The creatures paused momentarily, turning their heads toward the source. Emerging from the fog was a larger, more grotesque creature. Its ashen skin was stretched taut over its skeletal frame, and its eyes glowed with an evil red light.

As the giant Nachzehrer emerged, a palpable aura of malevolence radiated from it, casting an oppressive shadow over the battlefield. Its mere presence seemed to invigorate the lesser creatures, making them stronger, faster, and more intelligent.

The soldiers who had all faced various horrors throughout their lives found themselves gripped by an ancient, primal fear. This was no mere beast; it was a harbinger of doom.

This new creature stood head and shoulders above the Nachzehrer, with long nails that scraped the ground as it moved. It exuded an aura of dread, and even the most battle-hardened soldiers felt a shiver run down their spines.

"That," Zayzal whispered, gripping his weapons tightly, "must be the leader or at least a commander of some sort."

Emil nodded, his gaze fixated on the monstrosity. "We need to take it down. Maybe if we kill it, the rest will scatter."

As the creature advanced, the Nachzehrer seemed to move with more coordination, attacking in synchronized waves. The battle’s dynamics shifted instantly, forcing the defenders to adjust their strategies.

The leader Nachzehrer let out a guttural roar, stepping into the fray by recklessly attacking anything that moved. Each swing of its massive limbs cut through their defenses, easily rending armor and flesh.

The battlefield became a whirlwind of terror as the creature carved a path through the soldiers. Zayzal and his companions found themselves on the back foot, pushed back by the monsters’ increasing aggression.

A piercing shriek came from the large creature, and a horde of Nachzehrer charged, flanking the soldiers from both sides. Sera roared in response, swinging her axe in wide arcs, trying to hold off the surge.

But despite her strength and skill, even she was getting overwhelmed. Zayzal quickly moved to her side, working in tandem with her to keep the advancing horde at bay.

Anders, who had been holding his own, suddenly found himself back-to-back with Emil. They formed a small circle of defense with a few other soldiers, repelling attackers from every direction.

As the battle raged around them, the larger creature stayed at the rear, its chilling gaze sweeping over the battlefield. It was as though it was evaluating, gauging the strength of its opponents.

Recognizing the need to break the momentum, Emil shouted, "Müller, Zayzal, with me! We take down that leader now!"

Despite their best efforts, the protagonists found their attacks doing little more than scratching the surface of the leader Nachzehrer. Its hide was like stone, and its movements were deceptively quick. The creature seemed to anticipate their tactics, countering with brutal efficiency. With each failed attempt, a sense of desperation crept into their actions, the realization dawning that this foe was unlike any they had faced.

Nodding, Anders and Zayzal followed Emil as they cleaved a path through the onslaught, targeting the monstrous leader. As they neared it, the creature uttered another ear-piercing cry, rallying more Nachzehrer to its defense.

Zayzal and Anders acted as the vanguard, keeping the horde at bay while Emil looked for an opening. The leader, seeing the threat, lunged at Emil with frightening speed. Much to Zayzal’s surprise, the man waved his hand to send out a pulse of mana, causing one of the nearby trees to defend him.

However, there was no time to question him, so Zayzal intercepted it, slashing at its eyes, but his attack just glided right off of it. He kept swinging, trying to cause at least a little damage, but he could only leave a few scratches.

With his new spear, Anders tried to find a weak point, aiming for its eyes, neck, and joints, but to no avail. The creature seemed invulnerable.

Despite their best efforts, they found their attacks doing little more than scratching the surface of the leader Nachzehrer. Its hide was like stone, and its movements were deceptively quick.

The creature seemed to anticipate their tactics, countering by swinging its long arms without caring about the damage. A sense of desperation started to creep into their actions with each failed attempt to bring it down.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Swinging its weighty arms down onto Zayzal, he parried the attack and stabbed it in the gut, only for him to take a foot to the chest, sending him sprawling. The monster let out a roar and swung his other fist around, sweeping through half a dozen soldiers. The sounds of bones crunching, followed by agonizing cries, echoed across the heath, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

‘How are we supposed to beat this damn thing?!’ They all wondered as it rampaged through their ranks. Nobody had the means to stop it, as they were all just too weak.

However, with Sera, it was a different story. Releasing a battle cry, she jumped and swung. Her axe met the creature's skin with a loud thud, causing it to stagger slightly. It wasn’t a fatal blow, but it was clear that her attacks had some effect.

She continuously swung, her axe landing heavy blows, each one pushing the creature back step by step. But even with her strength, she couldn’t deal the killing blow.

The creature retaliated, sending out a mighty swipe of its bony hand towards Sera. She barely managed to dodge, the attacks grazing her side, drawing blood.

"Damn it!" she spat, her eyes filled with rage.

Zayzal quickly moved to support Sera.

He may not have been able to injure the creature, but he could still be a distraction. Shifting around it, he baited it into attacking him, dodging at the last moment and allowing Sera to step in again.

Rushing to its leg, she took a stance like a lumberjack would look at a tree and swung. With her veins nearly bursting out of her arms, her axe cleaved into its calf, hitting and cracking the bone.

But the leader Nachzehrer's resilience was astounding. It seemed to thrive in the chaos, its wounds only fueling its rage. The creature shrieked in pain and kicked back like a horse, sending Sera flying with her axe.

However, if one looked closely, they’d see a cracked golden barrier around her, leaving her nearly unharmed yet almost drained of mana.

“One more time! Distract him for me!” Sera yelled and backed off to regain a bit of her strength.

Zayzal and Anders nodded and hopped into action. The leader Nachzehrer was even more enraged now that it had taken significant damage and tunnel-visioned in on them. Stomping on the ground with a loud thud, cracks formed on the dirt, messing with their footing.

Anders almost fell, but Zayzal quickly readjusted himself and trusted his spear near the wound Sera made. The tip pierced the side of the exposed flesh, cutting it open slightly more.

The monster roared and slammed its fist onto him, but he hopped out of the way, allowing Anders to attack.

The two repeated this move, using the bait-and-switch method to keep its attention on them. Instead, it was always watching Zayzal’s movements, as it had determined him to be one of the leaders.

However, after a dozen attacks or so, it started to get used to their method and adapted, no longer falling for the bait. That’s when Sera came charging in from the back.

“NOW!” She yelled, swinging her axe as a golden barrier enveloped her.

The Nachzehrer had already sensed her and smashed its bony hand into the barrier, destroying it, but that gave her enough time to hack at its injured leg before she was sent flying again. A crunch resounded from the beast as it fell to one knee and wailed in pain.

Zayzal and Anders gave it another few jabs but quickly retrieved her axe and ran over to make sure Sera was okay.

After a few seconds, the monster let out a grunt and slowly stood back up, causing everyone to pale in fright.

Major Reinhardt sensed the danger from this beast and determined that they had to kill it now. "Focus fire on that creature! We need to take it down!"

Soldiers redirected their fire, bullets raining down on the creature, but it was useless. The bullets simply disappeared into its skin, absorbed without a trace.

Realizing that conventional weapons were ineffective, Reinhardt made a bold move. "Flamethrowers! Now!"

Two soldiers stepped forward, their heavy tanks hissing softly. With a roar, they unleashed torrents of flame upon the creature. The fire enveloped it, the intense heat causing even the nearby soldiers to take a step back. The beast let out an agonizing scream, its skin starting to crack and blister.

Zayzal and Anders were returning to the battlefield, carrying Sera between them. Her eyes looked as if they could spew fire while she looked at the monster.

“Let me go! I need to kill it!” Sera yelled, seeing it in a severely weakened state.

“Fine. But don’t overdo it.” Zayzal nodded with a sigh and let her go., with Anders doing the same.

“All that matters is that it dies,” Sera replied, standing up on her own.

She grabbed her axe and limped toward the Nachzehrer, gathering strength on her way. When she felt she was close enough, Sera took in a deep breath and shot forth!

Releasing a fierce battle cry, she swung her axe, aiming for its neck. The blade sank deep, but it wasn’t enough to kill it. She used every ounce of mana within her and enveloped herself in a barrier, allowing the beasts to attack her as much as they wanted.

Then, like a tree about to fall, Sera hacked away at its neck until she reached the spine. Finally, with one final swing, the vertebrae exploded, and the head went flying. The creature collapsed, its headless form convulsing briefly before becoming still.

Just as that happened, her barrier broke, and she rebounded backward.

The other Nachzehrer considered going after her, but Zayzal, Anders, and Emil stepped up and covered for her.

The surrounding Nachzehrer, seeing their strongest fall, let out wails of despair and began retreating, disappearing into the fog from whence they came.

As the creature fell, a heavy silence settled over the battlefield. The survivors looked around at the carnage wrought by the night's events, taking in their exhausted and bloody comrades. The ground was littered with the fallen, with some men already breaking down into tears.

In the aftermath, Zayzal, Sera, and Anders stood among the weary soldiers, each lost in their own thoughts. The victory, though hard-won, was a somber reminder that they might as well be frogs at the bottom of a well–waiting to be stomped if they couldn’t keep up.