novelraw Chapter 139: The Flow of Battle II
Chapter 139: The Flow of Battle II
The ogre swung again.
Arthur leaned back just enough for the claws to pass inches from his face.
His grin widened.
"This is getting fun."
The explorers slowly stopped trying to keep up.
At first they were still fighting beside him.
But soon it became obvious.
Arthur was handling most of the pressure himself.
Every attack from the ogre met a counter.
Every heavy swing was redirected.
Every opening was exploited.
Ryn lowered his shield slightly.
"...Since when did he get this ridiculous?"
One explorer laughed weakly.
"Feels like we’re the backup now."
The captain watched quietly.
Arthur moved through the battlefield like someone dancing through danger.
Intent Step carried him through narrow spaces.
Intent Weave twisted the path of incoming strikes.
Execution Intent struck back with brutal precision.
And the layered flames kept weakening the ogre little by little.
The lean ogre roared in frustration.
Its massive fists hammered the ground repeatedly.
But Arthur kept slipping away.
Sometimes he dodged.
Sometimes he redirected.
Sometimes he simply stepped out of the path before the attack even landed.
The explorers slowly became spectators.
They watched with wide eyes.
Arthur’s movements didn’t feel like desperate combat.
It felt controlled.
Calculated.
Like he had turned the battlefield into his own playground.
Arthur didn’t even notice their stares.
His focus had narrowed.
The thrill of the fight pulled him deeper.
His grin never left.
Even when an attack passed dangerously close.
Even when the ogre nearly clipped him with a sweeping kick.
"Almost got me," he laughed.
But his mind was still working.
His attention returned to Intent Weave.
The threads were more flexible than he first thought.
He had already used them to redirect force.
But that wasn’t the only thing they could do.
Arthur began adjusting them.
Instead of pushing attacks away, he started anchoring the threads around the ogre’s movements.
Not to stop it.
Just to guide it.
The ogre lunged again.
Arthur stepped aside.
At the same time, several threads tightened around its arm and shoulder.
The monster pushed forward but its movement shifted slightly.
Arthur’s eyes lit up.
"There it is."
He repeated the motion.
More threads.
More anchors.
Each one barely noticeable.
But slowly the monster’s freedom of movement began shrinking.
The speed buff still existed.
The ogre tried to dash forward again.
But the threads dragged slightly against its motion.
Arthur twisted his fingers.
The weave tightened.
The creature’s steps slowed.
Just a little.
But enough.
Arthur’s grin grew wider.
"Got you."
The ogre tried to move again.
This time its posture looked strange.
Its body strained as if something invisible was pulling against it.
From the explorers’ side, the sight looked bizarre.
The monster suddenly froze for a moment.
"...What’s wrong with it?" one of them whispered.
Ryn narrowed his eyes.
"No... look closer."
Thin lines shimmered faintly around the ogre’s body.
Intent threads.
Arthur stood a few meters away, fingers slightly raised as if holding invisible strings.
The lean ogre struggled.
Its muscles bulged.
But the threads tightened further.
Its movement slowed drastically.
For the first time since the battle began...
The monster couldn’t move properly.
The explorers stared in disbelief.
Arthur held the weave with full focus.
Sweat ran down his temple.
He couldn’t hold it long.
But a few seconds was enough.
He turned his head toward them.
His voice cut through the battlefield.
"HEY!"
The shout snapped everyone out of their shock.
Arthur’s eyes were sharp.
"This is the opening!"
He tightened the threads one more time as the ogre struggled violently.
"ATTACK NOW!".
Arthur’s voice cut through the battlefield.
The captain and the explorers didn’t hesitate.
There was no time to stare in shock or ask questions. If they missed this moment, the monster would recover and the chance would disappear.
The entire squad moved.
And in that instant their strength as a team showed clearly.
They had fought together for years. Long enough that they didn’t need to shout instructions at each other anymore. Their bodies already knew what to do.
Steel flashed.
One explorer slid under the ogre’s arm and drove his spear toward its ribs.
Another came from the side, his blade striking the back of its knee.
CLANG!
The strike didn’t cut deep but it forced the monster to shift its balance.
That alone created space.
Ryn moved next.
His sword carved across the ogre’s shoulder, forcing its upper body to twist.
And that twist exposed the throat.
The attacks flowed one after another.
No one blocked another’s path.
No one wasted movement.
This was a formation born from countless battles and hard lessons.
Arthur held the monster in place with his threads while watching it unfold.
Good.
This was exactly what he expected from them.
The ogre tried to roar as the strikes landed.
But the sound caught in its throat.
Because the captain was already moving.
He stepped forward with a deep breath and raised his battle axe.
The edge of the weapon began to glow faintly.
Not bright.
But sharp.
Like the thin light at the edge of a blade before sunrise.
A skill.
Arthur could feel the mana gather along the axe head.
The captain planted one foot firmly on the cracked stone ground.
"Move."
It was a quiet command.
The others instantly cleared his path.
The ogre struggled harder against Arthur’s threads but it was too late.
The captain stepped in.
SWOOSH!
The axe cut through the air.
And then...
SHRAAAK!
The glowing blade tore into the ogre’s throat.
Blood burst out in a heavy spray.
The monster’s roar died halfway as the weapon split through muscle and bone.
The captain didn’t stop.
He pushed the strike all the way through.
The axe carved deep across the neck and the ogre’s head snapped back violently.
For a second the entire battlefield went quiet.
Then the massive body collapsed.
BOOM!
The ground shook when it hit the floor.
The lean ogre was dead.
Some of the explorers breathed out in relief.
Others simply stared at the fallen monster.