Orcish Warriors (End of Volume 1)

Before long, we saw groups of Wolf Guards fleeing back in disarray, throwing away their helmets and armor as they ran, shouting loudly, "Too terrifying! Too terrifying!"

With no way to retreat, Gu Bing and I had no choice but to press forward. After running for a short distance, we were met with a shocking sight.

Two towering orcs, clad in refined iron armor and wielding massive axes, were surrounded by more than ten Wolf Guards. With a single sweeping motion of their axes, seven or eight Wolf Guards were sent flying, completely powerless to resist. Looking further into the distance, we saw about ten such orcish warriors.

"They're the bodyguards of the Orc Chieftain," I said as I tightened my grip on my Horse-Slaying Blade and glanced at Gu Bing. His gaze was firm, as if telling me that this was a battle we could fight!

Before we could charge in, one of the orcish warriors noticed us and came rushing over. Gu Bing and I sprinted forward to meet him head-on. This orcish warrior was more than a head taller than us, and as he ran, the ground seemed to tremble beneath his feet. His massive axe must have weighed at least seventy to eighty pounds, and every swing was full of tremendous force.

As we closed the distance, Gu Bing and I slid low, dashing past the orcish warrior's left and right underarms. Reversing our grips, we slashed at his lower legs with our sword and blade.

As expected, his skin was tough! Even though we had precisely targeted the gaps in his armor, our blades merely left shallow wounds with only a small trickle of blood seeping out. While it caused the orcish warrior some pain, it didn't hinder his movements or weaken his combat strength in the slightest.

Gu Bing then launched a frontal heavy strike. With a loud shout, a burst of sword energy shot straight toward the orcish warrior's chest. The orc hastily raised his axe to block, but at that moment, I struck from his flank—my blade gleamed as I slashed toward his arm. Let's see how he blocks both attacks at once!

Sure enough, this strike proved effective. His shoulder armor shattered, and his skin was cut. Though the wound wasn't deep, my attack had clearly enraged him. He turned abruptly, swinging his axe fiercely at me.

"Clang!" My Horse-Slaying Blade clashed against his massive axe. I deliberately wanted to test the limits of my own strength. Back when I first encountered Hei Nu and Chi Nu, the two orcish bodyguards, in Greatwood Forest, I had been in awe, thinking them unbeatable. Later, I faced the Blood-Red Skeleton, whose power felt beyond human resistance. But after honing my skills for some time, I was now capable of defeating a Blood-Red Skeleton. Perhaps these orcish warriors weren't necessarily stronger than that.

As expected, though his strength forced me back two steps, he was far from invincible. Gu Bing noticed this too, and we both gained confidence. In battle, courage and confidence are crucial. If you believe your enemy is unbeatable, you'll struggle to defeat them. But if you realize they aren't as formidable as you imagined, your chances of victory increase significantly.

In the following exchanges, Gu Bing and I took turns drawing his attention, striking at his weak points whenever an opportunity arose. If no clear opening presented itself, we used Offensive and Killing Fencing, channeling sword energy to break through his armor. Before long, the orcish warrior was covered in wounds, his combat effectiveness greatly reduced.

"Ha!" With a loud cry, Gu Bing unleashed a burst of sword energy aimed straight at the orc's throat. At that moment, his axe was locked against my Horse-Slaying Blade. A spray of blood erupted from his neck, and the colossal orcish warrior, like a toppled mountain, crashed to the ground.

After taking some Golden Wound Medicine, Gu Bing surprisingly pulled out some Snake Gall Liquor, and we each took a sip. Sure enough, after drinking it, whether it was due to heightened courage or an actual recovery in strength, much of our battle fatigue seemed to fade away.

We soon found another orcish warrior. This one wielded a massive greatsword, swinging it with ferocious power. Slashes and sweeping strikes sent Wolf Guards scattering in all directions. Using the same tactics, Gu Bing and I worked together—one drawing fire while the other struck with Offensive and Killing Fencing. We even maneuvered him toward a large tree, dodging left and right, provoking him into a fury. In his rage, he swung his greatsword fiercely, embedding it deep into the tree trunk. I knew this was our chance.

"Ha!" I executed a downward slash from Offensive and Killing Fencing, my blade flashing toward his arm. At this moment, he had two choices: either release his sword and lose his weapon, or hold on and risk losing his arm.

Clearly, he underestimated me, thinking he could endure my attack. He had no idea that from this moment on, he would never wield a sword with his right hand again. In fact, even I was surprised by the sheer force behind my own strike.

"It seems your strength has increased again!" Gu Bing remarked.

Now, with only one functional arm, the orcish warrior was no match for us. Within a few more exchanges, he fell to the ground.

Looking around the battlefield, Gu Bing and I had slain two orcish warriors. Another had been killed by the Wolf Guards, leaving seven more still locked in combat with them. However, the real situation among the Wolf Guards was dire—some were injured, a small portion had died, and nearly half were retreating toward the city gates, too intimidated by the orcish warriors' power.

Yet, after witnessing three of the orcish warriors fall, some of the Wolf Guards began rallying again. They now saw a chance to kill these warriors. But more importantly, the city gates had been shut behind them. There was no going back. If they didn't seize this moment while they still had the numbers, they would be picked off one by one and slaughtered like helpless prey.

Just as Gu Bing and I caught our breath, preparing to find a third orcish warrior to engage, something unexpected happened.

The once-clear sky suddenly darkened as strong winds howled, and an enormous mass of dark clouds drifted in. The sky dimmed significantly in an instant.

Just as everyone was still marveling at the sudden change, an eerie sight unfolded before our eyes—a surge of black mist began rising from the ground into the sky. It started within Baiqi City, where large amounts of black energy ascended. Then, on the battlefield where we stood, black mist emerged from the corpses of both the Wolf Guards and the orcs, rising into the air like wisps of smoke.

Everyone momentarily stopped fighting, gazing in shock at the sky. The streams of black mist gathered, forming an increasingly large and ominous mass. As the swirling dark energy finished merging, it suddenly split into seven distinct streams, each shooting down toward the battlefield at incredible speed.

The targets of these seven streams were precisely the seven remaining orcish warriors.

"What's happening?" I barely had time to voice my question before the black energy struck the orcish warriors.

Yet, rather than harming them, something even more terrifying occurred. Instead of showing any signs of injury, the orcs let out deafening roars, absorbing the black mist into their bodies.

Everyone's eyes had been following the black energy, and now, our attention was once again fixed on the orcish warriors.

One of the Wolf Guards was the first to snap out of his shock. Seizing the moment, he swung his sword at an orcish warrior's neck.

Clang!

His blade rebounded off the orc's skin as if it had struck solid metal. Before the soldier could react, the orc spun around and, with lightning speed, decapitated him in a single swing. The soldier's head tumbled to the ground, his eyes still frozen in disbelief.

The other Wolf Guards rushed to attack, but something was horribly wrong—their swords and spears were now completely ineffective. No matter how they struck, the orcish warriors remained unscathed, as if their flesh had become impenetrable. They no longer dodged or defended themselves; they simply slaughtered with relentless fury.

"Mutation?"

"Demonic transformation?"

Gu Bing and I spoke at the same time.

Though I wasn't entirely sure what had happened, I had a strong feeling that the black energy absorbed from the corpses was linked to the demonic forces. Could this be the demonic energy that Grandfather Pan had warned us about?

I quickly surveyed the battlefield. The orcish army had been nearly wiped out—only these seven warriors remained. But now, they had become invulnerable, consumed by a single purpose: slaughter.

The Wolf Guards crumbled under this new threat. Many soldiers abandoned their positions and fled toward the city gates. Gu Bing and I followed without hesitation.

Near the moat, chaos erupted. Some were frantically shouting for the drawbridge to be lowered and the gates to be opened. Others, driven by sheer terror, were crying and screaming incoherently.

A group of us stood at the moat's edge, watching in horror as the seven orcish warriors advanced slowly. Any soldier too slow to escape was swiftly cut down, their bodies left in pieces.

Suddenly, a volley of arrows rained down from the city walls, pelting the orcish warriors.

But it was futile. The arrows bounced off their bodies like pebbles against iron.

"Shit, what do we do now?" Gu Bing muttered beside me.

Even now, he showed no fear of death. I remembered what he once said: "If I die tomorrow, then so be it. As long as I live well today, that's all that matters."

Until now, I had never truly considered death. Not in Greatwood Forest. Not in the King's Tomb. But now, faced with these unstoppable, demonic orcish warriors, I thought about it for the first time.

I thought about my friends. My family. If I died here, what would happen to them?

Then, I started seeing visions.

I saw figures appearing behind the orcish warriors—Taoists in robes of various colors, among them was Lu Xi. I turned around and saw figures standing atop the city walls, but they weren't the Eagle Guards. Instead, they wore long robes and wielded tridents or massive swords.

I saw the drawbridge lowering. The city gates opening.

Toxic mist enveloped the orcish warriors, turning their skin green. Countless Soulfire Talismans rained down upon them, bursting into flames upon impact. From the sky, bolts of lightning struck their armor, causing it to crack and break apart.

Was this an illusion?

No.

No, it wasn't!

I rubbed my eyes.

The reinforcements had arrived.

From Bairi Daoist Sanctuary, Taoists had come to our aid.

From Ginkgo Valley, mages had arrived to join the battle.

"They're not invincible! They fear magic!" I shouted.

Gu Bing stood frozen in amazement—this was his first time witnessing such a battle.

Around fifty Taoists from Bairi Daoist Sanctuary and forty mages from Ginkgo Valley had arrived. Their combined firepower focused on the seven orcish warriors.

Before long, one after another, the monstrous warriors fell.

From the city walls to the moat's edge, thunderous cheers erupted.

"We've won!"

"We've won!"

But just as victory was declared, the sky darkened once more.

A familiar sight unfolded—black mist rose from the fallen orcish warriors, slowly gathering into a single mass above the battlefield.

All cheers fell silent.

No one knew what would happen next.

The dark energy hovered for a long moment, then, instead of splitting again, it drifted toward Woma Forest, gradually fading from view.

We waited. Watching.

Nothing happened.

At last, the signal to cease battle echoed from the city walls, the sound of victory bells ringing through the air.

This time, the cheers returned—louder than ever.

(End of Volume 1)