Fighting as a Team

The dagger of a golden-haired man pierced an insect monster with a sickening splash. Its dying chitter faded away. This man was unyielding... his brown cloak billowed, with his gripped weapon giving him the vibe of an ever-ready warrior. His eyes alone spoke death to the screeching rust-colored beetles a few meters in front of him. Nine in number.

Bones of what once could have been a human filled the vast field.

Chchchch—zzzt—chchch!

The insectoids crawled towards him, chittering aloud. Orange energy seared around his dagger. He charged forward without relent. This was Axel, one of the three Sentinel Assassin-class fighters on Timothy's team.

"Jane!" he called out to a silver-haired lady behind him. "Could you channel some fireballs, please?"

Jane smiled as she stretched her arms. Her ponytail and brown cloak swayed as she conjured fireballs with great speed. The air grew too sultry. Leon jerked away from her immediately.

"Oh... You must have some trust in me, Axel," Jane said with a playful tone. Then, in a flash, she threw the fireballs forward. She was a Caster, a Sentinel as well.

A beetle skittered at Axel. He sidestepped it. Then, boom! The fireballs hit the magic beast. It rolled backward. Axel closed in on it in a second, cleaving its body in two. He didn't move afterward. Instead, he dashed past the next beetle. Its head flew off just as Axel materialized behind it.

He glanced at the others. "It's your turn, Mr. Cross!"

Mister Cross, or simply Timothy, charged at the insect monsters. He sheathed his sword mid-motion. But, causing him to halt, a three-metre tall humanoid beast on its two legs appeared right behind Axel. Like a naked man with brown fibrous skin but its bully stick missing.

Everyone clenched their jaws.

"Get away from there, Axel!" Jane warned. Axel didn't even look back before dashing to Timothy's side.

The new monster was definitely the controller of these D-rank beetles.

Timothy ordered aloud, "Tankers, get in!"

Swoosh!!!

With lightning speed, three men with reddish wide shields knelt before Timothy. Soon as they did, the boss beast conjured a fireball in its mouth...

Swoosh-KABOOM!

The fireball slammed into the shields. A strong shockwave hit, knocking Leon, Kael, and everyone below Sentinel rank backward.

Timothy frowned amidst clenched teeth. He gazed at the beast. 'It's too strong for an ordinary C-rank monster. Don't tell me...'

Anyways, he said, "Open up!" The Tankers opened the path forward. Timothy, at a one-second ten-meter distance speed, closed in on the beetles. Then swept through their defences...

Slash, slash, slash!!!

The beetles fell dead one after the other. Blood trickled down Timothy's sword, sinking into the dark soil...

"Get back in action, Assassins!" he ordered aloud, withdrawing backward. "Defend behind them, Tankers!"

Axel and two other Assassin-class fighters charged ahead. Behind them, the three Sentinel Tankers formed a defensive line.

It was all about the formation Timothy gave. Three each from the Assassin and Tanker class at the front. One Caster and two Strikers in the middle. And the rear belongs to the two Summoners and the powerless, Kael Cross.

The three stealthy fighters stood around the reptilian beast. The monster shrieked aloud in fury; the air thickened with unease and decay. In a flash, a pink-haired, spectacled lady stepped forward. She took a stance as she pulled out her shotgun.

She fired point-blank. The blue-fumed bullet vanished mid-air and reappeared behind the monster. The shot landed. But despite piercing through the monster's skin, it charged at her in a flash...

"My godness..." she whispered, backing away.

PHROOM! The humanoid's fist rushed toward her.

But Ariana couldn't move. Something held her in place that—

"Everyone, duck!" Jane's cold order echoed. She cast a ball of flames. And with a dragged scream, she threw it forward to hit the monster's chest like a thunderstrike...

BHAM!

The fiend reeled backward with an agonized screech.

The flame attack shredded its ribs, sending bone shards flying in the air. For a moment, everyone stared in surprise at the devastating attack Jane had landed. Then, in a moment, it struck Timothy. They could take advantage now that the monster's defenses were down.

He glanced backward. There were two ladies at the rear, waiting and ready. Timothy shouted to them, "We need your magical summons—"

"Ah!"

Timothy looked back at the monster. He gasped as he saw the Assassins getting knocked off. "Screw this," he said. Timothy rushed forward. A lemon light gushed onto his sword. He jumped upward and slashed the monster's arm.

Blood spilled-

SWOOSH!

Timothy's eyes widened mid-air. "No way!"

Then—bam!—the monster punched him. His body rolled downwards. But he turned on his feet just before getting his back slammed against the ground.

"Brother!" Kael cried out from behind Leon.

Leon swallowed, stepping backward. He clenched his jaw. 'The monster is coming!'

The humanoid's punch shattered the Tankers' shields. It rushed past them straight away. They were lucky they weren't stepped on...

Jane stepped back, clenching her jaw. The creature was coming for her because of the attack she had made!

"Screw this!" she muttered.

Timothy screamed as he charged in from the distance. "Keep on fighting! You still have the energy in you!"

....

Jane swallowed. Leon jerked backwards.

...

She cursed, raising her hands to cast flames...

The monster's shadow loomed before her.

...

Leon lamented, 'I can't-'

STEP, STEPP!!!

Leon's eyes widened as he saw Kael sprinting towards the creature. His eyes widened.

Kael pushed Jane aside. Then, gritting his teeth, he slid forward. He wrapped his arms around the fiend's waist.

CLASP!

"Yah!" Kael grunted as he squeezed—hard. So hard, the beast's thick frame creaked under the pressure.

SCREECH! The monster cried out in agony.

For a split second, everyone watched agape. Who in the world would do such a thing?

Kael screamed out, "Keep going! Don't stop fighting!"

He squeezed more and more so that the monster couldn't move forward anymore. Magic may not be his thing, but he had such strength that no Ascendant had.

Silence stretched, broken only by the monster's prolonged screech. What should they do? — most wondered. It wasn't about their next move, but the shock of Kael's actions. Without him, they would have lost a soul today.

'What a fool... That's too dangerous!' Leon thought, getting over the shock.

Then -

BHAM!

The monster bent and drove its jagged elbow straight into Kael's back—crack! He yelped. The blow landed flush against his spine, so hard it echoed in his ears like a snapping timber. His grip faltered the moment he dropped to his knees.

Timothy cried out, "Kael!"

Right as the monster attempted to step forward, Kael rushed up and clasped its waist again. The monster didn't hold back as it punched his back without relent. Each hit was harder than the initial one.

But Kael held tight, even through his fleeting consciousness.

'I was powerless as your kind killed my parents back then. I did nothing. I'm not doing the same... today.'

SMASH!!!

Taking her courage from both sides, Jane stepped backward. She sighed as she stretched her arm forward. "Please get Kael away at my command!"

"I will do that!" Timothy replied as he rushed toward the fiend. No way he was letting anyone on his team die.

The two Summoners, ready, chanted some words under their breaths. The next second, the air darkened, the ground opened... dark-furred boars with gleaming red eyes emerged. Those were the magical summons.

The summoned magical beasts sent crimson balls crashing into the humanoid. In that brief moment, the lady with glasses severed the monster's last arm, thereby saving Kael. The balls hit.

SNARL!

The creature screeched, its entire body almost shredded apart.

'This is my most powerful flame magic,' Jane thought. 'I hope it works.' She snapped her fingers. A rain of flames descended upon the monster. Its legs blasted off the upper body.

The upper body—only to the chest level—crashed to the ground.

Flinging his sword upwards mid-step, Timothy sped on. As he jumped to the top of the humanoid, the sword plunged straight down. He caught it and drove it straight into its chest.

STAB!