Chapter 67: Final (1)

Yuri hurled the spear that had pierced both an orc and a soldier. The group of orcs struck by it collapsed to the ground, unable to resist.

Yuri dismounted with Guilty in hand.

“See you later.”

The black horse that had carried him turned around and walked away from the orc camp on its own, as if it understood his words. Yuri cut down a nearby orc and looked up.

The squad of Briol knights was beginning to break through, cutting through the enemy lines one after another.

“Take them all down!”

“Yes, sir!”

They scattered left and right, striking the orc formations from the flanks. The gap opened by Briol widened. Gradually, more allied forces managed to breach the orc defenses.

The orcs began to retreat. Yuri swung Guilty without rest, like a whirlwind.

Each slash tore chunks of flesh from the orcs it touched. Now, it took several well-trained orcs just to slow him down.

Suddenly, he felt a cold gaze upon him. He looked up sharply.

“Okua…”

There he was—not far this time. Okua’s towering figure, with his long arms, was even more imposing up close. His dark red, inhuman eyes exhaled a black mist that hovered around him.

When their eyes met, even Yuri froze momentarily under the pressure.

He clenched his teeth. To be paralyzed by the enemy’s killing intent was a disgrace.

He unleashed his mana, forcing his body to move by sheer will.

“Get out of my way!”

Guilty wasn’t a sword, but a hammer wrapped in mana that destroyed everything in its path. He smashed through the orcs attacking him, only for new ones to charge at him.

Yuri blocked the next attack, kicked the orc hard, and knocked it to the ground.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

He should’ve been exhausted, but instead, he felt even more energized. It was a prolonged war, but victory finally felt close.

The drawn-out battle had weakened the orcs. Although the Alliance had also suffered many casualties, it wasn’t comparable.

Yuri drove Guilty into the head of another orc.

“Your Highness!”

As he pulled the sword free, Laurent arrived at his side.

“What is it?”

“There’s a shaman there. What do you think?”

Laurent pointed to a spot where a group of orcs was standing in formation. In the center, an orc shaman surveyed the battlefield.

From the start of the battle, the chains of mana had been intertwining across the field.

Mages and shamans were clashing with dispels, entangling one another. But as Yuri already knew, eliminating the shamans would allow allied mages to unleash their full power.

“One won’t be enough.”

“Then we keep killing until it works.”

“By the time it does, the battle might be over.”

“Then there’s no choice.”

“Right. No choice.”

Laurent grinned wickedly. Yuri also cracked a smile. It was an expression he had never seen on the Laurent of his past life.

Though he still carried some of his usual stiffness, he now showed a much more resolute character. And back then, Laurent hadn’t admired him as he did now—quite the opposite.

“Laurent.”

“Yes.”

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go.”

“To the end, I’ll follow you, Your Highness.”

Yuri charged forward, and Laurent followed. Without a word, the knights of Briol finished off the nearby orcs and rushed after them.

Yuri became the tip of a spear thrusting into the wall of orcs.

Numerous axes fell toward him from every direction. But he didn’t worry.

At most, he’d face a few on his own. The rest would be deflected by his companions.

“Hold the line!”

“Protect the prince!”

“Diiieeee!”

The Briol squad crashed in with full force. Dozens of weapons split the air with explosive collisions.

Flanked by Jared on the left and Laurent on the right, Yuri pushed through the orcs—even surpassing them.

In that hell of death, the Cut of the Soul and the Heart pulsed as if it had a life of its own.

“Akkuaakkai!”

“Yes. That’s me.”

Those were the orc’s final words.

Guilty entered through its jaw and exited through the top of its skull. Blood and brain matter poured over its face. When the sword was pulled free, the body crumpled.

A small gap opened. Yuri slipped through the orcs.

They turned to trap him, while the shaman tried to flee. Yuri spun Guilty violently, throwing off the orcs, and clung to the shaman’s back.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Guilty pierced his spine.

The shaman’s body trembled. Yuri twisted the blade to ensure he didn’t survive, then pulled it out.

The orcs around him went berserk upon seeing the shaman fall. But the Briol knights responded calmly and precisely.

Yuri was already looking for his next target.

And then it happened.

“Ah…”

When he looked up, a black tide swept over the orc camp. Someone said the name.

“It’s the Empire.”

The Imperial squad surged over the orcs like a wave. The force they displayed was overwhelming, as if everything until now had been a mere prelude.

Briol and the Empire—two spears breaking the shield the orcs had raised.

The orcs were falling.

“Let’s go!”

Their true objective remained: Okua, who still stood motionless in the back. Yuri continued advancing, breaking enemy lines. Okua remained standing, not yet entering the battle.

“Let’s see how much longer you can just stand there.”

Finally, Yuri reached the last wall. A guard of elite orcs protecting Okua.

They wore polished armor and wielded forged weapons. Unlike the wild orcs who attacked without order, these acted like a trained squad—steady before Okua.

“Haa…”

Yuri paused for a moment. The atmosphere was different.

“Don’t charge in recklessly!”

Despite the warning, a knight, drunk on battle, charged forward.

“Aaaaaah!”

And his head rolled across the ground.

“Idiot…”

There was no time for regrets. Yuri raised Guilty and faced the orcs. He felt the refined flow of mana. They were mana blade users.

Additionally, a black mist rose from their bodies—traces of dark magic like that of the previous shaman.

Was dark magic unaffected by dispels?

“All positions!”

Fortunately, the elite orcs didn’t move away from Okua. Yuri made a decision.

“We’ll deal with them later. First, change targets.”

If they didn’t intend to move, they’d eliminate the rest until those were the only ones left. Victory was assured—there was no rush.

They could achieve an even more complete triumph. And then—

The ground trembled.

“What’s this…?”

It was the sign that an Ancient Wyrm was about to emerge. Yuri placed his hand on the ground and expanded his perception.

The extensions of the Cut of the Soul and the Heart detected the creature’s movement.

“Everyone…!”

Yuri shouted,

“Watch the ground!”

Nearly a dozen Ancient Wyrms began stirring underground like a swarm of worms. Screams of horror erupted everywhere.

From various points, the Wyrms burst from the ground with gaping jaws, devouring Alliance soldiers.

Chaos seized the battlefield due to this unexpected twist.

Yuri tried to turn to face the Wyrms. But suddenly, a black shadow slid across the sky in a group.

“Look up!”

A flock of wyverns circled overhead across the battlefield. They weren’t ridden by orcs, which made them even more dangerous. They spread their wings, preparing to dive.

The Alliance had come to defeat orcs—not to fight these beasts.

“Watch out above!”

Yuri shouted, but even he felt disoriented. Should they guard against threats from underground, or from the sky?

At that moment, the orcs gained momentum again, pushing the Alliance back.

“Hey you!”

A wyvern dove at a knight who was fighting an orc.

Before Yuri’s warning could reach him, the wyvern seized the knight by the head in mid-air and carried him away, then dropped him from a great height.

“Damn it…”

With the appearance of these monsters, the balance of battle instantly shifted.

Was this part of their plan too? Yuri turned to look at Okua. There he was, still watching from above with his blood-red eyes.

Suddenly, a stench wafted past him.

Yuri recognized it immediately. It was the same scent he’d felt when facing the orc shaman—black magic energy.

Looking directly at Okua, Yuri felt he was beginning to understand. Why Okua could control those creatures.

“Black magic…”

Yuri murmured.

And then, a voice spoke in his ear.

『You’re right.』

“What?”

Yuri’s eyes widened. It was Moyongchan’s voice.

『It’s a secret sound-transmission technique. Allows speaking from a distance without others hearing.』

Moyongchan continued:

『That bastard is using sorcery. It’s hard to keep him at bay.』

“What should I do?”

『Take out the orcs around him.』

Moyongchan sounded out of breath as he spoke. He was engaged with Okua somehow.

“Just eliminate those?”

『Exactly.』

His tone became solemn.

『Afterwards, I’ll handle him.』

***

Yuri, amidst the chaos, fixed his gaze on the elite guard surrounding Okua. Few in number—but individually, extraordinarily skilled.

Sending regular units would only lead to more deaths without success, just like the knight who had been beheaded moments before.

“Alright. Time to go all-in.”

By now, Yuri had made preparations. He’d sent a knight with a message to Ragnar.

Soon after, a different kind of horn sounded across the field. From where Ragnar stood, a new banner was raised.

The standard-bearer charged at full speed toward Yuri.

“Just give me the banner.”

“Yes, sir!”

If they were to eliminate the elite guard, they had to gather Warriors who could.

Before the battle, they’d instituted a code to summon the strongest warriors from each nation.

Yuri raised the banner and waved it vigorously. Laurent, Jared, and Raymond came forward immediately.

“Is it finally starting, Your Highness?”

“Ah… not sure yet…”

“It’s been a while since I used my full strength.”

Just then a booming voice rang out:

“Hahaha! Is that a summons? This is going to be good!”

It was Jose, the knight from Brusen.

Following him came Froin and Jonathan.

Then Sybilla and Fenek from the Holy Kingdom, plus several Holy Knights.

Wolf, commander from Liberta, also appeared with his knights.

Other top warriors from different realms soon arrived. All knights who had fought on the frontlines throughout the campaign.

Finally, the Empire arrived.

Leading was Graham, followed by the commander of the Third Squadron and more than ten black-armored knights. A crushing force.

Yuri spoke:

“To end this war, we must kill Okua. And to do that, we must first eliminate his guard. This mission was requested personally by my master, Moyongchan.”

Everyone turned to look at the elite orcs. Not a sign of fear.

Yuri smiled and drew Guilty.

“Let’s kill that bastard before he causes more casualties.”

And he began advancing resolutely. The others followed without hesitation.

They plunged into the battlefield, where wild monsters roamed in mad confusion.

The elite orcs, noticing the shift, turned to face Yuri. Their faces tensed.

A murderous wave surged from them. But Yuri didn’t falter. Instead, he charged.

The intensity of their hostility flowed through him like an electric current. But the knights beside him channeled their mana, and that pressure vanished as if swept away by a gust.

That energy propelled Yuri forward. They entered mutual attack range.

Yuri raised Guilty and brought it down hard. The lead elite orc clashed its axe against his sword.

CLAAANG!

That first collision was the signal.

The other knights likewise charged the elite orcs. Explosions of steel rang out in succession with near-choreographed precision.

Yuri laughed heartily. Until now, he had always needed to lead. But this time was different.

All present were the best of the best — they didn’t need guidance.

Fighting shoulder to shoulder with them felt comforting. The core of the Alliance was fully immersed in the decisive conflict against the orcs.