"The Beasts will be here in 10 minutes!"
A frantic scout rushed towards Kael and reported.
Kael's heartbeat quickened.
They were finally here.
His first battle was about to begin.
With a quick exhale, he suppressed his emotions and acted with calm.
His eyes turned towards one of Sarah's Bonds that she had left with him.
It was an Echoing Luminark, a Rare Rank, Special Elemental Type Beast.
A creature with a body as big as a large horse's. It had shimmering, golden feathers that glistened under sunlight, an owl-like head, and luminous blue eyes. The lower half of its body resembled a sleek lion with silver fur, and the Runes on its massive wings glowed as it used its ability.
As for the reason why Sarah left Echo with Kael?
It was because of how important Echo was for the battle.
Echo has the ability to "capture" sound by listening to a speaker, convert it into pure magical energy, and send it through the air, bypassing obstacles like walls or even mountains.
An ability ideal for mass broadcasting, whether to communicate important messages, rally troops, or even deliver entertainment like music or stories.
Kael spoke, his voice was low. Echo, however, quickly projected his voice throughout Estwyn Town.
"We've prepared for this moment.
Stick to the plan, and remember,
We aren't here to drive them back.
We are here to put an end to this once and for all."
Kael's voice echoed through the battlefield.
He spoke calmly, at his words, however, the soldiers that were positioned in different locations, cheered in unison.
Under the fervent chants, Kael turned his attention to the Northern Gate.
It was a faint vibration at first, but very quickly, it turned into a thunderous quake, and... they came into view.
Ten towering, hulking monstrosities. Their skin was covered in thick, stone-like scales. Most of them were around 5 meters tall. Their beady eyes glowed menacingly. Their mouths, lined with jagged teeth, growled as they charged forward, smashing everything in their path.
Kael also noticed a strange, dark mist surrounding these creatures, an energy that was known to be the source of 'corruption.'
The townsfolk called these armored beasts 'The Brutes.'
The northern gate shuddered as the brutes approached. Clearly, the previous battles had weakened the gates quite a bit.
Once again, his words echoed. This time, only the soldiers positioned at the northern gate heard his voice.
"Place your trust in me."
Kael's heart felt heavy as he said those words. For now, however, he suppressed everything he felt and took responsibility.
His draconic golden eyes stared at the monstrosities that made their way towards them, and a bunch of screens appeared in front of him.
He read through all the details. Another fascinating thing to note was that while most of the Brutes were 'unnamed,' two of them had names—'Joy' and 'Coco.'
The two of them were once close to humans and were named by them, but now…
Because of that dark power corrupting them, it had led to... this.
A weak smile appeared on Kael's face as he realized it. Soon, however, he shook his head and read the information of the strongest brute.
[Race: Shadowclaw Ravager]
[Intelligence: 35 (2)]
[Strengths: Incredible Physical Strength, Stone-Like Scales, High Endurance]
[Weaknesses: Low Intelligence]
'The ones in the bracket should be its current stats, and the other one should be what its stats used to be before corruption, correct?'
Kael thought inwardly, and when he realized the difference the corruption made,
'Come on, that's just cheating at this point.'
He just complained in his head.
'No wonder these people were having such a difficult time dealing with these beasts.
It's like they are using drugs.'
If 'the Brutes' were only as strong as they normally were, then even if they attacked, it wouldn't have caused much problem since the town's militia, together with their Bonds, would have been able to defend the town.
But with these beasts strengthened by corruption… it became much more difficult.
Almost impossible, actually.
Kael even wondered how these people survived up to this point.
After all, the strongest tamer here was Tobias, whose average stats were around 30.
'I guess they outnumber them, huh…'
Kael reasoned in his head.
At the same time, as he stared at another screen in front of him, he regained some of his confidence.
[Talent: Dragon Genesis]
[Talent Rank: SSS Rank]
[Intelligence: 33 → 44]
'This is manageable.'
He muttered inwardly, his eyes shining brightly.
Sure, he was still weaker compared to that Shadowclaw Ravager, but that was the strongest of all ten Brutes, and while there were three more Brutes who were stronger than Kael, the rest were somewhat equal in strength.
With a determined look on his face, Kael stared at the scene in front of him. Then, once the Brutes were within range…
With a deafening roar, the first cannon fired, spitting out a massive iron shell. The projectile screeched through the air before slamming into the lead Brute's shoulder and…
The iron shell exploded, sending a shockwave that made even the thick stone walls tremble.
'Tsk, they need to upgrade their weapons.'
No, something did happen.
The Brutes affected by the explosion roared.
Kael ordered, and the second cannon was shot.
While the thick hide of the Brutes absorbed most of the damage, the blasts left scorch marks and shallow wounds, somewhat managing to slow the Brutes' relentless advance.
The man overseeing the cannon team ordered.
The soldiers placed another shell into the barrels, and the cannons were fired again, and then again, then again.
If one didn't make a difference, Kael would continue to fire till it did.
The smell of gunpowder filled the air.
The Brutes bled. This, however, didn't stop their advance. As if they couldn't feel any pain, they rampaged forward, getting closer to the gates.
"They are near the gates!"
The battlefield became more and more chaotic. The Brutes were now too close; the cannons couldn't be used anymore.
One particularly massive Brute, its hide scorched and torn, let out an ear-piercing bellow and charged the gate.
And it didn't stop there. After the first Brute, more and more Brutes rushed forward, pounding on the gates with their heavy bodies.
"They are here already!!
The soldiers handling the cannons above the walls widened their eyes in horror as they ran away, abandoning their posts.
The Northern Gate shuddered under the relentless pounding. Each strike shook its very foundation.
A large crack appeared.
Yes, not even an entire minute had passed, but the gate had already cracked.
The Brutes continued to strike relentlessly. The crack continued to widen until finally,
With a deafening crack, the gate broke into pieces.
Dust erupted into the air, covering everything in a thick, choking cloud.
"They broke through!!
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!"
The soldiers screamed as they continued to run away.
Don't be mistaken; these soldiers weren't running away from the Brutes. They had faced these monsters before, so while they were scared of them, they would never abandon their post in such a manner.
The ones they were running away from were not the Brutes...
The Hero had already placed himself 300 meters away from the gates, staring at the Brutes, who had just entered the gates, covered in dust and debris.
What the Beasts failed to notice in time, however, were the four large oil barrels Kael had prepared to welcome them.
Yes, Kael's goal was never to stop the Beasts from coming in.
He just wanted to fight under his conditions.
Kael chuckled, thinking about a certain brown-haired loli from Crimson Magician School as he then formed a gun with his hand and pointed at the Brutes.
Two magic circles appeared in front of his palm, and two sleek arrows of flames were formed.
The instant he said those words, the arrows whistled through the air, hit the oil barrels and before the Brutes could react.