The group was frozen in shock for a few seconds, but their eyes didn’t lie to them. Amidst the attacking monster stood creatures they were so used to seeing in the forest. Tree-bark bears, fireleaf deers, and even the giant horned owls.

They joined the monstrous goats, wolves, and lions in attacking the camp. It was a chaotic scene, but Red was quick to recover.

He looked around for signs of his companions, but the smoke of isolated fires and the creatures blocked most of his vision. He could only see the shining armor of the town’s guard, as well as whom he thought were Gustav’s bodyguards fighting by their side.

“Do you see the others?” He asked Rog.

He was still two hundred meters away from the fort, so he couldn’t identify their fluctuations.

The hunter squinted his eyes as he examined the scene. “On the back of the fort. I see them.”

The man pointed them out. Red needed a few seconds to identify them, but sure enough, he saw the figures of their companions. Not only that, but they seemed to be engaged with a familiar monster.

‘A tree-bark bear.’

This one, however, looked bigger than most as it stood on its two feet. Red didn’t need to sense its fluctuation to be able to tell it was in the Lesser Ring Realm.

Rimold gritted his teeth. “We need to go help them!”

Red hesitated. “… Let’s assess the situation first. There’s obviously something strange going on here.”

This much didn’t need to be said. For one, why were the native monsters acting alongside the horde that came to invade their home? Then there was also the fact that these beasts seemed too well coordinated in their attack.

They were spread out evenly around the fort, assaulting from all directions and forcing the humans to spread their forces thin. Was this just a coincidence, or did the monsters do this on purpose? If it was the latter, then it had deep implications for their current situation.

“Someone might be controlling the monsters.” Rog gave voice to his thoughts.

Rimold frowned. “Who could even do something like that?”

Rog shook his head. “I don’t know, but the one thing I can tell you is that everything these monsters are doing goes against their natural instinct.”

The rogue grunted and looked around. “Maybe we should look for whoever is controlling them. Do you see anyone?”

“I do not. Even if we did, though, we would never be able to kill someone that strong.”

Rimold looked impatient. “Then why are we hesitating?! Our companions are in trouble and we won’t find anything else by sitting here!”

It seemed at this point, Rimold’s survival instincts were shut down by the worry for his companions’ lives. Of course, Red and Rog knew the man was right, but which of them would be eager to charge headfirst into that violent melee?

“We can try to strike the bear they’re fighting from behind.” Rog said. “Once we reunite with our companions, we can consider our next step.”

Red nodded. “I’ll use a talisman. We need to finish the monster off as soon as we can, in case things get worse.”

There were five monsters that stood out amidst the horde due to their size, which made Red assume they were in the Lesser Ring Realm. Three of them were kept at bay by Gustav’s bodyguards, while the other two were fighting against the guards and their companions.

It was a sizeable force, yet the true danger lay in what they couldn’t see.

Rog and Rimold agreed to his plan, and the group set about circling the fortification. Red used his crimson sense to scout the outskirts of the battle, expecting to find more monsters waiting for them, or even the cultivator responsible for controlling them.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen. The way was clear, and at the very least, the monsters didn’t think to put scouts to watch their flanks while they were fighting.

Soon enough, they found themselves near the area where their companions were engaged against the giant, five meter tall bear. It was the first time Red was seeing a tree-bark bear in the Lesser Ring realm, and its size and pure power that its body emanated awed him. It was a force of nature, and clearly the humans fighting it felt as much.

Already several bodies of guards stood at its feet, ripped apart and with their organs hanging out of their bodies. Their steel armors availed them naught against the bear’s vicious claws.

Still, even more combatants stood near the beast, keeping it at bay, and this included their companions. Narcha seemed to occupy the beast’s attention, while Eiwin, Allen, and a handful of guards armed with spears, struck at the monster’s flanks while it was distracted.

Unfortunately, the monster seemed to have earned its name. Its bark-like skin was extremely thick, and their blows and steel weapons were not enough to pierce deep enough to wound it. In fact, the monster completely ignored it, focusing its attention on Narcha and her large saber instead.

When Red saw this, he frowned.

‘The way she’s fighting…’

It didn’t look like how Narcha usually fought. Instead, it somewhat resembled the style of the ghost that had been possessing her body earlier. Red suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine.

Had the ghost remained behind in her body? Had the boy failed to exorcize it?

‘Maybe this is just the side-effects of the possession…’

It would make some sense, since Rimold also seemed to be deeply affected by the emotions of the ghost that possessed his body earlier. Yet, no matter how Red tried to justify it, the lingering feeling of fear remained in the back of his mind.

“What is it, Red?” Rimold looked at him with a frown. “We need to act quickly!”

“It’s nothing.” Red shook his head. “Let’s do it.”

Their plan was fairly simple. Red would use a talisman to strike the beast, hopefully splintering its skin deep enough to allow Rog to fire an arrow deep into its body.

Without further delay, Red took out a talisman from his pouch before scratching at one of its lines and chanting the magical worlds. Rimold rushed at the battlefield, calling everyone to attention.

“Stand clear, all of you!”

The guards and his companions both looked surprised, but they all moved away under Eiwin’s prompting. A few seconds later, the glow in Red’s hand intensified, and he waved it forward.

A green, soft glow of Spiritual Energy formed in front of him. This shape changed in an instant, transforming into a blade of pure, condensed air before shooting toward’s the bear’s back. The monster obviously noticed something was wrong, but the blade of air was too quick, and tree-bark bears weren’t particularly known for their quickness.

It turned around just in time to be struck in the chest by the blade. Its skin splintered into hundreds of tiny pieces, and the bear stumbled backwards as blood started to flow from its chest. Still, the creature remained standing on two feet, and it looked at Red from afar with hate in its eyes.

It let out a deafening roar.

‘Even a talisman isn’t enough to kill something like that.’

They were already prepared for this, though. Almost as soon as the bear let out a roar, an arrow shot deep into its splintered chest. This time, the bear quivered, and it couldn’t help but fall down onto its four paws.

Rog was the one that shot it, of course. The hunter was a specialist in the monsters of this forest, and he knew what their weaknesses were, as well as where most of their vital organs were located. Suffice it to say, once the bear’s thick armor was blown apart by the talisman, it revealed to the hunter the path towards its inner organs.

Even then, the bear didn’t die immediately, letting out a grunt of pain.

“Go, attack it now!” Rimold called out to his companions.

Narcha, who was the closest to the bear, was the first to strike. She jumped on the beast’s back, and before the monster could even react, stabbed down at its spine. Her saber met with strong resistance from its skin, but the woman kept forcing it down until it penetrated the beast with a crunch.

The bear roared in pain again. It tried to shake the woman off, but before it could do anything else, the others also attacked it.

Dozens of punches, stabs and slashing attacks came at the bear from all sides. Most of them did nothing by themselves, but like the bites of ants, they eventually were numerous enough to injure the beast.

The bear twirled around, hoping to catch one of them with its claws, but its movements already weakened. Narcha, too, pulled her saber out and stabbed down again, this time right at its neck.

The bear shuddered and fell prone on the ground. Breath still came from its body, but its strength was already long gone. Even so, the soldiers continued to stab at the monster with hateful gazes, until they were sure it was dead.

Indeed, Red felt the bear’s fluctuation disappear. The boy didn’t even have the opportunity to join the battle before it was done, and just like that, a Lesser Ring Realm monster was dead.

‘Was it always just this easy?’

Red remembered when he first fought against that Fireleaf Deer. Rog almost died back then, and they needed to struggle and use almost everything they had to kill yet. However, now, using the element of surprise and coordinating with their comrades, a Lesser Ring Realm beast fell to them in less than a minute.

This was the difference preparation made.

“Rog, Rimold! You’re fine!” Allen approached them with a smile on his face.

“Aye, thanks to Red.” Rimold nodded.

The young master looked over at Red. “Did you get the gh-”

“Shush!” Eiwin cut him off.

Allen’s eyes widened, realizing what he was about to say. There were still guards around them, but thankfully, they seemed too occupied to pay attention to their conversation.

Red didn’t say anything. Instead, he examined Narcha and her fluctuation.

The woman pulled out her saber from the bear’s back and jumped off its body. She was quick to notice the intense stare the boy was giving her, and her expression changed in realization.

“This…” She hesitated. “I can explain it later. You don’t need to worry, though. I’m fine.”

Red nodded with some skepticism. At the very least, her fluctuation seemed to be back to normal.

One of the guards approached the group with a severe expression.. “Captain Orvin is calling for your help near the gate of the fort. You can leave the rest over here to us.”

Eiwin hesitated, looking over at her companions. All she received were resolved expressions and nods of approval.

She looked back at the soldier and nodded. “Point us in his direction.”