“Your aim was good, though.”
The black ogre gripped Levias’s torso with its silver arm and looked at me, its gaze now filled with clear intent. In that instant, fear consumed me. My body froze, unable to move. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from those piercing eyes that seemed to see right through me.
I felt certain I was going to be killed. Those were the eyes of a predator regarding its prey.
“Lance Phalanx of Blue Flames, Luid Farah Lux!”
Thirty spears of blue flame shot past me at high speed, all aimed for the black ogre. This powerful spell, Lance Phalanx of Blue Flames, could only be cast by someone like Lord Weissly, who held an advanced class like High Wizard.
The blue flame lances carried enough heat to incinerate an ogre on contact. The sheer heat of the lances caused the air around them to ripple, scorching my skin even at a distance. Such a powerful spell should easily have destroyed even an ogre variant, but—
“Too slow,” the black ogre muttered softly. I heard it clearly, being so close.
At the same time, the approaching blue flame lances flickered out one by one, leaving only cooling blue embers in their wake. Within three seconds, all thirty lances vanished without igniting anything. What remained was the unharmed Hind Bear and the black ogre.
Seeing this and recalling the ogre’s earlier words, I realized it had nullified the attack completely. But how? The question flashed through my mind.
“Lady Therese, retreat at once!” Lord Weissly’s angry shout reached me from behind. His words snapped me back to my surroundings.
It seemed that the black ogre had used both arms to fend off the blue flame lances, releasing Levias, who had already retreated for wound treatment. Now, I was the closest to the black ogre.
I quickly took a few steps back, preparing for a counterattack, but the black ogre gazed into the darkness and spoke.
“Hmm, that mage seems useful too. Ogrekichi, capture that whole group if possible.”
“… What are you saying?” I couldn’t help but let the words slip out.
“Hmm? Ah, I was just confirming our targets,” the black ogre replied, turning its gaze back to me.
“What the—”
Before I could finish my sentence, the bodies of several soldiers moving to surround the black ogre were instantly severed. An immense quantity of blood splattered onto the ground, spilling out from the vivisected torsos. Their guts spilled out and scattered, with the upper halves of their bodies violently spinning and tumbling to the ground. Moments later, the corpses burst into flames.
Reflexively turning to see what had happened, I saw the second ogre. This one’s skin was not black, but a reddish bronze, and it was even larger than the black ogre. It held a massive double-edged battle axe and a huge, sturdy-looking tower shield that covered three-quarters of its enormous body.
At a glance, it resembled a moving fortress. Adding to the menacing aura, it had a Hind Bear following it, making it appear nearly as dangerous as the black ogre.
“Ogrou, can I kill and eat them all?” the red-bronze ogre asked.
“Well, keep it reasonable. But go ahead,” Ogrou replied.
“Got it. I’ll capture the tough ones,” the other ogre responded. “The rest, I’ll eat.”
“Fine, now get going.”
With a nod, the red-bronze ogre and the Hind Bear rushed toward the soldiers fighting elsewhere. It moved fast. In an instant, it covered a thirty-meter distance as it swung its battle axe horizontally. Like weeds being cut down, the bodies of several nearby soldiers were sliced in half. Their bisected bodies, like the earlier ones, burst into flames.
No doubt about it, that battle axe was a magic item, and it had to be a high-ranking one.
Why does an ogre have something like that? I wondered as I turned my gaze back to the black ogre.
The red-bronze ogre was dangerous, but the black ogre was an even greater threat. As I cautiously adjusted my distance, I heard a voice near my ear. From its distinct resonance, I knew it was delivered via magic.
“Lady Therese, please buy us some time. I will use my trump card to kill the black ogre.”
“Understood. How much time do you need?”
“I know it’s a tall order, but about two minutes would be ideal. Also, if possible, I need you to deal with that silver arm. If you can, try to sever it. That thing is extremely problematic. It could cause my plan to fail.”
“I see. It’s certainly a difficult task, but I’ll do my best.”
“Please.”
Lord Weissly’s voice cut off, and I heard faint chanting from behind me. Simultaneously, I felt a surge of magical power. The tremendous speed at which it was being woven and the rapidly swelling energy indicated the magnitude of the spell being prepared. My mind flashed with the scale of the resulting magic that would be unleashed once the process was complete. This was likely a tier-four spell, capable of devastatingly powerful destruction that could pulverize even the sturdiest of fortresses.
Sensing this, the black ogre dismounted from its Hind Bear and began walking toward us. Its gaze was fixed on where Lord Weissly stood, and it clearly intended to disrupt his chanting. I had to stand in its way; I had to stop it.
“We will now protect Lord Weissly with all our might. Levias, you and your team attack from the left. You and you, from the right. The rest of you, from behind. I will engage from the front. Baen and his group will continuously cast support buffs on us and debuffs on the black ogre.”
“Understood. I’ll give it my all until my internal magic runs dry.”
“That bastard. I’ll definitely cut him down.”
“That’s the spirit!”
We coordinated our timing and launched our attack. Everything hinged on protecting Lord Weissly and buying him time, holding on to the possibility of killing the black ogre.