https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-71-The-Beast-with-Strange-Movements/12810287/
Chapter 70: Village Defense
Chapter 70: Village Defense
"There's a beast horde coming. The way the bell is ringing suggests there might be a lot of them."
The village chief explained the meaning of the bell, remaining calm, "But don't worry, our village walls are very sturdy."
"No, it's our duty to protect the village from these beasts. We can't just pretend we don't know they're here."
Natsu stood up, his fists colliding, "I'm fired up, Happy!"
"Love!"
Happy understood, sprouting wings from his back and grabbing Natsu as they flew off.
In the air, Natsu called back, "We're heading out first. If we're late, there won't be any left for you, Rod!"
Rod didn't bother to respond. _I wouldn't mind if there wasn't any left for me. Providing rides and cleaning up after you is exhausting._
"Mr. Rod, beast hordes are very dangerous. Your companion—"
"Don't worry, Natsu is very strong," Rod said. "I'm heading out first too."
"Wait!" The village chief, worried Rod might fly off as well, quickly interjected, "Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Actually, now that you mention it, there is one thing," Rod thought to himself, realizing he had almost forgotten in the rush to follow Natsu.
"Please, go on."
"Could you organize the villagers to prepare more water and sand, things that can be used to put out fires?"
"What?"
Rod explained, "Natsu uses fire magic, which is powerful but can also cause accidents. So please inform the villagers to be prepared, ideally every household should have something ready."
"I see." The village chief nodded, not knowing much about magic but understanding that fire magic would be effective against the beasts.
"Answer my call, Crimson Beakbird!"
Rod summoned a Crimson Beakbird, mounted it, and flew toward the village entrance.
...
Being in the air gave a different perspective, especially riding a unique bird.
Despite not flying very high—thankfully so, as Rod knew he wouldn't die from a fall at this height but would definitely need a parachute otherwise.
The villagers had been roused by the bell, some wielding weapons or farming tools heading toward the village entrance, while others ran toward the village chief's house.
Rod, flying overhead, drew the attention of many.
_They must be wondering if that's the mage the village chief hired._
But soon, their attention was drawn to something else.
A red fire meteor plummeted from the sky, landing in the center of the beast horde.
Rod recognized Natsu's silhouette and silently criticized him. _That's too dangerous, jumping from such a height._
He jumped from the Crimson Beakbird's back onto a watchtower, sending the bird to attack the beasts.
"Mr. Mage!" The watchtower was guarded by Bit Bar, one of the two who had welcomed Rod and his companions into the village.
The poor guy hadn't even finished his shift and was now working overtime.
"Thank you. The one with the flames is my companion, you've seen him before. Please tell everyone not to shoot arrows randomly."
"Yes, sir!" Bit agreed, then voiced his concern, "But your companion is charging into the middle of the horde alone. Is that okay?"
The sky was dark, and Rod could barely make out that the horde numbered over fifty, but he couldn't identify the specific types of beasts.
Thanks to Natsu's fire, he could see that the ones surrounding him were wolves and leopards.
The one hit by the fire meteor was a tiger.
"Don't worry about him. If you want to help, bring more torches... and some water as well."
Rod had taken it upon himself to assign the villagers some menial tasks. However, this did little to ease their nerves. Many still carried bows and arrows, manned the arrow towers, or stood guard on the walls with long ladders.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Fire Dragon's Claw!"
Natsu was having a field day outside the walls, punching a wild wolf into the air and kicking a cheetah away with ease.
Seemingly unsatisfied with just that, Natsu spread his arms wide, and flames burst from his wrists, forming a pair of fiery wings. He flapped them like a dragon diving for the kill:
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
Five wild wolves were sent flying by this move, their fur catching fire as they howled and rolled on the ground.
"So strong, so strong!"
"That's magic, that's the power of a Mage!"
"With this kind of power, we have nothing to worry about!"
Natsu's display of power greatly impressed the villagers, boosting their confidence.
After completing his task of dropping Natsu off, Happy flew to the arrow tower to find Rod. "Rod, aren't you going to fight?"
Rod replied, "I am fighting."
"You're lying; you're just standing here."
Rod shook his head and sighed, "Who says only those in the spotlight can be heroes?"
"I don't get it."
Rod pointed to a slightly darker area. In fact, his group of Crimson Beakbirds and Shadow Wolves were already engaged in battle.
The Crimson Beakbirds used their 'Feather Barrage' attack, firing feather-like darts that pinned a brown bear to the ground like a dartboard. Unfortunately, the same attack only managed to embed halfway into a rhinoceros, causing minimal damage.
However, the Crimson Beakbirds lived up to their name. After a swift winged charge, they could pierce the rhinoceros's belly.
The smaller Beakbirds performed adequately, dealing with wolves and the like.
As for the Shadow Wolves, they were currently grappling with a giant snake, tearing it apart with their fangs. The snake, covered in blood, could only thrash in its death throes.
"I'm a Summoner; rushing to the front lines isn't my role, got it?"
Happy realized that Rod's method of fighting was far less conspicuous than Natsu's, and his summoned creatures might even be mistaken for the attacking beasts by the villagers.
"But if you don't want to fight yourself, why did you learn combat skills?"
"To surprise the enemy when they think they can easily take me down by bypassing my monsters."
"Cunning."
Rod pinched Happy's cheeks, "How can you call your own kind cunning? It's smart, it's cautious!"
"Love~"
Rod released Happy, "Besides, I've also sent two River Crabs to patrol the village walls. I'm quite busy, you know."
After all, no one said the beasts would only attack the main gate; the other directions also needed attention.
Happy watched quietly for a moment before asking, "Why don't you send out those Stone Beetles as well?"
"You ask too many questions," Rod said, "Sending out too many creatures at once would drain my magic quickly, and I'm quite tired today."
Summoning all his creatures at once could only provide a burst of power, much like the Mage who ambushed the two Specters that day.
Even with sufficient magic for self-preservation, the continuous combo attacks that day were already a significant burst for Rod.
For a prolonged battle, summoning two or three groups was the most efficient.
Thanks to Natsu and the summoned creatures, the number of attacking beasts rapidly dwindled. The villagers were experiencing a defense that was so easy, they only needed to watch.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
