Chapter 287: Decisive Battle (3)
czmauZn“Gyaaaaargh!”nvypod0
FZWcThe orc chief—seventh in the demon hierarchy.7F91
Mvw9With Kuarne as the only remaining Corps Commander, his current combat strength was considered comparable to that of a commander.dXF
Yf5“Shield unit, if you can’t advance, fall back! You can’t withstand that—move now!”YZCFq12
UotThe heroes were struggling. His brute strength matched his enormous size, and he occasionally blended in magic attacks with remarkable skill.IW5xa
uMjHis destructive power was such that even five warrior-class tanks couldn’t stop him.N5tCHi
fpjpSSwoooosh!uYVHD
5rQSA spear extended toward the thick back of his neck. The orc chief twisted his head, narrowly dodging the blade.zzom
S3TIf it had been wielded by a mere hero, he wouldn’t have bothered to avoid it—but this attack did not come from a “mere hero.”xv8IiG
DYdCuK6“Damn bastard!”lKQ9J
fGpKtChanseong shouted with determination.bracBfn
1ftoThis time he gripped the shorter spear and struck the ground like a thunderbolt.7CNu31
DcnxQThe orc chief held his mace in his teeth like a bit, mumbling through clenched jaws.Ks3e
aEPD0“Stupid human… facing me head-on. Dumber than I am.”2JeS
0KyjCHe crouched down, like a boar about to charge. If he’d just placed his hands on the ground, he could’ve been mistaken for a wild beast. But his body was the size of a mountain.5LkPBIg
BCvSIVBoom!ZHx73m
kEiuJXxHe charged straight ahead. His rear legs dug deep furrows into the earth.bCY
SIolThe ground trembled with each step.oSuM6
xA6AcNWith lightning tearing through the sky, the battlefield was absolute chaos.rONEy
16EW9HY“He looks like a mountain running.”QD3PGp
knbhuyChanseong was large for a human—two heads taller than the average adult.dyp
cRlBut that was only compared to other humans. No human could match a mountain. From a distance, their clash looked like a child facing off against a monster.ZsYwk
sQ9Man versus beast. But even the small have their ways of fighting—like David striking down Goliath with a sling.zssv
YgTChanseong veered sideways, changing direction at a right angle. Due to his speed, the inertia tore at his legs.fZmflH5
ji9Crunch.vfE
g3qfopHis calf muscles and tendons likely tore. If he’d been as heavy as the giant boar, it wouldn’t have been possible.YZarO
mtaWBut he managed to move his body by will alone—and that was what mattered.R11
9DHHe closed in on the orc chief in an instant but had already sidestepped just enough.UcK
tcPcSRBChanseong shouted.dADEcdq
52WNsfv“Kojima!”5aHy
1p5GHis back shifted to reveal a clear line of sight.wxAKI
4glTQKojima, kneeling, drew his longbow to its maximum. The veins on his hand bulged like ropes.r0zH9T
TWmtyHe released the arrow. The tip gleamed in the sunlight, trailing a streak of light. The bow snapped from the force of the shot.atdmF
UDZ“Grrraaaaaah!”0Ar5Wt
sj1The sacrifice of the bow paid off. The orc chief was struck directly in his left eye and staggered. The mace he was biting dropped to the ground, dripping with saliva.5odN1Sc
L08Kojima clicked his tongue and flexed his numb hand.gTtY5a
NEd“I aimed to crack his skull… but it wasn’t enough.”tX0A
XZSeuAyStill, this was no ordinary demon. He was number seven. Even if Kojima unleashed his full power, one shot wasn’t enough to kill him.9Y4R0
do3VhBut that didn’t mean it had no effect. The orc chief writhed, clutching half his face.dams
JkKsThe arrow had pierced his eye and was near his brain.82x7
uounobIn his agony, he was vulnerable.wQrHM2
7HxuBrA straight sword floated through the air. It was the Swordmaster’s technique. Slash! The blade cut through the air and struck his green throat. But his skin was thick—it didn’t pierce completely.JkiXxJl
xZq1The Swordmaster ran up and caught the hilt midair. He reversed his grip and drove it in forcefully. Bluish-green blood splattered across his face.7r4Y
k0yNw7aHe grimaced. His hands and the blade trembled from resistance.0Vmod1
tsR“You’re not going down that easy, huh?”yrWfI
RDIf9uThe orc chief had blocked the blow with his palm. Instantly, with his other hand, he yanked out the arrow—eye and all.EIxp9qO
Cyyh0Optic nerves and brain matter came with it. He shoved it into his mouth and chewed greedily.Pcl6
EMvs“My name… is Hahudon… and now I am reborn as a true warrior! GRAAAAAAAH!”g1h
QIf0dwHe roared with such force that nearby heroes’ eardrums burst. The Swordmaster, perched on his face, bled from the eyes.QFJfUb
dsXt27“Damn monster.”Yce
LTuzThat was the true difference between humans and demons. It wasn’t just magic—they simply didn’t tire. And this was on human turf. They were incredibly belligerent. Almost admirable.8Wd
YzS‘Looks like I have no choice.’0ErI3
V6Sab8The Swordmaster hesitated. If he awakened his power again, his body would reach its limit. He would die.bF5
8wHOSHe knew that better than anyone. He had lived seventy years in that body.4YhAP
qPOnDying on the battlefield was an honor for a warrior. Even thinking of Abel, he knew Kang Geom-Ma would be by his side. If he was the man his granddaughter chose, he could die in peace.5UBqpz2
6UV7FAe‘I’m not afraid of death.’2op
fGdThe problem wasn’t what came after—it was the moment of death itself. If he fell, morale among the heroes would crumble. Even if Heavenly Sword fought brilliantly, it wouldn’t last. In a war of attrition, humanity was at a disadvantage. That damned orc was proof of it.ZFMmEpm
oyabvAt that moment, the orc chief’s belly shuddered. He was about to leap up.WxM
eymb4suThe Swordmaster stopped hesitating. He tensed his body, veins bulging.ddtsLoO
L84GX3vHe concentrated energy at the sword’s tip. He awakened the technique etched into his bones.H3D
knEzyDvThen—two figures dropped from the sky. Media and Meain. They landed with mirrored extended legs, like perfect reflections.05p1WDZ
M93The Swordmaster barely dodged aside—but the orc chief couldn’t. The Poison twins’ high heels pierced through his eye socket and into his brain. In both humans and demons, the brain was fatal.aLba
37e“GYAGYAGYAGYAGYAAARGH!”sXZ2TjY
kTOA deafening scream erupted. With their other foot, the twins stomped into his mouth, shredding it from within. The attack was perfectly synchronized.h8sS
woiZXczSplat!9Ehry
6rDA geyser of blood shot out. The Poison twins were drenched up to their knees.HfYif
I8AnMFrom the orc chief’s open mouth, frothy blood bubbled. His twitching fingers, clawing at air, fell still.leQu
0hJVSoon after, his raised arms—each as large as an adult man—dropped heavily to the ground with a dull thud.Zn5vij
uKvtyUTSeventh in the demon hierarchy. A key pillar of demon military strength, the orc chief, Hahudon. Dead.k6yhm
GUVV0WAs soon as he fell, the nearby heroes regained their momentum.qrT9P
YRSoThough human physical endurance couldn’t match the demons, their morale and mental strength more than compensated. Their faces lit with energy.vDvT
C39“The Seven Stars killed the orc chieeeef!”HWj
GLu0H“Uooooooohhhhhh!”GtE6
vwdXsThe heroes began pushing back the demons. Thanks to the coordinated assault, they landed numerous effective hits.yaF
sDpSeveral demon units couldn’t hold out and began collapsing.bvx
zgcCrackle—!vwk5
Fm8Amid the chaos, lightning continued striking demons alone. In every sense, the tide was turning in humanity’s favor.2A6Q
usu7“Siegfried, you were about to use your awakening, weren’t you?”CaGcYs
QLeEFMeain playfully shook a leg before resting a hand on her hip. The rest of the Seven Stars gathered around.0FKPM
wajgM“What did I tell you during training? Don’t always go for the easy way out.”Puj
z6J8a“If you and Media hadn’t shown up, I had no choice.”fEhoXu
KRoXpTCThe Swordmaster retorted. Meain coldly cut him off.aeyKH43
GNnJXQ“No choice? The orc chief was comparable to Basmon, the sixth commander. But you’re several times stronger than you were then, and you were going to use your awakening? Don’t talk nonsense. You’ve always been craftier than you look. That’s why Media always calls you an ‘old mule.’”dxHM
YTwx“…”MsgF
JCY“Did you screw up or not?”lxFgfCe
ZCS2cAt his master’s scolding, the Swordmaster finally sighed.2u3v
eZ9hU“I acted rashly. I won’t consider awakening again unless it’s truly critical.”lA056s
2S3“No, don’t even think about it. Even I, as an Ancient, barely consider using it anymore…”hF7eI
ypXhV2Before Meain could finish her sentence, all of the Seven Stars simultaneously looked up. They sensed a terrifying presence approaching.pDvDiby
2Aq“What the hell…?”Objwv7
SlVCr9jA yellow-tailed shooting star was drawing near. At its tip was the hero, Leon van Reinhardt.IXcfI2
8XJN“What is he doing…?”o3FE81
g1GKG8uThose among the Seven Stars who knew Leon froze like statues. That’s why they were a second too late to react to his slash.yNp9
Mv0ZuThe spiritual energy he released, combined with the lightning magic of Heavenly Sword, enveloped the strike. It was a technique that fully utilized Balmung, the sacred and cursed sword.mbXe
CnNS「Thunder Reversal」jzKHwdF
GacSgqUA bolt of lightning fell from the sky onto the heroes who were fighting. Believing the sky was on their side, they were completely unprepared.8Du
6yYoETpBoom! Crash!qfq7
8qYCeiBoom, boom, boom!pxuNSI
eerCA barrage of attacks rained down upon them—so fast there was barely time to react.r4C
Iw4But there’s always someone who remains calm even in such moments. This time, it was Kojima, the absolute archer.Z2V
u8nLwSince he didn’t know Leon, he wasn’t thrown off.heKgTP
k4hCvHis temperament was inherently composed.PtdplfF
AMQKojima drew a new bow from his dimensional ring. By the time Leon’s sword swung, his bow was already strung taut.j3EgBIG
HHmy8In an instant, over a dozen arrows shot from his hands and intercepted the lightning mid-trajectory.O7x8M
1NK1jWhizz—vfkt34
qS1For the first time in his life, he acted to protect others. It was an act of altruism.Ad5
StUF4MjA concept he understood intellectually but had never truly grasped.snzHTm
I3pIn that instant, when time seemed to freeze and the lightning moved in slow motion, Kojima’s pupils recalled the past.N0Xi
KALmC— Why do heroes have to sacrifice their lives for humanity? Shouldn’t they protect their own lives first?nVN7p9r
RPTPA question he once posed to Alice. The place? Right here—Joaquin Academy.BQZ
t6pXT— Because someone has to bear that burden.yJKmsbX
pCrPerhaps because of the setting, it felt as if she herself were answering.ZntvyV
mxJ— Because we have more power. We can endure it better.eSZ
BKhAfter forty years, that blurry face finally appeared clearly.X1zLke
pHe— Kojima, one day you’ll understand these words.MH2u
q8bZA faint smile appeared on Kojima’s face.4ESgu5c
DDMFLkiBlood burst forth. His side was torn open, likely his internal organs shredded.zAbm9P
94aaHEBecause of that, none of the incoming attacks hit any other hero—except for one, aimed solely at him.Y6b5gTB
6HzFveqJust before his back hit the ground, a hand gently supported him.CWz
vNhuA face appeared faintly in his vision. His sight was cloudy, indistinguishable. But it looked far too much like someone he had longed to see.pCI
dsAqKVX“For humanity…”Qjtoe
ZY6g9ntSaki Kojima managed a faint smile and whispered a few words. A line of blood stretched from his chin to his chest.iCVhAy
fqDQwoU“…Please… protect my family.”ZVT
QhP5eKojima’s eyes slowly closed.37o
h05XGJ9Heavenly Sword gazed at him in silence for a long moment before finally closing his eyelids.UKb
f4yHe laid him down gently, then turned his gaze elsewhere.
Leon had already landed on the ground.gf71g7f
4xn“Saki Kojima was a man who deserved to die.”W4K
IPJm2qLeon spoke. His gaze was unsteady.EXM3
AZZeT7w“True.”C0e
DfKZjmNKang Geom-Ma accepted the words without objection. But his expression was as cold as a statue.PFzM
ZcCwdMA“The same goes for you.”asn
xNs3RThe eyes of the Demon King, from the depths of the abyss, locked onto the hero.FGi8z
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BlackLotus
Qi RefinementKojima was a true man. On the later story ofc