Chapter 221: The Eastern Continent Conquest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 221: The Eastern Continent Conquest
I slowly surveyed the members of the Blood Dagger Clan. They, too, watched me with tense expressions. The selection had already been more or less decided, but I had yet to make a formal announcement.
Giant Scream Apachi and Kim Yoora were already confirmed to go. Since the Goff and Black Spear Clans were also bringing their trainee Green Skins and young warriors, I decided it was more important for this expedition to select members who could properly supervise them, rather than just focusing on raw power.
The clan leaders swallowed nervously, and I slowly began to speak.
“The Goblin Three Sisters, Hakajin, Hark, Baek Ahyeon, Jung Hayeon, and Choi Eunju. That is all. Gark, Mev, and Orbo of the Shield will remain behind.”
In an instant, their faces showed a mixture of joy and disappointment.
“I will take half of the elite Orc swordsmen and all of the clan's shamans. That is all.”
“Uwooooooooh!”
“We’re going! We’re going too! It’s been a while!”
“So awesooome! We’re going too!”
“Kekekekek, my hammer thirsts for blood!”
Hark and the Goblin Three Sisters, chosen for the first time in a while, roared with excitement. I watched them and smiled faintly. There wasn't some profound reason for choosing the Goblin Three Sisters. I simply felt they were well-suited for the task, as they had trained alongside the recruits and had been looking after the children for a long time.
While their time with the young Green Skins was mostly spent running around and playing card games, I believed that very experience made them all the more suitable for this task.
The same logic applied to Hark, who was agile and could create a clone of himself. Gark, with his ability to turn invisible, would have been a good choice as well, but I believed that if Hark truly focused on erasing his presence, no one on the Eastern Continent would be able to detect him.
“My... my Savior.”
Baek Ahyeon would be in charge of healing any potential casualties. And it was wise to bring Jung Hayeon to handle any unforeseen circumstances.
Hakajin would be responsible for managing everything in my stead.
If all goes according to plan, it will be a short battle. However, in case things drag on, it was crucial to leave some heavy hitters behind to guard the settlement.
The subleader Gark and Orbo of the Shield were the most suitable candidates—individuals who could defend our home in our absence. As for Mev, while it would have been beneficial to bring her, I decided it was best for her to stay here, especially for Laveua's sake.
“Ugh…”
“Hk... hkkk...”
As expected, Gark’s shoulders were slumped and Mev was on the verge of tears.
“I'm entrusting the settlement to you. And Mev, please take good care of Laveua.”
“O-Okay... Chieftain.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
It was a small comfort, but I knew they would appreciate it. With that, I left the tent. I had already confirmed the coordinates through Alisha and completed the preliminary reconnaissance. When I stepped outside, Alisha was waiting with her head bowed.
I suspected she might have complicated feelings about this, but I paid it no mind. I gave the bowing Alisha a sidelong glance and continued on my way. The appointed commanders followed me, and among them was Choi Eunju, who would cast the teleportation spell, trailing silently behind.
The young Green Skins and Giant Scream were no different; I could see the tension on their faces. Kim Yoora and Nicole were waiting together on a wolf, their eyes burning with a strange intensity.
Hark raised the tribe's flag.
“Victory! For victory alone!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
Cheers erupted from our ranks, and at the same moment, similar roars echoed from the Goff and Black Spear Clans.
As we gathered in the center of our lands, Choi Eunju spoke.
“I’m ready, darling.”
I nodded, and she immediately began her incantation. The space at the center of the three-headed monument in the heart of the Brother's Land began to tear open.
“Hmm... another continent.”
“This should be interesting.”
Goff muttered, and Black Spear spoke, both looking a little amused. I looked back at them and spoke.
“Let’s go.”
*
The sensation was strange. In the blink of an eye, the scenery had completely changed. I glanced at Choi Eunju in amazement, and she offered a small smile. But what caught my attention even more were the humans staring at us.
“Huh?”
“Wha... what is this?”
Thanks to the translation magic I had active, I could understand them. They definitely looked like East Asians. Their equipment wasn't in bad shape, but it looked ill-fitting, as if it wasn't made for them.
‘Elven equipment?’
Since there were no elves in sight, I assumed that was the case.
“Uhm…”
“M-monsters.”
From their perspective, space had just torn open and a horde of monsters had poured out. Yet, all they could do was stand there dumbfounded and point. It was pathetic.
I was the first to step out of the portal and onto the new land.
“Kneel.”
At my word, they were instantly slammed into the ground. It was nothing more than applying pressure with my magic, but its effectiveness told me everything I needed to know about the power level of this continent. Frankly, it felt like it would be cheating for the chieftains to even get involved.
The men around us were pissing themselves, pinned to the ground. Goff, stepping out behind me, sighed.
“Pathetic.”
“I don't see any of the so-called elves...”
“They're probably deeper inside.”
Watching them tremble uncontrollably, I was almost worried they had completely lost their will to fight. I thought it only polite to announce our arrival, so I withdrew the magical pressure. I could see them shudder violently.
“Wha... what... was that.”
Some of them were still on the ground, teeth chattering, while others couldn't even get up. A few had even fainted. Since we teleported to the castle entrance, they were probably just guards, but they were even more pathetic than I expected.
“Jung Hayeon.”
“Yes.”
Jung Hayeon stepped forward next, and her roots began to slowly seal the castle entrance. A sigh escaped me as I watched them stare blankly, even as the entrance was being blocked. No one was moving. To be precise, you could say their bodies were paralyzed with fear. I slowly approached and extended my sword toward the one closest to me.
The sensation was satisfying.
“Huh?”
With a soft sound, the man's head flew into the air. He hadn't even had time to react. The fools could only gape at the surreal sight.
Thud.
A single head hit the ground with a soft thud. I looked at the men staring at me in horror and spoke slowly.
“I am the enemy.”
At the same time, screams erupted.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Enemy! It's the enemy! Intruders have entered! M-monsters!”
As a great bell began to toll, its sound spreading the news of our arrival throughout the castle, it finally felt like I was on a battlefield. The other Green Skins felt it too. However, Giant Scream Apachi and Kim Yoora remained still, quietly observing the situation. I had given them strict orders not to move until commanded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Goff Clan's unique drumbeat echoed within the castle. The Goff Clan's ogres, who chose to unleash their savagery rather than suppress it, felt their eyes turn red. In comparison, our Blood Dagger Clan was a bit quieter, but even we seemed to be somewhat affected by the Orc's drumming.
I crossed my arms and walked slowly. As I walked through the center, a barrage of magic rained down. Naturally, I heard Alisha scream.
“L-Lord Blood Dagger. It's the... the palace mage corps. Y-you must evade!”
I could feel a subtle mix of magic different from that of humans; it seemed elven mages were among them.
She was making quite a fuss, but there was no reason to dodge.
“Hmph!”
Because Hark was in front of me, cutting down the descending spells with his twin swords. Like his brother Gark, he had chosen to completely discard his savagery. In place of savagery and instinct, which he pushed deep below the surface, he chose the path of pure martial discipline.
His relentlessly trained body and his calm, tranquil inner self made him that much stronger.
“Intruders! No, they're monsters! Kill them! Mage unit, prepare your spells!”
“Archers, nock arrows! Nock!”
“You damn knife-eared bitches! Cast your spells! What are you doing!?”
Spells and arrows continued to rain down. Hark deflected them with his two swords. Fireballs and shards of ice rained down, but he stood one step ahead of me, relentlessly cutting down every spell. Arrows and javelins were also precisely split in half. For spells that couldn't be blocked conventionally, he channeled magic into his blades and shattered them instantly.
“Fireball!”
Though the fireball falling toward us was visually impressive, the magic contained within was pathetic. Hark crossed his twin swords and slashed. The human mage's fireball was neatly quartered, its pieces falling harmlessly to the ground.
The same happened to the barrage of ice magic. Dozens of arrows rained down, but Hark simply kept his arms moving, a blur of motion.
“N-no way…”
“Attack! Attack!! Attack!”
But I remained completely unscathed. As did Hark. He advanced steadily, blocking every spell that came his way.
The barrage of spells began to dwindle. They, too, were beginning to realize this wasn't working.
“Ugh... m-monster…”
I had to laugh at the humans staring at Hark in utter horror.
“D-die!!!”
Another spell erupted. A massive sphere of magic flew toward us, but Hark simply extended his sword.
“You fool!”
The human mage who cast the spell smiled cruelly. It must have an explosive property. But Hark didn't hesitate to cut it down.
“Hmph!”
He swung his sword with a sharp grunt.
The bisected sphere of magic swelled as if to explode, but he cut the swelling orb again. And again, he cut the orb as it tried to detonate. To the eyes of an ordinary mage, Hark's swinging blades would have been an invisible blur.
With each cut into the swelling sphere, the magic lost more of its power.
Pssssssssk…
With a deflating hiss, the sphere of magic vanished without a trace.
“I... I knew he was strong, but…” Alisha muttered in a horrified voice.
We continued up the stairs, but perhaps because Hark was in the lead, no one tried to stop me. I stopped and spoke quietly.
“Kill them.”
And behind me, the war cries of the ogres, trolls, and orcs echoed.