Cade's heavy battle axe collided with the forehead of the Behemoth on its path to chomping on yet another unfortunate member of the Vanguard, chipping away at its hard scales.
The creature grunted, abandoned its initial mission and lashed to the side with its tusk aimed at the stronger boy's torso only to collide with the adamantine shield.
This resistance was enough to get the Behemoth's attention.
When the obsidian beast turned to focus on the new arrival, Cade blurred from existence, evading its line of sight and swung his battle axe into its neck.
Arthur thought he saw the Behemoth flinch at the force of the attack. Nevertheless, the weapon didn't break its hard reptilian skin. The dwindling members of the Vanguard on the other side of the beast pressed even more, hacking at its limbs.
The volleys of arrows never stopped coming…
While all these attacks barely scratched it, they were enough to disorient it and slow it down… if only for a few moments.
The next attack came faster… a hit to the joint of one of its legs before Cade struck its head once more.
None of them broke the skin, however… this time, Arthur saw something interesting.
These attacks… Cade's heavy attacks that resonated with great thuds and sent strong shockwaves through the air each time he struck the beast's obsidian scales, were strong enough to cause the creature to stumble and nearly trip.
The Behemoth frantically searched for the gnat causing all this trouble paying next to no attention to all it's other distractions.
Unlike Arthur, Cade efficiently stayed outside its line of sight, striking with ceaseless consistency and devastating force.
The behemoth snapped around its feet in search of the attacking fighter but to no avail. A raging roar tore through the sky shaking the ground and frightening the heavens.
"Will this work?" Darius's voice interrupted Arthur's thoughts. The prince gripped his spear, wincing at the pain pulsing in his chest.
"I don't know but…"
Just then, an arrow whistled through the air and struck the behemoth squarely under its jaw, unleashing an earsplitting noise accompanied by a vigorous fiery explosion that threw the behemoth's head back.
The Vanguard pushed back and everyone turned in the direction the shot had come from. Getting caught in the way of an arrow that devastating was bound to end the simulation for anyone immediately.
Before the Behemoth could focus, another similar arrow struck below its jaw with a deafening roar, forcing its head even further. The behemoth's front limbs were forced into the air.
The next one came even faster, slamming the creature into the mountain wall. Arthur searched through the archers and his eyes landed on none other than Momo.
The brown-haired girl nocked another arrow and released another explosive arrow before mechanically nocking another one and releasing it and on to the next and the next without breaking her rhythm.
"It just might," Arthur sighed, growing a bit more confident in his plan. A deep feeling of weakness lingered in his body intensified by dull aches in his joints.
"Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine, Darius. Do you have anything in your bag of tricks that could help us here?"
Darius went silent for a moment, a dark expression on his face, "No."
Arthur nodded in understanding. While Darius was the Arcanium's son, there were limits to his abilities. He'd already done a lot. Without Darius's help, Arthur wouldn't have survived the wounds from the demon bear and Momo would most likely be done for.
Darius was the most knowledgeable person Arthur had ever met on the very Runes that made magic possible… and he still was.
For that reason, the prince was content with all the help his friend had to offer.
Maybe he wouldn't be able to help them today but later… in the future. He had helped seal his wounds earlier and heal himself and Momo the night before.
"It's fine."
An angry roar tore through the sky. The Behemoth suddenly lurched its head to the side and for the first time, the explosive arrow missed, shattering a large chunk of the mountain wall at its side.
The cycle had been broken. The behemoth dropped to its feet and spun in a smooth arc, whipping its tail around in a smooth circle. The Behemoth's tail struck Cade's shield with tremendous force.
The blow cracked the adamantine shield and sent the powerful Leader sailing through the air.
The same attack struck every Vanguard member that was close by. In the span of a few seconds, the Behemoth had cleared itself of the gnats that were striking it.
Arthur turned to Momo and noticed the girl's eyes following the Behemoth's chaotic movements intently.
The prince gripped the spear in his hands, 'Not yet…'
Another explosive arrow whizzed through the air and struck the creature's head once more.
This time though, it didn't have the same effect as before. The behemoth's head didn't lurch to the side almost like it had expected the arrow and braced itself for it.
The obsidian beast turned its reptilian eyes on the archers that were attacking it with their volleys of obnoxious magic arrows. Momo froze in place…
"MOMO!!!" Darius screamed, his voice drowned by one other: Leo.
Arthur took two steps forward to try and intercept the Behemoth before a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"ARTHUR!" went Cade's voice from the other side of the clearing.
Cade had crashed into the mountainside badly but still watched the fight from afar. He looked badly injured but even then, he stuck to his principles.
His commanding voice froze the prince in his tracks. The prince couldn't get a read on Cade's thought process. Was the Leader fine with letting his people die… or had he been raised that way?
It didn't sit right with the prince… and yet, when he thought about disobeying him, he realised he would be dooming them all.
Just like before, the Behemoth seemed to have a sudden burst of speed, shooting across the clearing faster than any of them could follow.
Momo nocked another arrow before the beast's maw clamped down on Momo's small frame and shut its mouth tight.
The petite archer exploded in a shower of runes and ash right before them along with a few archers. Right next to her was Tara, who'd got her hand gnawed off at the shoulder, was run through the chest by the Behemoth's horn.
The archers scattered, trying to put distance between themselves and the Behemoth. One by one, the Behemoth bit through their ranks.
Order turned to chaos and chaos bred fear. A few moments passed before a sword came slamming down on one of the Behemoth's horns.
To Arthur's shock, the sword sliced straight through the obsidian tusk-shaped horn. The swordsman wielding the sword continued with a follow-up strike to Behemoth's eye.
The sword missed and cut through the scales next to the creature's eye, drawing the first drops of blood since the battle had started.
When the creature turned to the attacking sword-wielding first year, he leapt over it to the other side of its head and started another hail of attacks on the other side of its head. The faster his attacks, however, the less damage they dealt.
His movements were erratic, bearing a semblance of training form but driven by unbridled rage. There was no particular order to the student's attacks.
He was madly lashing out at the obsidian beast, rage burning deep in his eyes as he continued his assault.
Each time the sword hit the surface of the behemoth's skin, sparks flew off and the sword halted with its sharp edge at the best angle to deal damage but the sword didn't cut through like it had the first time.
The student's energy was draining fast and the Behemoth's initial shock was subsiding, replaced by a guttural grudge.
The swordsman that had broken the beast's hide first and cut through one of its horns was none other than Leo.
In the end, he'd made himself the top target of the beast. His energy was spent and he was in the worst place to be on the entire battlefield…
Right in front of the behemoth, lashing out with the last of his strength, his determination was waning but his rage burned bright.
It wasn't long before the other uninjured tusk of the Behemoth went through the Vanguard's chest.
'Leo?' Arthur wanted to scream.
Blood dripped through the side of the Vanguard's lips and he coughed. Before vanishing, the boy screamed out, "You better finish this, Arthur!!!"
These were his last words before he exploded in a shower of runes and ash. Arthur ground his teeth in frustration, holding himself back. Cade's reasoning was all that kept him back. If Arthur was defeated before he completed his plan, then everyone would surely die.
Saving the lucky few... over dooming everyone to their deaths. 'It wasn't supposed to go this way,' Arthur ground his teeth in frustration. The Behemoth didn't rest after killing Momo, Tara and Leo...
Arthur looked to his side, expecting to find his best friend there but there was nothing but Darius was long gone... joining the rest of the first years in battle.