Duke and his group remained utterly still in the bushes, not making a sound.
Only when the two-headed ogre disappeared into the distant forest did Vivian give them a signal, and they began to slowly retreat.
They had figured out the situation here, and their top priority was to take the information back and then discuss countermeasures.
From what they observed, the two-headed ogre was evidently "recruiting", amassing power.
Once the two-headed ogre had gathered enough forces, it was likely to expand its territory, inevitably causing troubles for the neighboring Maple Hill County.
After Duke and his group had distanced themselves from that valley, they gradually increased their speed to make their escape.
A sudden stench wafted from ahead, and Vivian, who was at the rear, frowned and warned, "Be careful!"
But it was already too late; Beck, at the forefront, noticed that the two-headed ogre had somehow appeared ahead, with a burly goblin standing behind it.
Beck immediately sensed danger, stopped, and was about to retreat.
The two-headed ogre’s mouths opened and uttered something, then raised its massive club and swung it down hard.
The movement seemed slow, but was actually very quick.
Beck was still attempting to retreat and hadn’t fully moved when the club struck him right on the head.
The two-headed ogre withdrew the club, leaving behind a bloody, indistinct body, with bits of hair and flesh stuck to the club.
The bloody scent spread instantly, and the two-headed ogre seemed to revel in it, both heads starting to grin foolishly.
"You go first, I’ll delay them as long as I can!" Vivian glanced at the horrific scene on the ground, picked up the giant axe from her back, and stepped forward to confront the threats.
Vivian, at best, had the strength of an official knight and alone it would be nearly impossible for her to handle the two-headed ogre and the goblin ahead.
The goblin was most likely a goblin chieftain, with knight-level strength.
Before Duke and the others could respond, many humanoid creatures appeared around them, even several high-level magical beasts.
Clearly, they had been caught in this biological encirclement.
Duke and his team did not know when they had been exposed, but from the enemy’s setup, it seemed their position had been known for some time.
"The two-headed ogre... isn’t lacking in intelligence." Duke felt the pressure as he looked at the two-headed ogre ahead.
Previously, encounters with fishmen, cavemen, or magical beasts involved facing pure physical prowess but lacked intelligence.
But now, facing such a trap-setting creature was truly troublesome for him.
Vivian, observing the situation around, realized it was almost impossible for Duke and the others to leave alone, and said, "You handle those around us, find a chance to escape, I’ll hold off these two."
With those words, Vivian charged forward with her axe, moving at incredible speed.
The two-headed ogre remained motionless, while the goblin chieftain beside it came forward wielding a long sword.
Vivian’s giant axe cleaved against the goblin chieftain’s sword, the impact making the goblin chieftain stagger back a step before regaining balance.
In its eyes, the goblin chieftain looked puzzled, its small brain unable to comprehend how this petite figure could unleash such power.
Vivian moved with blinding speed, and with another axe swing, she broke the goblin chieftain’s long sword in half.
The goblin chieftain’s face showed terror, it was about to retreat when the two-headed ogre swung its club down, assisting the goblin chieftain in blocking Vivian’s continued assault.
Vivian deftly sidestepped the swing of the club.
Duke didn’t have the luxury to watch the battle there; he was deeply embroiled in his own fierce fight.
Though they were facing no knight-level foes, there were many high-tier knight attendant-level enemies, making their situation extremely arduous.
The other two, seasoned soldiers, formed a temporary battle formation with Duke to fend off the encirclement.
Vivian, for her part, was facing two foes alone and remarkably held the upper hand.
But neither Duke nor Vivian felt any relief; they knew the two-headed ogre possessed casting ability.
Until now, the two-headed ogre hadn’t displayed its casting ability and was merely relying on brute physical power in battle.
"Why isn’t it using magic?" Duke pondered this question.
He quickly deduced that the two-headed ogre’s casting wasn’t without limits; it likely couldn’t use magic endlessly.
Likely, Vivian hadn’t posed enough of a threat to force it to use its casting ability yet.
Duke continued slashing at the goblins and cavemen swarming around him with his longsword, until he was almost numb from the chopping.
About half an hour later, their stamina was waning, and some were already injured.
This was not a good sign, injuries could put them at mortal risk.
Meanwhile, Vivian’s giant axe emitted a potent white glow, turning completely white.
A sweeping strike unleashed a flash of white light, and the goblin chieftain’s head was instantly severed, a sanguine fountain gushing from its neck stump.
The scene visibly stunned the two-headed ogre, causing it to hastily withdraw its assault and retreat from Vivian.
Breathing heavily, Vivian realized that this move had drained a lot of her fighting spirit and couldn’t be used frequently.
The two-headed ogre’s brains mumbled something to each other, seemingly reaching an agreement after a brief discussion.
It discarded its club, and suddenly, a purple lightning ball materialized between its hands, surrounded by crackling electricity, incessantly flashing.
Seeing this, Vivian knew things were dire. She raised her axe and charged forward, intending to interrupt the ogre’s casting.
However, the casting was much shorter than Vivian anticipated; the lightning ball instantly shot toward her.
Vivian hurriedly adjusted her position to evade the lightning ball.
Unexpectedly, the lightning ball changed direction, curving right to hit Vivian directly.
"It’s homing!" Duke, while dealing with nearby threats, noticed the situation and was taken aback.
Vivian was struck by the lightning ball, sent flying, and her chest armor turned from silver-white to charred black, where she lay unmoving in the distant grass.
The two-headed ogre ignored the far-off Vivian, whose fate was uncertain, and turned its gaze toward Duke and his two companions, picking up a huge club nearby to hurl at them.
Always alert, Duke promptly shouted a warning, "Watch out, dodge quickly!"
He was quick to warn, but the club was quicker; a veteran failed to dodge and was instantly crushed into a pulp by the club.