Chapter 24, Part 1: The Ambush of the S-Rank Monster Elderwood Troll
That night, the Obsidian Phalanx settled into a secure camp. Sylva, the Elven Mage, was meticulously inspecting the core fragments recovered from the three defeated Forest Trolls. She frowned, her twilight eyes troubled.
"Zane," Sylva finally said. "These weren't typical A-rank Trolls. The density of their mana storage was already transitioning. They were firmly in the A+ rank classification."
"So they were tough," Grund grumbled.
"They were at the absolute precipice," Sylva countered. "If we had encountered these Trolls even two days later, they would have become true S-rank monsters. We were fortunate." The reality of the Eastern Territory's rapid, unnatural progression settled over the group.
The next morning, the march continued. They had traveled less than an hour when they were engaged by a large pack of lower-rank D-rank and C-rank Phantom Wolves. Kaelus quickly drew the Viridian Sword and unleashed a series of precise, controlled Wind Slashes, sweeping the low-rank wolves away easily as their forms dissolved into shimmering clouds of dispersed mana.
As the last wolf vanished, Sylva spoke sharply. "Hold! Everyone fall back a bit!"
"Have you noticed something, Sylva?" Zane asked.
"The energy signature isn't random," she explained. "They were acting like a controlled patrol. More than that—they carried a psychic echo. They were leashed. Once we killed them, they identified our location."
Suddenly, Vara Shadowstep, positioned high in an oak tree, signaled urgently. "It's too late. We're surrounded."
Zathis deployed his enhanced senses, his scales bristling. "One S-rank Elderwood Troll dead ahead! And several A-rank Trolls are flanking left and right! We're outnumbered!"
"Form the Phalanx! Kaelus, you're with me! Focus fire!" Zane commanded, the casual atmosphere instantly shattered by the urgency of the battle.
The party instantly deployed: Kaelan and Grund formed a shield barricade around the party to protect their position and achieve a terrain advantage. The two were responsible for any projectile attacks using their Wood and Earth magic while locking down the most immediate ground threats.
The massive, S-rank Elderwood Troll surged forward, its limbs thick with dark earth mana.
Zane slammed his longsword into the ground, using his Gravity and Petrify magic to seize the earth and slow the giant. Sylva launched devastating Plasma bolts to soften the monster's hide. Jian Stormheart and Zathis peeled off to meet the numerous flanking Trolls, Jian a whirlwind of Lava-infused crushing heat, and Zathis using Geyser blasts and poisoned daggers.
The battle immediately turned desperate. The A-rank Trolls were highly coordinated, actively shielding the Elderwood Troll. Several B-rank Hobgoblin range attackers emerged, pinning the party down.
The Elderwood Troll let loose a deafening crack, raising its root-like arms and chanting its ultimate spell: 'Earthscorch Cascade!' The ground around it began to writhe and glow with sickly, orange-red mana, preparing to erupt in a devastating Area-of-Effect attack.
The party was struggling immensely, unable to break through the Troll defense. Zane couldn't close the distance, and Sylva's mana reserves were running dangerously low after repeated high-power Area-of-Effect attacks. They were losing, but surrounded, retreat was impossible. As the Elderwood Troll finished its incantation, despair settled over the S-rank adventurers.
Then, a sharp, clear shout cut through the chaos: "Gather to me!" It was Kaelus.
Without question, the Obsidian Phalanx broke formation and converged on Kaelus. He instantly channeled mana into his newly-refined Knight's Cape, a 6-star high-rank defensive artifact worn as a red cape, activating its secret, single-use skill. "Absolute Barrier!"
A dome of shimmering, emerald green mana erupted, enveloping the adventurers just as the Earthscorch Cascade slammed into it. The barrier held firm, the scorching attack harmlessly subsiding against the green dome.
"We still have thirty seconds until the barrier collapses!" Kaelus yelled, his face strained from channeling the defensive artifact's power.
"Attack! Full AOE! Leave nothing in reserve!" It was Zane
Inspired by the concept of unstoppable, focused firepower, Kaelus focused his mind. He recalled the mechanism of a Gale Rifle, but knew he needed continuous, high-volume fire. Why not a machinegun? He channeled his core energy into the Viridian Sword, forcing the flowing mana to form a precise, dense replica of a rifle's firing mechanism along the blade's body. The sword roared, and Kaelus unleashed the Gale Machinegun—a continuous, inexhaustible barrage of concentrated, rotating wind bullets. He targeted the remaining A-rank Trolls directly. The sheer damage per second was enough for the resilient monsters to instantly vanish, their massive forms dissolving into dispersed mana.
The combined, full-power AOE from the S-rank party, augmented by Kaelus's unique barrage, was absolute. The B-rank and A-rank monsters vanished, reduced to dispersing mana until only the massive, reeling Elderwood Troll remained.
"All of you, consume the remaining mana restoration pills!" Zane commanded. "Kaelan and Grund, help us immobilize the Elderwood Troll! The remaining, coordinate with us and launch a series of long-range attacks!"
Kaelan and Grund unleashed their Wood element mastery, causing dense, constricting vines and hardened wooden splints to erupt from the earth, seizing the Elderwood Troll's feet and arms.
Zane and Kaelus charged the immobilized S-rank threat. Zane moved like a ghost, using bursts of Sound magic and Gravity-enhanced slashes to strike the Elderwood Troll's hide, instantly turning the points of impact to brittle, rigid stone.
Kaelus fought alongside him, launching Vortex Spheres of concentrated wind with his free hand to tear away patches of bark while the Viridian Sword danced. Meanwhile, the others maintained a relentless rain of ranged attacks to keep the monster blinded and disrupted.
Zane delivered a final, rapid sequence of eight slashes, creating a large, clear breach to the Elderwood Troll's central core. "Now, Kaelus!"
Zane had created a large, clear breach directly to the Elderwood Troll's central core. Kaelus didn't hesitate. He channeled the portion of his vast dragon mana into the Viridian Sword. The blade became a solid cylinder of swirling, incandescent green light. With a final, desperate roar, he plunged the weapon into the core breach.
The concentrated power met the S-rank core. A resonant explosion of green energy ripped through the massive tree-like form. The Elderwood Troll shuddered, its limbs dropping lifelessly, and its towering form slowly began to crumble into dust and released mana.
Left behind on the decimated forest floor were the monster's remains: a glowing, perfect genuine Earth elemental core and a scattering of Elderwood Troll fragments, pieces of its powerful bark and wood chipped off during the relentless fight. The S-rank monster was dead. They had survived.
Chapter 24, Part 2: Hazard Class S+ Rank Monster - Armored Scorpion
The Obsidian Phalanx moved out at maximum speed, backtracking through the damaged forest toward the entrance of the Eastern Territory. While they dashed, Kaelus recounted the details of his Crimson Orc quest.
"Thanks for this information, Kaelus," Sylva said, her mind piecing together the data. "I have a theory now. The Armored Scorpion we were sent to hunt is no longer a simple S-rank. It's a—"
BOOM!
A devastating, localized explosion of concentrated Earth magic ripped through the air to their left, in the sector where Zathis was scouting. Zathis was thrown violently through the air, his body scorched and severely damaged. He landed hard and lay unconscious.
"ZAAATHHIISSSS!!!" Zane screamed, his voice thick with raw rage, sprinting toward Zathis's landing spot.
Then, an ominous shadow fell over them. From the direction of the blast, a colossal form appeared: an Armored Scorpion unlike any they had ever seen. Its carapace was obsidian black and radiated dark, concentrated earth mana that seemed to devour the light.
Kaelan set his shield instinctively, his face pale. "That's an S-rank Armored Scorpion!"
Sylva, already casting a defensive ward over the unconscious Zathis, shook her head, her voice thin with terror. "No, it's not S-rank anymore. Look at the energy signature! It's a Hazard Class S+ Rank Monster. We can't deal with that."
Zane lost his composure completely, repeating, "This isn't happening," as he approached the looming threat. In the dusty shadows behind it, indistinct shapes of unidentified monsters began to stir.
Sylva screamed Zane's name, but he was deaf to her. Jian and Grund grabbed Zane, forcibly restraining him while Grund hoisted the injured lizardman onto his shoulder.
Vara, who had scouted from a tree, dropped down, her eyes wide with panic. "The S+ Armored Scorpion... there are another two coming here!"
Sylva instantly ran to Zane and slapped him hard across the face. "Do you still want to see your daughter?! If yes, get a hold of yourself and act like the leader of this party!"
Zane staggered, the shock bringing him back to his wits.
"Listen up! Kaelus, carry Zathis and run with Sylva and Vara! Grund, use Wood Wall! Kaelan, use Earth Wall! Create an alternating wall of earth and wood! I will compact it with my Gravity! Jian, burn the path behind us to mask our trail!"
The moment Zane issued the command, Kaelus complied instantly. He swiftly retrieved Zathis from Grund's shoulder, securing the unconscious body. He grabbed Vara and Sylva by the arm and pushed his Wind magic to its limit, lending them extreme mobility to accelerate their escape. Kaelus understood the grim priority: at least save someone, then return for those who were buying them time.
The rest of the Phalanx worked with furious speed, erecting the heavily reinforced, alternating Earth and Wood barrier, which Zane compacted with immense Gravity magic. After a minute, the defensive line was complete.
"Okay! Let's run!" Zane ordered.
They pushed their speed to the absolute limit. Their current location was about a third of an hour's run from the Eastern Entrance.
After only a few minutes of desperate running, the terrifying sound of concentrated impacts reached them.
CRUNCH. CRACK.
The reinforced barrier shattered.
Zane stopped dead. "That fast?" he murmured, a grim finality setting on his face. He knew his plan had bought enough time.
He unsheathed his longsword. "They must be at the entrance already," he said, turning to face the other two. "I will hold them all. You two follow the trail left by Sylva."
Jian, Grund, and Kaelan, however, had already assumed battle stances, their eyes fixed on the three gigantic silhouettes in the distance. They wouldn't listen.
"Alright then," Zane said, a final, weary smile touching his lips. "Let's fight and buy more time."
Meanwhile, Kaelus ran, Zathis secured tightly on his back, his wind-augmented speed driving him and the two women forward.
"We're near the entrance, Ms. Vara, Ms. Sylva," Kaelus said, slowing his pace as the trees began to thin. He gently lowered Zathis. "Please use that brilliant mind of yours, Sylva. Think of something that can save us. I will go and check on the others."
Sylva looked from the unconscious Zathis to the retreating forms of her leader and comrades, then back at the determined young man. "You're smart too, Kaelus. Please make them return safe."
Kaelus gave a resolute nod, his mind already fixed on one radical, dangerous course of action that might ensure their survival. "Yes, I will."