The Mercenaries in the first group tensed up instinctively. A mixture of cold rainwater and sweat trickled down their temples.
They gripped their steel crossbows tightly. The military-grade heavy weapons were mounted in the parapet's slots, their thick limbs gleaming with a metallic luster.
Behind every Mercenary, a militiaman served as an assistant, responsible for handing them heavy, armor-piercing crossbow bolts.
They were all battle-hardened men, but at this moment, facing the dozen or so ferocious Magical Beasts below, their hearts still pounded with fear.
Through the curtain of rain, a particularly large and powerful Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile was the first to reach the base of the wall.
Its thick limbs were brimming with power as it nimbly climbed from the water onto the bank. Each step sent a spray of mist up from the trembling ground.
Its heavy coat of brownish-green Scale Armor, with each scale the size of a man's palm, had not suffered a single scratch in the recent fight.
The giant crocodile opened its massive, tooth-filled maw and let out a low roar, announcing its arrival.
It didn't hesitate for a moment.
'To the crocodile, this wall woven from plants was nothing more than a slightly sturdier "fence." Its jaws, powerful enough to shatter the leg bones of a Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros, could easily smash an opening through it.'
The giant crocodile pushed off with its hind legs, its entire body shooting forward to slam violently into the vine wall directly in front of it!
Barrett's hand, gripping his sword hilt, trembled slightly.
Old Walker closed his eyes in despair.
Some of the militiamen even shrieked incoherently.
The expected scene—the wall smashing to pieces, vines snapping, sap spraying everywhere—did not happen.
Instead, a deafening CRASH exploded from the base of the wall.
CLANG—!
That was not the sound of flesh and blood hitting plants.
It sounded more like a giant blacksmith striking an anvil with a heavy hammer!
Velin, Barrett, Old Walker, the Gray Wolf Mercenaries, and the militiamen couldn't help but stare at the point of impact—everyone wanted to see the result of the collision.
At the point of impact, they saw a shockwave create a brief, spherical cavity in the air, momentarily parting even the torrential rain.
The once-arrogant Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile was now frozen at the base of the wall in an extremely bizarre posture.
A visible dent had caved in its massive skull. The immense force of the impact left it dazed, and its body tipped uncontrollably to the side, crashing heavily into the muddy water with a huge splash.
And the vine wall that had withstood the thunderous blow...
It had only swayed slightly.
At the point of impact, its obsidian-like crystalline surface showed only a white scuff mark. Not a single decent crack had appeared—in fact, a few sharp leaf-blades had even pierced the giant crocodile's eyelid.
The entire wall stood silently in the rain, showing no sign of collapse.
Silence...
Everyone on the wall stared blankly, their gazes shifting from the struggling crocodile in the water below to the undamaged black wall before them.
"Wh-what the hell is this thing?"
Barrett's one eye went wide as a saucer. He stroked the wall he had been posted at for days, a look of disbelief on his face, as if he were seeing these vines for the very first time.
Old Walker, who had been kneeling, crawled over to the wall on his hands and knees. He reached out with calloused hands, stroking its surface over and over.
Having had his worldview shattered twice in a row, he accepted this new reality more quickly. He murmured to himself, his tone shifting from disbelief to firm conviction, "A miracle... This is the work of a miracle..."
The militiamen who had collapsed in fear just moments ago now forgot all about fleeing.
They leaned on the parapets, peering over the edge at the defensive line that was holding death at bay. The fear in their eyes slowly turned to confusion, and then, finally, to elation.
Velin paid no attention to the commotion behind him.
His heart was pounding—not from fear, but from excitement.
'It was the excitement of seeing a painstakingly written thesis published for all the world to see.'
'This Stone Skin Soft Vine is even sturdier than I anticipated!'
However, the ferocity of these Magical Beasts exceeded everyone's expectations.
Seeing its companion's charge fail, another giant crocodile didn't repeat the foolish act. It crawled to the wall, opened its cavernous maw, and chomped down on a slightly protruding vine.
KRAK!
The scraping of its sharp teeth against the hard wall produced a sound that set one's teeth on edge. A few leaf-blades shattered, but the wall itself held firm.
Just when everyone thought this was another futile effort, the giant crocodile's muscles suddenly tensed as it unleashed its deadliest killing move.
The Death Roll!
GRIIIND—SCREEECH—
The vines groaned under the unbearable strain. A tremendous torsional force tore at the wall's structure, causing countless black particles to flake off its surface.
While not immediately snapped, the bitten section clearly began to loosen and crack!
This was far more terrifying to Barrett than the earlier charge.
"Damn it! They're tearing down the wall!" Barrett roared. "First group, fire! Aim for its belly!"
THWIP!
An armor-piercing crossbow bolt struck the giant crocodile's soft underbelly with precision, but it only penetrated halfway and failed to inflict a fatal wound.
Pained, the giant crocodile rolled even more frantically. Its twisting muscles clamped down tightly around the wound and the bolt.
"Sir! This crocodile's hide is too thick! The Crossbow Arrows can't kill it!" Barrett yelled anxiously.
Velin didn't answer immediately. He stared at the Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile, lost in thought.
'The crocodile using its pincer-like jaws to perform a death roll...'
'The cracks being twisted into the wall...'
'The Crossbow Arrows that can't break through its hide...'
An idea struck Velin.
"Stop aiming for the belly, it's a waste of bolts! Everyone, prepare barbed bolts with ropes attached!"
Barrett was stunned for a moment before realization dawned. He roared, relaying the order, and the Mercenaries and militiamen scrambled to tie sturdy ropes to their crossbow bolts.
A few more giant crocodiles lunged forward, all mimicking the one before them.
"Fire!"
Five bolts, trailing ropes, whistled through the air toward their respective targets.
However, the first volley missed completely. Hitting a crocodile in the split second it opened its mouth was a challenge for the Mercenaries, who were not expert crossbowmen.
But now, time was on the defenders' side. The giant crocodiles were inflicting limited damage on the wall; it would take them a long time to tear open a path wide enough to pass through.
After several attempts, the Gray Wolf Mercenaries finally succeeded.
It was a lucky bolt. It scraped past the beast's fangs and just barely managed to embed itself in the savage Magical Beast's lower jaw.
ROAR!
The giant crocodile, in pain, snapped its mouth shut.
SQUELCH!
Instead of dislodging the Crossbow Arrow, the bite drove the sharp, barbed bolt even deeper, piercing straight through its lower jaw!
In agony, it thrashed its head from side to side, trying to shake the damned thing loose. But the attached rope had been wrapped around a parapet by the Mercenaries, and several militiamen were pulling on it with all their might. Every struggle only served to widen the wound.
Its own bite force, its greatest pride, had just sealed its doom!