Subjugation (2)
Subjugation Day 1. Hwanryeong Team 2 had stepped forward with bold determination, yet they were struggling far more than expected to locate the orc settlement. They had assumed it would be easy to find, but the creatures showed no sign of themselves whatsoever. For a moment they wondered if they were on a fool’s errand, but resting peacefully was out of the question—who knew what horrors they might witness if they let their guard down. In the end, they opted to carry out a reconnaissance mission.
The silver lining was that physical exhaustion was not an issue. The terrain beneath the cliff had cooled considerably compared to before. Without the oppressive heat sapping their strength, the burden on their bodies was far lighter, allowing them to press on with the scouting operation without difficulty.
After walking for some time, Zekern approached the wandering team. Only then did every face brighten with relief. Zekern’s arrival could only mean one thing: the reconnaissance squad had found the orc settlement.
Following Zekern’s lead, Hwanryeong Team 2 soon discovered a village slightly smaller than the one they had seen while establishing their forward base. Though they were still too far away to make out the finer details, the scale was unmistakable.
“It looks a bit smaller than the settlement we wiped out when we built the forward base,” someone observed.
“We still can’t afford to let our guard down,” Yusoha replied sharply. “This terrain gives the orcs plenty of opportunities for a counterattack.”
“We don’t seem to have been spotted by the sentry on the watchtower yet… What’s our move?”
The reason thirty people had managed to remain undetected was simple: Zekern’s stealth ability. The moment the main team linked up with the reconnaissance squad, Chae Gain had quickly used Zekern to conceal everyone’s presence in case the enemy caught wind of them. As a result, her mana was being consumed at an alarming rate.
“We’ll use the same tactic as last time,” Yusoha declared. “Unleash high-powered magic from range, then finish off any survivors in close quarters. This time, however, there’s a risk of counterattack, so keep a minimum reserve of mana for emergencies. I know some of you went all-out last time because you got carried away—restrain yourselves today. We had the high ground before, so I let it slide, but the situation is different now.”
“Yes, ma’am!” the team chorused.
“And Gain. How long can you maintain the stealth?”
“I won’t be able to keep it up through the entire fight,” Chae Gain answered hesitantly. “I already burned through quite a bit of mana keeping us hidden while scouting… but I should be able to hold it until the spells are ready. We’ll need to move quickly, though.”
“Then we don’t have time to overthink this. We’ll close in, unleash the magic, and adapt from there. Those on the front line—do everything you can to block any counterattack.”
“Leave it to us,” Cha Hyeonseong replied with steady politeness.
“Good. We’re moving in. Since firearms are useless here, summon your Soul Armaments. We finish this fast and return to the forward base.”
The Awakened of Hwanryeong Team 2 each called forth their Guardian Stars and equipped their Soul Armaments. Powerful mana resonated from the magic stones as the mages and gunners completed their preparations. Watching them, Yusoha began condensing her own mana. Behind her, a massive cannon took shape.
Of course, none of this was visible to the orcs. Both the deafening roar and their very presence were masked by Zekern. Thanks to that, Chae Gain was suffering terribly, but she endured in silence, maintaining the concealment. When every attack was finally ready, she spoke to the team, exhaustion clear in her voice.
“Dropping stealth now. Be careful.”
“Begin,” Yusoha commanded.
The moment Chae Gain’s words left her lips, Yusoha gave the signal. Condensed mana bullets and spells painted the sky above the orc settlement.
The gray orc standing watch on the tower stared blankly for a split second at the sudden barrage of magic and silver-glowing bullets filling the sky.
“Krrk! Danger!”
It tried to react as quickly as it could, but defending against a surprise strike like this was no easy feat.
BOOM!
Disaster rained down on the orc settlement. The village began to crumble amid deafening explosions. A great number of orcs were caught in the magical aftermath—maimed or killed outright. One orc that had barely dodged the falling debris from the watchtower lifted its head with great effort and spotted the hated humans from where the spells had come.
“Humans! It’s humans!”
The single cry of “humans” was enough to snap the confused, panicking orcs back to their senses. Yet the moment they regained clarity, their eyes burned with fury. The destruction was so overwhelming that their once-orderly village was now in ruins. Hatred flooded their minds. Rage poured from their eyes in waves. They seized their weapons and assumed battle stances.
Although many orcs had been rendered combat-ineffective, the gray orcs were resilient enough to wield mana. Regardless of the village’s ruin, roughly thirty of them began scaling the defensive wall that protected their home.
“They’re coming!” Cha Hyeonseong shouted from the front line as he watched the battered orcs charge over the wall.
“Hold your positions! Warriors, do not let them break through! Mages and gunners, support the front line!”
Though there were only about thirty of them, the ferocity of their charge was anything but ordinary. The mages began channeling mana once more. This time, however, they could not use wide-area spells. The orcs were faster than anticipated; high-powered magic simply could not be prepared before the enemy slammed into the front line. Casting such spells now would sweep away their own allies along with the orcs, so the mages switched to lower-powered but precisely tracking spells instead.
Unfortunately, the reduced firepower meant the new spells failed to inflict meaningful damage. This time, however, the gunners shone brilliantly.
Crunch!
A mana-infused bullet slammed into the thigh of an orc trying to smash through the front line with its crude weapon. The anti-monster rounds were as massive as anti-materiel sniper bullets, and they poured down on the orcs without pause. The warriors seized the opening. They swung their Soul Armaments and cleaved through the stumbling orcs’ necks.
Yusoha was not merely commanding from the rear. The battle had devolved into a chaotic melee; every extra hand on the front line counted. She formed a sword, dashed forward, and drove the blade straight into the forehead of an orc attempting to collapse their formation.
Schunk.
With a clean strike, the massive gray orc collapsed, blood streaming from its brow. Hwanryeong Team 2 left no openings as they systematically cut down the orcs one by one. Before long, every last creature that had charged out in tatters lay cold on the ground.
Having seized the settlement, Yusoha swiftly issued the order to withdraw. There was no reason to linger after destroying the village. They needed to return to the forward base quickly, reorganize, and move on to the next target.
“We’ll proceed the same way tomorrow,” she announced.
“Yes!”
“Also, I’ve decided that starting tomorrow the reconnaissance squad will be completely excluded from combat. That includes you, Gain.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Instead, maintain stealth just long enough for the mages to finish preparing their spells, exactly like today. The moment the magic is nearly ready, I’ll give the signal.”
“That’s going to eat up a lot of mana…” Chae Gain said timidly.
“We have no choice. Otherwise the risk becomes too great and the operation will drag on.”
“…Mm. I’ll try. If I only have to hold it for about five minutes… I should be able to keep some strength in reserve.”
“Good. We’ll do it that way from tomorrow onward.”
Yusoha wore a satisfied smile, already deciding she would prepare some spiritual medicine for Chae Gain later.
Subjugation Day 2. Just as planned the day before, the reconnaissance team would locate a settlement, the combat team would seize it, and the scouts would immediately move on to the next target. Having grown accustomed to clearing orc villages, Hwanryeong Team 2 was now able to finish them off even faster.
By the time they finished clearing one settlement, the reconnaissance squad had already found another. After checking her team’s condition, Yusoha judged that they could take one more village. She immediately led them toward the next target.
It was an exhausting schedule, but now that they knew the orc king was heading this way, they had to clear the surrounding area while they still could.
In the second village, they encountered an orc that could detect stealth—an orc shaman. Its rank was not particularly high, but it was sensitive to the flow of mana and saw through their concealment. A fierce battle broke out.
The saving grace was that Hwanryeong Team 2 was no ragtag group that would be helplessly overrun simply because their stealth had been broken. Even in a head-on fight against the entire settlement, they overwhelmed the orcs and claimed victory.
Of course, because it had been a frontal assault, some members sustained injuries—though all of them were minor. Seeing the fatigue etched on her teammates’ faces, Yusoha decided further combat would be difficult. She promptly led the entire team back to base.