The group braced themselves as Attila, atop his spectral horse, prepared for another assault. Their breathing was heavy, and their arms were trembling. The repeated beatings they’d taken from the ancient warrior were starting to pile up, but since even Zayzal was still standing tall despite the arrow in his shoulder, they couldn’t allow themselves to falter here.

Attila charged forward, the sword in his hand blazing with energy. Within a second, he galloped 25 meters, nearly appearing before them.

"Marcus, now!" Zayzal shouted as Attila approached.

Marcus focused his mind, reaching out telepathically to Attila. His attempt to connect was met with resistance, but he persisted, bombarding Attila with the most annoying sound he could think of.

‘Yodel-ay-ee-oo, Yodel-ay-ee-oo, Attila, hear the mountains call! Yodel-ay-ee, Yodel-ay-oo, in your mind, let the Alpine echoes fall!’

‘Yodel-ay-ee-oo, Yodel-ay-ee-oo, imagine the peaks, white and high! Yodel-ay-ee, Yodel-ay-oo, under the clear, blue Austrian sky!’

‘Yodel-ay-ee-oo, Yodel-ay-ee-oo, where edelweiss blooms and eagles soar. Yodel-ay-ee, Yodel-ay-oo, far from battle's roar, in a land of folklore and lore.’

“...” Attila's brows furrowed as the influx of mental noise caused a momentary lapse in his focus. The singing, if he could even call it that, was so horrible that he almost turned the horse around and charged at Marcus with the intent to kill.

Seizing the opportunity, Zayzal lunged forward with his spear, aiming for a gap in Attila's armor.

However, the horse sensed danger and swerved, causing Zayzal's attack to miss. Attila immediately recovered from the mental assault and swung his sword in a wide arc at Zayzal, releasing a wave of mana. Sera quickly jumped in front, deflecting the blow and saving Zayzal from a direct hit.

Meanwhile, Fenrir watched from a distance and waited for the right moment. As Attila reoriented for another strike, Fenrir dashed in, nipping at the horse's legs and ripping out small chunks of meat before retreating back to safety. The horse reared up, kicking violently, momentarily throwing Attila off balance.

"Keep it up!" Marcus encouraged, sweat beading on his forehead as he maintained his telepathic assault. However, even his mind was starting to become numb with all the yodeling.

Before the man could get control of his horse, Sera erected another barrier as Attila forced it to charge again. This time, the barrier was smaller, just enough to disrupt his path. Attila's horse collided with it, causing both rider and steed to stumble slightly.

Zayzal, seeing an opening, hopped on top of the barrier and thrust his spear again. Attila parried, but the force of Zayzal's attack pushed him back. The sword in Attila's hand glowed, protecting him from the impact.

"His sword..." Marcus gasped, realizing the danger it posed. "Can this guy get any more difficult?!"

“ENOUGH!” Attila shouted, growing frustrated with their resilience. He dashed once more, filling his sword with as much mana as it could handle, but this time, he aimed directly at Sera, knowing she was the linchpin of their defense.

Sera braced herself, but as Attila's sword came down, Zayzal intercepted, his spear clashing against the glowing blade. The impact sent shockwaves through the room, but Zayzal held his ground, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"Marcus, Fenrir, now!" Zayzal yelled, pushing Attila back.

Marcus didn’t hesitate to follow up and threw his last dagger with all his might, aiming for Attila's exposed side. Fenrir, in perfect sync, leaped towards Attila's horse, aiming to bite at its exposed flank.

The dagger found its mark, piercing Attila's side. He let out a pained grunt and attempted to turn around but was almost thrown off instead. Fenrir had grabbed ahold of the horse’s leg, shaking and pulling it as if he wanted to rip it off.

Attila grunted in pain, his focus momentarily broken. His sword's light dimmed as he struggled to regain control of his steed.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"This is it!" Zayzal shouted, rallying the group for a final push.

Sera, summoning the last of her strength, erected a barrier in front of Attila, boxing him in. Zayzal ignored the intense pain in his shoulder and charged forward, coating his spear in mana as he prepared for a decisive strike.

“You think this is enough to kill me?! I refuse to die again! I will cut out a piece of this world for myself, and there’s nothing you kids can do to stop it!” Attila roared as he raised his sword, pumping it full of mana.

The air crackled with energy, both sides understanding that the result of this bout would determine the rest of the battle.

As Attila channeled the rest of his mana into the sword, the room was filled with an intense light, blinding everyone. With a fierce battle cry that echoed off the walls, Attila swung the massive sword of light!

“DIE!” He shouted with a hint of manic in his voice. All he wanted to do right now was rip the kids in front of him to pieces, no matter what.

Sera understood that now was her time to act. If she didn’t, everyone would die. She took a quick yet deep breath before her eyes steeled, and she leaped into the heart of the strike. She raised her shield, hoping to deflect part of the magical attack while using the rest of her mana to create a protective barrier around herself.

"SERAAA!" Zayzal cried out. He watched as the light wrapped around her, causing her to disappear.

"I've got this! Attack, now!" Sera shouted back through the attack, her voice filled with determination.

Zayzal knew hesitation was not an option. He pulled back his spear like a javelin, channeling all his mana to coat his entire body, enhancing his strength. With a powerful stomp, he threw the spear with all his might. The spear, enveloped in a mana cocoon, blurred as it cut through the air, heading straight for Attila.

Attila didn’t expect Sera to selflessly sacrifice herself and barely had time to react to the incoming attack. He attempted to raise his sword to deflect it, but there wasn’t enough strength behind it. The spear knocked his sword to the side and pierced his heart, emerging out the other side.

A look of disbelief crossed his face as life began to drain from his eyes.

“NO! I won’t go down like this! If I’m going to die, I will make sure to take one of you with me!” He screeched like a demon from the depths of hell.

In a final act of defiance, Attila used everything he had left, his blood, muscles, mana, and life, to release another burst of strength toward Sera. A concentrated beam of mana shot out of his withering hand and slammed into her with force. Sera was sent flying, crashing into the wall with a sickening crack before slumping to the ground, unconscious.

Zayzal opened his mouth to yell, even trying to run over to Sera, but he found his body couldn’t move. He had used every bit of strength he had left. Not even his [Adaptability] could keep him afloat now. Every inch of his body screamed in pain, but he was too exhausted to let out a sound.

Meanwhile, Marcus and Fenrir launched themselves at Attila's spectral horse. With a combination of dagger thrusts and ferocious bites, they tore into the ghostly steed as it was distracted by the death of its Master.

The horse let out a wailing neigh, its form flickering as it tried to evade their relentless assault, but Marcus and Fenrir were too fierce. When his daggers became lodged in a muscle or bone, Marcus would use his hands to rip apart the horse. When his hands tired, he used his mouth.

Fenrir was the same, clawing and mauling the beast before it. He wouldn’t allow this beast to hurt him or his companion any more than it already has.

After a few intense minutes, the horse finally dissipated into ethereal wisps, vanishing into the air. The only sounds that remained were the heavy breathing of the exhausted warriors and the eerie silence that now filled the room.

Zayzal collapsed to his knees, his body throbbing from all the pain. He looked over at Marcus and Fenrir, who were equally spent, panting and covered in blood.

"We... we did it," Zayzal gasped, his voice barely a whisper.

Marcus, leaning on Fenrir for support, nodded weakly. "Yeah... but Sera..."

Their eyes turned towards Sera, who lay motionless against the wall. The concern was evident on their faces.

Zayzal struggled to his feet but immediately fell back to the ground. Grunting in frustration, he slowly crawled over to her, gritting his teeth against the pain. He knelt beside her, checking for signs of life. "Sera? Sera, can you hear me?" he called, gently shaking her.

After a tense moment, Sera coughed weakly as blood dripped out of her lips, her eyes fluttering open. "Did... did we win?" she murmured.

Zayzal let out a sigh of relief. "Y-Yes, we won. You were amazing."

Sera smiled faintly, her energy spent. "Good... that's good."

Those were the only words they were able to muster before they collapsed next to each other, falling unconscious. Marcus sighed in relief that she was still alive and fell to the ground, exhausted. He leaned against the lying Fenrir and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

The only one in the room who was still conscious was Fenrir. He couldn’t fall asleep yet. Not when they were still in the middle of enemy territory.

Resting his head on Marcus’s leg, his eyes glowed as he surveyed the area, ensuring that no other threat approached them.