Chapter 144: Frenzied Assault in the Rainy Night

That was a barely perceptible low roar.

Dobby narrowed his eyes, gazing out at the world engulfed by the pouring rain. The sound of rain and roaring thunder nearly drowned out everything else. Had he not heightened his vigilance earlier due to some lingering bad omen, Dobby would have found it hard to be certain whether what he had just heard was an illusion. Perhaps it was not the roar of a beast, but merely the crashing boom of thunder. He looked around, only to see that most of the soldiers were now taking shelter beneath the tarpaulins, sighing as they tried to warm themselves and enjoy their food. Everything around them appeared entirely normal, with no hint of anything amiss. The only thing unsettling Dobby was that the young maidens remained clustered around the carriages. Although the torrential rain had completely enveloped their slender, delicate figures, not a single one of them made a move. For a fleeting moment, Dobby even wondered if these girls were already dead. Why else would they remain completely motionless? Were these creatures corpses?

Or perhaps...…

At this moment, not only Dobby, but the other soldiers as well, began to sense the strange behavior of the maidens. Although, by military standards, these fellows still fell short of the strict obedience of a regular army, they were far from novices when it comes to combat. Thus, several soldiers quickly picked up their weapons again, looking around in bewilderment. However, the driving rain obstructed their vision, and almost no one could clearly discern what might be lurking nearby.

"Roar…!"

Another roar echoed.

Dobby drew his longsword with a sharp hiss. He could now be certain that he was definitely not just suffering from nervous exhaustion. Clearly, something else had arrived alongside the torrential rain. And if he guessed correctly, it was certainly not good news for him.

Seeing their captain's actions, the other soldiers scrambled back to their feet. They raised their shields, gripped their longswords, and stared blankly into the surroundings. Scouts were of little use in such conditions. Fortunately, they had used the cargo wagons to form a circular temporary stronghold, so they did not need to worry about being attacked from all sides—at least these waist-high wagons should serve somewhat as city walls.

"Roar… Roar…"

Soon, low growls began to rise one after another. People could faintly make out dark shadows darting back and forth through the curtain of rain. Seeing this, Dobby immediately tightened his nerves. He gripped his weapon and vigilantly surveyed his surroundings. Clearly, they had been surrounded by some malicious guests. He just didn't know when the enemy would finally launch their attack.

The curtain of rain gradually steadied, and the roars grew louder and louder, yet the battle Dobby had anticipated still failed to arrive. This made him increasingly anxious and unsettled. Clearly, the enemy was toying with them. They were deliberately forcing their prey to run about frantically and strain their nerves, waiting until they collapsed from exhaustion to deliver a fatal blow.

Those damned bastards have quite a plan!!

"Everyone, pay attention! Calm down, calm down! Do not panic!"

At this thought, Dobby immediately shouted at the top of his lungs. Hearing his voice, the previously panicked soldiers regained a measure of composure. Soon, urged on by the angry roars of experienced veterans, they raised their long shields to brace against the backs of the wagons while simultaneously drawing their longswords. Thrusting their blades through the gaps in the shields, they managed to form a defense line that looked reasonably sturdy within a short time.

Yet the enemy outside seemed completely uninterested in this. Dobby had once suspected that the foe would strike while they were forming their defense. However, the adversaries appeared to have no such intention; they merely prowled around the wagon train, occasionally emitting bestial roars as if mocking or ridiculing the prey trapped in their grasp.

Damn it!!

Seeing the pale faces and trembling bodies of his subordinates, Dobby could not help muttering in frustration. Right now, they were plagued by troubles on all fronts. The torrential rain prevented them from seeing the enemy clearly, and the biting chill only served to sink their already flagging morale further. Although, for the moment, the enemy seemed to be holding back because of the rain, this only made Dobby even more nervous. It proved they were not facing mere wild beasts, but creatures possessed of intelligence!

"Mr. Jean…"

Inside the carriage, Ligeia and Delia also wore pale faces. Naturally, they had heard the roars of the beasts. Although Jean had warned them of the danger before inviting Ligeia along, experiencing it firsthand still left the noblewoman looking deathly pale. After all, those howls were simply too terrifying; merely listening to them felt like being trapped in the most horrifying nightmare.

Yet, faced with their hesitant and fearful expressions, Jean remained as calm as ever.

"Please do not worry, Mrs. Blake. They are merely beasts, nothing to be feared at all."

With those words, Jean turned his head to look at Patilina, who was curled up beside him.

"Patilina, shall we go and properly welcome our guests?"

"Of course, no problem, Master! I've been wanting to deal with those idiots who keep disturbing people's sweet dreams for a long time now. They roar like ghosts; it's so noisy I can't get any sleep at all!"

Hearing Jean's words, Patilina, who had been dozing just a moment ago, leaped up in excitement. She then pushed open the carriage door and darted out like a shooting star. Right behind Patilina, Jean stood up as well, smiling and nodding to the ladies.

"Then, Miss Delia, Mrs. Blake, I shall be right back."

"Ah…."

Watching Jean prepare to leave, Ligeia opened her mouth, but had no idea what to say. At that moment, however, Delia beside her suddenly spoke up.

"Ah, please wait a moment, Mr. Jean!"

"Is something the matter, Miss Delia?"

"Well, it's like this…"

Under Jean's gaze, Delia felt somewhat nervous, but she mustered her courage and stammered out, "This operation was initiated by me, so I should fight alongside you as well. Besides, I am a mage…"

"There is no need for that, Miss Delia."

Before Delia could finish, she was interrupted by Jean.

"Please leave it to us. After all, the very reason we came here is for this."

With that, Jean turned and left the carriage. As the carriage door closed once more, Delia sat back down, letting out a helpless sigh.

For reasons unknown, watching the pale and dejected noble young lady, the restless anxiety deep within Ligeia's heart was suddenly somewhat soothed.

"Lord Jean, what should we do?"

Seeing Jean step down from the carriage, Dobby, who had been waiting impatiently, hurried forward to ask. In response to the high-ranking swordsman's inquiry, Jean merely glanced at him.

"Simple. Attack and annihilate them… That is why we came here. Is it not?"

"This…"

Dobby was struck speechless for a moment. True, even a fool could guess that these creatures circling their camp were the ogres mentioned in the previous reports. Yet, given the current circumstances, how were they supposed to attack? The rain was so heavy that they didn't even know how many enemies there were, and looking at the present state of things… could this lord possibly intend to slaughter his way out alone?

Before Dobby could say anything further, the situation before his eyes abruptly shifted.

The storms on the Eagle Plateau came quickly and left just as swiftly. In the blink of an eye, the torrential downpour began to abate. The previously blurred figures in the surroundings started to grow clear. Immediately afterward, as if obeying some signal, a chorus of roars erupted. The next instant, Dobby saw a figure leap high into the air, hurtling straight toward the camp.

"Enemy attack!!"

It was only when the attack truly arrived that Dobby managed to regain his composure. With an angry roar, his longsword swept whistling through the air, hacking heavily into the red figure hurtling toward him. Accompanied by a miserable scream, the monster tumbled and crashed heavily onto the ground. Its physique appeared as sturdy as a human's, except for its face, which resembled a hairless ape and was exceptionally ferocious. Furthermore, the creature seemed entirely devoid of skin, leaving only bloody muscle where veins and arteries could be seen pulsing with its movements.

Upon beholding the true face of the monster, Dobby's expression finally changed.

"Ogre!!!"

At that moment, the offensive finally began.

The furious beasts tore through the curtain of rain, leaping high to plunge directly into the center of the camp. The barrier formed by the piled-up cargo wagons was completely meaningless to them. The warriors' sharp longswords were batted aside before they could even touch those nauseating bodies. Watching those unfortunate soldiers about to be knocked to the ground and sacrificed to the beasts—

"Mr. Jean! Miss Patilina!"

At this sight, Dobby's eyes widened in horror. He was merely a high-ranking swordsman; dealing with one or two ogres was within his capability, but facing the assault of hundreds of ogres left even him helpless. Therefore, the only thing the high-ranking swordsman could do was swing his sword to rush and help extricate his men, while casting a pleading look at Jean in hopes that he might have some method to annihilate these damned beasts. After all, the man was a legendary powerhouse; dealing with these ogres should be effortless for him.

Yet Dobby only saw Jean reach out, snap his fingers lightly, and then—like a maestro conducting a symphony in a grand hall—wave his right hand, pointing gently forward.

"Attack."

The next moment, Dobby witnessed the maidens who had remained motionless by the carriages suddenly spring into action.

They swept back their longrobes, their slender hands crossing. Soon, dazzling arcs of sword light reflecting the raindrops danced out in trajectories as graceful as a dance, drawing Dobby's gaze like fluttering butterflies. Before he could process it further, however, the dozen or so maidens in the outermost rank crossed their hands and then fiercely swung their longswords forward.

An instant later, silver-white trajectories of light roared forth from the tips of their blades, sweeping horizontally outward. Even the curtain of rain was cut in half by this formidable power. The ogres plummeting from the sky fared no better; before they could display their trademark cruelty to the enemy, they were swept by the razor-thin sword lights, splitting apart like ham sliced by a kitchen knife, and crashed to the ground amid gushing blood.

Sword Qi made manifest? A Sword Master?!

At this sight, Dobby was so startled he nearly dropped his own sword. He was a high-tier elite, capable of condensing Sword Qi. To advance further and manifest Sword Qi detached from the blade was the realm of a Master. Yet, as a warrior, Dobby knew all too well how difficult that was. He was nearly fifty years old and still unable to cross that threshold. And now, right before his eyes, a group of teenage girls no older than sixteen or seventeen possessed the ability to manifest Sword Qi?!

Is there any justice or reason left in this world?

Yet, for Dobby, this was only the beginning. The very next moment, he saw the maidens in the second row raise their right hands—instead of drawing longswords like the front rank, they simply grasped the hilts of their sheathed blades, murmured a low incantation, and pointed forward.

Immediately afterward, as if responding to their call, golden threads representing laws emerged from the purple gemstones at the tops of the hilt, rapidly fusing and twisting to form an immensely sturdy protective barrier.

Dual cultivation of spellcraft and swordsmanship?!

At that moment, Dobby's mind went completely blank.

Are these people even human? (To be continued.)