Episode 300
Zeke spotted a dark sorcerer exuding malevolent energy standing beside the orc chieftain.
“A sorcerer of the Abyss. So, they’re here too.”
The orc war chief, Taugah, bellowed at Zeke.
“A human dares to trespass into our domain!”
Taugah’s roar echoed through the surroundings, and the other orc warriors behind him clashed their weapons against their armor, joining in the uproar.
Zeke had instructed the Kaiman unit to attack the front of the settlement to draw attention, but it seemed the sorcerer had seen through the diversion.
Taugah stepped forward, brandishing a massive sword, and shouted at Zeke.
“Filthy human! For your audacity to crawl this far, I, Taugah, will personally deal with you!”
The orcs surrounding them cheered, their voices a mix of excitement and anticipation.
As Zeke observed them, he recalled the balrogs he had encountered in the inverted tower.
“They were just as hopeless, and these orcs aren’t much different.”
The sorcerer beside Taugah seemed to be saying something, but the battle-hungry orc chief paid no heed.
Taugah advanced, raising his sword towards Zeke.
“Fight like a warrior and meet a glorious end!”
With that, he charged at Zeke, his sword slicing through the air with the orc’s characteristic strength and agility.
Zeke deftly sidestepped the attack, causing Taugah to bare his sharp fangs in frustration.
“Don’t think you can run away like a rat! Face me!”
Zeke danced around Taugah’s attacks with ease, his movements fluid and precise. Though fierce, the orc’s assault was hardly a threat to a dark knight like Zeke.
His attention was more on the sorcerer behind Taugah.
“There might be more of them.”
Zeke decided to use Taugah’s aggression to his advantage. He swung his sword, Bahamut, deflecting Taugah’s blade with a resounding clash.
Taugah’s eyes burned with even more determination as he glared at Zeke.
“Good, good! This is more like it!”
Zeke met Taugah’s gaze and spoke.
“I’m not impressed. Is this the best an orc warrior can do?”
Hearing Zeke speak in their tongue, Taugah was taken aback.
“How do you know our language?”
Zeke pointed his sword at Taugah and continued.
“A sacred warrior’s battle should not be tainted by sorcerers. I suspect there are more waiting to strike.”
Taugah swung his sword wildly, shouting in anger.
“How dare you insult me, Taugah!”
He roared to the sky.
“I swear on the name of a warrior! There are no other sorcerers waiting to ambush! That one is the last, and if he interferes, I’ll deal with him myself! Stop spouting nonsense and fight like a warrior!”
The sorcerer behind them grimaced at Taugah’s words, and Zeke nodded, satisfied.
“Seems like there are no more reinforcements on their side.”
With a sly grin, Zeke charged at Taugah, wielding Bahamut.
The weight of his sword crashed down on Taugah’s blade with immense force.
Taugah struggled to withstand the blow, his sword bending under the pressure.
Zeke watched as Taugah staggered back and spoke.
“So, you’re Taugah. I can see you’re quite the warrior.”
Taugah grinned, baring his fangs.
“You’re not bad for a human.”
“How many warriors like you are there? I’d love to test my mettle against them.”
Taugah laughed heartily.
“Hah! For a human, you’ve got guts. In our Iron Legion, there are plenty of warriors like me. Especially the special forces blessed by the constellations, they’re beyond comparison…”
Suddenly, Taugah realized something and glared at Zeke, raising his sword.
“You cunning human! Trying to trick me into revealing information!”
Zeke was impressed by Taugah’s quick wit but had already gleaned valuable information.
“Iron Legion and special forces, huh.”
Taugah roared and charged at Zeke, his sword poised to strike.
“Haaargh!”
The massive blade descended with lethal intent, but Zeke’s hand flashed with a blinding light.
In an instant, Zeke swung his sword with such speed that it was almost invisible.
Taugah’s hand and neck were severed simultaneously, his body collapsing to the ground.
The orcs watching were momentarily stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
The dark sorcerer, witnessing the scene, shouted.
“Capture him!”
Only then did the orcs realize Taugah had been slain by Zeke in a single stroke.
“Get him!”
With a battle cry that bordered on a scream, the orcs charged at Zeke.
In response, Zeke unleashed his skill, Lion’s Roar.
A thunderous sound erupted from Zeke, sweeping over the orcs and leaving them dazed.
Even the orcs, known for their fighting spirit, were momentarily overwhelmed by the roar’s power.
Zeke marveled at the effect, then summoned his Aura Blade, cutting through the disoriented orcs.
His blade sliced through their armor and flesh with ease.
Blood sprayed and limbs flew as Zeke carved a path through the orcs, pursuing the fleeing sorcerer.
The sorcerer was retreating quickly, but Zeke launched a chain after him.
The chain wrapped around the sorcerer, binding him.
“Ugh!”
The sorcerer struggled desperately to escape but to no avail.
Zeke reached him swiftly and struck him across the face.
The sorcerer spat blood and broken teeth, glaring at Zeke with a crazed look.
“The Herald of Blood and Madness will save us!”
Zeke sensed a strange fervor in the sorcerer’s voice.
“Another follower of the Herald of Blood and Madness, huh.”
Just then, Zeke felt a sinister energy behind him. He turned to see a crimson aura enveloping the bodies of the fallen orcs.
To his shock, the dead orcs began to rise again, their bodies more resilient and their fighting spirit intensified by madness.
Zeke grabbed the sorcerer by the collar.
“What have you done? How are these orcs coming back to life?”
The sorcerer laughed maniacally.
“Destruction! You’ve brought about your own doom!”
Zeke punched the sorcerer again, nearly caving in his face.
He clicked his tongue, healing the sorcerer with a spell before tossing him aside.
“I’ll deal with you later.”
Zeke sheathed Bahamut and drew his gem-encrusted sword, Roland.
As the holy light of the Sacred Aura flowed over Roland, it gleamed like a legendary sword.
Zeke, wielding Roland, advanced as the resurrected orcs charged at him, their bodies cloaked in a dark red aura.
The first orc swung a massive battle axe at Zeke.
With a swift slash, Roland, imbued with the Sacred Aura, cleaved through the axe and the orc in one stroke.
The light from the Sacred Aura clung to the orc’s body, preventing it from regenerating or reattaching its limbs.
Seeing the effect, Zeke donned his armor and enveloped himself in the Sacred Aura.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
With the light of the Sacred Aura surrounding him, Zeke charged into the orc horde.
The light-infused mace he conjured smashed into the orcs, the aura gnawing away at their malevolent energy.
The orcs, engulfed in the Sacred Aura, screamed in agony.
Taking advantage of a brief opening, Zeke unleashed another Lion’s Roar at the orcs.
The roar snapped them out of their frenzy, instilling fear of Zeke.
Seizing the moment, Zeke drove Roland into the orcs, dispatching them one by one.
As he fought, he sensed something approaching.
A deep, guttural roar echoed through the battlefield.
An orc warrior, as massive as a cyclops, charged at Zeke.
Boom!
Zeke staggered backward, absorbing the full impact of the body slam.
Once he regained his footing, Zeke looked up to see the orc holding a dead Tauga, a creature resembling a Balrog.
Its entire body was a deep black, with sinewy muscles bulging grotesquely beneath its skin.
Tauga opened its mouth wide, aiming at Zeke.
Whoosh!
A torrent of dark red flames erupted from its maw.
But the flames were no match for Zeke, protected by his armor, Hersion.
Zeke swiftly stored Roland in his inventory, then grabbed Tauga’s arms and applied pressure. With a sickening crack, Tauga’s arms snapped.
“Raaaargh!”
Tauga screamed, and Zeke channeled the power of the Holy Light into it.
Rumble!
A fierce storm of light engulfed Tauga’s body.
“Aaaaargh!”
Caught in the storm, Tauga was obliterated, leaving not even a trace of bone behind.
Zeke extended his shadow to absorb the fallen orcs, gaining a significant amount of karma points from the ancient race.
“These orcs are quite the bounty,” he mused.
Watching Zeke effortlessly dispatch the orcs, a sorcerer from the Abyss trembled in fear.
With the situation under control, Zeke approached the sorcerer, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him off the ground.
The sorcerer, much shorter in stature, dangled helplessly.
Zeke spoke, “Where were you planning to unleash the brainwashed ogres?”
The sorcerer clamped his mouth shut.
Zeke clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter if you don’t talk. I have other ways to find out.”
He dragged the sorcerer to the ogres’ pen, where the brainwashed creatures were kept.
“See those ogres?” Zeke asked, though he didn’t wait for a response. He opened the pen and tossed the sorcerer inside, closing it behind him.
The sorcerer smirked, thinking, ‘Fool, these ogres only respond to my commands.’
He planned to order the ogres to break the pen and escape in the chaos.
But then Zeke drew Roland again and shouted, “Recovery.”
In an instant, the ogres inside the pen were freed from their brainwashing.
The sorcerer sensed something was amiss. “What… what’s happening?”
He turned slowly, eyes widening as the ogres, now free-willed, began to approach him.
Crack!
The sound of the ogres’ crushing grip echoed ominously.
Panicking, the sorcerer pounded on the pen’s door. “W-wait! Let me out! Let me out!”
Desperately, he cast a spell, forming a translucent black barrier.
The ogres charged, pummeling the barrier with their fists.
Crack!
The barrier began to fracture.
As the sorcerer frantically looked between the ogres and Zeke, one ogre raised its arm and smashed through the weakened barrier.
Crash!
The barrier shattered, and the ogre’s fist came down on the sorcerer’s leg.
Crunch!
With a single blow, the sorcerer’s leg was crushed.
“Aaaagh!”
He collapsed, trembling and bleeding.
At that moment, Zeke conjured a wall of flames between the sorcerer and the ogres.
The ogres roared, halted by the fiery barrier.
Outside the pen, Zeke called out, “Feel like talking now?”
“J-just spare me…”
Without a word, Zeke cast a healing buff on the sorcerer.
The sorcerer’s mangled body began to mend, returning to its original state.
Gasping, the sorcerer felt as if he were trapped in a nightmare.
Zeke spoke again, “When you’re ready to talk, let me know. I won’t let you die until then.”
The wall of flames gradually dissipated.
Seeing the ogres inching closer, the sorcerer shouted, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
Zeke used his power of shadow control to halt the ogres.
The ogres, just about to cross the extinguished flame barrier, stopped right in front of the sorcerer.
Zeke, eyeing the sorcerer who was now drenched in cold sweat, asked, “How did you bring those orcs out of the Forest of the Forgotten?”