Chapter 260: Staining the Great Plains
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260: Staining the Great Plains
The first thing I heard was Jung Hayeon chanting her spell. This was all part of the plan. Our clan's elite Orc swordsmen knew exactly what to do the moment they heard her.
As her magic began to flare, the enemy mages hastily started their own incantations, but they fell without even a scream, pierced by arrows from Mev and the Orc archers. The archers from the Saint Knights Order loosed their arrows, but every single one was blocked by Orbo of the Shield's unique ability.
"Hmph!"
Those magic shields erupting from the ground were proving useful. Amidst it all, Mev continued to harass the enemy with a relentless stream of arrows. Her skill was unbelievable for someone who'd been slacking on training to play cards; I suppose her species' innate talent allowed her to adapt to battle so quickly.
And then—
"...........................!"
The spell burst from Jung Hayeon's lips. Simultaneously, the Blood Dagger Clan's Orc swordsmen drew their blades. A tremendous mass of roots erupted from the ground, ensnaring the Saint Knights one by one. Watching the scene unfold, Gark muttered.
"One strike."
"For victory!"
In an instant, the elite Orc swordsmen moved at his command. A sudden green tide surged forward, taking the heads of the humans immobilized by the roots. Those with low magic resistance were likely crushed to death by the roots themselves, but the enemy's overall level was high enough that quite a few survived the initial binding.
Just as Gark had said, it was a single strike. From their perspective, it must have happened in the blink of an eye. The circle of empty space around me had grown significantly larger.
That attack was meant to create an opening for us to break through. The moment the surrounding knights fell, Orbo of the Shield began to move. Having evolved into a Minotaur, he wasn't agile, but he wasn't slow either. He let out a great snort, raised his shield, and began to run. He looked like a colossal war chariot.
"I, Orbo of the Shield, will clear the way!"
"He's flying! He's flying!"
"Orbo of the Shield is awesoooome!"
Supporting Orbo were the Goblin Three Sisters. Perhaps inspired by the cool display of the elite Orc swordsmen taking heads, they formed a circle around Orbo.
In a flash, they let out a shriek and charged after him.
"We're going too!"
"Victory! For victory alone!"
"For Blood Dagger!"
I, too, was running, my eyes fixed on Orbo's back. It always feels good. It was the same feeling as when I first joined this Green Skin horde, running and shouting alongside them.
The ever-changing scenery, the clash of weapons and the smell of the battlefield, the spurting blood and guts, the roaring Green Skins, the bloodshot eyes, the ragged breaths, the twitching muscles, the brothers who face life and death together.
How could this possibly feel bad?
"Uwoooooooaaaargh!"
Humans struck by the shield were sent flying, reduced to bloody pulp. Those who tried to dodge Orbo were beaten to a paste by the swords and hammers of the Goblin Three Sisters. Intermittent spells from Jung Hayeon and the relentless assault of the elite Orc swordsmen gave the enemy no room to breathe.
"Aaaaaaaaargh!"
"The East has joined hands with demons!!!"
"Aaaargh! Sa...save me! Save meeee!"
Their immense holy power was rendered useless. We took their heads in a single strike, leaving no time for healing. With every swing of an elite Orc swordsman's blade, a life was extinguished. Running beside me, Choi Seulgi watched the scene, stunned.
"You guys... you've gotten really strong."
Choi Seulgi muttered in amazement, perhaps remembering me from my Weapon Merchant days. We were incomparably stronger now.
It hadn't been without pain. It was a result built on the blood of countless brothers. It was the fruit of swinging swords through the night, a result born not from my efforts alone, but from the entire clan thinking, struggling, and acting as one.
Bind and cut. It was a tactic we had been refining since the very beginning, from when Jung Hayeon first started to adapt to the clan. Easier said than done. The enemy reacts in real-time. To complete the spell, we had to protect Jung Hayeon and suppress the enemy mages beforehand. Even after the spell was cast, the swordsmen had to move organically and sever the enemy's neck in a single blow.
To achieve this, the shamans continuously maintained their buffs on the Orc swordsmen, while Hakajin personally relayed to Jung Hayeon the precise locations to cast her magic.
This charge, which might look reckless and unplanned, was no different.
The shamans constantly expended their magic to keep Orbo of the Shield's stamina from depleting, while the Goblin Three Sisters supported him in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Jung Hayeon continued casting her spells, and the Orc swordsmen cut down any enemy that broke away. And the one determining their path was Hakajin.
No one was superfluous. No one was a hindrance. I nodded at Choi Seulgi's words.
Because I could say it with confidence.
"Yes. We've grown strong."
Choi Seulgi smiled at my reply. Just then, a tremendous roar echoed from one side, accompanied by a loud explosion.
"Kwoooaaaaaaargh!"
The Goff Clan had also burst forth from the fortress walls. They were rampaging with an intensity that seemed to make up for their slightly later start, a truly impressive sight. Even more striking than the continuous beat of the war drums was the might of the Ogre legion as they crushed the enemy and charged forward.
With every swing of an Ogre's arm, three or four humans were launched into the air. The enemy tried to bring them down with long-range magic, but the Goff Clan's shamans didn't stand idly by. Their advance was incredibly fast for a unit without cavalry.
"Grrrrrrrk."
"Ogres... O-Ogres!"
That single phrase was followed by a scream.
"For Honor!"
The charging Ogre legion grabbed, tore, killed, and devoured the humans. The red ogre at the very vanguard was overwhelmingly powerful. I couldn't imagine anyone stopping him easily.
"Aaaaaaaaargh!"
In the Ogres' wake, there was nothing but blood and corpses. Their bodies were becoming soaked in red. Just when I thought they should be feeling tired, they seemed to grow even more excited. At that moment, another thunderous sound erupted from the Goff Clan's flank.
"Black Spear."
It was the Black Spear Clan. A black light flashed, and the humans clinging to the walls vanished without a trace. Black Spear had thrown his spear. That colossal beam of black light, which seemed as if it would never fade, only dissipated after it reached the far end of the enemy's main formation.
"For Glory!"
The Troll shieldbearers charged with their shields held forward, while the elite javelin throwers hurled their weapons without pause. With every volley of spears, the Saint Knights' formation completely collapsed.
What was interesting was the presence of goblins retrieving the thrown spears. I had thought the Black Spear Clan had a surprisingly high number of goblins, and it turned out they were also tasked with recovering the javelins. But they were far from being mere retrievers. Casualties mounted wherever they moved.
A priest healing a man with a spear in his heart lost his life to a goblin's dagger. A warrior trying to protect his comrades was surrounded by goblins and met a swift end.
The humans who had been trying to break through our walls were now desperately trying to hold back the Green Skins of the Brother's Land.
They were trying to mount a defense against the three tribes of the Brother's Land. The voice of the Sword Saint, or the King of the South, was not heard. They were probably dumbfounded. The sudden appearance of the Green Skins—this was clearly outside their calculations.
The Green Skins pushed forward, as if in a competition to break through the enemy lines. The humans raised their shields and formed ranks, trying desperately to stop them.
The situation had become utterly ridiculous.
"Defensive formation! To a defensive formation! Form a shield wall! A shield wall!"
It was then that I decided this chaos needed to continue a little longer. I turned to Choi Seulgi, who was running beside me, and spoke.
"I'm going."
"Shall we see how much you've improved?"
I nodded, then immediately looked at Choi Eunju. It seemed she had completed her casting even while running, as she immediately stretched her hand toward me.
In an instant, my vision shifted.
All I could see were enemies.
I was in the heart of their formation.
I smiled and drew Dainsleif.
[Dainsleif - Activating the item effect of the Legacy of the Magic Sword Dain.]
Small fry. No need to even draw Levatain's flame. I swapped the weapons of every enemy in sight. I threw daggers at my foes, then instantly exchanged them for the heavy weapons of others.
Screams erupted as a group of humans in one area groaned, impaled by their own equipment. I cut down those closest to me with Dainsleif's legacy and lashed out at those further away with my tail.
"Aaaaaaaaargh!"
"A-Attack!"
"T-Tankers!"
Spotting a commander in the chaos, I threw Isaac's Throwing Dagger at him and swapped it for a greatsword. I paid no more attention to the man spilling his brains, his head pierced by the massive blade. When spears flew or magic rained down, I defended with a massive shield of blood and cleared out the nearby humans with blood thorns.
Overwhelming.
I cut with my sword, killed with blood, struck with my tail, and swung my hands and feet. With every move, human bodies burst, screams echoed, and despair was continuously absorbed into my body.
"D-Die!"
A formidable-looking warrior swung his sword at me, but he couldn't block the massive blood-sword that fell from the sky and was instantly killed. His death only made the blood-sword larger, and as if it had a life of its own, it split into several smaller blades that began to cut down every human in sight.
"Bl-Blizzard!"
It seemed there was a decent ice mage somewhere. Seeing the blood begin to freeze, I drew Levatain. I poured all my magic into it, and a violent torrent of flame and heat erupted, beginning to swallow the humans whole.
"A d-demon... a demon!"
"A pleasant compliment."
"Huh?"
A flaming axe descended upon him.
I saw two men who looked like commanders rushing toward me. I swapped their weapons, and they stared blankly at what was now in their hands. I gifted one with a thorn of blood and the other with the legacy of Dain. Soon, there was no one left around me.
I killed and cut down everything I saw. I tore bodies in half. My eyes were bloodshot, my breathing grew ragged. Time began to slow, and as my concentration reached its peak, I felt some crazy bastard thrust a powerless spear at me.
"D-Die!"
The spear, thrust with such courage, didn't even pierce my body.
"H-Huh?"
The man stared blankly at the spear in his hand, then began to look around with a bewildered expression. All he could see was blood, corpses, and entrails. Everyone around him was dead.
The few humans still alive were keeping their distance, warily watching me. It probably didn't take long for him to realize he was the only human alive in a fifty-meter radius.
"Sa...save..."
He couldn't say any more.
His head was already flying through the air.
"Re...retreat."
A small voice came from somewhere. That voice spread like a plague, echoing from all directions.
"Re...retreat."
"Re...Retreat!!"