Urk’s body was enveloped, swept aside, and sliced through.
Shrrrrrrrk!
The two snakes, having thoroughly shredded their master’s enemies, coiled back and returned to the sword.
Where the snakes had struck, only a single Orc remained, blood overflowing from its wounds.
Fwoooosh!
The blood blossoming late from Urk’s injuries soaked the valley’s earth.
Clack!
“Better than I thought.”
Ian landed on the ground, satisfied with the raw power the Twin-Headed Bloodsword had finally displayed in actual combat.
Though it didn’t unleash the cataclysmic force of his previous life’s weapon, the Golden Chain Shackle, it was sharp, deadly, and more than enough for the time being.
Even treating a weapon like the Twin-Headed Bloodsword as a mere substitute had been absurd from the start.
Seeing Ian in action, Urk, drenched in blood, shouted urgently to the Orcs.
“Everyone, kill him! If he survives, he’ll surely bring harm to our tribe!!”
“Chii… Aaaaargh!!”
“Kill the human!!”
Perhaps sensing the urgency in Urk’s voice, the surviving Orcs charged at Ian with unrestrained fury.
“Aaaaargh!!”
Then, cutting through the Orcs’ advance came an unexpected roar—from above.
From the cliff’s edge, Ralph had leaped, wielding a halberd as he plummeted vertically.
Shhaaak!
The strike, carried by the momentum of his fall and the immense weight of the halberd, crashed down.
One Orc in the path of Ralph’s diagonal strike was split in two.
“Grease!!”
“Chii, chiiiiiik!”
As Dane descended on Ryuan’s back, the charging Orcs slipped and tumbled across the slickened ground.
“Heal!”
Helena, cradled in Silia’s arms, cast a healing spell toward Ian, rejuvenating his exhausted body.
“Humans, such a nuisance!”
“Kill them all!”
The Orcs, enraged further by the sight of their kin’s blood, raged even more violently.
The Zhamryong squad, who had leapt down to counter them, clenched their lips in determination.
Though Ian’s actions had thinned their numbers significantly, more than twenty Orcs still remained.
Though weakened by Silia’s poison, they were still a formidable force for the squad to face.
“Damn it… this might be my grave today.”
“Tch, what were they thinking, charging in here…”
The Zhamryong squad grumbled, but each knew exactly why they had charged.
Ian had stood proudly even against nearly a hundred Orcs.
Moreover, he had pushed back against the tribal chief himself with unwavering resolve.
Anyone who remained unmoved at such a sight would be unworthy as a member of the Martial Order.
Though they were considered the rogue members, they were still proud members of the Martial Order.
The Grand Sea—threat to the Asran Kingdom and menace to the southern continent.
No one could merely watch or flee in cowardice as their leader fought fiercely against monsters there alone.
Shhaaak!
Ryuan severed the arm of an Orc charging straight at him and shouted toward Ian:
“Captain! Leave this to us and go! The chief is fleeing!”
Ian, rejuvenated by Helena’s healing, looked past the Orcs.
Urk, who had commanded his troops to attack simultaneously, had already turned and chosen to flee.
An Orc claiming to be an honorable warrior, and a chief at that, abandoning his followers—who could have foreseen such darkness in humans?
‘Golden Eyes…’
The pinnacle of Orckind, the ruler who united multiple races under one banner in the Grand Sea.
And an adventurer who actively embraced human knowledge and culture.
Ian felt a sudden curiosity toward this Orc named Golden Eyes, though now was not the time for such thoughts.
“Let’s leave this here. Don’t overdo it, and use Silia’s poison to retreat slowly.”
Thwack!
Even while pursuing Urk, Ian cut through the tendons of Orcs on his path with natural precision, as if the Orcs themselves offered their ankles to his weapon.
“…Huh. He’s actually going.”
Ralph stuck out his tongue in a pout, and the squad responded:
“To complain after they went this far? That’s not just failing as Martial Order members, but as men.”
“Brats.”
“R-Ralph… you’re such a man…”
“Tsk, what a waste of size.”
They each remarked sharply, making Ralph blush and snap back:
“…I know! I was just saying something for no reason!”
Vroom!
Embarrassment transformed into the strength to swing his halberd.
“Retreat? We’re taking them all down here! Come on, you pig bastards! I am Ralph Kalia of the Kalia Division!!”
“Damn it…!!”
Urk, fleeing with his blood flowing unchecked, gritted his teeth.
There were too many wounds to stop the bleeding by tightening his muscles.
‘How did it come to this?’
All humans who had confronted them at the Fire Mountain had been trivial in comparison.
So he had assumed these newcomers were nothing as well.
He believed they were meant for punishment, not battle.
Yet the outcome was far from his expectations.
A mere handful of humans had inflicted near-total destruction on the mighty Red Fang Tribe.
Not against the strong humans holding the northern Grand Sea or the Earth Dragon Karaktus’ forces, but against young humans, not even fully grown.
Such an event was beyond the shame of the tribe; it was a disgrace to the Orc race itself.
If this became known throughout the Grand Sea, monsters of the other three major powers, as well as lone strong beings, would target the Fire Mountain.
Even Golden Eyes’ protection of the Golden Sky would be meaningless.
The Grand Sea operated on the law of the strong.
The weak fell before the strong.
A force defeated by mere children would be disregarded, Golden Sky’s protection or not.
And if Golden Eyes learned of this, he would surely abandon the Red Fang Tribe first.
No one wanted a weak, disgraceful force sullying their name.
‘…In that case, there’s only one way left.’
The ‘Guest’ dispatched from Golden Sky to visit the tribe.
Only by using his power could the crisis be resolved.
After all, the humans numbered fewer than ten.
With the Guest’s help, it could all be settled instantly.
Rustle!
As Urk dragged his battered body toward the tribe’s village, the bushes quivered, revealing someone’s presence.
“!”
Startled, Urk raised his guard.
Usually, no monster in the Fire Mountain could threaten him, but now he was severely wounded.
Another faction might have been lying in wait.
Gripping his axe tensely, Urk saw the figure behind the bushes and relaxed slightly.
“Huh? What? Already over? I came to watch, you know.”
It was the Guest, scratching the back of his head.
“Hmm… but, chief, you look a bit off. You’re not in good shape, are you?”
The Guest’s tone carried a hint of mockery.
His appearance was peculiar.
Even Urk, boasting a massive frame larger than most Orcs, symbolizing strength, was dwarfed by this figure.
The Guest’s body was much smaller than ordinary Orcs.
From shadows alone, he could pass as a tall human.
Small even for an Orc, but his face was even stranger.
Unlike typical green Orc skin, the Guest’s hair was entirely dark gray, as if attached separately.
The appearance gave off a strangely eerie vibe.
“…Iron Face. Embarrassingly, human schemes have caused major damage. If this continues, the tribe might be wiped out. I need your help.”
Whistle!
Iron Face, the Guest, only responded with a whistle that could have been admiration or mockery.
“Wow, unlike before, the Martial Order seems serious this time? These humans must have been strong. Seeing Urk of Fire Mountain reduced to tatters like this…”
Heh heh heh!
Covering his mouth with one hand, Iron Face laughed. Urk urged him again:
“There’s no time, Iron Face! Hurry and save our people! If delayed, the Fire Mountain will fall into human hands!”
Iron Face’s eyes widened.
“Eh? What nonsense is that?”
Truly, he seemed to not understand Urk at all.
“You’re mistaken. Fire Mountain is meaningful only to us as a foothold. Humans wouldn’t want this place even for free. Impossible to farm, hard to defend, swarming with monsters like us. Why would they want it?”
Urk grew annoyed at Iron Face’s nonsense.
“…Weren’t the humans actually attacking our tribe just now?”
Even now, his tribe was weakening, dwindling.
“No, no. You’re seriously misunderstanding.”
Iron Face flicked his pinky at his ear, then smiled upon discovering wax caught on his finger.
“Oh, wonderful… Anyway, continuing. The reason they pushed this far was because you acted recklessly, Urk.”
“Wha-what?”
“Humans aren’t crazy to target such worthless land. Fire Mountain isn’t coveted. You, under the chief, got too bold.”
Phew!
Iron Face flicked the wax off and continued:
“You were managing well against humans so far. I intended to officially recognize you under Golden Sky if you succeeded one last time… Ah, right, I was the examiner. Well, now, you’re done. Sorry, Red Fang Tribe, you’re to be disposed of here!”
Wink!
Iron Face winked at Urk. His indifferent attitude made Urk’s suppressed anger erupt.
“Chiiiiik! Shut up with this nonsense!!!”
So angry that even the shared language he had been practicing for Golden Sky fused into a nasal roar.
Urk swung his axe violently at Iron Face.
Kwaaaaaak!
“…Huh?”
Iron Face suddenly held a massive greatsword behind his back.
At that moment, the weight Urk had felt in his axe vanished instantly.
Not just the weight…
Thunk!
Below the elbow.
Urk’s arm, holding the axe, had been severed and fell to the ground.
“Chiiiik!!!”
Blood still gushed from the severed elbow, and Urk knelt, screaming in pain.
“Ah, shut up. Hmph, still can’t get a proper nasal sound out? You’re out for sure now!”
Whoosh!
Iron Face playfully swung the greatsword, silencing Urk’s cries.
Fwoooosh!
Those cut in half couldn’t scream.
Some of the blood raining from Urk’s severed section splashed onto Iron Face’s shoulder, distorting his face.
“Ew, dirty.”
Swish, swish!
He pulled a cloth from his robes to wipe his shoulder, like a human cleaning mud.
“So, what will you do?”
Though the area was empty, Iron Face spoke as if someone stood beside him.
“If you don’t come out, I might be in a bad mood. Better just come out, right?”
…Ssshhh.
At Iron Face’s threatening suggestion, someone stepped from behind the bushes.
It was Ian, chasing after Urk.
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