126
My Villains Chapter 126
33.Graduel Mountain (2)
Upon hearing the roar of the troll, the party immediately prepared for battle. The Amias group and the Nude warriors formed a loose formation, while Ellen and Lao's group took cover behind the formation.
"Don't ever charge in front! If you're in the front, you must avoid it at all costs, and even if you see the back of their heads, you must attack carefully!"
While the leader Amias was shouting, I drew my Blood Blade and stared into the thicket.
Kwaaaoook!
Another roar was heard, and it seemed to have come much closer than the previous one.
"Is it just one?"
"I don't know," Utequais said in a heavy tone.
"Only the master of the territory can make such a sound. The other trolls in the group cannot make that kind of noise."
I asked Atalante, who was slowly gathering her mental power.
"Can you use that technique from before?"
"That technique? Ah, the Void Sphere?"
She scratched her cheek with her steel gauntlet.
"It's not that easy to use. I can create it, but we'll get hurt too."
Indeed, the Void Sphere is a technique that inflicts damage on all targets within its range. Atalante might be able to survive using the Void Shield, but the rest of us would be goners.
Ah, no different from reality, huh. How unfortunate.
With Ellen's clear voice, a flame erupted from Hrunting.
The mage Siren, muttering an incantation, then hurled something.
"Stige, opp!"
What she threw was a small clay doll. As the magic infused the meticulously crafted doll, it absorbed the surrounding soil and grew in size. In the blink of an eye, a golem of similar stature to me was completed.
While I was dumbly watching this unfamiliar magic, Ellen suddenly shouted.
"Idiot, in front!"
I quickly turned around to see the troll emerging from the thicket.
Wow, it's huge.
The troll encountered at the rocky mountain was terrifyingly threatening. Standing over 4 meters tall, with arms that dragged on the ground and hooked claws as sharp as razor blades. Its disproportionately short legs and sagging belly made its waist appear even shorter.
Under its hideous hooked nose was a long, gaping mouth filled with teeth as sharp as a shark's. Its small eyes were barely visible under the protruding brow ridges, and its rough, bumpy skin, covered in sparse, dirty fur, looked like it was infested with mold.
It was a frightening sight, but the worst part was the unbearable stench wafting from it.
"Ugh, damn. I can't even breathe."
It was a stench like no other, a mixture of every foul odor imaginable, compressed into a single, nauseating balloon.
As I struggled to keep my composure, the Nude warrior Agos drew his bow and fired a flaming arrow.
Karak!
The arrow bounced off the rock, but the straw ball attached to the arrowhead ignited, burning fiercely.
Kwak!
Seeing the flaming arrow, the troll's offspring let out a loud roar, and the enraged adult trolls charged at us on all fours like chimpanzees.
Wow, the pressure is no joke.
I swallowed my saliva and discarded my shield, realizing it would be useless.
"Utequais, Atalante, Ellen! Take care of the female! The rest of you, handle the offspring!"
After shouting, I rushed towards what I presumed to be the male ‘Berserker Troll’.
Kwaaack!
The male swung its long arms like whips, its agile movements belying its massive size.
Whoosh.
I slid across the ground while swinging Hrunting. The crimson flames it spewed ripped a long gash along the troll's thick calf.
Kwuak!
Apparently, the deep wound startled the troll, and it stumbled back in surprise. It tried to pat the burning injury with its filthy palms, but the blood flame, fueled by magic and stamina, did not extinguish easily.
Kweee!
The troll's dirty, fungus-covered face flushed bright red. It seemed quite enraged that a being a fraction of its size had managed to wound it.
"Sorry, but can you just shut up and fight?"
As I readjusted my grip on Hrunting, the troll charged at me again, snorting and cautious in its approach.
"Phew."
I exhaled a hot breath, summoning my thirst.
Zzzing-
With a slight ringing in my ears, the world was tinted in red. My sensitive nose detected a sweet scent amidst the repulsive stench.
Kwack!
The troll lunged at me, reaching out with both hands. I swallowed my saliva and drove my blade into the ground.
While Phoenix was engaging the male troll, Utequais and Atalante were clashing with the female.
"Athar Marta (Mother Goddess)!"
Utequais's booming cry. As his massive, crimson muscles rippled like a beast, the Maul of Slonhe viciously tore through the air.
Whoosh!
The ponderous stone mace accelerated rapidly and struck the troll's jaw with a thunderous impact.
Kwang!
The horrific sound of cracking bones. Even the mightiest of forest monsters could not withstand Utequais's titanic strength, as the troll's jaw and neck were instantly shattered.
Kweek.
However, the troll's regenerative abilities were beyond imagination. The female troll, who had been knocked down, quickly regained its footing.
"Ugh,"
As Atalante took a deep breath, a vibrant purple glow erupted from her eyes.
The power originating from her pineal gland surged through her brain and spine, forming two violet lances.
"A-takhtarq (Impale)!"
Atalante's shout sent the twin violet lances hurtling forth, piercing the troll like the fangs of a viper.
Kwuack!
As the Void Sphere embedded in its chest and abdomen, the female troll let out a horrific scream and thrashed about.
To make matters worse, two flaming arrows suddenly struck the troll.
Flare!
With its arms and shoulders engulfed in flames, the female troll desperately flailed its limbs. Just as it was about to break the Void Sphere, Utequais's follow-up attack came.
"Uwoooh!"
The battle-scarred warrior let out a bestial roar, and a boulder the size of a human head crashed into the troll's knee.
Kwuu.
The female troll staggered, reaching out with its long arm. Just as the hooked claws were about to grasp Utequais,
Flare!
The black galaxy etched across the warrior's broad back emitted a brilliant light, repelling the troll's arm.
"Haha-!"
Utequais let out a thunderous roar, his savage laughter echoing through the forest.
"Rec'ne, iyati, jagun (I am the champion of the gods)!"
The stone mace swung with each strike, pounding the female troll with a series of loud cracks.
Kweee.
As the mighty Utequais, with the strength of ten men, relentlessly attacked, the troll was quickly reduced to a bloody mess. At this rate, the female troll would be killed without a chance to recover.
Kwieek!
Suddenly, a sharp cry was heard, and a massive figure leapt up from the ground. The juvenile troll, which had been crawling amidst the sparse vegetation and boulders, ambushed Utequais.
Even as a juvenile, the troll stood over 2 meters tall. It threw its body, pinning Utequais down with its weight.
"Ugh!"
Quickly assessing the situation, Utequais hastily dropped the mace. Just as the hooked claws were about to tear his skin, he grabbed the troll's wrists.
Kweek!
However, the troll's weapons were not limited to its claws. The juvenile opened its gaping maw and sank its sharp teeth into Utequais's trapezius muscle.
"Ugh,"
If not for his reinforced muscles and magic, he would have lost his life to this deadly attack. The troll's fangs had turned Utequais into a bloody mess in an instant.
"Ugh- Hugaw, ashin (Filthy troll)!"
Utequais retaliated by biting the troll's neck.
"Lu alkarf (Damn it)."
Witnessing the desperate struggle, Atalante desperately summoned her mental power. The two severed violet spheres wove together and hurtled towards the juvenile troll.
Kwaa.
However, the Void Sphere were blocked by the staggering mother troll. As it furiously swung its arms, Atalante was forced to retract the Sphere.
"Flammae (Witch of Fire)!"
At the voice from above, flames erupted from the sphere blades, and Atalante looked up.
"You, stall for time!"
With her golden hair and brown robe billowing, Ellen was flying through the air.
"What?"
"I said, stall for time! Are you deaf?"
The girl began chanting, holding a crystal orb in her left hand and a gray wand in her right.
"Ha, Alcarbatu (Centuries)."
As the magic swirled around Ellen, Atalante readjusted her grip on the spheres.
While Phoenix and four others fought the three trolls, the rest of the party was also engaged in their own battles.
Kweee!
The troll let out a fierce roar, clinging to the golem's back. The earthen golem desperately flailed its arms, but ultimately could not withstand the troll's weight and was slammed to the ground.
Kwe.
The troll, sitting on the collapsed golem, growled menacingly as it swung its arms, shattering the formation of the mercenaries and the one-armed golem.
The troll was intelligent enough to recognize the threatening young Mage hiding behind, and it charged towards him.
"Ah, uh-"
With a pale face, Ethan fumbled to retrieve the rune fragments from his chest, but dropped them as the troll approached, growling fiercely. He was too flustered and unable to remain calm.
Chasing the troll and thrusting his spear, the druid Zhanabas urgently called out.
"Simos! I leave the rear to you!"
"What?"
The dark-haired swordsman, Simos, turned around in confusion, but Zhanabas was no longer there, replaced by a growling wolf.
Grrrr!
The transformed Zhanabas, now a massive gray wolf, leapt at the troll and sank its teeth into the neck.
Kweek!
The startled troll thrashed about, but the wolf clung on, despite the wounds from the claws.
"Damn it, damn, you dog-"
Pale-faced, Simos muttered something under her breath. Then, she steeled herself and charged at the troll.
"Phew, Fluitro fulgurnon (Flowing lightning)-!"
As she approached the troll, Simos' longsword began to crackle with electricity. The gray of her hair was tinged with a bluish hue.
The thrashing troll spotted the flickering light and quickly swung its arm.
"Ugh!"
Simos hastily rolled on the ground, but the hooked claws relentlessly pursued her.
Crunch!
The wolf clinging to the neck twisted its body, and the golem controlled by Siren latched onto the troll.
Kweek.
As the troll staggered, Simos seized the opportunity to strike with her blade.
Phuuk, Chijjik!
The troll was instantly electrocuted, freezing in place and collapsing. The electrified Zhanabas also reverted to his human form, rolling on the ground.
A brief silence. Realizing that the leader Amias was down, the archer Cole urgently shouted.
"Kill it!"
"Uwoeoh!"
The mercenaries, including Steedman, rushed in and began pummeling the troll.
"Ugh, ugh, ow, damn."
Staggering to her feet, Simos caught her breath, calming her pounding heart.
That's when-
Kwang! A thunderous sound echoed from afar, and turning to look, the massive female troll was engulfed in flames. As it let out a piercing scream and staggered, the dust-covered Atalante rushed in.
"Hraaaaah!"
Emanating a faint glow, Atalante leapt like an eagle with folded wings.
Pak!
With a nimble sound, a long lance pierced the troll's head.
As the colossal female troll fell, the blood-soaked Utequais, holding the troll's severed head, raised his arms.
"Uwoooh!"
Watching the victorious roar in a daze, Simos suddenly snapped back to her senses.
'The leader?'
When she hastily turned her head, the male troll was clutching its crotch, letting out a scream.
Kweee-
In front of it, Phoenix was tossing some bloody mass while catching his breath.
"Haa, haa, phew-"
Visible through the tattered plate armor were large wounds on his back and shoulders. It seemed like a severe injury, but Phoenix suddenly smiled.
"Ugh-"
Then, like a panther, he leapt up and clung to the headless leader troll's back. As the troll was too preoccupied with the pain to react, Hrunting unleashed a brilliant crimson light.
Swick!
With a saw-like cut, the massive head tumbled to the ground.