The mid-S Rank adventurer, Grade lll sorcerer known as the 'Titan of the twin hilt'— a burly man named Garrick Cloutier.
His silver plate armor mixed with runes of enhancement and crimson cape whipping through the wind.
He hurtled through the air, both of his two-handed greatsword raised, a relic blade forged in the fires of a volcanic rock, glowed with an azure mana aura.
The strike was aimed perfectly at the golem's exposed neck.
"Die, you oversized rock!" Garrick roared, his voice ran in fury, muscles bulging under his armor as he poured every ounce of his strength into the downward arc.
The swords descended, the air screaming in protest, leaves and dirt kicking up in a whirlwind from the sheer velocity.
A massive barrier formed instantaneously—a shimmering wall of cubic form, translucent yet impenetrable, materializing between the sword and the golem's neck.
The greatsword was inches from impact.
It collided with it in a deafening boom, the impact sending shockwaves rippling outward—the blade's glowed after it got reflected by the shockwaves.
Sparks of mana erupted, the barrier absorbing the force without a crack.
Nor standing calmly to the side with his arms on the pocket, didn't even flinch.
His grey eyes narrowed slightly, and the small cubes floating beside him pulsed with intensified white particles, expanding in a blink.
Garrick's blade rebounded violently, the recoil sending him tumbling backward through the air, crashing into the trees behind him.
Leaves fell down, and he hit the ground hard, groaning as he pushed himself up.
The golem remained unharmed, its amber fissures flickering in surprise but gratitude.
Nor muttered under his breath, his voice laced with mild annoyance, "Persistent pests."
Lily giggled from her log perch, her ghosts swirling excitedly. "Ooh, nice save, Norzulm~! That was close!"
Garrick staggered to his feet, spitting dirt, his face twisted in rage.
"What the hell was that? You Cult scum—throwing some petty tricks?" But before he could charge again, the forest trembled as the Golem was already charging at him attempting to crush his body with a punch.
More adventurers burst from multiple direction, a wave of reinforcements ranging from Mid-A Rank to Upper-S Rank.
A tank appeared in front of Garrick preventing the stomp then defelecting it at the same time. Upper-A Rank, Grade Vl sorcerer, titled 'Delta Crusader' named Otes Barre.
There was about dozens of them—few mages with staffs hummimg with energy, Frontline fighters and tanks with shield and axes, rogues cloaked in the shadow, and few standby supports ready to give buffs and heals.
Most of them were arrogant, their postures confident and sneering, as if the sight of two Cult commanders and a massive golem was just another normal hunt to them.
A Low-S mage, Grade V sorcerer, titled 'Cumulus Pilgrim' named Enéas Lambert in violet robes floated forward on a levitation spell, staff raised.
"We'll bag you all and claim the bounty!"
An Upper-S fighter, Grade lll sorcerer, a woman named Mélanie Paquet with a scar across her cheek and a massive warhammer, laughed derisively.
"You both are commandments they say? Please. I've taken down S-Threats solo. You Cult freaks are overrated."
"Let's end this quick, before the association scold us again for taking too long!" she lunged at high speed.
"You guys better prepare yourself! We won't make this easy!" Garrick barked as he lunged.
Nor's cubes expanded into defensive barriers, compressing incoming spells into harmless specks.
Lily's ghosts phased through the attackers, sowing chaos with spectral strikes, her laughter echoing like bells in the fray
The golem rose slowly, its fists slamming the ground to create earthen shockwaves that knocked adventurers off their feet.
Sylas, still dangling from the tree, yelled futilely, "Hey guys, watch it! This is my homeland forest you're wrecking!"
The adventurers pressed on, their overconfidence blinding them to the growing peril, spells clashing against barriers in bursts of light and shadow.
The battle intensified, the forest trembling as the Cult commanders held the line against the adventurers.
The once-serene Brocéliande Forest had transformed into a nightmarish arena, the ancient woods scarred and screaming under the relentless assault.
Craters pocked the ground like lunar wounds, each one a testament to the explosive clashes of mana and might—some smoking from fire spells, others filled with shattered stone from the golem's stomps or Nor's cubic compressions.
Trees that had stood for centuries lay uprooted or splintered, their trunks cracked like brittle bones, branches scattered like confetti from a violent celebration.
The air was choked with dust, smoke, and the metallic tang of blood.
Mana flares lit the scene in erratic bursts—blue lightning, red flames, purple shadows—casting flickering shadows that danced like mad spirits.
The battle raged with unyielding intensity, the adventurers' arrogance fueling a storm of attacks that tested the Cult commanders' defenses.
Garrick charged again, his dual greatswords whirling in a deadly vortex.
"You think a little wall stops me? I'll carve through you all!" he bellowed, mana surging through his blades as he leaped over a crater, slashing at Nor's barrier.
The impact boomed like thunder, cracks spiderwebbing across the cubic shield, but it held, rebounding with a pulse that sent Garrick skidding back, his armor gouged and smoking.
Otes, planted his feet firmly, his massive tower shield glowing with defensive runes.
"Hold the line! We take the golem first—then the Cult dogs!" he commanded, deflecting a swipe from the red-eyed ghost with a shield bash that sent ethereal sparks flying.
Behind him, Enéas floated above the fray, his violet robes billowing as he channeled a storm spell.
"Clouds of judgment, descend!" he intoned arrogantly, summoning a swirling vortex of lightning-charged clouds that rained bolts down on Lily. "You freaks are nothing—I'll fry you like insects!"
Lily dodged with playful flips, her pink hair whipping as her green-eyed ghost phased through the lightning, absorbing some energy before redirecting it as a spectral blast.
"Hehe, tickles! Try harder, floaty boy!" she taunted, her voice cutting through the din like a mischievous chime.
The ghost twirled, grabbing a rogue adventurer mid-teleport and slamming him into a crater's edge with bone-crunching force. "Oops~! Did I break him?"
Mélanie with the warhammer, swung her weapon in wide, earth-shattering arcs, her scarred face twisted in a sneer.
"Higher-ups my ass—I'll hammer you into paste!" She charged at Nor, her hammer crashing against his cubes in a explosion of compressed energy that left a fresh crater, the ground buckling under the force.
Nor countered with a snap, one cube expanding to trap her leg in a geometric vice.
Mélanie grinned and began her incantation.
"By flesh forged and flame wrought, I call the blast that knows no thought. Mana surge through bone and steel..."
The cube slowly dissapears the amount of mana gathering inside it couldn't hold it in.
"Let crimson fire my hammer seal. Bound by earth, trapped by might, My domain shall burn this battlefield!"
Nor eyes widen, staring at her for a few moments.
"My law manifest..." She mumbled.
"Arcane—" With the incantation spoken, Mélanie drives her warhammer into the ground to initiate the domain.
"CINDER-MAUL ANATHEMA!!!" As the final line shouted, it caused an explosive aura erupting outward.