The Shield Guard sacrificed himself
The three nearest Fishmen brandished bone and stone weapons and were the first to charge Rex.
"Bang! Bang! Clang!"
Claws and weapons slammed into the tower shield, producing a tremendous, muffled crash.
Rex swayed only slightly, standing firm as though his feet had taken root. A layer of earthy yellow light lit up the tower shield's surface; he had clearly activated some kind of defensive skill.
The instant the Fishmen's attacks were blocked and their movements faltered—
"Now! Su Ran!" Rex's roar exploded in the party channel.
Su Ran had long been ready.
He had been hiding behind a boulder to Rex's rear and side. At the shout, he immediately stepped forward, and the tiger fang at the center of the [Tiger Might Headband] on his forehead suddenly shone with a fierce amber light!
He poured out a surge of mental power, locking onto the four ordinary Lv.3–Lv.4 Fishmen on the right who were trying to get around Rex and attack Alina and Karl on the flank. He activated his skill...
[Tiger Might Fear Spell]!
A mental shock wave, invisible and intangible yet imbued with the majesty and ferocity of the king of beasts, burst outward in a fan from Su Ran!
The four Fishmen were baring their fangs and claws, their eyes filled with nothing but a hunger for living flesh.
The next second, it was as though they heard the roar of an ancient beast deep within their souls!
An instinctive terror, born of suppression at a higher level of life, came down on them like a dousing of ice water, instantly drowning their simple, brutal consciousnesses!
"Ugh...!"
All four Fishmen froze at once, the ferocity in their eyes replaced by bewilderment and terror.
The legs of the one in front even went weak, and it nearly dropped the stone fork in its hand. Like rabbits scared witless, they broke off their attacks and even instinctively tried to back away and flee!
"Good chance!" Alina's eyes were sharp as a hawk's. Her bowstring was already drawn to its limit, and pale cyan wind elements coiled around her arrow.
"[Gale Arrow]!"
Swoosh! The arrow tore through the air and struck true, burying itself in the throat of the Lv.5 elite Fishman on the left, interrupting it just as it was about to cast Water Arrow Spell! Blood sprayed!
Karl acted at the same time, holding both hands loosely cupped as cold air gathered.
"[Ice Spike Spell]!"
Several sharp ice spikes whistled toward the other Lv.5 elite and the two ordinary Fishmen beside it, freezing their movements and dealing damage.
Xiaoguang's [Glimmer Shield] also enveloped Rex and Su Ran in time, providing a layer of energy protection that was weak but better than nothing.
The battle shifted in an instant!
The four frightened Fishmen were no longer a threat for the moment. With the pressure on him greatly reduced, Rex roared and swept his shield sideways, knocking the three Fishmen in front of him off balance.
He then reached back, drew the heavy mace at his waist, and smashed it into a Fishman's head, splattering red and white across the ground.
Su Ran did not pause for a moment after releasing the fear spell. He had already raised the [Mithril Staff], and starlight blazed from the mithril at its tip!
"Energy Missile! Rapid fire!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three deep-colored, incredibly swift Arcane Missiles flew like precision-guided missiles, each aimed at the vital points of a Fishman whose formation Rex had disrupted or whom Karl's ice spikes had slowed!
With the staff's boost, the missiles' power was even more terrifying. Scales burst apart and flesh flew wherever they struck!
Alina's arrows came in an unending stream, targeting vulnerable spots such as eyes and joints. Karl's frost spells constantly slowed the enemy and controlled areas of the battlefield.
Xiaoguang maintained the shields and healed Rex, who had been scratched by Fishman claws, while occasionally using a weak Holy Impact to harass enemies that came close.
The battle was fierce and brief.
Having lost the initiative and their coordination, the Fishmen quickly fell apart before the well-trained, closely coordinated party.
The two Lv.5 elites were tough-skinned and thick-fleshed, but under focused attention, they failed to make much of a stir and soon fell to Rex's mace and the party's concentrated fire.
When Su Ran's Energy Missile pierced the last Fishman's heart and it fell to the ground twitching, only the heavy smell of blood and Fishman corpses remained across the rocky tidal flat.
The battle was over.
Rex leaned on his shield and drew several deep breaths. He had picked up a few shallow scratches, but under Xiaoguang's healing, they quickly stopped bleeding and closed.
He glanced over the battlefield, then looked at Su Ran and nodded. "Good timing on the crowd control, and your spells packed enough punch. The headband's fear effect was even better than expected."
Alina put away her longbow and gave Su Ran a thumbs-up. Karl also nodded slightly. Xiaoguang looked at Su Ran and Rex with admiration all over his face.
Su Ran sensed that he had used up about a third of his mana, as well as the cooldown from the [Tiger Might Headband], which needed twenty-four hours before it could be used again. He assessed the battle.
The fear spell's effect had exceeded expectations. It seemed these Fishmen really did not have much mental resistance.
The power of Energy Missile was satisfactory with the staff's boost, and he was growing increasingly proficient at controlling rapid-fire casts.
More importantly, though his first time working with this new party had been far from masterful, basic trust and execution had already been established.
"Clean up the battlefield and quickly collect any valuable materials: Fishman fins, special scales, and any water-element materials you can find. Stay alert!"
Rex gave the order. "Then we'll move toward the main battlefield and see if there's a chance to provide ranged support, or wait for further orders."
Everyone immediately got to work.
As Su Ran searched the Fishman corpses, he looked up into the distance.
From the hills, he could still faintly hear the explosions of spells and the roars of monsters. The battle between the Lv.10 Tidecaller and the Guard Hall party seemed to be continuing.
This was only the beginning. There was still a long road ahead to reclaim Linhai Town.
After clearing the Fishmen from the tidal flat and collecting a small amount of reasonably valuable material—Fishman eyeballs, special glands, and a few relatively intact hardened scales—
Rex's party followed orders and did not rashly approach the main battlefield in the hills. The aftereffects of the fighting and the levels involved were not something they could easily intervene in.
Instead, they cautiously withdrew to the forward camp along a safe route.
The camp was busier than when they had set out. Stretchers carrying the wounded came and went, and the air was thick with the smell of disinfectant and blood.
Some parties were resupplying, their armor damaged and their faces tired, but their eyes were still sharp.
In the distance, more elite teams could be seen assembling, apparently preparing for another push or to provide support.
Su Ran and the others first went to the command post to hand in their mission, giving a brief report on the battle and the enemy. A clerk recorded their contributions and issued their basic daily pay.
Each person received a few silver coins and a small number of guild contribution points. For temporary party members, those terms were already quite good.
Once the handover was complete, Su Ran hesitated, but finally asked the relatively friendly-looking clerk in charge of registration, "Excuse me, the local professionals who evacuated from Linhai Town earlier... where are they now?
"Or is there a list of survivors? I know a few friends, a Shield Guard and a Spearman. They came back a little over a week ago."