Chapter 83: Things That Must Be Done (3)
“A warrior’s conversation?”
“Yes. An orc who believes in Vulcan initiates a sacred conversation with his opponent. Almost forgotten now, all the great Orcish warriors or priests who follow Vulcan are aware of this sacred conversation.
“The purpose?”
“To follow you.”
Russell, who was wiping his hair with a towel and had it draped over his shoulders, quietly looked at Kai. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the raised trapezius muscles, suggesting a state of extreme tension. His cheeks bulged as his jaw clenched.
“Then why don’t you just follow me?”
“I received a tattoo and a mission from Captain Arcule. As a result, I cannot follow you based solely on my own decision.”
“So, you want to fight me and lose?”
“Do you know the rumors that are spreading through the castle?”
Suddenly, Kai changed the subject.
“What rumors?”
“There are people who doubt whether you are the true savior of the territory. Not one or two.”
Hmm. Russell stroked his chin. He hadn’t known that such rumors were circulating, as he had been preoccupied with his changed physical condition and training lately.
Kai said,
“I know how strong you are. I don’t know what happened in that red sphere, but the fact that you came out of it unharmed means that you must have won easily. However, others do not know your strength.”
“So you’re going to help me?”
“I just didn’t like hearing such words from the man who knocked me down.”
Kai took a deep breath again and raised his fist.
“I know that you are stronger than me. However, I have also become much stronger than before. If you are not yet in a condition to fight, you may forfeit.”
‘This brat.’ Russell chuckled.
Even without fighting anyone, his body was aching from training alone. Now that he has arrived on his own, shouldn’t he do as he wishes?
“Well, yeah. Let’s have that conversation.”
“Wasn’t you training until just now? If you want, we can fight tomorrow.”
Bam!
Kai’s body rolled backward. Russell had kicked him away. Russell lowered his raised foot and threw Nahilnir, which he had been holding, to Jirach.
“Put away the coat.”
“I understand.”
Jirach tucked Nahilnir into the folded coat. Russell walked towards Kai, who was getting up unsteadily.
“Let’s talk. Let’s do it quickly. But is this the conversation you’re talking about?”
” . . . . . . That’s right.”
Kai lowered his arms, which he had crossed, to block Russell’s kick. His arms were trembling, and a throbbing pain was creeping in.
It was a kick with incredible force—something you wouldn’t believe came from someone who had been lying down for two weeks without eating anything. The determination he had made before coming here was crumbling like a sandcastle.
“Phew.”
No. Kai clenched his fist. He had to confirm it. His captain and teacher had instilled in him the power and tattoos, which shaped the beliefs he held. To do that, he had to break. Not just break. He had to break overwhelmingly. And there was only one person in this territory who could break him.
“Hoop!”
Kai took a deep breath. As he did so, the black tattoo on his brown skin grew darker. The change did not stop there. His muscles turned bright red, and a red aura gushed out.
Russell stopped and narrowed his eyes. Russell contemplated the man in gray armor he had encountered in the dungeon’s deepest section, where a lake of blood had submerged Iscalia.
‘Come to think of it, I should have taken care of that bastard too.’
He was the first person to fight Russell and escape without causing significant damage. Furthermore, he could use the teleport spell to move through space.
The man had also emitted an aura similar to Kai’s current one. Of course, at that time, the aura of the man in gray armor was much more sinister and stronger. It appeared that he had a variety of attack methods, such as spreading it like a fog or shaping it into other objects to attack.
On the other hand, Kai’s current red aura was just blazing like a flame. It didn’t seem like he could shape it into other forms. However, his muscles and bones seemed to have grown larger all at once, and his strength seemed to have increased even more.
Kai’s body was now over 2 meters tall. He was taller than Russell, who was slightly over 190. Since Russell had not yet fully recovered his body, the difference in size seemed even greater when viewed from the outside.
“Huk, huk.”
Kai exhaled hot air and glared at Russell with burning eyes. The red aura in his eyes was slightly different from that of other monsters.
The monsters’ eyes revealed only their ferocity and violent magic power. However, in Kai’s eyes, one could feel ambition, belief, honor, and even a little bit of divinity.
Russell also noticed that the aura he felt from Kai had become stronger than before. He thought back to the last time he saw Kai.
When he arrived at the Arcule Guild, guided by Jirach, Guild Master Arcule had died and transferred his power to Kai.
The solid stone floor of the martial arts training hall that Kai was standing on cracked and shattered. Soil, dust, and fallen leaves swirled in the wind or were scattered in the air.
Russell also raised his magic power as he watched him. The more refined magic power rushed through the wider and clearer magic circuit without hindrance.
As Russell and Kai emitted their fighting spirits, sparks flew between them in mid-air.
“Vul-can-!”
Kai’s cry to the forgotten and fading god announced the beginning of the battle like thunder.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Ramon Errandis was in his study on the castle’s top floor. His desk was already teeming with approved and pending papers.
The sight of the elderly man, who was larger than a full-grown adult male, sitting on an ornate chair and scribbling with a pen was somewhat comical. However, he was not in a state of mind to think about his own comical appearance.
“Ahem.”
Ramon Errandis touched his temples. Over 60 years of guarding and ruling the territory imprinted magic power and circuits on the lord’s body. Ordinary diseases could not penetrate his body.
As a result, he felt that the pain in his temples was due to a mental problem. He put down his pen for a moment, got up from his seat, and walked to the window.
As a thick cloud passed by, his reflection was faintly visible in the window’s glass. His face showed fatigue and sadness.
He clenched his trembling fist tightly. It was a father’s fist that had taken the life of his own son.
Even if that son had once killed people who he was supposed to rule over, turned them into monsters, and eventually handed them over to the ancient monster, Until the day of his death, the fact that he had killed his son as a father would remain unforgotten.
If possible, Ramon Errandis sometimes felt like cutting off the part of his brain that was in charge of guilt. And at the same time, he felt a sense of self-loathing for having such thoughts.
“A penance that I will have to carry for the rest of my life.”
As he muttered those words, there was a loud thud. Ramon Errandis raised his head abruptly and realized that it was the wave of magic power that occurs when those who handle magic power collide.
He left his study without delay.
“What’s going on?! Is this an ambush?”
The knight who ran in was a little taken aback by the sight of the lord with bloodshot eyes, but he did not hesitate to report the situation.
“No. Sir Russell and Orc Kai are dueling in the martial arts training hall.”
“Sir Russell and Kai? Why?”
“I don’t know that either. However, it is not a sword fight, but a fistfight with their bare hands. There were no weapons. It seems to be a duel in the form of a sparring match.”
Ramon Errandis was relieved that it was not a fight to the death. However, a fight between warriors who used magic power was not safe just because they did not have weapons.
“I’ll go down and look. Do not call the soldiers, but reassure the people in the castle.”
“I understand.”
He came down to the martial arts training hall. There were already many spectators there. They were people who had come out in surprise at the loud noise. Ramon Errandis looked at them in dismay.
This was because the wave of magic power that he had felt in his study was not something that ordinary people could withstand. Normally, the scorching would have already occurred in this area.
“Lord!”
“It’s the Lord! Make way!”
As the servants and maids recognized the lord and hurriedly made way for him, Ramon Errandis was able to confirm the duel taking place in the martial arts training hall.
It was a fight between giants. Russell and Kai were both the size limit for their respective races. Furthermore, the influence of the red aura made Kai even bigger.
Puck! Bam!
The sound of thick leather colliding with flesh was audible. However, the Lord knew that there should have been a much louder noise. The lord’s curiosity was immediately satisfied. He saw something in front of him that looked like a transparent film.
The barrier surrounded Russell and Kai in a hemisphere, and thanks to it, the spectators’ eardrums did not burst and their bodies did not blow away.
The source of this transparent magic barrier was evident. Russell was there. The magic power he emitted was capable of blocking the noise and shockwaves from the fight between the two.
“Huh.”
The lord was impressed and chuckled. Those who didn’t notice such a feat were just watching the black-haired young man and the giant orc fight anxiously.
The young maids wearing headscarves and aprons screamed and wondered what to do every time Russell was hit.
On the other hand, the men seemed to be engrossed in the fight itself, with their faces blank. Not only the servants, but even the knights and soldiers were gaping at the amazing battle.
They watched the giants’ fights without daring to make a sound.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Kai’s body moved. It was a powerful fist, filled with a red aura.
Bam!
Russell did not bother to dodge the fist that flew towards his side. Even before Kai threw his fist, his eyes could tell where he would aim just by the slight movement of his shoulder.
The reason he did not dodge was because there was not much damage even if he did not.
Of course, it would be better to dodge if possible, but Russell decided to test his body in a different way this time.
He had already swung his sword for over four hours after breakfast, tormenting his body. A while ago, the muscles all over his body had been screaming at him to stop.
However, Russell did not want to stop just because of this. He ignored the weak cries in his body. What was needed now was the relentless hammering that forged steel. There was a very good hammer right before his eyes.
Kai’s fist, which had hit Russell’s side, was heavy. For a moment, his body lifted off the ground. Kai’s strength now was incomparable to when he had emitted the red aura at the Black Barley Inn.
During the brief moment of suspension, Russell realized that Kai’s strength was now slightly stronger than his. It was a strength that would probably decrease once the red aura subsided, but it was still surprising.
The suspension did not last long, but even in that moment, Kai’s fists came at him. This time, Russell blocked the fist with his forearm.
Russell’s body pushed back, still in the air. Kai did not miss Russell’s recoil, and she took a big step forward. The distance was sufficient, and Kai’s muscular arms were long.
The next attack came in quick succession. It was a series of punches that hit Russell’s face, shoulders, chest, side, waist, flank, knees, and shins.
Kai was now bigger than Russell, so the blows that rained down on Russell’s relatively small body felt like huge boulders flying at him one by one.
But Russell treated them as if they were cotton and didn’t care. Some he endured, and others he blocked or deflected with just a slight flick of his forearm or back of his hand.
Kai felt his breath catch. However, he replaced it with the red aura and continued to attack. He had to.
Russell’s body, which received his attacks, was incredibly calm and still.
Russell’s right fist, which had deflected Kai’s right fist with the back of his left hand, struck Kai’s side. Russell had previously received a hit in the same spot.
Russell did not groan in response to the hit, but Kai was unable to do the same. His ribs and diaphragm immediately contracted, and his lungs collapsed. A gasp escaped from his mouth.
A brief stumble. Russell did not miss the opening, so he kicked him in the back. Kai barely managed to spread his palms to block Russell’s kick, but the blow, which was more like a push than a kick, sent him flying back ten steps.
Blood was flowing from Kai’s fists. It was in stark contrast to Russell’s unharmed hands.
“Heuk, heuk, heuk.”
Kai wrapped his knuckles in a red aura. The cracked knuckles slowly healed. However, it was only a temporary measure. Should another blow strike them, they would shatter.
Russell also clenched his hands. The black film surrounding his body for two weeks had not simply deprived it of nutrients.
He was able to accept more mana than before. The same went for his bones, muscles, and nerves. In terms of martial arts, it was similar to a slight transformation.
There were no dramatic effects, like his skin peeling off and generating new skin, or his bones breaking and reattaching, as described in martial arts novels.
However, even this much was enough to make him stronger than before. Not only that, his control over mana and magic power had also increased to an undeniable level.
The hemisphere he was spreading now was an example. He couldn’t do it before, but now he could.
The joy of accomplishing something he had never been able to do before was unmatched.
Russell grinned and jumped. His body, sliding across the floor, seemed to stretch out for a moment. Kai hurriedly raised his arms and crouched down.
The expected impact hit Kai’s body. Even though he had anticipated it, Kai was unable to withstand the impact and fell out.
Just as Russell was about to charge at him again, this time Kai got up first and charged at him with the ferocious speed of an angry bear.
“Uoooooooooong!”
Even his roar was like that of a bear. Kai’s two arms around his waist lifted Russell high before he knew it, slamming him into the floor of the martial arts training hall. Kwaang!
“Hup.”
At the same time, as he let out a small groan from the immense impact that was transmitted to his back, a shockwave and loud noise pierced through Russell’s magic barrier and swept through the martial arts training hall. The people outside the martial arts training hall screamed and fell out.
Kai threw his fists repeatedly in the hemisphere-shaped martial arts training hall.
Every time his fist hit, Russell’s head turned sideways. And as if he were about to deliver the final blow, Kai raised his clenched fist high above his head.
That hand condensed a red aura as thick as a bar. That blow was so fearsome that it would reduce anyone it struck to dust.
“This is bad!”
“Lord!”
The lord and the knights, who were watching the scene, tried to rush in. However, Kai’s attack came down even faster than theirs. Everyone closed their eyes, anticipating the bloodbath that would follow.
Jaw.
There was a small sound indicating a fist filled with enormous power. It was the sound of Russell’s one hand blocking Kai’s clenched fist.
“Ke, kuaaaaaaaak. . . . . .”
Kai gritted his teeth and tried to shake off that hand with all his might in his muscular arm. It was impossible. Kai could not pull out his arm as if it were fixed.
With trembling eyes, Kai looked down at Russell, who had blocked his fist.
Dark clouds were passing through the sky, blocking the sunlight, and since Kai was riding on Russell’s back in a secondary mount position, Russell’s body was dark with shadows.
In the shadows, Russell was looking up at him quietly with an unblemished face. His purple eyes sparkled momentarily, receiving magic power.
Bang!
Russell’s other fist struck Kai at an imperceptible speed. Kai’s huge body floated up and then fell backwards, as if it were weightless.
Kai was unable to come to his senses from the blow, which was on a different level from anything he had ever experienced before. The ringing in his head felt like a blow to his jaw, and his dizzy vision hindered his ability to concentrate. In the end, Kai fell to one knee.
Russell, who had come out of the pit, stood before Kai without making a sound. Kai raised his head, trying to correct his shaky vision.
At that moment, the clouds cleared and sunlight shone on the earth again. Russell, who was facing the sun, had a dark front. Kai looked up at his eyes, which were shining brightly in the shadows, just as he had before.
“Did I win?”
Kai felt the red aura that had been surrounding him completely subside. His body had returned to its original size. Kai could not move a single finger now.
” . . . . . .Yes.”
As Russell nodded, Kai laughed weakly and collapsed forward. He had fainted from the shock that exceeded his limits.
Russell withdrew the magical power he had spread. The fight had been satisfying. It had been a rewarding time to confirm his increased physical abilities and magic control.
In particular, his magic control had satisfied him enough. He had gained a lot from his battle with Iscalia. And now he had also gained a useful porter.
“I wish I could have more days like today.”
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