Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield locked in stalemate.
"They're here! Stay alert!"
Perched high atop a tree branch, Atalanta scanned the distance—dust clouds rising, trees collapsing in waves—and shouted a sharp warning.
Samael withdrew his spear from the eye socket of a Demon Boar, his gaze flicking left. He clamped the weapon under his arm, steadied his stance, and thrust forward, impaling another leaping Demon Boar clean through.
Even so, more and more Demon Boars continued to converge, their numbers swelling without end.
Moments later, a colossal beast with golden tusks and red-and-blue-striped bristles emerged from the fog. Steam hissed from its nostrils as it charged headlong toward the defensive line.
Several squads at the front, unable to contain their excitement, ignored the shouted warnings from behind. They split off from formation, flanking in from both sides in an attempt to intercept.
"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"
But the divine power they prided themselves on—and the shields they trusted—were as fragile as paper before the beast's strength.
Several overconfident hunters, desperate for glory, were sent flying with blood spraying from their mouths, their ribcages shattered as they crashed to the ground screaming.
Worse yet, a few unlucky ones who fell from the air landed directly in the creature's path. Their broken hands and legs gave way as the raging Demon Boar trampled them into a smear of flesh.
Even so, taking the full brunt of several Divine Blood heroes' attacks left the Primordial Demon Boar far from unscathed. Its momentum was broken, its massive body stumbling back as cracks widened across its tusks.
"Roar!"
The furious beast, sensing more humans closing in, grew even more frenzied. Its bloodshot eyes glared murderously across the line before it lunged forward, clamping its jaws around the torso of a wounded Divine Blood hero.
Crack!
The sickening crunch of bone echoed through the chaos. The creature chewed through flesh and bone alike, swallowing its prey whole as thick streams of blood dripped from its maw.
Seeing a comrade's head crushed like a grotesque fruit, several inexperienced Divine Blood heroes turned pale, their hands trembling as they gripped their weapons.
Fortunately, all of them were battle-hardened veterans of Magical Beast hunts, capable of steadying themselves under pressure. Their fallen comrades' sacrifice had bought them precious moments to react.
Archers to the flank gritted their teeth, channeling divine energy as they loosed a volley of arrows.
Spearmen dashed forward, hurling their javelins.
Yet every arrow and spear was deflected effortlessly by the intertwined crimson and azure divine runes across the Demon Boar's hide. Not a single mark or wound was left behind.
Even the twin Spartan swordsmen, weaving around the beast with lightning agility and delivering over a dozen consecutive slashes, could only force the creature back a few steps. When the dust cleared, not a single strand of its bristle hair had been cut.
Its resistance to Magecraft was made all too clear when Circe unleashed several spell bullets, only to frown deeply as they dissipated against the creature's divine barrier. Even she was powerless to pierce its defenses.
After enduring more than a dozen heavy blows, the Demon Boar finally began to show signs of strain—the divine runes on its body dimmed, their glow fading.
But before anyone could celebrate, it cast a furious glance toward a gravely wounded hero being dragged away, then turned and sank its jaws into a nearby Demon Boar. With a savage crunch, it devoured the creature's demon core along with its flesh and blood.
In mere seconds, the divine runes across its body flared back to full brightness.
Damn it! Its defenses aren't even broken, and it can heal just by feeding?!
Artemis, just how deep is your grudge against the Calydon Kingdom?!
Samael cursed inwardly as he watched the mountainous beast charge at them once again.
After the group united their strength to force it back, the Ancient Serpent seized the brief lull as several Divine Blood heroes regrouped nearby and turned to Atalanta.
"Big Sis, any way to break through this monster's divine runes?"
The huntress hesitated for a moment, then pressed her lips together and gave a firm nod.
"Yes, but if I prepare that, I won't be able to spare any attention to support you. During that time, you'll have to hold off that Demon Boar—and the monsters gathering around it."
"Got it! Castor, Pollux, Caenis—the four of us will move in to pin that thing down and draw its attention! Everyone else, hold the perimeter! Don't let those creatures break through!"
Samael nodded sharply and shouted his orders, raising his arm shield. Gripping his spear tightly in both hands, he charged forward.
"I already told you, don't tell me what to do! I know perfectly well without your orders!"
Despite her fiery protest, Caenis's body moved with precision, her spear sweeping through the air as she and Samael flanked the Demon Boar from opposite sides, their movements synchronized as they passed beneath its massive front legs.
Thud! Thud!
With heavy impacts, the divine runes etched across the Demon Boar's hide rippled violently. The beast stumbled backward, toppling several enormous trees under its weight.
"Brother, let's go!"
"Right! I'll match your rhythm, sister!"
The twin siblings nodded in unison, their Spirit cores resonating as they stepped forward in perfect harmony.
Their swords danced in a blur of motion—swift, fluid, and merciless—as they targeted the beast's joints, eyes, and heart. Blades flashed like flowing water, thrusting and slashing with seamless precision.
In an instant, a web of sword strikes hammered against the Demon Boar's body, ringing out a cascade of metallic clashes.
Facing the combined assault of four formidable opponents, the Primordial Demon Boar roared in rage, its advance completely halted.
Nearby, the Divine Blood heroes recovered from their earlier panic. With the pressure eased, they quickly turned to fend off the smaller boars, locking the battle into a fierce stalemate.
Meanwhile, standing in the shadowed rear, the female huntress's divine power surged within her. The sacred runes on her body darkened into a sinister purple-black hue. Her pale green pupils burned, a flickering black flame rising within them.
The Divine Bow in her hands had also turned an ominous shade of crimson-black.
As her aura reached its peak, Samael turned and caught Atalanta's eyes. They exchanged a brief look—no words, only perfect understanding.
"Retreat!"
The Ancient Serpent twisted his head and roared, grabbing the blood-crazed Caenis by the collar as he pulled her back.
The twin swordsmen, quick on their feet, scattered immediately, clearing Atalanta's line of sight.
"The burning shadow, the bow of the far side of the moon... Take all of my hatred! Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!"
Atalanta drew her bow to a perfect full moon. A blazing black arrow burst forth, streaking across the sky.
A crystalline crack echoed—like shattering glass—as the golden divine runes fractured apart. The arrow drove deep into the Demon Boar's eye socket, splattering crimson-black blood.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The moment the arrow pierced its flesh, searing red-black flames exploded outward, branching into countless barbs that inflicted brutal secondary damage.
A guttural scream tore from the beast's throat. Its once-lustrous red and blue bristles dulled and withered as torrents of Mana bled uncontrollably from its body. Its single remaining eye glared at Atalanta, full of hatred and terror.
The goddess had abandoned it.
Artemis, who had once blessed it, was not only the goddess of the forest's bounty, but also the goddess of plague—the harsh, punishing face of nature.
And what Atalanta brought forth now was the cruelty and judgment of the moon's dark side.
I don't want to die! I want to live!
The beast went mad, charging wildly. Arrows and javelins pierced its hide with ease, inflicting pain and bleeding wounds, yet its vitality remained monstrous.
Its defense was terrifying. Even as it became a bristling mass of spears and arrows, the creature roared and charged straight toward the huntress.
Atalanta bit her lower lip hard, her body wracked with pain, but she stubbornly raised her bow once more. Drawing the string to its limit, she faced the oncoming beast head-on.
To halt this monster's rampage was the divine command she had received—and as a huntress, it was her sacred duty.
If she retreated now and let it escape, no one could say how many lives, how much time, and how many resources it would take to hunt it down again.
Just as Atalanta and the Primordial Demon Boar were about to collide, a figure suddenly leapt between them.
A raised shield bore the emblem of the Gorgon. The serpentine eyes upon it slowly opened—resonating with the pulse of the earth itself.
...
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