Ch.145Chapter 145: The Decisive Battle in the East (13).

Even as Jerdin himself was caught off guard and could only guess what had happened.

The only person who clearly saw what had struck the mage was Valt.

With his enhanced vision, Valt had precisely witnessed the moment the mage’s abdomen was pierced.

“A spear.”

As Valt muttered quietly, everyone present at that moment turned to look at him. Of course, Jerdin was no exception.

“A spear, you say?”

Jerdin, displeased that a mere barbarian had identified something he himself couldn’t see clearly, questioned him. But Valt simply answered what he had seen.

“Yes. A massive spear. It pierced through the mage’s abdomen in an instant.”

However, deducing that it was a spear from the mage’s wound wasn’t difficult for any of them.

Though Valt was somewhat respected, one of the squad members, annoyed that Valt had easily stated what no one else had confidently identified, spoke up.

“Ha, anyone could tell that much just by looking at the wound. No need to show off…”

“It had a bluish tint and, unusually, both ends were pointed. Rather than a spear, it could be described as a giant needle. Gerung-tu does not lie about what he has seen.”

When Valt mentioned the detailed shape of the enemy’s weapon, everyone finally showed surprised expressions.

Yet despite their surprise, different words came out.

“It’s a javelin that orcs like to use. Nothing special.”

At that moment.

“I-It’s real? Wait, is that even possible?!”

The crystal ball captured the image of the spear that had pierced through the mage earlier, now returning through the sky back to where the Orc King stood.

Just as Valt had described, it was an unusual spear with both ends pointed. The blue-glowing object was unmistakably a magical artifact.

“An artifact…”

Even a Grand Master couldn’t retrieve a thrown spear from such a distance in that manner. No, it would be difficult even for someone beyond Grand Master level.

Then there was only one answer.

It was a weapon with strange powers.

“Gauwell’s Fang… How could such a monster possess such an artifact?!”

Veron, who had extensive knowledge of artifacts, mentioned the spear’s name with utter shock.

“Gauwell’s Fang? Was there such an artifact?”

At Jerdin’s thunderous question, Veron collected himself and quickly shared what he knew.

“It’s named after a great orc warrior from ancient times who stood against the gods. He had a mountain-like physique, and legend has it that he fashioned his sharp, strong fangs into weapons to fight the gods. It’s said that his two fangs became artifacts.”

An orc’s fang from ancient times that stood against the gods. It sounded impressive just thinking about it, but old tales weren’t what mattered now.

A javelin with incredible range and retrieval ability.

Though it had only these two abilities, the majesty that Gauwell’s Fang had just displayed was enough to put everyone gathered here on edge.

A one-hit kill javelin launched from a distance so far it was difficult to detect?

Moreover, whether it could track targets or not, Gauwell’s Fang had accurately pierced the abdomen of the Arch Mage who appeared as a mere dot from that distance.

“Hmm… To think such a weapon exists… This is going to be a bit challenging.”

Information about Gauwell’s Fang—its usage conditions, activation requirements, and the time it takes to activate—would be helpful, but without any of that, the weapon posed a significant threat even to Jerdin’s squad.

“It’s more than just ‘a bit,’ Commander. If that thing continues to bombard us at regular intervals…!”

Just as Veron mentioned this.

“Th-That’s!!”

BOOM-

The sound was faint but audible even at this distance from the battlefield.

Gauwell’s Fang had been launched a second time.

Right into the center of their allied forces.

The situation shown in the crystal ball was utter chaos.

It was just a single javelin throw, but Gauwell’s Fang, which had struck the ground rather than directly hitting people, displayed tremendous power as it devastated the surroundings.

The weapon itself was already enormous, and this time it had fallen from high in the sky, making it clear that the Orc King had shot it high into the air to strike the allied position.

“Damn it all!! That kind of attack!”

Just as Jerdin cursed in anger, Gauwell’s Fang, which had been embedded in the ground, trembled and returned to the orc’s camp.

And then came another bombardment.

The allied infantry were completely helpless against it.

However, after several more attacks, mages who had figured out the pattern began creating barriers.

Though it was an artifact attack from what appeared to be a Grand Master-level Orc King, barriers created by numerous mages could somehow withstand the powerful javelin attacks.

However, the speed of Gauwell’s Fang falling from high in the sky was tremendous, requiring many mages to be deployed.

The implication was simple: the neutralization of the mages.

In other words, the magical attacks raining down on the orcs had ceased.

The human forces, which had been maintaining superiority through magic, suddenly found themselves at a disadvantage.

As the countless magical attacks disappeared, the orcs immediately began to advance.

It all happened in an instant.

Following this, the orcs’ reserve forces began to advance.

It sounds easy in words, but it’s a difficult strategy.

From the orcs’ perspective, the humans’ magical attacks must have been truly troublesome.

Yet the Orc King had suppressed those troublesome magical attacks with just one artifact.

Of course, since Gauwell’s Fang took time to return, there were brief windows when magical attacks could be launched, but it was clear that all mages’ attention was divided by the javelin attacks that could come from anywhere at any time.

Quickly grasping the situation, Jerdin cursed again.

“Damn it! Send reinforcements immediately!”

“B-But there’s a possibility that the kingdoms won’t follow orders…”

“I don’t care about that!! If we get pushed back now, it’s truly over!”

At Jerdin’s shout, Veron immediately ran to the tent with the magical communication crystal.

BANG!

Jerdin’s palm nervously struck the table inside the meeting tent, and he muttered with a worried expression.

“An artifact! An orc with an artifact! Is this even possible?!”

Artifacts are truly rare.

Although Valt had encountered many artifacts, honestly, even a king of a small to medium-sized country might not possess one, and it’s something most people might see once in their lifetime, if at all.

Only the continent’s strongest, the Halkin Empire, had a separate storage for artifacts.

For other countries, there was virtually no countermeasure against the power of these divine objects called artifacts.

“Does our squad have to step in?!”

Only several Master-level fighters or someone like Jerdin could properly block that javelin.

It might even be a bit challenging for Master-level fighters.

While they might be able to block an ordinary spear, it’s hard to gauge the power of that javelin, which dozens or hundreds of mages could barely block with their barriers.

To block that spear, one would need either superior skill or an equivalent weapon.

But after pondering for a while, Valt’s eyes lit up as he addressed Jerdin.

“I think I can block it.”

Valt’s words were enough to make all the squad members murmur.

“What? You say you can do it?”

“Yes. With me and my friends here beside me, we can block that spear.”

Hearing Valt’s confident tone and seeing the certainty in his eyes, Jerdin began to consider it.

This squad actually doesn’t have any mages.

They thought they could break through even if the orcs set traps, as they didn’t need mages.

Traps like magic traps created by mages might be dangerous, but other traps aren’t much of a threat to those above Master level.

Valt reminded them of this point.

“This squad has no mages. But Lilis and I are mages with Master-level skills. Arias is a spirit summoner of comparable ability. We have our methods.”

“And if you fail?”

It’s time to make a decision.

If they trust Valt and wait, but are delayed in stopping Gauwell’s Fang from bombarding their allies, the damage could be even greater.

This would fall on Valt’s shoulders.

“No compensation I could offer would satisfy you, but do you have any other options? If you, Commander Jerdin, rush over there to block that javelin, they would have nothing to fear. The elimination of the Orc King would be off the table.”

Valt’s words were also true.

The moment they expose their strongest force, Jerdin’s squad, the Orc King would launch an attack using his numerical advantage.

The javelin attacks would intensify, and Jerdin would be tied down there, unable to do anything else.

It was truly a situation with no choice.

“Ugh… Go! Go and try to block it! If you fail, I’ll personally report your crimes to Kwan. The lives of the eastern soldiers are not to be taken lightly!”

With Jerdin’s permission, Valt grinned, showing his white teeth, and called out to Arias and Lilis.

“It’s happening sooner than expected… Let’s go! It’s our turn.”

“Yes! Valt!”

“Yes! Master Valt!”