Casting

Duke and the others remained hidden in the bushes, utterly motionless and silent.

Only after the Two-Headed Ogre vanished into the distant forest did Vivian signal to them and begin slowly backing away.

They had already figured out the situation here. The most important thing now was to bring the news back and discuss a plan.

Judging from what they had seen, the Two-Headed Ogre was clearly "recruiting troops" and gathering strength.

Once the Two-Headed Ogre had built up enough power, it would most likely expand its territory. Maple Hill County, directly bordering this place, would inevitably be drawn into trouble.

After Duke and the others had moved far away from the valley, they gradually picked up speed and began fleeing the area.

Suddenly, a rancid stench drifted over from ahead. Vivian, who was bringing up the rear, frowned and called out a warning, "Careful!"

But it was already too late. Baker, who was charging at the front, discovered that the Two-Headed Ogre had somehow appeared ahead of them, with a burly goblin standing behind it.

Baker immediately realized something was wrong. He stopped and prepared to retreat.

Both heads of the Two-Headed Ogre opened their mouths and said something, then it raised the huge wooden club in its hands and smashed it down.

The movement looked slow, but it was actually incredibly fast.

Baker's body was still poised to retreat. Before he could escape, the massive club smashed directly into his head.

The Two-Headed Ogre lifted its club, revealing a mangled mass of flesh on the ground. Clumps of hair and bloodied meat still clung to the club.

The smell of blood instantly spread through the air. The Two-Headed Ogre seemed thrilled by the scent, and both of its enormous heads began grinning foolishly.

"You go first. I'll hold them off for as long as I can!" Vivian glanced at the horrific scene on the ground, grabbed the massive axe from her back, and stepped in front of the others.

Vivian was only a formal knight herself. It was nearly impossible for her to face the Two-Headed Ogre and that goblin alone.

That goblin was most likely a goblin leader, with strength at the knight level as well.

Before Duke and the others could say anything, many humanoid creatures emerged from all around them, along with several high-level magical beasts.

Clearly, they had long since fallen into these creatures' encirclement.

Duke and the others had no idea when they had been exposed. Judging from the enemy's arrangements, their position had apparently been known for quite some time.

"The Two-Headed Ogre... is quite intelligent." Duke looked at the Two-Headed Ogre ahead, feeling immense pressure.

The fishmen, cave dwellers, magical beasts, and other creatures he had encountered before had only possessed powerful bodies. They all lacked intelligence.

Now that he had encountered a creature capable of laying traps, he found the situation extremely troublesome.

Seeing the situation around them, Vivian knew it was nearly impossible for Duke and the others to escape on their own. She said, "Deal with the ones around you and look for a chance to get out. I'll hold these two back."

With that, Vivian charged forward with her axe in hand, moving at tremendous speed.

The Two-Headed Ogre remained where it was. The goblin leader beside it came forward with a long saber.

Vivian's massive axe struck the goblin leader's saber. The tremendous force made the goblin leader's body sway, and it had to take a step back before regaining its footing.

Confusion appeared in the goblin leader's eyes. Its tiny head clearly could not understand why such a petite body could unleash such immense strength.

Vivian was incredibly fast. She immediately followed with another axe strike, severing the goblin leader's saber on the spot.

Terror appeared on the goblin leader's face as it prepared to retreat, but the Two-Headed Ogre swung its club down, blocking Vivian from continuing her attack.

Vivian flashed aside and dodged the club strike.

Duke had no time to watch the battle over there any longer before he was dragged into a bitter fight.

There were no knight-level opponents on their side, but there were many enemies at the level of high-ranking knight attendants, making them extremely difficult to handle.

The other two were also seasoned veterans. The three of them formed a makeshift battle formation and faced the attacks from all sides together.

On Vivian's side, she was fighting two opponents alone yet showed no sign of falling behind. On the contrary, she seemed to be suppressing them.

But neither Duke nor Vivian felt at ease. They knew that the Two-Headed Ogre had the ability to cast spells.

So far, the Two-Headed Ogre had not displayed any spellcasting ability. It had merely relied on its powerful physique in battle.

"Why isn't it using it?" Duke pondered the question.

He quickly figured it out. The Two-Headed Ogre's spellcasting was not without limits; it most likely could not cast spells indefinitely.

Most likely, Vivian had not yet posed enough of a threat to force it to use its spellcasting ability.

Duke kept using the longsword in his hand to kill the goblins and cave dwellers constantly surging in from all around. His arms had grown numb from all the killing.

About half an hour later, everyone had expended much of their strength, and some had begun to suffer injuries.

This was not a good sign. Once they were injured, their lives could very well be in danger.

On the other side, the massive axe in Vivian's hand radiated an intense white glow, and the entire axe turned pure white.

With one swing of her axe, a flash of white light burst forth. The goblin leader's head instantly fell to the ground, while a column of blood sprayed from its headless neck.

The Two-Headed Ogre was clearly startled by the sight. It withdrew its attack and hurriedly retreated away from Vivian.

Vivian panted heavily. That move had consumed a great deal of her battle aura, and she could not use it often.

The Two-Headed Ogre's two heads muttered to each other, seemingly discussing something. After a moment, they appeared to reach an agreement.

It threw its club onto the ground, then stretched out both hands. A purple sphere of lightning suddenly appeared between them, electric arcs swirling around it as it flickered continuously.

The moment Vivian saw this, she knew something was wrong. She raised her axe and charged forward, intending to interrupt the Two-Headed Ogre's spellcasting.

However, the Two-Headed Ogre's casting process was clearly even shorter than Vivian had imagined. The lightning sphere shot out instantly, rushing straight toward her.

Vivian hurriedly adjusted her position, trying to evade the lightning sphere.

Who would have thought that the lightning sphere would suddenly change direction, turn right, and strike Vivian directly?

"It's locked on!" Duke noticed what was happening while fending off the enemies around him, and his heart jolted in alarm.

Vivian was struck by the lightning sphere and sent flying. The silver-white armor on her chest had turned charred black, and she lay in the distant grass without moving for a long time.

The Two-Headed Ogre ignored Vivian, whose fate was unknown in the distance, and turned its gaze toward Duke and the other two. It picked up the enormous wooden club beside it and hurled it over.

Duke, who had been watching this side all along, hurriedly shouted a warning, "Careful, move!"

His warning had come quickly, but the club was faster. One veteran had no time to dodge and was struck directly by the club, instantly reduced to a pile of minced flesh.