Ambush

And then…
The mysterious beastman soldiers began to rain down beams from above.

Yes, terrifyingly enough…
Or rather, ridiculously enough…

The tubes they held were capable of rapid fire.
The power of the beams far surpassed that of elven bows and magic.

Moreover, their rapid firing speed was extraordinary.
After all, they could fire with just the pull of a finger.
One shot within a count of one.

Arrows of light capable of piercing any armor or skin, dealing a fatal blow, rained down from above…

What’s unbearable in this situation are the monsters surrounding the village.

*Roar!*

Whether it was fear or fighting spirit…
There was no way to know the meaning behind their roaring.
The only certainty was that for the beastman soldiers aiming at the monsters from above, such intimidation was utterly ineffective.

Impassively…
Yes, with surprisingly cold expressions…
The beastman soldiers continued to fire beams from their tubes.

Most of the time, it was a one-shot, one-kill!

Monsters hit directly in the head or torso and either lost their lives or combat abilities. Even those who were lucky enough to avoid direct hits found themselves unable to move properly due to their muscles being ripped apart by the beams.

Some monsters tried to counterattack by spitting fireballs or flashing with lightning…
But they were not going to hit the beastman soldiers so easily.

The floating platforms, resembling upside-down shells, moved freely through the air at their will by some means, effortlessly avoiding the attacks.

“This is bad!”

“Flying ones are coming out!”

The Elven soldiers, watching the battle from behind the defense wall, raised their voices.

The monsters must have realized the folly of trying to counterattack from the ground…
The flying monsters perched on the trees surrounding the village took flight and swooped down on the beastmen.

The difficulty of sniping these flying creatures was a whole different story compared to the crawling ones on the ground.
Even the beastman soldiers were having a hard time hitting them with beams.

Only the elderly beastman who seemed to be commanding them was continuously achieving one shot, one kill, while others began to suffer from the monsters’ attacks.
However, what kept them unaffected was the full-body armor they wore, providing defense comparable to that of the kingdom’s knights’ metal armor.

Nevertheless, the ground monsters seemed to be regaining composure…

At times like this, Senior Forusha’s decision was swift.

“Remove the magic barrier!
Summon everyone from the reserve and attack together at the defense wall!”

The soldiers, now aware of the order from the wise Elf King, quickly sprung into action.

“That’s it… this is…
A pincer attack is possible!”

Ente stood bewildered by the sight that seemed unreal…
But then, She could figure out what needed to be done.

“We are not going to lose this battle!”

Gradually, as the magic barrier weakened…
She stood at the edge of the defense wall, drawing the bow her father had personally crafted for her.

And then, She released it!

The arrows, launched by elves in overwhelming numbers, pierced the monsters who had been cornering them…
It felt so satisfying to shoot arrows at them!
For over three nights since elves had been besieged, the anger smoldering in the girl’s chest fully matured and erupted onto the arrows, piercing through the monsters’ skulls!

“—How about that!”

The arrow that should have hit a distant target sent a tingling sensation down the right hand that released it…
Truly a satisfying shot!

But she had no intention of ending this just yet.
Ente kept firing arrows one after another, and her father, Forusha, and other soldiers standing beside her followed suit.

Furthermore, reinforcements that had rushed to us upon receiving a messenger joined in… The rain of arrows and magic poured down on the monsters, decreasing their numbers significantly.

*Rooarrr!?*

The flying monsters in the sky, trying to engage in chaotic combat, let out cries of confusion.
A perfect opportunity for the beastman soldiers as beams of light shot through the flying monsters one after another, swiftly changing the tide of the battle in the sky.

At this point, they could afford to support the ground forces.
The beastman soldiers who had driven away the flying monsters turned their attention back to the ground…

Now, a pincer attack alongside a mysterious group was in place!

Encircling and flanking…
This was the winning formation on the battlefield, where all tactics existed to create such a formation.

Moreover, this time, it took an extremely three-dimensional form, with one side attacking from above.

There was no reason why this wouldn’t be effective.
The monsters began to fall one by one, making it almost impossible to see the ground.

“――――――――――AAH!”

“――――――――――AAH!”

“――――――――――AAH!”

Surely, those were cries signaling a retreat…
The monsters, still overwhelming in numbers, started fleeing into the forest one after another.

While monsters instinctively attack humans and elves, it’s not an absolute rule.
In situations where the losses are clearly too high, like this one, they also exhibit the rationality to retreat.

“Let them escape!”

As Ente tried to activate levitation magic and jump out, her shoulder was firmly held back by a hand reaching out from the side.
Looking up, She saw her father, Forusha, shaking his head while looking at her.

“Stop chasing them down!
All units, make sure no one pursues them any further!”

Not only that, he shouted with an unexpectedly loud voice to ensure no one chased the monsters too far.
At that moment, Ente, who was about to pursue them relentlessly, could do nothing but make a grimace.

“Seems like they’ve made the same decision.
The one giving orders must be that slightly older man floating over there…
Probably a veteran warrior.”

Father, who then looked up at the sky, muttered with an impressed expression.
Following his gaze upward… I see, the group in the sky seems to have no intention to continue fighting, instead they were gathering while pointing their tubes upwards.

“What are they planning to do next…?”

Beastman soldiers floating above…
Ente couldn’t help but notice the gigantic structure, so she voiced her concerns.

Until just now, She was reveling in the sense of triumph from overcoming the imminent threat of monsters…
But now that things have settled down, a different sense of tension emerges.

This tension seemed to affect not only Ente but also the other elves…
A strange atmosphere lingered between the beastmen looking down from above and the elves looking up at them.
The only one maintaining composure was my father, standing beside me.

It was in this atmosphere that…

“…Another one is coming!”

One of the elves with exceptional eyesight pointed far into the distance and raised their voice.
When Ente looked in that direction, indeed…

At first, it seemed like a speck floating in the sky.
However, it gradually grew in size and took shape.

Something was approaching us.
And at a speed that no bird could match.

As we observed, the identity of what was closing in on us became clear… it was a man and a woman riding a peculiar vehicle.