Chapter 106: Japan (14)
Chapter 106: Japan (14)
It didn't take long for the twenty-man Orc reconnaissance team to be annihilated.
Dark green corpses were scattered everywhere—some with severed limbs spraying black blood onto the grass, others with heads burst open like watermelons, their bodies growing cold.
Then there were the Warboars, massive beasts covered in black fur.
Possessing ferocious temperaments and raised by the Orcs, the Warboars grew agitated upon losing their masters and lunged at Han Shin’s party. Since these creatures routinely carried muscle-bound monsters weighing over two meters tall on their backs, their charge was an attack that couldn't be ignored.
Kicking off the earth with their thick legs, they charged with maws agape.
Han Shin reverse-summoned his shield and sword before pulling a Warhammer from his subspace.
Timing his movement to the straight-line charge of a Warboar, he stepped aside as if grazing past it and brought the Warhammer down, crushing the beast's head.
Thwack!
The Warboar, its brain pulverized by Han Shin’s blow, died instantly. However, its initial momentum carried it forward until it plowed face-first into the ground.
The battle ended as Laysia finished off the last remaining Warboar with a palm strike.
Black blood dripped from the silver Warhammer in Han Shin’s hand.
“Phew...”
Regulating his slightly ragged breathing, Han Shin stood the Warhammer upright with its head resting on the ground and thought to himself.
Lately, using this thing really gives a satisfying impact.
Han Shin liked the sensation of swinging the Warhammer to bash and topple large monsters.
More importantly, he had been somewhat tense before clashing with the Orcs, but that tension had naturally evaporated during the fight. Realizing this belatedly as he caught his breath, he no longer felt nervous or self-conscious about facing Orcs.
Once he had struck them down, they felt like nothing.
In his own way, he had cleared a hurdle, and Han Shin felt a sense of pride.
Grace and Laysia also knew exactly how Han Shin had been injured in the past and were aware of how tense he had been just moments ago. Seeing him perform so well in combat without any issues made them feel proud of him.
However, there was no time for celebration.
Orcs were swarming in from all directions.
Realizing their vanguard had been obliterated and that Han Shin’s party was a formidable enemy, the Orc tribe had mobilized everyone for an all-out war.
Han Shin had experience fighting groups of monsters several times before, but he had never faced this many at once.
As creatures with a strong sense of kinship, the dark-green-skinned monsters radiated intense hostility toward Han Shin’s party. They were even more ferocious now, having been infused with Demonic Nature by the demons.
Han Shin immediately swapped his weapon for a spear.
While it was true that Han Shin, Grace, and Laysia were powerful, they would be at a severe disadvantage if they simply sat still and waited for the Orcs charging on Warboars to reach them. In particular, the open terrain offered no place to hide or take cover, which was incredibly unfavorable for the outnumbered side.
They could wipe out twenty Orcs without a second thought, but this situation required a different approach.
Laysia decided to expend some of Tiamat’s Holy Power, which she had been conserving until now.
Fortunately, she had leveled up after having sex with Han Shin the previous night, and her body held more of Tiamat’s Holy Power than before, giving her some leeway.
“Grace. Take care of Lord Han Shin.”
“Understood.”
Grace immediately moved close to Han Shin’s side and raised her shield. Even if she didn't know exactly what Laysia planned to do, she knew the request meant to protect Han Shin, so she stood by him without a second thought.
Having fought alongside Laysia and acknowledged her abilities, Grace trusted her completely and could move without hesitation.
Han Shin also knew there was no time for Laysia to explain, and since he trusted her, he simply held his shield and watched her.
Laysia sprinted forward. Her feet kicked off the earth, tearing up the grass as she plummeted toward the charging Orcs.
She gathered Tiamat’s Holy Power into her feet and released it directly into the ground.
Boom!
With an explosive sound, a powerful shockwave erupted from Laysia, fanning out in front of her.
While the shockwave itself wasn't enough to kill the Orcs, they were crushed and mangled as the earth beneath them split apart and jagged rocks shot upward.
Though the basin was covered in wide meadows, Laysia had noticed sharp rocks protruding here and there and the absence of large trees. She had surmised that the ground here was likely composed of solid rock.
Her intuition was correct. The seismic step Laysia performed by channeling Tiamat’s Holy Power into her feet caused instantaneous topographical changes—rocks surged above the surface, and the ground collapsed into fissures.
Like an earthquake, the shifting terrain caused Orcs and Warboars to fall into cracks, while others were crushed as the irregular movements of the earth compressed them where they stood.
“Graaaagh!”
“Aaaargh!”
Screams and groans of Orcs echoed from everywhere.
The momentum of the Orcs, who had been charging with fierce intensity, was broken in an instant.
Even the Orc Chieftain—a creature larger than the others, wearing armor that was crude but ornately decorated by their standards—felt lucky to have escaped Laysia’s attack.
Because the Chieftain had been positioned slightly behind the center of the formation, he watched the terrain twist and distort right before his eyes.
Laysia wiped her sweat and caught her breath, satisfied to see the earth in shambles just as she had envisioned.
She had consumed a significant amount of Tiamat’s Holy Power. Even so, many Orcs remained, and not all of those caught in her attack were dead, so she couldn't afford to be careless.
However, she had succeeded in making the battlefield more manageable. The ground was now turned inside out.
At the very least, the Orcs wouldn't be able to charge quickly through the space she had created, providing Han Shin’s party with much better conditions for the fight.
“Incredible.”
Han Shin couldn't help but marvel at the scene Laysia had created.
Seeing her accomplish this even when she wasn't at full strength because of him, he felt he needed to work even harder at the training he was receiving from her.
Grace judged that the tremors had subsided and no further terrain changes would occur, so it was safe to move toward Laysia. She turned to Han Shin.
“Lord Han Shin. Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
Han Shin answered immediately, his fighting spirit ignited.
Grace flashed a smile at him and then dashed forward.
Meanwhile, the Orcs weren't just standing still; they were bypassing the hellscape Laysia had created by flanking around the sides.
This gave the party enough time to regroup.
When Han Shin and Grace reached Laysia, they saw her with her hands on her knees, leaning forward slightly with her head down. Her breathing was heavier than usual.
Laysia really pushed herself this time.
It was somewhat expected. If she could use such attacks freely without burden, the battles would be much shorter, and she wouldn't have needed to pace herself.
Han Shin felt a fresh wave of frustration at his own weakness. It hit him viscerally that Laysia and the equally powerful Grace couldn't use their full strength because of him.
Perhaps fueled by this anger at himself, Han Shin’s gaze grew cold and focused, and he became more acutely aware of his surroundings.
Almost equal numbers of Orcs are coming from both flanks.
Judging by the distance, Han Shin decided the left flank would arrive first and determined it would be best to strike there first.
“I’m going first!”
Grace and Laysia had reached the same conclusion. When Han Shin moved toward the exact spot they had in mind before they could even suggest it, they shared a brief look and followed right behind him.
They could feel his growth; he was now judging the battlefield quickly and moving proactively, and his judgment aligned perfectly with theirs.
Han Shin gripped the spear he was holding in his right arm and threw it with all his might, utilizing the momentum of his run.
Even without Qi or Mana infused into it, a spear thrown by Han Shin—who could exert incredible physical strength through the Power of the Dragon—possessed devastating destructive power on its own.
Thwack!
The Orcs were in a state where they had intentionally whipped themselves into a frenzy to drown out their fear. Consequently, instead of maintaining a formation, they were huddling together as they approached. Thanks to this, Han Shin’s spear pierced through the abdomens of eleven Orcs riding Warboars.
The last Orc skewered by the spear was knocked off its Warboar by the force. As the spear embedded itself into the ground, the Orc reached out with trembling hands, trying to do something about the weapon stuck in its gut.
But a spear crafted by Tiamat would never break at the hands of a mere Orc. It was a futile struggle.