A moment ago.
With Ash's order to retreat issued, the general soldiers began their withdrawal.
"Phew! Does this mean today's battle is over?"
"Seems like it, doesn't it?"
A female shield warrior and a male hunter looked at each other and grinned.
This couple were mercenaries temporarily assigned to the Shadow Squad and happened to be husband and wife.
The middle-aged woman was an experienced warrior wielding a large shield and mace, and the middle-aged man was a seasoned hunter, adept with hounds, traps, and bows.
The couple chuckled as they watched the rest of the Shadow Squad members follow suit.
"You three elves really went through a lot today."
"Do you always unleash such incredible firepower every battle? It's impressive! Promise me you'll give me archery lessons later!"
Godhand, Burnout, and Bodybag smiled awkwardly. It was clear they were still getting used to this friendly yet forward couple.
The couple lived in a forest right next to the Elven Autonomous Region, which was why they didn't harbor any dislike towards elves.
Recognizing this trait, Ash had placed the couple within the Shadow Squad as temporary members, which allowed these five to operate smoothly as one party.
"Let's hurry back and start with lunch. I'm starving to death."
"Geez, this lady here, move a little and it's all about food, always food."
"Eating heartily gives you strength. Aren't we mercenaries all powered by our meals? Don't you elves think the same?"
"It's true that we're moved by 'food power', but why am I always the one preparing it?"
"This old man, here he goes again. Didn't you insist on cooking because you said my food was tasteless?"
While bickering amongst themselves, the two humans addressed the three elves.
"Right, let's all have a meal together when we get back."
"Yeah, yeah! It's a battle worth commemorating, isn't it? Let's eat together. I can make a meal at least more edible than this lady here."
"Yeah. My old man may be useless at night but he's a genius when it comes to meals! Hahaha!"
"This... This woman, there's nothing she won't say in front of others!"
The elves looked at each other awkwardly as the couple bantered back and forth. Godhand, with a forced smile, spoke on behalf of the elves.
"Then let's have lunch together."
"That's right, that's right! Fighting together and eating together! That's how you build camaraderie. Isn't that right? So dear, please grill some meat, it's been a while."
"It's been a while my foot, we had it just yesterday... Ah, don't worry about it, elves. I'll only feed this lady meat, I'll prepare a delicious salad for you."
The couple laughed good-naturedly.
The elves, who had been a bit standoffish, were making a significant step towards friendship with the offer of a shared meal.
The Shadow Squad was preparing to retreat in a much more relaxed atmosphere.
That's when it happened.
"Get down, you vermin-!"
A resounding young girl's cry shook the battlefield.
It was Dusk Bringar's Dragon Roar, used to intimidate the goblin legion and buy time for the retreat.
They had been forewarned of its use and, thanks to Ash's passive skill [Unyielding Commander], the heroes were completely immune to the Dragon Roar's fear-inducing effects.
But an entirely unexpected problem arose.
Squeak, squeeeak!
The hunting dog that the hunter husband had brought along panicked from the Dragon Roar.
It wasn't affected by fear status, but the call of a top predator instinctively made the hunting dog bolt in fright.
The movement was so sudden that the husband inadvertently let go of the leash.
"Oh dear, Bucky! The poor thing must've gotten a fright. Bucky!"
The hunting dog crawled under the stone wall at the corner of the advance base, shivering uncontrollably. The husband rushed toward the dog in haste.
Cradling the large dog as if it were a child, the husband lifted it. Watching this, the wife shook her head in disapproval.
"Why would you bring such a dog all the way here..."
"Hey, my Bucky is one with me. What's more precious to a hunter than his hunting dog?"
"Cherishing a dog more than your wife, really. I wish you'd care for me even half as much as that dog."
"Well, why don't you act as cute as this dog half the time!"
The husband, a hunter, grinned while embracing the dog.
At that moment,
Boom—!
The stone wall behind the husband exploded.
Both the husband and the hunting dog were buried under the collapsed wall.
The situation unfolded so suddenly that both the wife and the elves from the Shadow Squad were momentarily stunned, watching the spectacle.
Creek, creaaak...!
Goblins began to crawl one by one through the rubble of the fallen wall.
Goblins do not use siege weapons. They're too heavy and, more importantly, too complex for goblins to operate.
Instead, goblins have a specialized corps of soldiers to conduct sieges more simply and efficiently.
This corps was known as the 'Suicide Bombers'.
They would strap bombs to themselves, approach the walls, and then ignite themselves.
It was a cost-effective and efficient way to destroy gates and walls compared to siege engines.
Given the disposable nature of the goblin legions and their disregard for life, it was a tactic they could afford to employ.
Bang! Boom—!
The suicide bombing began around the gate, and various sections of the wall started to crumble.
The bombs were crude, but as their numbers grew, the walls quickly sustained damage.
The husband had been caught in the first wave of these suicide attacks.
"Honey!"
Amid the echoing explosions, the wife ran towards the fallen wall a beat too late.
"These bastards!"
Thump! Thud!
Her mace sprayed green blood as she crushed the goblins that were scaling the wall to infiltrate the advance base, then turned around and shouted.
"Help me!"
"...!"
At that moment, Godhand looked back.
The advance base, now bereft of its defense forces, was rapidly being overrun by goblins.
The gate had been breached by the suicide bombers, walls had collapsed, and the green monstrosities were pouring in.
A few remaining hero parties could be seen escaping through the teleport gates. Time was running out.
"Please, save my husband!"
The wife's plea was desperate. Godhand clenched his eyes shut.
"...We'll extract him from the debris quickly and retreat immediately. Understand?"
"Yes!"
Bodybag responded sharply, and Burnout nodded as well.
The three rushed to the wall and frantically cleared the debris. Thanks to Bodybag being a psychokinetic, the rescue progressed swiftly.
Fortunately, the hunting dog was bloodied but not gravely injured, and while the husband's arm was crushed, his life was not in danger.
Thump! Thud!
After swinging her mace mightily, crushing a few more goblins, the wife helped her husband to his feet.
"You fool! Get up, hurry!"
"Ow, go gently... gently. No one died, at least!"
"If we don't escape now, we'll all be dead! Run even if it hurts!"
Flash!
The last party was seen escaping. By now, the area around the teleport gate was swarming with goblins.
"Let's gooo—!"
The wife roared mightily as she charged.
She paved the way forward, swinging her mace and shield, followed by three elves who unleashed a barrage of arrows and javelins.
Whiz—!
The husband, staggering yet following, whistled commands to the hunting dog, which, despite being bloodied, agilely tore at the goblins with its teeth.
Crushing the goblins, Shadow Squad reached the teleport gate.
The first to arrive was a wife who turned back with a bright smile and began to speak.
"Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I've survived..."
Boom!
She couldn't finish her sentence.
A cannonball from the ramparts had struck the gate directly.
With a terrible explosion, the gate shattered into pieces, and the wife was left bloodied, rolling on the ground.
Godhand, shocked, looked up at the ramparts, where Goblin Archers were stationed.
They had redirected the cannon on the ramparts to fire in this direction.
Despite pouring oil and setting them ablaze to prevent the goblins from using them, a few cannons were still operable.
Even ablaze, the cannons continued to spew cannonballs.
Boom! The thunderous explosion...
The teleport gate in the central courtyard was utterly destroyed.
"Ugh...!"
Through the haze of smoke and dust, Godhand quickly made a decision.
He ran into a corridor leading to an interior building of the forward base and hid, with Bodybag and Burnout closely following him.
The three elves concealed themselves in the shadows. However, the warrior wife and hunter husband could not do so.
"Kr, hah... Ahh!"
Engulfed in the blast and covered in burns, the wife staggered to her feet.
Goblin soldiers, with eyes glowing red, rushed towards her.
Thump! Thump, thump!
The goblins' spears and swords pierced her thighs and side.
The wife swung her mace, spewing blood, but the speed and power she once had were gone.
Creak, creak!
The goblins sneered at her dull movements, pulling their spear-swords from her body only to stab her again. Thump! Thump, thump...
"Ah..."
With spears and swords embedded all over her body, the wife slowly collapsed. The life faded from her eyes as she hit the dirt.
Around her fallen body, the goblin soldiers jumped joyously.
The goblins lifted their spear-swords to mutilate her corpse.
Whizz-!
Just then, a whistle sounded.
Simultaneously, a hound rushed in, savagely biting at the goblins' throats.
Following through the smoke came the husband hunter, shooting his crossbow in all directions.
Goblin soldiers fell, spilling blood, but there were far more goblins standing than those fallen.
The hound fought bravely, the opposite of its flight during the Dragon's Roar.
As the partner of a hero hunter, it was faster and stronger than the average wolf.
However, injured by the collapsed stone wall, it was slower than usual, and there were simply too many enemies.
When the exhausted hound, having killed the eighth goblin, paused for a moment, arrows precisely aimed at it flew from the ramparts.
Thump, thump!
The dog, though wearing a leather armor, couldn't block all the arrows. It was filled with arrows.
The husband, with his good arm, continued to shoot the crossbow, threw smoke traps, scattered caltrops, and stabbed approaching goblins with the dagger in his mouth, making his way to his wife.
"...Damn woman."
But the wife had already bled out and died.
"You asked for lunch. And now you're sleeping again. Always oversleeping."
Kneeling beside her, the husband with a crushed hand gently closed her staring eyes.
He murmured in a choked voice.
"Always oversleeping..."
Creak...
At that moment, the hound limped up beside the husband, whimpering softly. The husband, looking at his dog, noticed the arrows lodged all over its body.
"I'm sorry, Bucky. Daddy's sorry..."
The husband, sitting down to face his suffering dog, clenched the dagger in his hand.
Thump...
The husband embraced his dog, thrusting a dagger into its neck.
It was to hasten the end of its pain. The hound passed away in peace, without a sound.
'...'
After surveying the bodies of his wife and dog, the hunter slowly lifted his head.
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
A goblin riding a mountain goat had entered the now-silent forward base.
Wearing a helmet that was a combination of a mask and crown, and a golden cape billowing...
Kali-Alexander, without a word, drove the goat to the hunter's side and drew a scimitar from his waist.
Clang-!
And cleanly severed the head.
The hunter's body, now without a head, collapsed limply to the side. Kali-Alexander, who had flicked the scimitar to rid it of blood, spoke up.
"Damage report?"
A goblin aide quickly replied beside him.
"Kirik! One hundred Janissaries. Eighteen hundred regular soldiers."
"We lost two thousand, and they only two?"
After a fleeting glance at the two fallen human heroes, Kali-Alexander whipped his head around.
"It seems humans are making active use of the teleport gates. Destroy any of these stone structures on sight."
"Kirik, yes."
"Good, and..."
Kali-Alexander's masked helmet fixated on the deeper parts of the forward base.
"Take complete control of this facility and search it thoroughly."
The shoulders of the three Shadow Squad members, crouched in the darkness and holding their breath, witnessing this scene, twitched.
"...It seems there might be more rats hiding."