionally tough skin, shielding him from harm. Another could generate a tight, protective lightning barrier, electrocuting any monster that approached.
Another possessed a brain crystal power granting extreme speed, allowing him to deftly evade the monsters' attacks while striking back at unexpected moments.
The last member possessed super strength, a far more useful brain crystal power than one might initially assume.
But it was Roma who had the most powerful power of them all.
Roma possessed the ability to summon a flame whip, a powerful weapon that could reduce her enemies to ashes. As a member of the Zamora clan, she inherited their signature brain crystal powers—all centered around the element of fire. It was just that; she was born from a woman of a side branch of the family, to which her mother's husband joined.
All five moved together to form a defensive line against the approaching horde of enemies. Then the thaids were on them.
Roma moved her whip, sending bolts of pure flames flying across the field.
Roma's whip blazed red hot, leaving smoky trails as she swung it. Though effective against the Densoph, it was unsuited to deal damage in an area.
The Densophs were still enough to reach the group. Some unseen force drove them forward with reckless abandon, as if fleeing an even greater terror.
Roma noticed. After killing at least fifty Densophs, the woman saw a pack of Leylarhads coming in their direction. There were at least one hundred of them.
Roma killed three Densoph with a single move, but then she had to focus on the wolf-like monsters.
"Wait for them to approach the minefield before retreating. If we wait too long, the Densophs will make it blow!"
Leylarhads were much more powerful thaids than Densophs, but they were still severally weak compared to a ν-ranked fighter.
The problem was that this was not a situation where they were fighting one against one. There were hundreds of these monsters, and they were surrounded by thousands of Densophs.
No matter how many blows and attacks they might avoid, by the law of the large numbers, attacks were going to hit them.
Roma threw her whip left and right, paying attention not to injure her teammates. The wolflike monsters finally got close enough for them to retreat.
"Go behind the minefield!"
The team retreated. The Leylarhads arrived there, and soon explosions started rocking the area. Many of the monsters died, but the Densophs arrived there too, actually destroying most of the defenses.
Though, at least the pressure on the group lessened. The problem was that the blow made several Leylarhads reach their position, forcing them to engage in melee fights.
One of them leaped and tried reaching Roma's jugular. She avoided the attack and hit the creature in the abdomen. The wound got infested by fire, and the monster got incinerated.
"Well done, guys! We can do this!"
However, soon after, the shout of a soldier brought her back to reality.
"YEVYAGIT!" Roma turned, only for her to see the colossal creature in front of her.
"This wasn't inside the report!"
The creature's portrait painted a scary picture of a colossal Thaid over 10 meters tall and looking like the monstrous version of a giant and too much humanoid ape.
The biggest thaids looked like babies next to them because of how massive these creatures were. These monsters had thick, rough fur like wolves, which gave them a natural defense shield against attacks, which summed up to that of their natural mana barrier.
These creatures were slow but exceptionally strong.
"First Leylarhads and Dreadhowls, now a fucking Yevyagit?! What the fuck is happening?"
Thaids of different species didn't usually band together, and events like this were not unheard of, but it was so uncommon to almost be mythical.
Mythical, but not impossible, because these things happened when thaids were forced en masse out of their territories. Which, at that point, was the most likely reason for all of this happening.
The point was: what kind of thaid could have forced fucking Yevyagit to migrate to the west and leave the foot of the Eldraith mountain range?
"Get ready, team!" Roma said.
Suddenly, with an unexpected rumble, the ground beneath them shifted.
Two cannons sprouted from concealed fortifications, their barrels pointing straight at the monstrous beast. The sight was as awe-inspiring as it was terrifying.
However, everyone knew that would not be enough to kill the beast. The only way to do so was for humans using their brain crystal powers, because only mana could break the Thaid's natural mana barrier.
The good thing was that even if such a monster appeared, it was unlikely it would be able to breach the eastern gate alone. However, it could still dent it enough for the Densophs to rush in.
The fuckers were small, after all.
The first cannon roared to life, its deafening blast reverberating through the field.
A volley of bullets ripped through the air, aimed at the thaid. But it barely flinched, the bullets seemingly absorbed by its rugged fur, even before its mana barrier acted. The cannon fire intensified, the pounding rhythm echoing like a war drum across the battlefield.
Roma and her team seized the opportunity to attack. They charged at the beast with a collective battle cry, weapons drawn.
The Yevyagit kept walking toward the gate, eager to savor humans's meat after a long time. Its eyes flickered with a chilling glint, its large maw opening to release a deafening roar that caused the ground to tremble.
Roma led the charge, her whip poised to strike the Yevyagit. The taste of fear was sharp, but she swallowed it.
As they advanced, the Yevyagit reacted. With a swift, mighty sweep of its arm, it swiped at the approaching team.
The ground trembled under its force, and before Roma could process what was happening while the others scrambled, the man on her side was attacked by a Densoph and could not avoid the attack.
The beast ripped his throat apart.
"Kael!"
The sight of the man's lifeless body sprawled on the ground sent a wave of terror through her, but there was no time to be distracted. The Yevyagit was still a threat, and the rest of her team depended on her leadership.
"Fuck! Couldn't this thing have ended up on Raveena's side?!"
The woman snapped the fire whip forward; the flames lashing out at the Thaid. It howled—a disturbing, bone-chilling sound—but she didn't let it deter her.
Her resolve hardened, and the team attacked with renewed ferocity while the artillery bombarded the monster.
The creature then must have had enough of it and charged, its hulking body moving towards the gate.
The sight of the rampaging beast caused a collective gasp among Roma's team. "No!"
The creature tore through the gate's defensive line, then, while people started attacking it with powers of all kinds and wounds started accumulating on its body, the monster kicked the gate.
It didn't fall, but, as Roma predicted, a hole big enough to make a person pass had been made at the base of the gate.
"SHIT! KILL IT BEFORE IT INCREASES THE HOLE!"
Luckily, there still was a last layer of defense before the thaids would rush into the city: a smaller wall, circling the gate and acting as an inspection area for those entering or leaving the city, and in the middle of it, there was the building where she and Raveena had been stationed.