Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

The Koccus Ironworks was located on the outskirts of the western district of the kingdom's capital, surrounded by sparse human settlement, with the nearest horse-drawn carriage station still a two-mile walk away.

For the past twenty years, Koccus Ironworks had been an important smelting site for pig iron, one of the few industrial centers in the capital.

However, since the iron ore in the eastern Gode Basin had gradually been exhausted, and with the nobles controlling high trade and metal taxes, the Guild of Blacksmiths had shut down the Koccus Ironworks and moved closer to the ore mining areas.

The fires in the furnaces had long been extinguished, the bellows no longer roaring. The Koccus Ironworks, once surrounded by black smoke, now only had a few empty, dilapidated buildings left.

The night was thick with darkness, as dense as ink, with not a finger's breadth of visibility. The moon and stars had hidden themselves behind the clouds, leaving not a sliver of light.

Two shadows, as silent and stealthy as cats, approached the Koccus Ironworks, moving low to the ground, hiding beneath a thorn bush.

Barrett poked his head out, his eyes scanning the place. The factory, which should have been deserted and pitch black, was now dimly lit, with faint flickers of light and the murmur of men's voices carried by the wind.

On the roof of a one-story brick building, silhouettes moved about. Mercenaries—who shouldn't be there—were on watch, patrolling the area. Barrett could make out the shape of crossbows and magic-powered crossbows in their hands. Anyone who dared to approach would be turned into a pincushion.

Time was pressing, and Barrett hadn't had the chance to gather much intelligence. He had quickly slipped into an unattended archive in the capital, rummaged through drawers, and managed to find a map of the Koccus Ironworks.

With the map in hand, he and EeDeChi had rushed to the ironworks without a moment's delay. But even then, it was already 9 PM—an hour later than the 8 PM deadline set by the kidnappers!

All they could do now was pray that the kidnappers were patient and merciful, and wouldn't be so angry at the delay that they would take it out on Sean and Stella.

In his twenty years as an adventurer, Barrett had seen his fair share of life and death. His companions came and went—some were forced to retire from the adventuring life due to injuries, while others left him forever, lost to the grim hand of fate.

When a teammate fell, Barrett never mourned for long. Tears were for the weak. He would only take up his sword to avenge them.

Tonight's kidnapping incident was strange, and Barrett couldn't figure out what exactly had led his team, the Last Defenders of the Way, into the crosshairs of a group of mercenaries.

With the resources and power to kidnap a noblewoman, it seemed far more profitable than targeting a band of adventurers, who made their living by playing on the edge of danger.

Could it be a rival noble faction? Barrett's mind tensed at the thought.

A dark-haired head peeked out beside him. EeDeChi asked, "Do you have a plan?"

It was rare for EeDeChi to ask for his opinion. Barrett could tell from the hesitation in her voice that the team leader wasn't as confident as she let on.

Barrett pondered his next move, having committed the rough layout of the map to memory. Skulking near the enemy and lighting a lamp to examine a non-glowing map was undoubtedly a foolish act.

Next, they need to come up with a good strategy. After all, they are outnumbered, and the enemy has most likely set a trap, waiting for them to walk right into it.

Suddenly, a white light flared beside him, almost blinding Barrett!

EeDeChi pulled out a glowing crystal lantern, her butt sticking up in the air as she crouched down, intensely studying the map of the Koccus ironworks.

Barrett snatched the lantern out of her hands and quickly extinguished it. Just as he was about to scold his reckless captain, an arrow "whizzed" through the thorny bushes and embedded itself in the ground next to him.

Barrett grabbed EeDeChi, rolling them both out of the way just as several iron-tipped arrows pierced the spot they had been moments ago. The sound of the arrows crashing into the rocks and sand around them echoed in the night.

"Well... just a small mistake..." EeDeChi finally acknowledged her fault. "What should we do now?"

"I have a good idea," Barrett said, his eyes fixed on the Koccus Ironworks. The flickering light from the brick buildings and the rising voices of men filled the air. "You take the front gate and attack head-on, while I'll go around and hit them from behind."

Without waiting for EeDeChi to respond, Barrett crouched low and leaped through the thorny bushes, vanishing into the darkness like a drop of ink splashing into an ink bottle.

...

Henry Ashford drew his bow, the griffon tendon of the string tightening into a straight line. The white ashwood longbow curved like a crescent moon, its surface shimmering with glowing runes, filled with destructive power.

"Thwack!" The enchanted Adamantite arrow shot out like a meteor, trailing fire and lightning as it pierced the air. As expected, the steel-tipped arrow hit the black-clad, black-haired girl running ahead, and, as planned, bounced off without causing harm.

Henry gave a wry smile. Sure enough, the simpler the mission details, the higher the reward, the bigger the problems.

He belonged to the Tarrasque Mercenary Group, serving as their archer for the gold.

Two days ago, an old nobleman from the north, Odys Malcon Waverly, contacted the mercenary group and offered an easy job: set up an ambush on the outskirts of the kingdom's capital and take down an intruder.

At the time, the employer had casually mentioned that they only needed to deal with a girl and a mithril-level seasoned adventurer.

Was this really just a girl? This was more like a roaring ancient dragon!

The employer had kept many things from them, like the fact that the girl was an orichalcum-level adventurer, and that she was the newly promoted Warrior Captain. But even if you're the Warrior Captain, this level of power seemed freakishly over the top!!

The black-haired girl swaggered into the Koccus Ironworks' main gate, charging straight into the rain of arrows. She wasn't wearing any armor, didn't carry a shield, and had no magical barriers for defense—only a giant sword slung across her back.

Enchanted arrows, Adamantite arrows, fire arrows, ice arrows, armor-piercing arrows... countless projectiles slammed into her, only to bounce off like straw hitting a stone statue.

With a single kick, the black-haired girl burst through the ironworks' grand doors, shattering not only the physical barrier but also the mental defenses of the entire Tarrasque Mercenary Group.

She picked up arrows that had fallen to the ground and casually tossed them back, one by one, each hitting an archer and knocking them out cold.

A warrior charging in with a battle cry never even saw the girl's movements before being sent crashing into the wall by a single strike of her sword.

Two high-ranking mages from the mercenary group began chanting the most powerful 4th Tier spells. After enduring a barrage of multicolored spells, the girl raised her hand and unleashed a 5th Tier spell—Landslide.

Half of a building collapsed in the blast. One of the high-level mages was killed instantly, while the other ran away in panic, screaming like a child.

"Run! Get out of here! The plan's changed, don't fight, just save yourselves!" The bearded captain screamed, hoarse with desperation.

Mercenaries weren't like the loyal family guards; facing such a one-sided battle, even without the captain's orders, they all knew it was time to run.

The mercenary group had already lost over half its members. If they continued fighting, the once-famous Tarrasque Mercenary Group would be wiped from history.

Henry put his bow away, preparing to escape. The mad, black-haired girl was still dozens of meters away. He believed he could make it out in time.

"Bang!" A heavy thud came from behind him. Henry turned around and saw "Crimson Scythe" Korran from his team, lying at his feet, eyes rolled back, unconscious.

As Henry moved to help Korran up, he suddenly felt his feet leave the ground.

The black-haired girl had grabbed him by the leather armor, yanking him up with ease, and asked, "Young man, do you know where the two hostages are?"

I'm at least ten years older than you. Henry didn't dare voice this complaint aloud; instead, he honestly replied, "Straight on from here, the house in the very center is the place."

Then he felt himself soaring into the air, light as a bird. Moments later, his body slammed against the steel furnace, and he blacked out…