Shrill whistles echoed through the dense forest, followed by a torrent of heavy footsteps sweeping past like a gale. The ground trembled amid the clanging of metal.
"Look, over there!"
"The vanguard of those monsters has caught up!"
"Hold them back! Don't let them catch up with Lady Veronica!"
The knights shouted. At their head was Faina, clad in full armor. She looked toward the crisscrossing hills and valleys. Sure enough, at the distant boundary between two mountains, a group of creatures appeared, their bodies completely covered in dark, crystal-like shells.
They were the most common type among those monsters, with strength around the middle and upper ranks of Silver. They were very fast, only slightly slower than the Empire's light cavalry. The key was that they often served as the vanguard of that monster army. Once they became entangled with them, the main force of monsters behind them would arrive in an endless stream and drag every one of them to their deaths here.
Over the past half month, from West Metz to Mehotofen, they had clashed with these monsters countless times. Though they had lost more often than they had won, those who survived had gradually learned the details of these enemies. The Cruzians no longer had the courage to fight this terrifying army in a decisive battle, but small-scale clashes were still no problem.
Not to mention that those present were the elite among the Imperial Knights—the Broken Sword Knight Order.
"As long as we don't let them hold us down." Faina quickly settled on a plan. She raised her sword, squeezed her legs against the Earth Dragon's belly, and charged first toward the crystal vanguard.
"Knights, follow me!"
The noble young lady's charge ignited the knights' spirits. They shouted in unison, "Kill!"
Then they plunged downward.