Operation Ogre
Getting back to the cave entrance wasn't easy.
"Agh, it's so slippery!"
"Watch your step so you don't fall!"
Yeah.
This slick, slanted cave floor that had been a hassle on the way down was even worse going up.
And to top it off...
Grroooaaarrr—!!
That damn ogre was thumping around, sending vibrations through the ground.
"E-everyone, keep a firm grip on the rope!"
At least we had the ropes tied around our waists—we could grab them and leap upward without too much trouble.
"D-does that ogre have a mutated form too?"
The question came from one of the knights who'd been standing sternly by my side just moments ago, his face now etched with surprise.
"First time investigating the highlands?"
"Yes, I've only handled midlands before—dealing with mid-grade monster mutations..."
A rookie, huh.
The danger level between a mid-grade monster mutation and a high-grade one was on another plane entirely.
Even that Orc Champion I'd struggled against back in the day barely qualified as mid-to-high grade.
"That thing needs to be taken down by the main force outside."
"Yeah... looks like the commander will have to step in."
"...You think the commander can win if he does?"
"Pardon? Well, I didn't get a good look at it, but I can't imagine our commander losing."
Some serious faith there.
The knight order's commander was that strong?
Then again, I couldn't picture Rowell losing either.
That old man could probably rip a mutated ogre in half.
Would I get to see an Aura Master in action if we linked up with the main force?
Well...
Grroooaaarrr—!!
Boom!! Thud!!
First things first—I had to survive.
The sounds were getting closer, but not too fast.
The irregular vibrations suggested even the ogre was slipping on the slick floor.
Makes sense. It was several times our size, so it should struggle just as much for fairness' sake.
"Almost there! The entrance is just ahead!"
And sure enough, after bounding along the rope for what felt like ages, the cave mouth came into view.
...No sign of the Demon Worshippers pulling any tricks while we escaped.
They probably didn't have the luxury.
With the main force on their tail, they might even be prepping to flee.
Like that.
"Alright! Everyone out!"
We finally burst from the cave, leaving the ogre behind.
"Run straight for the main force!"
"Yes, sir!"
We bolted without looking back.
We had to put as much distance as possible between us and that ogre before it climbed out.
Mutated monsters were incredibly fast.
Once it hit open ground, it'd catch us in no time.
As we all sprinted toward the main force...
GRRROOOAAAARRR—!!!
The ogre's roar echoed from behind—the beast had emerged from the cave.
Maybe because it had three heads, but even at this distance, the bellow rattled my skull.
"Let's pick up the pace."
"Yes."
I worried for a second it might veer off elsewhere, but...
GRRAAAHH—!!
Thud thud thud!!!
The sounds confirmed it was chasing us.
Of course—an ogre's senses were sharp.
Distance wouldn't shake it.
We hurried on, the ogre's roars drawing nearer, when...
"What happened?!"
A few knights from the main force spotted us and charged our way, drawn by the ogre's racket.
"Ogre! A mutated ogre!"
Asran shouted to them, and their faces filled with shock.
"Mutated ogre? Alert the commander—now!"
"Back to the main force!"
These guys had clearly tangled with high-grade mutations before.
Ogres ranked at the top even among high-grades for raw combat power.
A mutated one? Unimaginably strong.
The Demon Worshippers' secret weapon, for sure.
One odd thing, though...
Would they waste a monster this terrifying—enough to horrify knights—on a stunt like this?
No matter how mighty, a knight order would exterminate it.
"We should prepare for a possible follow-up ambush from the enemy."
Good—I wasn't the only one thinking that. One knight voiced it aloud.
"Right. Split the unit into two."
"Ogre takes priority..."
They were already huddling for a quick strategy session as they dashed ahead. No need for me to chime in.
Anyway, after that, we ran with the ogre hot on our heels toward the main force.
Thud—!! Boom—!!!
The forest slowed it a bit, but the ogre was definitely faster than us.
Aura users like me, Lock, or Asran could outpace it easily, like the knights who'd already bolted ahead.
But we had to stick with the others, so we matched their speed.
We tore through the woods for a while, the ogre's howls closing in, when...
There, in the distance.
A clearing peeked through the trees.
And on that plain stood the Royal Guard in gleaming armor, lined up in formation—the same ones I'd spotted from the highlands before we set out.
"Right ahead!"
"Almost there!"
The ogre was nearly on us now, so we cranked our speed and burst onto the plain.
The moment we cleared the treeline...
"Draw swords!"
A commanding voice rang out from up ahead.
Who said that?
My eyes locked on the handsome man with long white hair at the center of the knights.
Arthur Clayton, commander of the Royal Guard.
...He looked younger than I'd expected for an Aura Master.
As I sized him up and raced past the line toward safety...
Grroooaaarrr—!!
Thud!! Crash!! Thud!!!
The ogre exploded onto the plain, snapping trees like twigs.
"That's the mutated ogre...!"
"What a size..."
I'd been too frantic to get a good look before, but now, hiding behind the knights, I took it in.
I'd seen an ogre in the colosseum years ago, but this mutated brute was something else.
Its body dwarfed the surrounding trees, packed with bulging muscle.
Its grayish-brown skin cracked like stone, legs short but arms freakishly long for its bulk.
And...
GRRROOOAAAARRR—!!!
Its three heads twisted in rage, each glaring a different way. The high-grade monster's Fear aura poured from them—even at this distance, it made my head spin.
Yet.
Facing this mutated ogre, Commander Arthur Clayton stepped forward and said,
"Charge."
His word triggered my Track instinctively.
Then...
KABOOM—!!
The knights in line unleashed Fleet in unison.
Time slowed in my heightened sight.
Over a dozen knights tore through the air toward the ogre.
Their target: its stubby legs.
Thicker than ancient tree trunks, with rocky grayish-brown skin tougher than stone.
But the knights charged without hesitation, longswords flashing in arcs.
Then.
KABOOM—!!
GRRROOOAAARRGH!!
They hammered it with Rush.
The ogre's seemingly unbreakable legs shredded in an instant.
"Whoa..."
"...What the hell."
Asran and Lock's awed voices came from beside me.
I was just as stunned.
...Is this how a knight order hunts?
Even a mutated high-grade monster couldn't survive that barrage.
As I watched in admiration...
Arthur Clayton moved a beat later.
A single, deliberate step.
Then.
Thoom—!
Like a tether yanked him forward.
He arced gracefully through the air toward the ogre.
Then.
GRRRAAARGH...!
He closed on the ogre, still reeling from its mangled legs.
As he swung his sword...
Fwoosh—!
A fireball rocketed past at blinding speed.
Where'd that come from...?
BOOM—!!!
The blast erupted, knocking Clayton from the sky.
"Commander!"
"What in the—!"
Several knights surged forward.
...Demon Worshipper magic?
I'd figured they'd ambush, but a fireball like that?
I tensed to join the fray when...
"Hold position."
Whoosh—!
The explosion's smoke cleared in a blink. Clayton rose unscathed.
His silver armor bore faint scorch marks, but no wounds—he must've used Guard in that instant.
But.
...This wasn't the time to play it cool.
GRRROOOAAAARRR—!!!
The ogre had recovered.
Its faces twisted viciously as it planted its shredded legs and swung a massive fist at Clayton.
The punch's speed from that bulk was unbelievable—too fast to track.
The moment I thought he couldn't dodge...
"Evade."
Clayton said it flatly, flicking his sword with casual ease.
Then.
The ogre's fist never reached him.
Like a flower blooming in reverse.
From the extended fist to its elbow.
GRRAAAAAAGHH—!!
The arm pulverized as if fed into a grinder, the ogre's colossal limb shredding into the air.
In that instant, I understood.
This was beyond basic Aura techniques or secret arts.
It was the unique domain of Aura Masters alone.