The forest air felt thick, almost suffocating, as Alex and I stepped carefully over the underbrush. The sunlight filtering through the trees cast mottled shadows on the ground, hiding more than it revealed. Every instinct screamed caution, but we had prepared for this moment for months—our mana honed, our bodies ready, and our minds razor-sharp.
Ahead, the clearing opened like a trapdoor. Randy's forces had already arrived. John, my former sword teacher, stood confidently at the front, eyes sharp beneath his brow. Eve, the mana teacher whose lessons I had once respected, surveyed the area with a calculating gaze, mana subtly flickering along her fingers. Gerald, the head guard, massive and imposing, barked orders to a battalion of soldiers. They had the upper hand: numbers, experience, and the arrogance of superiority.
I crouched behind a cluster of thick roots, whispering to Alex, "Stay calm. Watch and learn." He nodded, eyes wide but steady.
The beasts were already being maneuvered by Randy's men, guided into a semi-circle—an encirclement designed to trap them. But the advanced-tier creatures weren't dumb. They were intelligent, sensing fear, control, and weakness. I let my eyes sweep across the battlefield, formulating the perfect strategy: we would turn their arrogance against them.
We moved silently, shadows among shadows, skirting around the edge of the clearing toward the rear. The plan was precise: let the beasts be cornered, then strike at the rear, decimating the backline while panic spread through the ranks.
The first clash came with a deafening roar. One of the beasts, a massive creature with jagged scales and eyes like molten gold, twisted and struck at the soldiers in front. Arrows and mana bolts were launched, but their defenses were imperfect. The ground shook with each step, trees splintering as claws and hooves struck the earth. Soldiers screamed as their formations broke under the raw power of the creature.
Alex whispered, his hands already glowing faintly with controlled mana, "Alaric… I'm ready."
I nodded. Timing was everything. We had to be precise. I watched as the frontlines engaged, soldiers overconfident in their containment, attempting to subdue creatures far beyond their experience. The chaos was perfect. Dust and debris filled the air, metal clanging against claws, mana pulses colliding with armored hides.
I gestured to Alex, and we moved silently to the rear. The soldiers there had no idea we were coming. With a silent nod, we struck. Mana flares shot from my palms, cutting through armor and flesh with surgical precision. Alex followed, his healing mana subtly sustaining my brief exposure to attacks, his bursts of energy enhancing my strikes. The backline collapsed in seconds, screams piercing the air as men tried to regroup.
John and the frontlines noticed too late. Their eyes widened as the chaos erupted behind them. The beasts, sensing freedom, slammed against their containment, breaking through one section after another. Soldiers were thrown aside like rag dolls, weapons useless against the raw force of the creatures.
Eve and Gerald shouted commands, trying to restore order, but panic had spread like wildfire. One beast lunged at Gerald, sending him sprawling, his armor dented and bloodied. Eve channeled a massive mana barrier, but it flickered and cracked under the relentless force.
From our hidden vantage point, Alex and I moved with lethal precision. Every strike we made was calculated, each pulse of energy synchronized with the rhythm of the chaos. The soldiers in the rear were gone, their lines shattered, their morale broken. The creatures, now partially free, roared in triumph, battering everything that had once confined them.
John rallied the remaining men for a final offensive. They managed to kill one of the advanced beasts, its body collapsing with a thunderous impact that shook the clearing. But the cost was devastating: Gerald, Eve, and most of their battalion lay dead, blood mingling with the churned earth.