Chapter 114: The Conquest of Somorah
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 114: The Conquest of Somorah
“Victory or death!”
“Victory or death!!!”
Smashing through one side of the city gate, none other than Ogres and Half-Ogres began to pour in. Though they were partially obscured by the buildings, the nostalgic feeling I sensed was real.
“Where is my brother!”
“Krrrrrrk!”
At the forefront, a figure wielding two massive axes charged toward the enemy. With bloodshot eyes, he was literally crushing the enemies in the rear. The Ogres without weapons were no different. They grabbed humans with both arms and tore them to pieces or ripped their heads from their necks. A human magician died instantly, every bone in his body shattered by a carelessly swung arm. The area became a sea of blood in an instant, human body parts continuously flying into the air.
They were like bulldozers. It seemed he hadn't spotted me yet, still caught up in the enemy ranks, as he continued to advance, searching for the Blood Dagger Clan.
For the humans, it was a bolt from the blue. By deploying so many of their warriors to the front, they had naturally left their rear exposed. They fought back with arrows and magic, but the Half-Ogres surged forward relentlessly. Even those riddled with arrows, those who had lost an arm to a direct magic hit, those with massive bolts lodged in their chests—they all kept coming.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
“Save… save me!”
“Sh… shit!”
It was a scene straight out of hell, but I found it immensely enjoyable. The humans confronting us also looked around frantically, their faces showing they had no idea what to do.
It was only natural that our clan members, influenced by the sound of drums made from human hide, immediately charged the humans. I glanced back again and saw an Orc, now evolved, pounding on a drum even larger than himself. Standing on a platform held up by Half-Ogres, he beat the drum and shouted continuously.
“Victory or death!”
THUMP!
THUMP!!
THUMP!!!
The sound of the drum awakened their dormant savagery. It made me a little bitter to think that Najin, who was no longer with us, might have awakened a similar unique ability had he lived, but for now, throwing myself into this battle came first. My eyes turned red, and steam billowed from my heated body. Before I surrendered myself to this sensation, there was something I had to take care of. I looked behind me.
“Uwoooooooooh!”
The roars of the Orcs and Trolls grew louder and louder. The same was true for the other Green Skins who had been staring blankly at the sky. They clearly hadn't returned to their right minds.
But the instinct for battle was undoubtedly clawing its way up their throats. I quickly spoke to Hakajin.
“Baek Ahyeon and her followers… and the children we rescued…”
Hakajin, his own eyes red, nodded. The Orc warriors with him were also doing their best to protect Baek Ahyeon and the young Green Skins. It was the only thing they could do. This group was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to explode. The same went for Black Spear and his clan members, and for our clan as well.
And then…
“Victory! For victory alone!”
The bomb that had been held in check for so long finally detonated.
It started with the Green Skins who were under protection. Spurred on by the drumbeat that reawakened their castrated instincts, they screamed and scattered in all directions. They were no longer beings who needed protection. They were just as they had been when they first fell upon this land, the very picture of the Green Skins they had completely forgotten how to be.
“Uwoooooooooh!”
“For honor!”
They weren't the only ones to burst forth as the bomb exploded. My own eyes reddened as I shot forward. In my right hand, the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword; in my left, the Ancient Flame; and clenched in my teeth, the Voice of Curse.
Flames immediately erupted around me.
I dove straight into the enemy ranks, with Orbo, Gark, and Hark following close behind.
Every being within reach was an enemy. I swung the greatsword, cleaving through a shoulder, then melted a heavily armored foe, armor and all. I fluidly switched the positions of my greatsword and axe as I advanced.
Movements my body remembered.
The motions I had practiced and visualized tens of thousands of times every day served me well, even as I surrendered my body to primal instinct.
As I got closer to them, the greatsword became cumbersome. I immediately sheathed it and began killing them with the Ancient Flame and my bare hands.
I grabbed the arm of a fleeing man and simply tore it off. The limb came away with surprising ease, as if the man’s durability was pathetic. I tossed the arm into the air and blew his head off with the Ancient Flame in my other hand.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
I even used the horn on my forehead to smash the face of an enemy who tried to resist. His blood splattered from the point of impact, running down my face, but I paid it no mind. I split the body of the man impaled on my horn in two, and with a shake of my head, the dead human fell away. The others were the same. Right beside me, Orbo was swinging his shield and axe, roaring endlessly.
His massive shield had long since become a blunt weapon, thoroughly soaked in blood. Gark and Hark, surprisingly, were fighting as they always did; they didn't seem to have given themselves over to their primal instincts. Their eyes were red, but their movements were flawless.
“Sa… save…”
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
“Die!!!”
“Re-form the line! Re-form the line! Warriors, gather! Gather!”
“These Orc bastards! Fucking stop them! Why are the Ogres suddenly…”
The screams of the enemy and the war cries of our allies mingled in a constant cacophony. The situation was a total free-for-all. There was no strategy, no tactics. A melee like this was rather enjoyable. The Green Skins who had charged out long ago had already picked up the weapons of the dead, human or Green Skin, and were now fighting with no regard for their own safety.
An Orc clashed swords with a human warrior. Just then, another Orc suddenly rushed in and tore out the human’s throat with his teeth. A fountain of blood erupted, but all they sought was their next prey. However, where they turned their eyes, a human was already surrounded by Goblins. The archers on the rooftops let loose their arrows, but it was not enough. An arrow fired in terror missed the Orc’s brow and pierced his shoulder instead. The Orc roared in pain and charged the archer.
“Kwoooooooar!”
Amidst the chaos, it was strange how they avoided harming Baek Ahyeon and the human children. They knew exactly who their enemies were. They knew precisely who had castrated their instincts, locked them underground, and worked them like slaves.
In a situation like this, it was the shamans of each clan and Baek Ahyeon’s group who were working the hardest. Thanks to the healing magic erupting from all corners, the Orcs could rampage like this.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
“Aaaargh! Priest… Priest!”
“Kwoooooooar!”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
The human formation collapsed in an instant. The burden that had been a disadvantage to us had become a force that helped us slaughter the humans, and the Goff Clan had closed the distance between us to zero.
All that remained was to enjoy this festival.
We killed every human who tried to flee and desert the front lines. Those who had raised slaves, those who had bought slaves—every human who had built and maintained this city was dying with a scream. I held no personal grudge, but it was incredibly satisfying. Just as Baek Ahyeon’s followers had said, we were undertaking the task of purifying this rotten city in place of the humans.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
Thanks to the Orc who kept beating the drum, the enemy’s screams began to sound like music. I turned my gaze and saw the horde of Ogres still rushing toward us. I started running as well. I dodged an incoming axe by leaning back, then smashed a human’s head with my own.
CRUNCH!
The satisfying sound echoed, but of course, I couldn't stop.
The voice of my brother calling my name was getting closer. The image of that steadfast warrior, who had always loved battle, was slowly coming into focus.
He was an Ogre now, not an Orc, but the face I remembered from our first meeting in the Tutorial was unmistakably there. For a moment, I worried if he would recognize my own face, which had changed quite a bit.
Just then, he glanced in my direction.
A faint smile played on his lips. I smiled back at him. Just as I had recognized him, he had clearly recognized me.
“Kwoooooooar!”
With every swing of his axes, two or three humans flew into the air. He had definitely gotten stronger. Feeling an odd sense of rivalry, I too pushed my magic to its limit and advanced. My eyes weren't on the enemy. Funnily enough, our gazes were locked on each other.
The sight of him, drenched in blood, was undoubtedly the Goff I had always seen in the Tutorial. The warrior I had respected. I was sure I looked the same to him.
“Haha.”
My first friend and brother here. In the middle of a battlefield, we were reunited. Amidst the clash of steel, the war cries, and the screams, he was the first to speak.
“It’s been a while… my brother.”
“Yes… it has been a long time. My brother…”
He stood firm and resolute. I used to have to look up at him, but he had grown even larger.
‘Dependable.’
Just as he had when we parted, he extended his hand toward me. I was sure I had been the one to extend my hand first back then. Goff must have remembered that time. It was a human custom, but it wasn't bad. I clasped Goff’s hand. His incredibly calloused hand showed just how hard he had worked these past three years. A hot emotion surged up from within my chest.
What I felt was a bond.
He must have felt the same, as he gave me a simple smile. A reunion in the heart of a battlefield… by Green Skin standards, it was quite romantic.
There was no need for useless words, asking how the other had been. He raised his two massive axes and immediately charged the humans, and I moved with him.
We hadn't fought side-by-side since the Tutorial, of course.
But it felt like finding a missing puzzle piece. He filled my openings, and I filled his. I could feel everything that had happened to him in the three years we were apart, everything that had happened to me, and what kinds of enemies we had faced.
“Puhahaha!”
“Krrrrrrrk.”
It was the same for the Half-Ogres of his clan and the Orc swordsmen of ours. Those who had once fought as one body clearly remembered their old ways of battle. This group was incredibly strong. A smile naturally formed on my face as I watched them cooperate, yet compete, in slaughtering the humans.
“Victory or death!!”
“Victory! For victory alone!”
Just as the sound of human voices began to fade, and the war cries of the Green Skins filled the small city of Somorah, a welcome voice flew into my ear.