Chapter 225: Elite Orc Swordsman
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 225: Elite Orc Swordsman
“Let us begin. I am Hazaku, an Elite Orc Swordsman of the Blood Dagger Clan.”
‘Sh…shit…’
If this wasn’t their leader, then I couldn’t even begin to fathom the strength of the monster they called their Chieftain. And before that, I had to wonder—what in the world were the creatures we had just been fighting?
“I do not blame you.”
The monster who had introduced himself as Hazaku, an Elite Orc Swordsman of the Blood Dagger Clan, continued to mutter. He stared straight at me, as if he already knew we could understand his words.
“Misplaced compassion on the battlefield only invites ruin. This will have been a good lesson for the young Green Skins of our tribe. However, your methods were wrong. Even the humans of our continent do not resort to using children who cannot yet fight properly.”
‘Damn it…’
“Personally, I wish to thank you for providing the young warriors of our tribe with such a valuable experience.”
He had clearly said, another continent. Only then did I realize where these monsters had come from. This world wasn't just inhabited by elves and Japanese. Moreover, young Green Skins? The thought that the creatures we had just fought were not even adults made me swallow hard.
Thinking back, they certainly had been young. It wasn't just the young humans with red tattoos all over their bodies who were children. The monsters, too, had been slightly smaller than the one standing before me now. The difference was as clear as that between a child and an adult. It was only natural to feel like a complete fool for not having noticed sooner.
But I couldn't just sit here and die.
Kimura quickly began to assess his subordinates. Not many of them were capable of fighting, crushed as they were by the sheer pressure. Usable elves, knights, archers, and mages—not a bad composition, but it didn't seem like it would work against this monster.
The moment the sword, still in its scabbard, was drawn, I expected at least half of them to be rendered combat-ineffective. There was only one way: use mental magic to find an opening in the opponent and exploit it. His mind seemed solid, but there had to be a crack somewhere.
All intelligent beings possess some kind of inferiority complex or weakness, and the monster before me would be no exception. The green monster bared its fangs and spoke.
“Was that all you were capable of? Are you not coming?”
His voice snapped me to my senses.
“Pre…prepare for battle.”
“B-But, Your Highness…”
“We’ll all die if we just stand here. We have to do everything we can.”
Even my most trusted subordinate was trying to avoid the fight. Did he think I didn't want to avoid it myself?
It was impossible.
The moment I saw the monster’s face, I realized that running and persuading were both impossible. This thing would never let any of the humans here leave alive.
“Excellent. I wish to pay my respects to your courage.”
The green monster’s muscles bulged as he brought a hand to the hilt of his sword.
‘A sword-drawing stance.’
To be precise, it was the art of drawing and striking in one motion. The aura of the monster, one hand resting at his waist as he silently stared us down, made even the shield-bearing knights flinch.
‘Fuck… what kind of sword-drawing bullshit is this.’
The art of sword-drawing was just for show. A technique you only see in comics. I didn't know if he was giving us time or if he wanted a decent fight, but for now, the enemy wasn't charging at us.
“The…the enemy is alone! A-Attack!”
At the sound of my desperate shout, the shield-bearing knights began to move, and the priests poured out a constant stream of holy power. The mages began to chant their spells, and the archers drew their bowstrings. They were terrified, but that terror only made them charge forward more desperately.
However.
Shhhk—
The head of the first knight to reach the monster was sliced clean off, a fountain of blood erupting from his neck. The war cries died down as everyone stared at the absurd spectacle.
‘I couldn't see it.’
I couldn't even see him draw the sword.
At this rate, we would be annihilated. Kimura began to invade the minds of his subordinates. Frightened warriors hold back. I had no choice but to issue a command: catch him and kill him, no matter the cost.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
“Gaaaaaaack!”
They screamed, but of course, I paid them no mind. Having lost their reason, my subordinates would now act only according to my commands.
“Grrrrrrrk.”
Bestial sounds escaped from human mouths. Everyone’s face turned red as strange noises poured from their lips.
“Overwhelm him!”
“Kuaaaaaaah!”
The crucial thing was distance. The most fundamental way to enter an opponent's mind is through physical contact. As the pawns meant to create that opening rushed the monster all at once, its aura began to shift slightly.
“Kuaaaah!”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrk.”
Even so, the monster showed no fear. With its gaze lowered, it continued the motion of bringing its right hand to its sword. An arm flew off a subordinate, then a leg. Sometimes a body was split vertically in two; other times, horizontally.
He cut through shields as if they were nothing, and at one point, he bisected two men at the same time. Still, an opening was visible. He looked relaxed, but unless he was a god, there was no way he could fight off this many troops without showing a single gap in his defense.
Kimura moved swiftly. The spell was already prepared. He was ready to invade the opponent's mind. His subordinates were dying, but that one monster was far more useful than all these worthless underlings. If I could escape the city with that creature, I could obtain beautiful elves or power anywhere on this vast continent.
If there truly was another continent, I could even flee there and live where these monsters didn't exist.
‘I’ll do it.’
I pushed off, closing the distance. I felt its gaze turn toward me, as if it had noticed my approach, but a controlled subordinate blocked its path. The subordinate’s head was sent flying and he collapsed, but it allowed Kimura to get a little closer to the Orc.
In the instant it took to get just a bit closer, five—no, ten—knights lost their lives. But I was incredibly close. This wasn't to attack. I just had to touch him, by any means necessary.
I quickly reached out my hand. The drawn sword came out to meet it, but a mind-controlled subordinate threw his body in the way, blocking the blade. In that brief moment, I stretched out my hand, and I saw my fingers, which had been maintaining a hair's breadth of distance, finally touch the monster's forearm.
‘I did it.’
Fwoosh—
Invading an opponent's mind was something I was very familiar with. But this was different. It was fundamentally different from the minds of all the others who had allowed me to enter.
I could see the memories, but it felt as if I were being crushed by an immense pressure. I could, of course, see what had happened in the castle. I saw a demon with large horns extending its sword. I could feel a strength that was incomparable to this monster. A monster that used dual swords, a fairy, a plant—they were all creatures with unbelievable abilities.
‘For Blood Dagger!’
His mind was filled to the brim with battle, honor, and respect. There was no opening to exploit.
‘Fucking hell…’
Kimura muttered to himself. The deeper I went, the more I saw, but I couldn't find anything that could be called a weakness.
The closer I got, the more I could sense what sustained this monster.
‘Victory.’
‘To victory!’
The solid mind was filled with nothing but the will to win. In an instant, I was violently ejected from his consciousness. What I saw was the monster's face looking down at me. The surroundings were already covered in corpses and blood.
“Ah…ahhh…”
It was only natural that words wouldn't come out. After witnessing the years of struggle he had lived through, I couldn't think at all.
There was never any chance of winning. We were nothing more than a diversion. The moment I unconsciously turned to flee, an excruciating pain shot up from my foot. I reflexively looked down to see one of my legs lying far away.
It had already been cut. Due to inertia, my body naturally pitched forward.
My face slammed into the ground, getting smeared with the blood that had pooled there. It was only natural to gag as the blood of my subordinates entered my mouth. I tried to crawl, reaching out a hand, but a fountain of blood erupted from that hand as well.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!”
“Aaaaaaaack!”
I tried to move my remaining arm, but when that arm, too, was sent flying, Kimura thrashed in agony. And of course, a voice followed.
“A disgraceful sight. You are no warrior. I was mistaken.”
“What kind of…fucking nonsense… Aaaaaaack!”
“The humans here are not even worth killing myself. Especially you. If it were up to me, I would kill you on the spot so that the Chieftain would not have to dirty his hands… but the Chieftain has ordered me to bring you to him. If you utter any insolent or useless words in the presence of the glorious Blood Dagger, I will make your death as painful as possible.”
“Uwaaaaaaaack!”
He was speaking with his sword pinning my remaining foot, so I couldn't properly hear what he was saying. One thing was certain: I had to meet the demon with the long horns. My lips began to tremble uncontrollably. It would be an easier death to die here. The figure I saw in Hazaku's memories was a monster without blood or tears.
Remembering that the translation magic was still active, I lifted my head and saw the elven princess, slammed against a wall and groaning. All means of helping me were gone.
“Damn it… Damn it… DAMN IT!!”
There was no way out. The green monster began to move slowly, his sword still embedded in my foot, and only then was I able to take in the various scenes around me.
Humans were dying at the hands of giant monsters and creatures with long fangs and strange hair. The renowned female ninja, Kurai, had one shoulder completely shattered and was pinned to the ground. The kingdom's ten samurai were all in pathetic states, their limbs twisted.
“Aaaaaaaack!”
“S-Save meeeee!”
There was never any chance of winning from the start. Just before the young monsters were about to be struck down, a mysterious barrier would envelop them. Only then did I realize why the monsters from before were still alive.
The faint memories I had read from the monster before me, Hazaku, were all true. This place was simply a playground. Before the children could get hurt, the tribe's mages would reach out and pull them away. The young monsters who failed were sent back to the castle, while those who passed continued the game.
The fact that this creature was merely an elite swordsman was, of course, not a lie. The area was teeming with monsters that looked to be on a similar level to him. As we got closer to the castle, even stronger-looking creatures began to come into view.
‘No way…’
‘No… no way…’
I kept muttering it in my mind, but no voice answered. God has abandoned us. I had no choice but to think so.