Chapter 215

Chapter 215

Just as humans were divided into many races, Orcs were also made up of many tribes.

Each tribe had a different physique and skin color, and their dispositions also differed greatly.

The Steel Orc Tribe had especially black skin and a simple, brutally ignorant temperament.

If one had to summarize their characteristics in a few words, it would be “shut up and charge.”

Once they judged someone to be an enemy, charging in without looking ahead or behind and killing them was the iron rule of the Steel Orc Tribe.

That nature did not change even after the Orc Great Chieftain was born.

Gangkara was a young Great Warrior of the Steel Orc Tribe.

His physical ability was the greatest among the Steel Orc Tribe, and he was so full of vigor that he felt no fear at all.

Gangkara was leading his subordinates toward the Great Chieftain. What entered his eyes was a group of elves.

The moment Gangkara spotted the Desert Elf Rangers, sparks flew in his eyes.

To an Orc, an elf was a being that paralyzed reason.

They were hateful creatures one had to kill if one encountered them by chance, creatures that made it feel as though one’s own heart would burst if they were simply passed by.

Naturally, Gangkara gave the order to attack the moment he saw the elf rangers.

“Kill the elves. Don’t leave a single one alive.”

“ROOOOAR!”

“Kill them.”

The Steel Orcs chased the elf rangers in excitement, not knowing it was a lure by the elves.

“Hurry. Lure them to where the humans are.”

“We must never send them toward the village.”

The elf rangers ran at a speed the Steel Orcs could keep up with.

Their destination was where the humans were.

They had already identified the humans’ route through prior reconnaissance.

The problem was whether they could successfully lure the Orcs to where the humans were.

The Elf Ranger Rapyuna gritted her teeth.

‘We have to do it. Only by throwing away our lives can we protect the village.’

She had no lingering attachment to her life.

From the moment she had been given the mission to lure the Orcs, she had never thought she would return alive.

The other rangers had steeled themselves just as she had.

It was a village elves and dwarves had protected together for a hundred years.

They could not let it be trampled by Orcs now.

They had to protect it, no matter what sacrifice it took.

“Snrrk! Stop.”

“Cowardly pointy-ears. Fight us.”

The Orcs chasing behind them threatened them, but the elf rangers never stopped.

The Desert Elves, fully adapted to the desert, glided across the sand that sank up to their ankles.

They kept their speed just right so the Orcs would not fall behind and could keep chasing them.

The Steel Orc Tribe chased after them like mad, completely unaware that the elves were luring them.

After running for a long while, the elf rangers finally reached their destination.

Human Awakened could be seen in the distance.

They seemed to have noticed the elves’ arrival, because they were taking battle stances.

‘Too late.’

Rapyuna sneered at the humans.

To be honest, she did feel somewhat sorry.

There was no way she could feel good about innocent humans being killed by Orcs because of them. But even if she hated it, she had to do it.

‘Everything is for protecting the village.’

Rapyuna forced her wavering heart under control and shouted,

“Let’s go! That place is our grave.”

“Waaaah!”

The elves drew their weapons and shouted.

Their appearance looked exactly like a vanguard leading a great Orc army.

“What the hell is that?”

“Are the elves controlling the Orcs?”

Those who did not understand the situation mistook the elves for leading the Orcs to attack them.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Jang Yong-beom shouted as he drew his claymore.

“So the elves and Orcs joined hands?”

“I’ll freeze them all.”

“Heh-heh! I’ll kill them all.”

When Aiden, Giselle, and Mountain entered battle stances first, the other Awakened also drew their weapons.

Though they were few in number, they were powerful Awakened strong enough to receive a commission from Neo Seoul.

The many elves and Orcs frightened them, but that did not mean they retreated.

They knew well that even if they fled into the desert, all that awaited them was a miserable death.

“You filthy pig bastards! I’ll kill every last one of you.”

“You only die once, not twice. Let’s do this.”

RUMBLE!

The dust cloud rose even more fiercely.

That meant the elves and Orcs had drawn that much closer.

The Orcs belatedly noticed the humans and tilted their heads.

“Humans.”

“The elves joined hands with humans.”

“Snrrk! Kill them all.”

The Orcs grew even more excited at the humans’ appearance and raised their fighting spirit.

Gangkara, the Great Warrior, drew a massive blade and shouted,

“Steel Orcs! Kill them all and offer their heads to the Great Chieftain.”

“Ooooooh!”

“For the Great Chieftain.”

The moment the Great Chieftain was mentioned, the Orcs’ morale exploded.

“Haaah!”

“KRAAAH!”

“Come!”

CRASH—!

At last, the three races collided in the middle of the desert.

The human Awakened and Orcs fought fiercely.

Gangkara pointed his long blade at Jang Yong-beom and said,

“You are mine, human.”

“I was waiting for that, you pig bastard.”

“I kill human.”

“Do you fight with your mouth? I fight with this.”

Jang Yong-beom raised his huge claymore.

Gangkara also raised his large blade without backing down and said,

“My blade is bigger, human.”

“You ignorant bastard. Does being bigger make it stronger?”

“I’ll tear you to pieces and put you in my belly. Become my nourishment, human!”

“You filthy bastard, seriously......”

Jang Yong-beom erupted with killing intent and attacked.

SWISH—!

The enormous claymore tore through the air and flew toward Gangkara’s neck. But Gangkara blocked his attack without difficulty.

CLANG—!

The claymore and the large blade collided, and a metallic sound burst out.

In that way, the duel between human and Orc began.

The battle unfolded fiercely elsewhere as well.

Zeon watched the battle between humans, Orcs, and elves from a short distance away from the battlefield.

The elves attacked the humans like they had gone mad. If that had been all, he would have thought the elves really were leading the Orcs. But the elves occasionally attacked the Orcs too, driving them into a frenzy.

They were acting as a kind of stimulant.

Zeon saw through their intentions at a glance.

“Eloy!”

“Yeah!”

“Can you subdue those elves?”

“I can. Why?”

“I need to know what the elves are after. Subdue a few of them.”

“Got it!”

Eloy nodded without hesitation.

She had no sense of kinship toward elves.

That was because she had been rejected simply for being a half-elf.

The painful memories of her childhood had become an indelible brand that still tormented her.

To someone like her, attacking elves was not a serious problem.

“Haaah!”

She drew Mad Nine-Tailed Fox and attacked Rapyuna.

She did not know Rapyuna’s name or identity, but she realized from the atmosphere Rapyuna gave off that she was the leader of the elves.

Rapyuna swung her rapier and shouted,

“What are you?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“An elf?”

“A half-elf, you fucking bitch.”

“Krrgh! Why is a half-elf among humans?”

“Are you actually curious about the reason?”

“W-wait! We aren’t enemies.”

Rapyuna barely blocked Eloy’s attack and shouted.

She tried somehow to persuade Eloy, but it did not work.

To Eloy, elves were not her kin.

She was an outsider who existed somewhere between humans and elves.

To her, Zeon, Briel, and Levin, who were with her, mattered more than the elves.

“Rainbow Spear!”

SHRAAAK—!

Mad Nine-Tailed Fox burst with seven-colored radiance like a rainbow and flew toward Rapyuna.

Rapyuna did not have the strength to block her attack.

CRASH—!

“Aaaah!”

With an explosive roar, Rapyuna was flung away.

By the time she fell to the ground, she had already lost consciousness.

After taking care of Rapyuna in an instant, Eloy moved to subdue the other elves.

CRACKLE!

“Kraaak!”

“Squeak!”

On one side, Orcs electrocuted by purple current were convulsing.

They had been struck by Levin’s Purple Lightning.

Levin held nothing back.

In Ghost Transformation, he flew between the Orcs and unleashed Purple Lightning.

It was enough to make even Briel click her tongue.

“He’s excited. He’s really excited.”

Briel herself was not standing still either.

She took something round from inside her pointed hat and threw it at the Orcs.

CRASH—!

The round object exploded and released silver smoke.

The Orcs exposed to the smoke began acting strangely.

They suddenly started attacking their own kin.

“Snrrk! Die.”

“I’m an Orc, friend.”

“Don’t lie, human!”

The Orc who became the target of the attack spoke desperately, but it was useless. The Orcs who had inhaled the silver smoke attacked their comrades.

Zeon asked,

“What is that?”

“I made a hallucinogen from the materials in Steel Fortress’s storeroom.”

“A hallucinogen?”

“Mm! In their eyes, their comrades will look like enemies.”

“Really? That’s impressive.”

“Hehe!”

At Zeon’s praise, Briel smiled awkwardly.

But she could not completely hide her happiness.

She did not have overwhelming power like Zeon, Levin, or Eloy.

She might be a High Elf, but she was only a fragile girl.

She had to do something so she would not become a burden to her comrades.

One of the results was a bomb that released a hallucinogen.

Briel threw hallucinogen bombs among the Orcs.

The Orcs exposed to the hallucinogen attacked their own comrades as if they had made an agreement to do so.

The hallucinogen’s effect lasted only about one minute.

After one minute passed, the Orcs came back to their senses.

The duration was not very long, but it was enough to throw the Orcs into confusion.

That was because their attention was scattered just from the fact that their comrades had suddenly attacked them.

“Krrk! Why did I?”

“I killed my comrade. I......”

The Orcs who belatedly came back to their senses grew furious.

“A mage.”

“The little mage cast a curse.”

“We have to kill the mage.”

The Orcs realized that the one who had made them strange was Briel.

They charged madly to kill Briel.

But there was not the slightest wavering on Briel’s face.

The man beside her was Zeon.

The strongest Sandmancer in the desert.

There was no reason to be afraid like an idiot when he was beside her.

Srrrrk!

The sand moved.

The writhing sand rose, then changed into human shapes.

Zeon had summoned Sand Soldiers.

“Go!”

The moment Zeon gave the order, dozens of Sand Soldiers rushed toward the Orcs charging at Briel.