Savior Legend #3

 

The arena was already gripped by a fervent enthusiasm.

Even though the arena was not large enough for a large crowd to gather, over a thousand orcs gathered.

There were no seats left, so everyone stood up, clinging to the pillars of the arena and climbing on their comrades’ shoulders, they slowly filled the arena.

A showdown between Jonathan and the Champion brothers, Wafa & Betdi.

Everyone gathered to watch the match of the century.

“Immortal! Immortal! Immortal Orc!”

“Immortal to us too!”

“Immortal! Immortal!”

Most of the audience was on the side of the Immortal Brothers.

That’s understandable. Wapha and Betdi are the current rulers of the Orc village, and they’ve already proven their extraordinary abilities time and time again.

The power to escape death, granted by the vampire queen Camula.

To the orcs, Wafa and Betdi must have seemed like living gods.

“Huh, huh-”

This is the waiting room.

Unlike the arena auditorium filled with excited spectators, only Jonathan’s anxious breathing could be heard in the waiting room.

Jonathan had been pacing around the waiting room anxiously for a while, and then suddenly sat down and started shaking, his condition not looking good.

“Why are you so nervous? Calm down.”

“How can you be calm, Estelle? If you lose, you’ll die. No, not die. You’ll become an eternal slave. The very thought is terrifying!”

“Hey, if you win, that’ll do. If you do it like you usually do, you won’t have to worry.”

“As usual… I’m usually a mouthy rascal. If I fight like I usually do, I’ll be defeated by those guys before I can even last a minute.”

“Surprisingly, I’m quite critical of myself.”

I laughed. Jonathan didn’t laugh.

Jonathan buried his face in his knees and held his head.

“It was crazy. I must have lost my mind. What am I going to do wearing that stupid, old armor? I shouldn’t have gotten involved in this crazy fight in the first place.”

I smiled and patted Jonathan on the shoulder.

“Hey, the world is always changed by those with brains. Hey, Orc Warrior! It’s time. Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting.”

Wow—

As he opened the door, a loud roar flowed in from outside. Jonathan flinched, his shoulders trembling, and he glanced outside.

“Estelle, cancel it now-”

“It’s noisy, let’s go.”

“Ouch! Don’t pull my ears!”

I left the waiting room door, dragging Jonathan’s ear.

***

“What’s that stupid armor, Jonathan?”

“You don’t know, do you, Wapa?”

“What is it? I don’t know. So tell me. Is this armor you picked up from a dump?”

“If this armor is anything to go by-”

Jonathan proudly thrust his chest out towards the audience.

When I actually went up on stage, the timid orc I had seen in the waiting room was completely different.

“That guy, that guy. Is he cut out for the stage?”

At least one talent seemed certain.

The talent to boast without even licking one’s lips.

Jonathan shouted proudly with a shameless face.

“Listen carefully, everyone. This magnificent armor I wear is that of the renowned Orc warrior! I have been chosen by fate, brothers. I am the Orc warrior!”

“Orc… warrior?”

“Was there something like that? Isn’t that something only old farts would say?”

“Jonathan was chosen? Is that true?”

The audience exchanged glances, half in doubt.

Jonathan added to the bluff.

“That’s not all. I’ve mastered the Orc fighting arts! I’ve resurrected those legendary, long-forgotten techniques with my own power! I’ve received a revelation from the primordial power! If those guys are immortal, then I’m a warrior! A warrior orc!”

It was typical of Jonathan that he omitted the elders’ story.

In fact, both the armor and the orc fighting techniques were borrowed from the elders’ power.

Jonathan boasted that he had obtained it solely through his own efforts to emphasize the concept of a ‘chosen warrior’.

“Everyone shout! Warrior Orc!”

“Warrior Orc…Warrior Orc!”

“Forget about the immortal orcs! These are warrior orcs!”

“Warrior Orc! Warrior Orc!”

Jonathan, who was very excited, walked around the arena with his nostrils flaring.

The crowd’s mood changed. Those who had previously cheered for the Immortal Orc now cheered for Jonathan.

“That kid⋯.”

Wapha and Betty glared at Jonathan. Their gazes could kill.

“Enough of the nonsense, Jonathan. You’re no warrior or anything. You’re a weak, pathetic orc.”

“Yes. No matter how much you brag, soon everyone will see your true face clearly.”

Jonathan did not flinch even in the face of Wafa and Betty’s threats.

Jonathan grinned, baring his molars.

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens! Come on, come on!”

Ding ding ding—

The bell rang, signaling the start of the duel.

Wapha and Betty walked slowly with murderous expressions on their faces.

Jonathan took a quick step back and looked back at me.

“Now, it’s time to show them an example. Estelle, you’re going to wipe them all out!”

“What? You were making such a fuss earlier….”

“Hey, why are you doing this too? It was my job to make a fuss. It’s your job to fight. Come on, come on!”

Jonathan frowned as I stood there, seemingly nailed to the spot.

“Why, why, Estelle? Why are you looking at me like that?”

His voice trembled a little with anxiety.

“Jonathan, listen to the crowd.”

“Warrior Orc! Warrior Orc! Show me, Warrior Orc!”

“Do you hear? The crowd wants to see you fight. It can’t be helped, in this atmosphere.”

“What is that-”

Jonathan’s face froze pale.

The crowd’s chorus grew louder and louder.

Jonathan seemed to be crushed to a pulp by the pressure of the shouts that felt like needles were stabbing his entire body.

“Estelle, that’s ridiculous… I’m not good at fighting. And you said it at the beginning. You said you’d fight, and I just had to hold on from behind…”

“You learned orc combat techniques. Isn’t it worth the effort? You should at least try them out in real combat.”

“It’s okay. I don’t regret it at all— Whew! Don’t push me, Estelle!”

As I pushed him back, Jonathan’s posture collapsed and he stumbled forward a few steps.

As Jonathan raised his head, Wapha and Betty, who had come close to him, gleamed in his eyes.

“Hehehe… Yeah, that’s right. Where are you trying to get me, Jonathan?”

“I’ll take out your guts and jump rope with you. The audience will enjoy it.”

Jonathan’s mouth fell open. Just as he was about to say something to me, Wafa and Betty rushed in without waiting any longer.

“Whoa!”

bang-

Bette’s axe struck Jonathan, who had flinched.

There was no time to stand still. The next wave of Wafa’s knuckles aimed for Jonathan.

“Two-on-one, two-on-one is dangerous! Estelle, this isn’t right! At least it’s one-on-one!”

“What are you babbling about, Jonathan? Were you planning on hiding behind some human woman?”

“Eww-!”

Jonathan flew, sweat dripping down his body.

It was a desperate evasion. Every movement was a matter of life and death.

‘It’s pretty good. Not bad.’

I watched Jonathan fight with my arms crossed.

They were on the defensive, and just avoiding the attacks seemed like a lot of work.

‘Indeed, the orc’s fighting skills.’

The combined attacks of Wapha and Betty have yet to reach Jonathan.

Although his movements were somewhat sloppy and uncool, Jonathan was able to master the art of orc combat quite well.

Don’t clash with force. Like flowing water, read your opponent’s momentum and dodge.

“Gasp, gasp-!”

Jonathan grabbed his throat and retched as if he was about to throw up.

Training and real life are different.

In real combat, even the same movements require several times more stamina. Literally, it’s a real fight.

The enemy is desperately trying to kill Jonathan. He has no intention of stopping his sword from being so close.

If his abilities hadn’t been boosted by the Orc Warrior’s armor, he would have already suffered fatal wounds all over his body.

‘I guess I should start helping out soon.’

As I took a step forward, Wapa and Betdi gritted their teeth and looked on guard.

They must be starting to feel it too.

Jonathan, who I thought I could defeat in an instant, was holding up much better than I thought.

If I join in, things will undoubtedly get even more difficult.

Their fighting skills themselves were meager.

The fight between the local thugs was incomparable to the orcish fighting skills that were overflowing with fundamentals.

The driving force behind Wapa and Betdi’s undefeated streak was solely due to the power of “immortality.”

“You all saw it, right? It’s not just Wafa and Betty who don’t die. Look at Jonathan. He didn’t even get a single fingertip cut.”

“Yes, the human girl is right! Jonathan isn’t dead either!”

“Warrior Orc! Warrior Orc!”

The audience cheered. I continued speaking without giving up control of the flow.

“And here! What if we steal the immortal powers of Wapha and Betdi? It’s obvious who will win, right?”

“Stolen? Is that even possible?”

“Isn’t the power of immortality a power that Camula bestowed upon them?”

The crowd was abuzz. Even more bewildered than the crowd were Wafa and Betdi.

“Don’t talk nonsense, human! The power of immortality belongs to Kamula! No one can take it from us!”

Wapha screamed loudly.

But there was a hint of anxiety on his face. It was the same for Betty.

“See?”

I held out my index finger towards the orc brother.

The shape of a small bird flapping its wings.

“The Tattoo of the Demon King.” A gift from my friend, the Wilderness Orc Shaman.

Camula’s necromancy is certainly not easy. However, necromancy is, after all, a type of magic.

And the tattoo of the demon is a counter to all magic.

“I command you. Your immortality will now vanish without a trace.”

Wave—!

A storm of sky-blue magic swirled from my fingers, and my hair flew wildly.

The wind of anti-demonic power sweeping through the arena.

The black aura that flowed from Wapha and Betdi’s bodies was carried by the wind and scattered into the sky.

The legend of the Immortal Orc will end today.