Chapter 120
Chapter 120
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Chapter 3-1. Black Tree Tribe
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Following the first orc tribe, the second one had already been visited by someone. At least here, it seemed recent, as the blood flowing from the dead orcs' corpses hadn't yet coagulated. Naturally, no orcs had survived, and all the bodies were hacked to pieces. Arhil, who had just vomited earlier, looked pale as she surveyed the surroundings, muttering "Lord have mercy..." before closing her eyes.
"Hoo... Who on earth could have done this? Shall we head to the next tribe?"
At Alec's words, Judah hesitated for a moment and glanced back at Arhil. They'd traveled here nonstop. Though there had been no combat thanks to Alec's archery, Arhil looked utterly exhausted, so they should probably rest a bit. Judah shook his head.
"I understand the urgency, but let's rest a little in a clean spot."
"Mm. Understood."
They moved to a place free of the stench of blood and took a break. With the sun high in the sky, it was about time for hunger to set in, so Judah pulled out lunches and water from Aslan's inn. Arhil's stomach was still unsettled, so she declined the food, and Judah mixed some honey into warm water for her.
"That ability is truly amazing. It seems like anything comes out of it?"
"Everything except what I don't have. Though there's far more I don't have."
To Judah, what they called a sub-space ability—<Bag> to him—contained just about everything, as he said. He'd stocked it with plenty from general stores, ingredient sellers, and restaurants in Serenia Castle and Aslan. Selling black wolf hides and magic stones had earned him a good sum, and the bounty from Langritsa's mage tower for defeating Viscount Jinmu meant he had no shortage of funds for such purchases. Judah smiled proudly at Alec's comment and mixed him some honey water too. After sipping the warm, sweet drink, Arhil's expression brightened a little, looking somewhat better.
"Haaa— I hope the next tribe at least kills them cleanly."
"If they have the skill to hack them to pieces, they could certainly kill cleanly. It felt like that person did it on purpose."
"Eugh. I figured as much? But what if that person... no, what if it's not even a person? Even if it is, what if they charge right at us? Damned if we do, damned if we don't."
Arhil let out a deep sigh, her face crumpling in worry. No matter how positively she tried to think, it seemed unlikely. To shake off her anxiety and the image of the dismembered orcs lingering in her mind, she kept talking nonstop. Judah worried her chatter might attract orcs, but if it came to that, he and Jeanne could handle it. Alec, guiding the way, didn't tell her to quiet down either. Instead, he chuckled and nodded along.
"Ah, smoke's rising over there!"
Through the dense forest trees, gray smoke billowed into the sky. Alec and Judah, focused on their surroundings, had missed it entirely—Arhil spotted it first. Alec eyed the location and frowned.
"Looks like the third tribe is under attack too! The smoke means we haven't arrived too late! I'll pick up the pace."
Without waiting for a reply, he dashed off. Orc roars echoed from beyond the trees. As they ran, Judah spotted a fallen orc that suggested the attacker had come this way too. Neatly bisected, it glared with wide, resentful eyes. Passing totems of corpses, they reached the rising smoke. Below the hill, the tribe burned. Judah couldn't tell how long the battle had raged, but amid the smell of burning came the tang of blood. Orc corpses piled up. Enraged by their comrades' deaths, orcs howled and charged the culprit.
"......"
Judah's expression hardened as he watched. In the tribe's center stood a knight gripping a crimson greatsword in one hand, its hue like Althemia's. Blood-soaked full plate armor covered him, but its design was all too familiar. The knight heaved ragged breaths—hooook—and swung his sword upward at the charging orc. It wielded a proper weapon, but before it could react, its upper body flew off. The crimson blade was so sharp it cleaved through the orc and its weapon alike. Drenched in spurting blood, the knight glanced at the tumbling lower half, legs buckling, and burst into laughter.
"Ahahahahaha!"
His voice rang with genuine delight. Watching, Arhil clasped her hands over her chest. The knight dispatched the remaining charging orcs with ease. Once done, he minced the headless orc corpse at his feet into bits. The gruesome sight made it clear, without a word, that this knight had razed the previous two tribes.
"Good heavens..."
Terror shook Arhil's body. The knight laughed, shoulders heaving, as he scanned around. Through his lowered visor, a dangerous glint flashed. Judah observed him with cold, unflinching eyes.
The booming laughter, the familiar bloodied armor, the crimson greatsword in hand.
Judah clenched his teeth, recognizing the knight.
"...Cain."
He'd expected him here. And now, he'd witness Cain claiming the fragment firsthand.
"Ha-!"
Strength surged into Judah's eyes as he took in Cain's form. They watched silently as he massacred orcs with sweeping greatsword strikes. Then, as if sensing Judah's intense gaze, Cain's head snapped up toward the group on the hill. Ignoring the orcs, he charged. Clad in heavy metal, he barreled like a chariot.
Thud! Thud!
He cleaved blocking orcs and leaped forward at terrifying speed, skidding meters at a time. As he climbed the hill, Alec snapped out of his stunned daze and loosed an arrow. Cain ducked the first at close range, slashed the second with his greatsword, and snatched the third with his left hand.
"What the—?"
Alec fired in rapid succession, but Cain swung his mana-wreathed greatsword. The mana arced as a curving crimson crescent.
'Blood Wind!'
A skill gained from the thirteenth fragment, Fury's Yakal. Judah yanked Alec back by his collar just in time. The slash named Blood Wind streaked up the hill and vanished into the sky. Clutching Ssaulabi Attitude and Althemia in each hand, Judah leaped down. Caught off guard, Cain flinched, swinging a beat late. Judah was faster. He landed on Cain mid-charge, using him as a springboard to vault back to the hilltop. He nearly twisted his ankle but braced with his hand. Pushed back, Cain tumbled down the hill in his heavy armor, crashing with a thud.
'Dead?'
The armor weighed dozens of kilos—even with lightweight enchantments, it wasn't negligible. An arm torn off wouldn't be surprising, yet Cain sprang up unscathed.
Kroooaaar!
Orcs, who'd watched impassively, now swarmed like zombies. A large group by the look of it, they seemed to see Judah and Cain as allies, some bypassing to charge the hill while others encircled them. As Judah raised Althemia to kill them all, Cain suddenly lunged.
"!"
Judah reflexively crossed Attitude and Althemia to block the thrust at his solar plexus but twisted away instead. He tried to counter, but Cain's shoulder-check forced distance. Activating skills in sequence—Potential Release, Demon Eye, Shadow Deployment—Judah stared down Cain. Cain tilted his head grotesquely, dropped his greatsword's tip to the ground with a clunk, then swung wide at an approaching orc, decapitating it. The head sailed off with a clang, surreal.
Meeting Cain here was unexpected, but...
'Better this way.'
Kill him here, claim the fragment. No matter Cain's [Sword of Gabriel] class or vast potential, he wasn't a Spirit Sword wielder yet. If he had such skill and mentality, Fury's fragment wouldn't have consumed him. Judah dodged left, sidestepping an orc's attack, and slashed its throat with Attitude. Not as clean as Cain's, but blood sprayed—the orc would die soon. Ignoring its gurgling clutches, Judah hurled Althemia from his fidgeting left hand at Cain battling orcs.
Swoosh!