Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Slaying the Orc Chieftain
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Orc society largely adheres to the laws of nature. The strong rule over others, and the weak are subjugated. From that alone, it was clear that Chieftain Toruto's prowess was in no way inferior to that of an orc champion.
Yet the fact that he fled without engaging So Gun-ak showed he was far more cunning than the average orc.
So Gun-ak focused on the two orc champions who had halted his advance. By now, orcs had densely packed around him, forming an encirclement.
In the distance, beyond the orcs' heads, two hundred mounted archers circled the horde, raining down arrows—but they weren't inflicting significant casualties.
If I can't win, I'll die.
So Gun-ak felt a dryness in his throat from tension he hadn't experienced in ages. An unbearable thirst came over him, and with it, a sudden sense of isolation hit him hard.
Even in the Central Plains, he'd faced life-threatening situations like this many times before, but back then, he'd always had his reliable Black Dragon Corps brothers at his side.
I'll come rescue you soon enough.
To save the Black Dragon Corps, he had to annihilate the orcs entirely—which meant killing their chieftain, Toruto. And to do that, he needed to swiftly dispatch the two champions in front of him.
He had no time to worry about the orcs closing in on their encirclement.
These two come first.
The two orc champions rode their luks, seizing positions in front of So Gun-ak and to his right. A luk was a fearsome beast in its own right. Even reinforced as he was, Mu-yeong would die if gored by those horns.
But having faced them before, So Gun-ak knew that while luks boasted tremendous charging power and horn attacks, their agility in turning or wheeling around was markedly poor.
"Mu-yeong, let's go."
Neigh!
Mu-yeong kicked off the ground.
At that instant, the luks charged from both sides. A luk's horn narrowly grazed Mu-yeong's hindquarters.
With it came the orc champion's sword slicing toward So Gun-ak's waist.
Kwag!
So Gun-ak barely blocked the orc champion's strike with his greatsword. As the force transmitted through the blade lessened, he released one hand, lifted the sword upward, and deflected the champion's greatsword off course.
In the moment they crossed paths, a spear was in So Gun-ak's left hand.
Puk!
So Gun-ak's spear plunged into the champion's back. The luk continued onward oblivious, and the skewered orc champion tumbled to the ground.
He hadn't lost his life, but the wound was fatal.
Whoosh!
As Mu-yeong brushed past the oncoming luk from the front, the orc's greatsword swung toward So Gun-ak's upper body.
So Gun-ak leaned back to evade the greatsword while smashing the orc champion's torso with his spear shaft.
The force sent the orc champion tumbling off his luk. In that instant, So Gun-ak yanked Mu-yeong's reins and turned. The fallen orc champion lunged immediately, but So Gun-ak's spear tip shook and then thrust straight at him.
Shick!
The second form of the Extreme Spear Ten Principles: Twin Dragons Emerge. The orc champion stupidly tried to block with his greatsword, only for it to pierce his throat.
In raw power alone, he matched a peak master, but his techniques with weapons were shallow beyond measure.
Mu-yeong charged at the orc champion struggling to rise despite the hole in his back. So Gun-ak aimed precisely at his heart and thrust the spear down.
Kwak!
"Hah!"
The spear impaled the orc champion's body, hoisting it into the air before hurling it away. The orc champion sailed through the air spewing blood, crashing among the soldiers and dying on the spot.
"Hya!"
So Gun-ak quickly scanned for Toruto.
Without eliminating Toruto, their supreme commander, he couldn't steer the battle as he wished.
Puk! Kwajik!
So Gun-ak butchered the obstructing orcs indiscriminately as he pressed forward. Securing a retreat never crossed his mind; this was solely to burrow into the enemy's heart.
In the worst case, Capone's cavalry might fail to breach the encirclement and reach him.
Even then, with the Magic Suit's aid, he wouldn't die surrounded by foot soldiers.
Of course, he'd need to conserve some strength after slaying Toruto. He'd already expended much energy taking out a hundred luk riders.
Having pushed his internal energy to the brink, he'd need hours of rest to recover—but after a brief session of energy circulation, he'd sortied again.
Rather than drag it into a prolonged battle and give the orcs time to think, he planned to overwhelm them swiftly for a quick victory.
It was because, in the worst case, they might bypass the mist formation and head straight for Raits Magic Tower.
"Kuluk, damn it."
Orc Chieftain Toruto had no choice but to face So Gun-ak now that the fearsome black knight had pierced the encirclement and chased him to his rear.
No matter that it was a tactical retreat—in orc society, cowards weren't tolerated. Orcs follow the strong. Fleeing the fight would undermine his command over the orc soldiers and champions.
A planned retreat for later was pointless.
So Gun-ak's eyes gleamed as he faced Toruto. Up close, the pressure emanating from him was no joke. His luk was half again larger than average, but Toruto's bulk was immense too.
Riding their mounts, the height difference between them was twofold.
"Persistent bastard."
So Gun-ak was startled that Toruto spoke human tongue.
Orcs didn't speak human languages, conversing in their own guttural speech—which sounded like foreign babble to So Gun-ak. Yet Toruto was clearly speaking human words.
"First talking orc I've met."
"Kuluk. It's because of you humans—we'd gladly chew you all up."
Toruto had been captured by humans as a child, raised as an orc slave in human society until he escaped to the wasteland and his tribe.
The driving force behind his blood-soaked training to become chieftain was hatred for humans.
Not only did he speak human languages, he thought like one and even employed basic tactics—all from his childhood in the human world.
Toruto leveled his sword at So Gun-ak.
"Because of you, we'll have trouble later."
His tribe originally had no 150 luk riders. It was a unit formed with the full backing of Great Chieftain Kurka.
It was more than enough to conquer Raits Magic Tower, but So Gun-ak had wiped them out.
Toruto enjoyed Great Chieftain Kurka's utmost trust. Betraying that trust was impossible. Conquering Raits Magic Tower afterward would be a real headache.
So Gun-ak disassembled his mounted spear, stowed it on his back, and drew his greatsword. If they weren't clashing weapons, fine—but for trading blows, the greatsword was better.
He might be outmatched in strength, but it offered the best chance to win.
"Doesn't concern you anyway. This is the end of the line for you."
"Kukuku, bold human."
Toruto didn't fall for So Gun-ak's provocation. He had to fight, but he was ever cautious.
But as time passed, So Gun-ak grew impatient.
They were deep in the orc horde's center. The cavalry raced about chaotically, loosing arrows, but the orcs had pushed crude shieldbearers to the perimeter, sharply reducing deaths from stray shots.
"I am Toruto, chieftain of the Gray Axe Tribe."
Everywhere, there are those who talk big before a fight.
Usually for one of two reasons: lacking confidence and seeking an escape, or lulling the foe into exposing an opening.
Toruto seemed the latter, but So Gun-ak thrust his spear without a word.
The first form of the Extreme Spear Ten Principles: Swift Flash Single Spear!
Shuwaang! Kang!
The ultra-swift thrust was blocked by Toruto's axe. So Gun-ak's face twisted.
He's the real deal.
Toruto's skill surpassed everyone So Gun-ak had faced. Stronger than Blood Knight Ant, stronger than Red Rose Knights' Vice Captain Rat.
Whoooong!
Toruto's massive axe swung at So Gun-ak and Mu-yeong together. Dodging would cleave Mu-yeong in two. But at So Gun-ak's will, Mu-yeong dropped to the ground, evading. No ordinary horse could move like that.
Kagang!
A greatsword was suddenly in So Gun-ak's hands.
He raised it overhead, barely blocking the axe and sliding it aside. Then he kicked off Mu-yeong's saddle, leaping up toward Toruto's head.
"Hah!"
The Black Dragon Corps' core martial art, Fierce Tiger Swordsmanship, was a greatsword style that yielded to nothing in power.
Toruto's innate divine strength, honed by grueling effort, should have overwhelmed, yet So Gun-ak wasn't pushed back.
Kwabang!
Toruto blocked So Gun-ak's downward strike with his axe and was shocked by the unexpected force. But more surprising: So Gun-ak's true attack hadn't targeted him.
Kikikikik!
The sword slid along the axe's blade, continuing down, veering toward the luk's neck.
Chwaak!
Ordinary greatswords were heavy weapons that crushed foes in armor with weight alone; their edges held little use. But Kataras' greatsword had a keen edge.
Forged from lacom, incomparable to normal steel in durability. Sword energy flared along that edge, and the luk's head was cleanly severed.
Thud.
As the luk's head fell, Toruto let out a scream-like roar. Breathing hot snorts, he swung his axe wildly.
"Kruruk! Die!"
To an orc warrior, a luk was a lifelong companion, once-in-a-lifetime. Being accepted by one was a warrior's honor. And Toruto's was an elite captain-grade luk.
With it dead, his rage was immense.
So Gun-ak barely blocked the frenzied axe strikes, steadily retreating. It looked dire, like his life hung by a thread—but inwardly, he smiled.
Killing the luk preempted any escape if the fight turned sour.
But Toruto's excited charge handed So Gun-ak an opportunity.
Losing composure in battle exposed weaknesses to the enemy. Even so, Toruto's power was tremendous; So Gun-ak poured everything into defense.
All or nothing.
So Gun-ak bided his moment. Gaps yawned everywhere on Toruto's body. But minor wounds wouldn't shift the tide.
He was trapped in the enemy camp's heart.
One strike to finish Toruto, then exploit the chaos to escape.
Kang! Kwang!
Axe and greatsword clashed, exploding with sound. Sword energy met battle spirit.
So Gun-ak blocked the overhead axe with his greatsword, then rolled forward. Toruto's towering stature left ample space between his legs.
Instantly behind Toruto, So Gun-ak crouched low gripping his greatsword, then sprang up.
"Chaap!"
Kwajijik!
Leaping Tiger Ascends the Mountain!
The greatsword surged from Toruto's groin upward.
"Keurk!"
Toruto emitted a grotesque cry as his body split from the groin up, pitching forward. Blood and entrails spilled as So Gun-ak leaped back, landing far off and sheathing his greatsword.
Blood coated it thickly—bad for preservation—but amid encirclement, no time for that.
He'd clean it later.
"Mu-yeong."
So Gun-ak grabbed the reins of the approaching Mu-yeong, mounted swiftly, and assembled his mounted spear from the back pole. As he did, Capone's cavalry broke through the encirclement behind the orcs' heads.
Better than expected.
It was an assault cavalry formed mainly of Capone's Red Wolf mercenaries and the castle knights.
Impressive results for brief training.
They'd drilled only essentials for combat, but the shared mission to defend Raits City was likely key.
"Hya!"
With their chieftain dead, the orcs didn't flee—instead charging ferociously. But gone was their organized movement; they hindered each other chaotically.
In the strong-eat-weak orc world, whoever slew the chieftain's killer became the next.
They swarmed So Gun-ak madly, and he spun his spear wildly while awaiting Capone's cavalry.
Kwajajak!
"Uahaha, Boss! A bit late."
Capone swung his axe, decapitating a blocking orc, and laughed heartily.
"Let's break out."
So Gun-ak joined the cavalry, piercing straight through the infantry lines.
The fight with Toruto had drained his spirit immensely. His internal energy nearly spent, he urgently needed meditation to recover.