Orc

The dwarf's gurgling blood and the thud of his fall, like giant stones dropped into a calm lake, made everyone's nerves snap taut.

"Ambush!!"

The first to react was the experienced veteran, Captain of the Guards, Marcus.

He drew the longsword at his waist with a sudden movement, shielding himself with his kite shield, and let out a deafening roar. At the same time, he stepped forward, using his shield to deliver a powerful Shield Bash to the enemy charging at the forefront, making one stumble.

The enemy who fell to the ground allowed everyone to see the attackers' true faces before the chaos erupted.

Its skin was a dark green, like swamp mud, rough and tough, covered in dirt and old scars. A wide mouth revealed two thick, yellowed tusks protruding upwards from its lower jaw, giving it a particularly ferocious appearance.

Orcs? They were actually Orcs!?

"Form a circle! Iron Shell formation!" he shouted, clearly a seasoned veteran.

The four guards quickly closed ranks, forming a curved defensive line facing the enemy with their shields and bodies, alongside the equally grim-faced greatsword wielder, Kyle.

The merchant Bolin screamed and scrambled under a cargo cart.

Almost simultaneously, from the woods and bushes at the edge of the grassland, wild, furious war cries erupted!

"Waaagh!!!"

A dozen or so green-skinned figures with bared tusks and stout builds surged out like a tide.

They wore crudely pieced-together Leather Armor and iron plates, wielding heavy, single or double-handed axes with dull bloodstains on their blades.

A few smaller Orcs drew their bows and nocked arrows, while others pulled throwing javelins from their backs.

"Shamir! Deal with the ranged attackers first!" Xia Lin shouted.

The female archer was already in position, her longbow steady as a rock in her hands.

She breathed deeply, her eyes sharp. Almost as soon as Xia Lin spoke, her bowstring vibrated repeatedly as she unleashed her signature ranger skill for clearing out stragglers: Rapid Shot Volley.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Four arrows, as if guided by eyes, traced precise trajectories through the air, instantly piercing the vital points of four Orc archers or javelin throwers in different directions.

The Orcs' clumsy ranged attacks were utterly dismantled by Aila, a veteran marksman, like child's play.

But the frontal collision was unavoidable!

Like a dozen wild bulls charging, the Orc Warriors roared as they slammed into the guards' shield wall!

Clang! Bang! Crackle!

The violent impact of metal and wood, the dull thud of bones being crushed by blunt weapons, and the sound of weapons cutting into flesh erupted in a cacophony! The immense impact made the entire defense line tremble.

One guard's shield was directly shattered by a great axe, followed by the axe blade deeply embedding itself in his chest.

"For Aria!" Captain Marcus roared. He led the charge, his longsword wielded with steady skill. While blocking with his shield, he seized opportunities to deliver precise Block and Riposte strikes, leaving wounds on the Orcs.

Kyle roared as he swung his two-handed greatsword. The heavy blade, with its overwhelming power, carved a massive Cleave!

He forced back two Orcs in front of him, directly severing the axe-wielding arm of one, causing green blood to spurt out like a fountain.

However, he himself was also wounded on the arm by the barbs on another Orc's axe. The flesh beneath his chainmail was torn, and he clearly fought through the pain.

The Halfling, Pip, had already disappeared from the front lines using Shadow Stealth.

Amidst the chaos, Orcs occasionally let out short screams as they fell, clutching their lower backs or necks. It was Pip's elusive Backstab striking true again.

Xia Lin did not engage the incredibly strong Orc Warriors head-on.

He moved quickly around the edges of the battlefield like the most cunning hunter.

An Orc was forced back by Kyle and stumbled as it tried to regain its balance.

Xia Lin's figure appeared behind it like a phantom. With a flick of his wrist, his longsword struck like a viper's tongue, Pierce! It accurately pierced the gap between the armor plates on its neck.

The sword tip sank in, drawing forth a stream of hot green blood.

The Orc's movements stiffened. Xia Lin pulled his sword out without hesitation and, without even looking at its falling body, immediately turned to the next target.

The Leather Armor inlaid with the scales of the Chosen One gave him great confidence; several glancing blows were deflected.

The tide of battle was slowly turning.

Aila had completely suppressed the enemy's ranged fire. Pip's sneak attacks kept the Orcs on edge, and while Kyle and the guards were under immense pressure and casualties were occurring (another guard fell), they held the front line.

Xia Lin's efficient hit-and-run tactics were also steadily reducing the enemy's numbers.

Only seven or eight Orcs remained standing, all of them wounded.

Victory seemed within reach.

An Orc, pinned firmly by Captain Marcus's shield, with a large gash across its chest, let out a trapped beast's roar.

Its breathing became heavy, its eyes quickly turned bloodshot, its skin turned an abnormal dark red, and its muscles swelled at a visible rate, veins bulging like coiled dragons.

"Careful! The Orc's Blood Frenzy!" Kyle roared in warning.

The Orc, entering a frenzy, suddenly unleashed terrifying power. It grabbed the edge of Marcus's shield and violently flung it aside, then headbutted Marcus squarely in the face! Blood spurted from Marcus's nose and mouth as he was sent flying backward like a sack of rags, his life uncertain.

The enraged Orc didn't stop. Its crimson eyes locked onto Kyle, the closest target, and it charged with a roar, its speed far exceeding its previous pace!

Kyle's expression changed, and he hurriedly raised his greatsword to block.

Sera, the masked woman who had been standing silently in the rear, made a move.

She raised the hands hidden within her sleeves. The air around them seemed to freeze for a moment, and an unsettling aura of shadow gathered in her palms, emitting a low hum.

Without incantation, only a cold, hoarse word was uttered: "Eldritch Blast!"

A beam composed purely of purple-black energy, like a spear forged from condensed shadow, silently sliced through the air and instantly struck the enraged Orc's exposed chest!

Puchi!

The beam easily pierced the Orc's tough skin and muscle, leaving behind a terrifying, charred hole that smoked black.

The enraged Orc's charge came to an abrupt halt. The bloodlust in its eyes receded like a tide, and its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, falling silent.

Sera's casting motion caused her hood to slip back, revealing most of her face.

It was by no means human! Her skin was pale purple, and faint, curved black horns like those of a goat could be seen on her forehead. Her pupils burned with a dark red flame.

Her appearance was identical to the hellish devils described in the bard's tales.

This mysterious woman was actually a spellcaster connected to hellish powers.

Before everyone could fully recover from the series of sudden events, Kyle was about to signal everyone to deal with the last few Orcs whose morale had already collapsed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two sharp whistling sounds came from deep within the forest behind them!

Xia Lin felt a gust of foul wind graze his scalp, followed by a dull thud and the terrifying sound of bones shattering.

He spun around sharply. The guard captain, Marcus, who had been struggling to get up, had lost his head. His neck was like a ruptured fountain of blood. His body swayed and he fell completely.

A fist-sized stone, covered in red and white matter, rolled beside him.

Almost simultaneously, another stone whistled through the air and smashed fiercely into Sera's arm, just as she finished casting and before she could hide her form again!

"Crack!"

The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible! Sera let out a suppressed groan of pain, staggering. Her arm hung down at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.

"What?!" Everyone cried out in shock, stopping in their tracks and warily looking in the direction the stones had come from.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the forest.

He was even taller than all the Orcs before him, nearly two and a half meters tall, like a small giant.

He wore a haphazard assortment of thick, heavy plate armor clearly salvaged from human knights, ill-fitting for his size—a massive breastplate barely covered his chest, shoulder pauldrons were crookedly strapped to his shoulders, and perhaps a few metal skirt plates were tied to the outside of his thighs, but that was all. Most of his limbs remained exposed, covered in green skin crisscrossed with hideous scars.

His eyes were cold and filled with intelligence, completely lacking the frenzy of ordinary Orcs.

Behind him followed seven or eight Orcs, wielding various weapons, silent and deadly. They were clearly new reinforcements.

The Orc leader, clad in plate armor, was casually tossing a sharp-edged stone with a massive hand fitted with a cestus. His gaze swept over the corpse of his companion killed by the Eldritch Blast, then glanced contemptuously at Sera, who was clutching her broken arm. He grumbled in a rough, heavily accented, and disdainful Orcish tongue:

"Grash'ka Urk... (What kind of magic is this...)"