Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Kings of the Forest
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Boom!
“Arghhh!”
A tent collapsed somewhere, accompanied by someone’s scream.
“Damn it!”
Poshe bolted outside.
At the same time, Kasan unleashed superhuman strength, mercilessly slaughtering the orcs.
He pushed through to where Mulan was and stood back-to-back with him.
“Are you really okay?”
Kasan snapped irritably at Mulan’s worried question.
“Get your head in the game! This isn’t the time to worry about others.”
“Sounds like you’re full of energy.”
Mulan grinned and continued.
“You little bastards. No matter how many I kill, they just keep coming.”
He gripped his sword, slick with green blood, snarling as if ready to charge at them again.
Kasan, meanwhile, panted heavily as he eyed the orc shaman.
Dark was locked in a fierce exchange with the enemies protecting the shaman.
He dodged every incoming attack from all directions and even counterattacked.
Daily spars with Arthur had made him incredibly strong.
For a moment, Kasan felt a sting of pride at the thought of falling behind him.
“Damn it!”
“What are you doing? Say something!”
“Let’s draw their attention so Dark can take out the shaman.”
“Then as soon as I attack...!”
Just as Mulan lunged at an orc, a sudden wave of intense heat hit them.
“Damn it!”
A fireball was flying toward them.
“Dodge!”
Kasan shoved Mulan aside and swung his sword with all his might.
Boom!
He staggered back, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
“Gah!”
“Kasan!”
“Don’t worry about me... Stick to the plan!”
Kasan charged toward the shaman. The orc warriors rushed at him in unison.
Their glaives rained down like arrows.
Kasan defended only his vitals and pressed forward.
Mulan unleashed a barrage of attacks as well.
“Die!”
“Chit-chit! Stop the humans!”
The orcs’ focus locked onto the two.
Dark seized the moment their pressure eased and sprinted toward the shaman at full speed.
“Chit-chit! How dare you!”
The shaman scowled and thrust his staff at Dark.
A fireball hurtled toward him.
Dark kicked off the ground and leaped into the air.
“Chit! Foolish human!”
The shaman swung his staff.
Thud!
‘Damn it!’
As Dark took a hit to his side and plummeted, an orc warrior charged.
Dark stepped on the orc’s head and launched himself at the shaman.
“Die!”
He slashed the shaman’s throat with his dagger.
“Grraaak!”
The shaman’s eyes bulged.
Landing on the ground, Dark swiftly circled behind him.
He reversed his grip on the dagger and plunged it into the back of the shaman’s head.
“Chiiiii—!”
Green blood sprayed as he let out a scream that shook the surroundings.
The orcs inside the tent froze in place.
Kasan and Mulan didn’t miss the chance, pouring on their attacks.
The same held true outside the tent.
The orcs, hearing the shaman’s scream, panicked in confusion.
The knights capitalized, launching a ferocious assault.
A short while later.
The command tent went up in flames.
Arthur, watching over the Devil Squad, smirked.
“Those guys.”
“They really did it.”
“Now it’s my turn.”
Arthur scanned through his scope for Skevin.
He spotted him weaving through the orcs.
Every sword swing felled at least four or five.
It was a massacre.
“You’ll need to stay sharp from here on.”
Arthur flashed a chilling smile and focused through the scope.
Skevin was blocking and dodging the orcs’ attacks well. But he had one flaw.
It was fine against weaker foes, but against stronger ones, it would be fatal.
Arthur planned to fix that now.
“Shall we begin?”
Bang!
The fired marble struck the orc attacking Skevin, hitting its left leg.
The orc lost balance, sending its axe swinging unpredictably toward Skevin.
Skevin barely dodged.
“Effective.”
Arthur curled his lip and refocused.
Skevin was soon surrounded by orcs.
“Perfect conditions.”
Arthur was eager to see how he’d handle it.
He pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Meanwhile, Millerph watching Skevin wore a mix of anticipation and worry.
‘Be careful.’
“Come on!”
Skevin parried the orcs’ attacks and swung his sword.
They crumpled powerlessly with each strike.
With only three left after downing the rest, they charged together in formation.
“Not a chance.”
As Skevin moved to block, a gunshot rang out.
Arthur’s support fire.
But something unexpected happened.
The orc’s balance crumbled from the hit, sending attacks veering in unpredictable directions.
Hard to block, hard to counter.
“Damn it!”
In the dire moment!
He twisted his body and shifted his feet as fast as possible.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dodging by a hair’s breadth, Skevin whipped his sword like lightning.
Slash—.
The orcs split in two with one stroke.
“...!”
Lightning flashed through Skevin’s mind.
As if struck by great realization, he paused blankly, then turned toward the gunshot.
‘No way...?’
As Skevin’s eyes deepened.
Screech!
An orc warrior swung its glaive with savage fury.
Before, he’d have dodged instantly, but he just watched calmly.
Bang—.
Another shot hit the orc’s leg as expected.
Screeeeech!
The glaive veered off course as the orc stumbled.
Against a weakling, it might’ve worked, but not a strong foe.
This one had read all his moves.
‘As I thought!’
It was clear now.
Arthur’s shots were meant to expose his flaw.
The glaive hurtled toward his neck.
But Skevin didn’t flinch.
He felt pathetic for not noticing sooner.
“...Thanks to you, Young Master, I see it now.”
Skevin drew mana. A fiercer blue aura blazed around his sword like flames.
Just before the glaive touched his neck, he dropped low and swung in a wide arc.
The heavy trajectory cleaved the attacking orc and the charging ones behind it in half.
The strike, born of enlightenment, was devastating.
Skevin bowed deeply toward Arthur’s position.
“I won’t forget your guidance, Young Master.”
That was when.
Roooooaaar!
A monstrous roar shook the mountainside.
For a moment, everything froze as if time stopped.
Then.
The orcs went berserk.
“Chit! It’s here!”
“Chit-chit! Run!”
“Chiiiit! I don’t wanna die!”
They fled in terror.
Skevin stared piercingly toward the roar, face pale with shock.
Thud! Thud!
The ground trembled.
A massive creature burst from the dark forest, toppling trees.
“Gasp!”
“What the hell are those?”
Terror gripped the knights’ faces.
Roooooaaar!
The beasts howled skyward.
“H-how...”
Skevin’s face twisted.
Before them stood ‘Kings of the Forest’—ogres.
Far stronger than orcs, and not one, but three.
The knights tensed under their overwhelming presence.
“Where’d they come from?”
“Fall back!”
At Skevin’s command, the Phoenix Knight Order retreated swiftly.
Arthur, watching, widened his eyes.
“Those things...”
They were ‘Kadra’, one of the alien beasts that had invaded Earth.
His mind raced at the unforeseen turn.
Millerph grimaced as ogres appeared in a pack.
“An ogre...”
“That’s what they call them, huh.”
“Infinitely stronger than orcs. The knights are in danger.”
“Can you handle them?”
“With Skevin and formation, maybe one. But three is impossible.”
“Then buy time until I join.”
As Arthur shouldered his Cheytac, Millerph asked.
“What’s your plan?”
“Something to check.”
Arthur drew his kukri from his back and added.
“Tell Skevin: eyes and nape are weak points. Aim there.”
He vanished into the forest.
“Young Master!”
As Millerph moved to follow.
Roooooaaar!
The beasts roared, shaking the mountains.
“Damn it!”
Millerph cast Feather Fall and plummeted downward.
***
“Hah!”
Skevin swung his sword with full power.
Roooooaaar!
Swoosh!
The attack finally landed.
The ogre bellowed as its leg was severed.
The others uprooted trees and swung wildly.
Skevin sliced the incoming tree and charged. He leaped, bringing his sword down with everything.
Roooooaaar!
This time, an arm flew off.
The knights cheered at the immense power.
“As expected of the Captain!”
“Incredible!”
But the ogres grew fiercer, unleashing deadlier assaults.
The one-legged one swung fists from the ground; the armless hurled rocks.
Skevin blocked everything, but mana drain was heavy.
As mana waned, his strikes weakened.
He fell back, soon cornered.
“Damn it!”
Then.
Fireballs rained on the ogres.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Roooooaaar!
The ogre flailed madly.
Millerph, arriving on the field, raised his staff.
“Fire Lance!”
Six flaming spears materialized and flew at the ogre.
Boom! Boooom!
It erupted in flames.
Skevin broke free and rushed to Millerph.
“Huff, huff.”
“Think we can take them?”
“Too many. Just stall till Young Master arrives.”
“He’s not coming?”
“Said he had to check something, told me to go first...!”
Millerph stopped mid-sentence.
Two more emerged from the forest; his face contorted.
“Damn bastards...”
“Shit!”
“Block them first.”
Millerph fired another Fire Lance.
Twelve spears embedded in the ogres.
Kaboooom!
Roooooaaar!
They rampaged wildly instead.
“Dodge!”
Skevin scooped Millerph and leaped aside.
Millerph jumped up, blasting Fireballs at their backs, and shouted.
“Target the nape and eyes!”
“Hmm...”
Hitting eyes and nape on giants bigger than trees was no easy feat.
Bows might’ve helped, but the Phoenix Knight Order were all swordsmen.
Skevin, the only one who could, was nearly out of mana from early overexertion.
“Damn it!”
The situation spiraled into disaster.
Skevin glanced toward Arthur’s last position.
‘What are you doing?’