Chapter 116
Chapter 116
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Ceasefire Negotiations
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kwaaaang!
An axe brimming with murderous intent aimed straight for his lifeline.
He struck the axe's broad face, using the rebounding force to swing down fiercely from the opposite side.
His target: the orc's skull right before his eyes.
It would shatter futilely before Mjolnir, the hammer that destroyed all in its path.
But it was a miscalculation.
Mjolnir could smash anything, but only if it connected.
As if it had anticipated Mjolnir's trajectory, the orc twisted its head aside to dodge, then seized the rebounding axe and lunged back into the assault.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It looked like a deadlock of advances and retreats, but deep down, he knew the truth.
Bit by bit, ever so slightly, he was starting to get pushed back.
'...Is it because of that arm I took a hit on earlier?'
When Brontes and the Cyclopes had ambushed the orc formation.
He had tried to bait the monstrous orc Hatan into dropping his guard, only to get counterattacked instead. That forearm wound was preventing full power from channeling into his arm, even if just by a hair.
For warriors of their caliber—himself or Hatan—that tiny difference in injury was a massive variable.
But it was fine.
Hatan trusted his comrade, and the feeling was mutual.
Trusting his brothers and kin, he had silently carried out his duty as lord.
If he could just hold out against Hatan, his comrades and brothers would surely crush these foes and come to his aid.
That was the plan, but the battlefield was unfolding contrary to Arges' expectations. His kin were gradually being overwhelmed.
In the center, his comrades were falling back under the erratic strikes of some bizarre human toying with puppets.
On the left flank, their weapons were melting, and the orcs' forces were no pushovers—the resistance was fierce.
'...In that case, Brother Brontes' role will be crucial.'
Even so, Arges felt no anxiety.
The mightiest Cyclops warrior, one even he couldn't overpower through sheer strength alone.
Brontes had headed to the right flank.
With Brontes there, the orcs' defeat was inevitable.
No matter how the situation deviated from his predictions, Arges' own task remained unchanged.
But as the fight with Hatan dragged on, that subtle gap began to widen noticeably.
Arges couldn't help growing a little impatient.
This orc he'd been battling for six months was pulling out all the stops today—it was no easy opponent.
'Please hurry, Brother.'
At this rate, things could turn truly dangerous. Arges, desperately awaiting news of Brontes' victory, suddenly sensed his brother's overwhelming aura.
'One Point?! He's using One Point on a mere human?'
Indeed, a human worthy of Hatan's friendship.
A human who could force Brontes to unleash One Point—it made sense why Hatan remained unshaken.
But that ended now.
'With One Point expended, you have no chance left, Hatan.'
Gritting his teeth, Arges swung Mjolnir with all his might.
Bang!
Hatan, blocking Mjolnir, slid back across the ground, axe and all.
Regaining his stance in an instant, Arges called out to him.
"Hatan, abandon Gaia and retreat while you still can. Your kind can never cross these mountains."
"Kiik! Who wins is yet to be decided. Kiik."
Hatan, still burning with battle fervor, gripped his axe anew and bared his hostility.
"Give it up. The technique of my guard and brother, Brontes—One Point—is no move for a human to survive... Hm?!"
Arges' senses picked up something amiss from the right flank, where he'd expected Brontes to have wrapped things up and returned.
Brontes' aura—the one who'd unleashed One Point—was fading rapidly.
"...Brother!"
Thud, thud, thud!
Ignoring even Hatan before him, Arges thundered toward the right flank, shaking the earth with each step.
"...Kuhk!"
Amid the pulverized earth.
Brontes spat a thin arrow of blood from his mouth.
"Kuh...! My first sortie in ages, meant to end this war with the orcs today. To think it ends in such disgrace from the very start."
Brontes glanced at his blood-soaked body and let out a wry chuckle.
His flesh hung in tatters.
The relentless barrage of whirling aura had been powerful enough to shred even the hardy Cyclops physique.
"Unbelievable."
He'd known from grueling training what happened when struck by his ultimate technique, One Point.
But he'd never dreamed the victim would be himself.
Step, step, step.
From the distance, the monster who'd defeated him was approaching.
'...I think I see now why the Lord is so desperate to stop Hatan from crossing the mountains.'
He, the strongest Cyclops warrior, had fallen to a mere young human.
Then how terrifying must the humans beyond the mountains be—the ones the Lord called 'monsters'?
If those humans came at them in earnest, the mountains could be reduced to rubble.
...Step, splash!
The footsteps of the human who'd turned his own One Point against him halted.
Too weak to turn his head, Brontes addressed him while staring at the sky.
"Human, you win. Grill me, boil me—do as you please."
Brontes strained to shift his gaze toward the human who'd brought him down.
"But one thing only. I'll yield to your will... but our Lord—won't you spare him, please?"
"......"
"The Lord isn't just the chieftain leading the Cyclops race. He's also the guardian who protects these mountains from the humans beyond."
The human said nothing. Thinking it a refusal, Brontes hurriedly added,
"You humans call this place—the Dragon Mountains—a demon realm... But to us, it's our one and only home. For the sake of your friend Hatan, I beg you."
Overwhelming power to defeat him at such a young age, insight to dismantle One Point in a split second... This human was surely among the elite of his kind.
But.
"You have no idea how monstrous the protector of human lands beyond these mountains truly is..."
"I know full well."
"Your skills are extraordinary, of course. But there's always a greater power. Even a prodigy like you would stand no chance against the humans beyond those peaks... Huh?"
Mid-sentence, Brontes sensed something off and trailed off.
"Ah, you know?"
"Of course."
The Empire's ultimate bastion: Ballista.
The impregnable fortress no human—or monster—had ever breached.
'And its current commander is one of the Empire's all-time greatest powerhouses.'
Duke Camille.
"If anyone knows just how terrifying he is, it's me."
After all, he was one of the Empire's monsters who'd claimed his father's life.
"Th-then... why? If the orcs leave these mountains, the humans will wipe this place out."
"What strange talk. Why would they wipe us out?"
Brontes shook his head.
"They might inflict some initial damage, but in the end, we'll all perish by human hands. Humans dominate this continent."
He knew it firsthand—his father, his grandfather before him. Even before they were born, the humans beyond the mountains had always been relentlessly strong.
That was why they shouldn't venture out. To defend the mountains, they must avoid provoking the humans.
But Jerome, listening to Brontes, still looked baffled.
"...No, seriously—why do you think we'd all die?"
Jerome scratched his head with a bloodied finger and muttered,
"We're on the move precisely to beat those guys."
"...What?"
"Ah, since things have come to this. Why don't you join forces with the orcs and help out?"
Fighting alongside Hatan had shown him these Cyclopes were even stronger than expected.
'No wonder Hatan was struggling.'
And this Brontes Cyclops seemed even mightier than the Lord currently clashing with Hatan.
'If this guy had joined the war from the start, the orcs never would've crossed the mountains.'
Come to think of it, that was odd. Why hadn't such a powerhouse shown up during all those battles?
"Hey, you...?"
Kwaaaang!
Before he could press Brontes further, a heavy blow slammed into him.
Chwaaaaaak!
Even with steel surging through his body, the numbing pain hit hard, and his feet skidded back across the ground.
"Brother, are you alright?!"
"Ah, Arges...!!"
A Cyclops gripping his hammer with a blood-dripping arm and a murderous glare.
Arges, who'd been locked in combat with Hatan.
"Kiik! You bastard, Arges!! Where do you think you're going mid-fight, kiik?!"
Hatan arrived a beat late and bellowed at him.
"Ugh..."
'Broken, huh.'
Twisting his left arm and leg—the ones that had blocked the brutish hammer—he felt a dull ache.
Even with Iron Body active, he'd sustained fractures.
"Kiik! Jerome, you okay?"
Hatan rushed over as I rose to my feet.
His face was etched with guilt.
Fair enough—not only had he let his opponent slip away, but that opponent had gone and injured me.
He must've felt mortified and apologetic.
"Nngh... I'm fine, just a little break. But why'd the Lord suddenly charge over here?"
Hatan's axe work was sharp—vicious, even.
No matter that he was the Cyclops Lord, shaking off Hatan to rush here couldn't have been easy.
"Kiik! Well, that guy suddenly... turned his back mid-fight and bolted this way. Sorry about that. Kiik!"
'Turned his back?'
Exposing his back to Hatan? That was pure vulnerability.
Yet he'd risked it to sprint here, which spoke volumes about the bond between the Lord and this warrior.
Sure enough, the Lord stood stock-still before the fallen Brontes I'd defeated, hammer at the ready.
As if he'd let no harm come to him, come hell or high water.
Hatan, too, seemed hesitant to resume fighting Arges in this standoff, standing motionless with axe in hand.
Probably figuring they'd clash once the tension broke.
Hm.
'Actually, this works out perfectly.'
I'd been planning to make a proposal to Brontes anyway. Since things had shaken out like this, negotiating with the Lord directly would be even more solid.
I raised my gauntleted arms high and approached Arges.
"!"
Kkwaak!
Mistaking my approach for renewed aggression, Arges' grip tightened on his hammer.
"Hey, Cyclops Lord. Lower that nasty thing a bit and let's talk?"
I waved my arms to signal I had no intention of fighting.
But Arges kept glaring, suspicion unyielding.
"Human, why should I trust your words?"
Well, can't blame him. A human siding with the orcs they'd warred against for over half a year was offering terms—naturally, it'd smell like a ploy.
But I wasn't in any rush. I swept my gaze around the battlefield and shrugged.
Pain throbbed from my broken left arm and leg, but I didn't let it show.
"Hey, whether you trust me is your call. But in this mess, who do you think loses if the war drags on?"
Arges instinctively glanced across the field.
"......"
No counterargument possible. It wasn't just here—Cyclopes were getting pushed everywhere.
And with Brontes down, they had zero shot at victory.
Finally sighing, Arges lowered his hammer and asked,
"...Fine, human. I'll hear you out first. But before that—call off the war."
"Naturally."
I shot Hatan a look.
Order the orcs to stand down.
"......"
But Hatan's expression was peculiar.
Like he'd seen this scene before.
"...Kiik. This situation... feels familiar somehow."
"Don't be ridiculous. First time I've ever laid eyes on a Cyclops."
"Kiik, that's not—"
"Ah, that's not the point right now. Hurry and stop the war. I've got a plan."
When Hatan still hesitated, I deliberately massaged my left arm and leg, grimacing.
"Nngh... this busted arm and leg..."
"...Kiik! Understood, kiik!"
Whether from the debt he owed me or not, Hatan scowled but complied.
"Kiiiik!! All orcs, cease combat immediately!!"
"All Cyclopes, halt fighting!! That's the king's command!!"
At the orders from both their kings, the two races fell still in an instant, despite the raging battle.
Confirming the ceasefire, Arges turned to me.
"Human, the fighting's stopped. Speak—what do you want to discuss?"
"Eh, not ideal here. Let's relocate first."
It might not be the most welcome news for their kin to overhear.