Chapter 653: Fighting Six

The six guardians began to move. Their movements made their intentions clear. They showed no interest in talking of course. They wanted a fight.

"Okay. Do it like we usually do," Samuel said calmly, as if this were nothing more than another routine mission. At this point, it almost was.

Clyde and the others readied their weapons.

"How should we handle them?" Don asked as he raised his shield and sword. "Do we fight them one by one, or should we use a formation?"

Samuel remained silent for a moment. His eyes moved across the six guardians before settling on the nearest one and he said, "Let’s face them one by one."

The moment he finished speaking, Samuel lunged forward.

His spear surged toward the nearest guardian, its tip glowing red with concentrated energy. The light barely stood out against the surrounding fire right now but the power behind the attack was still clear. Samuel thrust with both hands, aiming straight for the creature’s chest.

The guardian reacted immediately. It swung one massive arm toward him.

Samuel twisted his body and slipped past the attack, his spear cutting across the creature’s side. The blade slashed through its charred flesh and sent sparks flying, but the wound barely slowed it.

Maira clicked her tongue. She hated the plan. These creatures were not weak enough to kill quickly. Their bodies could withstand attacks that would have destroyed the burning undead above, which meant she would need to put far more effort into every strike.

Maira did not feel afraid. She trusted that she could defeat one of them. However, she also knew that victory would come with pain.

She stopped wasting time. Maira whipped both curved swords from her sides and charged forward with an annoyed grunt.

Her body blurred across the burning ground as she closed the distance. She slipped underneath a guardian’s swinging arm and slashed upward with both blades.

One sword carved across its abdomen. The second struck its shoulder and immediately blackened flesh split open, revealing the molten glowing flesh beneath.

The guardian roared and swung both arms down at her.

Maira jumped backward just before its fists smashed into the ground, sending cracks across the stone.

She landed lightly and immediately rushed forward again.

Arven approached his target with considerably more hesitation. Not like the others, he specialized in support and utility magic rather than direct combat. He could fight and Samuel trusted him to handle one guardian, but that did not make the situation comfortable.

Arven preferred controlling the battlefield from a distance. Fighting a powerful monster directly was another matter entirely.

But he still moved forward and fought. He raised one hand, and magical energy spread across the ground beneath the guardian’s feet.

Thin lines of light appeared between the cracks in the scorched stone.

The guardian took another step. The spell activated and immediately chains of magical energy erupted from the ground and wrapped around its legs, locking them in place.

Arven immediately followed with another spell. A concentrated bolt of magic formed above his palm and he fired it directly into the guardian’s chest.

The impact forced the creature backward. Arven took a deep breath. One attack was enough.

He immediately returned his focus to controlling the battlefield, preparing another trap before the guardian could break free.

Leyan did not hesitate or think in annoyance like the others. He had already drawn his bow before the others moved.

The elf released his first arrow. It flew through the fire and struck one of the guardians directly in the eye.

The creature jerked its head backward.

Leyan immediately fired again.

The second arrow struck its throat. The third buried itself in its shoulder.

He kept his distance while moving across the battlefield while also maintaining his aim. He did not need to think about anything except the fight in front of him.

Don charged his opponent head-on. He planted his shield into the ground just as the guardian swung at him.

The impact shook his entire body.

Don gritted his teeth but held his position. "Not bad," he muttered.

He pushed the creature’s arm aside with his shield and drove his sword into its side.

The guardian roared and tried to grab him.

Don raised his shield again and blocked the claws before kicking the creature backward.

He fought while also trying to overwhelm it with his strength.

Meanwhile, Clyde watched them from the side.

Everyone had entered the battle now. Their attention belonged entirely to the fight.

That was exactly what Clyde wanted.

Their focus on the guardians meant they would not pay much attention to what he did.

Clyde turned his eyes toward the center of the circular field.

He searched for anything that felt different. Anything that carried the presence of Asmodeus he sensed earlier.

Clyde was certain he was the only one who could recognize that presence properly. The others had no connection to Asmodeus or enough familiarity with Demon energy to distinguish his presence from the surrounding magical power.

But Clyde still needed to fight.

If he stood around doing nothing, his behavior would attract attention.

He tightened his grip around his longsword and moved toward one of the remaining guardians.

The creature immediately noticed him and its burning eyes locked onto Clyde. It roared and charged at him.

Clyde waited until the last possible moment before stepping aside.

The guardian’s massive fist slammed the space where his head had been.

Clyde swung his longsword across its back. The blade cut through the charred flesh, but the wound only made the creature angrier. It turned and attacked again.

Clyde retreated. He did not try to kill it. Instead, he kept moving. The guardian followed him.

Clyde increased the distance between them and the others, drawing the creature toward the edge of the circular field. Every time it attacked, he slipped away from its reach and answered with a quick slash before retreating again. He was kiting it.

The guardian became increasingly aggressive as Clyde continued to evade it. Its footsteps shook the ground, its claws slashed through the stone and air. Flames erupted wherever its attacks landed.

Clyde remained calm. He watched its movements carefully while continuing to search the battlefield from the corner of his eye.

Eventually he noticed a small figure hunched back in the corner of the crater. His eyes sharpened. He immediately moved there.

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