Chapter 157
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157
They planned to bring Uin along as an escort for when the Imperial Family had to flee after losing the war on the Annun Plains.
For their own safety.
"Am I wrong?"
"Y-you lunatic!"
"Or are you going to make excuses and call it a strategy? You can't even guarantee victory on the Annun Plains, yet you're already dividing our forces? Whose brilliant idea was that? If a member of the Imperial Family came up with that, the future of this Empire is in grave danger."
"…"
"The Hero is reassuring the citizens of Riaze? What about Sian? Ah, that's right. Sian never lets the Imperial Family get their hooks in him, so it's not like you could stop him anyway. I must have forgotten."
By the time Rashumer finished speaking, veins were bulging on the foreheads of the Imperial Family members.
As the enraged royals began to scream, the royal guards pointed their spears at Rashumer. He just smirked and drew the greatsword from his back.
"…Don't let the Empire own you."
After whispering quietly to Uin, Rashumer swept his gaze over the royals.
"Let me offer a piece of friendly advice, since you all seem to be thinking, 'He's a former Hero. Surely he wouldn't dare harm the Imperial Family?'"
Watching the situation unfold from behind, the 1st Imperial Prince began to tremble.
He knew exactly what Rashumer was capable of.
"I have very little attachment left to this Empire."
Rashumer's greatsword pointed first at the princess's neck.
*
The tragedy they feared was averted.
This was largely thanks to the 1st Imperial Prince. Because he knew of Rashumer's past, he was able to calm the other royals and de-escalate the situation.
"We're late, though. If those damn assassins hadn't ambushed us on the way back, we would've been here much sooner."
"You said they were… agents of the Papal Faction, working with the Orcs?"
"Yeah. They tried to stop us from getting here, so there's no doubt about it."
"…So the Captain knew about that, too."
"Don't ask me. Ask him yourself when he wakes up. For now, focus on the battlefield."
"…Understood."
Even as they spoke, Uin's gaze never left the field before them.
Countless Orcs were swarming forward. With the Imperial army already in retreat, the Orcs' morale was soaring.
"Guoooooo!"
The Orc leading the charge let out a guttural roar and raised its axe, the blade aimed straight for Uin.
Taking a short breath, Uin settled into her stance and lunged toward it.
Whoosh!
Just before the Orc swung its axe, Uin ducked. The massive blade sliced through empty air.
Slipping inside the Orc's guard, Uin straightened up and threw a punch.
It was a simple, direct strike—hardly even a proper technique.
Thud.
The instant her fist connected with the Orc's abdomen, its massive body lifted into the air as if defying gravity.
The Orc choked out a strange sound. "Ku-wuk."
A split second later.
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion erupted from the point of contact.
A shockwave shot out in a straight line. A massive hole was blown through the Orc’s torso as its mangled body was sent flying backward.
The Orcs directly behind it exploded in the exact same way.
At the same time, an immense pressure wave swept over the area.
The raging gale halted the charge of dozens of nearby Orcs. Some couldn't withstand the force and were sent tumbling backward to the ground.
With just a single attack, the charging Orc vanguard had been completely shattered.
"Phew."
Uin let out a short breath. Looking to her side, she saw several elite Orc soldiers charging fearlessly toward her.
"Kuoooooo!"
Instantly adjusting her stance, Uin delivered a second strike. Deciding it was too much trouble to dodge this time, she met the club-wielding Orc's attack head-on.
Her gauntlet clashed with the massive club—and it was the club that crumpled.
Crash!!!
Another thunderous roar erupted. Once again, several Orcs exploded into nothing, and the resulting shockwave flattened the wild grass of the plains. Massive Orcs were sent rolling across the field, unable to stand against the wind.
As the two explosions rang out, the eyes of every Orc and Imperial soldier on the battlefield turned toward Uin.
"I-It's the Hero!"
"Uin Historia is here!"
"Reinforcements! It's reinforcements!"
Cheers erupted from the human soldiers.
Leaving behind Rashumer, who smirked and joked, "You're quite popular," Uin scanned the state of the battle.
Though she hadn't planned it, Uin held an overwhelming advantage in stamina.
The exhausted Orc soldiers weren't even a threat… The only thing that caught her attention was…
"Sir Rashumer, look over there."
"They must be the gatekeepers."
Two Orcs were approaching the spot where Uin and Rashumer stood.
Rashumer took a few steps forward. After a few paces, their silhouettes became much clearer. Squinting at them, he spoke.
"I got some intel on the enemy commanders beforehand. The big one is Kaltum, and the ridiculously massive one must be Nargu."
"What are their weaknesses?"
"No idea. I barely managed to remember their names."
"Then you're useless!"
"Try getting old yourself, you brat," Rashumer replied, a hint of irritation in his voice.
The distance was gradually closing. Although they were now close enough to be seen clearly, the two Orc gatekeepers didn't speed up. They were sizing up Uin and Rashumer.
Since Uin and Rashumer also had no need to rush, they stood still and observed the two Orcs.
Sensing the mood, the surrounding Orcs began to clear a path, eager to avoid getting caught in the gatekeepers' battle.
Rashumer spoke to Uin in a serious tone.
"Uin, listen carefully. The Empire's situation is terrible. Just because we take out the vanguard doesn't mean we can make the retreating soldiers turn around and charge again."
"…Yes."
"The best you can do right now is help the Imperial army retreat successfully and halt the Orcs' advance."
"We have to stop those gatekeepers first."
"I know. I'm not telling you to ignore the ones right in front of us. I'm telling you not to get greedy."
The distance to the two Orcs shrank even further. As Uin stared intently at the enemy, her eyes suddenly widened.
It was only then that Uin and Rashumer could identify what Nargu was dragging in his hand.
"Stur… man…?"
It was his signature armor. There was no mistaking it.
"…Tsk."
Rashumer clicked his tongue softly.
It was a blatant provocation—one they couldn't possibly ignore.
She had taken the bait completely. Uin's breathing grew ragged. It would be impossible for Rashumer to calm her now.
"Uin, let me ask you one thing."
"Don't tell me not to fight."
"How long will that take?"
"…"
After a brief hesitation, Uin took a step forward before answering.
Rashumer sighed and followed behind her.
"It won't take long."
Only after closing the distance to the Orc gatekeepers to within a hundred meters did Uin finally reply.
"It will be over quickly."
In the next instant, Uin kicked off the ground and shot forward.
"Ha."
Watching Uin charge ahead, Rashumer let out a soft sigh.
He had no intention of blaming her. If he had been in her shoes, he would have lost his mind too.
"A little consideration for your old master would be nice."
Drawing the greatsword from his back, Rashumer also lunged toward the Orcs, his speed even greater than Uin's.
No matter how much of a Hero Uin was, facing two gatekeepers at once was dangerous. Even if she could win, it would take far more time than fighting them one by one.
Since the Imperial army had retreated, there were no soldiers left to back them up. If Uin was surrounded by the Orc army, it would be a disaster. Her stamina wasn't limitless; if she was surrounded after exhausting her strength, she would die just like anyone else.
Therefore, he had to tie one of them down to end this quickly.
Catching up to Uin in an instant, Rashumer raised his heavy greatsword high.
Since Uin's hatred was directed at Nargu, Rashumer's target was Kaltum.
Lunging forward, Rashumer swung his greatsword down. Kaltum's hammer and Rashumer's greatsword clashed with a deafening clang.
Clang!
Rashumer was the one pushed back in the first exchange. It was unavoidable. The enemy wielded a hammer, and Rashumer was using a different greatsword, not his original weapon, Tanabella.
"And here I said I wouldn't get involved in the war."
Even though he was pushed back, Rashumer maintained a relaxed expression as he raised his greatsword once more.
"Well, the person I made that promise to is currently out cold, so I suppose it doesn't matter."
A series of clashes followed.
Annun Plains.
Orc Legion Commander Kurak.
Dawn was slowly breaking.
Kurak watched everything from atop his hippogriff.
According to his plan, the Imperial army should have been crushed today. The humans would flee using the Teleportation Hubs, and his forces would seize a few of those hubs to cross over to Riaze in an instant… That was the plan, and that black-hearted human, the Pope, had promised his cooperation, but…
"…"
An unexpected variable had appeared.
That incompetent human—the Pope—had failed to stop the Hero from taking the field.
The young Hero's last-minute appearance had completely disrupted the battlefield. It was no longer a clean victory.
He looked far into the distance, toward where the battle had taken place.
Kaltum had fought the swordsman and lost. However, he had barely managed to escape with his life. Since the swordsman's weapon wasn't in great condition either, Kaltum got away with only minor injuries.
"A wise one."
The swordsman did not pursue Kaltum. If he had given chase relentlessly, Kurak would have stepped in to deal with him personally.
The problem was Nargu.
"…"
It was a disaster. The fight was over in an instant. Nargu, who was unmatched in raw strength among the gatekeepers, hadn't landed a single blow before his entire body was blown to pieces.
Every single one of her blows was powerful enough to spray blood dozens of meters away.
"…"
Should he press the attack, or should he pull the army back?
The damage to his gatekeepers was severe. He needed to reorganize. In any case, with over a hundred thousand soldiers remaining, even the Hero would crumble if they applied a little pressure.
After much deliberation, Kurak made his decision.
"Retreat for now."
*
Nargu, chieftain of the Kokan Tribe and the one who killed the 2nd Imperial Prince and Sturman, met a miserable end.
Just as he had always bulldozed his way through with sheer physical strength, he was utterly powerless before Uin's even greater might.
When Nargu was blown to pieces by Uin's fist, Kaltum, realizing there was no chance of victory, broke off his fight with Rashumer and immediately retreated.
Moments later, a retreat order was issued to all Orcs on the front lines. The distinct sound of horn trumpets filled the air. The Orcs, who had rushed in like a rising tide, receded like an ebbing one.
The sight was neither solemn nor tragic.
The Orcs' steps were hesitant, as if they were leaving behind unfinished business.
On the battlefield, tens of thousands of new corpses were piled atop those from the day before.
"Things are turning out quite interesting," Patrick muttered, his gaze shifting between Nargu's corpse and Uin on the screen.
"I believe that is the famous 'Iron Fist.' I've seen a few of the Empire's Heroes, but never one of her kind. At that level, wouldn't she be the strongest among humans?"
A rattling sound came from Patrick's jaw. While it was a pity he couldn't jump into the battle himself, finding an opponent who could stir his fighting spirit was always a pleasure.
"What does everyone else think?"
Perhaps feeling awkward talking to himself, Patrick took his eyes off the screen and looked from side to side.
Bathory had already left, and Melju, perhaps tired from being awake all day, was nodding off, her small head drooping.
The sleepless Patrick had long forgotten what drowsiness felt like, but he could certainly understand feeling tired after staring at a screen all day. He could sympathize.
'I guess everyone is exhausted.'
This time, Patrick turned his head to look at Rene.
Rene was—
"…I should have killed that bitch back then."
She was glaring at the screen, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Her expression was rigid, as if every muscle in her face had frozen solid.
Her cold eyes were filled with malice. Even the sharp click of her teeth on her nails sounded chilling. She looked ready to tear through the screen at any moment and rip Uin to shreds.
"Um, Miss Rene?"
At Patrick's voice, Rene shifted her icy gaze directly to him and replied.
"What?"
"No, it's nothing! Ah, yes. Nothing at all."
Patrick hurriedly waved his hands. His immediate survival instinct suppressed his curiosity.
Throughout his response, his sternum tingled. Patrick's sternum always vibrated when he sensed a threat to his life, a warning that told him if he had made one wrong move just now, he would be dead.
Patrick remained frozen like a statue until Rene looked away. Once he was out of her line of sight, he stealthily glanced toward Swallow.