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Chapter 99: Eliminate the Minotaur Chieftain.

Martina charged forward with her shield raised and knocked the two minotaurs in her path to the ground.

She let out a battle cry and swung her greatsword at the Minotaur Chieftain, but the chief dodged nimbly.

At the same moment, his heavy iron hammer became a devastating weapon.

A casual swing sent Martina flying back several meters.

Although the brute was huge, his agility was in no way lacking.

Reiner realized he had underestimated its strength.

“Careful, don’t let it seize an opening,” Reiner warned as he released a Fireball to suppress it.

Yet an uncharged Fireball’s power was negligible to it.

The impact merely sent a puff of smoke off its hide.

The chief slapped out the flames on his shoulder and mocked in Orcish, “Is that all you can do?”

Martina charged in with a roar; although her strikes were fierce and powerful, they were still a bit too slow and the Minotaur Chieftain parried them with ease.

“Not bad power, but still weaker than me,” the Minotaur Chieftain said as he raised his hammer.

He gave a light feint, and the tense Martina immediately exposed a flaw.

She was kicked into the air, rolled across the ground several times, and only came to a stop when she slammed into a pine tree.

The Minotaur Chieftain tried to press the attack, but Junice’s water spear momentarily pinned him down.

“Annoying flies!”

He bent down, scooped up a clump of mud, and hurled it squarely at Junice’s face, breaking her casting.

The surrounding pines came alive, lumbered forward, and attacked the four horn-bearing minotaur guards.

While the tree spirits could crush common orc warriors, they were still somewhat outmatched by these brawny minotaur fighters.

They were beaten to the ground within two exchanges.

Fortunately, they were in a forest, and Elyanna could keep awakening new tree spirits without pause.

“I’ll help you!” the orc priest began chanting, and a dazzling Fireball formed at the tip of his staff.

As soon as he leveled his staff at Elyanna, a mithril dagger pierced his chest and the Fireball vanished instantly.

“When… did that happen…?”

The priest’s eyes turned green, and he seemed to have another trick up his sleeve.

Nora gave him no chance, stabbing twice into his heart and once into his head.

Yet even so, the priest still did not die.

His fallen body rose again in an eerie posture, but Nora stabbed him several more times and finished him off.

Seeing that they held the upper hand for now, Reiner focused all his attention on the Minotaur Chieftain.

Martina ran back again; she had been forced into a defensive stance and her movements had slowed considerably.

Perhaps that hit from before had injured her.

While Martina tangled with him, Reiner charged a Wind Blade and fired it at the chief.

The Wind Blade, which usually severed branches cleanly, merely carved a wound on his leg that bared the bone.

The Minotaur Chieftain staggered back a few steps, and the gash on his leg slowly began to heal.

“Great chance!” Martina pressed the advantage and charged, never suspecting that the chief had feigned the opening on purpose.

The moment she raised her sword, her right hand… the one holding the blade… took another hammer blow.

Martina retreated to Reiner’s side, shook her injured right hand lightly, switched the sword to her left, and said, “I can’t beat him…”

The Minotaur Chieftain’s strength and speed were clearly far above hers.

“Buy me some time,” Reiner said as he switched tactics and began pelting the chief with Water Orbs.

The Water Balls smacked against his thick hide as if merely scratching an itch.

Junice caught on to Reiner’s plan, abandoned tying down the minotaurs for the moment, and joined in, focusing Water Orbs on the Minotaur Chieftain.

“Watch out!” Elyanna shouted.

Reiner looked back and saw a minotaur charging straight at him.

It raised its horn high, and the muscles on its arm bulged with sudden power.

But Reiner blocked the crushing blow with his Radiant Barrier.

Reiner had not been idle these past few days.

Whenever he had a spare moment, he practiced the Radiant Barrier that Elyanna had taught him, speeding up his cast time.

As a result, it came in handy this quickly.

While the minotaur recoiled, Reiner gathered power for an instant and loosed a Wind Blade that sliced off its head.

When he turned back to Martina, he found the Minotaur Chieftain gripping her arm, spinning her several times, and flinging her deep into the woods.

After a loud crash, a distant pine toppled with a thud.

“Martina!”

The Minotaur Chieftain fixed his gaze on Reiner and said, “Worry about yourself first, human.”

The system’s voice echoed in his ear.

[Warning! You are being targeted by the Minotaur Chieftain!!]

The Minotaur Chieftain’s leg veins bulged as he charged at Reiner like a speeding arrow.

At the critical moment, Reiner cast Earthquake along its charging path.

The water-soaked earth instantly turned into a mire.

The rampaging Minotaur Chieftain sank into it at once, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.

Realizing the tide had turned, the Minotaur Chieftain howled hysterically, “Despicable human, you only know how to use such underhanded tricks!”

“You talk too much,” Reiner exhaled deeply, his heart still pounding.

Noticing Nora approaching, Reiner glanced back.

The orc priest was dead, his head already severed.

The remaining three badly wounded minotaurs also lay on the ground.

The battle appeared to be over.

The Minotaur Chieftain, still mired in the swamp, continued to struggle and seemed to have figured out a way to free himself.

Seeing this, Reiner kept adding water to the bog while repeatedly casting Earthquake until the Minotaur Chieftain was finally swallowed by the mud.

“It’s over… what a troublesome monster.”

Martina limped over with her greatsword, scanned the area, failed to spot the Minotaur Chieftain, and asked in frustration, “Where’s that bull?”

Reiner pointed at the mire before them and said, “Buried alive.”

Martina curled her lip and plopped down to rest.

“Junice, Elyanna, how are you two?”

“I’m okay,” Junice replied while washing the mud off her face.

“Same here,” Elyanna said, walking over with her staff in her arms.

Reiner turned and looked toward the orc settlement ahead.

A group of orcs with khaki armbands had already charged inside.

They were orcs from the Rocky Ridge Clan.

This area would soon become their territory.

At that moment a familiar voice sounded behind him, “Reiner! You already took down their chief?”

It was Connor, followed by several warriors spattered head to toe with orc blood, clearly fresh from a fierce fight.

“Yeah, it took some doing… he was pretty tough,” Reiner said, drawing in a sharp breath.

It was the first time he had seen Martina lose a melee exchange.

“But you still settled it; I’ve always believed in your strength,” Connor nodded and laughed heartily.

“How are things on your side?”

“Our casualties weren’t heavy; thanks to you keeping their chieftain busy, the orcs fought without any order, just charging forward on brute force, and before long they started to rout.”

“The Black Wolf Clan should be finished now… the men all died on the battlefield and only a bunch of women and pups are left in the village,” he said, patting Reiner’s shoulder, “Leave the rest to my big brother; let’s go drink.”

Just then, Martina’s inner voice drifted into Reiner’s mind.

(I’m so weak… I couldn’t even beat that guy; I have to find a way to get stronger.)

Reiner turned back and looked at Martina.

She was bowing her head in thought…

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