Chapter 129
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Vicious Scheme
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After the Calamity Princess stepped forward.
The Anti-Bandit Alliance was relentlessly pursuing and cornering the retreating Bandit Aristocrat Alliance.
But despite their momentum, they hadn't achieved much in the way of actual military gains.
In Odobaekryeong, every territory was a moving warship and a barrier against monsters.
Breaking through the Bandit Aristocrat Alliance, which was clustered around Giam Fortress and focused solely on retreating, was harder than conquering a typical fortress.
This was especially true since the Anti-Bandit Alliance couldn't easily advance on the front lines while Pandora was active.
“The leader of the Bandit Aristocrats sent a duel request?”
“They said he'd need at least a few months to recover. Is he already healed?”
“Then again, considering the monstrous regenerative abilities of the troll race, it's actually taken quite a while.”
That was why.
The nobles of the Anti-Bandit Alliance couldn't help but stir.
Although they'd had a slight advantage in recent battles, the gap between the two forces was still not that large.
The fact that Larr Arga's return would make it difficult to push the Bandit Aristocrat Alliance as they had been was unsettling them.
Especially since it was plain to see, even from a distance, that the bandit aristocrats were regaining their confidence.
“So what happens now?”
“What happens? Well…”
“...That's for the Lord of Nakrang Fortress to decide.”
Whether to accept the duel.
To ignore it and fight.
Or to negotiate at this point.
Everything would be decided by Urk's choice.
Thus, everyone—from the Bandit Aristocrat Alliance and the Anti-Bandit Alliance, noble and commoner alike—was on high alert, watching Nakrang Fortress's every move, but…
…the one who felt most perplexed by the situation was someone else entirely.
“Hmm, I went to the trouble of sending the old man Orc some advice. It's all turned out to be useless.”
Far behind.
Unlike the other lords, who were gathered at the front around Nakrang Fortress, eager to score even the smallest achievement.
The white-masked boy had separated his five manors from Nakrang Fortress and gathered them far in the rear.
Hearing Dion's mutter, the Vault Keeper wore a puzzled expression.
“Do you think that orc will ignore your warning, my lord?”
“Well, unless the old man Orc is an idiot, sending Pandora out in his place is the best move in this situation.”
Dion had only been able to stop Pandora from fighting because Larr Arga was absent.
If Larr Arga recovered from his injuries and returned to the front lines, Urk would never hold Pandora back.
With the Nakrang Knights having suffered heavy losses, his chances of winning a direct fight against Larr Arga were slim, of course.
And there was no telling what tricks might be involved in this duel proposal.
Holding back his strongest card, Pandora, in this situation was something not even the world's biggest fool would do.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
That was why.
When the gates of Nakrang Fortress opened.
Dion had watched the long bridge extending from within with eyes devoid of expectation.
And…
*Thud, thud.*
“…”
…he had also blinked unwittingly upon seeing the giant figure striding confidently down that bridge.
This wasn't limited to just Dion.
Nearly everyone watching Nakrang Fortress was surprised by the unexpected sight.
But the very person who surprised them paid no mind.
A throwing axe hung from his waist.
A halberd gripped in one hand.
He took heavy steps forward.
And simply let out a thunderous roar in front of Nakrang Fortress.
“Come out, Larr Arga!”
“You vile chieftain of bandits!”
“I, Urk Cortell, descendant of the great Orc Lord Tur, will end your sinful life!!!”
And so…
Accepting the duel.
Instead of sending a proxy.
As everyone stared dumbfounded at the massive old orc who had boldly stepped onto the battlefield alone.
“Pfft, ahahahaha!”
As if the world was ending.
The boy, who had burst out laughing while clutching his stomach, wiped away the tears that had leaked from laughing too hard.
And he smiled brightly at the opponent who, for once, had defied his expectations.
“Looks like the old man Orc is a bigger fool than I thought.”
“…Well, he is an orc, my lord.”
“Yes, that's true.”
Greedy.
Dull-witted.
And valiant.
Dion watched the old warrior—who, despite looking down on his own kind more than anyone, was ultimately more orc-like than any of them—with a much more amused expression.
He held a sliver of anticipation, wondering if Urk's reckless choice could change a predetermined fate.
***
With his eyes closed.
Urk recalled.
The countless thoughts and judgments he had made after receiving Larr Arga's challenge.
Thinking rationally, the decision he should have made, and could have made, was already set.
*‘Why…?’*
That must have been why.
When she heard his decision.
He could understand the bewilderment Pandora had shown.
*‘Why on earth do you say you will go yourself?’*
Was it because she believed he would naturally send her?
As Urk recalled the answer he had given then, along with the image of his adopted daughter looking at him with an expression he had never seen before in his life.
Like the ones from when he had stepped onto the battlefield.
The sound of footsteps, heavier than his own, rang out.
*Thud, thud.*
“—Unexpected.”
“What is unexpected?”
“That you accepted my challenge.”
“Khuhuhu, is that what you thought? That I would hide behind my daughter's glory?”
“The act of a coward… a whelp.”
“A coward… I can understand why you'd think so. I was always one of the more cautious ones in my clan.”
The two-headed troll.
Despite Larr Arga's scornful mockery, Urk did not get angry.
Instead, he only wore a dark smile.
Even his own children couldn't understand why he hid his power instead of displaying the family's might, despite having surpassed the Transcendent Boundary decades ago.
“But, senior, I always make the best decision.”
If he had revealed that he'd surpassed the Transcendent Boundary sooner?
The previous Lord of Nakrang Fortress would have killed Urk long ago and destroyed his family.
This was Odobaekryeong.
A place where weakness was a sin.
Fearing their vassals would grow stronger and overthrow them, lords casually eliminating them was a common occurrence.
So Urk had waited.
Until he had the power to successfully stage a coup.
“So? You're saying this is the best choice this time as well?”
“Of course.”
Urk chuckled, *khuhu*.
If he continued to send Pandora, he could win the war more easily and rationally.
But he was an orc.
A great warrior.
And an ambitious man.
He could not be satisfied with a small victory spoon-fed to him by another.
He desired true glory earned with his own blood, risking his own life in battle; overflowing wealth, immense power, and soaring honor.
And there was only one, best way to obtain it.
“Because the ultimate outcome I desire can only be obtained by taking your head with my own hands, senior.”
“You're not just foolish, you're so greedy your ambition pierces the heavens…!”
“Do you think… such a thing… is possible!”
“Whether it's possible or not isn't important. What matters is whether I desire it.”
“…”
“Besides, a certain young man taught me something.”
He paused for a moment.
Urk twisted his lips.
And so, with a savage smile that revealed his long, sharp orcish tusks, he spoke.
“—That a father who sends his daughter to the battlefield and merely watches is a disgrace.”
“…”
“…”
Was it because he was so utterly dumbfounded?
For a moment, Larr Arga forgot even to sneer as he stared at Urk.
Looking at the chuckling old orc, Larr Arga finally ground his teeth ferociously.
“A pup that knows no fear of the tiger.”
“If you… wish to die so badly… I will grant it.”
“So…”
“Come at me.”
*Vwooom.*
On his arms, chest, legs, and back.
Watching the troll whose tattoos all over his body began to glow in unison, emitting a thick, mist-like red energy.
Urk raised a bluish aura around his body and smiled grimly.
“Don't you worry, senior.”
*Krrrrk.*
“This time, I'll be sure to kill you for good.”
And so.
Along with their ferocious momentum.
The moment their gazes met.
*KRA-BOOM!!!*
—The duel between the two monsters who had surpassed the Transcendent Boundary began.
***
When Urk emerged from Nakrang Fortress.
And Larr Arga also appeared.
Not only the Anti-Bandit Alliance but even the members of the Bandit Aristocrat Alliance couldn't hide their anticipation.
High-ranking nobles who had surpassed the Transcendent Boundary were on a different level, even within aristocratic society.
A duel between such Transcendent Awakened Ones was such a rare and precious event that one normally couldn't witness it even for an immense fortune.
Everyone couldn't help but watch with gleaming eyes.
Especially since the outcome of this war could hinge on the result of this duel.
But they did not know.
Just how reckless.
And foolish a thought that was.
*KWAANG!*
“Kuaaargh?!”
…The moment the duel began.
An axe thrown by Urk pierced through the afterimage that had been Larr Arga just moments before.
That is, until it spun through the air and completely obliterated a building in the territory of a bandit aristocrat behind him.
The bandit aristocrats were horrified by the tragedy, which was no different from a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
But that was only the beginning.
*BOOM, KR-RUMBLE! KRA-KA-KA-BOOM!!!*
As red energy raged, every time Larr Arga opened his palm, which was tattooed with a lightning symbol.
The lightning that shot from his hand not only pierced Urk but continued on to scorch the troops of the Anti-Bandit Alliance behind him.
And every time the blue-aura-wreathed halberd slashed through Larr Arga's afterimage like a storm.
The fragments of the shattered ground from the aftershock alone rained down like hail upon the heads of the Bandit Aristocrat Alliance.
They weren't even fighting directly.
The two factions were horrified as their territories were destroyed and more than a hundred casualties were incurred from the mere aftershocks of their battle.
“This is insane…!”
“Driver! Pull the territory back, pull it back!”
“Casters, barriers! Put up defensive barriers!”
It was utter chaos.
They thought they had kept a sufficient distance.
Realizing their mistake, they trembled as they scrambled to retreat or take action.
It was only then that they understood.
This was the fight of Transcendent Awakened Ones.
When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.
A natural disaster that could crush even high-ranking Awakened Ones just by being caught in it.
That even the overwhelming might Urk had shown on the battlefield until now was the result of him conserving and distributing his stamina and aura.
“Hmm…”
But having known this fact long ago.
And having kept his territory back from the very beginning.
Without any need to be surprised or flustered.
The boy, who could watch the fight with perfectly calm eyes, was certain.
*‘…As I thought, he hasn't fully recovered yet.’*
He was still overwhelming.
But watching Larr Arga, who was clearly slower and weaker than when they had first met at Soryujang, Dion narrowed his eyes.
No matter how transcendent the regenerative abilities of a Twin-Head Troll were.
A couple of months was too short a time to fully recover from an injury where one of his heads was blown off.
In that case, there was one problem.
“Shuttle, how are the guys I left with you?”
“You mean those stubborn ones, my lord?”
“Yes, are the preparations finished?”
“With the help of your handmaiden, it is finished… but honestly, just maintaining it is a struggle right now.”
“That's good enough. Have everyone on standby.”
“Everyone, my lord?”
“Yes.”
Dion nodded.
Although he always treated her like a scatterbrain and played with her like a toy, the Vault Keeper was a legacy of the King of the Dark Grotto.
As long as she had completed the preparations he'd entrusted to her, a minimal response would be possible no matter what happened.
…Even if the worst-case scenario occurred.
“Somehow, I don't think this duel is going to end peacefully.”