Two hundred monsters roared at the participants at an unexpectedly high speed. It seemed like they had entered a kind of berserk state, as every third monster fell down after tripping over the chains, but that didn't make the situation any better.
Step. Step. Step.
Light Knight did not stay back and slowly strode forward.
"Everyone get back! Prepare to defend!" Ethan exclaimed with a wave of his hand.
The participants didn't even need to hear him, they realized everything from his facial expression and quickly moved away as far as possible, making their rows much tighter.
Considering the fallen monsters, each participant only needed to deal with one opponent, and they were capable of doing so.
Ethan glanced at his sword and Alf's, which already had half of its blade covered in brightly glowing runes.
'Hmm... If we can fill them completely, then even the strongest armor shouldn't be a problem. At least that's what the description says. It's something we should try.' Ethan pondered, then he looked at Magnus.
"Hey, can you hold that bastard off for a while until Alf and I are ready to help you?" Ethan asked quickly.
Magnus gazed at the Light Knight moving towards him and nodded slightly.
"Yeah... However, you should hurry. I'm confident in my own strength, but I'm even more confident in his." Magnus muttered, evaluating his opponent.
"Don't worry. We'll fill our swords with power as soon as possible, then we'll join you. Also..." Ethan turned to the Peasants participants holding harpoons.
"When Light Knight fights Magnus, fire, but aim upwards! The projectiles won't be able to penetrate his armor, but the many dense threads covering him like a net will be able to help!"
The men nodded, then Magnus dashed off to the side, and the arrows followed him.
Light Knight could have chosen any of them, but one stone's throw was enough to make Magnus his only target.
"Go." Ethan said coldly before rushing forward.
Alf immediately followed him.
Normally, Ethan would have preferred to take things slowly and calculate all options, but now they were running out of time. He realized that every second Magnus was risking his life.
'I can't worry about my safety right now... We have to sacrifice everything for speed!' Ethan inwardly exclaimed, charging at the three Soldiers.
Ethan aggressively swung his sword as fast and vigorously as he could, covering it with blood. Some monsters he didn't even finish off and just moved on to the next one to make the runes on the blade shine brightly.
Alf was surprised at this rush on Ethan's part, but he soon picked up the pace, realizing Ethan's concern.
...
"Well, while my partners kill the minnows, I'm going to have to hold you back. Show me what you can do!" Magnus said confidently, pointing his hammer at Light Knight.
Light Knight answered nothing, he just tilted his body, then his wings came into motion.
In a heartbeat, Light Knight appeared in front of Magnus and all he could do was thrust his hammer forward, blocking the long golden sword.
A shiver ran through Magnus's entire body as he struggled to stay on his feet.
'Damn... I thought I could surprise the others by defeating him, but... now I hope they come back as soon as possible.' Magnus pondered, then he jumped back and swung his hand, giving a gesture.
At the same moment, thirty harpoons flew towards Light Knight. No one was aiming at Light Knight, so all the projectiles flew overhead, deeply sinking into the ground.
Light Knight didn't realize what was happening, since it was obvious that all the shots were missed, but Magnus didn't give him time to think about it.
Bam.
The hammer slammed down on Light Knight's knee with a powerful clang.
Magnus smirked, but very quickly the smile disappeared from his face. The recoil from his attack went through his body as his hands trembled.
"Fuck... How hard you are..." Magnus muttered at a loss.
Whoooooooooooooosh.
A golden flash from the sword passed in front of Magnus, leaving a wide cut on his chest from which a powerful stream of blood gushed out.
"Kha!" Magnus spat out the clot of blood, gritted his teeth, and stood in full defense. He still had the special ability, but he didn't want to waste his trump card so early.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
Light Knight tried to reach Magnus, but the threads held him back, although they were gradually tearing, but it would take time.
'Shit... Hurry up!' Magnus exclaimed inside.
...
"Alf! I'm ready!" Ethan shouted out, pulling the sword out of the monster's head.
"Me too!" Alf said confidently, stabbing his last opponent.
Their bodies were covered in blood and multiple wounds that were recovering at an accelerated rate. Alf was hurt more severely, but his spirit was unbreakable.
"Let's go." Ethan quickly ran towards Magnus.
Alf clenched his teeth, glanced at his legs covered in cuts and endured the pain followed him.
'Now is not the time to rest... I must fulfill my task!' Alf sternly pronounced to himself and stepped confidently.
All the runes on their swords shone brightly, then they flashed, covering the blade with red matter resembling plasma, dense and deadly.
'Just as I thought it was a temporary enchanment...' Ethan pondered staring at the fading runes, 'Well, we have enough time.'
Magnus saw that help was finally coming to him, and he made an emergency decision - he needed to make sure Light Knight didn't notice the threat.
"Hey! Golden piece of scrap metal! I have a present for you!" Magnus shouted, before throwing his hammer straight at Light Knight's head with all his might.
The hammer simply bounced off, falling to the ground, not even a dent left at the point of impact, but Magnus had achieved his goal.
Light Knight raised his sword high, about to bring it down on Mangus, but at the last moment he stopped, and two streams of blood rushed from his back.
Two long swords with red blades were thrust deep into the monster's back, reaching into the swords' guards.
Ethan and Alf took a deep breath and pressed down on their swords, cutting through everything in their path, armor, flesh, and bone.
Bam.
A massive body in heavy armor fell in front of Magnus with a rumble.
Magnus fell to his knees, taking a deep breath, as did Ethan and Alf.
Each of them had suffered many wounds and had been under a lot of stress in these few minutes, but they had accomplished their goal.
"Hah, looks like we're finally becoming a team, don't you think?" Magnus showed Ethan a smirk.
Ethan shrugged, "I can't argue with you this time. Defeating that bastard actually made me feel good..."
"I hope the guys can handle the rest... I need to rest..." Alf glanced at the fighting students before lying down on the ground.
"Sure... That's what a quality is for." Ethan nodded, enjoying the scene where their others were fighting the monsters.