East Coasters who are good at invention and have a history of excellence in applied engineering, folk children like to play a game called stacking.

The rules of this mini-game are quite simple, using some small rectangular wooden strips arranged in three crosses on each floor to make a tower, and then the participants take turns drawing the wooden strips that make up the tower, and the tower collapses when one person tries to draw it out.

It wasn't that difficult at first, and anyone with a little experience will know that by carefully pulling out the one in the middle, leaving the frame supported on both sides, the overall relative stability can be guaranteed.

But as the supporting structure, with fewer and fewer contact surfaces for each floor of the tower, it also began to become less stable. If you want to continue the game, you'll have to pay your full attention, not only when you pull out the sticks, but also about how you breathe and how hard you move, because the crumbling towers can fall down with a single blow.

The feeling of being engrossed in the whole world, only the building block tower in front of you, if you add the time limit, the hourglass placed next to it keeps decreasing in the subtle "rustle" sound.

You have very little time to think, you have to concentrate on it, you have to be slack, and you have to make the right decisions or you will fail.

It is very effective in developing your ability to make the right decisions calmly and quickly in a highly stressful environment.

It's no wonder that most accomplished East Coast combat pros also enjoy the game.

"Bang-bang-bang-" The moment it hit, Adolphus understood that the blow was basically ineffective. The spear was broken, the shield was missing, and the only sword he had lost had worn out a lot along the way, and it was a little useless in the face of high-intensity battles at the moment. The blade wasn't sharp enough to cut through the ghoul's tough cuticles, and he had noticed this a few times before, and the crisp slicing feel of the sharp weapon's efficient hit became less and less, replaced by a dull blow like hitting a thick quilt with a wooden stick.

If a sharp weapon cannot exert a sharp edge, it becomes a blunt weapon and generally relies on blows to cause damage, but sharp weapons are not destined to be high in weight in order to be flexible and light.

The inefficient way of fighting cannot cause effective damage to the enemy, and if you are an ordinary person, you can only drill the horns of the bull at this time, and desperately hit with meaningless attacks, or start yelling and turn around and run.

But Adolphus was no ordinary man.

He is a paladin.

He has been in the church since he was a child, and has undergone many trainings, and has been a battle-hardened paladin with the mission of eradicating heresy.

"Bang-" He lifted his foot and slammed his whip leg directly into the ghoul's head with a powerful leg and sturdy calf armor. The warhammer-like attack shattered its inhuman face, and the black fluids that spilled out quickly evaporated in the air, even the parts that were stuck to the paladin's leg armor.

He didn't pay much attention to it, and then a short body curled up his entire right arm and lifted it up, "Click-" The ghoul's scratch on the right side was blocked by the shoulder and arm armor, and almost at the same time, Adolphus drew the dagger with his left hand in a flowing motion, and stabbed it straight into the jaw.

The stubborn ghoul did not completely stop his activity despite the heavy blow, and Adolphus, who knew this, fell with his sword in one hand, smashed the counterweight ball into its celestial lid, and did not even look at the dagger stuck in the ghoul's jaw, and by the way, he elbowed and shattered the face of the other ghoul who pounced on his left.

His armor was full of scratches, scarred and panting, but the whole person was like a hunting wolf, with a restrained breath and a compelling look.

[Even if my spear is broken, my sword is no longer sharp, and my shield is shattered and difficult to defend. 】

[I am still fighting]

This is how the knights fought.

Ancient and orthodox.

The knight's way of fighting.

If the spear is broken, use the hammer, if the hammer is lost, use the sword, if the sword is broken, use the dagger, and if the dagger is broken, there will be a fist.

The shield shattered and didn't stop, because every part of the armor was a shield—a shield, and at the same time a weapon.

Offensive and defensive, deadly, and difficult to kill.

This is an indomitable classical knight, and the White Church may have many bad things, but this spirit has been passed down since ancient times.

"Click-" The sword with the emblem on the weight ball stabbed through the ghoul's lower abdomen, and then Adolphus lifted it all up and slammed it to the ground as the opponent struggled on all fours, then stomped heavily on the ghoul's cervical vertebrae.

"Bang ——!!" And the moment he dealt with the ghoul, Stephen used a two-handed sledgehammer to knock the other ghoul into the air.

The ghoul in an arc fell from in front of Adolphus, and in mid-air, the overflowing bodily fluids began to evaporate, and by the time it hit the ground, it had become a dry corpse.

"Bang ——!!"

Head after head, two after three, as if a giant beast was on a rampage in front of them, the ghoul's hard bones and thick skin were unusually powerless against the heavy two-handed hammers used against large creatures.

Steve, who does not hold the leadership, but is a warrior and a mercenary, has exerted quite amazing strength.

"......" But this domineering fighting style made Adolphus frown, and he closed the distance to Stephen's side, not to use the opponent's strength but to cover him.

"Ha-ah-ah-" He was clearly right, and after a short time Stephen was almost exhausted by his domineering fighting style, the paladin decisively rushed forward to engage a rushing ghoul, covering Stephen as he gasped for breath to recover his strength.

The mercenary leader's mind was holding back a fire.

This anger was also manifested in his battles, and in many places it was evident as if he was venting his anger.

In fact, don't say it's him, even Adolphus and the magic mentor Camilo are like this.

They consider themselves to be the best in their respective industries, and to be fair, they are.

These people, who are not too young, have seen a lot of winds and waves, and although they are worried about the witch, they are not as nervous as the others who are left behind.

"That's it. ”

Although Orno repeatedly insisted that witches were beyond common sense and could not be understood by common sense, they had also seen the overwhelming ghouls and even obscuring the magical reactions.

But the witch who appeared in human form and was still in female form still made these people, including Camilo, who was supposed to be a wise magic teacher, subconsciously have some contempt.

This is an inherent inferiority of human beings.

Have a big head.

I think I have everything in my hands, and even if I don't have the strength to fight.

The weakness of the mind caused by this thought directly led to them being taught a lesson that they would never forget when they actually reached her.

There is no ability to resist, no means to resist.

It is a soft underbelly that hits the heart, and what they think is strong and calm in their hearts is full of waves. Or whispers in their ears that keep talking about the things they hold most dear, telling them to let go of it all and return to the tenderness of their dreams. Or sow discord and create a rift between teams that are not perfectly united.

People are resilient because they have things they want to protect, but when you want to protect things, the more things you cherish, the more weaknesses you will have.

The lone killer is the strongest, because he doesn't put down his sword just because his daughter has a dagger around her neck. But human beings who have lost all their pursuits and forgotten their love are still human beings?

Human nature is a spiral of contradictions.

It is precisely because there is love that there is weakness, and it is precisely because there is something that you want to protect that there is confusion in your heart.

How can the things that you have devoted your life to the religion of your devout belief in that are judged to be evil, that which you have judged to be necessary to be annihilated, be so pure as the gods recorded in the great ceremonies?

So he faltered.

You are thousands of miles away from home fighting for your loved ones, but have you ever wondered what it would be like if you could not return to them? Your wife will have to work hard to make ends meet and die young, and your daughter will be married in a vacant place for her family. You fight for them, but you won't be by their side.

Stephen didn't say a word on the night when the mercenaries and paladins blamed Orno, and he neither approved nor stopped it.

Because he understands what family affection is better than most people, if it is for his own children, he can do many things that ordinary people can't do.

So he faltered.

What you've learned all your life has achieved extraordinary. You think you know a lot of things, but it's not. The knowledge you have learned in half your life is only scratching the surface, and you are small and arrogant. And all the vastness of this world is far beyond your barren and pale imagination, let alone knowing the roots, and even trying to understand it is almost impossible for you.

To say that Camilo does not have a shred of self-confidence is basically impossible. Even if his magic is indeed as weak as an apprentice in front of Orno, but Orno is an elf and a once-in-a-millennium genius, so it is natural that he is weaker than her. And in Camilo's heart, he is also a high-ranking imperial magic master, and he really wants to try out Orno's skills with one or two hidden hands, and he will not be powerless to fight back.

But in front of the witch, he was as weak as a newborn baby.

None of the knowledge learned was useful.

So he faltered.

Physical exhaustion, inner weakness.

In the witch's sanctuary, even the air is full of toxins. With the slightest carelessness in unloading their minds, they completely surrendered control of their bodies and became puppets that lost their souls and only their subconscious and instinctual instincts.

Thankfully, Henry and Erica didn't kill their teammates with their top fighting power, but after regaining consciousness, everyone was holding back a huge flame in their hearts.

"Bang!!" The powerful fire magic ignited the ghoul, and Camilo pursed his lips tightly and cast a series of spell attacks. Stephen and Adolphus in front of them cooperated with each other to withstand the ghouls like a frenzy, and on the other side, Henry and Erica killed one after another, and the occasional fish that slipped through the net were quickly dealt with by our Mira and Filippo.

The team that had lifted the influence of the magic and increased the number of people was more stable, not only maintaining the last 9-meter-diameter open space, but even faintly showing signs of pushing back.

But it was at this moment that Mira, who was relatively quiet in the rear, noticed that something was wrong.

The ghoul's actions became unified.

"Retreat!" Henry suddenly shouted, and everyone quickly retracted a considerable distance as he had instructed, and the whole circle quickly shrunk. The remaining 100 or so ghouls suddenly swarmed up.

"Uhhh The relatively slow mercenary leader was struck, and although he immediately reacted and pulled out the hunting knife he was carrying with him to cut it, the ghoul's claws still stuck deep into it, making Stephen, a big man, grit his teeth.

"When—squeak—" Filippo stabbed one of the ghouls as he stepped forward to cover, but then another lunged up, his sword bent and lost in the midst of the monsters' mountain of flesh.

"Bang-" Camilo launched a huge fireball, but it was ineffective against a ghoul stacked on top of each other.

"They, uh, why didn't they catch up—" Filippo said stunned.

"It's the final stage. ”

"Huh?"

Henry spoke, and the people next to him looked puzzled.

"Originally, she could only command, just as a hunter commands a hound to attack. Although ghouls are absolutely and unconditionally obedient, due to various individual differences and other factors, they will affect each other when fighting in groups, just like humans. ”

"We also use this to defeat them. ”

"Have you ever heard of Unity of Consciousness?" Henry then explained Erica.

"Imagine if all of us were in the same consciousness, seeing the same, hearing the same, and even the actions were the same. ”

"What will be the result?"

Answer: ”

"Perfectly coordinated. ”

"Uhh

"Oh my God—"

"It's disgusting. ”

“...... What does it mean that the attack cannot be staggered?" Adolfos, who was second only to Henry and Erica in combat experience, was the first to notice what they were referring to and why Henry immediately prompted a retreat.

"Yes. Henry nodded.

“....... That's really incomprehensible. ”

"Why is there no solution?" Mira asked, seeing that the ghoul hadn't attacked yet, saying that it was to relieve the tension.

"When there are more than a dozen, how do you usually win?"

"Prioritize the points, prioritize them, and use your surroundings to make sure you don't face too many enemies each time—ah!" the girl said in a voice of abrupt realization.

"Yes, because of the individual and the position of the enemy, as well as some slight differences in itself, even if three besiege you, it is often difficult to achieve absolute coordination and synchronization. In other words, you can choose and plan your attacks and dodges based on which enemy is closer to you, making sure you don't get besieged by too many opponents at the same time. ”

"But what if they were monsters carved out of a mold, with no difference in physical ability, and could still coordinate perfectly?"

“.......”

"Will it die?" Mira swallowed, then glanced at Henry.

"Ten—" The sage spat out a number.

"Ten?"

"Nine—"

"Eight-"

"Seven-"

"Six-"

"......" Orno, who was standing behind them, slowly stood up, and everyone who was extremely sharp because of the dangerous stalemate looked back at her.

“...... This is. Adolphus furrowed his eyebrows.

"Horno, you ......" Mira looked at her in disbelief, black bodily fluids agitating where the veins on the elf's face were.

"Five—" She took a step, and the crowd noticed that for some reason the ghouls had all stepped back neatly.

"Four—" Orno gripped his staff.

"Three-"

"Two—"

"One. ”

She opened her eyes, which were supposed to radiate blue magic, but now they had a strange look.

It was a pair of golden eyes, the icy iris shone slightly, and the pupil in the middle was no longer round as before, but a sharp vertical pupil.

"It's hard work, leave it to me next. ”