Dragomir admired his opponent's performance. After a quick analysis, he logically concluded, "So this is the leader?" A new objective had become clear: on this side of the bridge, this was the strongest Koboldt.
Dragomir's analysis was correct; this was no ordinary Koboldt, but a leader of a high caste.
But now he had no time to dwell on that. His next move would change the dynamics of the battle.
Taking advantage of the spell he had cast on himself, Dragomir advanced towards the "archer" before he could prepare another arrow.
All the Koboldts around tried to intercept the gray-haired man before he could approach his companion, who was currently unprotected.
But none of them could stand against him. Dragomir outmaneuvered them all with incredible ease. His movements were fluid; he moved among the reptilians as if dancing at a lively festival, not fighting a deadly battle.
At that moment, Dragomir seemed to move like steam, as if his body were made of pure air.
He finally dodged one of the Koboldts with an axe, the last obstacle between him and his target. Dragomir didn't have much time left; he could only use that spell once every 3 minutes.
And after using it, Dragomir wouldn't be able to manipulate magic for anything else. So he had to make the most of the time the spell was active.
The sharpshooter realized that the enemy was approaching him faster than he could escape. Trying to run seemed a futile effort, so he decided to face his opponent head-on.
Releasing his crossbow, he drew a knife that grew large in his small hands. He channeled energy into the blade, purple light filling the inside of the weapon, even transporting it to the outside.
Both were ready for the clash, but before Dragomir could get any closer, he noticed that another Koboldt had escaped his radar.
The optical distortion became clear again; one last Koboldt was hidden, waiting for the right moment to make his move.
He was slightly smaller than average, each hand wielding a knife. He patiently waited for the best moment to act, and believed this was it.
Unfortunately for him, he arrived both too late and too early. Literally leaping into combat at the worst possible moment. If he had attacked before Dragomir used his spell, or after the effect wore off, perhaps he could have done something.
Of all the moments, this was the worst, and he would know it very well, as it was his last mistake.
With unnatural fluidity, Dragomir avoided the newcomer's knife blows with a leap. The gray-haired man floated upside down above the Koboldt.
Before the reptilian could process what had happened, Dragomir decapitated him, preventing him from being any more relevant in this battle.
Without losing momentum, the gray-haired man assaulted the sharpshooter, who even tried to defend himself. Using a powerful spell on his knife, he created an extension of the blade made of pure energy.
Holding the knife hilt with both hands, he charged toward the gray-haired man. Light physical reinforcement spells aided the charge.
But Dragomir ignored them.
With impressive speed, the swordsman moved like a ghost behind the archer, giving him no chance to react.
One swift movement, and the head, attached to the body until seconds before, now rolled across the ground, while the lifeless body fell dead onto the same soil, creating a pool of blood and spectral crystals that were now liquid.
The smoke that had surrounded his body began to dissipate. The spell had lost its effect, and Dragomir could no longer use magic.
But this didn't seem to worry him.
He was tired, but not defeated. Now he had gained a good advantage against his enemies; it was only a matter of time before each of them fell.
Meanwhile, on the bridge, the battle boiled down to constant pressure.
Raizicher had barely launched an arrow before needing to prepare another. On his side, the Koboldts were firing spells and projectiles without pause.
If he continued in that defensive position, he would soon fail.
Another explosive sphere approached from the right, aiming to hit one of the bridge planks. Raiziquer quickly fired another arrow in its direction.
But instead of exploding like the first collision in this confrontation, it was impaled by the arrow, then launched back at the Koboldts.
The combined energies of the two spells were stronger than the reptilians had anticipated. About three of them were eliminated.
"It's still not enough," Raiziquer declared mentally. The numbers were against them; even if they took down many, there would still be a large number of enemies.
"How's your side, Tia?"
The mage didn't look away for a second. Her fingers worked to direct each bat, creating purple storms.
"Manageable," she declared simply; for the first time that day, she seemed focused. Her side was more problematic than Raiziquer's.
The enemies on the archer's side decided to overwhelm him with attacks, hoping he would tire or that one of the blows would get through.
But Tia had proven to be an insurmountable barrier.
Ranged attacks evaporated; no attacker could get close without dying instantly.
Tia might have had millions of flaws, but her prominence in the offensive use of magic was undeniable. She herself could already be called a weapon.
Therefore, the Koboldts had to adopt another strategy.
Among them appeared one who stood out. He was possibly the largest of the tribe; his robust build was marked by a mixture of fat and muscle, a copper mask on his face, and his body also covered in tribal tattoos.
That imposing figure was different from his peers; he seemed truly strong individually, without weapons, only his fists.
He advanced slowly until he was just beyond the mage's reach, where she couldn't hit him.
He clasped both hands as if praying. Steady flows of mana coursed through his body, creating a complex pattern, more akin to Tia's level than that of the Koboldts.
One of the smaller reptilians approached him. The smaller Koboldt channeled energy into a sphere, which was offered to his commander. The small mass of energy floated to the center of the general, who quickly absorbed it.
The smaller Koboldt's energy illuminated the larger Koboldt's entire body. His skin overflowed with golden energy smoke that became denser around his hands.
Until it left his body and enveloped the smaller Koboldt.
Then what was once a normal, small Koboldt, completely changed.