Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 174 - Under Fire

Medrauta and Viviane found themselves in a dilemma.

Still perched on the side of the mountain, the two of them were relatively far from the human army. The rockslide had stalled the army's advance, causing them to set up a solid shield wall outside the mountain pass while the witchspawn busied themselves with being buried.

Although their position was now solidified and the witchspawn army's numbers crushed, victory still remained out of sight. The ground shuddered as the behemoth advanced toward the neatly formed row of shields, undaunted by the human army's now-superior numbers. As it brandished its titanic weapons, it was obvious that there was no need for the behemoth to feel fear.

Even if it possessed emotions, it would no doubt feel nothing more than an overwhelming sense of superiority at the tiny humans who dared stand in the way of its conquest. The behemoth brandished its weapons proudly, their pointed tips and jagged edges swiping through the air like the gaping maw of an impossibly large dragon.

The soldiers faltered at the sight, but they continued holding their position bravely, their courage restored by Scarlet's clarion voice. A single swing of those twin swords would no doubt annihilate them with ease, and though Eris now stepped in front of the shield wall, the daggers she held looked pitiful compared to the sheer scale of the behemoth's blades.

"...We have to get back there." Medrauta said, an anxious look on her face as she watched the behemoth take another earth-shaking step toward Eris.

"If we go now, the army will be doomed." Viviane said, gesturing to the cannonspawn below them. Already, the cannon-shaped witchspawn were beginning to climb up the debris of the rockslide, slowly making their way through the mountain pass. Given their forms, it wouldn't be long until they could start firing on the shield wall.

Medrauta bit her lip, glancing at the behemoth, then at the cannonspawn, and back again. Had the rockslide managed to catch even half of the surviving cannonspawn, their bombardment might not be an issue, but as it stood now, a coordinated volley from their ranks would no doubt spell disaster for the human army.

At the same time, a single swing from either of the behemoth's gigantic weapons would result in instant defeat for the soldiers should the massive creature manage to slip past Eris. Medrauta frowned as she watched the blonde-haired knight flit around the behemoth, striking quickly and efficiently before darting away from the behemoth's crushing counterattacks. Although she was small and her weapons were barely capable of making even the slightest incision in the colossal monster's body, it seemed strangely focused on the knight.

"We're the only ones in position to stop the cannonspawn," Viviane urged.

Medrauta hesitated for a moment, her eyes lingering on the tiny form of Eris fighting the behemoth in the distance. As a knight, she felt a certain sense of camaraderie with Eris, and to allow her fellow knight to take on such a dangerous enemy alone felt wrong. But at the same time, she knew Viviane was right.

"...Alright, Vivi. How are we gonna do this?"

Viviane nodded her thanks, grasping Medrauta by the arm and giving it a gentle squeeze as a gesture of gratitude. Though she was no knight herself, she knew how difficult it was for Medrauta to have made that decision.

Medrauta returned the gesture with the best smile she could manage before the two turned their attention to the swarm of cannonspawn who were still clambering across the uneven boulders. Their four-legged gait was rather awkward given their lengthy bodies, making their advance much slower than the rest of their misshapen ilk. However, this did nothing to dissuade their crawling march forward.

"At first, I was thinking of triggering another rockslide, but if we do that, we'll cut ourselves off from the army." Viviane said. "I'm fairly certain the only course of action we have left is the old-fashioned way."