Accompanied by the primal and bestial roar was a tidal wave of abominations.
They rushed forward, their predatory gaze filled with a madness to consume and lay waste to whatever lay before them.
Each mana beast was different from the last—some resembled apes with purple skin and much bulkier arms, others an atrocious mix between bug-like abominations and aerial predators.
Any other atrocity that was neither of the three was just another grotesque masterpiece of nature, with a burning desire for chaos.
The adventurers manned on the walls held their breaths as they watched the first wave of the horde approach the trench.
With their bows knocked with arrows and spears aimed with deadly precision, they waited for the signal.
The rushing abominations plummeted deep into the trench, their growing numbers increasing by the second.
If they didn't act now, then when would they?
Some of them contemplated it, but the lazy yet terrifying presence of the small archer in front of them kept them in check.
Prometheus stood, small but steady. The longbow in his hand had been drawn, a pale blue arrow knocked at its centre, his grey eyes fixed on the trench.
He trusted in the sword saint's judgement.
If she hadn't given the signal, then it wasn't time.
Moments passed. The number of abominations that had fallen into the trench grew wildly, nearly half of the approaching horde.
It was then the signal came.
The sword saint unsheathed her long sword from its scabbard, its blade a glimmering silver, and outstretched it toward the trench.
Above her, a streak of blue light cut through the air and struck the trench.
For a split second—everything stilled.
The air trembled with a sizzling heat.
The ground shook under the devastating pressure of a single arrow.
A blazing blue inferno rose from the depths of the trench, and with it came a dozen howls and roars of pain.
The onslaught had begun.
Following Prometheus's devastating strike came a barrage of aerial assault. Arrows and spearheads, enhanced by mana, streaked through the air.
The barrages cut down dozens of abominations—yet many more surged forward.
With scales, fur, and cuticles ablaze with blue flames, and arrows plunged deep within them, these atrocities continued their charge forward.
They emerged from the trench, claws scraping against the rocky ground, and rushed towards the defensive line.
The defensive line braced for impact. Their shields were held high, and their stances were firm.
One of the adventurers tightened his grip on his shield, his breath caught somewhere between fear and resolve.
Vivian, who stood in their middle, gripped her rapier tighter, her deep black eyes focused on the approaching mana beasts, her stance unwavering even as the ground trembled beneath them.
The horde crashed into the defensive line like a siege ram, the sheer force of their numbers overwhelming.
The bulging muscles of the adventurers strained under the pressure as they struggled to hold off the horde.
The claws and blows that rained on their shields rattled their bones and shook the ground beneath them. Their world spun and their ears rang, but none decided to falter.
One of the adventurers struck his spear to the ground, and the surface beyond the line of defense began to lose its rocky texture.
The abominations lost their footing on the muddy terrain, and with this opportunity, the adventurers pushed them back.
They let out a roar, their muscles bulging and straining beneath their armour as they rolled the abominations back.
Vivian, who had been dormant throughout, burst forward with terrifying speed. She slid in between two shields and stood face to face with the toppled atrocities.
The muddy terrain hardly impeded her momentum as she rushed towards her first victim—a mana beast that looked like an overgrown butterfly with dark wings and a terrifying maw.
The rapier in her hand flashed, severing its wings in an instant. She kicked off the ground, locking her legs between its thorax, and in one swift motion decapitated its head.
The adventurers surrounding her cheered as abomination after abomination fell by their spears.
Vivian was calm, agile, and precise with her blade. She moved through the mana beasts like she was in a dance, avoiding one and felling another.
Wherever she went, the death of an abomination followed.
Unlike the squad she led, she didn't celebrate with each kill. She didn't smile nor laugh out of triumph. Her face remained cold and calm as she moved with a single thought.
Kill.
Slicing through the fur of a mana beast, she stepped to the side to avoid the foul black blood that oozed from its body as it slumped dead.
Another rushed towards her, swinging its claws at her neck. She used her rapier to deflect the beast's claws and threw it off balance.
One of her hands retrieved a bone-shaped scythe she had severed from a previous abomination and plunged it into the beast's skull.
Her dark eyes scanned around for a brief moment. Bodies upon bodies had been piled around her.
But she had achieved her aim.
The vanguard could now march forward.