chapter 66 - A Devil's Monster Parade

A single Fae Knight rode a heavily armoured Orange Velociraptor ahead of an army of elementals down Tariak's streets. With a lower body like a stone horse and an upper body of an especially wizened tree with several waving arms ending in bladed vines, the elementals were terrifying even without being so powerful. Lashing out, the strange Fae centaurs could skewer soldiers atop buildings or fire their arms like ballista bolts to crash through several ranks at a time.

Into the scene emerged Kenji, his main troll body destroyed and leaving him with the weaker [Forbidden Copy] version. Still damn strong, Kenji was able to strike one of the elementals in the back - fragments of shattered Rock blasting across the streets to shatter windows and lacerate flesh.

Humans cheers, then cried out as several tendrils plunged into Kenji's neck. Not having expected their reaction speed, he was torn to shreds in seconds.

From the other side one of the elementals collapsed into fragmented chunks, Jack slicing those tendrils that retaliated. From behind him danced the Flower Knight, her blade singing through the air as she dodged her way past another's defense and scored a direct hit at its chest. Pulling free a glittering gem, she smirked as the elemental crashed down behind her.

From the alleyways rushed adventurers, and soon the elementals were split into two groups. Angrily the Fae Knight turned and charged, his Velociraptor too fast too avoid as his lance skewered through a pair of adventurer heads.

Speaking in an alien tongue, the Fae Knight urged his beast atop a house and quickly ran away. His elementals similarly turned tail, while the masses of monsters and saytrs continued their endless charge.

"We need to pull them in further Kenji. I was told by Almanac to give you this too," Jack said as he handed Kenji a blue potion. Sighing, Kenji released his mutilated troll form and allowed it to return to his [Forbidden slot]. In its place he became Dana, and after searching through her memories identified the potion as a mana potion.

"We need to take care of that knight," Kenji said as he downed the potion, his mana reserves quickly refilling. "He'll just attack wherever is weakest until his stopped otherwise, that'll ruin our organised retreat."

"And we still need to buy enough time for Almanac's plan," Jack said as he drunk a yellow potion, and watched the enemy continue to flood the streets as they were driven on to make battle with Tariak's forward line. The Silver Swan Knights continued to be worth their weight in gold, able to stabilise entire streets while the adventurers focused on downing only the most terrible out of the enemy's unleashed monstrosities.

As Dana, and with renewed mana, Kenji built up a new army of ghouls from the enemy dead. Adding a troll Ghoul that Jack downed, Kenji was finally ready.

"Get on, we're going hunting," Kenji said, offering a hand to lift Jack and the Flower Knight onto the Troll Ghoul's warped shoulders. Once aboard, Kenji commanded the undead to climb to the roofs and begin bounding across them.

The roofs were chaos as enemy fighters continued to battle the warriors placed above. Hunters and soldiers made desperate battle with squads of enemy satyr, each commanded by a golden horned enemy elite.

Faced with the packs of fast moving Monster Ghouls, alongside Jack and the Flower Knight's on battle prowess, those golden horns soon fell into pools of their own blood.

The roofs retaken, arrows, rocks, and ghouls could be unleashed onto the unwitting streets of enemies. Behind their lines Kenji continued to raise and release more feral Ghouls, that would stalk, devour and grow with every kill.

His own ghouls had grown larger and more intelligent with the dead they had eaten thus far. Luckily the Ghouls appetites were insatiable, each crunching through a score of dead that quickly leveled them up into War Ghouls twice as large as the regular, with far greater intelligence and horns coating their limbs like ivory armour.

Curious, Kenji ordered a single War Ghoul to eat five golden horned elites. The Ghouls horns turned golden, and its own power awakening as it siezed control of two packs, freeing up space for Kenji to raise even more.

Kenji had created his second 'Command Ghoul' before the enemy finally retaliated. Three flailing elementals remained, easily enough to shatter several buildings and bury their archers under mounds of rubble.

The command ghouls immediately pulled back their packs and spread them out to either side, Kenji following suit. Moments later the Fae Knight appeared with an entire company of golden horned elites, their blades shredding the closest humans and their shields able to deflect their strongest blows.

"Pull back men, pull back!" Jack ordered, sending his Warden Company retreating to several empty positions behind him.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Kenji said, only him, Flower Knight and Kenji's scarcely controlled horde of Ghouls left to fight. Even while archers rained death from afar, it was only enough to slow the enemy advance. A pair of heavily armoured adventurers had remained to shield Kenji against the crack shots of enemy Fauns, but otherwise Kenji was helpless as he tried to force his will over the huge number of summons.

"Funnel them to us, and prevent them from grouping up! We'll take it from there, less casualties that way," Jack said with a quick salute to his warriors, many of whom quickly returned to a only a short distance behind their captain.

"Retreat if you need to sir, we can take them!" Burgeon shouted, huge blacksmiths hammer in hand with his apprentices right behind him.

"We won't get in your way until you need us," added caster, staring at the charging elites without fear. Behind him assembled the senior fighters of Warden Company, representing the best they had to offer.

"As you wish, I suppose that means I can't retreat then!" Jack laughed as the enemy finally reached him. Immediately a swarm of Ghouls knocked many to their feet, Jack and the Flower Knight becoming a whirl of death through the enemy centre.

The Fae Knight strangely decided to hold back, circling the battle with his Velociraptor while eyeing Jack, the Flower Knight, and Kenji. Arrows pinged off his mount, but blasts of magic was enough to make the monster shriek as flaming scales shattered along its side. With a flick of his wrist, the Fae Knight sent streaks of glitter beaming at the wizards, who starting screaming and firing magic at random.

As a bolt of ice shot over his shoulder, Kenji struggled to maintain his control over the huge number of ghouls while simultaneously sending orders to interrupt the enemy formation. While the War Ghouls were there to sacrifice themselves in fits of bite and claw, the enemy could not properly envelope Jack under the weight of their numbers.

"[blessing-fire]!" Kenji shouted, setting Jack's sword ablaze for him. Jack in turn shouted and managed to point to their right while fighting.

Hearing a whistling sound, Kenji turned just in time to see the Lance's tip crash through his skull. Dana's [Forbidden Copy] body destroyed, Kenji's world became darkness.