Chapter 113: Orcs (4)
TL: Potato-tan
Proofreader: Asianpotato
The battlefield was fierce. Monsters and humans are engaged in a real-life battle. They clashed with their teeth and claws, splattering blood and flesh.
Screams burst out from somewhere, followed by shouts that covered them up, and then more screams.
“Haap!”
Lord Tatiana, who had shouted a battle cry, swung down the sword she had been clutching tightly in both hands. An orc warrior raised his shield against the unstoppable momentum.
Bang! The Orc warrior’s massive body swayed with the sound. The power that came out of that slender body was unbelievable. The dust that rose in a cloud instantly dispersed into concentric circles.
But Orcs were also a race born with the strength and stamina of giants. The Orc warrior, who blocked the attack with his shield, retaliated. Lord Tatiana didn’t move forward but swung her sword to deflect the counterattack.
“Huff. . .puff. . .haaa. . .”
Lord Tatiana threw off her helmet, which blocked her vision. The pressure on her head was unbearable to her. There was a chance that a blind arrow might fly, but there weren’t many people on this battlefield who would shoot arrows.
As she took off her helmet, her gray hair, soaked in sweat and blood, flowed down in a tangled mess. She brushed away the hair that stuck to her cheeks and neck with an irritated gesture.
“Hup!”
The Orc warrior, who had retreated, rushed forward. Lord Tatiana raised her sword. The expected collision arrived. She bends her ankles and knees, lowers her waist, and twists her upper body to deflect the attack.
Mana flowed through the incomplete circuit that existed within Lord Tatiana’s body. Tatiana’s mana, barely exceeding 160 centimeters, offset the brute force of the Orc warrior, who was over 180 centimeters tall.
The world was as unfair as it was fair. For instance, a race born with monstrous bodies lost their gods and transformed into monsters.
“Ugh, Aaaaaah!”
And just like how the so-called lesser human races, despite their frail flesh and small bodies, can unlock the unknown strength of mana by realizing their own unique potential.
In an instant, Lord Tatiana’s body accelerated. The Orc warrior couldn’t keep up with the speed, and by the time he realized it, her sword was already cutting through his neck.
The green-skinned head spun in the air with a whoosh, then fell with a thud. The gushing blood caused the headless body to collapse. Lord Tatiana didn’t stop.
She immediately exchanged blows with the Orc warriors, who were rushing after the first Orc she had killed. Clashing, dodging, and deflecting.
She relied on the armor’s defense for attacks she couldn’t avoid. Blades, not blunt weapons, couldn’t wound the body inside the armor.
Suppressing the boiling cry in her throat, Tatiana’s sword ripped through the hearts and waists of two Orcs. The Orc warrior who grabbed his chest collapsed, and the Orc who grabbed his intestines spilling out from his waist lay on his side.
After finishing off the two orcs, Tatiana exhaled the breath she had been holding and knelt down.
“Cough, Ugh!”
Lord Tatiana’s mouth spewed red blood as she leaned on her sword like a cane and collapsed. It was the price she paid for using mana recklessly. She endured the cost of glimpsing an unattainable speed horizon on a body lacking a functional circuit.
As she gasped for breath, the battle was in full swing around the fallen lord. Mercenaries wearing unstandardized armor, such as quilted armor, leather armor, and chainmail, were screaming and yelling.
They swung their weapons to survive, aiming to cut off their opponent’s vital lifeline. The brightened sky was no longer lacking in the name of morning. The sun rising in the east cast its dazzling rays, illuminating everyone on the battlefield.
The rays of the sun shone equally on all the living, the dying, and the dead.
Thanks to Lord Tatiana’s dazzling performance, there were no monsters approaching. But that was only for a short time; other Orc warriors approached with swords and axes. There were no other knights in her vicinity.
The chaos of the battlefield scattered them all. It was a good thing that Russell and Kai had reduced their numbers; otherwise, they would have been lying dead long ago.
But it was Lord Tatiana who gave the order to charge into the battlefield. As she watched Russell and Kai’s valiant efforts from the ramparts, her heart pounded.
She couldn’t help but give the order to charge. She couldn’t resist the urge to rush towards the dragon slayer, who was fighting at the forefront without any requests, and confronting the hordes of orcs and monsters as soon as they appeared in the early morning.
Those who awakened their mana were all people whose lives were inevitably filled with battles, whether they liked it or not. Tatiana Grace was no exception.
After losing her father and close associates to the sudden green skin invasion 13 years ago, she had been in a constant state of fighting. She focused on stopping monsters, expanding her territory, and preparing soldiers.
However, the footsteps of the hordes that threatened human life were faster than hers. This time, it seemed that way.
“My Lord!”
One soldier noticed Lord Tatiana’s crisis, but he was too far away. A huge battle hammer was rushing towards her. Lord Tatiana tried to move, but the aftereffects hadn’t subsided yet.
All she could do was raise her sword with her trembling hand.
Wham!
Lord Tatiana blinked. A giant, green-skinned orc stood before her. He was bigger than any orc there. The orc was holding the hammer shaft with both hands. It seemed he couldn’t avoid it completely, as the hammer’s head was touching the orc’s shoulder.
The orc, wielding the hammer, spat out the words.
“What are you doing? Chenpa!”
“It’s an attempt to stop a pointless battle. Heson.”
“. . .Do you know my name?”
Chenpa nodded, then gritted his teeth in pain from his dislocated shoulder.
“Aren’t you the Red Hammer warrior led by Jadmu? He once mentioned your name, saying you were one of the promising orcs.”
“. . . . . .”
“Heson. Jadmu is dead. Didn’t you see?”
He saw it. He couldn’t help but see it. The man who fought against the strong Jadmu overwhelmed him and won.
“Why didn’t you go face-to-face with that man and come to the human camp instead?”
“. . . Didn’t you forget what Kelpag said? He said to harvest as much blood and life as possible.”
“Then?”
“Then what? There are only a handful of warriors left, Chenpa! These are all the orcs here! There are no other warriors who haven’t become a damned gray-skinned yet, other than the ones here!”
Each clan had fifty orcs participating in the war. Thus, two hundred Orcs, one hundred Uruks, and two hundred monsters gathered, forming an army of over five hundred.
However, the aftermath of the fight between Russell and Jadmu had greatly reduced the number of beasts and monsters present. The Uruks stopped their transformation into monsters due to Kai’s holy power and returned to their original form.
Only a little over two hundred orcs remained. In the past, there weren’t many races that could surpass Orcs in terms of fertility and growth rate. Humans were the only ones who could compare, but orcs were born with powerful bodies that could take on six adult men.
However, their race was on the verge of extinction due to their incapacity to wield mana and the absence of their god, the details of which they had forgotten.
They lost their intelligence and became monsters, driven only by instinct and desire, like mere monkeys.
Chenpa said.
“I understand. Heson. I also have the same fear as you. I don’t know when I’ll become like that. I have the fear that I might become a monster who forgets my family, friends, and comrades and just fights blindly.”
“Then!”
“It doesn’t mean we should rely on the power of the devil. I suspect they are behind all this.”
“. . .Do you know something?”
“I’m not sure. Heson, withdraw your warriors. I’ve already sent my comrades out of the battlefield.”
Chenpa raised his hand and pointed in one direction.
“The shamans’ plan has failed. That black-haired man, he was one thing, but there’s something else that’s even more surprising.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look at that brown orc.”
Kaia was standing where Chenpa was pointing. Around him were orcs with brown skin, fighting and killing the monsters in tight formation. They were fighting in the nude, without proper clothing, armor or weapons.
Heson’s eyes widened.
They are. . . . .
“Yes. They are Uruks. They’re monsters who are both our present and our future.”
The Uruks, however, were no longer gray-skinned monsters. Moreover, the monsters, who couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe and whose red eyes were rolling wildly, were writhing and falling as they touched Kai’s holy power.
Then, with the assistance of other orcs, they rose to their feet, and the Uruks reverted to their original form as orcs.
“The God’s warrior has returned, so there is no need for war with humans anymore. The shamans’ spells must stop.”
“. . . . . .I’m sorry, Chenpa.”
“Heson!”
Black mana started to swell and spread over Heson’s skin. It was proof that he had accepted the power of the devil.
“It’s too late, Chenpa. It’s too late.”
On Heson’s green skin, blood vessels began to rise. Chenpa, his face contorted, turned to face the shamans.
“Kelpag, you damned bastard!”
The black mana was running wild. It was likely one of the things the shamans were aiming for. With his right hand, Chenpa grabbed his left shoulder and pulled it.
Crack!
“Cough!”
A surge of intense pain accompanied the sound of bones popping back into place. If he had left things alone, his muscles and nerves would have been torn. Tatiana, who had been catching her breath, spoke to Chenpa.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but are you on our side?”
“Yes, human lord.”
“Alright, Orc chieftain.”
Orcs, who were emitting black mana towards Chenpa and Lord Tatiana, charged blindly.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Aellasis said.
“What are they after?”
━Look at the energy overflowing in this battlefield. You should be able to feel it as a dragon.
Aellasis stopped her feet and stood still. The young guardian of the world inhaled deeply and then exhaled.
“A barrier? Or a summoning?”
━Well, well. You catch on quickly, as befits a dragon.
Aellasis’s nose twitched with pride at Calia’s praise. At that moment, Orc riders guarding the shamans discovered the little girl.
━They’re coming.
“I saw that too!”
Orc riders on large dire wolves were charging towards her. The overwhelming violence approaching was too much for a little girl to handle.
Aellasis didn’t give up. Instead, she ran towards them and then suddenly leaped off the ground. She made a light and graceful movement, as if she weren’t wearing her crimson armor.
Aellasis stretched out both of her hands. The girl, high in the air, uttered spells, incantations, and starting words at a rapid pace, while wind, frost, and lightning swirled around her.
“Aaaaagh!”
The girl they had underestimated suddenly leaped high and unleashed terrifying magic, shocking the Orc riders.
But the magic flew faster than they could scatter, exploding like shells on the ground in front of the dire wolves.
The wolves howled mournfully, and the orcs fell to the ground.
“Block her! Don’t let her get close to the shamans!”
The orc, who seemed to be the leader of those who had fallen, raised his axe and pointed it at Aellasis.
At that moment, a woman emerged from Aellasis’s shadow. She possessed crimson hair and eyes, exuding an alluring beauty. Her leather dress clung tightly to her body as she inhaled deeply, taking in the scent and taste of the battlefield.
“It’s not as good as that person’s blood, but whatever.”
Calia stretched out her hand downward, and the blood responded to her will. The blood gathered, as if it had its own will, and rushed toward her.
Soon, Calia, wielding a whip-like sword shaped like blood, smiled with her bright red lips.
“You shouldn’t be picky.”
The Orc warriors couldn’t approach the frail-looking woman who suddenly appeared.
Despite her seemingly fragile appearance, countless echoes of screams were ringing below her shadow.
Then Calia swung her sword. The blade, which stretched like a flexible whip, covered the Orc warriors with its immense length.
“B, Block. . .it. .KRAUGH!”
Calia’s power, which had absorbed Russell’s blood to the fullest, was terrifying. Orc warriors, realizing the power of the magic Aellasis had unleashed, collapsed one after another.
“Aella, you know the deal when it’s all over?”
“Eh? What? Do I have to sleep separately from Russell for three days?”
“Yeah.”
“Fine. But why?”
“A little girl shouldn’t know.”
“I’m not a little girl.”
The conversation between the girl and the woman, who were unleashing frost and lightning while wielding a huge whip-like sword, was too peaceful.
At that moment, a huge reverberation echoed from where the shamans were.
Calia’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound of huge footsteps. A giant head with broad shoulders began to appear from behind the ridge.
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