The marked ones of Nye and those who they fought against earlier were now descending the stone walls together. They carefully made their way down, ensuring that none of them would misstep and fall into the chasms. Their numbers were few and the enemy was powerful, it would be a shame if they lost manpower before the fight even began.

The expedition force was careful, and the marked ones that would engage the monster on the drifting platforms made it to the arena, with the supporting and long-ranged marked ones taking formation on the stone walls.

The marked ones were skilled. That was why they managed to reach the arena. However, the success of the descending and the gathering of capable fighters was wishful thinking and ignoring the harsh truth. They already lost a lot of manpower when the monster first appeared, and the marked ones gathered here were although the elite, they were also what remained of their forces.

Still, the fight was winnable.

Rana sat on the stone wall with her legs hanging off of the edge. She decided to rest for a bit while the others fought. Her health was rather low and so was her mana. If she were to join she would not be able to contribute much aside from being a burden. There was a need for commanders for several groups that were hastily formed from surviving marked ones, but she knew she would not be able to do so.

The marked ones from Nye believed she was part of the duke’s group and resented her for ditching them for the conquest, and the ones who were not from Nye still had agonistic thoughts against them.

The only thing for her to do was to wait and see if there was a need for her to step in.

Rana observed the formation taken below and on the walls. She would’ve preferred more marked ones, but that was due to her being an inquisitor, a marked one who hunted other marked ones, that she had reserve with their chances of success. If Hamilton believed this was the path to victory, she would not object as long as there were no glaring weaknesses.

She saw Taye rejoining the fight. The Fire Shield warrior did not choose to rest and instead rejoined her team, the vanguard of the raid. The two of them delayed the monster long enough and deserved some respite, but the woman was either battle-hungry or foolish with a misplaced sense of duty.

Regardless, the fight was about to begin.

The marked ones were split into formation and awaited the monster at two locations. There were those on the stone walls, marked ones who were mostly reserves and without a team. Those with long-range capabilities could somewhat help with dealing damage, but the arena was large and their Skills and Spells did not have infinite range, so their contributions were limited to the tendrils near the edge of the arena. The powerful long-range casters usually had a group that protected them, and it was much easier to land a hit if they were closer.

Still, Rana could tell there were a few capable marked ones on the walls, and if the monster jumped into the air close enough to them, they would prove to be useful.

Those in the arena were their main offense. Taye and Hamilton lead the vanguard, which was divided into two groups. Taye commanded the marked ones tasked with defending and drawing the enemy's attention, while Hamilton commanded the group slightly behind as the attacking force. The woman was no doubt chosen due to her experiencing fighting the guardian, and the fuming Denver at the back told of potential risks in cooperation. The other marked ones not part of the Fire Shield Guild were scattered among the arena. Their task was to aggro and attack the tendrils, shaving off the health of the guardian.

The strategy was simple, but there was not much to plan for usually during the initial phase of the guardian monster fight. To survive and deal damage, the basic principle that always leads to victory. The only question was how they would do so.

The Chrysalis Abomination screeched and soared into the sky. The platforms quaked and many marked ones fell to the chasm without being able to do a single thing. That was expected. Without experiencing the attack first hand, only the most battle-hardened and alert would be able to prepare against it. Regardless, it seemed like the main units, the Fire Shield marked ones, all made it.

Hamilton roared out a command and the fight began. Spells and Skills with range were fired instantly, their mana already readied thanks to the onslaught from earlier. The myriad of different colors soared into the sky, shattering boulders and hitting their mark. This made defending against the enemy attack easier. When the monster once again submerged, the defenders anchored their position on the platforms, aiding the marked ones with weaker footholds and making sure their platform remained secured.

Then, the tendrils slashed out of the chasm and their effectiveness was greatly reduced. The violence of numbers was enough to match the guardian monster’s attack. The larger ones were repelled by the strong and sturdy warrior-class marked ones, the smaller ones were kept at bay by fast rogue-class, and the mage-class inflicted heavy damage.

The marked ones on the walls also did not simply watch. The commander on the walls instructed reserved marked ones to reinforce groups that were on the verge of collapse or to deliver needed supplies. They also observed the movement of the platforms carefully and gave signals to the marked ones below, aiding them in their movement.

The trade of blows continued, and the rate in which marked ones were killed decreased with each wave of the attack until there were no more sacrifices as healing Spells and potions began to stabilize the battlefield. However, resources were finite, and the humans would eventually reach a breaking point where their mana and health would not be able to keep up with the damage sustained.

Rana wondered if the humans would be able to kill their foe before then, but she then realized Hamilton had barely moved himself until the monster finally made its jump and crash. He was observing.

The rogue-class marked one darted on the swaying platforms and made a straight charge towards where the monster was falling towards. He jumped in an arc and slashed, breaking its skin as his blade cut through the air with a visible wave of light.

Rogue-class marked ones did not have long-range with their daggers, but the Talent Hamilton had most likely increased it in some fashion.

The monster did not cry out in pain, but Rana could tell it was hurt. The damage Hamilton did was visible and on par with the result of power Spells by mages. The monster did not take it lightly and sent out its tendril towards the human. Hamilton once again swung his blade and slammed it away, his blade like a mace.

Rana observed Hamilton, no longer interested in the fight against the monster. The first phase was on lock it seemed. The rogue-class had stellar movement, but it was less the grace of a nimble warrior and more of an explosion of strength.

A rogue-class with the Stat distribution of a warrior-class marked one, and a hidden Talent that made use of such. Interesting.

Rana returned her gaze to the battlefield. The stone ocean was silent and the platforms drifted slowly. The first phase was done.

However, an unease rose in Rana’s unfeeling heart.

She felt no rage, no pain, no hatred from the monster. There was only glee and arrogance, a sense of accomplishment. Was it confident that the second phase would bring it a victory, or was it something far more sinister?

Rana had no time to contemplate the answer as the stone ocean roared. Whatever the answer was, it would have to wait.

The raid now began its second phase.