Chapter 29: Buried by the Horde
The horde of Monsters bore down on him, each of the fierce deformities of monsters racing toward him with the sole purpose of tearing him limb from limb.
It was a truly horrifying sight. And Drake, who was the target, gritted his teeth, rising to his feet with his hand grasping his blade firmly.
"Damn you all! Bastards!" At this point, he had no care whether there were a thousand of these beasts—he had no care if he was unable to take down so many.
No... At this point, he was a beast himself.
Rushing forward to meet the horde, he raised his blade and struck down at the first few monsters that came his way, cutting through several with brutal precision.
A hunched-back monster lunged at him, swinging its bone-like claws toward Drake. He ducked under the attack and drove his knee into the side of the creature—his monstrous strength sending the beast flying, crashing into its own kind.
Drake, despite being outnumbered, managed to hold his own. He was a flurry of attacks—a demon in his own category of swordplay—giving it his all in a battle for survival.
However, no matter how great he was with the sword, that did not change the fact that he was outnumbered.
Soon enough, his defense began to dilapidate. Blows from claws and fists landed on his body, and gradually, his form became drowned in not just the beasts’ strikes, but in his own exhaustion as well.
’Shit!’ Drake groaned, blocking an attack only to receive another one down at his belly—a hand pierced through his soft stomach with ease, causing blood to spill out uncontrollably.
He thrust his knee upward, striking the monster’s jaw and sending it staggering back into the others.
’Is this it... where I die?’ he asked himself, blocking another hit and trying to summon Kyvern, not caring if his dragon got swarmed.
However, before he could even try, another strike came from behind—a wolf-like monster clamped onto him from the back, sinking its fangs deep into his shoulder. Drake’s grip gave way for a second, his sword falling to the ground.
"Argggggh!!!" An ear-piercing shriek escaped his lips as he raised both hands, pulling the wolf from his back with all his might. A chunk of his shoulder tore off alongside the beast as he flung it toward the monsters ahead.
The loss of blood and the fatal wound immediately took their toll. Despite his willpower, his body disobeyed his commands and fell to its knees, unable to move any longer.
"I guess... this is really it—"
Just then, the horde of monsters closed in on Drake, all of them preparing to devour him and then—
It happened.
A massive ball of fire tore through the air, ripping through the advancing monsters. The ones behind suffered the same fate, burnt to a crisp before they could even get close to Drake.
The sight struck Drake with awe, his eyes widening in disbelief.
’What just happened?’ he asked himself, turning his gaze to the side to see who his savior was.
"KRIEEEK!!!"
Kyvern—the great dragon—stood beside him, its massive frame trembling with rage. It let out a deathly, dominating shriek, eyes blazing with bloodlust and fury.
It was more than resentful for the state its master was in.
And it wasn’t just Kyvern who had come to his rescue—looking further, Drake saw Luna racing toward him, cutting down the remnants of the monsters still alive after the blast, while Tessa attacked those further off to buy them time and space to recover.
’Who would have known they’d come,’ Drake thought, a small, satisfied smile appearing on his bloodstained countenance.
For Luna, she had risked her life for a master who had done little to nothing for her. And for Tessa—despite not knowing he was the one behind the mask—she followed, choosing to save a stranger.
How peculiar.
Soon enough, Luna reached Drake first, and Tessa followed after, standing guard as she continued to rain fire upon the incoming monsters. Kyvern did the same, releasing fiery blasts with deafening roars.
Luna knelt beside Drake as she reached him, placing both hands over his chest. She closed her eyes and concentrated.
At first, this confused Drake—he had little to no idea what she was trying to do. Nonetheless, he realized soon enough.
The pain coursing through his body began to dull; his wounds slowly sealed, flesh stitching together through magic. In a matter of moments, Drake was back to himself—healed enough to move his body without much pain, at least.
Drake stretched out his hand, grasped the hilt of his sword once again, and muttered, "This wasn’t in your job prescription."
Luna shook her head slightly, evidently drained from healing him. Her soul’s ability was truly powerful—capable of great miracles—but there was a reason she only used it when absolutely necessary. It took a massive toll on her body and spirit, and considering how long the battle could still stretch on, she had just committed what one could call suicide—all in the name of saving Drake.
"Rest here with Kyvern," Drake ordered, his voice stern and commanding, yet proud as he patted Luna on the head and rose to support Tessa.
By this time, the horde was already upon them once more—more ferocious than before. But now, they were prepared.
The Cohort, seeing Kyvern and the small clearing Drake and the others had created, fought their way toward them to regroup and regain their footing.
This time, Kresha took the lead. As they moved into the clearing, she commanded the long-ranged fighters to attack first, clearing a path through the monsters before them. At the same time, they supported those at the rear, creating enough space between the melee fighters and the beasts to avoid being swarmed and torn apart.
Still, not everyone made it. Many were dragged by ogres and thrown into the horde, instantly ripped apart in their disoriented state.
In the end, Kresha managed to lead the majority of the Awakened to the clearing near the mighty dragon—though not too close, so as not to anger the beast.
This time, they were better positioned—spaced out so that the long-ranged fighters could attack efficiently while the tankers held their ground at the front.
As the horde charged again, they fought with renewed strength. Abilities flashed through the air—swords, flames, and energy slicing monsters apart by the dozens.
Yet for every dozen beasts that fell, an Awakened followed them into the depths of hell.
The battle still favored the endless horde, and despite how many they had slain, there seemed to be no end in sight—for as far as the eyes could see, monsters kept coming.
Drake could feel his body creaking with strain as he cut through each monster that came his way. Tessa was the same—no longer using her fire talent, relying solely on her last sword.
’We can’t continue like this. Our mana will run out sooner or later... and these monsters are endless. We need a competent plan,’ Drake thought. But all he had were theories—not plans. There wasn’t enough time to analyze the situation.
For crying out loud, he almost had his throat torn apart every few seconds.
At this rate, it didn’t matter if they had the greatest formation known to man. It didn’t matter if there was even a Lord among them.
They would die—and that was one thing they all knew.