Ares's gaze sharpened as he turned to the group and said, "We must unite to withstand this unknown challenge. Sophia, continue to protect us with your holy light; Amy, Lilith, and Kane, you will provide support. The rest of you, find your positions and prepare yourselves. This will be a difficult and protracted battle, but we are not alone."
An old woman squeezed her grandson's hand and whispered, "Did you hear that, child? We need courage." Her grandson nodded, his eyes still showing fear, but even more so, trust in the determination shown by the warriors.
Suddenly, a deafening tremor shattered the brief silence. As the group of ominous red eyes approached, the air seemed to freeze. Then, the ground trembled violently—clearly, it was more than just a visual shock; an unknown force was hurtling towards the town center at incredible speed.
"Everyone, keep formation!" Ares commanded calmly. "Amy, aim at the eyes of those charging in the front!"
“Okay, leave it to me!” Amy, the little archer, took a deep breath and responded, then drew her bow and fired a flaming arrow straight into the eye of a monster ahead. Smoke billowed from the spot where it was struck, and the creature let out a bloodcurdling scream before collapsing to the ground, giving the others a precious buffer period.
Cheers erupted from the onlookers: **"Fantastic little girl! That's it!"**
However, the celebration was quickly interrupted as an even larger number of enemies surged forth.
"Hey guys, keep it up! Think about the destruction our home is about to suffer... We can't let them get away with this!" a young farmer shouted, encouraging his teammates as he bravely blocked several smaller creatures trying to break through the group, gripping a stick tightly in his hand.
Just as the battle reached a stalemate, a figure suddenly appeared atop a high earthen slope in the distance. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in that direction…
"Who's there?" Ares called out warily, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield and fixed on the particularly conspicuous figure in that direction.
The mysterious figure did not answer his question, but slowly raised his right hand as if making some kind of special preparation...
"Never mind that!" another brave girl shouted. "The most important thing now is to hold the line, everyone!"
However, at that moment, something unexpected happened—several dazzling meteor-like objects flying rapidly from the horizon fell directly into the enemy ranks, causing a large-scale explosion that changed the entire battlefield situation!
Seeing this breathtaking scene, people exclaimed in amazement:
"My God, this is incredible... to be able to use magic to control the elemental forces in the sky!"
When the light faded, a cloaked figure appeared where they had stood, and calmly walked towards them...
"Looks like I'm not too late after all."
This statement drew everyone's attention, including Ares and the others, who were all curious about who this newly arrived powerhouse was and what secret weapon he had brought.
"It's nice to meet you all. I'm Istra. I heard there was a need for me here, so I came to help. I hope we can fight side by side from now on."
Ares nodded in gratitude: "Thank you so much for coming to join us, but as you can see, the current situation is extremely difficult. I wonder... do you have any other special skills that could help us?"
At this moment, Istra smiled slightly but did not directly answer the question posed. Instead, she gently shook her head, indicating that she had other plans.
"Some things may not be solvable by strength alone... But rest assured, young warriors, having chosen to stand here means you are ready to face your own destiny and trials. And I will do my best to assist each warrior on this journey."
Just as he finished speaking, the surrounding environment changed again, as if more dangers were quietly approaching...
"The real threat hasn't fully manifested yet," Sofia said thoughtfully. "Whatever challenges we face next, we should work together to overcome them."
"That's right. No matter how many dangers await us ahead, as long as we all work together, there is no difficulty we cannot overcome!" Lilith nodded firmly.
Thus, in a corner of this seemingly ordinary world that actually hides infinite unknowns, a journey of cooperation and confrontation that transcends racial and identity boundaries unfolds... No one knows what the future holds, but one thing is certain: those who leave their mark on this land will eventually become legendary heroes.
With Istra's arrival, the entire battlefield seemed to fall silent. Ares and his warriors watched the mysterious figure's every move with bated breath, while the enemy's offensive seemed to have temporarily slowed down under the impact of the meteors.
"Truly amazing! That gentleman can actually summon meteorites falling from the sky... He's practically a living legend!" an old hunter watching from the edge couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes filled with admiration and astonishment. His grandson stared wide-eyed at the cloaked figure in the center of the battlefield, his face full of worship.
Beneath this brief and fragile peace, a voice suddenly shattered the silence:
"You think you can stop us like this?" A piercing, knife-like voice echoed across the battlefield, startling everyone. The red-eyed monster horde, which had temporarily hidden itself after being attacked, was now regrouping with even greater ferocity, and more and more of its kind were heading towards the town from afar.
A little girl in the crowd clung tightly to her mother's hand, sobbing softly, "Mommy... I'm scared." The woman bent down to comfort her child, but her eyes also revealed worry.
At this moment, Istra, who had been observing the situation without immediately intervening, finally moved. However, instead of helping everyone defend against the attack, she turned to Sofia and said, "I have an idea, I don't know if it's feasible—if we could use the Saintess's power to activate the ancient magic circle hidden deep within this land…"
Upon hearing this, Ares's eyes lit up instantly: "You mean that seal that only exists in ancient mythology?! It's said to be able to imprison any evil force here, preventing its resurrection?!"
Seeing that the other party had grasped the deeper meaning, Istra smiled and continued to explain the specifics of how the plan would be implemented. Just then, a large group of monsters that had been lying in ambush suddenly launched a full-scale attack, further exacerbating the already crumbling defensive line.
"Listen up, everyone!" Facing the pressure of breaking through the final barrier, Ares shouted, "Protect yourselves and those around you! At the same time, do everything you can to buy as much time as possible until the ritual is complete!" He then drew his longsword and joined the battle.
Just as Amy was preparing to unleash the second batch of burning arrows, she looked up at the distant earthen mound and noticed something unusual happening there. "Look over there! It looks like they're planning something important."
On the other side, Sofia closed her eyes, completely immersed in casting a spell, surrounded by a dazzling white light. "Hopefully, I'm in time..."
However, at this critical moment, the situation on the front lines took a sharp turn for the worse. An elderly villager collapsed to the ground, crying out in terror, "It's over! It's over! There are just too many of them, and they're moving too fast!"
Just when everyone was almost in despair, a golden light suddenly rose from the ground, forming a huge, solid, and indestructible barrier that successfully blocked the first wave of the most intense attack and reversed the situation that was about to collapse!
Seeing this scene, a glimmer of inexplicable hope rose in everyone's hearts. "Keep going! Hang in there, everyone!" Shouts erupted from the crowd, encouraging those fighting tirelessly at the front.
As the last bit of power was poured into the magic circle, the entire town seemed to tremble. Sophia opened her eyes and nodded to everyone, indicating that it was ready.
Immediately afterward, everyone present felt an unprecedented, intense tremor beneath their feet. "Has it started?" Kane asked, clenching his fists. After receiving confirmation from his companions, he quickly threw himself into the fight...
When the dust settled, the once densely packed enemies had all vanished. "What happened?!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"True victory is never achieved by fighting alone," Istra's calm yet powerful words echoed in the air, "but as long as we work together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. And this trial... is only the beginning."
He smiled slightly as he looked at the land that was gradually returning to peace: "In the days to come, I ask everyone to continue to work hard to protect this land."
At that very moment, a strange wind howled in the distance, seemingly foreshadowing the arrival of a new storm...
"Is a new threat on the horizon? We need to be prepared," Sofia said in a deep voice.
“Yes, but we have already gone through this battle, and no matter what difficulties we face in the future, we will be able to face them together.” Ares replied firmly, his gaze sweeping across everyone’s face.
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