4) The Strongest Warrior

Weed took over the advantageous position of Jonas Castle and relaxed while waiting to fight the Beiner Kingdom.

High level human blacksmiths were gathered at Jonas Castle. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this place was the home of blacksmiths.

The Beiner Kingdom’s defense army didn’t want to lose this place but they were eventually annihilated and Van Hawk used them to strengthen the undead army.

The proud sculptural lifeforms protested against the undead army.

“Great Emperor, the undead is undesirable.”

“This isn’t an att.i.tude for a warrior. We need to fight justice with swords!”

10 sculptural lifeforms! Weed’s charisma and strength pressed on the also wavering desert warriors.

“This isn’t it.”

“Great Emperor leads us with pure power and pure strength.”

The desert warriors who accepted pillaging and slavery couldn’t accept the undead troops as colleagues.

“These guys.”

Weed tried to govern them but it was difficult to convince the desert warriors. Of course, he didn’t do it with words but beating them up.

“We left the desert and headed to the Central Continent for a reason.

“We are humans.”

They had a history with Weed so they didn’t want to abandon him but the desert warriors had their own will.

“That’s right. We need to slay the Embinyu Church in order to stop the confusion on the continent. If I wanted to be warm and satisfied then I would’ve just stayed in the desert. However, I left the desert so that my children and desert brethren can live well in the future.”

“I am aware of that.”

The goods pirated from the Central Continent were sent to the desert.

Many of the technology in the desert was outdated. Furthermore, technology and culture was required in the desert. The desert warriors were able to maintain a steady, high morale during the war on the Central Continent.

The warriors had a good understanding up to here. Weed’s sugar-coating skills were effective.

“My wife and family is waiting in the far desert, wondering what my fate is.”

The warriors thought earnestly about their family.

“My wife if pretty like a rabbit and might meet a new man.”

“My son is wearing short, leather pants so he needs money. Just one pair of pants will cost 30 copper.”

“…..”

Weed had to listen to their complaints when hunting. The desert warriors longed for their family but couldn’t be close to them. Most parents felt like this when working or their children.

“Hum hum, listen carefully. We didn’t come here to live. We will fight until the end until your bones are buried. You might not like the undead but they are necessary to act as obstacles against the real enemies. After you die, your body will also stand up and fight for the desert.”

“Great Emperor!”

“We have been too short-sighted.”

“Please punish us!”

Ddiring!

-You have persuaded your subordinates

Charisma has increased by 1.

The drop in loyalty has slowed.

These simple words wouldn’t be enough to persuade the merchants in the Central Continent. There wouldn’t be any concerns about the undead in the first place.

But the desert warriors were naive compared to their high strength and knowledge. From an early age, they had wandered along with Weed to the dungeons and battles. Weed was the spiritual pillar of the desert warriors!

“Arm the soldiers. And prepare the weapons.”

“Yes!”

The armour, leather and weapons store of Jonas Castle were pillaged by the occupying forces. The desert warriors obtained a considerable amount of equipment.

The Red Knife unit proudly wore a headpiece made of the feathers of a red bird from the desert.

“The scouts say that we have a few days to spare. We need to be properly prepared. We need to slay the Beiner Kingdom and Embinyu Church.”

Weed gathered the finest blacksmiths at Jonas Castle.

“I will give this to you to process. Create a sword with these 3 horns.”

He handed the blacksmiths the leather and horns obtained from the Fire Salamander King.

The polished leather wasn’t remarkable but the horns were incomparable. The horns were like a transparent diamond without any impurities. It was the finest of materials but he was Sun Warrior so he had to begrudgingly leave it to the blacksmiths.

“This is such a precious material that it is a pity a fiend obtained it!”

“Does that barbarian think we will use all our skills for him?”

The blacksmiths had dedicated their lives to working steel. This was the warring period but it was still possible to find dwarves in human cities. The dwarves wouldn’t follow anyone even if a knife was at their throats.

“Then it is pointless. I will need to destroy all these materials.”

“Heeok!”

“These precious things….destroyed?”

The eyes of the blacksmiths shook!

The blacksmiths had never seen the materials from the Fire Salamander King before. Just seeing such precious materials made them able to imagine rare, obscure designs.

“It can’t be helped.”

“But we can’t do a good job for the enemy.”

The blacksmiths were still humans. Weed was the head of the army that stole their weapons and armour and damaged the Beiner Kingdom. But the eyes of the dwarf blacksmith was filled with regret.

“The difference between the forces is like the earth and the sky. He even managed to destroy the Fire Salamander King.”

“…..”

The public would need thousands of sacrifices to catch the Fire Salamander King but Weed achieved it with just his subordinate!

Weed licked his lips.

“I no longer require a good weapon r armour.”

Of course it was necessary.

“Swords, magic, elementals and arrows. I can block them all.”

His words were enough to make them sick!

“Even an army of 1 million people won’t be able to block my steps!”

Weed roared in front of the blacksmiths.

It was like a man in his thirties threatening to steal a neighbourhood kid’s candy. It was like watching a polished screenplay being directed!

It was a similar tone when nagging the desert warriors but the incredible force overwhelmed the blacksmiths. They had no choice but to fear the barbarian Weed in this situation.

“This is your last chance. Make the best sword and armour with these materials within a week. If I am satisfied then my troops will leave this castle unharmed. I will let the residents leave quietly without hurting them. But if I’m not satisfied then this castle and the Beiner Kingdom will completely disappear.

Weed refused to leave without any threats.

He couldn’t take the goods back to his original time so he might as well put them to good use here. If the castle’s blacksmiths didn’t cooperate then the materials from the Fire Salamander King would be wasted.

The blacksmiths looked among each other with worried expressions.

“What does everybody think? The goods are too precious to pa.s.s up.”

“I think so as well. We should make it. The savages are making us so we’re not betraying the Beiner Kingdom.”

“Uhh, this nouris.h.i.+ng feeling with touching this horn and the great mana. I can already taste the satisfaction when working on this with my hands.”

“Well, well! Let’s think carefully and not get too excited. This involves our lives and the fate of the entire castle.”

“Is he really going to get rid of it if we don’t make the items?”

“I heard a rumour when I was growing up. According to the rumours about the savages, our families in Jonas Castle won’t be able to survive.”

“Hrmm.”

The blacksmith with an elderly face full of wrinkles was locked in deep anguish. The dwarven blacksmiths next to him were drinking beer.

“If we don’t make things to the satisfaction of the barbarian then he will kill us.”

“I think so as well. That lousy b.a.s.t.a.r.d has no honour, morality or tolerance.”

“He is worse than an orc.”

The dwarven blacksmiths also poured insults but their eyes were gawking at the Fire Salamander’s horns and leather.

The instinct of a blacksmith. Their eyes could sense the finest materials. It was a strong temptation that they couldn’t resist.

“But in the end, are we really qualified to deal with such precious materials?”

“Morul Hand, you are like a G.o.d!”

“My hands have never touched such materials before…and you know that iron is my specialty.”

“This is a rare opportunity to touch such materials. It is no wonder that he ignored us.”

“Haren Hand, your self-esteem?”

“I am thinking. Haven’t we made a considerable amount of weapons and armour so far? It isn’t impossible to handle such excellent goods.”

“Can we handle it without making any mistakes? If I make even a small scratch on these seamless horns then I will never forgive myself for the rest of my life as a blacksmith.”

“Well, this is our chance to touch the horns and leather.”

Weed left the NPCs blacksmiths who were talking loudly and entered the room filled with the loot.

Gold and loot obtained from the Central Continent was piled up like a mountain! He was happy every time he saw it.

“I can’t take this back to the original world… This quest is too unfair.”

He felt like this was the worst quest after looking at the treasures.

He had already taken care of the blacksmiths. He had no more control over whether they manufactured the sword and armour. Leaving the materials would stimulate their desire as a blacksmith.

A blacksmith’s capabilities would rise when seeing good materials! They talked nonsense but their bodies would itch when looking at the Fire Salamander’s horns.

The blacksmith NPCs and dwarves knew what to do. They couldn’t help feeling greedy. He had no doubts that good work would emerge.

Weed was satisfied with his own judgement and nodded.

“Craftsmans.h.i.+p is important. Autonomy and creativity is important for this.”

They might feel under pressure with a time limit but the results wouldn’t be bad if he left them alone.

??????????????????????????

It was the warring period so little boys were playing with swords.

“Hiyah! I am a Royal Knight of the Beiner Kingdom! You can’t meet His Majesty without pa.s.sing through me first!”

“I am Captain Vincent of the Keltun Kingdom. Charge forward!”

“Huhuhu, I am the villain and tyrant Weed.”

“Heeok!”

“Spare my life.”

His infamy had spread even to the children. As the conquest war continued, Weed and his army became known as barbarian invaders throughout the warring kingdoms.

The 540,000 army of the Beiner and Mapon Kingdom approached Jonas Castle. The number had reduced by 60,000 in order to pursue Hestiger.

“Your Majesty, let’s show those savages the greatness of the Mapon Kingdom.”

“Ohh, I’m concerned since I heard that the barbarians are very strong. But Rohadram is a reliable person that I can believe in. We won’t let anyone leave alive.”

The Mapon Kingdom didn’t have the possibility of winning a war against the desert army. But they joined forces with Sword Master Rohadram of the Beiner Kingdom.

600,000 people was a ma.s.sive army but this was the warring period so it wasn’t made of citizens with swords and armour. They were well trained regulars. They had experienced numbers wars and battles and were familiar with defense and a.s.sault type tactics.

“The place we will handle those savages is Jonas Castle.”

Weed knew that a decisive battle for the continent was going to occur so he decided the location and waited there. He would devastate the enemy around Jonas Castle with tricks!

“I need to fight the Embinyu Church so I can’t waste my sculptures.”

Weed spent some time making sculptures. Time was running out but he produced works using the finest materials. In the past, he had created warm and positive sculptures to sell to other users. But now the pieces were dark and expressed the gloom of the world.

“This should be enough.”

He made mythical races that he could transform into using Sculpture Transformation. It was a work which fit Weed’s apt.i.tude exactly!

Meanwhile, the desert warriors were conducting high intensity training with the soldiers. There would be another battle with the Embinyu Church so he needed to raise their usefulness by even a little bit.

It was mainly training with charging and using their s.h.i.+elds! Anyway, his expectations couldn’t be too high.

“Great Emperor, the enemy is here.”

“Let’s go greet them.”

Weed took out 200,000 troops to meet the Mapon and Beiner Kingdoms. 50,000 troops were left to defend Jonas Castle from leftover forces of the Dagan Kingdom.

Seo-yoon also stayed in the castle protected by desert warriors.

“Guard her well.”

“Yes, Great Emperor.”

The knights trembled with fear.

Weed was a cruel human existence so it was natural for the knights to be scared. They had seen his great skill and heard the frightening stories.

“This treatment isn’t bad. If I commit bad actions then people won’t dare protest.”

19,000 desert warriors, 100,000 undead and 800 vampires created by Torido headed out to the battlefield. The rest of the headcount consisted of slaves.

“Numbers aren’t important in this fight. We will beat them.”

“Yes!”

Compared to the desert warriors who were excited about the upcoming battle, the soldiers were frozen. They were fighting against the elites of the Mapon and Beiner Kingdoms.

“Hihihit, Embinyu will take care of us.”

“Follow Embinyu. Hooray!”

The fanatics of the Embinyu Church worked hard on missionary activities among the slaves. The fanatics that had their areas seized couldn’t accept it.

“I want to go back home.”

“Can I live on this looted gold? This is mine and I won’t give it to anyone else.”

“Fire, like a firebug. Just like my surname, I will make this house burn!”

This was common in the army but Weed didn’t mind. He just intended to get rid of the Embinyu fanatics in battle.

“It is fairly systematic. Magicians, archers and knights. None of them are lacking.”

Weed stood on a hill and observed the armies of the Mapon and Beiner Kingdoms.

The infantry held up their weapons and s.h.i.+elds. 2,000 people in columns carried the flags of the Mapon and Beiner Kingdoms, causing an scene that would normally be difficult to see. The knights wearing gleaming armour rode on horses in the central group.

“It is very desirable. People like that will be more tasty to fight.”

Weed had a greedy appet.i.te.

If he defeated the Mapon and Beiner Kingdoms then he could combine it with the south to form a great empire. The biggest empire since Geiher Von Arpen made the Arpen Empire would be born.

However, the purpose of this quest wasn’t to create an empire but to defeat the Embinyu Church.

“It is really too bad. But this battle will be fun.”

He didn’t rush at the Beiner and Mapon armies camped on the plains. The full-fledged battle at Jonas Castle would be delayed until the next day.

The justification of the desert army was to allow the weak kingdoms of the continent to join together. There were more troops coming from the other territories so it was advantageous to them.

Weed could afford to give them this time. He also needed to train his soldiers for the upcoming battle with the Embinyu Church. That’s why he did a good thing for the enemy.

More than 500,000 troops gathered on the plains by the end of the night.

“It will take quite a bit of time to kill them all. However, it is necessary to achieve a complete victory to prepare for the next battle with the Embinyu Church. Warrior-1, I will leave command of the soldiers to you.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Warrior-2, you are leader of the desert warriors.”

“I will perform this task.”

He installed his sculptural lifeforms in important positions. They had experience with commanding and fighting a war.

The sculptural lifeforms used the camels to strike them strongly. And they also minimized the friendly fire against the slaves. Repeated battles had taught them not to fall into any traps.

The knight had better strength and tactics than regular users. The well trained soldiers put up a valiant a.s.sault against the desert warriors.

“Great Emperor, what are you going to do?”

Warrior-1 who was in charge of the military command had asked Weed this the previous day. Usually it was rare for him to give permission to his subordinates.

“I will fight alone. I can properly exert my skills in this battle.”

Weed hadn’t used all his power since he exterminated the Fire Salamanders in the dungeon.

The 824 Royal Knights he killed just died with a touch! No matter how strong the knights were, they were just treated as neighbourhood kids.

He jumped over walls and smashed the gates during sieges before chopping up the enemies. The Mapon and Beiner allied kingdoms. This crisis was enough for him to appear on the battlefield.

“Now I can relieve me stress!”

??????????????????????????

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The sound of drums resonated through the battlefield.

“Kill all the savages who don’t have manners!”

“Eliminate the n.o.bles. This is a rare opportunity to make them suffer. We can loot after we win. Charge!”

The Mapon and Beiner Kingdoms clashed with the Red Knife army! The hooves of the horses ran through the plains.

Weed was among the recruited soldiers. He wore a gorgeous leather cloak and leather armour instead of his gold mask. He sacrificed defense in order to greatly increase his agility.

“Will we be able to live this time?”

“You’re wrong. Huhuhuk…”

“My father’s enemy is the Beiner Kingdom. I’m going to kill them.”

The slaves spoke in anxious voices.

The sculptural warriors conducted the desert warriors from above on their camels. That was Weed’s original position. The position that could oversee the largest number of people in the battle, the army commanding position.

He used overwhelming strength to lead thousands of soldiers against the enemy and gave them hope of victory. But unlike the other battles, Weed wasn’t watching and was among the combatants.

The knights from the alliance ran out after the desert warrior’s first a.s.sault. They caught each other’s tails on the wide plains.

“We can’t surrender to the invaders!”

“Full force attack!”

The enemy archers, magicians and infantry holding flags marched forward. Weed was slightly in the back and could see the troops confronting each other.

“s.h.i.+eld unit, thrust forward for the sake of His Majesty!”

Elite slaves holding spears stabbed through the s.h.i.+elds of the allies.In this warring period, the level of the soldiers was very high. The slaves were their enemies.

“Please help me! I was brought here with force!”

“We don’t need cowardly b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who would surrender to the barbarians!”

“Kuaaak!”

The alliance soldiers easily got rid of the slaves.

Half of the Red Knife army consisted of Van Hawk’s undead so this was the predetermined fate of a slave. The attacks of the archers and magicians concentrated on the slaves.

But the slaves also had a stubborn side. Soldiers picked up from Noah had survived countless battlefields. In fact, they were the soldiers that grew the fastest in this war.

It was mainly the rookie soldiers that died. They soon collapsed and the enemies approached Weed.

“You….”

The 400 allied soldiers froze. They suddenly felt chills as their imagination saw something terrifying. The entire group stiffened simultaneously!

“It is ludicrous that you are my first opponent. I wanted some stronger people.”

Weed said as he slowly pulled his sword from the scabbard. The result of the Fire Salamander King’s equipment hadn’t emerged from the blacksmiths yet. But it was like herbivores facing the king of the animals so the soldiers were stiff.

-You have equipped the Three Screaming Children Sword.

The soul of three children have fallen into a pit of bitterness and is crying out in pain.

The souls have bent to your mighty power and 100% of the power of the sword has been drawn out.

“Undulating Flame Mark.”

A desert warrior’s strongest skill. It amplified and spread the aura of fire. Weed’s skill exploded towards the bodies of the soldiers with an enormous force.

Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

There was a chain explosion due to the skill. Hundreds of soldiers were killed instantly. Apart from the soldiers of the Beiner Kingdom, the slaves were also damaged.

“Well, it is indeed a spectacular effect!”

Weed didn’t care that much. It was just like throwing a rock onto the wide desert that was his infamy. Professional bank robbers wouldn’t have any problem depriving a child of their candy.

“Sword Awakening, Power of Birth, Summon Another Sword.”

Brilliant light exploded from Weed’s body due to the special effects of the skill! The soldiers of the Beiner Kingdom hastily lifted their s.h.i.+elds.

“I am sorry for you.”

Weed started a monologue as he watched the scared enemy soldiers.

“It is a shame that I needed to properly exert my power. How can I enjoy using all my power to fight you when you won’t resist properly? Not much, just a little bit of fun…. It can’t be helped. Because today’s battle will be broadcasted in the future!”

He would receive a salary and advertising fees from the broadcasting stations.

“Let’s start with the sales.”

Weed ran forward while holding his sword. Every soldier that he pa.s.sed by would die without needing to swing his sword. They were just swept up by a river of fire.

“He is trying to reach His Majesty. Block!”

“Knights gather here!”

He pa.s.sed through the soldiers and the knights of the Beiner Kingdom tried to intercept him.

The king and n.o.bles were still quite far away but the knights still rushed forward to escort them to safety. There needed to be an immediate and rapid evacuation of military commanders during times of war.

Of course, he could still catch 1~2 senior n.o.bles if he wanted to. It was the law of this era that the king would have successors in case of hostages.

Weed’s goal was to thoroughly annihilate the enemies.

“The knights escorting the king has appeared? Let’s have a little taste.”

He turned the sword in his hands.

It was a light sword trick that couldn’t afford to be done on the battlefield. Therefore, it was an act that was rarely seen.

But none of the enemies could get close to Weed.

The average level of the desert warriors was 500~600 so they would just be burned by the hot flames around him. Especially the amateur desert warriors who were only around level 300.

“Now, pull out this knife.”

“Yes.”

“Water is on the left.”

“We will bring cool water.”

They were taught the basics step by step.

400 Royal Knights riding white horses rushed towards him. Their mounts contained great speed and power!

The goal of the knights that were normally called flowers of the battlefield was tragically Weed.

“Shall I try them out? No, I can’t use too much mana at the beginning of the battle.”

Weed waited until the knights came closer. The Beiner Kingdom’s knights separated in three directions and rushed from the sides and the front. They crossed at regular intervals and cut down on him!

“Ring of Fire!”

Weed wielded is sword as he turned his body. Then hot flames were emitted in all directions.

The knights about to a.s.sault him lost their lives to the flames. The deadly skill killed 30~40 knights! The rest of the knights rushed through the flames. And they used all their strength and weight to thrust the spear.

Weed stood in place and moved his sword. It was so fast that it was hard to see with his eyes. It struck the attacking Royal Knights with each movement.

Puhihihihing!

The horses received a huge shock and collapsed.

Weed used basic sword techniques and overwhelming power to block the a.s.sault of the knights. He could even ignore the onslaught of the knights!

His sword surpa.s.sed the reach of the knights’ weapons. He diligently intercepted the sword techniques of the knights. The other Royal Knights were a.s.saulted by Weed’s flames.

Of course, Weed collected all the j.a.ptem they dropped. This instinct was uncontrollable even in the warring period.

“Ohhhh.”

“The king of the barbarians isn’t a human like s.”

“He is the type who would cut the author’s neck before being forced to marry the princess!”

Weed fought using basic swordsmans.h.i.+p. Even so, the sight of a master swordsman wasn’t common. The a.s.sault of the knights was simple swept away.

“I’m not surprised. This is like receiving a roasted bun as a bonus after ordering sweet and sour pork.”

“Kill that arrogant person!”

Someone from among the senior n.o.bles ordered. A flood of magic and arrows rained down on Weed.

A warrior fighting alone on the battlefield without any allies!

-Absolute Defense has minimized the continuous damage.

A colossal number of attacks were concentrated on Weed but he didn’t receive much damage. The magic was cancelled or the arrows fell nearby. In addition, there was also the great sight of arrows flying through the air being destroyed by fire.

This was the spectacular protection effect of Undulating Flame Mark!

His health reduced by 2000~3000 but there was still a lot remaining until he would die. His high health was due to the blessing of the earth G.o.ddess Mi-ne, who gave him the quality of an ogre. Common soldiers and magicians couldn’t possible kill him!

Right now he even had the ability to make Bardray cry.

“Let’s make this more fun. Black Knight’s Strike!”

Weed plunged through the cracks of the army.

“One, two, three, four….ten!”

Kwaaang!

A wide area skill cause successful continuous attacks! The ground was disturbed. And soldiers of the Beiner Kingdom were lying everywhere. There was death in every direction.

Weed switched between attack and defense, especially in regards to the arrows and magic being fired at him. He combined the most efficient skills for offense and defense.

Now defense wasn’t necessary but if he didn’t block some attacks, mana would be consumed at a rapid pace. Some knights would’ve died before even completing their attacks.

“I could comfortably hunt Bardray. Especially if my offensive, defensive and wide area skills can be used.”

Weed muttered as he ran around the battlefield. He didn’t worry about the location of his allies, the desert warriors and the undead army. Instead, he just focused on getting rid of the enemies.

Suddenly, he saw 100 magicians wearing white robes and chanting a spell.

“Those guys are the Wisdom of Thunder.”

It was the magic unit of the Beiner Kingdom!

They had quite a bit of history and didn’t partic.i.p.ate in border disputes. Their levels were 300~400!

When considering the profession, the power of the magician unit exceeded it. There was a fierce compet.i.tion for survival in this era so the professions like merchant, artist, architect etc. had low levels while knights and magicians had high levels.

“I need to get my hands on them before others get hurt.”

The Red Knife desert unit was one of Weed’s most powerful subordinates. A common goal of the knights, archers and magicians was to target them. He needed to catch the magician unit before they swept away the desert warriors.

Weed was 1 kilometre away from them so he was quite far away. The magician unit was on a hill overlooking the battlefield in order to see the enemies to cast the magic spell.

Once they cast their magic, the wind, lightning etc. would fall upon the slaves and desert warriors. All types of things were happening in the skies above the battlefield.

“End of the Day!”

A tsunami of flames destroyed the spear unit in front of him!

Weed ran towards the magician unit. He used mana much faster than before. He broke through the barrier of soldiers and hors.e.m.e.n.

“He is aiming at us. That swordsman doesn’t feel fear.”

“Block him.”

“Aim magic attacks at him. Circular Lightning!”

“Flow of water, emerge as a mighty stream.”

The magicians cast a long spell.

Weed surpa.s.sed the magic with his body. He broke through hundreds of metres of magic attacks.

-Magic has continuously hit you.

Your skin is healthy like a dragon and damage has been reduced.

Current health remaining is 69%.

The tremendous health of a boss cla.s.s monster had caused Weed and his colleagues great pain in the past. But now his resilience was at the level of a boss cla.s.s monster so Weed didn’t need to worry.

The places where Weed pa.s.sed were burned by flames. His footprints caused a deep imprint.

“I really am like a playing child!”

Playing with fire! The audience ratings of the children would surely rise in this scene.

He slaughtered through the spearmen, infantry and magic attacks. Even the fearless knights retreated.

He used the Black Knight’s Strike to tirelessly get rid of black magic and strong enemies.

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