Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Chapter 108
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: The Blue Wolf's Swan Song
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...Sssswish!
The Great Forest was full of dim spots even at midday, thanks to the thick canopy of leaves.
In one place where sunlight pierced through unusually well, they carefully laid down Jorg's body.
"Chief... please, go peacefully. Your noble battle... will be passed down through the ages by me, Nurbarag, and all the tribe members."
"That... is enough."
"......"
Nurbarag and the tribe members lingered, unable to tear themselves away despite everything. Seeing their hesitation, Jorg mustered his last strength and shouted.
"...Chwik! Hurry and go! If you can't tell the Golden Eye leader about this old man's final moments... my death will be nothing more than a dog's death!"
"......!!"
Nurbarag and the tribe members bowed lightly toward Jorg and gritted their teeth.
Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak!
Then they turned and began sprinting away.
As he watched the tribe recede into the distance, Jorg finally smiled in satisfaction.
If they heard of the feats accomplished in the Plains of the Beasts, the Golden Eye and the other orcs would surely change their minds.
"Chwiik... even so, with this... my life wasn't... entirely in vain...."
In the final battle of his life, he had landed a blow on an enemy who had just stepped into the master's realm—the domain he had so desperately craved.
There were no regrets in this life.
...Even if that life had been nothing but a chessboard laid out by someone else's design.
Jorg closed his eyes, blissfully unaware of that truth.
Takryu and Gold Heaven both commanded vast territories.
To govern such lands effectively, they each maintained their own intelligence networks—a necessity.
Thus, both the Golden Eye and the Sea King were well aware of the upheavals in their domains.
Yet even after considerable time had passed, the reason they had held back was... not so easily summed up in a single word.
They were massive powers, tangled in internal politics that made rash moves impossible.
Above all, they knew full well how dangerous each other's forces were.
Without concrete proof, sparking a clash would exact too high a price from both sides.
That was the unspoken accord between the two leaders.
But.
That held true only in the absence of solid proof.
The clash between the two forces in the Plains of the Beasts had far surpassed the level of a minor, ignorable skirmish.
"Human, if you're Paon's son... you must know about our Four Dragons and Four Ghosts."
Zakura removed his hand from his temple and spoke.
"Of course."
"If one of those Four Ghosts suffered wounds so severe they're beyond healing. And if a tribe led by one of Gold Heaven's famed warriors from the previous generation was nearly wiped out."
Swipe!
Tilting Ian's chin upward, Zakura asked.
"Even so, do you think you can stand against Gold Heaven with just a single dark elf?"
...Damn it all.
Ian gritted his teeth at Zakura's words.
"Keruk! Father, but still...!!"
Rasna shoved away the subordinate's hand covering her mouth and tried to interject, but.
"Be silent, Rasna!"
Zakura cut her off firmly.
"The Great Curtain's involvement. Yes, it could be a significant matter. But when leading a faction, there are times when you must collide head-on, even if you know the truth."
"......"
Ian had no rebuttal for Zakura's words.
Though their races and circumstances differed entirely.
As someone who had reached the pinnacle of power in his previous life, just like Zakura, Ian understood perfectly.
An absolute leader at the forefront of countless souls needed authority to match.
One couldn't afford frivolity or haste in decisions.
But failing to draw the sword when anyone could see it was necessary wasn't prudence—it was indecision.
Such a leader offered no value worth following.
"Then, what does the Great Curtain intend to do?"
If Takryu and Gold Heaven clashed outright, the Great Curtain would be the sole beneficiary.
Ian tried to persuade with that logic, but.
"A Great Curtain without its Earth Dragon is but half a force. Their petty schemes can be crushed after we've settled things with Gold Heaven."
"......"
He was wrong.
No opening for persuasion in sight.
...Should I back off here?
In truth, Ian had more than fulfilled his role in this Great Forest expedition.
He'd resolved the conflict between Western Heaven and Takryu, and gathered intel on the Gold Heaven-Takryu dispute.
From here on, it was an internal matter for those factions... so Ian's actions now bordered on blatant overreach.
No one could fault him for stopping here without diving deeper.
However... .
The Hegemon, Lucas, was not a man who passively awaited the outcomes he desired.
"Very well."
He was a man who forged those results with his own hands.
"If that's the Sea King's will... I have nothing more to say."
Bow!
Ian bowed politely toward Zakura.
"We've safely brought your daughter, and shared all the information we gathered. The judgment on that is yours alone, Sea King. Then, we'll... take our leave."
"Keruk, Young Lord Ian...?!"
"Captain...?"
Rasna and the Latent Dragon Squad were stunned by Ian's ready retreat, but.
Ian turned without a hint of hesitation and strode out of the cave.
"Captain! Just leaving like this? If Gold Heaven and Takryu wipe each other out, the Great Curtain swallows the whole Great Forest... isn't that a problem?"
Sensing something was off, the Latent Dragon Squad chased after him and asked.
Right. How could it not be?
It was beyond problematic.
For Ian, who knew Paon's aim to capture the Earth Dragon, a strengthened Great Curtain could threaten the clan's very survival.
Not just the Latent Dragon Squad fretted and pursued Ian.
"Keruk! Young Lord Ian! Wait, just a moment!"
Rasna broke free from the lizardmen holding her and hurriedly caught up, calling out.
"Young Lord Ian, how can you just leave? Didn't we come all this way together to help stop the clash between Takryu and Gold Heaven?"
A pang of betrayal welled up in Rasna unbidden.
Though they belonged to different factions, she'd believed they shared the same goal in this matter.
If he was going to give up so easily, it would've been better to go to Haspel with Regulus.
For trusting Ian, was this all the payoff?
Wasn't this no different from sneaking in to steal Haspel's terrain map?
"Of course I intend to help to the end, as Rasna hopes."
"Keruk! Then why... ."
"But."
Ian cut Rasna off.
"Not through persuasion."
As frustrating as it was, the Sea King was right.
Once a clash had escalated to where every member of the factions knew, resolving it bloodlessly through talk was impossible.
With blood already spilled, even presenting the dark elf as proof wouldn't make the two sides rationally step back with an "Oh, misunderstanding—sorry about that."
In such a situation, persisting with persuasion at the Sea King's side... was far from wise.
'Not loyal retainers' counsel, just humans who saved his daughter nagging away... restraint takes real grit.'
They weren't the Sea King's blood kin, Rasna.
Any further prodding at his pride would only raise the odds of Ian's group's heads rolling.
So.
"I'll help in my own way."
The world never crowns a man who solves everything with words alone as Hegemon.
After bidding farewell to their chief and great warrior, the Blue Wolf Jorg.
The remnants of the Blue Lightning Tribe pushed toward Sky Mountain with all they had.
...Thud.
Another orc collapsed lifelessly, his pupils losing focus.
Prolonged exposure to the overwhelming malice Quintus exuded had shattered their internal organs; one by one, they succumbed.
Yet they pressed on without stopping.
"Chwiik, chwiik...."
Leading them was Nurbarag, who had inherited Jorg's will.
Though his breath rasped at his throat's edge, Nurbarag's steps never faltered.
To stop... meant death.
Not merely from exhaustion.
Someone's malice forbade their survival.
Sing!
From the rear of the group.
The chilling slice of blades rang out once more.
...Already!
"Chwiiik! Nurbarag, enemy attack!!"
"Chwiik! Don't look back! Everyone except the rearmost warriors—run!"
Though the rear tribesmen were clearly under assault, Nurbarag issued his order with icy calm.
His heart yearned to fight alongside them... but he knew their joining would change nothing.
"...Sky Mountain is near! Just a bit more—just a little more strength!"
It wasn't empty words.
Sky Mountain now loomed in sight.
A little farther, and they could tell Gold Heaven's orcs of the chief's great battle... and his valiant end.
Thus, he urged the tribe with a throat-shredding roar, but.
"Keruk. Even if you push harder... you know it's futile, don't you?"
The voice answering Nurbarag's plea held no orcish grunt, only a venomous serpent's hiss.
"After all that dog shit... you thought you could escape my grasp?"
...Chwiik! You monster bastard...!
The frog-before-a-snake chill froze Nurbarag solid, but.
Instead of despair, he drew his broken greatsword and swung it backward.
Whoosh!
Slash!
"...Chwiik!"
It severed not just the blade, but Nurbarag's arm entirely.
"Now we're even."
Rooooar!
Though down to one arm, his aura never waned.
Nay, with only one arm left... its savagery raged even fiercer.
"Keruk! I'll tear your corpses to shreds and feed them to the fish. Just like I did with Jorg's body. No honorable death for you."
"......!!"
Nurbarag's eyes bulged at Quintus's words, but there was nothing he could do.
His skills were far too meager to reach Quintus.
"Die."
Whoosh!
The gladius in his right hand descended toward Nurbarag's neck.
...So resentful.
To perish so futilely right before Sky Mountain.
What had been the point of the Blue Lightning Tribe... of the warrior who was their pride, the Blue Wolf Jorg... dying?
'Should've all resisted to the last.'
Before Nurbarag, unable to even close his eyes in his resentment.
Claaaang!
A sword smaller than Nurbarag's greatsword—but vastly larger than Quintus's gladius—wedged between them.
"Oh dear, oh dear. What harsh words for our brave warrior. Can't allow that."
Quintus's face twisted at the familiar, oily mocking tone.
That flippant speech, the massive blade. And the effortless block of his gladius.
"Well now, I have no idea how far you're tracking us. Hey, even you must agree this crosses the line, right?"
Over the sword's flat, a steel-black face met his gaze with a grin.
How could he not recognize those traits?
"...Iron Face! You damned bastard!!"
"Oh come on, I'm not damned... wow, such language."
"...Chwik... Lord Iron Face...?"
"Aigoo, poor kid. You've suffered so much getting here. Truly, well done."
Without taking his eyes off Quintus for a moment, Iron Face addressed Nurbarag.
"From here on, leave the rear to us. Rest easy."
Rustle, rustle!
Orcs clutching lizardmen by the throats burst from the surrounding trees.
Warriors under Gold Heaven, Iron Face's direct command.
"Keruk! At this late hour, you pig filth...!"
Quintus gnashed his teeth in fury.
But fury aside.
His eyes darted about.
In peak condition, perhaps.
But now, one-armed with subordinates subdued... frustratingly, he couldn't match Iron Face.
Mere moments ago, he'd been the executioner.
Now, he was the condemned, scrambling for a way out.
"Oh dear, oh dear."
Lick!
Sensing his intent, Iron Face lightly licked his blade and flashed pearly whites.
"Best not think of running. I'm not the type to let meat I've caught slip away."
Just as Nurbarag had felt toward Quintus.
Quintus found Iron Face's smile utterly chilling.
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