ch75

“Araya and you all will take on Algul, the Three Commanders, and the Orcs.”

Aliya had one request.

Just take care of the Orcs.

The witches would handle Aliya and the Harmony Sword Masters, and the humans would handle the humans’ work.

It was a simple story.

“Algul’s trusted Three Commanders are Algul’s children. Originally, like the Einherjar of the Orcs, he had more children, but among them, three who stood out the most became the Three Commanders.”

Aliya moved quickly, heading towards the battlefield where they would soon arrive, doing her best to convey all the information she knew.

“The first is Orgin of Origin. He inherited the most of his father’s power, and if things are the same as before, he is the only shaman among the Orcs besides Algul. He appeases the souls of Orcs who died fighting, sometimes receiving their power, and he is skilled in handling souls and negative emotions, as well as curses.”

“Curses?”

Saras, showing interest in those words, turned to Aliya.

After listening to Aliya’s explanation of Orgin for a while, Saras said with sparkling eyes.

“I’ll take him!”

Seeing Saras, her eyes full of interest, snorting and confidently shouting, Pallas frowned.

“We’re not going on a picnic, Saras.”

“Hey, I know that. I’m serious, you know. Or do you want to fight him?”

“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is.”

Saras pouted, as if finding Pallas’s dry attitude boring.

Seeing that, Aliya cleared her throat once and continued her explanation.

“The second is Arctic of Tyranny. He is the most Orcish of Orcs. The primal instincts of living things: fighting, killing, eating, ravaging, violating. He has simple but powerful principles of action. He possesses power that seems to condense the already strong power of the Orcs several times, even dozens of times. He is a being who has slaughtered countless enemies for a long time, even in the wars of the Eastern Continent.”

“The third is Bellator the Devout. If Arctic is the most Orcish of Orcs, Bellator is the least Orcish of Orcs. He doesn’t live according to primal instincts, but rather worships fighting and duels themselves. Bellator, who has only sought out the strong and proven himself through duels, is said to have less innate power than Arctic, but he is considered no weaker than Arctic, who has seriously trained for victory. The fact that he has remained intact despite only fighting the strong in that harsh Eastern Continent is proof of that.”

After that, Aliya tried to provide as much information as possible.

Her rarely anxious expression was enough to guess the depth of the bad blood she had experienced in the Eastern Continent.

“But why did you bring that guy?”

Saras, a little bored with Aliya’s explanation, moved closer to me and whispered cautiously.

Gal was expressionlessly leading the horse in Saras’s line of sight.

Horses are quick-witted creatures, so it seemed to feel the presence of the person above it, trembling and fidgeting its feet so pathetically.

“…It’s not like he’s particularly needed, and he’s not even coming to help.”

“What can I do? He said he wanted to come along.”

“Well, he’s not someone you can stop even if you try. He seems to be head over heels for you, so he might be insurance if you’re ever in danger.”

“…Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I guess so~”

Ignoring Saras’s subtle expression, I tried to lead Rudolph ahead.

At that moment, the ears of the High Elves, including myself, perked up.

A faint tremor in the ground.

It originated from a very distant place, but the High Elves could easily feel the energy.

And at that moment, a premonition pierced through my crown chakra.

“Huh? Araya?”

“Gal, help me for a moment. It doesn’t seem like a good situation.”

Unlike Saras and Anya, who were flustered, Pallas quickly grasped my intention and got off the horse that Aliya had provided.

It would be one thing to conserve stamina, but if he ran at full power, he would be much faster than a horse.

There was no time to explain everything in a situation where every second counted.

A soft but enormous golden Energy Wave surged towards the soles of my feet as I landed on the ground from Rudolph’s back.

“I’ll go ahead, so join me as quickly as possible.”

As soon as he said those words, he began to run towards the source, and it seemed like he heard something behind him for a moment, but the surrounding scenery began to change rapidly and soon he could no longer hear it.

With each step, it was as if he was folding space and land as he ran.

He crossed over 70 leagues.

His feet moved first, and the sound followed.

Because he had not yet fully unfolded it, the dizzying atmospheric pressure, which seemed to tear apart an ordinary human body, pressed down on him.

「…I don’t like that footwork.」

A thought was conveyed in my mind.

Golden Winged Swift Steps.

It must have been an unpleasant gait for Gal, whose original form was a dragon.

「I’m sorry, it seems like things are turning urgent.」

「So, what do you want me to do?」

「I would appreciate it if you could use your dragon tongue to remove me and Algul from this battlefield.」

「You’re doing troublesome things.」

「Wasn’t the area around us a mess when I fought you too? This is to minimize the damage. I’m asking you a favor, Gal.」

While having a short conversation, he was finally able to arrive at the battlefield before the clash.

And in the center, a huge presence could be seen.

He was hiding himself with strange shadow magic, but I could clearly see his essence.

And in front of him, Prigos, whose sword had been shattered,

Next to him, Lamiya, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was struggling against a huge Orc, and Algul was about to bring down an iron bar on Prigos’s head.

With a single step, my drawn sword stopped the swinging iron bar.

‘I almost missed it.’

If I had been even a second later, what I would have seen would have been the contents of Prigos’s head.

Along with that, I examined Prigos.

A broken sword, and a body wounded by the fragments of the sword. Trembling arms.

But despite that, his eyes, filled with a strong will, were still looking at Algul.

He was tattered, but he didn’t look like a human on the verge of death.

It was only for a moment, but it seemed like Prigos and I made eye contact.

I smiled and left a thought for Prigos.

「Gal. I’m counting on you.」

Along with that, a surge of golden energy completely severed the world around me and Algul.

◈            ◈              ◈

Prigos looked around.

He could see the approaching armies on both sides, but here there was only himself, Muktuk, and Lamiya, and an Orc named Arctic who was ridiculously strong.

‘…Was that… Araya just now?’

The golden gale that stopped Algul from swinging the iron bar at him.

He didn’t know what kind of trick he had used, but he had disappeared in an instant, so he couldn’t be sure, but it looked like Araya.

But Araya had been missing for well over half a year.

‘…What happened?’

Suddenly, Algul disappeared, and Muktuk, as well as Lamiya and Arctic, seemed flustered and stopped fighting for a moment.

“Die!”

But Muktuk, who soon came to his senses at the shouts around him, charged forward, brandishing his sword.

However, I was empty-handed.

I barely rolled away to avoid the attack coming with the horse.

“Hehehe. I don’t know what kind of trick it was that Algul suddenly disappeared, but even so, it won’t affect the overall situation. Your end is near when the soldiers arrive here soon. Arctic. What are you doing? Are you just going to leave him alone like that?”

“…Don’t be presumptuous, human. How dare you order me around?”

Muktuk flinched and stepped back as if his pride had been hurt, but Arctic ignored him and turned his head to look down at Lamiya.

Arctic, who was large even among Orcs, and Lamiya, a normal human woman and Divine General, seemed to have a height difference of about 5 feet (1.5m).

Was it because they had clashed swords several times?

Lamiya swallowed with a stiff face.

She didn’t know the cause of Algul’s disappearance, nor the identity of him and the golden gale.

But even if a miracle had removed the most dangerous enemy, the situation itself was still bad.

“You’re so relaxed! Do you have the leisure to look away while fighting!”

Prigos dodged Muktuk’s sharp attacks and retreated.

Although he hadn’t learned martial arts, he seemed to have outstanding natural strength and combat sense, befitting someone who had conquered the entire south.

If he were an ordinary human, he could have easily won even barehanded, even if they had a sword, but it would be difficult against Muktuk, who was even riding a horse.

‘I wish I had a sword.’

If he had a sword, he could cut him down within 10 clashes, but the sword that was broken by Algul, including the spare sword, was the last sword.

Lamiya was also struggling against Arctic, so he couldn’t borrow a sword.

‘Then… I’ll avoid Muktuk’s attacks until the enemies arrive, and then steal a weapon from the enemy soldiers.’

Just as he was thinking that.

“Kyaa!”

Lamiya’s scream was heard from the side.

Lamiya eventually dropped her sword due to Arctic’s attacks, which poured down like a flood.

Rather than dealing with Lamiya, Arctic picked up the sword that Lamiya had dropped and began to swing it around.

“The tools made by these humans have size issues, but they are all of good quality.”

Considering Arctic’s size, it looked like a toy, but the momentum with which it was swung was not something to be taken lightly.

“Now, how should I play with the succubus bitch that I haven’t seen in a while to make it fun?”

Arctic grinned savagely and began to approach Lamiya.

“…Don’t come!”

Lamiya, who had lost her weapon, screamed and retreated as if her will to fight had already been broken, but Arctic laughed as if he liked that reaction.

At that moment, a black smoke soared from Lamiya’s shadow and rushed towards Arctic.

“You’re carrying around something annoying.”

「I never thought I would see such monstrosities as you again.」

It was Ra Jin, the Spirit of Darkness who had contracted with Lamiya.

“Dealing with Spirits is Orgin’s specialty. Well, in the end, all I have to do is tear apart the contractor, that bitch, and that’s it.”

「Do you think I’ll let you do that? Orc.」

“Those who say such silly things have all died by my hands before.”

Thanks to Ra Jin, the worst-case scenario of Lamiya dying was avoided, but the situation was still terrible.

The armies on both sides were about to clash.

If he was lucky, he could get a weapon in the chaos and cut off Muktuk’s head, and if the shadows were mixed up, Lamiya could easily escape.

But in the end, he wouldn’t be able to change the outcome that he and the soldiers who had fought together would all die.

‘…Unless a miracle happens.’

Prigos smiled bitterly.

The fact that Algul had suddenly disappeared was already a great miracle.

Even if they were defeated here, they would be able to take more companions with them if that monster wasn’t there.

Let’s stop with the useless thoughts now.

The soldiers who had charged towards Muktuk’s rear had now arrived.

In a few seconds, hell would open up here.

Prigos took a stance and prepared to minimize the collision.

Once he stole a weapon, he would have to fight until he died.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

The vibration was not large, but a huge flower bud made of earth rose from the center of the shaking ground, as if an earthquake had occurred.

“Uwaaaah!”

“Ueooeot!”

On the left and right sides of the battlefield, screams and painful groans had already begun to be exchanged as they collided, but in the center of the battlefield where Prigos and Muktuk were, a huge earth flower suddenly appeared, causing everyone on both sides to recoil in horror.

As the earthen bud slowly began to open, everyone who had been watching the surreal scene retreated, tense.

Thanks to this, a bizarre buffer zone formed in the very heart of the battlefield.

“Hah-! Everyone just left me behind, how could you!”

Defying all that tension, a woman in green robes, a staff in both hands, emerged from the earthen bud.

“…Araya?”

In that instant, Prigos murmured unconsciously as he saw the woman.

She was an Elf whose features resembled Araya’s.

However, she was much taller than Araya, and more than that, despite wearing similar attire, she exuded a presence far grander than Araya’s.

‘…Not Araya.’

He’d seen her for eight years and she hadn’t grown; there was no way she could have grown that much in half a year.

‘…Araya’s sister, who was said to be staying at the Great Temple, perhaps?’

“…Whoaaaa…”

The Elf, who had performed the miracle of blooming a giant earthen flower in the middle of the battlefield, let out a gasp, seemingly overwhelmed as she looked down at the chaotic scene around her from her high vantage point.

But soon, as if regaining her senses, she slapped herself once on the cheek and clenched her fist.

“Alright! Get a grip, Anat! It’s time to fulfill Mother’s Main God mission!”

Then, Anat, descending from the bud, spotted Prigos in the strange neutral zone she had created, where everyone was just sizing each other up, and approached him.

“So. You’re Prigos?”

“…That’s right, but?”

“Heeey… you’re not as strangely ugly as humans go. I’m Anat, I’ve come as reinforcements, for now. At the request of someone named Aliya.”

“…Aliya is coming?”

“Well, she’s a bit further away, so it’ll take a little longer. Humans are slow, after all. We figured the situation was urgent, so we came ahead.”

“‘We?'”

KABOOM!

A massive explosion echoed from the left side of the battlefield, and figures were sent flying.

Even the massive Orcs were tossed into the air like fallen leaves.

“Pallas must be getting started now. Then I should do my part too.”

Anat widened her round eyes and snorted.

“Is there an Orc here called Arctic or Bellator, by any chance?”

At those words, Arctic, who had been in a lull since Anat’s sudden appearance, stepped forward with confident strides.

“A race I’ve never seen before. You seem different from humans; are you a native species of this place? Truly beautiful.”

“Oh my, thank you for the compliment. Might I ask your name?”

“Arctic. Woman. Is your womb capable of carrying the offspring of another race? No, it doesn’t matter. Even if it isn’t, I have no intention of letting you go.”

Arctic said, wielding the sword he had taken from Lamiya in both hands.

“If possible, I’d like you to resist a little. I enjoy hearing beautiful things scream in agony.”

“…That’s a relief. Honestly, I don’t find killing other living things pleasant, but at least I’ll feel less guilty.”

“Huh?”

“Grasp him. ‘Grandol’.”

At Anat’s words, two giant hands made of rock burst from the ground and crushed Arctic.

“Kuaaaaagh!”

Anat approached Lamiya, who was staring blankly up at Arctic as he was squeezed in the giant golem’s hands, screaming in agony.

“Wow… a Spirit I’ve never seen before. Are you from the East?”

Lamiya and Ra Jin stared at Anat with bewildered expressions as she casually spoke to them, having subdued Arctic in an instant in the middle of the battlefield.

“Ah. Well, besides us, it seems like everyone on our side has arrived.”

As Anat looked up at the sky, Lamiya and Prigos followed her gaze.

At the end of their line of sight, Elves in green robes were descending onto various parts of the battlefield as if flying in.

“Kuaaaaagh! Woman! I won’t treat you gently!”

Meanwhile, Arctic, who had been restrained by the earth spirit, Grandol, broke free with brute force and shouted.

“Ah… I guess it won’t work that easily?”

Even at that sight, Anat scratched her head nonchalantly and spoke to Lamiya.

“Your sister is looking for you. It seems like she has something else to do, so you should join her.”

Anat said calmly, watching Arctic charge towards her with a roar, and the other Orcs who were drawn to his cry rush in.

“We’ll be fine here now.”

◈             ◈               ◈

Bellator had not been so satisfied since his father, Algul, had crossed over to the West using the shadow magic he had recently acquired.

Unlike the East, which was always full of strife and where only the strong survived, the lives here were exceedingly weak.

For Bellator, who yearned for a match against a strong opponent, the West, filled only with minnows, was far too boring a place.

But in the recent battle, he had encountered the Succubi.

He had fought them even back in the East.

However, the incubi, who were their counterparts, were fundamentally weak races unsuited for combat.

Women who used shallow tricks to escape danger.

But the Succubi he had seen in the West were different from the old days.

As they moved their hard, sharp clubs according to a beautiful principle, they threatened him with hundreds, thousands of variations.

It was an experience he was having for the first time in over a thousand duels.

Still, in the end, he had cut off the strongest one’s left arm entirely.

But it wasn’t enough.

The way the Succubi women used their clubs.

He wanted to use that beautiful principle himself.

He had a feeling that if he did, he could become even stronger.

That’s why Bellator had been searching for the Succubi women from the moment the two armies clashed.

Once the battle began, it wasn’t difficult to find the women’s location.

In the first place, they were inferior to him, but they were women who could not be compared to weak humans or ordinary Orcs.

If he looked at where they were sweeping through the battlefield, he would always find them.

He roared to announce his presence and was about to run towards the women.

But Bellator’s intuition, honed by long years of struggle and duels, rang an alarm.

The moment he raised his club, a shock ran through his entire arm.

Even then, he couldn’t fully withstand the impact, and the aftereffects caused a ringing in his ears.

“Good instincts. Beast.”

Bellator, who had taken a few steps back from the impact, stared at the being that had suddenly appeared before him.

Green clothes. A being with golden hair that reached her waist, looking at him with an aloof expression.

Even in the midst of the battlefield where countless figures were intertwined, she was a being who exuded an overwhelming presence.

Bellator sensed it as he looked at the one who was surrounded by a stable aura as if she were in another world, even in this chaotic atmosphere.

That she was stronger than any being he had ever fought.

“…Who are you?”

“El Pallas. There’s no need to remember. I don’t like meaningless things.”

◈             ◈               ◈

“…What is it?”

Orgin, who was located at the rear of the battlefield, frowned at the sudden disappearance of his father Algul’s presence.

But he wasn’t greatly flustered, and he banged on the iron bars and chanted an incantation.

He and Algul were beings connected by blood.

As long as they didn’t die, they were connected by their souls.

‘…It wouldn’t be bad if he just died, though.’

If Algul died, he, the tribe’s only shaman, would become the one to lead the Orcs.

But unfortunately, following the connection of their souls, Algul’s energy was felt a little further away from here, to the north.

“But why would he suddenly leave in this situation?”

This battle was one that Algul had taken upon himself to lead, despite the trouble, because of the human Muktuk’s incompetence.

He would have wanted to end it quickly from the start, so why this sudden change of heart?

Orgin sighed.

“Even so, now that he’s taken the lead, I have to finish this properly.”

Although he was Algul’s son, Orgin was a complete Einherjar, and compared to Algul, who had killed his creator and taken his flesh and blood, he was no different from an ordinary, inferior Orc.

He was merely a son created for usefulness, and there was no such thing as affection for Orcs.

He only had more affection than other Orcs, and if he failed to prove his usefulness and disappointed him, he could be disposed of at any time.

Orgin began to chant an incantation, banging the floor with the iron bars and rolling a skull rosary in his other hand.

“Heeey… that’s a unique system. Does the East basically have a lot of ritual systems that use collective communities?”

Orgin was startled by the sudden, playful voice of a woman and looked towards the source of the voice.

“Hello? You’re Orgin, right? I’m El Saraswati. Nice to meet you. Ah, but we’re about to kill each other, so maybe ‘nice to meet you’ is a bit much?”

There was a beautiful woman looking down at him nonchalantly from above.

◈             ◈               ◈

‘What happened?’

Algul wore a rare, serious expression.

When he swung his iron club to end Prigos’s life, a golden gale momentarily blocked his path.

In that instant, what he saw was an astonishingly beautiful boy.

And at the same time, he felt a complex and great principle that even he, a shaman who was a Bwon Krishaka’s Einherjar and had absorbed some of his power, could not dare to fathom, enveloping him and the boy.

The world was cut off, twisted, and when it returned to normal, he had moved to a location quite far from the original battlefield.

“…Who are you?”

Algul opened his mouth as he watched the beautiful boy, clad in sun-like golden light, approach.

“As a gentleman, I am reluctant to speak to a parricide who devoured my father, but I cannot refuse to answer the question of a leader who leads a tribe.”

The boy, who had spoken harshly, took out what the humans here were using, a sharp club made of hard stone.

He drew a sword and introduced himself.

“I am El-Araya. Invader.”