Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Interception (2)
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“All units, halt. We rest here. Alert squad, deploy summons to watch the perimeter.”
High Master Tollog of the troll forces was in a foul mood.
He didn’t like that these puny human bugs, unworthy opponents, were throwing themselves at them in droves. Even less did he appreciate the minor casualties they were causing as a result.
But above all, he was deeply displeased with this expedition from the start.
Targeting humans first—humans, who weren’t even half-elves, dwarves, or gnomes—was utterly incomprehensible.
“Damn it, if it weren’t for that Yesran bastard…”
There was only one reason for it.
The successor to the great troll hunter.
It stemmed from the strong insistence of High Master Yesran, who had represented the troll race during the ancient emperor hunt.
Even among fellow High Masters, there was a vast gap between Yesran—the successor to the legendary hunter Kyarus—and his own persuasive power.
Moreover, it wasn’t just a casual opinion. Yesran had spoken with absolute conviction that they needed to crush the human race before Rokan grew any stronger. No one could ignore him.
Even Kyarus himself had backed his words, leading to an overwhelming 8-2 vote at the troll council, deciding humans as the first war target.
“Scared of some mere Master.”
But Tollog hated it.
No matter their exploits in the ancient emperor hunt or their immense potential, for a High Master—no, a successor to a legendary hunter—to fear a mere Master-level being that much?
Sure, he’d said they needed to nip it in the bud, but to Tollog, it was beyond incomprehensible—it was an insult to his pride.
And humans? They were the weakest of the eight races, weren’t they?
Even counting their past glories, they weren’t worth considering among the top forces.
“That’s why we’re taking mockery from those orc scum.”
As a result, the trolls had to endure ridicule from their rivals, the orcs. At the dawn of the great war, the trolls were supposedly cowering in fear and picking on the weakest foes.
Even if Orc High Master Kuhlan had agreed, it was the prevailing view in most of the Black Dragon Legion.
“Prepare thoroughly, everyone! After this break, we’ll wipe out those scrawny humans in one go!”
Tollog was seething with rage. It had been decided by majority vote, but all the blame and jeers fell on him as the vanguard leader.
The only way to shut them up quickly was to blitz the humans and seize their base in one fell swoop. They had more than enough forces for it.
“What about the half-elves’ movements?”
“Nothing yet. The orcs tangled with the tin cans, but no direct clashes with the half-elves, so they’re holding back. We’ve got summons on surveillance—they’ll spot any moves right away.”
“Good. Finish your meals here, then take their base in one shot. Keep the perimeter wide—more of those visitors might charge in.”
“Understood.”
Tollog’s brief fury subsided as he ordered his troops to regroup, then took his own rest. But he didn’t slack on vigilance. Visitor assaults from Class Experts weren’t a real threat to him or the other Masters and above, but they still caused nagging losses.
Of course, for every one or two of theirs that died, dozens of the enemy fell, and he wouldn’t even count the incompetents who got taken out by such rabble as proper subordinates. Still, to achieve their goal of capturing the main human base, even feeble help like blade grass was needed.
So they scattered summons and magic alerts around like confetti and began preparing meals.
“This is Alpha. Everyone stand by. I’ll start first.”
Rokan, who had been observing, rose first.
Trolls didn’t have the orcs’ voracious appetites—their meals could end quickly. Just pull food from the inventories of the user slaves they’d dragged along.
It wasn’t enough for the numbers, but trolls were born hunters.
They could gorge to full power, or eat light and still perform at peak efficiency.
Once inventory rations and their own meat stocks were out, a fairly lavish spread appeared for the situation.
“Kai!”
Kwee!
At that moment, Rokan summoned Kai. Before the trolls could even bite into their meat, he mounted and soared near the clouds.
But that wasn’t enough. High Master hunter Tollog would spot even a dot-like figure with a moment’s focus.
“Rider of Legends.”
So Rokan activated a combo skill, evolving Kai into a giant peng.
“Go, Kai. Stormwind Incarnation. Red Meteor!”
Unlike against the ancient emperor, he didn’t shrink the size this time.
Maintaining his bond with Kai, he triggered Red Meteor. The two merged as one, fully under the skill’s effect.
Some of Stormwind Incarnation’s power transferred over too.
Fwoosh! Skree!
It was a true meteor. Like a massive star fragment, it plummeted toward the ground.
“Th-there…!”
“A meteor?!”
“Of all times…!”
“It’s heading this way! Evade!”
The blazing crimson forms of Rokan and Kai were hard even for sharp-eyed trolls to make out clearly.
A calm eye might’ve noticed something off, but a meteor crashing from clear skies was alien enough to throw them into panic.
“Run!”
“Too late to dodge…!”
“Fell Sun Arrow!”
As everyone scrambled, Tollog gritted his teeth. Uncertain but desperate, he nocked an arrow infused with his Master skill.
Fell Sun Arrow.
The fearsome power to shoot down the sun condensed into one shot and loosed.
Skree! Thunk!
The High Master’s full might made it devastating. Not quite sun-felling, but enough to pierce and shatter boulders.
Yet it couldn’t drain the life force of Kai, evolved from Big Bird to giant peng.
Multiple shots might’ve done it, but one arrow couldn’t shatter Red Meteor’s defense boost and the stat amps from Stormwind Incarnation in one go.
“Damn, dodge….”
KABOOM!
A colossal impact and explosion like a meteor strike erupted in the troll camp’s heart.
They maxed evasion and defense skills to mitigate, but the massive kinetic energy from cloud height was beyond Class Experts’ endurance.
“Gah!”
“Crazy…”
Survivors remained, though.
Masters used defensive Master skills to lessen damage. Some Class Experts chained barrier or evasion combos to barely hold.
Squeak, squeak.
In the blast that drained the troll horde’s all, Kai staggered, unable to shake off the head-plant shock.
If effects showed, stars would spin around his head.
“Kai, unsummon.”
Rokan immediately returned Kai to subspace.
He might get attacked disoriented, but the fall had already torn a major wound from the heavy hit.
Without that slowdown, he could’ve finished all Class Experts for sure.
No time for regrets. As Kai vanished, Rokan spun like a hurricane.
“Whirlwind!”
Slashslashslash!
Those barely standing were shredded instantly. Bones snapped, bodies split, debris piling around Rokan from all that had lived.
“That damned human!”
The troll elites finally snapped to. Furious, they used underlings as shields to gain distance, then turned arrows on Rokan with grinding teeth.
“Volley fire!”
Ten hunters drew as one.
Each a Master, their volley a terrifying barrage honed by endless drills into a generation skill.
“Hmph, Bombardment!”
But Rokan was seasoned. Leveraging his spiked throwing accuracy, he unleashed ten hand axes in a blink.
“Gasp!”
Clangclang!
Bull’s-eyes.
With control plus hit correction, the impossible happened. He precisely struck each of the ten arrows midair, neutralizing them.
“Berserk Chariot.”
Meanwhile, he reclaimed his battle axe and charged one direction.
“Lord Tollog!”
Straight at Tollog.
In battle, taking the leader crushed morale—classic.
Rokan closed on the rattled foe with explosive speed, swinging his battle axe.
“Summon, monster bird Eckina!”
Caw! Whoosh!
A shrill air-ripping cry, and Rokan’s strike cleaved empty space.
As Rokan charged, Tollog had unleashed his flying summon and escaped range.
Clang!
He counterattacked too, but Rokan parried effortlessly with guard.
“Kraa!”
Right then, screams erupted everywhere.
While all eyes fixed on Rokan and Tollog, human elites had closed in fast, targeting them.
Each a Master, unlike trolls, their Master skills didn’t miss.
Rushing out with Rokan to intercept the troll horde, they unleashed Master skills from the start without holding back.
It was the perfect moment against their carelessness, and their first real test of newly combo’d Master skills, so they poured full power into hunting troll Masters.
“Those filthy dogs!”
Seeing subordinates butchered by humans, flames shot from Tollog’s eyes.
Instead of targeting Rokan—who’d lost his mount—he wheeled and loosed arrows wildly.
“Urk!”
“Watch out! He’s a High Master!”
But it was fully anticipated—no game-changer.
His last Master skill wiped everything without friend-or-foe distinction, hard to use. Combos were blocked by human teamwork defense, no kills.
“Mokannon!”
Frustrated, Tollog irritably bellowed a name. Calling for aid from his other High Master attendant, Mokannon.
“Urgh, you filthy humans…!”
But what he saw was Mokannon caught and tormented by two knights. As Rokan charged Tollog, Talaran and Delas had pounced on Mokannon together.
In a fair duel, Mokannon could handle 2v1 with Tollog nearby, but after burning a Master skill, facing two enhanced High Masters with superior skills was too much.
Especially Talaran’s two new Master skills—they pinned him perfectly.
“Truly killer!”
The two Master skills Rokan passed him were utterly unlike his old style, but they gave Talaran a thrill he’d never felt before.