"Too late."
"Damn it! What the hell happened?!"
When we reached the flare's location, we saw the corpses of orcs and soldiers—but that wasn't all. A knight's body lay there, his armor crushed like a tin can.
"No way!"
"Why's a knight dead?!"
"Killed by mere orcs, even with aura?!"
Orcs aren't strong monsters. Unless caught off guard, a single knight could cut down dozens of them.
So, a knight's mangled corpse here was beyond strange.
"Where's the next flare?!"
"South, ma'am."
"Mark this spot. We'll retrieve the bodies later."
"Understood."
"Move south immediately. Stay cautious and don't rush."
"Yes!"
Ilia looked shaken but was careful not to rush and risk more losses.
"Young Master, isn't this getting dangerous?"
"Don't worry. You won't die here."
"Here? Then where will I die?!"
Giranox glanced around nervously, scanning for threats.
The monster's moving clockwise, so we probably won't meet it going south.
"Kill them!"
"Orcs piercing aura?!"
"The knight's down! Run!"
"What is that thing?! Argh!"
Focusing inner energy on my hearing, I caught the sounds of battle. No one else reacted—they couldn't hear it yet.
"Ilia, let's move faster."
"No. Moving without caution is risky."
"I hear fighting. There won't be an ambush."
"What?"
Ilia and the knights stared at me oddly, unable to hear the sounds.
The noise is fading. The fight's nearly over.
Clang!
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Only after we'd gone further did Ilia hear the combat and draw her sword.
Clang! Clang!
The knights and soldiers followed, drawing their weapons.
"Giranox."
"Yes."
"Stick close to me from now on."
"Yes!"
As I predicted, there shouldn't be a fight this time, but just in case, I warned Giranox.
"Full speed ahead!"
"Yes!"
Unable to hold back, Ilia started running. Honestly, her restraint so far was impressive. She kept glancing at me as she ran.
Is she surprised I heard the sounds?
"What the…"
"They're all dead."
"Two knights this time…"
The scene south was like the west—corpses everywhere. The churned-up forest showed the orcs had moved recently.
"Damn it!"
"Filthy pig bastards!"
"Argh!"
The soldiers, seeing their fallen comrades, lost their composure, ready to charge into the forest.
"What the hell happened?!"
Ilia knelt beside a soldier clinging to life.
"Cough! We… chased orcs, but an ambush came from behind…"
Even dying, he tried to relay information.
"An orc ambush shouldn't beat a knight! Two were here—how'd they fall?!"
As Ilia said, unless stabbed in the back, aura-wielding knights don't lose to regular orcs.
Each group had one or two knights, yet we'd seen three dead already. Impossible for ordinary orcs.
"The orcs… that ambushed us… had different skin."
"Skin?"
"They were red-skinned orcs."
"Red orcs! But even red orcs can't beat knights. These were full-fledged knights!"
Ilia knew about red orcs too.
"No… the knights handled the red orcs easily. They were killed by a dual-wielding orc that appeared suddenly."
"Dual-wielding? An orc with two swords?"
"Yes. Red-skinned, twice as big as the others."
That's him. The orc warrior Ka-Ruda, twice the size of normal orcs, wielding two massive blades—the boss monster of this encounter.
Ka-Ruda isn't just strong in combat; he's a strategist. He's likely targeting the knights, the biggest threats, as he scouts.
"Reform the ranks. Spearmen forward!"
"Yes!"
"Move to the next location as fast as possible!"
"Understood."
With three knights dead, Ilia's composure was cracking. Her face showed only rage.
If Ka-Ruda's still moving, I'd guess no more than six knights remain.
At this rate, it's a wipeout. Should I try what the protagonist said to Ilia?
"Ilia."
"What?"
I called to her as she stood nearby.
"Fall back and fire a signal flare to regroup."
"What?"
"We're being picked off. There's no winning like this. Regroup now for a chance to escape."
"Damn it…"
Ilia bit her red lips hard.
"Enough!" a knight behind her shouted at me.
"This mess is because of a nuisance like you!"
Blinded by his comrades' deaths, he lashed out at me, though I'd done nothing wrong.
"You don't understand the situation. Staying out of the way is helping."
In the novel, the protagonist got cursed out here. Readers complained about the frustration. I remember now.
"You know nothing about combat—"
"Shut up."
"Guh! W-What—"
I summoned the inner energy of the Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit, enveloping him.
"Urgh… can't… breathe…"
Under the weight of my aura, the knight trembled, unable to move. His eyes bloodshot, ready to burst.
"Yuren?"
"Know your place."
"Gah! Hah!"
When I released the pressure, the knight collapsed.
"Yuren, what was that…" Ilia, standing nearby, seemed startled, faintly sensing the energy's ripple.
"Ilia, if you want to save even one person, fire a flare from the center now."
In the novel, Ilia stubbornly ignored the protagonist. I was curious how she'd take my words.
"Everyone, full speed to the starting point."
"Yes!"
Maybe because she sensed something, unlike the novel, Ilia took my advice.
"You're right. I acted calm but wasn't. If we're being taken out like this, regrouping and retreating is best."
Ilia led from the front.
"Impressive, Young Master."
"What?"
"Everyone's panicking, but you stepped up."
"Enough. Run."
"Ugh! Yes."
The knight beside Ilia kept glancing back. I must've scared him—he avoided my gaze, just sneaking looks around.
"We're here."
"Fire the blue signal flare!"
"Yes!"
Whoosh!
Boom!
We reached the starting point and fired a blue flare to signal a regroup.
"They'll be okay, right?"
"Based on timing, aside from those we saw, most should be alive."
"Please…"
Foolish. By my estimate, including us, only four knights remain. If Ka-Ruda moved faster, it's just the two here.
"Look, they're coming… but…"
A soldier spotted approaching troops, but a massive group of orcs chased them.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
At Ilia's shout, everyone gripped their weapons.
"Young Master…"
"Stay behind me. Agnes!"
I sent Giranox back and called Agnes.
[My first real battle in centuries!]
"My first ever."
My first fight, but my heart wasn't racing. It didn't feel like the end.
"Spearmen forward!"
At Ilia's command, trembling spearmen stepped up.
"Yuren, over here!"
Ilia called me to her side after giving orders.
"I'm fine."
"What?"
Whoosh!
I threw Agnes at an orc chasing a soldier.
Boom!
Thud!
The dagger smashed one orc's head and lodged in the next, killing two instantly.
[Eek! Orc blood still stinks!]
"Yuren? What was that…"
Ignoring her, I threw the dagger in my left hand.
Thud!
It killed two more orcs.
'Agnes, return.'
I retrieved Agnes and kept throwing daggers, saving soldiers from pursuing orcs.
"Yuren, what was that? Not a single miss."
Ilia's already large eyes widened at my hidden weapon skills.
"Incredible!"
"Never seen such skill!"
"Thanks to you, we're alive!"
Everyone was stunned by the daggers' power and precision, mouths agape.
"Where are the knights?"
"They fell to a red orc with dual swords."
"Damn it, that thing again?"
The group that reached us was hit by Ka-Ruda too. Something's changed—he's more active than in the novel.
"That's him."
At the back of the orc horde, a red orc a head taller than the rest stood out, wielding two massive blood-and-flesh-dripping blades.
"What… that's an orc?"
Ilia's teeth chattered, sensing Ka-Ruda's killing intent.
"Yuren, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you."
Thinking no one would survive, Ilia apologized.
"Grrr!"
"Raaagh!"
"Kraaah!"
Dozens of orcs and red orcs roared, intimidating us.
"We're all gonna die!"
"Ugh!"
"I want to live!"
While the orcs radiated menace, the soldiers, believing death was certain, grew more terrified.
"Don't fear! Form ranks! You're Marcus's soldiers—you can win!"
Ilia tried to boost morale, but the soldiers were lost in fear. At this rate, we'd be wiped out without a fight.
I planned to step in later, but no choice now.
Wooong.
I transformed Agnes into a black orb the size of a baseball.
"First move: Black Iron Burst!"
Whoosh!
Thud!
I threw the Black Iron Burst at a red orc in the center of their formation.
"Grr?"
The red orc, hit in the face, looked at me as if to say, "What's that?" The surrounding orcs cackled mockingly.
"Laugh while you can—you won't soon."
Snap!
I snapped my fingers, and the Black Iron Burst began to glow brilliantly.