Boom!
A massive fireball slammed into the middle of a group of ghouls, exploding instantly and tearing through the air.
Trees ignited, ghouls were blown apart, and flaming remains rained down from the sky, leaving behind only scorched marks on the ground.
But barely two seconds after the explosion ended, the scorched ground was once again filled with snarling and howling ghouls.
"Celia, Olivia... target the depths of the valley, Fire Serpent Spell!" Tissaia shouted. "Don't let the ghouls cluster together, relieve the pressure on the frontline!"
Before her voice had even faded—
Sizzle—
Several twisting fire serpents coiled and snapped, devouring dozens of ghouls, cutting off the tide of advancing monsters.
"Sheala, keep your team sharp! Don't let a single rotfiend reach the first line of defense!"
"Joelle, use Whirlwind Spell to clear the corpses! Don't let them pile up and block the way..."
"The Scurvers are coming! Quick, use Blindness Spell to throw off their aim!"
There were too many monsters.
Everywhere one looked, the golden-lit human army was completely interwoven with the ghouls.
The sorceresses' hands seemed to spark from overuse, their magic barely holding back the seemingly endless tide of ghouls pouring from the dark forest.
The priests were equally occupied.
Chants to Melitele echoed across the battlefield, summoning holy light from the heavens to bolster the soldiers' defenses, repel the monsters, and heal their wounds...
But even so, the growing horde, nearly filling the entire valley, was pushing the defenses to their breaking point, ready to collapse at any moment.
Crack!
Blinding lightning carved a trench into the ground, splitting ghouls in half, igniting rotfiends, flinging alghouls into the air, and even forcing a scurver just emerging from the forest back into the trees.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted from the mountain.
Flames roared into the sky from the dense forest, temporarily cutting off the wave of ghouls.
But on closer inspection—
The ghouls were only briefly stopped by the fire. The alghouls ordered the smaller ones to smother the flames with their own bodies.
Soon after, the endless tide of ghouls surged forward again, eyes bloodshot and jaws agape, charging relentlessly.
Endless. Truly endless.
For every ghoul killed, three more would take its place. For every rotfiend burned, ten more would crawl out, hidden among the mass of ghouls. Even the rare and formidable alghouls were being used as disposable pawns to fill the line.
"Ahhh!"
Screams from the human frontlines rose and fell.
"Ianna, where is your lightning and angel!"
Tissaia turned and shouted.
She wasn't being sarcastic; she wasn't in the mood for that now.
She genuinely wished for a divine storm to descend from the sky, or angels with wings to sweep away the overwhelming tide of ghouls suffocating the battlefield.
After the first monster nest was destroyed, these ghouls seemed to go berserk, pouring in from every corner.
In just moments, the golden flames of the frontline had extinguished dozens of times—each flame representing a life lost.
At this rate, forget reaching the second monster nest.
Even retreating out of the valley seemed impossible.
Yes.
If Ianna didn't have another plan, Tissaia was ready to retreat with the sorceresses of Aretuza.
The ancient pact with the Novigradian Union was important, but survival was more important.
Ianna waved her hand, unleashing a brilliant shower of starlight that pushed back the ghouls at the frontline, giving the soldiers a brief respite to rotate out.
She looked up at the sky, opened her mouth to say something...
Suddenly—
Screech!
A violent, oppressive aura instantly silenced the howls and screams on the ground.
A colossal wave of sound hammered down, as if the very dark, bluish-black sky was collapsing, choking both humans and ghouls alike.
"What is that? A new type of ghoul?!"
Tissaia gasped.
Under the faint blue night sky, a massive shadow tore through the air, plummeting rapidly toward the ground.
She gripped her staff tightly, preparing to command the light globes to float higher.
Roar!
The ghouls, however, reacted first, ignoring their enemies, lifting their heads, and roaring furiously at the sky, their eyes almost bursting with rage.
"What's going on?" Tissaia was dumbfounded.
This... this wasn't the reaction one would expect for the arrival of a new ghoul.
The monstrous presence in the sky, radiating overwhelming pressure, seemed more like a mortal enemy to the ghouls—as if it had killed their fathers, assuming ghouls had fathers.
"The angel has arrived," Ianna said softly, a satisfied smile curling her lips.
"Angel?" Tissaia frowned.
Only magic of immense power could produce such oppressive pressure. How could this be an angel...
The sorceress's ears twitched suddenly.
"Close your eyes, Vesemir!"
The sharp, howling wind carried a familiar human voice.
"Al... Allen?" She widened her eyes in shock.
A blinding Magic Flash illuminated the entire sky.
It also illuminated the hooked beak of an eagle, the claws of a lion,
And the sparse feathers of enormous wings casting shadows over the battlefield, their almost fire-red flesh visible beneath.
A griffin!
And not just any griffin!
A royal griffin!
From the massive shadow covering the battlefield, Tissaia squinted to see two figures standing on the griffin's back.
They held blades glowing red, and they flew like arrows into the distant mountains, as if intending to split the mountains in two.
They... they had tamed a royal griffin?
How was that possible?
"Ah!"
Blinding Magic Flashes of light had yet to fade when all the ghouls simultaneously let out harrowing shrieks, as though they had suddenly suffered severe injuries.
"The knight of Ellander has answered the goddess's call, descending from the heavens. He shall wield his silver blade to banish the dark god and lead us to victory!"
Ianna abruptly stood up from her peculiar mount and shouted with conviction, "Hold those damned creatures at bay! Protect Ellander!"
The battlefield fell silent for a moment.
I knew it!
A hero of Ellander would never cower at the rear like some weakling!
Sara wiped the blood splattered across his face, his eyes gleaming as she gazed toward where the awe-inspiring griffin had vanished. He raised his glowing blade high, his voice resounding: "Protect Ellander!"
"Glory to the May King!"
With that, he cleaved the head from a ghoul writhing in some mysterious agony. Suddenly, the battlefield ignited.
"Protect Ellander!"
"Glory to the May King!"
The soldiers roared in unison, channeling a fury that surpassed even the ghouls as they swung their light-imbued blades, charging at the nearest creatures.
In less than half a minute, the crumbling defensive line not only stabilized but managed to advance over ten meters toward the second monster lair.
"You kept this well-hidden..."
Tissaia waved her staff, igniting an inferno that engulfed the slopes, valleys, and forest from which the monsters had emerged, blocking any retreat.
She glanced meaningfully at Ianna beside her.
"To be honest, I'm surprised myself," Ianna admitted with a shrug. "I knew he'd show up, but I didn't expect it to be like this."
"A griffin knight..."
Tissaia tilted her head slightly, recalling the awe-inspiring sight from moments before.
"Tsk, tsk!"
"Vera's disciple is bound to gain a new title now."
--------------------------------
"Protect Ellander!"
"Glory to Sir Allen!"
As the rousing cries of the battlefield echoed, the massive griffin soared over a crumbling high tower.
Listening to the cheers from below, Allen's lips curled into a faint smile as he turned his gaze downward.
Clinging to the tower, the dragon's vertical pupils, swollen from the magical Magic Flash spell, oozed a foul, yellowish fluid streaked with blood.
Its exposed white bones and sinewy muscle fibers supported countless crimson eyes, all of which were tightly shut.
Not all of the ghouls had left the valley to attack the human forces.
A few scurvers remained close to the ritual site, standing guard.
Clusters of ghouls, rotfiends, and hulking alghouls surrounded the writhing tendrils of the summoning ritual. But now, all of them lay sprawled on the ground, wailing in anguish.
"The results are even better than expected," Allen thought.
Weak to fire, vulnerable to their size, and particularly sensitive to light...
The Level 6 Magic Flash spell had an extraordinary effect on the creature brimming with eyes. The dragon's dilated pupils were now streaming bloody tears. Furthermore, the summoning ritual's link to the ghouls was tighter than he'd anticipated.
This meant that targeting the summoning ritual here would also alleviate the burden on Ianna, Sara, and Arthur on the front lines.
Naturally, the backlash from the ritual would likely be severe.
As thoughts churned in his mind, Allen swiftly planned his attack strategy while pulling out a vial of Alghoul Decoction and Blizzard potion, drinking them in one gulp.
In an instant, surging power coursed through his veins, like rivers merging into an ocean.
His temples throbbed with pressure.
By now, the griffin was less than a hundred meters from the valley.
With winds lashing at his face, Allen turned his head slightly. "Vesemir, the summoning ritual is mine to deal with. The ghouls are your responsibility."
"Don't worry. As long as I'm alive, not a single ghoul will get past me." Vesemir's eyes glowed with the unique azure of Blizzard as he nodded firmly, tossing aside two empty bottles.
"That's unnecessary. Just do your best; the good girl will assist you." Allen shook his head, activating a Quen shield before issuing a mental command, "Good girl, go help Vesemir."
"Skreee!"
The griffin let out a piercing cry in response.
"Let's move!"
As soon as Allen finished speaking, Vesemir shifted lightly to the side and spun around, slashing at the scurver crouched beside the high tower.
Allen leaped off the back of the royal griffin, adjusting his posture mid-air, and swung his sword toward the massive eyeball twenty meters below him. However, the first to strike the target wasn't Vesemir or Allen—it was the griffin.
After the two witchers dismounted, the griffin dove, flapping her wings powerfully.
The gusts doubled her descent speed, and in a blink, she dropped more than thirty meters.
Her claws, gleaming with cold light, sliced through the wind as they struck at the tightly shut eyelid of the summoning ritual.
"Creak—"
The seemingly soft, flesh-like eyelid only slightly caved in under the griffin's full-body-weighted attack. It emitted a piercing, rubbery sound and remained unharmed.
"Skree!"
The griffin let out a startled cry.
Her steel-like claws easily shredded the mountain rock beneath the tower and crushed a hulking ghoul into a pile of mush.
"Boom!"
The violent impact sent debris and dust flying into the air.
"It's not going to be that easy," Allen thought grimly, gazing at the unharmed eyelid.
[Monster Hunt]
And then, unexpectedly, it happened.
"Roar!"
The moment Allen activated Monster Hunt, all the ghouls suddenly awoke and roared in unison.
The massive eyeball clinging to the elven tower trembled just as Allen's sword, Elsa, was two or three meters away from it. Then, it abruptly opened.
The crimson pupil contracted violently, as if shocked.
"Boom!"
A colossal pressure twisted the air between Allen and the eyeball.
"Not good!"
Allen exclaimed, crossing his hands quickly to cast the Heliotrop sign. But before the purple magic shield could fully form, a powerful shockwave pierced through it.
Dizzying pain shot through Allen's temples as his vision swam with golden spots. A searing ache filled his ears.
He began hearing cries and moans, the sound of flutes and oboes, and the howling of fierce winds.
When he snapped back to his senses, he saw crimson tentacles writhing and expanding in his vision.
Instinctively, Allen twisted his body mid-air and slashed down.
"Creak—"
The sensation was strange, like a dull blade cutting through tough leather.
[Monster Hunt] 1%
Landing on the ground, Allen shook his head to clear the lingering dizziness from his mind and glanced to his side.
Where his sword had struck, the tentacle bore only a faint, shallow white mark.
No penetration.
It hadn't caused the slightest damage.
"This isn't a ghoul!"
Staring at the blood-red necrophage oil dripping from Elsa's blade, Allen was certain.
He focused his thoughts.
[Name: #￥% Summoning Ritual]
[Level: LV99]
[Attributes: Strength?, Agility?, Constitution?, Perception?, Mystery?]
It wasn't just the level; the oppressive aura alone spoke volumes.
A monster's power was always proportional to the magical energy it radiated. If it were a ghoul, the enhanced necrophage oil wouldn't cause less damage than a steel sword against a drowner.
"Are you okay, Allen?" Vesemir's anxious voice called from behind.
His attack had also failed.
The sudden awakening of the summoning ritual seemed to have spared the scurver from Vesemir's killing blow.
"I'm fine!" Allen shouted back.
Behind him, the sound of intense clashes, the griffin flapping her wings, and her high-pitched cries filled the air.
Sensing no movement from Balmur, Allen dashed forward, slashing with Elsa while analyzing the summoning ritual's nature in his mind.
"Creak—"
[Monster Hunt] 1%
"Creak—"
[Monster Hunt] 1%
"Creak—"
[Monster Hunt] 2%
-----------------------------
Allen's face turned cold as he watched the pitiful numbers climb in the corner of his vision.
Three strikes for 1% progress…
This rate was unacceptable. The summoning ritual appeared to have only reacted to Monster Hunt out of fear, attacking out of instinct. Now it had fallen silent again, leaving only the ghouls to regain mobility.
But once it recovered from the damage caused by the Magic Flash spell, it would be nearly impossible to reach the execution threshold within the remaining 450 seconds of Monster Hunt.
"I have to identify the type of summoning ritual and apply the right blade oil..."
"It's not ghoul, not specter, not hybrid beast…"
Allen muttered as the characteristics of every monster type from The Witcher's Bestiary Flashed through his mind.
And then despair settled over him.
It wasn't that he couldn't classify the summoning ritual.
Relict.
Every feature pointed to this category.
But the crucial issue was…
He didn't have relict oil!
.....
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