When the frantic cry for help echoed out, followed by the thunderous crash of a hammer striking down, the entire army turned toward the cave entrance at once.
Silence fell, crushing the previous cheerfulness until nothing remained.
"Minotaur…"
Divine the Warden muttered unconsciously.
The gigantic demon, standing nearly four meters tall, stepped slowly out of the cave.
The blazing afternoon sunlight illuminated its horrifying form.
It had the head of a bull, with massive curved horns on both sides. Its eyes glowed blood-red, fierce and savage. Rows of razor-sharp teeth lined its mouth like countless blades. Though its body was covered in pitch-black fur, its bulging, tightly packed muscles were still clearly visible—an unsettling sight.
In that moment, the entire army seemed to stop breathing.
No one moved. No one dared to speak.
Ryn, whose unease had never truly faded, immediately realized that what he had feared all along had finally appeared before him.
His hand tightened around his sword.
Without waiting for the demon to make the first move, he launched himself forward at full speed—
Charging straight toward the Minotaur before it could rush into the frozen soldiers behind him.
Ryn's first slash aimed for its neck, intending to sever it in a single strike.
However, despite its massive size, the giant Calami moved far faster than he had expected.
It leaned aside, narrowly dodging the blade in the blink of an eye.
The black beast's roar thundered across the battlefield, the shock of its voice shaking the resolve of many soldiers and mages alike.
Goran, snapping back to his senses, broke through the rear line and rushed toward the front to support Ryn.
At the same time, Alize raised her hand and began chanting a light spell.
Brilliant energy condensed into a massive spear of light, which she hurled at the demon without hesitation.
But the Minotaur raised its enormous war hammer and easily knocked the spear aside.
Then, it lunged straight toward the panicking soldiers.
Goran, who was charging forward, lifted his axe to block the attack.
CRASH!
The clash of metal thundered across the battlefield.
Goran was sent flying backward by the sheer force of the blow. Though he managed to block it, the impact still tore through his body with searing pain.
Ryn did not let the opportunity slip.
He charged at the Minotaur once more, bringing his sword down in a swift, decisive arc.
But the blade merely grazed its black fur.
The colossal beast twisted around instantly and slammed its hammer toward Rin with brutal force.
Ryn leapt aside in the nick of time.
The hammer crashed into the ground, shaking the earth beneath their feet.
Without pause, the monstrous bull swung its leg and kicked toward Rin.
Though he raised his sword to block, the overwhelming impact still hurled him backward. His body slammed hard against the ground.
Agony surged through him, knocking the breath from his lungs.
Amid the chaos of the battlefield, shouts erupted from every direction.
"Spread out!"
Divine the Warden barked orders, and the army immediately began forming their battle lines.
Layer after layer of protective magic was cast, shielding the advancing soldiers.
A barrage of attack spells followed—
Fireballs, beams of light, and arcane projectiles tore through the air and slammed into the black-furred monster without pause.
One fireball struck its face head-on, staggering the beast and disrupting its momentum.
Goran, having regained his footing, did not hesitate.
He charged forward, ignoring the massive war hammer swinging down toward him.
At that very moment, Alize's ice spear spell shot through the air, piercing straight into the Minotaur's forehead with deadly precision.
The hammer's descent faltered for a split second—
The split second Goran needed.
He swung his massive axe with all his might, cleaving into the creature's right leg.
The crack of shattering bone rang out.
Thick, nearly black blood burst forth in a horrifying spray.
Yet the Minotaur did not fall.
Its enormous hand snapped back with terrifying speed,
Razor-sharp claws driving straight toward Goran's abdomen.
Though he managed to raise the shaft of his axe in time to block the strike, the impact was still powerful enough to send his body flying.
He crashed into the ground several meters away.
The female mages rushed to Goran at once, casting healing spells desperately to keep him alive.
Soldiers who had regained their composure quickly formed a protective barrier, shielding the wounded and the spellcasters tightly.
The colossal beast advanced toward the encircling army.
This time, however, its movements were noticeably slower—
the deep wound in its right leg had taken its toll.
Rin, struggling to force himself back onto his feet, saw it clearly.
Pain still crushed down on his body, yet his eyes sharpened with cold focus.
"It's slower now…"
He clenched his teeth, forcing his trembling body to move again, and charged toward the front line to support the comrades standing their ground.
Not with superior power—
but with timing… and human resolve.
He lunged forward with everything he had left and slashed with full force.
The black-furred Minotaur managed to twist aside, but the pain in its leg slowed its movement.
Rin's blade struck only its left horn.
A roar of agony thundered across the battlefield.
The giant beast went berserk, wildly swinging its war hammer in every direction, smashing into soldiers who tried to block its path to the mages.
Many were sent flying, battered and broken—
but not dead, thanks to the protective magic shielding them.
Divine the Warden, now forced to take command, shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Fire!"
The moment the order was given, countless spells surged forward at once.
Explosions of magic slammed into the monster's body, shaking the battlefield as the Minotaur roared in pain once more.
Its massive frame began to lose balance, staggering before finally collapsing to one knee.
"Fire!"
The command rang out again, and the magical barrage continued without mercy.
Rin gathered every shred of his remaining focus, forcing the searing pain surging through his body back into submission.
He inhaled and exhaled in steady rhythm—then burst forward toward the bull-demon Calami, which was still kneeling under the relentless assault.
Slash—
His blade swept cleanly across its neck.
The Minotaur's head was severed in a single, precise strike.
The colossal body collapsed heavily onto the ground,
dark blood spilling across the earth.
And at last—
Silence claimed the battlefield.