Worthy Opponent
Terta (2). Strong. That was the first impression Eclipse had when he faced the orc king. The creature rivaled the enemies he had fought in his previous world. Of course, Terta was nowhere near as powerful as Terror itself, but he stood on the same level as Terror’s minions. In other words, he was a slightly overwhelming opponent for the current Eclipse, whose strength had been greatly diminished.
Terta’s battle axe crashed down onto Eclipse’s greatsword. The impact produced not the usual metallic clang of clashing weapons but a deafening roar that tore at the eardrums of Terta’s subordinates and every member of Hwanryeong Team 2.
He had been pushed back. Just a little. Eclipse instinctively registered the fact. So did Terta. The orc could not help but feel that Eclipse was far too weak compared to the aura radiating from him, and the question left his mouth on its own.
“What are you, human?”
“……”
“Why are you so weak? That spirit, that overwhelming presence—you’re clearly not supposed to be weak. So why are you?”
“Does it matter, orc?”
Eclipse violently knocked Terta’s battle axe aside with his greatsword. The motion itself was his answer. Beings who lived by the sword had no need for conversation. All they required was the murderous intent to kill their enemy.
Normally Eclipse did not harbor killing intent lightly, but against this orc king he had no choice. The tower of bones, the human skins hanging from it, the orc villages built atop countless human sacrifices—everywhere he looked, the evidence of lives reduced to prey stared back at him. The one who had stripped humans of their inherent nobility stood right before him.
His eyes sank into darkness. Thick, viscous killing intent began to pour out. The air around them shuddered.
Eclipse tightened his grip on the greatsword in his hand.
The moment Terta saw that killing intent flare, excitement surged through him. He let out a fierce battle cry and charged again.
“Hah!”
Terta swung his axe down at Eclipse’s front. The strike moved at a speed most could not even perceive, yet Eclipse reacted instantly, meeting it with his greatsword once more. The same earth-shaking roar erupted, vibrating through the surroundings.
The battle axe wrapped in red mana began pressing the greatsword downward. Eclipse twisted his wrist, smoothly deflecting the crushing force. The motion was so flawless that Terta’s axe skimmed harmlessly past his side for a split second.
Eclipse did not miss the opening. With light footwork he slipped into Terta’s guard, aiming to drive the greatsword into the orc’s massive torso.
But Terta was not one to stand still. The instant his axe was deflected, he released it entirely and caught the incoming greatsword with his bare hand.
Crunch.
The blade carried immense power. Terta’s palm tore open, red blood spilling freely. Yet the pain only seemed to please him; a satisfied smile spread across his lips.
He immediately clenched his other fist and slammed it into Eclipse’s body.
BOOM!
Eclipse’s figure shot through the air and slammed into the ground.
At that moment, certainty settled over him. Even though Yusoha’s growth had returned a fraction of his original power, it still fell short of what was needed to overcome Terta.
Yet he could not simply retreat. Behind him stood Hwanryeong Team 2, and behind them were countless humans. If he fell here, the orc would surely begin a massacre.
Eclipse pushed himself up from the dirt and assessed his condition.
It’s not a serious wound. I’m used to this much.
No matter how weakened he had become, Eclipse was still Eclipse. An injury of this level would not hinder him.
Terta watched him rise and deepened the smile on his face. He plucked the greatsword from his injured hand and hurled it toward the distant Eclipse. Without a word, Eclipse caught the weapon and reset his stance. Terta retrieved his dropped battle axe.
Words were unnecessary. Both beings kicked off the ground at the same time and collided once more. A roar that shook the heavens rang out as their fierce battle resumed.
Eclipse’s greatsword slashed toward Terta’s throat. Terta’s axe swept in a wide arc aimed at severing Eclipse’s arm. In the repeated exchanges, anyone watching could see that Eclipse was clearly being pushed back.
“Isn’t that… dangerous? Shouldn’t we help Lord Eclipse—”
“No,” Yusoha cut in. “You can’t.”
“What?”
“Look at the situation. If we jump into that fight, the orcs watching from the sidelines will join in.”
Yusoha’s gaze shifted toward the orcs observing the battle from afar. Their auras were unmistakably powerful; any misstep would likely end in their defeat.
“…We have no choice. All we can do is hope Eclipse defeats the orc king.”
Yusoha bit her lip. In the current situation, there was simply nothing else they could do.
Watching the greatsword rush toward him, Terta felt his blood boil hotter with every passing second. This. This was what he had lived for.
Hatred for humans? Rage toward those who had once enslaved him? Those emotions still burned inside Terta, urging him to wipe out humanity. But beyond that, the craving for battle against a worthy opponent remained even stronger.
That was why he had stepped through the gate to an unknown world alongside those who shared his ideals. The journey had cost him a great deal of power, yet the passage of time had transformed that suffering into greater strength. In the radiation-choked wastelands, orc bodies had evolved naturally to survive. Terta was no exception.
The only problem was the lack of opponents strong enough to test that power. Earth’s humans were pathetically weak. Even after nuclear devastation and the weakening that came with crossing worlds, they could not stand against the orcs. While recovering his damaged body, Terta had begun to hunger for battles that made his blood sing.
Eventually he had set a clear goal: once his body fully recovered, he would exterminate humanity and seek life-or-death duels with their strongest warriors.
He never imagined that wish would be granted so soon.
At their first clash, disappointment had been inevitable. For someone radiating such a powerful aura, Eclipse had been far too weak. But the moment the human’s killing intent surged and those eyes locked onto him, Terta’s satisfaction returned. This was a true warrior—one who had survived countless life-and-death struggles, just like himself.
Fighting such an opponent left no room for disappointment. If they continued, a truly satisfying battle would surely come.
Yet it was still not enough. He wanted Eclipse to burn with even fiercer killing intent, to stake his very life.
Terta pressed the attack with greater ferocity.
“You’re weak, human! Show me more! Give me everything!”
Eclipse began to visibly struggle to block the blows. The greatsword forged in the Hwanryeong workshop was already chipped and on the verge of shattering. His body, battered by consecutive impacts, was far from its peak.
To turn the tide he would need to use the broken greatsword, but its limited durability meant he could not swing it recklessly. He hesitated. Even if he unleashed his full power, could a fractured blade truly defeat the orc king?
Crack.
In that moment of doubt, the fissures across the blade spread wider.
CRACK!
The greatsword shattered.
The problem was that the battle did not end with a broken sword. The moment it snapped, the power holding back Terta’s axe vanished. The massive weapon swept through, sending Eclipse flying.
Once again Eclipse tumbled across the ground, and self-disgust washed over him. After declaring so confidently that he would win, what was this pathetic state?
Excruciating pain tore through his mind. Being struck squarely by a giant battle axe would do that. Still, it was fortunate the damage had stopped here. At least he could stand again.
The moment he rose, he felt Terta’s disappointed gaze. It grated on him.
There had been several reasons he had not drawn the broken greatsword earlier. First, he had not been certain it could kill the orc. Second, even if he succeeded, he did not know whether Hwanryeong Team 2 and Shin Seongmin could hold off the rest of the orc horde.
His original plan had been to inflict a decisive wound first, then finish Terta with the broken blade. But now that the sword had shattered, options had run out.
He reached behind his back and drew the broken greatsword.
Woooong—
The surrounding air began to tremble violently. Then an abyssal Terror crushed the entire area.
“Finally!”
Terta shuddered as the profound, overwhelming energy bore down on him. Instinct screamed that this was dangerous. He gripped his axe with all his strength.
Eclipse raised the broken greatsword high.
And brought it down.