episode_0025

-Orcs launch a counterattack!!!

Upon hearing that, everyone, armed and ready after inspections, leaped onto the castle walls.

Soldiers and knights stood in defense against the orcs climbing up the walls with ladders and their fallen kin’s bodies.

Rangers were there to counter the orc carrying the ladder and the protected shaman.

Even the wizards, ready to unleash the most effective wide-range magic in battle,

followed suit after those who were deeply engrossed in discussions at the council chamber.

The overseer of the Great Wall and Dulliere’s patriarch.

The commander of the cavalry unit, wielding a spear.

The ranger chief, skilled in scouting, marksmanship, and more.

The leader of the Winter Knights, who was denied permission to go out and receive guidance from the fortress.

..And lightly bounding up to the castle walls, Gyeomsung and Linus Noisdan.

Tense and resolute, those who had prepared for the Orcs’ counterattack climbed the walls, wearing puzzled expressions.

“Our forces…”

“Are they… just…?”

A massive orc army covering the horizon instead of grasslands.

To call their forces merely “just” in the face of such overwhelming numbers covered right up to the horizon with orcs.

Nobles or knights from the central region might have deemed them insane, but they knew better.

The orc army was truly, incredibly vast.

With the entire tribe moving under the chieftain, their numbers were truly staggering.

Sending over ten thousand orcs with just the vanguard; what about their main force?

It would easily exceed 300,000 even with conservative estimates.

Compared to the forces that achieved a temporary peace before Ellis returned a few days ago, this force seemed meager.

The soldiers’ faces lost some of their tension upon realizing this, but those who understood the situation remained grim-faced.

Change doesn’t come easy.

When one side falls, the other rises; it’s the way of the world.

Why had the forces decreased so drastically compared to the first decisive battle?

“..Ah.”

And there was someone who noticed it first.

“..Have you realized something?”

Dulliere asked urgently, being the first to speak.

In this situation, the ones to ask would typically be the wizards, but Dulliere couldn’t forget the transcendent martial prowess she displayed during the last battle.

No matter which path one takes, the end result is the same.

Realizing this, Dulliere was convinced that Linus had noticed something.

When others turned to Linus, wondering if she agreed, she spoke with an unusually firm expression.

“The transcendents…”

Transcendents?

While everyone’s faces stiffened upon seeing Linus’s expression, what she said next surpassed imagination.

“Three…”

…What did she say?

Everyone reacted similarly, their expressions mirroring hers.

Having witnessed her martial prowess, no one refuted her claim, but they all wanted to ask if they had misinterpreted something.

How many transcendents are there in the south?

As far as is known, there are two.

The Southern Duchess, Yuria Noisdan.

Her daughter, Linus Noisdan.

There are two transcendents in the south.

Even if the Duchess generously includes her subordinate in the ranks of the transcendents knocking on the door, it would still be three.

Even when crossing into the Empire, transcendents do not number more than seven.

But how many transcendents are amidst those orcs?

Hoping for clarification, they stared at Linus as if trying to see through her, but her face remained frozen.

As if to reassure them, she added,

“One lost an arm and suffered a drop in combat effectiveness, another seems to be losing spirit. The third… well, it’s accurate, but something feels off.”

Despite her words, there was no comfort to be found.

After all, a transcendent is a transcendent!

One who sheds their limitations, surpasses boundaries, and reveals themselves to the world—a transcendent!

Even if Linus’s combat prowess plummeted due to losing an arm, a transcendent remains a transcendent; even if their spirit wanes, a transcendent is still a transcendent.

Unlike the soldiers who managed to shake off the pressure of the unexpectedly small force, despair began to creep into the faces of the command center.

If only they had been two…

One would have staked their life wishing for Linus to be the opponent, hoping she would emerge victorious until she entered the battle.

But now, it’s not just two but three.

No matter how strong Linus might be, facing two opponents alone was a stretch.

Despair crept over the faces of the headquarters staff, before the knights and soldiers could realize that despair.

“Three… It’s cutting it close.”

A voice quietly echoed, mature enough to not be called a boy yet youthful enough not to be termed a young man.

“I think we can manage somehow.”

The speaker had eyes that shone like stars in the dark of dawn against his black hair.

Expectation and doubt, despair and hope, anger and joy.

Amidst various conflicting emotions, Vihan von Adelheid spoke.

“Do you… believe me?”

With a fierce lift of the corner of his mouth and a gleam in his eyes, the boy’s demeanor felt as if dawn had descended upon them.

Before hope dawned, announcing the arrival of hope faster than anyone else.

…

Transcendents number three.

It seems my hypothesis was correct after all.

I can roughly guess what kind of trick Akat pulled off.

Though the orcs filled the horizon precariously, their numbers were significantly lacking compared to the orc army’s name.

Orcs rushed as if they needed to collect deaths immediately.

Even Linus mentioned an ambiguous energy.

These bastards…

Are they pouring water into a broken vessel?

It seems that tearing one’s head apart leads to death just like anger.

Fortunately, anger wasn’t a match for AlphaGo and Sedol.

Nevertheless, Akat must have tried to collect deaths from the remaining orcs after we left to somehow repair the vessel.

And with that, he must have sacrificed many orcs in the base to fill and refill it.

Does that solve anything?

No.

Why?

Because the Seven Evils are the Seven Evils.

Those beings, each imbued with a concept of sin and even gained energy from outside, aren’t easily repaired.

They must have painstakingly tried to piece together the broken vessel, but it couldn’t be perfect, so leaks continued.

To resolve that, they must have launched this assault as soon as the ritual ended.

Filling the vessel with insufficient energy and humans from the occupied area.

By continuously filling it, could the vessel naturally heal its leaks?

However, this is their strategy.

‘To pay back in kind.’

This is a gambling mindset.

In such a case, there is usually only one answer.

Endure until all that energy is exhausted, a tactic known as perseverance.

Through enduring and persevering, the vessel of anger will eventually collapse, bringing victory to us.

But practically, this plan won’t work.

Why won’t it work?

“I believe it, but… facing three Transcendents? Even two are tough for me.”

As Linus said, Transcendents are damn strong.

If there were just two Transcendents, we could try to endure, but facing three is just damn impossible.

However, we need to buy time.

You just said it was damn impossible a moment ago, so what are you saying now?

“They will come to face us soon.”

“…Really?”

Yes, really.

You didn’t lose anything by listening to me, right?

Then trust me!

Of course, Linus has heard me for the second time now.

Without stating the proper words, everyone listened to Vihan’s statement about buying time.

The headquarters staff wore expressions of ‘What nonsense is this?’ claiming that three Transcendents cannot be endured.

Meanwhile, Doolie glanced at Elise meaningfully, wondering what I meant.

If Linus hadn’t suggested listening to my words, they might have been kicked out immediately.

Or maybe if the scout’s report had spread, they wouldn’t have been kicked out but simply treated as lunatics.

Yet, with Linus believing my words and my established reputation, everyone listened to me.

The enemy’s formation was truly chaotic.

With a grand formation in place, the orcs advanced, stacking ladders and corpses in the front while supporting from behind, targeting the magicians—a previous tactic.

This time, the advance was akin to a swarm of fireflies, simply rushing forward, trusting in the sheer numbers of orcs.

From above, we shot arrows, igniting the firefly-like creatures as we awaited the true might of the enemy.

The knights handling the ogres loosened their tense bodies, sharpening their spirits to the fullest.

The wizards handling extensive magic preserved their mana and focused their bodies entirely.

Those skilled enough to momentarily halt the monsters prepared themselves with grim determination.

Renes vowed to swiftly surpass the opposing chieftain, his smile faint.

Bihan muttered to himself, calculating something based on the last time they received communication.

– Thud!

A massive force rose from the enemy’s formation, kicking up dust, propelling bodies into the air.

“I’ll go!”

Renes charged forth, clashing weapons with the enemy. As the two collided at one axis of the battlefield, a burst of explosive crimson energy soared into the sky.

“The people I mentioned earlier are here now.”

“Got it!”

Strong individuals prioritizing the flow and defense over brute force surged forward to meet the energy.

The battle began with clashes against monsters capable of splitting mountains, striving to evade, deflect, and block attacks to save lives in an instant.

– “Come out, you scoundrels!”

Enraged, Akat’s face contorted from the start. In response to his outburst, Bihan calmly replied, “Let’s go.”

Elise, gripping her shield tightly, eyes gleaming, questioned Bihan skillfully amidst Akat’s verbose tendencies.

“Calculating the position… 3…”

“Three minutes? Just need to buy three minutes?”

With voices exuding confidence, everyone prepared resolutely.

“2…1…”

“..?”

As the numbers rapidly decreased,

“0… They’re here.”

Energy approached unnoticed, leading to a sudden eruption of power.

– Roar!!!

A barrage of countless arrows rained down upon Akat and the sorcerers.

Amidst the chaos and before the dust settled, newcomers appeared: fair-haired elves with proud ears, slender faces, and limbs, wielding unique bows and arrows, claiming to be the gods’ finest creation—the Elves.

Suddenly appearing, the Elves strung their bows, continuously firing arrows towards where the dust had yet to settle, observing a group resembling a commander among humans.

Are these the ones Bihan mentioned?

How can Elves, known for their ill nature, help?

First time seeing High Elves.

I’m seeing them for the first time too, but if the Elves are helping, Master must have…

As the Elves approached, Bihan’s group hesitated and murmured, only to be interrupted by the loud voice of an Elf.

“Who is the human claiming to know the locations of the six Dryads here—!!!”

Who–who–who—

Whether due to the commanding presence or the carried wind, everything fell silent momentarily upon the Elf’s words, leaving those present stunned.

‘What did that damn Elf just say?’

Showing his face,

“I’m a seller of information.”

Bihan said, raising his hand casually.

Before his companions could ask Bihan anything, an elf with eyes wide open approached him and asked, locking eyes with him.

“Is that true?”

The elf asked, his blue eyes shining even brighter.

In response, Bihan locked eyes and replied.

“It is. Both the information I sell and its accuracy.”

After a moment of eye contact, the elf tilted his head and inquired.

“The price?”

As if demanding Bihan to speak.

Pointing to one side with his finger, Bihan spoke.

“That one, kill him.”

Akart, with a bewildered expression at the end of Bihan’s finger.

Seeing this, the elf raised his bow as if contemplating something, then pulled an arrow as if about to break the bowstring and said.

“Compared to the price.”

High Elf Archery – The Ultimate Skill

Dragon Slayer

“Seems easy.”

An aura of confidence bordering on arrogance, filled with the certainty of killing a dragon, clashed with the orc champion.

Watching this scene, Bihan thought.

“Hmph~ Are these wood elves really that powerful?”

He almost felt like someone was watching from the sidelines.