Chapter 80: The Legend of the Savior #3

Chapter 80: The Legend of the Savior #3

The arena was already engulfed in fervent excitement.

Although the arena wasn’t particularly spacious for a crowd, over a thousand orcs had gathered.

With no seats available, everyone stood, clung to the arena pillars, or climbed onto their companions’ shoulders, yet they still managed to fill the stadium.

The match between Jonathan and the champion brothers, Wafa & Vetdi.

Everyone had gathered to witness this epic confrontation.

“Immortal! Immortal! Immortal Orcs!”

“Give us immortality too!”

“Immortal! Immortal!”

The majority of the spectators were on the side of the immortal brothers.

It was understandable. Wafa and Vetdi were the current rulers of the orc village, and they had proven their extraordinary abilities multiple times.

The ‘authority to escape death,’ bestowed upon them by Carmilla, the Vampire Queen.

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

“Hoo, hoo-“

This is the waiting room.

Unlike the excited spectators in the arena stands, only Jonathan’s anxious breaths could be heard in the waiting room.

Jonathan had been pacing nervously around the waiting room since earlier, then suddenly sat down and started trembling, his condition not looking good at all.

“Why are you so nervous? Calm down.”

“How can I calm down, Estel? If I lose, I die. No, not die. I become an eternal slave. Just imagining it is terrifying!”

“Ah, just win then. If you fight like usual, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Like usual… Usually, I was just a blowhard. If I fight like usual, I’ll be taken down by them in less than a minute.”

“Surprisingly, your self-assessment is quite harsh.”

I laughed. Jonathan didn’t.

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

“This was madness. Something must have gone wrong with my head. What was I thinking, wearing such ridiculous old armor… I should never have stepped into such a crazy fight from the start…”

I smiled faintly and patted Jonathan’s shoulder.

“Hey, the world is changed by those who are a little crazy. Look, Sir Orc Warrior! It’s time. Let’s go out. Everyone’s waiting.”

Whoa-

As I opened the door, a fierce roar flowed in from outside. Jonathan flinched, his shoulders trembling, and peeked out the door.

“Estel, we can still cancel-“

“Quiet, and let’s go.”

“Ouch! Ouch! Don’t pull my ear!”

I dragged Jonathan by the ear and left the waiting room.

***

“What’s with that stupid armor, Jonathan?”

“You don’t know, Wafa?”

“What is it? I don’t know. So tell me. Did you find it in a trash heap?”

“As for this armor-“

Jonathan proudly puffed out his chest towards the spectators.

Once on stage, the timid orc from the waiting room was nowhere to be seen; he was completely different.

‘That guy… Is he suited for the stage?’

At least his talent for boasting seemed certain.

Jonathan, with a brazen face, shouted confidently.

“Listen carefully, everyone. This magnificent armor I wear is the legendary Orc Warrior’s Armor! I have been chosen by destiny, my brothers! I’m the Orc Warrior!”

“Orc… Warrior?”

“Was there such a thing? Isn’t that something only old-timers talk about?”

“Jonathan has been chosen? Could it be true?”

The spectators exchanged glances, half-believing, half-doubting.

Jonathan escalated his boasting.

“That’s not all. I have mastered it! Orc Combat Techniques! I have revived that legendary combat technique, long forgotten, with my own strength! I received revelation from the ancient powers! If they are immortal, then I’m the Warrior! The Warrior Orc!”

It was typical of Jonathan to omit any mention of the elder.

In fact, both the armor and the Orc Combat Techniques were borrowed from the elder’s power.

To emphasize the concept of the ‘chosen warrior,’ Jonathan boasted as if he had obtained them solely through his own strength.

“Shout it out, everyone! Warrior Orc!”

“Warrior Orc… Warrior Orc!”

“Forget the Immortal Orcs now! It’s the Warrior Orc!”

“Warrior Orc! Warrior Orc!”

Jonathan, clearly excited, circled the arena with his nostrils flared.

The spectators’ mood shifted. The crowd, which had been chanting for the Immortal Orcs, now cheered for Jonathan.

“That bastard…”

Wafa and Vetdi glared at Jonathan. Their eyes seemed capable of killing with a mere glance.

“Stop your nonsense, Jonathan. You are no warrior. You are a weak and pathetic orc.”

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

Jonathan did not flinch at the threats from Wafa and Vetdi.

Jonathan grinned, baring his teeth.

“We’ll have to wait and see the outcome! Come at me!”

Ding ding ding-

The bell signaling the start of the duel rang.

Wafa and Vetdi approached slowly, their expressions menacing.

Jonathan quickly stepped back and looked at me.

“Now, it’s time to show them what we’re made of. Estel, take them all down!”

“What? You were so worked up earlier…”

“Hey, why are you acting like that? My role was to be worked up. The fight is your role. Come on, hurry!”

As I remained rooted to the spot, Jonathan narrowed his eyes.

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

His voice trembled slightly with anxiety.

“Jonathan. Listen to the crowd.”

“Warrior Orc! Warrior Orc! Show us, Warrior Orc!”

“Do you hear that? The crowd wants to see you fight. With this atmosphere, there’s no other way.”

“What do you mean-“

Jonathan’s face turned deathly pale.

The crowd’s chanting grew louder and more intense.

Crushed by the pressure of the cheers, which felt like needles piercing his entire body, Jonathan seemed to shrink.

“Estel, this is impossible… I’m not good at fighting. And you said earlier, didn’t you? You said you would fight, and I just had to hold on from behind…”

“You learned Orc Combat Techniques. Isn’t it a waste of all that effort? You have to try it out in a real fight.”

“It’s fine. It’s not a waste at all – Ugh! Don’t push me, Estel!”

As I pushed his back, Jonathan lost his balance and stumbled forward a few steps.

When Jonathan looked up, Wafa and Vetdi, who had closed the distance, glared at him.

“Ehehe… Yes, that’s right. Where do you think you’re going, Jonathan?”

“I’ll pull out your insides and use them as a jump rope. The crowd will enjoy it.”

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

“Waaah!”

Crash-

Vetdi’s axe struck where Jonathan had dodged.

There was no time to stand still. Wafa’s knuckle duster followed, aiming for Jonathan.

“This is 2-on-1, this is 2-on-1, it’s dangerous! Estel, this isn’t right! At least make it 1-on-1!”

“What are you babbling about, Jonathan! Were you planning to hide behind a human girl!”

“Eek-!”

Jonathan, sweating profusely, threw himself forward.

It was a desperate evasion. His life depended on every movement.

‘Not bad. Not bad at all.’

I crossed my arms and watched Jonathan’s fight.

Although he was overwhelmingly on the defensive and seemed to be struggling just to dodge attacks.

‘Indeed, Orc Combat Techniques.’

Wafa and Vetdi’s combined attacks had not yet landed on Jonathan.

Although his movements were clumsy and lacked grace, Jonathan was making good use of the principles of Orc Combat Techniques.

He doesn’t clash strength with strength. Like flowing water, he reads the opponent’s momentum and evades.

“Huff, huff-!”

Jonathan gasped, clutching his throat as if he were about to vomit.

Training and actual combat are different.

In a real fight, the same movements require several times the energy. It’s a real battle, after all.

His opponents were desperately trying to kill him. They had no intention of stopping their blades just short of him.

If it weren’t for the Orc Warrior’s Armor boosting his stats, he would have already sustained fatal injuries all over his body.

‘I should help soon.’

As I took a step forward, Wafa and Vetdi gritted their teeth and became wary.

They were probably starting to realize it too.

That Jonathan, whom they thought they could dispatch instantly, was enduring much better than expected.

And if I joined in? It would undoubtedly become more troublesome.

Their combat skills themselves were unremarkable.

They were incomparable to the deeply rooted Orc Combat Techniques, more like the street brawls of local thugs.

The only reason Wafa and Vetdi hadn’t lost until now was solely due to the power of 「Immortality」.

“Did you all see? It’s not just Wafa and Vetdi who are immortal. Look at Jonathan. Not even a fingertip is scratched?”

“Yes, the human girl is right! Jonathan is also immortal!”

“Warrior Orc! Warrior Orc!”

The spectators rejoiced. I continued speaking, not relinquishing the initiative.

“And here! What if we steal Wafa and Vetdi’s immortal power? Who do you think will win, it’s obvious, right?”

“Steal it? Is that even possible!”

“The power of immortality is a bestowed authority from Carmilla?”

The spectators murmured. More flustered than the spectators were Wafa and Vetdi.

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

Wafa shrieked.

However, a hint of anxiety flickered on his face. Vetdi was the same.

“See?”

I extended my index finger towards the orc brothers.

It was the shape of a small bird flapping its wings.

It’s the 「Tattoo of Demon Subjugation」. A gift from my friend, the wilderness orc shaman.

Carmilla’s necromancy is certainly not to be trifled with. However, necromancy is, after all, just a type of magic.

And the Tattoo of Demon Subjugation is a counter to all magic.

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

Bang-!

A storm of sky-blue magic erupted from my finger, my hair whipping wildly.

The wind of demon subjugation swept through the arena.

The black aura emanating from Wafa and Vetdi was carried by the wind and scattered into the sky.

The legend of the Immortal Orcs ends today.