The bandit leader smirked.
In front of him lay the body of the knight he had just killed—split cleanly in half.
It wasn't the first dead body I had seen.
But this time… it was one of our allies.
For a moment I froze.
Fear and tension wrapped around my chest like a tightening rope. The feeling of death lingered in the air.
Still, I forced myself to breathe.
Maybe the Rathen Death Stare was helping a little. It didn't remove the fear, but it made it easier to endure.
Less than a second later, one of the knights shouted loudly.
"Defend the caravan!"
The bandit leader raised his halberd and pointed it toward us.
"Bring me the female mercenary alive," he ordered coldly.
"The male mercenaries—I want their heads."
He then pointed the weapon toward the knights.
"As for them… bring them to me alive."
A cruel smile appeared on his face.
"I want to hang them on stakes. From their backs to the tops of their heads."
Then he roared.
"ATTACK!"
Bandits rushed toward us from every direction.
I tightened my grip on my spear, took one deep breath, and prepared for the impact.
The first strike came from Maria.
I didn't even notice when she started chanting.
But suddenly the sky above the battlefield glowed red.
Maria had cast Fire Descent, a spell similar to fire rain but far stronger.
The spell worked by launching a burst of fire high into the sky. Once it reached its peak, the flames scattered outward before falling down in all directions.
As the fire fell, it accelerated rapidly.
Anyone struck by it would be torn apart.
The falling flames created a massive ring of fire around our defensive position, forming a temporary barrier.
But Maria didn't stop there.
Before the bandits could react, Khaun cast his own spell.
"Everyone bend down!" he shouted.
Mana gathered around his wand.
Then he released Wind Whip.
A long ribbon of compressed wind shot out from the tip of his wand and began rotating around us like a giant blade.
The whip swept across the battlefield four times in a wide circle.
Bandits caught by it were thrown backward violently. Many were injured, though most weren't killed.
But that was enough.
That was exactly what we needed.
The fire barrier fell.
The wind pushed the enemies back.
For a brief moment, we had space to prepare.
Maria, Khaun, and Paul retreated to the center with the merchants.
They had already used a large portion of their mana.
Paul was now our last line of defense.
Around them, Ron quickly reorganized the formation.
"Defensive circle!" he ordered.
"No rushing!"
The mercenaries formed the inner ring.
The knights formed the outer ring.
"If someone is seriously injured, bring them to the center," Ron shouted to the knights.
"We'll rotate positions."
The knights nodded.
Even they seemed to realize the situation was dangerous now. One of their comrades had already died without even landing a proper blow.
I placed my spear across my back and switched to my bow.
Standing within the defensive ring, I began firing arrows.
The knights fought near the edges of the dying flames, cutting down bandits who tried to push through.
Anyone who slipped past them was quickly dealt with by Ron and the other mercenaries.
Arrow after arrow left my bow.
Sometimes I aimed normally.
Sometimes I relied only on my sensory field, firing toward enemies I couldn't even see clearly.
I didn't know exactly how many arrows hit.
But I kept shooting.
Slowly, the flames around us began to fade.
My quiver was nearly empty.
When I scanned the battlefield again with my sensory field, the number of bandits had decreased—but not enough.
Not nearly enough.
And the bandit leader still hadn't moved.
He simply stood there, watching.
That alone made my tension grow even worse.
Knights occasionally retreated into our defensive circle to catch their breath before charging back into battle again.
But injuries were piling up.
More than five knights were already wounded.
Two were in critical condition.
Paul was struggling to keep up with the healing.
Soon, Ron looked toward me.
"Your turn," he said.
From atop Rusty, I gripped my spear and prepared to charge.
The ring of flames around us was almost gone now.
Gripping my spear, I charged forward.
Anyone within my reach was cut down as I swung the weapon in wide arcs.
One bandit ducked beneath my axe blade and grabbed the shaft of my spear.
Without hesitation, I signaled Rusty.
Rusty burst forward, dragging the bandit across the ground as he desperately tried to hold on.
After several meters, he finally lost his grip.
A knight riding nearby finished him off with a quick strike.
At that moment, I noticed something strange.
A knight riding beside me had an arrow buried deep in his shoulder.
"How did a bandit arrow get through knight armor?" I wondered.
But there was no time to think.
The fire barrier had completely vanished.
Our defensive formation was weakening.
Then the bandit leader finally moved.
He raised his halberd and shouted a single command.
"Retreat."
The bandits immediately pulled back.
The knights looked confused.
We had more than ten injured.
Five were in critical condition.
Paul was exhausted from constant healing.
Yet the bandits were retreating?
Something about it felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Then my worst fear came true.
From the darkness beyond the battlefield…
The bandit leader charged toward us on horseback.
Moonlight glinted off his halberd.
And even in the dark, I could see the smile on his face.