The berserk lizardmen could no longer distinguish friend from foe.
Because of that, we had changed our tactics.
Everyone except Azpen and Verken had pulled back and stopped engaging them directly. Instead, we redirected the berserk lizardmen toward their own allies.
It worked.
The situation became somewhat manageable.
But there was still one major problem—the mages.
Unlike the warriors, the lizardman mages had not become berserk.
I think it was because they did not absorb the miasma the same way the warriors did.
They also weren't using large-scale attacks.
Instead, they kept using small spells, carefully targeting the battlefield so they wouldn't hit their own allies.
The berserk lizardmen, however, had no such concern.
They charged through everything.
Their attacks damaged both their enemies and their allies.
Even if they took down a few of their own allies in the process, they didn't stop.
That was becoming a serious problem.
But the arrows were still coming.
Whenever a lizardman crossed our path, an arrow would suddenly strike it.
I still didn't know where they were coming from.
But whoever was firing them was helping us.
Without those arrows, this battle would have been much harder.
The battle between the Nest King, Azpen, and Verken was still going on.
But something had changed.
The King had become more cautious.
His attention seemed to be focused more on Azpen than Verken.
Even when he attacked, his eyes kept tracking Azpen.
It seemed that he had realized who posed the greater threat.
The King swung his massive axe downward toward Azpen.
Azpen raised his broad sword and used it as a shield.
Instead of trying to stop the axe directly, he moved his sword to the side, redirecting the attack.
At the same time, he prepared to counter with his left hand.
But before the axe could fully reach him—
CLANG!
Verken rushed toward the King on horseback.
He attacked from above, aiming directly for the King's head.
The King raised his shield.
Verken's sword struck it.
BOOM!
The blade pierced through the shield, becoming lodged inside it.
The King twisted his body and pulled the shield sideways, forcing Verken's sword along with it.
Verken was thrown off balance.
But that was exactly what he had been waiting for.
Azpen immediately moved from his defensive position.
He gripped his broad sword with both hands.
The edge was facing toward him.
He crossed his arms, preparing a powerful swing.
The King noticed him.
There was no time to dodge.
The King chose the simplest method.
He swung his axe directly toward Azpen's crossed sword.
CLANG!
The two weapons collided.
For a moment, neither moved.
I expected the axe to break.
Azpen's sword was a high-quality weapon made for an Aura Knight.
But the King's axe was clearly no ordinary weapon either.
The impact pushed both of them backward.
Azpen coughed.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
The King wasn't doing much better.
Black blood dripped from his mouth as he roared and spat it onto the ground.
Both of them remained on their mounts.
For one brief moment, the battlefield seemed to become silent.
Then—
They charged at each other again.
The horses' hooves tore through the swamp water.
The King's water lizard kicked water into the air as it rushed forward.
Azpen held his sword vertically, preparing to bring it down.
The King raised his axe, aiming directly for Azpen's chest.
They were getting closer.
Closer.
And closer.
Verken was there too.
But instead of attacking the King, he ducked low and waited.
He was watching.
Waiting for the right moment.
As they passed through the battlefield, Verken used the bodies of fallen lizardmen as cover.
He didn't attack the King.
He knew that if he tried to strike from the front, the King would react.
So he waited.
Then—
Verken swung his sword toward the water lizard the King riding.
SLASH!
His blade cut of the back left leg of the water lizard.
The water lizard lost its balance.
The King suddenly leaned to the left.
The timing was perfect.
The Nest King fell from his water lizard and crashed into the swamp.
SPLASH!
Azpen didn't hesitate.
He turned his horse and swung his sword downward.
The King tried to raise his axe.
He was already too slow.
The sword descended toward him.
And this time—
It struck the King.