Chapter 210

Chapter 210. Joining Forces (3)

Minotaurs.

They ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍were a race of monsters that had made their home on the island of Crete.

They ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍stood between two and four meters tall and weighed anywhere from 600 kilograms to three tons.

Their ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍thick, tough hide was as formidable as their massive bodies, capable of effortlessly deflecting most weapons. Their strength was equally monstrous—they could toss a grown man aside with one hand.

On ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍top of that, they possessed intelligence. They used weapons, lived in organized groups, and even sailed ships to raid coastal settlements.

That ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍was why whenever Minotaurs appeared along the coast, people could do little but despair as though they were facing a natural disaster.

Like earthquakes, tidal waves, or wildfires, they were disasters of a different kind—ones that ordinary people could not even dream of resisting.

And now, those very Minotaurs had appeared before the ruined Festival Village.

The first thing that came to everyone's mind was confusion.

How?

The Minotaurs of Crete rarely ventured beyond the coastline and its surrounding areas.

Even when they occasionally moved inland, they had never been known to reach the heart of Hellas.

Yet here they were at the Festival Village.

Not one or two of them.

More than a hundred.

RUMBLEEEEE-!

As the enormous Minotaurs charged together, the earth trembled faintly while a deafening roar shook everyone's insides.

Ordinary people would have lost their nerve, collapsed, or fled.

But not this time.

"We're under attack! A herd of Minotaurs has appeared!"

Very few ordinary civilians remained in the ruined Festival Village.

Most of those present were practitioners.

A considerable number of them were those who vowed to participate in the Midas subjugation campaign and protect the new Oracle of the Temple of Delphi.

Naturally, while their abilities varied, every one of them possessed considerable skill and experience.

So although they were stunned by this unprecedented Minotaur assault, none of them panicked or lost their composure.

Instead, the crisis sharpened their senses and judgment, and they immediately sprang into action.

BWAAAAAAANG-!

Bronze horns blared, sounding the alarm throughout the village as everyone moved according to their strengths and assigned roles.

First, the practitioners blessed with powerful bodies and close-combat blessings advanced to the front without anyone needing to order them to do so. (Thyreos of Reinforcement was among them.)

Behind them stood practitioners wielding long spears and massive swords. (Meleager the Immortal and Tramachus of Flame were among them.)

The rear was occupied by practitioners specializing in bows, ranged weapons, and support-type blessings. (The Great Warrior Atalanta, Irida of the Wind, and Lynceus of Farsight were among them.)

Altogether, there were several dozen practitioners.

Among them were even a few mediocre ones.

But not a single one was afraid.

Because...

BANG-!

SHWAAAAAAAAAA-!!!

There were two members of the Argonaut Expedition Team and four members of the New Argonaut Expedition Team here.

And besides them, there were several other well-known practitioners as well.

The one who launched the first attack was The Great Warrior Atalanta.

She condensed Energy (Γι) into an arrow and fired it high into the sky.

Moments later, countless arrows rained down upon the heads of the charging Minotaurs like a torrential downpour.

Amid the unmistakable sound of falling rain, innumerable arrows embedded themselves into the monsters' bodies.

However, they failed to inflict fatal wounds.

The blessing Atalanta had just used, [Arrow Duplication], increased the number of arrows in proportion to the amount of condensed Energy (Γι), meaning their individual power was divided accordingly.

Even so, the fact that they had pierced the Minotaurs' thick hides was nothing to scoff at.

The proof was that the charging horde visibly slowed.

And this was only the beginning.

Using Atalanta's opening strike as their signal, the other practitioners unleashed their attacks as well.

A sling stone thrown by one practitioner exploded upon impact, blasting away a Minotaur's upper body.

Another arrow, which had seemed destined to miss, curved along an unnatural trajectory before piercing a Minotaur straight through the eye.

When a spear was driven into the ground, spikes of earth and stone erupted upward, dealing widespread damage to the surrounding Minotaurs.

Elsewhere, a gigantic arrow skewered several Minotaurs in a single shot.

MOOOOOOO-!!

Grrrk... Ghk...!

Pughk...!

Mooo... Pughk-!

The Minotaurs horde that had been charging so ferociously lost much of its momentum after that single barrage.

Seizing the opportunity, the frontline practitioners advanced to drive the advantage home.

[My fire, become a wall and divide my enemies.]

When Tramachus of Flame imbued the tip of his spear with fire and drove it into the ground, flames spread outward like roots before erupting among the Minotaurs, forming a blazing wall of fire.

Already thinned out by the devastating ranged attacks, the scattered Minotaurs became even more isolated as the flames split their formation completely in two.

The other practitioners immediately focused on the smaller groups one by one, as though they had planned it beforehand.

"They've already lost their momentum! Press the attack!"

Minotaurs were fearsome monsters beyond the reach of most practitioners.

But conversely, that also meant that any practitioner who had reached a certain level could defeat them.

As if proving that fact, the practitioners steadily cut down the disorganized Minotaurs.

Among them, Thyreos of Reinforcement and Tramachus of Flame from the New Argonaut Expedition Team stood out the most.

Thyreos overwhelmed Minotaurs larger than himself with sheer strength behind his massive shield before smashing their skulls apart with his hammer.

Meanwhile, Tramachus drove his flame-coated spear into their vital points, killing them instantly.

The other practitioners performed similarly, differing only in degree.

A few brave Minotaurs attempted to counterattack despite being on the defensive.

Whoosh-!

But every attempt was thwarted by covering fire from the practitioners in the rear.

Just as everyone began to think the Minotaurs raid had been repelled—

MOOOOOOO-!

Another horde of Minotaurs emerged from the forest to the side.

There were only several dozen this time, fewer than the first wave.

But the situation was far from favorable.

Every one of them wore armor.

They were not ordinary Minotaurs.

They were their superior variant—Warrior Minotaurs.

Larger than ordinary Minotaurs and possessed of even greater intelligence.

As if to prove it, they revealed themselves after approaching stealthily, hurled volleys of javelins toward the rear-line ranged practitioners, and charged.

The massive javelins flew like towering pillars, weaving a deadly net through the air.

Fwoosh- TATATATAK!!

Meleager the Immortal, who had remained behind to observe the battlefield instead of joining the front lines, used his blessing [Protection of the Spear] to control the spears and knock the incoming javelins out of the air.

The blessing empowered Meleager's spear enough to deflect even the heavy javelins thrown by the Minotaurs.

But it was still too early to relax.

Whether their javelins were blocked or not, the ambushing Minotaurs continued charging with axes in hand, attacking the practitioners in the rear.

"Gah-!"

Many practitioners swiftly widened the distance and dodged the attacks.

But not all of them.

Those who reacted too slowly or simply lacked the speed were caught by the Minotaurs and reduced to mangled chunks of flesh.

Still, this much was manageable.

The formation had become disordered, but the actual casualties remained light.

Atalanta slipped through the Warrior Minotaurs with her trademark agility and fired giant arrows to halt their advance.

The other ranged practitioners coordinated with one another as well, keeping the Minotaurs in check.

Maintaining a safe distance while striking and retreating.

They could not kill the heavily armored Warrior Minotaurs in a single blow, but it was more than enough to pin them down and steadily wear them away.

Right then, one Warrior Minotaur finally staggered and collapsed after accumulating too many injuries.

Three practitioners who had been fighting as a team rushed in to finish it off.

There were no other Minotaurs nearby, so they judged it safe enough.

But that judgment was a fatal mistake.

FWOOOSH-!!

Smoke billowed from the mouth of the collapsed Warrior Minotaur.

Then it exhaled a torrent of flames, instantly incinerating the three practitioners who had approached.

The blazing fire melted flesh and scorched bone.

The practitioners were reduced to charred corpses amid their dying screams.

At the horrifying sight, not only the ordinary practitioners but even Atalanta and Meleager of the Argonaut Expedition Team froze for a brief moment.

After all, no one had ever seen or even heard of a Minotaur that breathed fire.

Just as they wondered whether it was some kind of mutant—

"KYAAAGH-!"

The practitioners who had finished dealing with the Minotaurs at the front and rushed over to provide support suddenly screamed.

A cluster of Minotaurs burst from beneath the ground and attacked them from behind.

Long spears pierced straight through the practitioners' backs.

And that wasn't all.

GROOOOOOOAR-!

One Minotaur let out a monstrous roar and released a shockwave that blasted the approaching practitioners away.

Then, exploiting the opening, another Minotaur moving at an abnormal speed plunged into their ranks, throwing the battlefield into complete chaos.

Fire.

Burrowing underground.

Shockwaves.

Superhuman speed.

It should have been impossible.

Yet they had no choice but to accept it.

The Minotaurs...

Were using blessings.

The question of how naturally arose.

But no one had the luxury of dwelling on it.

At first glance, the Minotaurs seemed to be moving randomly. In reality, they were acting with remarkable coordination, following a deliberate strategy.

The first assault had merely been bait to draw attention. Then came the ambush from the flank and the underground assault, inflicting significant casualties.

It wasn't enough to make them think they would lose.

But every strategic maneuver had an objective.

Meleager instinctively turned toward the Oracle's temporary residence at the entrance to Mount Parnassus.

It was located in the safest area deep inside the camp.

As a result, only a handful of practitioners stood guard there.

Several Minotaurs were charging straight toward that vulnerable position.

Their target...

Was the new Oracle of the Temple of Delphi.

"S-stop them somehow!"

The priests, who had been watching the battle from a distance as though it had nothing to do with them, shrieked hysterically at the sight of the approaching Minotaurs.

For people who had spent their entire lives safely within these walls, this was a crisis unlike anything they had ever experienced.

The practitioners immediately tried to move to protect the Oracle.

But—

MOOOOOOOOOO-!

The Minotaurs clung to them relentlessly, as though determined to prevent any reinforcements from getting through.

Of course, that did not mean it was impossible.

"Search the area around Lynceus! Atalanta, even if you have to endure damage to allies—just kill those bull bastards!"

Meleager quickly assessed the situation and issued his orders.

Then he grabbed the spear floating in the air, flew forward, and blocked the path of the Minotaurs charging toward the Oracle.

Standing alone against the horde of Minotaurs.

Each of the Minotaurs activated a different blessing as they rushed him.

Meleager activated his blessing, [Instant Acceleration], rapidly judging the threat level of each Minotaur. He drove down the spears suspended in the sky, eliminating the most dangerous ones first.

Moo-?!

After that, he personally wielded his spear to finish off the remaining Minotaurs.

Slashing and thrusting with his spear.

By the time Meleager had dealt with the Minotaurs, Atalanta unleashed another rain of arrows, inflicting widespread damage upon the Minotaurs caught in the chaotic melee.

She then picked off the most dangerous Minotaurs one by one, turning the tide of battle in an instant.

A few allied soldiers were struck by stray arrows.

But they had regained the advantage.

Through the strength of just two members of the Argonaut Expedition Team.

However, it was still too soon to relax.

"Lynceus! Still haven't found it?!"

Convinced the attack was not yet over, Meleager urged Lynceus onward.

As though proving his concern justified, yet another wave of Minotaurs came pouring in.

Come to think of it, something didn't add up.

How could so many of them infiltrate this far without anyone noticing?

There had to be some secret behind it.

"I found them!"

At that moment, Lynceus, his bloodshot eyes wide open, discovered something.

"They were hidden by a stealth blessing, so it took me some time to find them."

What he had found was a Minotaur commander and his subordinates.

Judging by its enormous frame, at least four meters tall, it appeared to be a noble-class Minotaurs.

The noble Minotaur, clad in magnificent Orichalcum armor, stood surrounded by guards using stealth blessings while waving a staff, summoning Minotaurs from an enormous jar.

A Minotaur that used not only blessings… but magic as well.

It felt as though common sense itself was crumbling.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

"Atalanta!"

The highest priority was killing that noble Minotaur.

Meleager prepared to throw his spear while calling out to Atalanta.

At the same time, Atalanta drew her bow.

Almost simultaneously, they threw the spear and released the arrow.

Both projectiles altered their trajectories according to their masters' wills, homing in on their target.

Like living creatures, the spear and arrow freely wove around every obstacle in their path and flew straight toward the noble Minotaur.

Tak-!

Only to be caught.

By corpse-like hands that emerged from the Orichalcum armor.

Apparently, it was an armor that possessed absolute resistance against projectiles.

Considering it had blocked the sniping attacks of both Meleager and Atalanta, it was no ordinary artifact.

Meanwhile, the noble Minotaur sent the Minotaurs it had summoned into battle.

Meleager had to make a decision.

Should he personally charge over and kill the noble Minotaur first? Or should he continue defending their position, observe the situation, and wait for an opportunity to counterattack?

The former was undoubtedly the surer option.

But if their defenses collapsed while he was away, it would defeat the entire purpose.

If the new Oracle of the Temple of Delphi were injured, nothing else would matter.

It wasn't a desperate crisis yet.

But it was certainly an infuriating situation.

Just as Meleager was finally about to make his decision—

Grrrrrrrrrk-!

Anagin suddenly appeared out of thin air behind the noble Minotaur and, with the Beast Devourer, nearly severed its throat in a single slash.

"There, there. Good boy, good boy. That hurts, doesn't it?"

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(T/N): 11/04/26

Hi! This isn't a spoiler, okay? I just don't have anyone to share this with, so I'm telling you guys instead, hahaha. I just finished translating Chapter 315, and wow, all I can say is, ‘Damn, the pieces are finally connecting!’ Hahaha. I'm genuinely enjoying this story. Thank you, Author-sama!!

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