Ch.172Chapter 172: Orc King (3).

# Chapter 172: Orc King (3)

Valt furrowed his brow at Callex’s words.

“Why is that?”

“Prince Valt, do you have much experience in warfare?”

Though there had been long tribal wars, Valt had rarely been on the battlefield. That didn’t mean he was ignorant about war, however.

“Yes, we’ve endured long tribal wars.”

“Then you already know the reason, don’t you?”

Callex snickered as he looked around.

“Look. The orcs are struggling, but this battlefield is already won. Thanks to you, we’ve secured a foothold for a great reversal here, but can this really end the war?”

“So?”

“You need to go to the center and settle this.”

“King Zerdin, a Grand Master, is there. I’m merely a 5th circle magician.”

Callex laughed heartily at Valt’s words.

“Hahaha! Who would believe that? Why do you underestimate yourself? With King Zerdin alone, the odds of victory are fifty-fifty. But with Prince Valt there, it’s a hundred percent. That’s why I’m earnestly requesting this. This is not where you should be.”

Valt pondered for a moment.

If he went from here to the center, he couldn’t take Arias and Lisa, who lacked sufficient skill.

And this place was still dangerous.

He couldn’t leave because he feared something might happen to Arias and Lisa if he departed.

At that moment, Arias spoke to Valt.

“Go, Valt.”

Lisa chimed in.

“Yeah, go. You’re needed for the final battle. A final battle without Gerungtu? That’s like a steamed bun without filling!”

“But if you get hurt…”

Hearing Valt’s concerned voice, Arias snapped back angrily.

“Don’t you trust us? Why do you always try to shoulder everything alone!”

Valt was taken aback by Arias’s sharp reaction.

“No, I…”

“Trusting each other, relying on each other, watching each other’s backs! And believing that we’ll return safely! That’s what comrades do! I trusted you and jumped from the sky! But what about you? Do you trust me!?”

Valt couldn’t say anything.

His overprotectiveness was actually hurting his friends’ feelings.

“I’ll pass on being the one who holds back a comrade who needs to do what must be done!”

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you felt that way. From now on, I’ll trust you. No, I’ll trust you more than anyone else.”

Only then did Arias smile with satisfaction.

“You should have done that from the start. Go. Lisa and I will handle the orcs here. It’s just cleaning up a few orcs. Do you think I, an elven princess, would get hurt in a place like this?”

Anyone could see that Arias was pushing herself.

Nevertheless, Valt nodded.

And with determination, he called out to Liris.

“Liris! We’re heading to the center!”

“Yes, Valt!”

Finally, Valt looked at Arias and Lisa and said:

“Stay safe. I trust you. If you don’t remain safe, be prepared to face the consequences.”

Hearing those words, Lisa laughed awkwardly.

“Ahaha… That’s scarier than the orcs.”

And Valt stepped onto the magical platform created by Liris and soared into the sky toward the center.

Watching him leave, Lisa muttered to herself.

“I would have been fine… with a little less trust… Heeeng…”

At that moment, Arias’s palm struck Lisa’s back.

SLAP!

“Ow! That hurts, Arias!!”

“Pull yourself together! You’re a member of the Valentine family, the strongest in the South!”

“Ah, alright!! Aaaah! Lisa Valentine is going in!!”

Lisa was now in big trouble.

***

The Grasein Plains were clearer than ever before.

A blood-red sunset dyed the sky, as if announcing the final battle.

Below, two massive armies were about to collide.

Boom boom boom boom—

The sound of hooves shook the earth.

“Uwaaaaaaah!!”

“Kwaaaargh! Tweeeek!!”

Excited soldiers and orcs roared.

The Eastern Alliance’s commander-in-chief, King Zerdin, led 1,431 elite troops.

With expert-level and higher forces from the center joining them, they numbered almost 5,000.

The orc side had also grown as scattered Lords and Generals rejoined. The fierce Orc King led a force of 7,000, all elites.

Regular troops surrounded them from a distance, creating a massive battlefield.

The commanders had ordered them to stand by, as getting caught in this battle would put their lives at risk.

“Without the Orc King, they’re all vermin. Annihilate them!!”

King Zerdin’s powerful cry split the battlefield.

However, he had not yet drawn his sword.

He was waiting for the Orc King to make a move.

CRASH!

As Zerdin’s and the Orc King’s elite soldiers clashed, a fierce battle began.

Master-level fighters faced Orc Lords, while Expert-level warriors confronted Orc Generals.

Though the orcs outnumbered them by almost 2,000, Zerdin’s well-trained and organized troops were strong.

They had the potential to overcome the numerical disadvantage.

The support of magicians was a great help.

Shamans were useful magical forces too, but not as effective as magicians.

Unlike shamanic magic, which required various mediums and long incantations, magic proved its usefulness by responding immediately to the ever-changing battlefield.

One knight shouted like lightning:

“It’s nothing! We will win! Don’t just stick to aura! Give the magicians room to support!”

Delfon Hines.

The very man who had been thoroughly beaten when he fought against Valt.

Knights are stubborn.

Especially those with Expert-level skills or higher, who have tremendous pride and many consider it shameful to receive magical assistance in battle.

Delfon had been like that too.

But his duel with Valt had opened his eyes.

He was now actively receiving support from magicians while dealing with orcs.

In the battle between small elite forces, humans were overwhelming the orcs.

The corner of Zerdin’s mouth twitched.

‘Good, good. If we continue like this, we will certainly win. The absence of Eliwell’s silence is actually helping us.’

Zerdin, being a knight and swordsman himself, had some prejudice against magic.

As a king, he needed to develop and encourage magic, but from a purely personal standpoint, nothing was as underhanded as magic.

To King Zerdin, magic was nothing more than a ‘useful trick.’

He always believed that swords decided wars.

Just to be sure, he rotated his aura once to check his physical condition, which was also at its peak.

All he needed to do was annihilate the enemy’s elite forces and then eliminate the Orc King with the remaining troops.

The Orc King hadn’t moved yet, but Zerdin thought there would be no more variables.

At that moment.

The Orc King began to move.

[Kwaaaaaaargh!]

Zerdin didn’t miss that moment and rushed into the battlefield with his guard knights.

“Kukukuku, defeat is imminent, so he must be desperate. He’s moving. Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Zerdin arrived on the battlefield before his guard knights.

And Zerdin drew his sword.

Black Light.

Aura flowed into Zerdin’s sword, known as the nightmare of monsters.

The power of Black Light, accumulated throughout the war, was formidable.

Even Zerdin had never seen Black Light amass such power before.

“Die, vermin.”

A single strike from the Grand Master’s sword fell upon an Orc Lord who was blocking Zerdin’s path to the Orc King.

It wasn’t a decisive prayer, a secret technique, or a skill. Just a simple downward strike.

But the result was far from simple.

The Orc Lord, who could surpass even 8th-tier Masters depending on the individual, was split in half with a single blow.

SLASH—

The fact that an Orc Lord, a nightmare to ordinary soldiers, had been instantly killed had great significance.

The regular soldiers surrounding them cheered at the sight.

“Uwaaaaaaah!!”

“The ruler of the East has personally arrived!!”

Tremendous cheers echoed across the central plains.

But as if wanting to pour cold water on those cheers,

At that moment, Gauwell’s Fang also left the Orc King’s hand as if competing.

But the target wasn’t Zerdin.

CRASH!

Gauwell’s Fang fell where the magicians were gathered.

The attack using an artifact, a weapon superior to even Zerdin’s Black Light at the Grand Master level, claimed the lives of more than a dozen magicians.

They were the lowest-level 5th circle magicians, but it was still a loss for Zerdin’s side to trade them for just one Orc Lord.

At any other time it might not matter, but at this moment, the role of magicians was crucial.

“You vile creature.”

The Orc King, having retrieved Gauwell’s Fang, howled.

[Kwaaaaaaargh!]

Stepping forward, the Orc King shouted at King Zerdin.

[Human King Zerdin! Tweek! If you’re a warrior, don’t hide behind your army like a coward and face me one-on-one! This Gauwell’s Fang will pierce your heart.]

King Zerdin snorted at the Orc King’s provocation.

The creature is desperate now.

He’s throwing a gamble because we were stronger than expected.

That’s what King Zerdin thought.

“A duel? Kukuku, foolish creature. There’s neither honor nor benefit for me in such a fight. Besides, you orcs are a race that commits cowardly acts as easily as breathing, so I can’t trust your words either.”

[Hahaha! I gave you one last chance to preserve a warrior’s honor, yet you refuse even that. You will regret it. That offer was your last chance to kill me.]

“Hmph, don’t bluff. I’ll kill you slowly.”

At that moment, Zerdin felt a chill run down his spine.

A strange energy was spreading across the battlefield.

‘What is this sticky, unpleasant energy? More shamanic magic?’