After receiving strict instructions from Princess Tilan not to disclose the purpose of the convoy and her identity, Sir Robert Knight finally breathed a sigh of relief. Before arriving at the capital, it was better to avoid revealing such information to prevent unnecessary trouble.
However, Tilan couldn't help but feel curious. Why did they suddenly close off the road and mention something about a temporary war zone...
"Well, you see," Robert explained, "we have just received an urgent mission that could have significant implications. Hence, we had to designate it as a forbidden zone. As for the specifics..."
Considering Princess Tilan's status, it should be fine to disclose this military intelligence. Moreover, once the war starts, it will be difficult to hide the commotion, and it will eventually become public knowledge.
Without much hesitation, Robert quickly revealed everything, "We have located a siege-level behemoth about 40 kilometers away from the town. It is currently moving towards the town, so we decided to conduct an immediate extermination operation."
"Oh? A siege-level behemoth?" Tilan's eyes lit up, showing a keen interest.
In a certain sense, a siege-level behemoth was also a type of monster, but it was oversized both in terms of its size and strength. It was named "siege-level" because under normal circumstances, a behemoth of this level could destroy a whole town.
"I knew it, are you planning to..." Aya, who was still in the carriage, opened her mouth and felt a sense of foreboding.
"Where is that thing?" Someone's eyes suddenly sparkled.
Sure enough! Princess Tilan couldn't stay idle and had to get involved in something again!
...
In the dense forest, silence reigned, not even the sound of birdsong could be heard.
"It seems to be an extraordinary creature indeed. Even before its presence is felt, its sheer pressure has scared away all the animals from the forest," said Tilan.
Standing on a hillside, she had one foot on a rock and her hands resting on her forehead as she surveyed the surroundings. Tilan had changed into the silver armor outfit that Aya had first seen her in. The helmet with a visor concealed her face, making it difficult to recognize her true identity. Although she rarely showed her face, wasn't she recognized just a while ago?
However, this also meant that the dozen or so members of the hunting team had no idea about Tilan's real identity. They simply regarded her as just another mercenary or bounty hunter who came to help.
"I say, can't you just wait until this is over?" Aya complained with a frown. Tilan hadn't encountered any trouble, but Aya, with her striking beauty and maid attire, was quite eye-catching. She had already drawn the attention of the mercenaries, and if it weren't for Robert helping to ease the situation, Aya would have been surrounded for quite a long time.
"Are you scared?" Tilan glanced at Aya, her emerald eyes revealing a hint of mischief.
"No, it's just..." Aya instinctively wanted to refute, but then became guilty, "Well, actually... there was a time when I accidentally stumbled upon the lair of a siege-level behemoth while playing outside. I was nearly crushed to death there..."
"Your Highness." Robert, who had finally finished arranging the tactics, walked over and calmly saluted Tilan.
"Thank you for your hard work," Tilan nodded and yawned, "By the way, why would a siege-level behemoth appear in this area? There shouldn't be any large-scale monster habitats nearby, right?"
"The reason is still unclear, but we cannot allow it to approach the city anymore."
"Is that so... But if we're dealing with a siege-level creature, are these people enough?" Tilan asked.
"There's no other option. Ordinary soldiers are no match for a siege-level behemoth. Only warriors and magic users with certain abilities can be of any help. Time is running out, and we could only recruit these people from the mercenary guild."
"Tch, what about the Temple Church? Aren't they supposed to be the representatives of the Divine Knight in the mortal realm? Why don't they dispatch their Sacred Knights? Aren't they known as the first knight order?"
"Recently, our relationship with the church hasn't been great... But they did offer some assistance," Robert sighed, then turned into an expression of confidence, "But as long as Your Highness is present, I believe everything will be fine!"
"Don't always rely on me. I won't intervene unless it's absolutely necessary to conceal my identity," Tilan said.
"Yes." Robert's expression suddenly became stern.
As he watched Robert's figure disappear behind a huge rock, Aya finally couldn't hold back her laughter, "Not getting involved... I can't wait to see if you can resist not to slay that behemoth.""Shut up!" Tiran said angrily, "How could I do such a despicable thing as headhunting!"
"In a sense, when you captured me that one time, it also counted as headhunting, right?" Aya kindly reminded him.
Then she received a smack on her head.
...
After waiting for about five minutes, a rhythmic tremor in the ground ignited the spirit of everyone in the hunting team.
It's here!
First, in the calm forest, waves of tidal-like waves appeared, followed by a black dot in the distance, constantly enlarging with the vibrations.
The black dot quickly approached a distance that could be seen with the naked eye.
"Oh my... it's actually a Mountain Giant... our luck is really bad." Aya's face turned gloomy.
The minimum standard for a city-attacking level behemoth is eighteen meters, three meters higher than Aya's dragon form. Above that, there are the thirty-meter and fifty-meter levels. In addition to their immense strength, most city-attacking behemoths can also use special abilities just like the monsters. If it were not for their rarity and low intelligence, these creatures might be the true rulers of the continent.
And the Mountain Giants were considered outstanding even among the city-attacking behemoths.
"That fist is a bit unfair." Tiran stuck out his tongue. Although he had anticipated it, the pressure brought by the sight of a fifty-meter tall body was incomparable.
With a height of fifty meters, the massive figure was composed of bluish-gray rocks, covered with vegetation, making it look like a moving hill. Its giant fist, capable of destroying the strongest fortresses, emitted a threatening aura that made everyone uneasy.
"Everyone, get in position! Artillery team, start firing!" Robert gave the order while swapping his cross sword for a two-handed war hammer.
The dozen or so cannons hidden below the hill had already begun a saturation barrage the moment the Mountain Giant entered their range. The target was a mountain, and the gunners didn't even need to aim to hit it.
The shells cut through the air, leaving trails of fiery arcs as they continuously struck the Mountain Giant's body. Endless artillery fire covered everything, shattering the rocky layers and vegetation on its body. However, such injuries meant nothing to a fifty-meter-level body, and it couldn't even slow down its advance.
"No use after all, we still have to rely on ourselves. Three of you, please!" After receiving the affirmative response from the three Magic Masters standing behind him, Robert gritted his teeth and, dragging his huge war hammer, jumped down the hill and charged forward. "Artillery team, retreat! The rest, flank and attack from the sides! Let's go!"
The artillery team consisted of ordinary soldiers, and staying here was meaningless. The only ones capable of defeating this city-attacking behemoth were them.
With the command, a dozen mercenaries and knights who were there for the bounty or out of a sense of justice quickly followed Robert, spreading out and using the dense forest as cover to approach the Mountain Giant.
The three Magic Masters sent by the Magic Guild stayed on the hill, beginning their joint casting. The three overlapping bright magical auras combined, and in a low chant, a giant magical cannon, outlined by complex magical circuits, gradually took shape in the sky above the hill.
In addition, the only priest from the Temple Church stood in the most observant position, holding a sacred branch in his hand and writing hidden spells in the air. Power, agility, fortitude, sharpness, combustion, impact... Over a dozen powerful enhancement statuses were applied to the warriors charging forward, instantly doubling the morale of the hunting team.
The same statuses also fell upon Tiran and Aya, who were temporarily not part of the charge.
Slightly surprised, Tiran looked at his hand and clenched his fist, the glow shining on his enhanced armor. Tiran clicked his tongue twice, saying, "This enhancement is pretty good. I feel like I can punch through the sky with one blow now..."
"Miss, image, image..."
"What does it matter? There are only a few of us here, and those three Magic Masters over there are too busy casting spells to notice us."
"...As long as you're happy."
In just one minute, the charging warriors had closed in on the Mountain Giant and launched their attacks. From a distance, one could see various explosions and smoke rising at the foot of that colossal creature. Some madmen even climbed onto the Mountain Giant's body to cause destruction.The aftermath of the battle ignited the surrounding trees, and billowing smoke rose, obscuring the view. The raging flames also intensified as the battle raged on, gradually spreading.
