"Kyaa! One got in!"
Cecily screamed at the ogre.
"W-what do we do?!"
Gerson joined in her panic.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The hordes were relentlessly pushing through on our side.
I could not leave the seal unattended or the thousands of ogres would break through.
Meanwhile another ogre was approaching us from the other side.
"We have no choice! Jonah, Shanny, distract that ogre and lure it to the southern side of the garrison! Cripple it if you can! We'll make a break for the other gate once the ogre is well out of our way!"
I ordered them.
"Understood!"
Jonah and Shanny quickly nodded and readied their weapons.
I turned to our archer.
"Cecily, help Jonah and Shanny! We'll be able to lure it out of our way faster if you catch its attention with your arrows."
"A-alright!"
The three of them hurriedly ran to the ogre and began engaging it in battle.
Kekeke!
Terrible laughter suddenly came from a corner of the garrison.
"W-what was that?!"
Gerson cried out.
We turned our gaze and found a handful of goblins with bent knives coming out from the ruined buildings in the northern side of the garrison.
[Goblins Lv.2 x8]
The little monsters began making their way toward the ogre.
A scenario I had anticipated, otherwise I would had send all four of my comrades to face the giant.
"Gerson! Intercept those goblins! Make sure they don't reach Jonah and the others!"
"Y-yes!"
Though he was scared, Gerson managed to grip his sword and ran toward the goblins.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Grh!"
The horde kept trying to break through the gate.
If the blockade on the entrance fell, this garrison would be flooded with dozens, and even hundreds, of ogres within seconds.
We needed to make sure our escape route was secured before I could release my hold on the gate's blockade.
Kraahhh!
The one ogre inside the garrison aggressively rampaging around, crushing the ruined buildings into smithereens with its club.
Jonah, Shanny, and Cecily were working hard to draw its attention.
Cecily launched her arrows at the ogre. Though they barely wound the monster, the projectiles at least agitated it.
Once the ogre tried to attack her, Jonah and Shanny would swoop in from its blind spots and attack its sturdy legs, trying to cripple the huge monster.
Then Cecily would switch up her location, nearer to the south of the garrison and retry the strategy. All the while trying to get the ogre out of our way to the other gate.
Meanwhile, Gerson was fighting hard in blocking the goblins heading the ogre's way.
Though he lost in number one to eight, Gerson managed to face all of them just fine.
The little creatures seemed like the weak ones from the first floor too. So Gerson should be able to handle them.
Things were going well.
We just needed to maintain this pace and we would be able to proceed to the next stage of the trial, ever-approaching our escape point.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The horde kept on pushing through the pile of debris in front of the gate.
[Davah Shashanam]
I continuously supplied the pile with more debris from the ruined buildings around me.
Woods, bricks, pillar beams, roof fragments, I piled everything in front of the gate and used my telekinesis to hold them together.
But no matter how many debris I piled on and how strong my magic held them still, I could sense the horde approaching from the other side.
They used their overwhelming strength to destroy the debris blockade bit by bit into dust.
Crash!
An ogre finally punched a small hole through the telekinesis-fortified pile and peered its head into the garrison.
Kraahhh!!!
The ogre's cry, strengthened by the echoing cries of thousands of its brethren, thundered through the garrison it caused the entire place trembled.
"Kyaa!"
Cecily screamed at the disturbing sight and sound of the ogre breaking in.
She was so frightened that she completely forgot of the enemy she was currently facing.
"CECILY, LOOK OUT!"
I cried.
The archer turned around to see what my warning was about.
"Wh-"
Thwack!
Before Cecily could react, a club the size of a house smashed through her, catapulting the girl to the other side of the garrison.
Thud.
"Huh?"
Gerson shifted his gaze as something landed to his side.
Barely recognizable anymore, Cecily's disfigured and bloodied self lied still next to the man.
Her blank lifeless eyes were staring straight at him.
['Cecily (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
"Gaahhhh! Cecily!"
Gerson cried out, tears and terror were portrayed on his face.
Right at that moment, the four goblins that were left came to charge at him.
Slash! Slash!
A goblin inflicted a couple of gashing wounds on Gerson.
Stab!
"Gyak!"
['Gerson (★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
Another one managed to lodge a knife to his thigh.
For some reason, these weak goblins managed to overpower Gerson now.
Just seconds ago, he managed to fight them despite being outnumbered. But somehow Gerson could not find the strength anymore.
I wanted to quickly help him, but…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The horde still persisted on breaking through.
The seal on the gate was barely holding on.
The second I lifted my telekinesis on the debris, the horde would be flooding into the garrison.
On the other hand, Jonah and Shanny were still preoccupied with the ogre that was already inside.
With Cecily gone, the two had trouble maneuvering around the ogre's deadly attacks.
['Gerson (★)' is on the brink of death. His life is in danger!]
"Aaaahhh! Save me!"
Gerson's bloodied scream echoed throughout the garrison.
I turned my gaze back to him.
He had fell to the ground. His entire right arm had been severed. Blood was trickling down his body from many open wounds like broken faucet.
I could not believe such weak goblins managed to turn Gerson into this state.
"Aaahhhh!"
The goblins soon surrounded the man and butchered him with their rusty knives like a pig in a slaughterhouse.
['Gerson (★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]