Ch.183183. Jesus Gay (1)

After raiding a camp of orcs from the famous ‘Red Fang’ tribe.

As I watched the goblin slaves, their eyes reddened with rage, being slaughtered by our guerrilla soldiers, I suddenly realized that I could sense a powerful life force from beyond.

‘….This is.’

A magnificent ger standing prominently in the center of their camp, and an orc warrior emerging from it, radiating an extraordinary aura.

Instinctively recognizing that this person was a superior leading this warband, I also deduced the identity of the orc warrior through this realization and the surrounding circumstances.

Yesukhei. When I first heard the name, I wondered, ‘….How can a person be named Yesukhei?’ He was one of the five Orc Khans of the Great Steppe, second only to the Great Khan (Khagan) in strength, and the owner of the sacred artifact ‘Bloodied Axe.’

Possessing enough martial prowess to nearly kill a Swordmaster (high-ranking knight) of the Holy Empire, he was now mounted on what appeared to be his personal drake, exuding his distinctive aura.

The atmosphere suggested he might jump into the battlefield at any moment, and by my estimation, he would likely do so soon to massacre our forces.

And because of this, to prevent this high-ranking knight from annihilating our guerrilla forces, I urgently stepped forward and shouted:

“Sophia, I’ll leave the rear support to you!”

“Yes, Astra and I will handle it well!”

As Astra’s enhancement magic buffs enveloped my body, I entrusted Sophia with rear command and support, then immediately called out to Joseph, who was frantically directing the dwarves beside me.

“Joseph! I’m leaving you in command!”

“Understood! [Everyone, hold your positions!]”

The moment he heard I was temporarily transferring command, Joseph infused his voice with aura so it could be heard across the battlefield, and with these minimal preparations complete, I… immediately began preparing to face that high-ranking warrior.

High-level combat inevitably involves collateral casualties, so to prevent our forces from getting caught in the crossfire, we needed to create distance.

[Spread!]

-Flap!

So when I spread only my eagle wings and moved slightly to the right side of the battlefield, that high-ranking warrior, Yesukhei, followed me silently despite knowing my intention….

Only after creating sufficient distance from the battlefield did I flap my wings and quickly recall information about the enemy before me.

Yesukhei, the second strongest among the five Khans, was already famous in many ways throughout the eastern part of the Western Continent, so detailed information about him was relatively well-known.

In particular, detailed records existed of his battle against one of our high-ranking forces (an Imperial Swordmaster) during the early stages of the Great Invasion, which gave me an informational advantage from the start of this confrontation.

Yesukhei, like many orc warriors, belongs to the category of warriors known as ‘barbarians.’

‘Barbarians’ are, simply put, warriors who have trained in their own unique techniques.

Among these techniques, the two most representative ones are body hardening and a skill called ‘rage.’

First, body hardening. This technique, born in an era when metal—specifically metal armor—was scarce.

Body hardening increases the durability of the flesh itself to rival that of armor, in exchange for the penalty of being unable to infuse armor with magical power.

As for rage, well, it’s a type of physical enhancement technique that greatly improves physical abilities for a short time at the cost of some rationality and judgment.

Of course, both techniques are considered outdated in the current era, but there’s still a reason why the lineage of barbarian warriors continues to this day.

Namely, the totem warriors who have inscribed ‘totem tattoos’ that activate in conjunction with body hardening are incredibly powerful.

These warriors borrow the power of Animal Spirits without significant risk by inscribing orc shamans’ ‘totem tattoos’ on their bodies, which can be customized according to individual preference.

The exact effects cannot be known until seen in person, and Yesukhei, whose body was densely covered with these tattoos that compensate for a warrior’s lack of variable creation ability….

-Slash!

‘It doesn’t work….’

By easily deflecting the slashing magic I had cast as a simple probing attack, he was subtly demonstrating to me the combat prowess of a ‘high-ranking totem warrior.’

And as I watched, various celestial magics cast by Sophia began to imbue my physical form.

“….Huff.”

Though far inferior to wild magic in physical aspects, the magic Sophia cast, knowing this better than anyone, was not meant to reinforce the body.

It opened my spiritual eyes (which would normally consume considerable magical power when activated) without any consumption, granting me a higher-dimensional (celestial) vision that extremely enhanced my perception and awareness abilities.

Thanks to this, I could see the amount of magical power and aura circulating inside Yesukhei, and observing the torrent of power flowing beneath his green skin, I could immediately make my judgment.

‘….Robo, I’m counting on you again.’

[Yeah! Leave it to me!]

Thus, the cold energy that began to pulsate from the deepest part of my soul wrapped itself in primal power and amplified, gradually becoming one with my soul as I rode atop Meary.

Wolf ears grew on my head, a tail between my legs. Tremendous strength welled up inside my body, amplifying beyond what it could normally handle, and ice spikes protruded from both shoulders.

But… it wasn’t enough. Far from enough.

This isn’t about lacking physical ability at all. It’s simply that, as a magic user facing a warrior of equal rank, I lacked the necessary power.

[Ughh….]

“….Ah. Sorry, Meary. Would you like to rest for a while?”

And then. When Meary let out a groan as if feeling some discomfort from the cold energy leaking from my body, I was startled and considered whether I should reverse-summon her….

‘Hmm, oh!’

Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to mind.

‘Meary, can you trust me?’

[Of course. My master, how could I doubt you who saved me?]

‘Th-thank you….’

Meary’s words made me feel a bit anxious yet grateful, but this wasn’t something I needed to worry about right now.

Rather, what I needed to do now was to bring the idea that had sprung up in my mind from fantasy into reality.

I pulsed my soul, which had swollen in resonance with Robo’s soul that had returned to its primal form, and extended it into Meary’s physical body below me.

‘….Ah.’

Perhaps because everyone had experienced soul resonance during training at least once. The moment Meary felt that sensation, she naturally resonated her soul, and the same was true for Corin.

The souls of three beings emitted similar wavelengths and resonated, and the result of this resonance manifested as a new transformation through my physical body.

My hair, which had somehow grown long, began to burn crimson at the tips, and flames like a horse’s mane rose from the back of my forearms and calves, naturally settling alongside the cold energy.

Even the wolf’s tail flowing between my legs began to blaze, and feeling the power transmitted from my first triple fusion, I involuntarily shuddered….

[─■■■■■!!!]

What awakened my consciousness was, surprisingly, a magic-roar that Yesukhei unleashed as the tattoo on his neck began to glow.

A wild magic that induced slight pressure and fear while enhancing one’s attack power. After shouting with all his might as if making a declaration of war through this magic, Yesukhei charged at me with a speed that felt fast even to me in my triple-fused state.

‘….’Boar’s Charge,’ is it!’

I recognized the intervention of some wild magic in that abnormal appearance, but I didn’t particularly have any means to counter that magic right now.

Therefore, my choice was interception. To physically intercept and repel the opponent.

[….Come!]

With a simple activation word, I drew out the ice greatsword I had used effectively before. I immediately deployed the blade part, transforming it into armor for my body.

The blade, which had shattered into hundreds of pieces, attached itself to various parts of my body to form armor, and the staff portion left after the blade detached naturally came into my hand.

Feeling the armor partially transform as it resonated with Meary’s magical power emanating from my body, I then imbued the tip of the quarter staff I held above my head with… ‘slashing force.’

I deconstructed all the elements that compose slashing magic and applied them one by one to this long, hard bone staff.

This ice staff, faithfully created as a ‘melee-specialized staff,’ responded to my request by containing the slashing force at the tip of the wand, and as unimaginable magical power condensed in this completed staff….

-Thud thud thud thud thud thud!!!

The moment I struck Yesukhei, who had somehow approached right in front of me, with that staff, countless flashes of light erupted in all directions….

-CRASH!!!

My attack, which left countless scars on the earth, succeeded in repelling Yesukhei, who was charging with magic wrapped around him, far away.

….Yes, ‘succeeded in repelling’ him.