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CHAPTER 257: THE GREAT LIBERATION BATTLE 2

As we walked down the road leading from the low hill to the city’s entrance, the path gradually widened, and the sheer size of the Ogre city’s buildings became more and more apparent.

The structures were over three times the size of what you’d find in a human city. The main avenue was so wide that it didn’t feel cramped even during full-party combat.

That said, if you were planning to launch a large-scale liberation battle here, this main street had way too much visibility. The surrounding area was full of buildings where long-range specialists like archers or mages could hide, making it difficult to predict where an ambush might come from. And if ogres suddenly came charging out from inside one of those buildings? Yeah—this whole battlefield felt tilted in Calvados’ favor.

Once inside the city, I had this weird sensation, like my own body had shrunk. The scale of the place was so off, it messed with your senses and made it hard to stay calm. Whoever the Dungeon Master was who built this place really had a twisted sense of humor.

Meanwhile, the Calvados forces, who were most likely already arranged in a defensive formation, didn’t show any signs of movement even after we entered the city.

「……Yeah, looks like Calvados is planning to ignore us after all.」

「It does seem that way. Even though we’re walking straight into the city like we own the place, they’re not budging an inch.」

「Mhm. But they are watching us. I bet they’re using some kind of magical tool to report our movements back to the main force deeper inside.」

「It feels creepy, but hey, as long as they don’t attack, it’s all good! Still, it’s kind of strange how the ogres aren’t coming out of the city, huh?」

「Which probably means this whole place is an ogre paradise!—And, speak of the devil, we’ve got company.」

Just as we made our way further down the avenue, five Slaughter Ogres emerged from the alleyways and nearby buildings. Activating my 【Detection】 skill, I could sense more ogre-like presences inside various structures. If we didn’t finish each fight quickly, the noise would just keep drawing more and more monsters to us. It was a simple gimmick, but a pretty annoying one for dungeon crawlers like us.

Most likely, the optimal way to handle this first floor—the Ogre city—was to sneak through without alerting the monsters. Basically, a high-stakes game of ‘hide-and-seek’. Having A-rank ogres playing the role of the ‘it’ was… well, that was a pretty cheeky touch. Still, I had to admit: this was the kind of top-tier dungeon where even the first floor came out swinging.

Of course, if monsters were coming out in droves, it would’ve been a good chance for us to grind some levels—but this time, clearing the dungeon took priority over leveling up.

「I’ll draw their aggro first! Drake, I’m counting on your support!」

「You got it! Leave it to me!!」

Just as I was about to sink into tactical thought, Shinku and Drake sprang into action without needing my orders. Kinu fell into step with them, readying her magic for combat.

Nelphie stayed alert, covering the perimeter. She had her bow drawn, aiming to land a big hit on any monsters that tried to come out of the nearby houses.

Guess I should join the front line too—speeding up the kill count wouldn’t hurt.

「All right! Time to go wild! 【Thunder Drum】, 【Gale Flash】!!」

Shinku took on the aggro of four ogres at once, using her Dorenkoi (Deformed Giant Ax) as a greatshield, parrying and blocking with expert precision. At almost the same moment, a Flame Lance from Kinu pierced one of the Slaughter Ogres just as it lost its balance.

I slipped past them, drawing Shiranuemaru in one fluid motion and slashing at the midsection of an ogre winding up to strike with a giant axe. Even with dual buffs boosting my stats, it wasn’t enough to kill outright—no surprise for a large A-rank monster. Still, I’d dealt enough damage to seriously limit its movement.

Glancing back, I saw a magic arrow from Nelphie sink into the left knee of one of the ogres targeting Shinku, canceling its attack at just the right moment. Taking advantage of the opening, Shinku transformed her Dorenkoi into a large butcher-style cleaver and sliced off all four of the creature’s limbs at the joint. Then, she crushed its head with the back of the blade—brutal, but effective.

Seeing things were under control on their end, I turned to check on Drake—just in time to see him slam his Red Ogre’s Iron Club into an ogre’s skull, enhanced with two elemental effects. The thing’s head caved in instantly.

All enemies down in roughly 30 seconds. Our coordination was sharp, and Nelphie kept calm watch over the surroundings with plenty of breathing room. Even if more monsters showed up, we could take them down faster than they spawned. No real threat.

Shinku was taking on a bit too much pressure, so it might be safer if Drake and I picked up an extra one or two targets each. Still, I figured Shinku was confident doing it because she trusted Kinu’s healing magic to cover her.

「Looks like even packs of five or six aren’t much trouble on this floor.」

「Mhm. Even if I used three times the spells I just did, my MP would be fine. Shinku, you holding up okay?」

「I’m perfectly fine. I had enough leeway to mix in parries and counters instead of just turtling behind my shield.」

「Nelphie, anything moving in from the edges?」

「Two monsters headed this way. Want me to lure them over?」

「Nah, let’s keep pushing forward. We can grind levels on the upper floors. More importantly, I’d rather not get dragged into the liberation battle. Ideally, we reach at least the fifth floor today and find a safe zone to rest.」

「Then the best move is to keep going straight down this main avenue. Fastest route out of the city. Given our pace, we can take enemies out as we go. I’ll keep an eye on the rear and flanks too.」

「Nice. Let’s pick up the pace then!」

「「「「Got it!」」」」

We moved forward, cutting down any monsters in our path. About an hour in, the edge of the city finally came into view.

Beyond it, we saw the ruins of a large structure—looked like what remained of an ancient building. And encircling it was a sizable force from the Calvados coalition, clearly stationed in formation. A quick count put their numbers at no less than a hundred. Odds were good the stairs to the second floor were inside that ruin.

Looking at the entire floor from a bird’s-eye perspective, it was clear the city was encircled by various Calvados units, with strongholds placed along every bypass route. Their defensive network was already complete.

Given how they hadn’t interfered so far, it didn’t seem like they were itching for a fight with us. Still… I wonder how the higher-ups in Calvados plan to handle us from here?