The Ancestors’ Tombs (2)
Fortunately, the group never had to resort to eating orc meat.
Thanks to Dalen, who had the foresight to stockpile plenty of emergency rations in the demon Arvor’s pocket dimension.
While the high orcs noisily devoured their hunting spoils, the group dined on a stew made from ingredients kept fresh by demonic magic.
Of course, even Lucia’s cooking skills couldn’t completely mask the unsettling sight of a race that looked so similar, save for their size and tattoos, tearing into limbs. It was enough to ruin anyone’s appetite.
“These stupid orcs! The meat’s tough! Tastes awful!”
“Eat it anyway! It’s nutritious!”
“The goblins did a good job cooking it! Back in my day, we ate, puked, and ate again!”
“Ugh! Blegh!”
The young orcs, unaccustomed to expeditions, were busy retching mid-meal.
“Ugh… I think I’m gonna puke.”
“Heh heh heh. Some experiences are better left to books, Inquisitor.”
The old, foul-mouthed paladin, who had been absent for some time, almost made a reappearance at the sight.
After the first day of hunting and eating orc, the high orcs’ marching speed increased with each passing day.
It was as if the saying that orc meat was nutritious for high orcs was true.
‘Or maybe they just wanted to avoid eating that disgusting orc meat for even one more day.’
Whatever the reason, the journey, initially expected to take five days, was shortened to four, and then to three.
On the third night since leaving their respective tribes, the army of 1,700 high orcs reached the Tomb Valley, the sole entrance to the sanctuary.
Tomb Valley.
The resting place for all deceased high orcs.
The valley, with its deep and wide central gorge, branched out into narrow valleys and large and small caves, like a spider’s web.
Each cave and valley served as a resting place for the high orcs’ remains.
The more renowned a warrior was in life, the closer they were buried to the sanctuary where the ancestors slept.
Naturally, the measure of fame was based on how well they ate and fought.
Rumble…
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
The Tomb Valley, the only entrance and passage to the sanctuary, trembled as if it might collapse at any moment.
A murmur of confusion spread among the high orcs.
They had buried countless family and friends here, but had never experienced such tremors before.
“Did the Great Chief betray us?”
“Stumpa is no longer the Great Chief. He is an enemy of the high orcs. An enemy to fight and kill.”
The great chiefs sighed deeply, not with confusion, but with a sense of regret.
They knew the cause of this phenomenon and what it signified.
‘They’ve activated the sanctuary’s barrier.’
Dalen thought, lightly resting his hand on the axe at his waist.
The sanctuary where the high orc ancestors were buried was not merely a burial site.
It was a fortress built in anticipation of a great chaos, as foretold by the first Great Chief’s prophecy.
The reason Dalen witnessed the first great war against the evil god at the high orcs’ sanctuary was precisely because of this.
‘Even as human kingdoms and empires fell and crumbled, the high orcs’ sanctuary held out until the very end.’
Crack! Boom!
A thunderous noise echoed through the valley, like a giant beast grinding its teeth.
The barrier meant to protect the sanctuary from foreign invaders had been activated against the high orc army.
A faint barrier, filled with shamanic symbols, sealed off the valley leading to the sanctuary, blocking intruders.
Soon, parts of the cliffs on either side of the valley began to crumble, with boulders falling and completely blocking the way.
Boom— Crash…
The massive weight hit the ground, sending dust soaring several meters high.
“Golems!”
As the dust cleared, towering stone golems, over 20 meters tall, began to rise.
“High orc warriors! Attack the golems!”
“Charge! Bring down the enemy!”
“Topple the golems!”
“Fight! Win! Roar!”
The high orc warriors responded to Tarum’s command with a battle cry, drawing their various weapons and charging at the golems.
Roar!
A green wave surged like a tidal wave.
Each warrior sprinted a hundred meters in a few breaths, performing acrobatics by grabbing onto cliffs with sheer strength.
Before the golems could fully form, the high orcs swarmed over them like ants, pounding them relentlessly.
Thud thud thud!
The golems, unable to resist the onslaught of the high orcs’ brute strength, crumbled.
But the battle had only just begun.
Whirr—!
The fully-formed golems began their counterattack.
From the gaping holes in their rocky heads, magic spun wildly before shooting out as beams of light.
Boom!
Zap—!
Wherever the beams passed, the shamanic magic exploded like pillars of fire.
The beams pierced through the tough hide and muscles of the orcs, burning their skin alive with just a graze.
The orc front lines, charging in, were thrown into disarray by the barrage of dozens of beams from all directions.
“Elle— Memento Elegus.”
In the midst of the orc formation, a golden wave erupted.
A dazzling light spread in concentric circles, filling the valley.
“Domain Unleashed: The Hand of the Rewinding Earth.”
The domain of the archmage, who could read and intervene in the timelines of each being, revealed its power.
“Elle— Memento Casivolg.”
With a complex series of hand signs, the spell was cast.
Tommy, the apprentice, stood by his master’s side, continuously chanting and forming hand signs to assist.
The golden light emanating from Felber’s fingertips, woven by the priest’s spell, rode the wave and spread in all directions.
Whirr… Crackle. Crackle.
As the gentle golden light enveloped the golems, the shamanic bombardment lost its power and fizzled out.
The timeline of the destructive magic bestowed upon the golems was rewound to before the barrier’s activation and fixed in place.
Of course, it didn’t nullify the golems’ power source entirely. Their massive size still meant they retained their destructive force.
But with the bombardment halted, there were hundreds of battle-hungry warriors ready to handle the rest, so such minor issues were of no concern.
“They can’t shoot beams from their eyes anymore!”
“The hot beams are gone! We can smash the rocks!”
“Charge! High orcs, charge!”
Freed from the bombardment, the high orcs charged at the golems with renewed vigor.
Climbing up their limbs, bodies, and heads, the warriors hacked away at the stone with their large weapons, like miners chipping away at rock.
Thud… Boom! Thud!
The golems kicked and swung their fists, sending orcs flying, but unless it was a fatal blow, the orcs got back up and charged again.
“You go on ahead. Tommy and I will handle things here with our battle-loving friends.”
Felber said, not stopping his hand signs. Unlike before, there wasn’t a drop of sweat on his smiling face.
Golden waves continued to pulse from beneath his feet, disabling some of the functions of the emerging stone golems.
Though it was much easier than rewinding the true form of a dragon to a past timeline, it was still a high-level task that involved directly manipulating timelines.
The fact that he was doing it so effortlessly was proof that his body had ascended to a higher level after months of effort.
“The wizard friend is helping us! Chiefs, follow me!”
At Tarum’s shout, the chiefs and some war leaders cheered and broke through the golems. Dalen and the rest of the group followed.
“An invisible wall is blocking the way! What do we do, Chief Tarum?”
“Let me handle it.”
Swoosh—!
Dalen drove the Shadow Moon’s spellbreaker straight into the barrier blocking the valley.
By unleashing the dagger’s power, it vibrated wildly before exploding, shattering the barrier.
“The barrier’s broken! As expected of our clever warrior friend!”
“His name is Dalen! Our clever warrior friend Dalen!”
Though he lost a good dagger, it wasn’t the time to worry about that.
With Felber and the high orc warriors handling the stone golems, the mission was now a race against time.
Besides, his magic had grown strong enough to overwhelm most spellcasters, so it wasn’t a significant loss.
Dalen led the cheering chiefs through the broken barrier.
Bjorn, who kept falling behind due to his short legs, was picked up by Akasha, who transformed into her true form and flew him over.
“Let go, let go! Aaaah!”
“Don’t let your pride get in the way just because your legs are short. If it were me, I’d hold on tight instead of wasting time telling someone to let go.”
“It’s not pride—it’s just too fast! Aaaah!”
Ignoring the panicked scream, the young blue dragon picked up speed. It had grown so much, now easily over two meters long.
After racing for a while, the landscape suddenly opened up, revealing a massive basin surrounded by cliffs.
“The sanctuary!”
“We made it!”
Their cheers were short-lived.
Swoosh!
Dozens of spears rained down, striking their formation from all sides.
“Argh!”
“It’s an ambush!”
They had faced this barrage of spears once before during the chieftains’ meeting. Each one was like a massive harpoon, flying at near-sonic speed.
In an instant, the high orc warriors fell like leaves, and before they could regroup, shadowy figures emerged from all directions, tightening the encirclement.
“The sanctuary guardians!”
“Be careful! The guardians are as strong as the ancient chieftains!”
Despite the warnings, a third of the warriors had already fallen to the guardians’ blades.
Tarum, filled with magical energy, shouted at the hesitant chieftains.
“Fight! Use your powers without holding back!”
“But Chieftain Tarum, if we do, what about when we face the great chieftain…?”
“Are we going to sacrifice our warriors instead? If we can’t win here, there won’t be a next time!”
Tarum’s roar swept through the battlefield, transforming the chieftains’ defensive stance.
As they unleashed their reserved powers, the magical winds twisted, forming a massive vortex.
Flames erupted from a giant axe, and blades of wind scattered like a storm with every step.
Roaring, a chieftain doubled in size, while beside him, a shaman raised a golem of comparable stature from the earth.
“Warriors, support the chieftains and hold off the guardians! The chieftains will deliver the decisive blow, so retreat if it gets too dangerous!”
Following Tarum’s orders, the chieftains and warriors split into groups to confront the guardians.
Lucia, Akasha, and Bjorn formed a team, driving back two guardians.
Miracles that twisted reality burst forth everywhere, and the powerful bodies that had reached the fifth rank met them with supreme martial skill.
Though there were just over a hundred combatants, the scene of destruction surpassed that of armies numbering in the thousands.
After twisting the neck of one guardian and shattering the magical core within its chest with a sacred sword, Tarum approached Dalen.
“Dalen. I’ll leave the great chieftain to you.”
“Are you sure about this?”
Dalen asked, his voice steady.
Tarum’s eyes, filled with resolute determination, glowed a deep violet.
That violet hue was the mark of the power passed down through generations of great chieftains.
To grant peace to the great chieftain possessed by a demon was both a right and a duty for the successor.
Though he surely wished to witness his mentor’s final moments, offering Dalen the chance spoke volumes of his resolve.
Tarum’s confession revealed the weight of his decision.
“I can’t defeat the great chieftain alone. But you can. If both of us leave, too many chieftains and warriors will die. It’s better for me to hold off the guardians here while you face the great chieftain. My duty is to lead our warriors, not to satisfy my own desires.”
“That’s noble. Understood.”
“I don’t know about noble, but it sounds like a compliment. Thank you.”
With those words, Tarum moved away, joining the chieftains struggling against the guardians.
Inhaling deeply, Dalen gathered his strength, then launched himself off the ground.
Boom!
The ground shattered beneath him as he shot forward, faster than sound, leaving the battlefield behind.
His blurred path led straight to the sanctuary entrance at the center of the vast basin.
After all, the experience from a boss fight was always welcome.