Chapter 77: The Crisis of Airael
In their line of sight, the figures of the Orcs drew ever closer.
When they were less than fifty meters away, Hudeman finally gave the order to attack: “Kill—!”
“Kill—!”
The Knights followed suit with a loud shout, charging forward to meet the oncoming Orcs alongside Hudeman.
As the two opposing sides were about to collide, each was burning with eagerness, itching to dash forward and take down their enemy.
Hudeman’s target was none other than Sko.
Among all those present, only he could hope to stand against Sko.
Therefore, he had no room for retreat.
Hudeman had no thoughts of backing down.
The enemy’s strength was not a reason for him to step back.
Seeing Hudeman charge directly at Sko, Airael hurriedly cast a support spell on him just before their clash.
A beam of golden magical light shot out from the staff in her hand, quickly infusing Hudeman with a boost of power.
Hudeman immediately felt his strength increase out of nowhere.
However, there was no time for him to ponder the origin of this sudden power; he and Sko were already face to face.
As Sko swung his massive axe down with great force, Hudeman slightly altered his stance, opting not to collide head-on with Sko.
Though his strength had seemingly increased, he still didn’t believe he could match the brute before him.
Besides, he hadn’t had time to adapt to that sudden boost.
Ducking away from Sko’s powerful strike, Hudeman aimed to swing his longsword and deliver a solid hit to Sko.
However, Sko completely ignored Hudeman’s attack.
Retracting the forceful blow he had just unleashed, Sko swung at Hudeman again with tremendous force.
Faced with the overwhelming downward slash of the axe, Hudeman couldn’t afford to take it head-on and quickly dodged again.
His earlier attack might have left Sko with a minor wound, but if Sko hit him this time, it would be game over for sure.
The battle had barely begun, and Hudeman was already at a disadvantage against Sko.
He could only survive through sheer will as he dodged Sko’s fierce onslaught.
Watching the scene unfold, Airael let out a soft sigh.
Although his situation was dire, it seemed he could hold out for a while longer.
During this time, Airael shifted her gaze to the others.
The situation for the rest seemed much better than Hudeman’s.
Though the Orc Wolf Cavalry was strong, they hadn’t reached the level of Sko, so the Knights were managing quite well against them.
Moreover, the armor of the Orc Wolf Cavalry was not nearly as good as Sko’s.
This made them more cautious in facing the Knights’ attacks.
Thus, the two sides tangled in the forest, engaged in a life-or-death struggle.
On the battlefield, humans and Orcs occasionally fell to the ground.
If they were confirmed to still be alive, either an Orc or a human would quickly rush forward to deliver the killing blow.
Despite the heavily armored status of the human Knights, Orc weapons were designed to break through armor, making them quite effective in the hands of these strong warriors.
Taking a vicious hit from Orcs, the Knights weren’t feeling too great either.
After assessing the entire battlefield, Airael resumed casting magic to provide assistance everywhere.
A series of attack and support spells cascaded from her, striking unsuspecting Orc Warriors or bolstering the human Knights.
Though the spells Airael cast weren’t particularly powerful, they still had a significant impact.
For example, one Orc engaged in battle with a Knight suddenly got a face full of Fireball Technique, suffering damage while momentarily losing his vision.
Seizing the opportunity, the Knight swiftly struck down the Orc.
By the same token, Airael was able to eliminate Orcs and conserve her own magic energy.
The earlier fight in the Small Town had taught Airael a valuable lesson.
No matter how rich her magic power reserves were, she needed to conserve them as much as possible.
With Airael’s support, the Knights gradually pushed the Orcs back.
The Orcs were steadily forced to retreat.
However, Sko was an exception to this trend.
Although Airael had helped Hudeman, her smaller spells had little effect on Sko, only allowing Hudeman to barely hold his ground.
Even though the battle against Sko was tough, Hudeman felt quite pleased.
Without Sko’s interference, the surrounding fights were progressing very smoothly.
Once they dealt with the remaining Orcs, Sko alone would pose no significant threat.
Though he was strong, they could weather the storm, wearing him down bit by bit.
There was no way he wouldn’t tire eventually.
Hudeman felt utterly delighted, while Sko, his opponent, was seething with rage at this moment.
As he continued to pressure Hudeman, Sko’s gaze locked on Airael, who was situated behind the humans.
He realized how much Airael had influenced the situation to unfold like this.
As he watched her, his eyes seemed ready to burst into flames, wanting nothing more than to burn Airael to ashes.
Feeling Sko’s intense stare, Airael looked back.
In response, she flashed a captivating smile and, with a wave, sent a Fireball Technique flying towards Sko.
The blazing fireball arced through the air in a stunning trajectory directly towards Sko.
“Roar—!”
Airael’s provocation sent Sko into a furious roar.
Then, gathering his full strength, he struck down his axe at Hudeman with even greater ferocity.
Hudeman, not daring to let his guard down, performed a quick roll backward to evade the attack.
He quickly got back on his feet, his eyes locked on Sko.
That glance made him panic.
Sko had completely abandoned him and was now charging straight towards Airael.
The Knights attempting to block him were no match for Sko.
With a swing of his axe, he sent the blocking Knights flying.
One unfortunate Knight had his head cleaved off by Sko with a gruesome chop, the scene far too bloody.
Sko paid no mind to the carnage he left behind; in his eyes, there was only Airael.
Only by killing that vile Mage Airael could he consider his goal fulfilled.
As Sko advanced menacingly toward her, Airael felt immense pressure in an instant.
She definitely did not want to engage him up close.
Even if she managed to use magic to assist her, with an opponent of Sko’s caliber, she couldn’t sustain it for long.
Airael began to retreat.
While backing away, she was also preparing a powerful spell to deal with Sko.
