The Northern Hero
"Urgh, cough..."
The Orc Great Warrior lay collapsed in the snow, unable to even push his upper body off the ground. Both of his arms were broken. A long, diagonal gash ran across his chest—a strike that had torn through thick leather, bone armor, and even his steel-like muscles.
Yet, he was not dead. Nor had he lost consciousness. The Orc Great Warrior stared up at Kyle, who was looking down at him. But Kyle’s sword was already sheathed.
"...You... do not kill me? Human," the Orc Great Warrior wheezed, his booming voice reduced to a strained, rough rasp.
He had expected Kyle to take his head. In a clash between humans and Orcs, defeat meant death. That was doubly true in a warrior's duel.
Kyle shrugged at the question.
"Isn't it obvious?" Kyle replied calmly, coating his blade in a thin layer of aura to shake off the frozen blood.
"If you drop dead here, who's going to control that horde of twenty thousand Orcs behind you?" Kyle's gaze swept over the main Orc army.
"Heavens."
"The Great Warrior was defeated!"
"How can a human be that strong?"
Perhaps shocked by the fall of their leader, the Orc ranks were already in a state of great commotion. If their chieftain died now, they would descend into utter chaos. Moreover, managing the Orcs afterward would become a massive headache.
"Selecting a new leader to command the Orcs would be a real pain," Kyle said, looking back down at the Orc Great Warrior.
"Besides, you said you fled all the way here after being defeated by some monster, right? You need to tell me about this unknown enemy." Kyle's lips curled upward. "And you promised to lend us your strength to face that monster."
It was not mercy. It was a cold, calculated decision. He had weighed the benefits and concluded that keeping the Orc Great Warrior alive was far more advantageous.
Hearing this, the Orc Great Warrior stared blankly for a moment. Then, a hollow chuckle escaped his lips.
"Heh... Hahaha."
As if forgetting the pain of his broken arms and the gashes covering his body, the Orc Great Warrior spat blood as he laughed.
"Bwahahaha!"
To subdue an opponent while calculating their utility alive—it was easier said than done. Subduing someone without killing them was far more difficult than simply ending their life. It meant the opponent was leagues above him.
"To completely suppress me without killing me for such a purpose..." The Orc Great Warrior chuckled softly. "Yes. It is my complete defeat, human warrior."
The Orc Great Warrior conceded.
"As promised, if our side loses this five-on-five duel, we will cooperate fully."
To the Orc race, submitting to the strong was no disgrace. He had lost in a fair warrior's duel. His opponent could have killed him, but chose not to.
With the Orc Great Warrior admitting defeat, the five-on-five duel was practically over. Even if the remaining four combined their strength, they could not compare to the Great Warrior.
"Did we lose?"
"Is the duel still going?"
Kyle gestured with his chin toward the murmuring Orc ranks.
"There should still be four left."
Kyle infused his voice with aura, projecting it loudly across the field.
"What are you doing? Stop wasting time and get out here. Or are you all forfeiting?"
At his provocation, the Orc ranks parted.
Thud.
"Grrr!"
The second Orc warrior stepped forward. He was a massive brute, a full head taller than the average Orc. He was strong enough to be considered a chieftain-level warrior.
He's at the level of a Sword Saint.
Kyle recognized the opponent's strength. However, the Orc's eyes were already trembling.
"Grrr."
This human had defeated the Orc Great Warrior in a head-on clash. How long could he possibly last against such a monster? He knew that even if ten of him fought together, they would be no match for Kyle. Yet, he did not back down.
"I am a warrior of the Orcs!" the Orc roared, gripping his axe. "The battlefield is where I shall fall!"
"Well, your pride is certainly better than that of cowards," Kyle said, preparing a swift strike. "But you lack the skill."
Kyle’s footsteps made no sound, as if he were a phantom gliding over spilled blood. In an instant, his figure vanished, reappearing right beside the Orc warrior. It was a perfect display of shifting positions.
"Grrr?!"
Startled, the Orc warrior frantically tried to swing at Kyle. But Kyle was faster.
Slash!
"Gah!"
A cross-shaped wound was carved into the second Orc warrior's chest. It missed his heart, but it was deep enough to end the fight. Spitting blood, the Orc collapsed into the snow and lost consciousness.
"Next," Kyle said, looking past the fallen Orc and directly at their ranks.
"Grrr!"
The third Orc warrior stepped forward immediately. He wielded an iron mace—how they had acquired such a weapon, given their lack of technology, was a mystery.
Whoosh!
The mace tore through the air with a menacing roar, aiming straight for Kyle's head. But Kyle twisted his body, dodging it with ease.
Kyle's figure blurred, instantly appearing right in front of the third Orc warrior. He immediately drove his leg into the Orc's knee.
Crack!
"Aaaagh!"
With his knee shattered, the Orc warrior faceplanted into the snow. Kyle lightly tapped the back of his head with a fist, sending the third Orc into unconsciousness.
"Next."
The fourth Orc warrior stepped forward, wielding a spear that looked like looted plunder. Having witnessed the fate of the previous two, he kept his distance from the start, intending to use the spear's reach to keep Kyle at bay.
It was a sound tactical decision.
If his opponent weren't me, that is.
Just before the spearhead could reach him, Kyle twisted his body and slipped inside the guard. He slapped the shaft with his bare hand, redirecting its trajectory.
Smack!
"Grrr?!"
The spear thrust harmlessly into empty air. In that split second, Kyle's fist smashed into the Orc's face.
Crack!
"Squeeeal!"
The Orc's head snapped back, the sound of a shattering nose and jaw echoing across the field. The fourth Orc warrior tumbled onto the snow, knocked out cold.
Three in a row. Following the Orc Great Warrior, three more Orcs had been systematically dismantled by Kyle. Since they had all lost consciousness, it was a defeat by the rules of the duel.
"Next," Kyle called out again.
Only one warrior remained on the Orcs' side. The final Orc warrior stepped forward with heavy, deliberate steps.
"Grrr... You are strong."
Despite witnessing his comrades' defeats, his bloodshot eyes burned with an unyielding fighting spirit.
But at that moment, Kyle uttered a word that left both sides utterly dumbfounded.
"I surrender."
Kyle had suddenly declared his forfeit.
"...?"
"...Grrr?"
"...Pardon?"
"...Huh?"
The human soldiers watching breathlessly from the castle walls doubted their own ears, wondering if they had misheard. The knights blinked in confusion, exchanging bewildered glances.
Volkrik and Graham's eyes widened slightly, but they soon looked at Leina and nodded in understanding. However, unlike them, the vast majority of the crowd remained utterly baffled.
Kyle remained perfectly composed despite the confusion surrounding him.
"Since I've declared my surrender, it counts as a defeat by the rules, right?" He chuckled. "I've had my fun. I got everything I wanted anyway."
He was stepping down after defeating the Orc Great Warrior and three other warriors, leaving only the final opponent. The external energy he had gathered using the Blood Source Usurpation Art was almost completely depleted. The trick that had allowed him to mimic the output of a Sword Saint was coming to an end.
Not that winning would be an issue even without it.
Through the intense battle with the Orc Great Warrior, his physical body had transcended the level of a High-level Knight and reached the realm of a Peak-Class Knight. Even if he fought the last opponent, he could easily win. But he shouldn't do that.
"Leina."
Kyle walked over to Leina, who was waiting quietly beside Graham. He lightly tapped her shoulder with his blood-stained hand.
"Yes, my Lord," Leina replied, bowing her head.
"Sorry for keeping all the fun to myself," Kyle said, his lips curling up. "Go out there and enjoy yourself a bit."
Only then did the others realize Kyle's intention. He was passing the final fight to his subordinate.
A crimson light flashed intensely deep within Leina's brown eyes. Keeping her head bowed, she spoke.
"Thank you, my Lord. I will not disappoint you."
Leina walked slowly toward the final Orc warrior.
Meanwhile, as Kyle returned to the waiting area, the waiting Divine Healers rushed over. They immediately began channeling holy power into his torn wounds.
"Please stay still, Grand Duke Heir! The wounds are too deep!"
"If you move, the wounds will open up again!"
While receiving treatment, Kyle closed his eyes and examined the inside of his body.
It wasn't just his physical body that had reached the level of a Peak-Class Knight. His mastery of the Blood Spirit Divine Scripture had finally broken through the barrier of the first stage and reached the second stage.
As Kyle closed his eyes and smiled with satisfaction, the gazes of those watching him began to fill with a profound sense of awe.