As Nick predicted, the battle flowed in favor of the mercenaries. The robed figures were elite members of their organization, but they had focused heavily on honing their infiltration skills above all other skills for their jobs. In comparison, mercenaries lived by their swords and were strong in close combat. Although their characters were questionable, the people Nick brought were skilled enough to have gotten accepted into Wolf’s Canine.
The elite robed figures put up a good fight—they used the natural terrain to block the mercenaries from advancing as much as possible and tried to get rid of Nick first; yet, things didn’t go according to their plans. Nick was too strong. He wasn’t known for his fighting prowess in his group because he had been overshadowed by Til, but that simply was proof of Til’s monster-like abilities. All in all, Nick was skilled enough to be one of the top five fighters in Wolf’s Canine.
“Tch!” The robed figure’s leader clicked his tongue. He was annoyed that Nick had easily blocked a four-person joint effort to put him down. Although they still had the advantage in numbers, it didn’t seem like they would be able to defeat Nick easily.
‘If we drag out the time any longer, the other mercenaries will get involved,’ the robed figure’s leader thought. Then, that would only increase their possibility of losing to Nick. ‘At the very least, we have to retrieve the Pyramid of Vengeful Souls back.’
The leader watched as his subordinates fought the other mercenaries. ‘Should I try shaking things up?’
“Hey, do you guys know who this guy is!” The leader’s mana-filled voice rang across the place. “He was the one who attacked Pialu and tried to place the blame on Til! Do you still plan to fight for a guy like that!” Perhaps, the mercenaries wouldn’t even heed to their enemy’s words in the middle of fighting, but the leader thought it was better than doing nothing. Yet, the mercenaries responded differently from the leader’s expectations.
“Kurghuhuhuhu!”
“Hahahaha!” The mercenaries took a furtive glance at the leader and laughed. Their response was too strange for people who didn’t believe what he was saying.
“…Did they perhaps already know about it?”
Nick replied, “I thought it would be better for them to know beforehand rather than hearing the news in the middle of a battle and losing their fighting capabilities.”
“Then, does that mean those guys already knew about your deed and still agreed to fight for you? They really are beyond saving just like the rumors said,” the leader said and thought there was only one option left now. He then made his decision. This was the first method that came to mind when he saw an unexpected group of mercenaries rushing toward them.
Clap! Clap! The leader backed away and clapped two times. Since he had instilled mana into the sound, all the robed figures heard the claps clearly even while fighting.
‘What is he doing?’ Nick focused on the leader's actions. Even in the midst of a fearsome battle where swords collided and a momentary distraction could cost him his own life, the leader’s actions were very distracting.
‘It’s not like he suddenly lost his mind.’ Nick thought there must be some kind of purpose to the leader’s actions, and as he continued to block a flurry of sword attacks, he tried to assess the situation. Whatever happened, he needed to remain collected and calm. Yet, when he saw what happened next, all his resolution to keep calm turned to nothing and he watched, stunned.
Crack! The leader’s robe ripped roughly and from the inside, and his muscles swelled up. As wild mana whirled around him, the leader’s body grew bigger and bigger.
Bam! The leader’s body became so large it looked like a rough and bumpy boulder. The leader cast the now dangling, ripped robe to the side and stepped forward.
‘What is that…’ Nick’s face hardened. He hadn’t expected the robed figure to have hidden power like that. The leader rushed to Nick.
Claang! The sword which Nick used to block the attack trembled. The leader was much stronger than before, and Nick backed away slightly. Nick moved his numb hands and stared at the figure in front of him. The face hidden under the robe that Nick had been curious about was now in full display, but it didn’t appear to be the man’s original face. It was too monster-like.
‘He really did become stronger.’ However, after clashing with the leader, Nick was relieved to find out that the leader hadn’t become that dangerous. Nick could endure until his subordinates finished off the other robed figures and came to his aid. Yet, his judgment had been too hasty. When the leader rushed toward Nick, the other three robed figures distanced themselves from Nick.
Crack! Crack! The same sound as the one that had come out of the leader’s body during the transformation began to come out of them too. Surrounded by a strong current of mana, their bodies swelled, and their robes were ripped. Nick’s eyes widened at this sight.
‘Don’t tell me these guys can transform too!’ Nick quickly glanced at his subordinates and the robed figures fighting against each other. The same thing was happening over there too. While some of the robed figures dealt with the mercenaries, the rest were turning into monsters.
“Damn it!” Nick cursed. Although the fight was currently in favor of the mercenaries, Nick didn’t know what would happen if all the robed figures transformed into those monster-like forms.
‘I have to kill at least one of these guys first!” Nick quickly moved. He swung his sword as if he was trying to attack the leader in front of him. The leader responded, but it was a feint attack. Nick withdrew his sword again, arched his back, and tried to dash past the leader’s side. He planned to get rid of the robed figures who were still transforming.
Bammm! The leader’s large feet slammed against Nick, but Nick flattened his sword and blocked his attack. Even though he didn’t receive much damage, he couldn’t carry out his plans to attack the other robed figures.
“Do you think I’d let you go so easily?” Even in his transformed state, the robed figure could still talk like a human. Nick stared at the leader and stared back at the robed figures behind his back—they had all finished transforming.
‘It won’t be easy for me to defeat them.’ Nick gritted his teeth.
* * *
The battle between the robed figures and the mercenaries was extremely fierce and intense. Both sides put their lives on the line and used every means possible to defeat their opponent. Slashes, screams, and blood passed between them. Even though their thoughts, goals, and ideals were different, they all fought their very best to end their opponents’ lives. However, in a place that was at a suitable distance from the battle, there was an individual who was in an opposite state of mind from them and clearly showed a lot of leisure.
“Woah.” Zich looked at the robed figures change into monsters with interest. Since it was a tactic that the robed figures had often used when they were driven into a corner, it was nothing new. However, there was one aspect of this battle that was different from all his battles with the other robed figures.
‘In this group, all the subordinates can also use that skill.’ Usually, the only ones who could transform into monsters were the leaders of the robed figures. However, for this group, the robed figures, including the leader, had all transformed into monsters.
‘As expected, they must be the elite troops.’ Zich felt very satisfied that his prediction had been correct. Like an audience member watching a fighting match, he enjoyed watching these two sides fight each other.
On the other hand, there was also another person watching this fight next to Zich. It was Til. He stared at the robed figures and the mercenaries with a hard stare. His gaze especially lingered on the mercenaries Nick had personally brought—they had no morals. Even though Til had looked at them with disgust and wanted to find an excuse to chase them out, they were still part of Wolf’s Canine.
“Ugh!” One mercenary was hit by one of the robed monsters and rolled on the ground while screaming. The bone on his nose had collapsed and half of his teeth were missing. However, he wasn’t in pain for much longer—
Crunch! The monster’s feet crushed the mercenary’s face; his head burst, and his eyeballs rolled in front of the monster’s feet. The mercenary’s white brain matter, flesh, and pieces of bone also flowed out. The monster smirked at the corpse he killed and moved to find their next target.
Til asked anxiously, “Don’t you think we have to help?”
However, Zich seemed as if he had no intentions to help. He replied to Til with a leisurely voice. “Let’s step forward when their forces decrease further. It's most advantageous for us to just watch when two enemies are fighting each other.”
“But those guys are my subordinates.” While they were talking, one more mercenary died, and the frown on Til’s face deepened.
“Aren’t those the same guys you wanted to kick out in the first place?”
“They’re still my subordinates and part of Wolf’s Canine.”
“Yes, but they’re also the same guys who knew you were being falsely accused but decided to ignore it for their own benefit.”
Til had nothing to say. He recalled the mercenaries’ reactions when the leader of the robed figures said the truth; they could have chosen to not believe their enemy. Instead, even after learning the entire truth, they decided to follow Nick for their own gain.
“I think that it’s actually for the better since you don’t have to stress over those guys anymore.”
Til couldn’t brush off Zich’s hand tapping on his shoulder. In the end, Til also decided to just watch the two sides fight against each other. The mercenaries were greater in number, but the robed figures obtained great power from transforming into monsters. Their power was about equal.
Even though more mercenaries died, a large number of robed figures also died. It seemed as if this battle would only end if both sides were completely annihilated. Both sides also seemed to have realized this. However, their reactions were different. The leader of the robed figures continued to attack unfazed. However, Nick’s expression began to look more and more anxious. ‘This can’t continue!’
Mercenaries moved according to money, but money only mattered if they were still alive. They would risk their lives for a battle that had the possibility of victory, but it was a completely different story for a battle they had no chance of winning or would end in total destruction for both sides. The mercenaries here were especially selfish and opportunistic to the core. A couple of mercenaries began moving back. There was no need to even ask who had a higher possibility of winning between those fighting with their lives on the line or those desperately trying to run away.
Tap, tap, tap! The mercenary in the very back turned around and began running away.
The leader shouted, “Don’t let them escape!” They couldn’t let the number of people who knew about them increase. However, there were still more mercenaries than the robed figures. If they all scattered in different directions, it might become very difficult to capture them all. However, the leader’s concern didn’t last long.
Slice! A sword that suddenly appeared cut the neck of the mercenary running away. The mercenary’s head soared high in the air and plummeted to the ground, and the mercenary’s body crashed into the tree it was running towards and halted. Everyone’s gazes moved towards the third party that suddenly appeared.
“How can you run away so cowardly? Trash like you need to kill each other as much as possible. Isn’t that the only reason why you exist in this world?” Zich mocked the people in front of him with the same confidence as usual.