Guess desperate times call for desperate measures. Sorry in advance, buddy.

With a grimace, Isaac turned to the younger man, who was still staring blankly into nothing, and raised his hand. After one more silent apology, he slapped the guy. Hard. He staggered but didn't flinch, didn't react, didn't even blink. The emptiness in his eyes stayed exactly where it was.

As for the woman? She didn't so much as twitch when Isaac slapped her companion.

Shock therapy, my ass, he scowled, his mind racing, trying to work out a solution. There had to be one. He refused to believe that Elaine's Patron sent them here to save people who couldn't be saved. That would go against everything they had thought about Prosperity before this.

Then again… maybe the name's a joke, and she's just another cruel bastard. Wouldn't surprise me, he thought. And Elaine… she will be—

Before Isaac could finish that thought, his blood screamed a warning at him. His head snapped to the right just in time to see a crude spear flying at high speed in his direction. Only it wasn't aimed at him. No, the two prisoners were the targets.

Yeah, no…

In a blink, he dove between the weapon and its targets, the Root coming up to intercept. The primitive blend of wood and stone stood no chance against his blade and shattered upon impact.

Still, Isaac was far from done.

His eyes narrowed, quickly finding the one who threw the crude weapon. It was a slightly larger-than-average Whisperer that had already batted away all the blood ravens trying to stop it from attacking. Unfortunately for the beast, its attempt to kill the two humans also left it unarmed.

A big mistake.

Crimson Death.

A red-black spear, almost twice the size of what Isaac had just destroyed, formed at his side. Instantly, It shot forward like a bolt of lightning, leaving a thin crimson trail in its wake.

The Whisperer tried to dodge; of course, it did. Yet, it was way too slow. The red spear slammed right into its shoulder and detonated in a beautiful explosion of gore and blood. Once it vanished, only pieces of the monster's limbs remained.

Isaac snorted. Better luck next time.

After this, no more Whisperers tried to attack him or the two humans. Not that they would be able to even if they wanted. His ravens might be small, but they sure were annoying and fast. Add to that a couple of blood daggers he sent at the beasts' backs, and the issue was solved for the time being. Still, he had to hurry and figure out what to do with the pair standing beside him. They weren't the only ones he had so save today.

For a moment, Isaac's gaze drifted to the small shack the duo had been working on before. Far from ideal… but it was something.

"Ah, to hell with it," he muttered, grabbing the pair by their arms. As expected, there was no resistance as he dragged them toward the shack's entrance and shoved them inside. He then snatched some of the unevenly cut planks off the ground and used them to barricade the door.

That should do for now.

Unless the monsters decided to actively search for the pair, they should be safe until Isaac and his team finished their job. Though just to be safe, he ordered the nearby blood ravens to guard the place. With how out of the way this part of the village was, it might be unnecessary, but he wasn't risking two lives on what-ifs.

Okay, time to help others.

With a single pull on the spark holding his Legacy, Isaac transformed, shooting back into the sky. It didn't take him long to locate his next target.

A literal horde of Whisperers closing in on three humans, with Marie doing her best to keep them alive. Her serpent form was like a blur, darting left and right, summoning water out of nowhere to bat away the beasts biting at her heels. A couple of his blood ravens tried to help, but there was only so much they could do.

Showtime.

With a loud caw, Isaac dived, alerting the horde to his presence. Maybe not the stealthiest move, but it also gave Marie some room to breathe. So worth it in his books.

Unlike the Whisperer he had killed earlier, these were much faster to react. The ones with bows instantly aimed at him, quickly releasing a salvo of colorless arrows. He almost laughed at their poor attempt to take him down.

Viron escaped from his body, covering his feathers in a strong crimson fire-like aura.

Cursed Draw met the salvo and pulverized all the arrows in his way. The beasts below never got a chance to fire more.

Again drawing on a tiny bit of blood, the aura around his body shifted, becoming more liquid-like. Isaac cawed once more and crashed into a group of five Whisperers.

Obliteration.

As before, blood filled his sight, the miasma exploding outward and tearing into everything that stood in its way. Enraged screeches turned into pained shrieks as the beasts around him tasted death firsthand.

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I think that's my new favorite way to start the fight. Isaac grinned, already back in his human form. Quite taxing but definitely fun.

The Root in his hand pulsed in approval while the Symphony in his veins spiked, though not to agree with him, but to warm him. After all, he had only killed five monsters with his initial strike and there were many more of them nearby.

With the warning in mind, Isaac leaned out of the way of an arrow aimed at his head. It whizzed past him and slammed right into the neck of another monster that tried to sneak up on him. Such a shame.

Still, as a thank you for helping out, he hurled a Crimson Death at the archer. The beast didn't stand up afterward. Not that he paid much attention to its death. He had better things to focus on.

Like the four Whisperers heading straight at him.

The first one lunged with its spear, hoping to skewer him alive. The problem? The attack was way too slow to catch him off guard.

And so, Isaac just stepped aside and stomped down on the shaft, shattering it. Before the beast could react, three blood daggers slammed into its chest. Not enough to kill, but enough to stop it from attacking again.

Three left.

Unlike their companion, the three short-sword-wielding Whisperers came at him together. Isaac fell back on defense, summoning a dagger into his left hand to help bat away the constant onslaught.

Then, one of the monsters overcommitted, going a step too far.

Bad call.

Cursed Draw ignited along the Root, and the wave of blood cleaved through both the incoming sword and the arm holding it. Isaac pushed this advantage and threw the dagger in his off-hand straight into the creature's mouth. It died on the spot.

As for the two remaining Whisperers?

Seeing another of their kin fall in a matter of a second, they backed off, their yellow eyes wide and filled with fear. And maybe in another world, another timeline, he would have felt pity for them. But not here. Not after what they had done.

Game over.

Yet before Isaac could summon a Crimson Death to finish the duo, whips of water lashed out, wrapping around their necks and slamming them to the ground. He looked toward the source and arched an eyebrow.

"Go help the others," Marie called out. "I can handle things from here."

There were still a few Whisperers nearby, but judging by the sheer terror on their faces, she was probably right. Staying here was a waste of time, and going by the noises coming from the center of the village, the others could use some backup.

As such, he just nodded and sprinted past all the monsters who didn't dare to step in his path. Jumping high, he transformed again and flew straight toward the nearest noises of battle.

This time, he happened upon James. Unlike with Marie, though, there were no other humans in sight. Only about ten Whisperers trying to force the big man with a body of steel to submit.

Spoiler, they were failing.

Still, to make the fight a bit fairer, Isaac summoned a salvo of Crimson Deaths and sent them at the horde. Without looking back, he continued onward to the far end of the village, where a much different fight was taking place.

Elaine and a good portion of his remaining flock against three way-above-average Whisperers.

Two of them fought at the front, clad in heavy plate and wielding massive greatswords. The one in the back, though, was a much different story. Dressed in pristine gray robes lined with dark silver thread. It also carried a long staff made of twisted, gnarled roots.

As for why it wasn't fighting with the two warriors at the front?

Because it didn't need to.

When Elaine managed to slip past the warriors' guard and was about to score a clean hit, a shimmering gray barrier blinked into existence, cutting her off. She darted back at once, but her trouble wasn't over. The robed Whisperer slammed its staff into the ground, summoning a handful of spectral tendrils that gave chase after a woman.

Isaac's eyes narrowed.

A mage?

Not that he gave that idea much thought. Not when Elaine obviously needed some assistance. His ravens had been doing a good job at annoying the two warriors, but it was far from enough. The human corpse lying cleaved in half nearby proved as much. At least the other two prisoners were fine.

Freedom mode.

As Mana surged through his body, Isaac pushed it all into a single Crimson Death that formed at his side. Without a sound, he dove and hurled the blood-red spear straight at the mage.

Die.

The beast, however, sensed the danger. It looked up and quickly pointed its staff at the incoming projectile.

A thick gray shield flared to life, meeting the spear head-on. The latter detonated upon impact, flooding the sky above the village with blood. Still, it did more than enough.

With enhanced Cursed Draw enveloping his body, Isaac shot into the cloud of blood and slammed beak-first into what remained of the gray shield. It shattered like brittle glass, the shards raining down onto the battlefield.

And the mage?

It reeled back, falling to its knees as if it had physically felt the blow.

A fatal mistake.

Isaac, with barely any momentum lost, headed right for the beast, intent on finishing it with one blow. To be fair, the mage tried to rise up and put up one final stand against him. Unfortunately, that massive shield must have drained it of almost all energy.

Unlucky, Isaac thought as he crashed into the beast's chest.

Once more, Obliteration exploded out of his body, tearing into the monster's flesh. When the blood created by his skill vanished, he was back in his human form, standing above a corpse without the upper half of its body.

[Chief Whisperer (LVL. 17) slain.]

For the time being, Isaac ignored the message, ready to step in and help Elaine deal with the two remaining warriors. Only, it turned out, he didn't need to.

At the last moment, he caught sight of her shifting into her Legacy form. A bright glow ignited around her muzzle as she danced between the heavy swings of the greatswords. Then, using the head of one of the beasts as a springboard, she leaped high above the pair.

Isaac averted his gaze and only looked back when the earth stopped shaking and the light faded from his vision. The warriors were gone, deleted from existence.

He snorted. Never gets boring...

Just as he was about to approach Elaine, who had just landed, a loud gasp, followed by a shriek, froze him in place. His gaze snapped toward the source.

Oh…

The two prisoners that Elaine had been trying to protect were no longer frozen like statues. Now, their wide, terrified eyes stared at the bloody aftermath of the battle. The mangled human corpse nearby probably wasn't helping.

Still, Isaac couldn't bring himself to care about how the pair felt. No, what mattered was that they were no longer under whatever spell the Whisperers had placed on them.

What a relief…

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