Pwhoosh!
The heavy twang of the ballista echoed across the battlefield as another iron bolt tore through the sky, punching cleanly through the chest of a Goblin Shaman before disappearing into the horde behind it.
Deprived of their spellcaster once again, the monsters quickly fell into disarray as the defenders seized the opportunity to cut them down.
"They’re even better than I expected..."
Logan couldn’t help but stare for a brief moment. He had built the ballistas to strengthen Evergarden’s defenses, but watching them effortlessly pick off the Goblin Shamans hiding behind the horde had exceeded every expectation.
Without their curses and support magic, the entire battlefield became noticeably easier to control.
A deafening roar suddenly drowned out the sounds of battle.
The giant troll came barreling through the collapsing goblin ranks, trampling over the corpses of both monsters and soldiers alike. Despite the countless wounds covering its towering frame, it showed no signs of slowing down as it dragged its enormous wooden club across the ground, carving a deep trench behind it.
The archers atop the walls immediately shifted their focus, raining arrows onto the charging giant, but to little effect.
Even Robin’s signature [Piercing Shot] buried itself deep into the troll’s shoulder before the flesh around the wound began pulling itself back together.
Its regeneration is too fast. Normal attacks won’t be enough to bring it down.
"Don’t lose focus!" Logan shouted, snapping everyone out of their brief daze.
"Bring that thing down before it reaches the gate!"
"Giles! Pattern Three!"
Giles sprinted straight toward the charging troll. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to turn around and run, yet his feet refused to stop. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his blade and dove directly beneath the troll.
The troll’s massive foot crashed into the ground.
The next instant, Giles stumbled.
His body rolled awkwardly across the dirt as [Accidental Trip] activated, causing the troll’s footing to slip unexpectedly. The colossal monster lurched forward, its upper body pitching toward the earth as it struggled to regain its balance.
Giles, however, wasn’t any better off. The skill’s backlash left him sprawled helplessly on the ground, his limbs refusing to respond as the self-inflicted stun took hold.
"Don’t worry, I got you!"
Althea rushed in from the side, grabbing Giles by the back of his armor before dragging him away with all her strength. The pair barely escaped as the troll’s enormous hand slammed into the ground where Giles had been lying.
"Switch!"
Without missing a beat, Iron stepped directly into the troll’s path, raising his shield with one hand while pointing his sword toward the giant.
"Your opponent is me!"
Boom!
The impact echoed throughout the battlefield.
Iron’s knees bent beneath the overwhelming force, his boots digging through the dirt as he was pushed backward inch by inch. Despite the overwhelming force, the veteran gritted his teeth and refused to retreat, locking the troll in place for the precious few seconds Logan needed.
"Now!"
Almost as if he had vanished, Kiran emerged from the troll’s blind spot. Activating [Blindspot Striker], the young thief slid beneath the monster’s swinging arm before driving his dagger deep into the back of its ankle, twisting the blade and tearing through the thick Achilles tendon in one clean motion.
The troll let out a pained cry as its injured leg failed to support its weight, collapsing on the spot.
"Everyone! Bring it down!"
The waiting soldiers surged forward from both flanks without fear. Spears thrust into the troll’s exposed side while swords hacked relentlessly at its wounded leg. The troll struggled desperately as the soldiers hacked away like savages, slowly overwhelming its natural regeneration.
The troll’s lifeless body crashed against the floor, sending a cloud of dust rolling across the battlefield.
For a brief moment, the defenders stood in stunned silence before deafening cheers erupted from every corner of Evergarden.
"Let’s go!!"
"We did it!"
"Evergarden Forever!"
They actually pulled it off.
If someone had told him a week ago that a fortress full of 1-star heroes could bring down a major wave, he would’ve laughed in their face. Yet here they were.
The battle had lasted nearly an hour, yet everything had unfolded almost exactly as planned.
The purple herbs had drawn the goblins’ attention away from the walls, funneling them into predictable paths where the makeshift firebombs could thin their numbers before they ever reached the defenders.
The ballistas had done even more than he’d hoped, eliminating every Goblin Shaman that dared expose itself and stripping the horde of its greatest advantage.
"Everyone deserves a big feast after this," Logan said to himself, his eyes lingering on the crowd that gathered around the troll’s lifeless body.
Looks like all that hard work is finally paying off.
His smile lasted only a moment.
"Where’s the notification...?"
Every cleared wave was immediately followed by a system notification.
"...No." A chill ran down his spine.
Ding!
"Hello Logan"
The familiar black notification materialized before him. Like before, the letters slithered across the screen before twisting into a crooked smile.
"You didn’t actually think that was the end, did you? "
"You... I’m done playing your games!"
"You’re going to make me sad, Logan. You don’t find this fun? "
"What part of this is fun, you lunatic?"
The notification flickered.
A frozen image of Logan smiling as he watched his heroes celebrating appeared across the screen.
Logan’s jaw clenched.
"You coward, hiding behind a screen, watching people fight and die for your amusement."
He slowly raised his middle finger.
"If you’ve got any guts, show your damn face."
"Ooo..."
The crooked smile widened.
"Well... If I were you. "
"I wouldn’t get comfortable just yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Above the battlements, Maeve let out a tired sigh as she walked over to Robin, casually resting her arms over Robin’s shoulder.
The leather around her fingertips was leaving fresh streaks of blood where the bowstring had repeatedly dug into her skin. Yet a smug grin still found its way onto her face.
"So... What’s your count?"
Robin didn’t respond; her face was even paler than before, like she had seen a ghost.
"Robin?"
Something was walking out of the forest.
At first, she thought it was another troll.
The figure towered over the surrounding goblins, clad in jagged black armor that covered its broad frame. Resting on its left shoulder was a massive battleaxe, its crimson patterns running along the blade.
"What... is that?" Robin’s voice trembled.
"My gift has arrived."
"Let’s see if your little heroes can do it again."
[Wave #5 - Stage 2: Time Remaining: 00:00:59]