Chapter 364

Chapter 364

Junior's party consisted of five mages.

Junior, an SSR-grade mage, and two R-grade and two N-grade mages.

The gap between the well-equipped and awakened Junior and the rest, who had barely mastered the basic skills, was stark.

But even the least among them was still a mage.

And when five mages gather, they could literally shake heaven and earth with their combined power.

The four mages, excluding Junior, each unleashed their elemental magic.

"Ooh-"

"Wow-"

"Ah-!"

With the faint battle cries of the young boy and girl mages, their spells chaotically struck the southern field.

Flames, whirlwinds, fierce streams of water, and rocks rained down in disarray.

Boom! Bam!

In the face of such magic, even the Goblin shieldbearers' defenses were useless, and where each spell struck, dozens of Goblins fell like flies.

However, after a short barrage, the young mages were panting and had to step back, seemingly having reached their limit due to their low levels.

Then, finally, Junior stepped forward.

"Huff..."

Taking in a deep breath, Junior thrust forward her staff.

Junior was an Elemental Sorcerer.

A mage capable of controlling all elements of magic.

While she excelled in her innate elementswater, wind, and electricityshe wasn't incapable of handling others.

Especially when the other mages had laid the groundwork like this!

"Grrr-!"

Junior's eyes widened with determination, and the magical atoms that filled the field began to move in an intricate dance.

The elements of fire (), wind (), water (), earth (), and then

Rumble, rumbling...

Flash!

Lightning ()!

The very element Junior inherited from Jupiter, the lightning, joined in!

The five magical elements intertwined and synergized, fusing together magically, and then, moments later.

Boom!

A terrifying explosion ensued.

The field before the forward base turned into a wasteland. At least hundreds of Goblins caught within the range were instantly reduced to ashes.

The aftermath of the explosion, with its flames and residual heat, made the area difficult to approach.

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A walking bombardment, a living tactical missile!

Any formidable monster legion would have been nearly annihilated by such a combined attack, as hundreds were incinerated.

But

Creak...

Click! Click!

They were Goblins.

Creatures accustomed to using their sheer numbers as a weapon.

And they had spread out their formation in anticipation of such an attack.

It wasn't enough to break the vanguard of these creatures...!

As the field rippled with the heat of magic, the dispersed Goblin horde didn't stop; they continued their charge.

After firing her big shot, Junior started to recharge her magical power, and in the meantime, I called upon my next missile.

"Damien. It's your turn!"

"Got it!"

Damien immediately dropped his magic rifle and drew the 'Black Queen.'

Damien had two area-of-effect abilities.

His ultimate skill, 'Showdown,' and the railgun mode of the 'Black Queen.'

This time, 'Showdown' was sealed offnot because it was ineffectual, but because the number of enemies was too great.

'Showdown' shoots a magical bullet that targets all enemies and allies within sight, attacking the enemies and healing allies.

However, the total amount of magic power Damien could expend was finite, so the more targets he acquired, the more his bullets would fragment, reducing their power.

With the Goblin legion numbering over 30,000, using 'Showdown' would split Damien's magical power into 30,000 shotsa futile act.

It would only result in draining his magic power and becoming combat ineffective.

So the second option it is'Black Queen'!

Damien prepared by fitting on the heat-resistant gloves and drew out a pristine magic rifle, clutching it to his chest.

"Nightmare Slayer mode, engage."

Click, click!

"We retreat!"

Better to flee before getting hammered.

"Through the Teleport Gate, back to Crossroad!"

"...!"

"Begin the retreat with the regular soldiers! Immediately! Execute the order!"

Some of the heroes and soldiers looked at me with surprised eyes. A retreat sooner than planned could be confusing.

But that was how swift their advance and flanking had been.

To escape unscathed as per our initial plan, we needed to start retreating now.

Boom! Bam!

With one last barrage from the cannons and ballistae, and firing off the artifacts.

Swoosh!

Whoosh!

We poured oil and lit the equipment on fire, ensuring it wouldn't fall into enemy hands, and the soldiers began to rush back inside the forward base.

Watching them, I turned my head to the side. Dusk Bringar flashed her sharp teeth in a grin.

"Do you finally need my help?"

"Yes. Your Grace, I leave it to you."

"Haha, just leave it to me!"

Dusk Bringar, standing atop the wall with a smirk, took a deep breath, and then,

"Lie down, you worms!"

She let out a thundering lion's roar.

Dragon Roar!

The prerogative of the top predator dragons. Merely with their growling, the victims freeze in terror.

Creak?!

Squeak!

Thud!

The Goblins within range of the Dragon Roar dropped their weapons and lay flat on the ground. The effect was undeniable.

'Good, this buys us more time.'

I looked back at the heroes and nodded.

"Let's retreat!"

The hero parties also started running towards the Teleport Gate.

The Teleport Gate set up in the central courtyard of the forward base was activated, emitting light.

Most of the soldiers had already escaped.

Lucas pointed inside the gate.

"My liege. Please go ahead."

"No, I'll be the last to..."

"My liege."

Lucas insisted with a stern face.

"Please go ahead."

"..."

It wasn't a situation for stubbornness. I nodded and threw myself into the Teleport Gate.

Flash!

Once the teleportation was complete, it was the Crossroad barracks. Soldiers who had arrived earlier were lined up under their superiors' orders, checking numbers.

Flash! Flash!

After I passed through, the remaining members kept returning one by one through the teleport.

Damien's sniper party and Junior's mage party were the first to return.

After them, Dusk Bringar and the Dragonblood Knights, Evangeline's party, and then Lucas's party returned in order.

And then, a moment of silence.

I furrowed my brow and looked towards the gate. What's going on.

"Why aren't the remaining people coming back..."

Crash!

Before I could finish, a noisy commotion ensued as bandaged, bulky mercenaries rolled out from the gate.

The tank party, the Leprosy Extermination Squad, assigned to the rear guard, had returned.

Their leader, Torkel, shook off the green blood and soot from his body.

"...Just barely made it. Right before we entered the gate, the Goblin Legion broke into the fortress... We barely escaped before being caught."

"Well done, Torkel. Alright, does that mean everyone has returned?"

As I checked the faces of the returned heroes, I suddenly stopped.

"...Wait a minute."

Only then did the other heroes notice the anomaly, their expressions hardening one by one.

After checking the number of heroes and soldiers once more, I muttered reluctantly.

"Where did the Shadow Squad go?"