Shiro had no time left to strategize. He roared:
"Don't let them surround us!"
Seizing a spear aimed at him by an ogre, he twisted it around and fatally impaled his assailant. Kentaro charged like a lion, slashing through enemies, while Shahin and Ginji joined the fray.
The ogres, nearly a hundred strong, pressed relentlessly. After nearly an hour of intense battle, the Pleiades had inflicted significant damage on the queen's vanguard, and were themselves unscathed… but for how long?
Hogen called for a halt. The surviving ogres withdrew and regrouped with the soldiers behind them.
"It seems a massed attack is useless against you," Hogen declared. "You aren't the type to fall to brute strength. But tactics? You've expended considerable effort disposing of these ogres. Surely your bodies are feeling the strain…"
