It started with Heinzel.
Laughing in a way that didn't match the situation, he charged into the crowd of 1200 gnolls. His halberd swung wildly, seemingly without aim, but in a single motion, a dozen gnolls were crushed.
Then came Luchi, clicking his tongue in irritation. He wasn't as destructive as Heinzel, but his sharp sword slashes took out gnoll after gnoll with precise strikes to their necks. Unlike Heinzel's overwhelming power, Luchi focused on conserving energy with efficient movements.
And then, there was me.
I pulled out the least favorite of my swords. As much as I wanted to use my treasured greatsword, I didn't want it to get ruined this early in the battle. It was like saving the best, most delicious peach-flavored jelly for last.
I swung the sword a couple of times to get a feel for its weight. Thanks to my advanced swordsmanship skills, I quickly adjusted to it. I scanned the area for a spot where I could move freely.
I found a good spot and charged forward.
First one down.
As always, I swung from left to right, cutting cleanly through the gnoll. Despite the blade looking old and worn, it was surprisingly sharp. It felt like slicing through a cucumber as the gnoll was cleanly bisected.
Now wasn't the time to mimic Luchi's efficient moves. I needed to follow Heinzel's brutal style, swinging with overwhelming force. I pictured Heinzel's movements and recalled my practice sessions with Luchi.
Gritting my teeth, I caught the rebound from my sword swing and followed up with a vertical strike from above. Four gnoll heads burst open from a single swing.
One gnoll swung its club at my right leg. I reversed my grip on the sword and blocked the attack just in time, but the impact sent a numbing shock up my arms.
"Heh..."
My blood boiled with excitement. Clenching my teeth, I lifted my greatsword and swung it wide, slicing through the gnoll's tough hide. That made ten kills in total.
"GRAAAH!"
Before I could catch my breath, another gnoll charged, stepping over the corpses of its fallen comrades and thrusting its spear at me. I knocked the spear aside with the hilt of my sword and grabbed the gnoll's jaw, slamming its head into the ground.
Then I slashed another gnoll in half and kicked a third one in the chest as it tried to stab me with a dagger. I heard its spine crack as its body flew into the other gnolls behind it.
Spinning around, I plunged my sword into the mass of gnolls surrounding me. A disgusting, wet splatter hit my face as the gnolls' blood sprayed everywhere.
I wiped the blood from my mouth and scanned the battlefield. The berserk gnolls were attacking everything in sight, friend or foe alike.
I could use this to my advantage and take them down more easily.
Taking a deep breath, I charged forward once again. I shoved one gnoll out of the way, sliced another, and used whatever was available—my fists, my legs, my head, even my teeth—to clear a path.
My body was drenched in blood, the sticky sensation and sour smell driving me into a fevered state. I widened my senses.
There were no more gnolls behind me.
I could stop worrying about what was behind and just focus on what was in front of me.
I picked up a dagger from the ground and taunted the gnolls with it.
Well, these guys didn't understand words, so instead, I barked at them.
"Woof...! Argh... woof woof!"
The gnolls, drooling and enraged, charged at me.
Grinning, I swung my sword.
"Woof, woof!"
* * * *
I threw aside my third broken sword and grabbed a fourth one, scanning my surroundings. About 50 gnolls were still alive, though fewer than 10 were standing upright.
The vanguard was finally cleared.
I wiped the blood off my face and spoke.
"Phew... That's the vanguard taken care of... Woof... Ahem."
No one seemed to have heard that slip-up... Thank goodness.
Whether it was because Luchi and Heinzel were just that strong, or because I was amazing, the battle had gone faster than expected.
I had used a lot of potions, but considering how things had gone, it was a small price to pay.
Now, as long as things kept going smoothly, we should be able to finish this without any major problems.
I wondered how Rubia was doing. I wanted to expand my senses to check the situation on the western front, but I knew that would leave me too drained to handle the upcoming wave. I decided to trust Rubia instead.
Unlike here, the western gate was narrow, so the gnolls wouldn't be able to rush in all at once. As long as no one ran away, they should be able to hold their ground by just standing firm and swinging their swords.
"Little girl!"
Heinzel shouted, approaching me with a cheerful voice.
"I took down 404!"
"Hmm, I'm at 410. What about you, Noah?"
"I got 396... and now... 397!"
As I spoke, I swung my sword at a gnoll that had lunged at me, spilling its guts on the ground.
"That's 411 for me. Looks like you're in last place, Noah."
Luchi used his ability to decapitate a gnoll who was loading a crossbow in the distance.
"This isn't over yet... Just you wait!"
I plunged my sword into a crawling gnoll's skull.
"Looks like we've almost wrapped this up. little girl, how much time until the next wave arrives?"
Heinzel said, pouring a potion over his head.
Why is he pouring it on his head...? It's not going to make his hair grow...
"About five minutes until we can see them... We should head back and get ready. We don't have much time."
"Noah, you've got the firestones, right?"
"Yeah. Two of them broke, but we still have plenty."
I opened my bag and showed the pile of firestones inside.
"Looks like we're set. Let's get moving."
"Good idea! And that's 405!"
Heinzel stomped on a gnoll crawling on the ground, crushing its body.
I think that's all of them... Now, what about these swords?
"Uh... sorry, but could you help me carry these swords?"
I still had six swords stuck in the ground and three more I'd tossed aside. Plus, I was holding one.
Not to mention, my precious greatsword was waiting for me. I'll be there soon, my lovely sword!
"I'll help, but seriously, little girl, how do you fight to leave your swords in this kind of condition?"
Heinzel nudged one of the broken swords with his foot.
"He's right. Noah, you need to take better care of your weapons. They're as important as your life. As an adventurer, you should always—"
Luchi started lecturing me like an old man.
Ugh... what a nag!
I ignored him and pulled out three more swords from the ground.
Thanks to my high strength stat, I could carry two in each hand without much trouble. Though, because of my height, the swords dragged on the ground.
"—and that's why you should always take care of your weapons. Got it?"
"Yes... I understand perfectly."
I nodded and turned my back on him.
I don't want to talk anymore.
Screech, screech, thud.
Screech, thud.
Dragging four swords behind me, I headed toward the village entrance.
"little girl, for someone the size of a gnoll, you sure know how to handle those greatswords."
Heinzel said, lifting the remaining two swords and walking alongside me.
"I'm taller than a gnoll by... about 50 cm..."
Well, technically 45.7 cm, but rounding up makes it 50.
"Bwahahaha! It looked like the swords were swinging you around, though!"
"You lost to me in arm-wrestling, so you don't get to talk, Uncle...!"
"True enough. Noah's right. Heinzel, you can't say anything. And besides, she's using the recoil of the sword to her advantage."
"Hmm? Is that so?"
Wow, Luchi has sharp eyes.
"Exactly...! The second strike is stronger than the first, and the third is even stronger. Luchi, you've got an eye for this... Maybe because you use a sword too?"
I'm not sure how I look when I fight, but I try to move as efficiently as possible.
Sure, I might look a little funny because I'm small, but my greatsword technique is top-tier!
"Well, I wouldn't call it reckless. It's... impressive. Your technique may be rough, but it works."
Yeah, Heinzel's fighting style is reckless.
I'm different. I fight with grace and finesse! My technique is elegant!
"You're right. Swords are... elegant, refined, and... sophisticated. Completely different from those brutish axes."
"Hah! Brutish? little girl, you're the one who's reckless."
"Me?! I'm elegant... and refined... and what else... ah, sophisticated!"
"Hah! That's rich, little girl. You calling yourself sophisticated in that bloody mess is hilarious, but fine. I'll give you the 'flashy' part, at least."
Luchi looked me up and down and added, "Your style may be flashy, but it's far from elegant."
I tilted my head in confusion and scanned myself with my senses. Aside from being covered in a bit of blood, there didn't seem to be anything wrong. No guts or organs hanging off me like before.
As we continued our back-and-forth banter and made our way to the southern gate, the ground started shaking again.
The second wave was approaching, their deafening roars filling the air.
Even more intense than the first wave, the tremors fired up my blood once more.
"Bwahaha! If the first wave was just a net, then this is the real tidal wave!"
"This amount of creatures... I've never seen anything like this. It is impressive."
"Impressive? Is this the time for commentary? Get ready, Heinzel! Take the firestones!"
"So, I'm just supposed to chuck all of these forward?"
"Yeah, then Luchi will use his ability to light them up. You can do that, right?"
"I've never tried it before, but it shouldn't be too hard."
Heinzel took the firestones, and Luchi climbed up the watchtower.
"Okay... I'll give the signal. Throw them as soon as I do. Luchi, make sure not to mess up."
Hearing their affirmations, I expanded my senses. The searing pain shot through my body, but I pushed it down, focusing only on the oncoming wave.
..
...
....
"Is it time yet?" Heinzel asked, growing impatient.
"Not yet..."
I had to wait for the right moment.
Ignore the ones at the front. We need to hit the middle of the pack.
Five more seconds passed.
The gnolls' roars grew louder, and just as they reached the perfect spot, I gave the signal.
"Now, Heinzel! Do it!"
"Hah!"
At my command, Heinzel hurled the firestones toward the stockpile of gas canisters we had set up earlier, stolen from the villagers' houses.
"Luchi, now!"
Luchi used his ability to ignite the gas tanks and redirected the firestones toward them with pinpoint accuracy.
"Cover your ears and get down!"
The firestones collided, igniting the gas in a massive explosion. The southern wall was obliterated, and around 4,000 gnolls—out of the original 7,000—were crushed, burned, or blown apart in an instant.
Only about 3,000 remained.
I grabbed my precious greatsword and, feeling its weight in my hands, let out a gleeful growl as I charged forward toward the disoriented gnolls, barking out a final challenge.
"Woof woof!"