Chapter 170 - 169: Beheading

Chapter 170: Chapter 169: Beheading

Hesia watched as the creature lifted its head. Its eyes had turned from dark red to a boiling crimson.

The bloody stench pervading the air seemed to find its source, coalescing into wisps of red mist that rose toward the Gnoll Leader’s fur and clung to it.

Information from the Personal Monster Quick Reference Manual confirmed his suspicions: the Gnoll Leader’s trait had activated.

Rampage: When a Gnoll completes a kill, blood acts as a catalyst, granting it increased movement speed.

Before the massive figure could vanish from its blood-splattered perch, Hesia had already unleashed his Magic Power.

THWUMP! THWUMP! THWUMP! THWUMP! THWUMP!

A series of angled Earth Spikes erupted from the ground, forming a barrier like a row of sharpened stakes between the Gnoll Leader and the rear of the party, instantly altering the terrain.

Unlike his Level 1 Magic Missile, his Earth Spike Technique was now Level 3. Boosted by Earth Affinity, the Magic Power cost for casting ordinary Earth Spikes was almost negligible.

Hesia’s plan was to use a continuous barrage of Earth Spikes to restrict its movement, at the very least preventing it from charging recklessly across the ground.

No matter how fast it was, its advantage would be mostly negated if every step was a thorny trap.

’As for jumping...’

’A leaping target is just a sitting duck.’

’And at this range, if it dared to leap into the air again, a far more lethal five-spike volley from below would be waiting for it.’

The crimson in the Gnoll Leader’s eyes deepened, but it hadn’t lost its mind.

It simply dodged the ceaselessly erupting Earth Spikes with nimble footwork, rapidly closing the distance all the while.

The wound on its back was clearly a constant reminder of the price for taking to the air.

As it drew near, the muscles on its weapon arm bulged. The haft of the Long-Handled Blade shifted back slightly, as if it were about to use its momentum to swing the bloodstained weapon out like a whip in the very next second!

Just then—

"ROAR!"

With a furious Roar, Grek—his wounds freshly healed—gripped his Broadsword with both hands and Charged the Gnoll Leader.

He might have had a lecherous streak, but that didn’t mean he was a fool.

On the contrary, his long career as an Adventurer, living a life of constant battle, made him understand the situation better than anyone. ’This may be a thrown-together party, but if I back down now and let Mr. Hughes, our only Priest, get hurt or killed, I’ll definitely end up just like that caravan guard who got sliced in half.’

’Fighting for my life is the only way to survive!’

"You mangy hyena mongrel! Let Grandpa Grek show you a thing or two!"

However, courage alone couldn’t bridge the gap in their Power.

The Gnoll Leader didn’t even fully turn, merely glancing out of the corner of its eye at its vanquished foe’s renewed assault.

A flicker of impatience and contempt crossed its crimson eyes. As Grek’s Charge-fueled Broadsword came cleaving down, it simply swung its Long-Handled Blade upward in a casual block.

CLANG!!!

The deafening shriek of metal on metal exploded outward!

Grek felt an irresistible force travel up the blade, making his arms go numb. The Broadsword was nearly torn from his grasp as he stumbled back several steps, finally managing to steady himself, his chest heaving.

The Gnoll Leader gave him no time to recover before launching its own counterattack.

It stepped forward, its Long-Handled Blade becoming a blur of light. It chopped and swept in a relentless assault, as ferocious as a raging storm.

Grek gritted his teeth, weaving his Broadsword into an impenetrable wall of steel, desperately blocking and parrying with all his might.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Each collision of their blades sent blinding sparks flying.

Grek was like a small boat in a tempest, battered by the immense Power. He was completely outmatched, stumbling backward with every blow.

The skin between his thumb and forefinger had long since split open, soaking the hilt of his sword in blood. His arm muscles screamed as if they were tearing apart. Each block took everything he had, and only his wealth of combat experience and a primal fear of death allowed him to barely guard his vitals.

Fortunately, Hesia had already switched focus. Earth Spikes erupted at Grek’s heels with every backward step—not to attack, but to serve as obstacles. They precisely hindered the Gnoll Leader’s pursuit, forcing it to split its focus to dodge and slowing the pace of its assault.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hughes, having used a Potion to recover some of his Magic Power, tapped his Magic Wand.

A golden halo enveloped Grek first.

Then, a familiar, gentle white light washed over the torn web of his hand, and the wound rapidly sealed shut.

Feeling the surge of vitality from the buff to his Physique and the soothing relief in his hand, Grek’s courage returned.

He didn’t retreat just because the Gnoll Leader was temporarily hampered by the Earth Spikes.

Instead, when he saw its crimson eyes turn toward the Spellcasting Mr. Hughes, he immediately threw his head back and roared with all his might:

"You mongrel that crawled out of a hyena’s ass! Turn your ugly mug back to me! Or I’ll ram this sword so far up your backside... I’ve been pent up for days and I need a release!"

This incredibly vulgar taunt, laced with the Power of some crude yet effective Combat Skill, shattered the last of the Gnoll Leader’s composure.

"GRAAAH—!"

With an enraged howl, it abandoned its murderous intent toward Hughes, its crimson pupils Locking dead on Grek!

Ignoring the threat of more Earth Spikes, the muscles in its powerful hind legs bulged to their limit as it kicked off the ground, its massive body soaring through the air toward Grek!

It swung the Long-Handled Blade high in a great circle, putting its full weight behind the blow as it brought the weapon down on Grek’s head in a deadly arc!

’Now’s the time!’

A sharp glint flashed in Hesia’s eyes. He pointed his waiting Magic Wand without a moment’s hesitation—

THWUMP! THWUMP! THWUMP! THWUMP! THWUMP!

Sharp Earth Spikes erupted in a tight fan formation from the very spot where the Gnoll Leader was about to land, sealing off every possible escape route!

Although the Gnoll Leader was blinded by rage, its combat instincts were bone-deep!

In mid-air, it sensed the sudden, lethal threat from below and twisted its torso violently in an attempt to dodge.

SHRRRIP—!

It avoided a fatal blow to its torso, but its thick right leg was viciously impaled by the outermost Earth Spike!

Tough hide and muscle tore, and dark red blood sprayed into the air!

"AWOOO—!"

The searing pain made it let out a howl mixed with fury and agony. Its perfect cleave was ruined. It staggered upon landing, crashing heavily to one knee and stabbing its long blade deep into the mud to keep from collapsing.

The Gnoll Leader let out a low, guttural growl. The muscles in its impaled leg tensed, and it violently halted its stumble.

As if it felt no pain, it pushed off with its uninjured left leg, dragging the wounded right one as it charged again with astonishing speed toward the retreating Grek.

Grek had already turned to jog away. He didn’t even need to look back; the heavy, hurried footsteps and ragged panting told him the beast was nipping at his heels.

A satisfied smirk touched his lips.

After all, his job was to use the effects of his taunting Combat Skill to lead this strongest, most dangerous Gnoll Leader by the nose, pulling it as far away as possible to create a safe distance for the two crucial Casters in their party.

Besides, during his fighting retreat, he’d already glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye: the nuisance of the regular Gnolls in the distance had all been reduced to corpses.

That equally ferocious canine Demon and the Priest who couldn’t heal had teamed up to finish off all the other Gnolls.

However, just as he turned his head to gauge the distance to the Gnoll Leader—

His gaze passed over the massive, furiously pursuing figure and met another in the hazy mist farther away.

It was Logan.

Their eyes met.

No words were exchanged. Not even a nod.

After a brief glance, Logan’s figure vanished silently into the gathering mist as if he had melted into the shadows.

Grek understood at once.

’Now’s the time!’

He stopped short, sinking into his stance and spinning around. He changed his grip, no longer dragging the Broadsword but holding it firmly in both hands, braced in front of him.

’I’ll use the last of the taunt’s effect and the distraction of this head-on clash to create a fleeting opening for Logan’s lethal strike from Stealth!’

At that moment, the Gnoll Leader closed in.

It leaned forward, its immense momentum kicking up a foul wind. With its right arm, it rested the Long-Handled Blade on its left shoulder. Its entire weight and power were coiled in its uninjured left leg, muscles taut as stone. It was clearly preparing to unleash its momentum in a full-power, left-to-right horizontal slash!

Seeing this, Grek was not alarmed but overjoyed. ’An attack this wide and sweeping is exactly what I’m best at blocking! It’s the perfect way to hold all of its attention!’

’Bring it on!’ he roared internally, Power flooding his arms. He angled his Broadsword, bracing for impact. To milk the taunt for all it was worth, he even added, "That’s right! Stick your ugly mug right here, I’m gonna..."

He didn’t even finish the sentence.

The violent impact he expected—one strong enough to tear his hand open again—never came.

The Long-Handled Blade, which seemed to be cleaving down with the creature’s full Power, lost all its force an instant before impact. It slid weightlessly across the surface of his Broadsword!

There was no great force, only a heart-stopping sensation of meeting empty air! A feint!

The Gnoll Leader used a clever shift of its footing not to press forward, but to slide slightly back!

At the same time, using the momentum from the missed swing, its burly body pivoted, completing a lightning-fast clockwise spin!

An arc of light flashed.

A near-perfect circle of death, with the creature at its center, swept through the space directly behind it.

The cold light of the blade was like the grim reaper’s smile.

The arc of light flashed past. A head was severed from its body.

A headless body stood frozen, a dagger still glinting in its hand. The man’s competent face, fixed in an expression of pure shock, tumbled through the air.