Chapter 86: Coward
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: Coward
[I'd be grateful if you read this slowly and carefully! Thank you!]
*
The man’s expression twisted in utter shock when he heard my voice. Of course, it was only natural. An Orc that could speak human words was bound to be bewildering.
“You… you?”
I charged him immediately. There was only one reason I’d bothered to speak in the human tongue. I had no intention of letting him leave alive. He was going to die here, no matter what. He was undoubtedly stronger than me, but it was no exaggeration to say his body was an absolute wreck.
His gaunt, wretched appearance made it hard to believe this was the same summoner once praised as the Righteous Knight. As soon as I lunged forward with my greatsword, he turned and started to run. He was making a break for his weapon.
With his pants half-fallen, clutching at the fabric with one hand, he couldn't have looked more pathetic. The sight made my anger boil over. Just as I had once respected the Sword Saint, this man had also been an object of admiration. Whatever his circumstances, the hypocrisy they displayed infuriated me.
I gripped my greatsword tightly. His weapon was a ‘spear.’ Not wanting to complicate a fight I could already win, I drew the greatsword far back, just like Black Spear would.
I tensed the muscles in my entire body and continuously poured magic into the blade. Just as I felt the magic in my arm reach its limit, I gripped the greatsword’s hilt like a javelin and hurled it in the direction he was running.
There was no sound of it tearing through the air, but the greatsword flew at a tremendous speed, descending upon him in a perfectly straight line.
“Sh… Shit, you’re insane!”
His voice was panicked. A scream erupted from his lips, as if he’d never imagined someone would throw a sword this massive.
“Aaaaaargh!”
I had aimed to pierce straight through his torso, but he must have dodged with all his might, as it only tore through his side.
It wasn’t a perfect success, but my effort hadn’t been in vain. The damage was done.
“Krrrrk.”
Without realizing it, a red glint appeared in my eyes.
“Damn it… Damn it… Miss Ahyeon, I… I apologize for what happened earlier. For now, please… heal this…”
He pressed one hand to the bleeding wound in his side, using his spear to support his body. He pleaded with Baek Ahyeon, but there was no way she would chant a spell for the Righteous Knight. Instead, she kept her lips sealed shut.
Seeing her reaction, his expression crumpled with desperation.
“If you just stand there, we’ll both die. This is no time to be clinging to your pride.”
He spouted whatever came to mind, but it was nothing but bullshit. Even I found it laughable. He kept talking, but of course, Baek Ahyeon didn’t respond. I scoffed at him and charged. Seeing me press forward with the Ancient Flame in hand, he shouted with a frantic look on his face.
“Damn it… Aren’t you going to heal me?!”
Just like before, his true nature was showing. They say extreme situations change people, but this was a completely different man from the one I knew.
In that brief moment, I reassessed his condition and equipment. The wound in his side wasn’t quite fatal, but it was clearly causing him continuous damage. Another piece of good news was that he wasn’t properly armed. The armor that was said to be the pride of the Righteous Knight was scattered on the ground; he obviously hadn’t had time to put it on.
The spear he held also looked like a decent item. I couldn’t tell if it had any additional effects, but it was definitely different from the spear he used to wield. Its shape was a little different from the one the Queen of the North carried. But the fact remained that he was using a spear.
The battle with the Queen of the North constantly replayed in my mind. This was a good opportunity to test what I’d learned.
I once again pulled a dagger from my belt and threw it at him. The dagger flew in an instant, but as expected, he deflected it with his spear.
“Damn it!”
It seemed he’d finally realized he would have to face me without Baek Ahyeon’s help. Forcing himself to ignore the wound in his side, he charged toward me, looking every bit the powerful warrior he was.
If the Queen of the North’s spear was sharp, light, and unpredictable, his spear was heavy.
It was a style that suited the special class of a Knight.
“Would have been better if you were wearing your armor… right? Krrrrk.”
“Fuck… a talking Orc.”
His eyes were anxious, but he didn’t avoid my sword. The Ancient Flame was blocked by his spear, but the flames that crept out were threatening enough. Despite that, he didn’t back down. This, for example, was his style. He might have gauged my level to some extent, but I didn’t care.
Of course, basic stats are important in a fight. The presence of a unique ability, the compatibility of skills, physical specs, class—all of it matters. But there was something I’d learned from my previous battles.
Momentum.
Momentum is just as crucial as everything I just listed. It’s not simply about who’s pushing and who’s being pushed. One’s attitude toward the fight is also a critical part of combat.
Because of the Forest Worm fluid on me, I couldn’t unleash intense heat openly, but just the rise in temperature must have been causing him extreme stress. Even more so if he hadn’t had any water.
From his perspective, he needed to end this fight quickly. As if to prove his haste, he thrust his spear precisely at the space between my eyes.
‘I can see it.’
I can see it clearly. It’s not fast. His stamina has dropped so much it’s visible. But my mind was telling me not to block the attack, but to dodge it. It was a strike filled with power. I dodged his spear with a slight turn of my head.
He began to press his attack, staying on me. Normally, in a fight between a sword and a spear, the swordsman would try to close the distance, but he wasn’t doing that. He knew he had to end it quickly, too. He wasn't worried about the bleeding or his falling stamina. Every time I parried his spear, I ‘intentionally’ let the flames flare up. The searing flames kept erupting, some even licking the walls and ceiling.
I poured magic into my sword and continued to pressure him. His movements had become overly passive. Watching him, I couldn’t help but realize something. It was because I saw the strange look of relief on his face when I retracted the flames.
“You.”
“...?”
“You’re worried…”
“Wh… What?”
“That this cave will collapse. You’re worried you’ll be buried again. Krrrrk.”
I bared my fangs and grinned at him. His face stiffened. A perfect bullseye. The thing that bothered him wasn’t a talking Orc, nor the massive flames, nor the dehydrating heat. It was the possibility of the cave collapsing again.
“How interesting… Very interesting… Krrrrrrk.”
“…”
As he watched me warily, I kept making the flames flare up. As expected, he charged with his spear. Committing mutual suicide with a crazy Orc was the last thing he wanted. It was a situation that was bound to make him desperate.
“You crazy Orc bastard!”
The power of his thrusting spear was exceptional. It didn’t suck me in like a snake, the way the Queen of the North’s did, but it came at me with precision, speed, and weight.
‘Parry.’
Parry. It was a motion I had replayed tens of thousands of times in my head. Deflect the spearhead with the sword. Easier said than done. Blocking such a powerful attack was naturally difficult. The timing was instantaneous.
I gripped the Ancient Flame tightly. I wouldn’t dodge. I stared straight at the spear.
The moment the spear neared my body, I angled the Ancient Flame and succeeded in deflecting his attack.
“Keuk.”
Even so, a heavy shock ran through my body. It was enough to make my hands tremble. But I’d done it. I had definitely deflected it.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
He charged at me with an unintelligible battle cry, but I continued to deflect his spear. The one on the attack was the one being pushed back. In contrast, I advanced, continuously meeting his strikes.
Erupting flames. Heat. It’s hot.
My body grew hotter and hotter. The excitement of battle made my body burn. I pushed magic into the Ancient Flame once more, and in an instant, my entire body was engulfed in fire.
Heat filled my vision. It was a wonder the ground hadn’t collapsed yet. Looking at me, his eyes were clearly filled with terror. He looked at me as if to ask if I wasn’t afraid of dying in a place like this, and opened his mouth.
“You… you fucking bastard… What the hell are you?”
A question out of nowhere. He wasn’t asking for my name or my title. I didn’t know whether to answer ‘Orc’ or ‘Green Skin,’ but I slyly averted my gaze from him and looked toward Baek Ahyeon. Baek Ahyeon, staring blankly in my direction even amidst the intense heat.
My identity is actually simple. A human who was lucky enough to be reincarnated as a Green Skin. But after seeing Baek Ahyeon staring at me so vacantly, I decided to open my mouth with a bit of mischief.
“A savior.”
“You… you son of a bitch!”
Thinking I was mocking him, he charged, his eyes blazing. I, too, poured magic into the Ancient Flame until it reached its limit. The surging flames felt incredibly familiar. His eyes looked desperate. The eyes of someone who wanted to live.
That desire was clearly contained within his spear.
But it was light. His spear, which should have been heavy, felt needlessly light.
‘Break it.’
I can definitely overcome him.
CRACK!
I stomped my foot on the ground. I put my weight into the sword.
His eyes wavered once more. Even the vibration of the ground shaking was getting to him. I raised the Ancient Flame with both hands, pulling it back behind my head. His spear thrust precisely toward my torso. The spear was glowing brightly, perhaps due to one of his abilities.
I couldn’t identify the ability. But I wouldn’t dodge.
‘Break it.’
A sword containing a massive flame.
A sword crashing down upon his spear.
CRUUUNCH!CRACK!
The Ancient Flame devoured his spear. With a heavy, ear-ringing sound, the spear was knocked from his hands. I felt a large hole being punched through my body. It was probably a piercing ability. Separate from me shattering his spear, the damage had come through. The shock was enough to make me collapse. I gritted my teeth and endured it. I would not let go of my sword. I stared straight at him.
But his gaze was fixed on the spear he had lost.
I smiled. His eyes weren’t on me. Seeing his gaze fixed on his spear, I was half-certain of my victory.
He was surely stronger than me. His depleted stamina could be a reason, or the fact that he wasn't fully equipped. Or perhaps the wound to his side from the beginning was also a factor in his defeat.
But the true cause of his loss was that he never properly looked at his real enemy.
“You coward.”
I swung the Ancient Flame at him.