90
090 ― Originally Mine
The wyvern, Golong, flapped its wings greatly and took flight. It was an urgent situation, but the large body couldn't soar up in one swift motion.
"Golong! Quickly, quickly!"
―Krr…….
Poldere stroked Golong's nape and urged it on. Even through the scales, the urgent heat seemed to be transmitted, making Golong anxious as well.
Immediately after, as expected, the Orcs' attacks came flying. Axes and spears flew from all directions.
The power contained in them was extraordinary; merely grazing was enough to cut through Golong's scales and tear the wing membranes.
―Kraaaaaa!
Golong somehow twisted its body to avoid them as much as possible. However, due to its size, it couldn't dodge everything.
"Golong! Stay strong!"
Poldere wasn't idle either. He firmly secured his body with both legs and shot arrows to shoot down the flying axes.
He was somehow managing the feat of shooting arrows to hit rapidly flying axes. Even for an Elf skilled with the bow, this was no easy task.
The single-minded determination to protect Golong was giving him superhuman concentration.
That wasn't all. Other Elves in the forest also shot arrows to cover Golong.
"Shoot! Attack the Orcs!"
"We must protect the wyvern!"
"Target the ones with spears first!"
From the Elves crouched in the forest, countless arrows poured down to engulf the Orc horde. In the war that had suddenly begun, the surroundings were already in chaos.
The wyvern is trying to fly away somehow, the Orcs are trying to bring down that wyvern, and the Elves are interfering with those Orcs.
"Cowardly pointy-ears! If you're warriors too, come out and fight honorably!"
"Ignore the nonsense and shoot!"
The Orcs burst with anger and threw axes into the forest, but couldn't hit the Elves.
First of all, they couldn't even see them, and even if axes flew directly toward hidden Elves, vines and branches that sprouted from somewhere would knock the axes away.
Elves protected by the forest were difficult enemies even when surrounded by hundreds of Orcs.
However, being in the forest didn't make them invincible.
"April. The forest is gradually withering. We can't hold out for long."
At the fellow Elf's words, April bit her lower lip.
The benevolent forest that protected and cared for them was not a divine being with infinite energy.
Though it harbored the power of the God of Moonlit Forest and was much more powerful than an ordinary forest, it still had its limits.
"Soon it will burn up in flames, even from a small fire. Until then, Poldere must somehow manage."
"I wonder if there's anywhere around to request support……."
"If we can just get out, we'll somehow find a way."
Even while having such conversations, they didn't stop drawing their bowstrings.
They, too, had been running low on nutrients for a long time, similar to the forest. Being a race that didn't eat much to begin with, they had no stored food, and the energy they could draw from the forest was now extremely minimal.
Now they were holding on purely through mental strength. Already, one-third of their personnel had collapsed and lost consciousness.
The only thing they could rely on was Poldere and Golong, who could send a messenger to the outside.
"Golong! Even if it hurts a little, stay strong! I'll treat you later and feed you meat until you're full!"
―Kreung!
Golong took flight. Scales were torn in various places, and blood was streaming out, but it still flapped its wings vigorously.
The momentum of the flying axes and spears had also clearly decreased. Thanks to the Elves shooting arrows from the forest, the Orcs couldn't throw their weapons carelessly either.
'We did it!'
Seeing Golong's wingbeats get on track, Poldere cheered. Having succeeded in stabilizing, now they just needed to fly away. With this, everyone could be saved.
That's what he thought.
Chwareureuk!
Something ominous, like a building pillar, came flying. Excluding its size, it looked like an iron stake with chains attached.
Poldere was horrified seeing it. If hit by something like that, even Golong wouldn't be unharmed! Just as he was about to shout to dodge quickly, before his voice could even come out, the iron stake drove deep into Golong's body.
―Kaaaaaaaaa!
"Go, Golong!"
Fortunately, it missed the vital spots. But there was no longer strength in the wingbeats.
Nevertheless, Golong's mental strength was remarkable, as even in this situation, it was trying not to lose altitude. However.
Chwareuk.
The chains were pulled taut and began dragging Golong down.
Slowly. But surely.
―――――!
A roar that was hard to describe in words covered the battlefield. As if the sound itself had power, it pressed down on the forest and Elves, and Golong in the sky.
Under that pressure, Golong finally crashed. Ujikkeun! The sound of breaking forest and trees painfully echoed in the Elves' hearts.
It was the sound of their only hope being severed.
"Khahahahahaha!"
The owner of the iron stake laughed loudly and pulled the chains. Golong, having already crashed, had to struggle on the ground to avoid being dragged further.
"Light, so light. Though it's a draconic monster, it's indeed not a dragon."
Graktar. The great chieftain who led the alliance of nine tribes, including the Brown Mane tribe…… Or rather, had been.
Reborn harboring black flames, he was not an Orc of this era, but was personally leading the Orcs of this place for his lord.
"Hmph. If you can't even catch one monster that's merely dragon-adjacent, how can you call yourselves warriors!"
"So, sorry."
At the weak Orc's apology, Graktar snorted even more displeasedly.
Having lived in the past era when the entire world was a battlefield, the current Orcs looked extremely pathetic and weak to him.
They, too, were Orcs who had survived by struggling and rolling in the Gates, but they weren't at a level that satisfied Graktar.
Ssaek―!
Then an arrow flew through the air. Shot with such a strong bow, the arrow aimed for Graktar's head and struck down in a straight line.
"Hmph."
But it was easily caught. Seeing him catch and break it so effortlessly, April, who had shot the arrow, gritted her teeth.
"Tonight's dinner is wyvern meat!"
"Uoooooo!"
Graktar raised the Orcs' morale and pulled the iron chains. Each time he pulled alternately with his arms, the staked Golong was dragged closer and closer.
―Kaaaaaaaaa!
"Golong! Just hold on a little! I'll, I'll!"
Poldere tried to remove the iron stake embedded in Golong, but he had no way either. Not only was it embedded too deeply, but the iron stake was too large for him to even lift in the first place.
That said, grabbing and pulling Golong wouldn't accomplish anything either. His light body would just be dragged along with Golong.
There was no method. At this rate, Golong would really be captured by those guys.
Those barbaric bastards were talking about killing Golong to hold a victory party!
Chaeng!
Then, the chains suddenly snapped in the middle.
The chains that had been strongly pulled broke and whipped up fiercely, sweeping the surrounding trees.
What cut the chains was sharp sword energy that had flown from somewhere.
Not from a compatriot inside the forest, but from someone outside the forest.
"Who on earth……."
In Poldere's eyes as he looked up, there was a form visible hazily in the distance. It was quite far, but not a distance that Elf's eyesight couldn't see.
The one who had released the sword energy was the man who had once been his only human customer.
"Jin-woo!"
The mysterious man who, despite being human, had been the number one contributor to the Moonlit Forest. He had returned.
***
As soon as Jin-woo saw Golong, he came down the hill and ran. Beside him was Rona, who was flustered but following along.
Among the hundreds of Orcs forming their battle line, his and Graktar's eyes met precisely.
Jin-woo frowned, looking at the guy, and the guy's eyes widened looking at Jin-woo.
'Black flames…… A minion of the God of War?'
Just as Jin-woo had identified Graktar, Graktar also recognized Jin-woo. There was something his Lord had instructed him about in advance.
"The one who stole the God of Sky's scabbard has appeared!"
If that guy appears, definitely kill him and recover the scabbard.
That it wasn't the God of Sky's nor some random human's, but originally his own.
His lord had said this and ordered the minions descending to the three realms to recover the God of Sky's scabbard.
But to think he would appear on his own like this. Thinking it was good fortune, Graktar grinned wickedly.
Meanwhile, Jin-woo and Rona had already penetrated the Orcs' camp and were fighting enemies rushing from all sides.
Each swing brought down one guy, but at the same time, two more came attacking.
"Jin-woo, do you have a plan?"
Rona asked even at this point, but there couldn't be an answer. Jin-woo was silent for a moment, then replied.
"No."
His sword beheaded two Orcs with a single stroke.
Rona swallowed a keueung groan as if she had expected this, but had no particular complaints. Since she too had no good plan, she had nothing to say.
That said, if they just watched idly, the forest's fall was only a matter of time, so even without Jin-woo, it might have ended up like this anyway. That's what she thought.
Rona's sword, shimmering with sword energy, slashed an Orc's shoulder. And as she cut the next one, that Orc's axe blocked Rona's sword.
Kang!
"Huh?"
"Kheuheu, I won't be easy."
It seemed to be an Orc quite confident in its skills. Its axe was also imbued with energy, so it could remain unharmed without being damaged by Rona's sword.
The Orc rushed forward with a pleased laugh and swung its axe, but Rona cut again with cold eyes. Just like before, it tried to block with the axe, but this time couldn't block and was cut in half along with its body.
The Orc's horrified expression slowly went down and sprawled on the ground. Rona was already dealing with the next Orc without even looking back.
"Jin-woo, is that side okay?"
"Still no prob……."
Jin-woo, who was about to answer that there was no problem, looked up. A massive Orc was falling from above.
He quickly beheaded the guy he was facing and jumped back. Graktar fell where he had just been with a kuwoong! that shook the ground.
"Hey, human. Hand over the scabbard you stole."
Graktar growled as he spoke. At those words, Jin-woo expressed doubt.
"Stole?"
"That scabbard belongs to my Lord! Though that worthless sky mongrel was insisting it was his, it's an item that should shine brightest in my Lord's hands."
From the way he spoke, it didn't seem like he meant the real owner. It was more like a statement with the feeling of 'your things are mine and my things are also mine'.
"It was originally in the God of Sky's temple and is now in my hands, so why would this be your Lord's possession?"
"Only my Lord can handle that scabbard most properly. If this isn't the rightful owner, then what is!"
There was no sign of lying. Then his Lord must have a special use for this scabbard.
Of course, that didn't mean he was convinced by Graktar's words. Jin-woo snorted and spoke.
"Wrong. This scabbard was originally mine from the beginning."
The memory that surfaced when cutting down the descended God of Sky. Now Jin-woo knew too. The fact that this scabbard had originally been his own.