Oleg had no more reinforcements to wait for, and any further delay would only prove more disadvantageous to the members of The Quest Guild.
His sole hope now was that Banning could lead the others to break through the encirclement of the demon rats. If they could concentrate their power on Splurt, there might still be a chance to turn the tide.
—(Lord Banning, I wouldn’t have made it here tonight without your strategy…)
—(I believe you can bring me another surprise!)
Oleg sprinted with all his might.
His aged body was no longer as valiant as it once was, but Splurt, his adversary, was not faring much better.
When it came to speed, Oleg, a professional mercenary, still had the advantage!
As the distance narrowed to less than ten meters, Oleg prepared to use his skill but noticed that Splurt’s cane struck the ground unnaturally. He instantly understood that the old man was up to some trick and leaped into the air with a single kick!
“STOMP—!”
As expected, dozens of venomous snakes emerged from the fissures in the shattered ground!
Oleg had seen this trick of Splurt’s countless times.
The snakes seemed terrifying, but as long as they didn’t bite, they posed no real threat.
Relying on his chainmail armor, Oleg bulldozed through, knocking away numerous snakes as he charged unstoppably towards Splurt!
Just as Oleg was about to catch Splurt, the scene in the wooden cabin repeated itself.
The giant snake summoned by Splurt snatched him away from Oleg’s grasp again. This enormous serpent, thicker than a human, was clearly no ordinary creature.
“Don’t even think about escaping!”
Oleg would not allow Splurt to repeat his trick. He spread his arms wide, hugging the snake’s body tightly, and was carried along with it to the other end of the battlefield.
However, Splurt seemed to have anticipated Oleg’s actions. Before the serpent released him from its mouth, it twisted violently on the spot and thrashed its tail several times, causing Oleg to lose his grip and be flung away.
“Oleg, did you think you were the only one familiar with me? I know you just as well!”
Splurt emerged laughing from the serpent’s mouth as the creature, having fulfilled its command, disappeared into the magic circle. But Splurt immediately summoned it back.
“Go, my Serpent King! This time, strangle this old man for me!”
The snake lunged at Oleg, its forked tongue flicking, as Splurt hid behind it, eagerly anticipating the sight of his old comrade being strangled to death.
In the one-on-one contest just now, Splurt had intentionally repeated his trick, as his goal was to make Oleg come to him of his own accord.
In reality, Splurt wasn’t afraid of facing Oleg; he was simply putting on a show.
What he truly didn’t want was for Oleg to join forces with the reinforcements.
As Oleg’s old “friend,” Splurt knew full well the extent of Oleg’s leadership abilities and prestige. With him at the helm, the bounty hunters’ combat prowess would rise by at least 50%. —(Foolish, Oleg. In this strategic battle, I am the victor!)
.
Simultaneously, in the withered grove, the battle between the bounty hunters and the demon rats had reached a fever pitch.
The demon rats had once gained the upper hand, but the tide was subtly shifting, all thanks to a young man named Banning.
“Black-armored knights! Advance with your group!
“Red-robed mages! Provide support from your position!”
The youth rode his warhorse, issuing commands and occasionally shooting arrows to assist others.
Under his active leadership, the 37 bounty hunters managed to withstand the onslaught of two to three hundred demon rats, with no casualties thus far!
However, at the beginning of the fight, the bounty hunters had little regard for Banning.
Their thoughts were that the newcomer was too young and did not appear strong enough to command them.
The bounty hunters merely humored Banning out of respect for Branch Chief Oleg and Emilia, to see if he could offer any valuable advice.
Yet, as the battle truly commenced, Banning’s command performance astonished the bounty hunters.
Often when they hesitated about what to do, Banning’s instructions came immediately, and they were the kind that everyone could instantly agree with as the right course of action.
.
Before the operation began tonight, Branch Chief Oleg’s strategy was the traditional “vanguard, center, and rearguard” approach. However, once the battle started, the nimble demon rats easily penetrated the formation, rendering it ineffective.
The bounty hunters in the vanguard excelled at defense but were slow-footed, struggling to match the rats’ movements. A single taunt skill could control only two or three opponents.
As a result, the mages and archers were left exhausted, unable to find a safe position to concentrate on dealing damage, let alone using area-of-effect spells.
If any mage dared to throw a fire javelin into their own formation, they might kill more allies than rats!
As the front line was on the verge of collapse, Banning valiantly steadied the situation through his command.
Banning decisively abandoned the Branch Chief’s grand formation, instead directing everyone to form smaller groups of three or four, utilizing the terrain to reestablish a series of defensive lines.
Mages and archers took to higher ground and climbed trees, finding a stable environment to launch attacks;
Warriors blocked key passages, preventing the rats from surging through—a single man could hold off ten rats;
From a distance, it appeared as though the bounty hunters were swallowed by the rat horde, but in reality, the demon rats that had infiltrated the formation were surrounded on all sides.
The scales of victory tipped once more in favor of the bounty hunters, but Banning’s brow remained furrowed.
.
Tyler was not blinded by their fleeting success; he was acutely aware of the shortcomings of their current strategy.
Initially clustered together, the bounty hunters had now dispersed into eight or nine smaller squads, which meant they could not break through to rendezvous with Branch Chief Oleg.
Since the battle began, Tyler had not yet had the opportunity to see the true face of the enemy leader.
However, given that the enemy could control so many demon rats, they were unlikely to be weak.
Should anything befall Oleg due to their delayed reunion, Tyler would have to accept responsibility.
Therefore, Tyler continued to dart about the battlefield, adjusting the tactics of each small squad in real-time until he finally found an opportunity to concentrate their forces and break through!
“Rapple fighter! There is a crucial mission for you!”
Tyler sought out the fastest rapple fighters among the bounty hunters, ordering them to split into three groups, lure the demon rats away, and then seize the opportunity to shake off the enemy and regroup.
Only by scattering the enemy could the numerically disadvantaged bounty hunters find a chance to break through.
However, as the rapplefighters began their diversionary tactics, a series of loud “booms!” resounded from not far away, clearly the sound of something massive slamming the ground with great force.
(Branch Chief…!)𝐎𝑽ℯ𝒍xt.𝔠𝑂𝗆