Chapter 174: Siege War (5)
Their appearance became clear. They had big, sharp eyes and broad shoulders. They were running at Crockta and the empire’s army with great momentum, at a crazy fast speed.
“What the hell is that!”
“That’s...”
The eyes of the clan members originating from the Haedong Balhae Clan trembled as they recalled the nightmares that happened in Chesswood in the past.
There, they saw a crazy necromancer called Iron and met a bunch of psychos known as F4, but there was someone even scarier than them, the heretics of Elder Lord. They were people who took pride in walking a path no one would. Inhumane guys who enjoyed pain and adversity!
“It’s the Oslam Brotherhood.”
“What?”
The Oslam Brotherhood formed a wedge-shaped formation by sticking their broad shoulders together, and they charged at the imperial army’s formation. Groups such as the Rebirth Brotherhood, Praise the Orc, and Red Turban also pounced at the imperial army, but slowly approached by forming their own battle formation.
However, the Oslam Brotherhood was different. Without any warning or hesitation, they rushed toward the imperial army’s formation. Thanks to the influence of Haste Magic, their speed was amplified.
They let out a battle cry.
“Woahhhhhh! Bul’tarrrrr!”
“Bul’tarrrrrr!”
“We are the Oslam Brotherhood!”
“Oslam──────!”
The initial clash ensued. As the orcs in the forefront and the imperial army collided, the soldiers on the outer formation were blown away along with the sound of an explosion. The orcs’ terrifying charge tore down the imperial army’s defensive formation. They broke through the imperial army’s outer formation, causing the soldiers to fall like waves.
The entire imperial army was pushed back and their formation was thwarted. The orcs in the forefront shouted, brandishing their magic wand.
“We are O-!”
“O-!” The other orcs followed suit and shouted.
“-Slam──────!”
“-Slam!”
Their pace was in unison! They continued to advance through the imperial army’s formation. Sturdy on the outside and smooth on the inside, the orcs tore down the outer formation and once that happened, they were able to crumble the inner formation with irresistible power.
“Charge!”
The few orcs leading the rest from the forefront were so strong that even the knights had difficulty facing them. A new wave began to emerge on the stagnant battlefield.
Maguchwi swung his staff at a wide angle. The knight barely managed to block it, but his sword was deflected away. Without missing the gap that formed, Maguchwi kicked the knight in the abdomen and wildly swung his staff. The staff was imbued with lightning, causing the knight’s body to be scorched, turning into black ashes before scattering.
A frightening appearance that could easily pass as a knight, not a sorcerer!
“Kuwakta!”
“Yes!”
“Mookat!”
“Bul’tar!”
The two orcs he called for drew nearer and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. Although there were only three of them, their shoulders were so broad that it seemed like several adult humans were standing side by side.
“Charge!”
“Groarrrrr!”
They charged at the enemy again. Standing side by side, the orc warriors trampled the imperial army like bulldozers. Following the path cleared by the orc warriors, the other orcs tore apart the enemy lines.
“Die, humans!”
“Ack!” The knight shrieked.
Maguchwi fried the human knight into nothingness with lightning. Then, he stood tall and scanned the battlefield. They came prepared to die. However, they were not the only ones. Unexpected allies had already arrived. It wasn’t just the Oslam Brotherhood who got the chills at the sight of Crockta.
They started getting excited. Maguchwi lifted his staff high up.
“Bullllllllll’──────!”
The Oslam Brotherhood raised their weapons in unison.
“Tarrrrrrr──────!”
The Oslams roared and swung their weapons in unison. The imperial soldiers that were close to them were torn apart while blood splattered. The atmosphere of the entire battlefield changed the moment the Oslam Brotherhood joined the fray. Their energetic fight caused the imperial army to be daunted, and the morale of the anti-empire forces was boosted.
Maguchwi led the Oslam Brotherhood’s elites and shouted, “Follow me! Let’s fight till the end!”
“Ma hyung! Aren’t we going too deep!?”
“It doesn’t matter! We’re going all the way there!” Maguchwi pointed to the center of the battlefield.
The Oslam member, who warned Maguchwi of the danger, nodded.
“Then I guess we have to go.”
“Ma hyung is always like that. Looks like there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Let’s give it a go.”
“Kuhahahaha! We’re going!”
At the location where Maguchwi pointed, Crockta could be seen surrounded by the knights alone. Every time his greatsword flashed, the knights fell. The image of a true orc warrior was there.
“Let’s fight side by side with Croc hyung[1]!”
The symbol of the orcs that produced so many orc players, the hero of all orc players, Crockta! They were given the opportunity to fight alongside him. Maguchwi raised his staff again.
“Brothers!”
The Oslam orcs responded by stomping the ground in unison.
“Woooooo!”
“Are you ready to die──────!”
“Woooooo!”
“Are you ready to kill──────!”
“Let’s go! Bul’tarrrrrrrr───!”
“Bul’tarrrrrrrr───!”
The orcs, who had been huddled in the enemy camp, ran out again. The imperial army was swept into their pace. The Oslam orcs, riding on the momentum, pushed the imperial army back with more force than they could originally muster.
The orc players were teased for being orc lovers, for being oddballs who played as orcs, and for being a part of a minority with weird preferences. This was the moment their dignity became known to the world.
“Bultarrrr!”
Every time they chanted ‘Bultar’, an imperial soldier died. Maguchwi’s staff unleashed a wave of lightning. The tide of the battle had turned. The imperial army was now at a disadvantage.
***
Crockta grinned. At first, he was the only one standing up to the imperial army. That wasn’t the case anymore.
Everyone showed up— Andre, Iron, F4, Reborn Brotherhood, Red Turban, Praise the Orc, and even the Oslam Brotherhood. It was the moment Crockta was rewarded for the path he took. All those who were directly and indirectly influenced by him gathered to oppose the imperial army. They were all players, but they truly enjoyed Elder Lord.
Although the imperial army was still superior in numbers, they gradually lost their morale and were pushed back. The ones holding the upper hand were now the anti-empire forces, alongside Crockta.
“Huff, huff.” Crockta let out an exhausted sigh.
As the fight continued, the two sides were now entangled, turning the war into a complete dogfight, where it was difficult to distinguish between ally and foe. Crockta cut down the enemies nonstop. As reinforcements arrived, the enemies’ attention was distracted, which in turn became a trigger for Crockta to run wild.
The number of enemies he cut down by then would have already exceeded three digits. He cut and stabbed countless times, and each time, the enemies’ numbers decreased significantly. Knights and soldiers alike, none survived his blade.
“Bul’tarrrrrrr ─────!” He let out a battle cry again and swung the Ogre Slayer.
The enemies were cut down.
“...!”
Then, beyond the wave of enemies, he saw allies there instead of enemies. It was the Oslam Brotherhood, and Maguchwi was with them too.
After relentlessly advancing through the waves of enemies, they reached each other. It was their first time meeting since Chesswood, but it all felt familiar as if they were close friends. There was no need for words of gratitude or courtesy.
“Oh, brother.”
“Brother!”
They fist-bumped and exchanged glances. That was enough. They were still in the middle of the battlefield, and there were many enemies left to kill.
Crockta turned and looked in the direction of Rommel. He had three goals—Rommel and Cainz, as well as the ‘traitor’ Grom— no, he was Luin now. They were gathered in one spot. Perhaps because they were stupefied by the battle that exceeded their prediction, they could not seem to concentrate on the battle.
“Oh, brother.”
Crockta said something to Maguchwi. He grinned and nodded in response. Crockta and Maguchwi, the two of them were probably the strongest warriors and sorcerers among the orc players. Together, they made their way toward the direction of the Heaven and Earth Clan members.
As Maguchwi’s staff exuded a mysterious energy, their presence faded. They approached carefully, avoiding Rommel’s watch. It was time to put an end to this sickening ill-fated relationship.
They secured enough distance. The Heaven and Earth Clan members were guarding Rommel and Cainz, but they looked like a flock of sheep in Crockta’s eyes.
“I’ll go.”
“Be careful.”
Maguchwi’s enchantment hovered towards Crockta. It had been a long time since Crockta had felt an orc sorcerer’s buff. His whole body was full of vigor, and he was brimming with strength and energy. It felt like he could cut down anyone in front of him.
His tattoo sizzled like it was on fire, and it pushed Crockta toward his enemy. Revenge for Lenox. His burning fighting spirit was imbued on Ogre Slayer. Then, he pounced at them.
“Bultarrrrrrrr!”
They were startled at Crockta’s sudden appearance, but his sword was faster than their reaction. Crockta’s greatsword tore them apart while he was roaring.
White particles scattered like snow. Lightning energy wrapped around Ogre Slayer’s blade. It was Maguchwi’s spell. The enemies resisted, but those who clashed with Ogre Slayer trembled, and could not endure it. They were shocked by lightning and burned to death. Then, they turned into white particles and disappeared.
Rommel and Cainz turned around and tried to run away. Crockta did not miss them.
“Where do you think you are goi-!”
He ran like crazy, reaching out his hand and barely managing to grab their horse by the tail.
“Keuk!”
His shoulders were almost popped out by the horse’s running force. However, he mustered all his power in his body and pulled the horse. When Crockta pulled the horse, it was startled and jumped wildly.
“Rommelllllll ──────!” Crockta shouted and stabbed his greatsword at the horse’s side.
“Neighhhhhhhh!” The horse collapsed to their knees.
Rommel, who was riding the horse, was thrown to the ground. Crockta jumped past the horse and approached Rommel.
“Stop him!”
“Protect Rommel-nim!”
The members of the Heaven and Earth Clan rushed at Crockta. Crockta grabbed Rommel by the collar and swung his greatsword at the same time. The Heaven and Earth Clan members were cut down with blood gushing.
At the sight of that, the remaining clan members did not dare to throw themselves at Crockta and hesitated.
“I finally caught you.”
‘War Maestro’ Rommel was in his grasp. Rommel was looking up at Crockta with calm eyes, even though he was caught.
“How does it feel?” Crockta asked.
Rommel smiled faintly, “You’re ugly.”
“You bastard.” Crockta chuckled.
Then, he punched Rommel in the face. Rommel’s face got beaten to a pulp. His teeth were smashed and his nose got broken. His face caved in and he couldn’t even breathe properly, coughing and trying to catch his breath. Then, Crockta threw Rommel to where Maguchwi was. Maguchwi swung his staff. The magical power flowing from his staff began to restrain Rommel’s body.
“...!”
They used the concrete method temporarily on Rommel through magic. Crockta bobbed his head at Maguchwi and began to chase after Cainz and Luin. They abandoned Rommel and were trying to escape the battlefield with the executives from the Heaven and Earth Clan.
Crockta ran like crazy. His thighs swelled to the point that they felt like exploding, and he accelerated. As he ran, the ground was paved and a dust cloud formed.
“Caaaaaaainzzzz ──────!”
The horses were frightened by Crockta’s crazy charge, and they galloped faster.
“Orcs do not forget ──────!”
Crockta kicked off the ground and jumped up. Beyond the Pinnacle to the Hero-tier, his whole body accelerated to the limit.
Cainz looked back in shock from the distance. Crockta was gradually closing in the distance. Then, Crockta grabbed him and dropped down.
“Crazy bast-!”
Cainz fell from the sky and grabbed onto Crockta. His body tilted and got tangled with Crockta, causing the both of them to fall down the horse. They rolled on the floor, and the horse ran past, while its hooves trampled on the two of them.
“Kuhk...”
Cainz vomited blood. His body was not in good condition as he was trampled by the horse’s hooves.
“Keuk...Hiiiik?”
The moment he opened his eyes, he was faced with an orc’s face, staring at him with an appalling face. The orc’s entire body was covered in blood, but the orc’s eyes, filled with vigor, were making direct eye contact with him.
The orc grinned.
“Do you remember Lenox?” Crockta grabbed Cainz by the collar and lifted him up.
When he grabbed Cainz, the Heaven and Earth Clan members panicked and stopped their horses. Both their leaders were captured.
“You guys...Umphhh!”
Cainz tried to say something, but Crockta blocked his mouth. Then, he punched Cainz in the abdomen. Cainz retched and fell silent.
It was Luin’s turn now. Luin was trembling among the Heaven and Earth Clan’s executives. It overlapped with Grom’s appearance from the past. Lenox and the orc warriors put effort so that Grom could become a warrior. Although Grom was timid and got scared easily, they believed he could become an excellent warrior.
However, he betrayed them. He killed the great warriors. So, he would have to pay the price. The moment Crockta was about to call out Luin’s name, a huge shock hit Crockta’s body.
The sky and the ground were reversed. He tried to figure out the situation at the moment, but his head twisted again due to the impact of crashing to the ground. The ground and the sky turned around again and again. His body rolled on the ground.
“Cough...”
He tried to get up, but he could not move his body. Maguchwi rushed over.
Crockta looked up. Beyond his blurred vision, he saw Cainz crawling on the ground and running away. The Heaven and Earth Clan’s executives propped him up and ran away.
“Those bastards...”
“Calm down, brother. It’s dangerous!”
A healing potion was poured all over his body, but he did not recover from the shock. He received significant damage.
Crockta gritted his teeth. However, he still could not move his body. He flinched as if his whole body was broken.
“The reinforcements are here. There seems to be an outstanding sorcerer among them.”
As Maguchwi said, the imperial army’s flag could be seen on the far horizon. They turned around after rescuing Cainz and his companions. It seemed like they had no intention of intervening in the dogfight which was already nearing the end. The empire’s reinforcements moved further and further away.
***
Crockta, who had been lying down for quite some time, barely picked himself up. They were winning the battle. The imperial soldiers gradually dropped their weapons and surrendered.
Their allies shouted a cry of victory. It was a joyful event, but Crockta was not satisfied.
“Damn it...”
Crockta clenched his fist. He couldn’t let them go like this. He finally managed to catch them off guard after so long. However, he was still numb from the shock due to the magic. It was difficult for him to continue fighting.
“What happened to Rommel?” Crockta asked.
“He’s there.”
Bound by Maguchwi’s spell, Rommel was looking at Crockta while staying still. His handsome face was a mess. He moved his finger painstakingly and pointed to his mouth. He was imploring them to release the seal on his mouth.
Crockta looked at Maguchwi, and he shrugged in response.
“We can still save him if he bites his tongue. Why don’t we hear him out?”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
He let them slip past anyway. Rommel was not his true enemy. Crockta stared at Rommel with a despondent heart. His treatment would vary depending on what he said. If nothing in particular happened, they would use the concrete method on him to prevent him from returning to Elder Lord forever.
However, Rommel’s first words were out of their expectations, “If you let me go, I will help you with your revenge.”
“What?”
“I’ll help you so that you can finish them off.”
He immediately proposed an offer that appealed to Crockta. He was truly an intelligent guy.
Crockta had no choice but to ask back, “How?”
Rommel gave a slightly different answer than Crockta expected, “Completely.”
1. The Oslam orcs like to shorten people’s names a bit too much... ?
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