Episode 339
Thud!
As the paladins swung their shields and swords with wild abandon, the orcs found themselves taken aback.
“These humans are insane!”
“Fall back for now!”
The battle was so fierce that it was hard to tell who was orc and who was human. The paladins, fighting with all their might for redemption, left a mountain of orc corpses before the walls of Vadoka.
Faced with an unexpected defeat, the orc chieftains leading the Iron Legion convened a meeting. Orc meetings were straightforward affairs: follow the chieftain who wins in combat. With chieftains of similar skill, the outcome often depended on their condition that day.
After a brutal duel, the victorious orc chieftain proposed a plan. “Nothing boosts morale like a duel. Let’s pit our strongest warrior against their feeble human champion and crush their spirit.”
The other chieftains agreed without objection. The orcs sent a human prisoner, captured for food and sport, to propose a one-on-one duel to Vadoka.
Soon, the gates opened, and a knight emerged to accept the challenge. It was none other than Zeke, clad in the armor of Hersion. The orcs, seeing Zeke, who appeared weak by their standards, laughed uproariously, baring their tusks.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground seemed to shake as the orcs stomped their feet. The orc chieftain who had suggested the duel shouted, “Abuka! Step forward and crush that human!”
Abuka, the mightiest warrior among the chieftain’s thousands, stepped forward. Towering over the others, he was a massive orc clad in heavy armor, wielding a giant axe. His mere presence was intimidating.
Abuka let out a battle cry aimed at Zeke. “Raaaargh!”
The deafening roar seemed enough to burst eardrums, but Zeke remained unfazed. He looked at Abuka and spoke calmly, “Are you done shouting?”
Thanks to a system that translated his words into Orcish, Abuka understood him. “You insolent human! I’ll tear that arrogant mouth of yours right off!”
Abuka shouted as he gripped his axe and faced Zeke. The orc side signaled the start of the duel with a gong.
Gong—
As the sound resonated, Abuka charged at Zeke with his axe raised. “Haaah!”
Despite his massive size, Abuka’s axe swings were surprisingly precise.
Crash!
Abuka skillfully wielded his axe, pressing Zeke hard. Zeke dodged using his phantom steps, narrowly avoiding the axe blade that was as large as his torso.
Whoosh!
Abuka, an experienced warrior, quickly realized Zeke was no ordinary opponent. He stepped back, gathering his energy while holding his axe.
Observing Abuka’s composed fighting style, Zeke discarded his preconceived notions about orcs. ‘This isn’t just mindless swinging. It’s a simple yet powerful axe technique. Is this something all orcs learn?’
Though orcs were known for their love of destruction and plunder, they were once a race that thrived more than humans in the material world. They had their own culture and way of life, and their fortification and metallurgy skills were once superior to humans.
Underestimating orcs as mere monsters often led to being caught off guard by their solid organization and calm strategies.
At that moment, Zeke sensed a familiar energy emanating from Abuka. ‘What is that energy?’
To his surprise, Abuka was using a technique akin to the martial arts of demons or war gods. Zeke’s eyes widened at the waves of energy flowing from Abuka.
He called upon Arataso, whom he hadn’t summoned in a while. ‘Arataso, can orcs use martial arts?’
Arataso, still groggy from sleep, replied, ‘Orcs using martial arts? That’s like a Cerberus gnawing on a bone.’
‘Then what is this?’
Arataso, now fully awake, examined the energy from Abuka. ‘Whoa, it’s real.’
Even Arataso, a high-ranking demon, found it remarkable to see an orc using martial arts. Arataso commented, ‘I’ve heard orcs are a sub-race of the demon clan. If they’ve awakened their ancestral powers, it might be possible. Though it’s nothing compared to my Resonance of Force.’
Even if it was just an imitation, martial arts were martial arts. A typical knight using aura might have been overwhelmed by Abuka’s technique without a chance to fight back.
Having confirmed it was indeed martial arts through Arataso, Zeke watched as Abuka charged at him with an axe imbued with energy.
“Raaaargh!”
With a powerful battle cry, Abuka swung his axe at Zeke, exuding overwhelming pressure.
Whoosh!
Zeke countered the energy-laden axe with his Infinite Sword Technique. The technique, combined with Resonance of Force, neutralized the martial arts energy.
Clang!
Abuka was taken aback as Zeke’s sword deflected his axe. “How can a human use martial arts?”
Unlike ordinary knights, Zeke’s ability to counter his martial arts left Abuka bewildered. Zeke seized the opportunity, using his phantom steps to close the gap.
Swish!
Zeke moved to Abuka’s blind spot and swung his sword with immense force.
Crack!
Zeke’s strike dented and shattered a section of Abuka’s thick armor.
“Ugh!”
Feeling the immense power behind Zeke’s strike, Abuka retreated. ‘How can a human possess such strength…?’
Humans couldn’t match orcs in raw strength. Yet the human before him defied that basic understanding.
Abuka steadied his breath, raising his axe once more. “Raaaargh!”
With a fierce cry, waves of energy radiated from his body. Zeke recognized it as similar to the energy barrier Arataso had used against him.
‘Though it’s nothing compared to Arataso’s barrier.’
Moreover, Zeke had grown much stronger since then, so it posed no real threat. He charged straight into Abuka’s barrier.
Abuka bared his tusks, shouting, “Human! You’re trapped now!”
Believing Zeke had fallen into his trap, Abuka charged without hesitation. He thought the martial arts energy would suppress Zeke’s aura, rendering him powerless.
Leaping into the air, Abuka swung his massive battle axe at Zeke, intending to cleave him in two along with his armor.
“Raaaargh!”
As Abuka charged with his axe, he sensed something was amiss. Zeke’s eyes were unnervingly calm.
Vroom!
Zeke’s sword vibrated with energy. Abuka realized something was wrong, but his axe was already descending toward Zeke’s head.
“Die!”
Just as Abuka’s axe was about to strike, Zeke’s form blurred. Using his footwork, Zeke evaded the attack and swung his sword.
Soul Technique
Double Spell
Will of Severance
Zeke’s sword, imbued with the Will of Severance, rose from below, slicing through Abuka.
Thud!
Abuka landed on the ground and slowly turned to face Zeke. “Human… strong…”
In an instant, Abuka’s body split vertically along with his armor, collapsing to the ground.
Thud!
With the fall of Abuka, the orc special forces were thrown into chaos.
“No way, Abuka fell!”
“Impossible!”
“That human must have used some trick! Cunning humans!”
The orcs bared their sharp tusks, growling at Zeke. He shouted back at them, “Your warrior fell to my sword! If you wish to preserve your honor as warriors, leave the sacred kingdom’s territory at once!”
Zeke’s words only incited the orcs further, their battle cries echoing in a frenzy. They were so agitated they didn’t even realize he spoke in their language.
An orc chieftain stepped forward, glaring at Zeke. “There’s no need to honor warriors’ codes with humans. I’ll kill him, devour his heart, and raze that fortress!”
At the chieftain’s command, the special forces waiting behind stepped forward. They believed the honor of warriors was reserved for orc duels, not for deceitful, cunning humans.
Hundreds of special forces, each as large as ogres, stood before Zeke, exuding a menacing presence. They raised their axes and shouted, “The herald of blood and madness watches over us!”
“Offer the blood and flesh of humans to the gods!”
The orcs shouted with all their might, but the herald of blood and madness had stopped answering their calls some time ago.
Originally, the special forces were unique beings who could harness the power of the herald of blood and madness.
With their robust bodies infused with celestial strength, they charged at their enemies, unstoppable by any foe.
But now, the herald could no longer send its power to the orcs.
This was because, after attacking Zeke, part of its essence had been sealed within Solomon’s ring, preventing it from intervening in the physical realm.
Unaware of this, the orcs continued to shout, hoping that today, like any other day, they would receive its power.
Zeke listened to the orcs’ cries and raised his sword.
“Are you just going to keep shouting?”
An aura blade surged from his sword.
The orcs charged at Zeke.
“Raaaargh!”
None of the orcs could wield combat techniques like Abuka.
They simply trusted their bodies and charged forward.
‘So that orc earlier was an exception,’ Zeke thought, swinging his sword at the leading orc.
Swish—
The orc’s head flew into the air before thudding to the ground.
He had sliced through both the axe and the head in one swift motion.
The orcs paid no mind to their fallen comrade and continued their fierce charge toward Zeke.
Even as hundreds of special forces rushed at him, Zeke remained unfazed.
Instead, he advanced, cutting down the orcs with powerful strikes.
Crunch!
The head of an orc struck by Zeke’s sword was crushed, and its armor shattered.
Zeke’s sword, imbued with the force of a thousand weights, rendered the thick armor meaningless.
As the special forces failed to even touch Zeke and were slaughtered one-sidedly, three orc chieftains watching the scene grew alarmed.
“Everyone, attack and kill that human!”
But just then, hundreds of knights began charging toward the orc army’s flank.
Thud, thud, thud!
“Sweep away those orc scum!”
The Silver Knights, led by Luno, attacked the orc army with aura-infused swords.
Having secured the harbor, the Silver Knights had joined forces with reinforcements and rushed to the Barodka Kingdom.
Zeke had instructed Luno to hold them in reserve and strike the flank when the orcs were caught off guard.
The orcs, taken aback by the flank attack, were in disarray.
Moreover, the powerful special forces were pinned down by Zeke and unable to move.
At that moment, the fortress gates swung open, revealing the Paladin unit and the Black Sword Knights.
At the forefront of the Paladins stood Arch Paladin Baorud.
He drew his sword and shouted, “For the glory of the gods!”
As Baorud charged, the Paladins followed, rushing toward the orc army.
The Black Sword Knights followed closely behind.
Their leader, Decker, led the charge, accompanied by unexpected figures.
It was none other than Andrei and Owl, the Red Knights of Draker.
Andrei and Owl surged forward, heading toward Zeke, who was engaged with the special forces.
“Haaah!”
Owl’s and Andrei’s swords flashed, cutting down the charging orcs in an instant.
Zeke turned his head and spotted the two.
“Sir Owl! Sir Andrei!”
With the two Red Knights joining the battle, the special forces quickly crumbled.
With Baorud’s Paladins attacking from the front and the Silver Knights striking from the flank, even the mighty Orc Iron Legion couldn’t hold out.
“Retreat! Fall back!”
As the orcs sounded the retreat, something awaited them at their rear.
Crackle!
Arina’s wide-area attack spell, Heavenly Thunder, descended upon the orc army.