It was fortunate that this was a passageway rather than an open plaza. Though we were trapped with no escape route, at least we wouldn't be completely surrounded.

Ilga's voice rang out.

“First team, don't freeze in fear! Form a horizontal line!”

A good decision. Clustering together against an overwhelmingly larger and stronger enemy would be no different from exposing the team's vital point. By spreading out, even if there were casualties, they would be minimized.

Additionally, the width of the passage worked in our favor. While it was spacious enough for six or seven of us to stand side by side with arms outstretched, the burly ogres could only fit three at most. And even then, they barely had room to swing their massive iron lumps freely.

With two or three students engaging each ogre, we could avoid one-on-one battles—a crucial advantage.

However, even with that advantage, their numbers were—

——GAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!

The lead ogre's iron lump came sweeping toward Ilga’s head.

“—!!”

Ilga barely ducked under it, dodging by the thinnest margin, and in the next instant, he swung his longsword, slashing horizontally across the ogre’s torso.

“Haaah!”

His skill was impressive—for a student.

However, the one whose face contorted in frustration was not the ogre, but Ilga.

“Tch…!”

The skin was too tough. The wound was shallow. It hadn't reached anything vital.

His blade had gouged into the ogre’s side, but it wasn’t a fatal wound. Unbothered, the ogre raised its iron lump once more, aiming for Ilga’s skull.

——GAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!

“Ugh… kuh…!”

Ilga’s eyes widened in despair.

Fool! It's just a damn intimidation roar—!

“Don’t freeze up over every little thing!”

Sliding in, I kicked the back of Ilga’s knee, forcing him into a kneeling position and making him dodge the attack. One of the first team boys quickly grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

Meanwhile, I lowered my stance and lunged at the ogre’s legs.

“Rally yourselves! Stand and fight! Oooohh—!!”

My blade sank into its skin with a dull squelch. But again, it was too tough.

With a dull-edged gladius and the strength of a ten-year-old, I couldn’t even fully cut through the flesh. Even after being slashed across the abdomen and legs, the ogre still raised its iron lump.

A sharp sound rang out as a blade sliced cleanly from one side of the ogre’s neck to the other—Oujin’s Rock Slicing technique.

“Eremia, use the wakizashi!”

“I was just about to test it out!”

The massive figure swayed.

As the ogre fell forward, I stepped back to avoid being crushed, sheathed my gladius, and drew my wakizashi. The ogre's severed head rolled away, blood gushing onto the ground.

But there was no time to look down.

As an iron lump scraped along the ground and swung upward, I bent backward to dodge it. I swung my wakizashi in return, but again, the blade length was insufficient. I could feel it cut through skin and muscle, but it didn’t reach the organs.

A grin spread across my face. This was good.

“Much better than the gladius.”

——GAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!

Another ogre swung its iron lump, and I dodged backward. A gust of wind roared past my nose. But there was no more room to retreat.

Our formation had been squeezed to its limit from both front and back.

Behind me were Ilga, still shaken, and several first team members. Further behind them, the second team, including Bernard, was pressing forward.

This was the weakness of using fragile swords. Blocking or parrying was nearly impossible, as the blades would easily chip. That meant nearly all defensive maneuvers relied on dodging. But now, there was no space left to dodge.

Should I kick Ilga back into action?

Just as I thought that, a longsword suddenly thrust past my neck, piercing straight through the ogre’s eye.

——GIIIIAAAAAAAHHHH!?

“Don’t screw with me, you filthy monster! I, Ilga Freiges, will become a proud knight of the kingdom! I won’t die in a place like this!”

Ilga—!?

“Hmph, you’ve finally pulled yourself together.”

“Of course! How could I sit idly after being told to stand and fight by a ten-year-old?! I will be the kingdom’s greatest knight! And I will never forget the disgrace of being kicked down by you, Eremia!”

Dodging another swing, Ilga slashed his longsword across the ogre’s abdomen, forcing it back.

“Save your complaints for later!”

“No, I should be thanking you. You woke me up—not just my life, but my pride was at stake.”

As the ogre reeled from the pain, I executed a Rock Slicing at its ankle.

“Oooohhh—!!”

Slashing vertically, I drew the blade back. This time, it felt different. The wakizashi sliced through skin and muscle, reaching the bone.

But with such a short blade, this was the limit. Due to the nature of the cutting motion, weapon length was crucial. Before I could sever the bone, the tip of the blade slipped out.

“…Tch.”

How frustrating. I could only cut through tendons and blood vessels at best. If I had a long blade like Oujin’s, I wouldn’t have to let others finish the job.

“I’ll take it from here, Eremia.”

Though I hadn’t decapitated it, the ogre had lost balance and staggered forward. Oujin struck next, slicing through its neck with a Rock Slicing technique.

One clean hit.

We immediately stood back-to-back, pointing our blades at different ogres.

As I caught my breath, I quipped, “You keep taking the best parts.”

“Hey, I let you have the homunculus fight, didn’t I?”

“You were unconscious.”

Oujin smirked. “I meant the sword.”

Damn him. The little smartass.

The headless ogre fell onto its back.

That was the second one—no, the third. From far behind, Bernard’s spear struck down the trajectory of an ogre’s iron lump, diverting its path with a sharp clang.

“Kept you waiting, leader.”

Bernard lumbered forward, spear in hand, positioning himself beside Ilga. Ilga, still dodging and slashing with his longsword, quickly asked, “Did you take care of the rear ogre?”

“Yeah. There was only one, so we ganged up on it with five men and beat it down.”

Ilga avoided another attack, slashing the ogre’s abdomen. Bernard followed up with a spear thrust, but the ogre blocked it with its iron lump.

“Hah, good enough.”

Moments later, the entire second team, including Letis, lined up beside us.

Ilga took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and shouted, “Alright! First team, reform the line! Everyone in second team except Bernard, support from the rear! We’re taking back control from here!”

“Oooohhh!”

The students roared.