Chapter 380 Ogre Skull Orc Corps

Before heading back, I use

to land atop the gates roof. The outlook is great hereallowing me to observe a part of the Sea of Trees.

Once I s.h.i.+ft my eyes below, I can spot Catiza and the Burning Knights, including the children who are clad in bluish-white bone armors, who are moving up the narrow up.

At that point, I notice the squad of ancient wolfmen led by Higlia and Daon come up the slope. It looks like theyve finished the patrol of Cydales vicinity. I guess theyre going to join up with Catizas group.

With a slight delay, Ryokline also shows up. Deer heads are stabbed on her hands sword-shaped, extended claws, and her body had been basked in blood spurts all over. Shes wearing an outfit where a part of her claws are sticking to her slender body, huh?

Looks great.

Ryokline was in the process of reporting to Higlia after drawing close to her, but in the middle of it she got surprised when seeing the children in their extra bone armor created by Catiza.

Well, it only makes sense for her to be surprised.

Catiza receives a sweet from Arry. Is it one of those theyve made during their cooking cla.s.s? Going by its appearance, it looks kinda suspicious with its black l.u.s.ter. Its got a crooked shape, but barely manages to look like a donut. To be blunt here, it seems unappetizing.

But, Catiza seems like someone whod love dagas.h.i.+ya. 1 She accepts the sweet, which has probably been made by Arry herself, while depicting a heart symbol with her silver hair. Then she thrust it into the air while yelling, Ta-dah!, and looking extremely happy. After further blowing golden dust out of her nose, she energetically tosses the sweet into her mouth and begins to chew on it.

While moving her mouth, Catiza points at the gates roof where Im currently standing. Immediately followed by her waving a hand at me. I should better wave back.

That sweet isI have heard that Gramps Tons cooking is great, but it looks like the same cannot be said about Arry

Seems so

While eating the sweet, Catiza nods several times with a serious expression at Higlia and talks with her about something.

It appears the Burning Knights havent gotten any sweets. Looking disappointedthey make their puff-puff smoke deflate.

At that point, Catiza gives out some instruction. It seems Chief Gatekeeper Catiza is going to act together with the ancient wolfmen. After telling the Burning Knights something, the group quickly descends the slope.

Id like them to take care of the narrow path, but theyre apparently heading for the Sea of Trees. Their movements make them look like a trained army corps. Or rather, theyre army forces, arent they? An allied force of Cydale and the wolfmen.

The leader is like that. Are they really okay with Catiza commanding them?

Hehehethis is the cornerstone of the Holy Lucival Empire

Oh, s.h.i.+t.

Helmes motivation switch was apparently triggered. Well, I made her experience some loneliness, so if it makes her happy, I guess alls fine.

While blowing out the smoke of my magic cigarette, I s.h.i.+ft my eyes to Kisara and Rotalz who are duking it out up in the sky. The situation up there is completely contrary to the relaxed mood down here. It doesnt feel like you could call it an excessively violent mock battle, though

I can sense a darkness stronger than that of darkness spirits from Rotalz

Im with you on that. It doesnt feel like its a simple darkness attribute. Hes using beams

A Mega Particle Diffuzon Cannon was mentioned, but

A Mega Particle Diffusion Cannon, huh?

Its a cannon that compresses the mana that interacts between particles called electrons and positrons

I dont understand. But it kind of sounds like cramming many spirits together in a tight place and making them explode in one go

That might not be far off from the truth.

Id say its something like that

I smoke my cigarette while laughing. As Im observing the battle while having such silly telepathic talks with Helme, Shuuya-sama! Are you going to join the air mock battle?

No, Im fine down here. I was thinking about contacting my bloodkin with blood messages.

Kisara has apparently her attention distracted by me during the mock battle.

Kyaaa!

And as result of that, shes blown away after taking a direct hit from Rotalzs sperm-whale-like forehead. Its a mighty blow that puts any shoulder tackle to shame.

Kisara spouts blood from her whole body while being whirled away. Her hand lets go of the witch spear, but the spear doesnt lose any of its inertia. After creating small wings with its filaments, it chases after Kisara. The unique knuckle-guard-like part has disappeared. Its returned to the same transparent handle that makes you wonder whether you can actually grab it as the one when I encountered it first.

I had thought that Id like to grab it myself, seeing how its a spear, so that might be fine as well.

Kisara looking away mid-battle? Mephalla-sama would weep if she saw that, you know? A kin connected to the name

Expert Skull Martial Artist swoons at the sight of a guy? Rotalz sneers.

As I thought, its no wonder that Kisara seems to be special. Still, to blow her away without any hesitation as her familiar

Rotalz, do you have such training sessions with Kisara on a daily basis?

Haha, something of this level is playing around. Kisaras lord, are you worried about her body?

No, not at all. Rather, I might be worried about you. I have a hunch that soon your forehead will be drilled out again.

Once I answer him, Rotalz exhibits his unrest by jolting his forehead.

Youre worried about me, you say? d.a.m.n it, youre way too nice! Rotalz yells with his eyes wide open, and then heads off towards the west, following Kisaras flight path, but not before farting once.

Your Excellency, I have understood why Rollo-sama has taken a liking to him

His b.u.t.t, huh?

Its quite the intense b.u.t.t! I can fully understand Rollo-samas desire to spank his b.u.t.t

I dont know what she wants to spank him for. But Im sure its going to be based on some deep spirit b.u.t.t standard.

Meanwhile, Kisara has apparently released the power of the grimoire at her waist while rotating mid-flight. Paper pieces fly out from the grimoire in succession after it automatically flipped its pages. Those sc.r.a.ps of paper take on origami-like shapes, and then bunch up to adopt humanoid shapes.

The small origami humanoids revolve around Kisara while dancing, kinda like confetti. Are they healing her wounds? Is that healing magic? Or maybe a defense field? Or maybe both?

The blue eyes peeking out from behind her black mask are stabbing.

While their protective net flutters in the windKisara uses her slender hand to grab the witch spear which has returned to her through that protective net as if ignoring its existence altogether.

Immediately following, Kisara unleashes a

-based spear technique at Rotalz. Spear and whale clash. Both sides keep their combat distance, but the humanoid origami stick themselves to a part of Rotalz, and immediately explode, blasting him away.

Kisarahas manifold spells at her disposal.

Rotalz twists his body and breathes in as if to suck in the surrounding clouds. Hes quite tough, which makes him a good training partner.

I had planned to go back to my house and contact Mysty through my blood messages, butI abandoned that idea. I got influenced by their battle, so Ill do some training as well.

Holding up a hand, I use

, resulting in me sensing something like a Buddha opening his eyes on my palm. In the next instant, Holy Sword Saraten flies out of my palm.

Now thentime to focus.

I extinguish the magic cigarette, and stuff it into my pocket. Using my free hands, I put the index and middle finger of my right hand together while pressing several fingers of my left hand against my right elbow. And then I manipulate Saraten to draw a small arc in the air with the two fingers of my right hand.

If its my current state of having both elbows bentit might resemble the Magic Twin Palm Blade I was taught by Kisara. I close my eyes with those thoughts in mind, and fully concentrate on operating Saraten.

As Im manipulating the sword through my sensesit keeps flying through the air at a terrifying speed.

At that point, I draw a tense, horizontal line with my two fingers in mid-air, and stop moving them. Saraten rotates rapidly so as to match my finger movements. Having turned over, Saraten plunges onwards as if to tear through the big cloud in front of it, and vanishes to the left, apparently defying my will.

Dont tell me, its planning to run away? You d.a.m.n restive sword!

I dash through the sky in order to recover my hold sword, leaving Cydale behind.

Ah, there it is.

In the end, Saraten had flown quite far away from the village I put it away into my palm. Just as Im finished with that, I sense responses from the forest below

Your Excellency, it seems the orcs and forces of the Tree King of Wonders are fighting

It might be the battle Kisara reported to have seen from far away

An orc with a ogre skull mask, whos standing by himself in the rear, blows into a bone flute. Various monsters with varying numbers of deer heads are facing off against the ogre skull masked orc corps. But rather than a battle, the orcs are on the verge of annihilation.

The deer monsters have surrounded the remaining orcs. I can also see a large orc swordsman who seems to fight in order to protect the other orc soldiers. Him wearing a traditional j.a.panese conical hat on his back is kinda cla.s.sy. As he stands in front, he skillfully wields his conspicuously long, silver longsword.

Hes having a hard time against two-headed deer monsters with countless, flabby tentacles growing out their upper bodies. Just now hes pulled off a splendid, diagonal slash, dividing a deer head alongside the torso, before kicking away half of the cut deer monsters body.

Just like that, he uses the returning swing of his sword to sever the tentacles approaching from his left, and immediately brandishes the sword horizontally. A mana blade is released from his sword.

Leaving behind a crimson trail in its wake, the mana blade servers the torsos of deer monsters with squishy sounds. Hes slaughtered two monsters at the same time by bisecting them, huh?

I suppose this must be the irregular swordsman the Burning Knights had mentioned. The quality of his sword movements is high. The hat on his back is endowed with mana, and he seems to be strong.

Afterwards, the remaining orc soldiers took up a crane wing positioning centered around the swordsman. Upon the flute signal from the leader-like orc in the rear, the orc soldiers advanced in step with their spears held at the ready on either side of the swordsman. The normal orc soldiers appeared to use spears with rammer-like spearheads as their main weapons.

As soon as they confronted the Tree Kings monsters as if pus.h.i.+ng their enemies away with those long-handled weapons, it seemed as though the situation was changing for the better, but that lasted but a moment. Even the efforts of the large swordsman were in vain

The orcs got stabbed with the tentacles pointed ends or horn blades by humanoid deer monsters, were bitten apart by beast-type deer monsters, or got crushed to death underneath the deer legs of huge deer monsters. The orc with the flute had led the deer monsters astray with his magnificent timing for the attack, but in the end, the orcs were heavily outnumbered.

Although this is an area overgrown with a dense cover of trees, ideal for guerilla warfare, Lanchesters rule cant be overturned so easily.

That grim, armored orc swordsman is not bad with his mana blade

Yeah, the orc soldiers also use weird spear techniques. In addition, they got that leader who uses magic with his bone flute. Hes found a means to survive by throwing the enemy movements into chaos with his flute and tactics, but

Yes. It may be possible for you, Your Excellency, but it will be harsh for them. Viine has often said, Overcoming a difference in number with quality is difficult, when she taught me about tektix while holding The Art of War of Unicorn, Phoenix, Turtle, and Dragon thats written in ancient dwarvish in one hand, so I can tell. Ah, another orc soldier has fallen. Only three are left now

The orc soldiers kept dying while we were talking telepathically.

At this rate, annihilation is only a matter of time, isnt it?

Yes. The leader and the orc swordsman are both strong, but even they

For us its a beneficial situation. Both sides are targets for annihilation, butshould I deliberately join the battle on the side of the orcs?

Oh, I see! You will first make the orcs indebted to you by saving them without eradicating both sides, and then you will sound out the reason why they attacked Quiches village, right?

Right. They might also know something about the semi-transparent orc

Ah, the orc with the special hearts inside his body! He was an opponent well-suited for me

Because I caught the semi-transparent orcs tentacles inside

back then

Also, the now remaining two orc soldiers largely differ in appearance with the orc army that attacked Quiches village. The orc with the glittering flute is wearing expensive-looking clothes, and he might not know about the semi-transparent orc. Well, thats only after I save those orcs, but I guess Ill give negotiations a try. Though it might immediately turn into a battle if I talk to them

Its unlikely that Quiche would forgive a dialogue with the orcs, butwell, the powers in the Sea of Trees are interconnected in various ways. Im sure she wont mind even if I scheme a bit myself.

HeheheI am certain they will immediately bend their knees if they witness your might, Your Excellency!

You sound like you want to fight together with me? Well hold back on

though

Your Excellencythank you very much

It looks like I was right.

Dont mind it. Come out. Lets go with a sudden raid like during the time in the demonic haunt

That is a wonderful idea! A tektical surprise attack! Well, I shall circle into the rear of the deer monsters, and throw them into confusion by getting ahead of them

For Helme to grow in such a way thanks to Viines hobby of collecting booksit seems like they had study meetings after deciding on their Lucival Empire while we were in Pelneet.

Roger

Upon my telepathic signal, Helme rushes out of my left eye. In her liquid form, Helme crawls across the battlefield like a slime. At a decent speed like a certain, silver slime. Damage might not work against her unless you use needles.

Helme heads behind the deer monsters. Its the start of a pincer attack.

The instant I thought so, Helme grandly makes her entry in the rear of the battlefield while tearing trees apart. Once she ensnares the deer monsters with her

, she releases a black mist towards the ground. Faintly glowing, circular magic crests surface within that mist.

Sharp darkness stakes simultaneously appear from inside the crests. Its such a big swarm of darkness stakes that it reminds me of

. The swarm penetrates the lower body of a deer monster that has stopped moving. I can totally feel Helmes fighting spirit from the number and quality of her stakes.

I summon Baldok into my right hand.

Alright, Im going to go all out as well!

Nuoooooh

With a loud battle cry, I jump across the heads of the orcs and many deer monsters, and then slam down Baldok from an overhead position. At the same time, I fire Frozen Snake Arrows to the left and right.

The area right in front of me is occupied by a three-headed deer monster. I strike the top of its shoulder with my ax blade. I put strength into the blade, which immediately penetrates into the monsters chest, through the handle. Pus.h.i.+ng Baldoks blade diagonally downwards, I bisect the large deer monster.

Then I feel a hard feedback from the handle as the ax blade clashes against the ground with a thud.

Gyaaaa.

Im a.s.sailed by the monsters scream and its blood. Meanwhile, the ax blade cleaves open a part of the hill alongside its slope. I erase Baldok.

Powerfully kicking off the torn ground, I charge. First I shoot my

from the left, hitting a deer head with it. As the brain matter whirls through the air, the Sanskrit characters on the

glow up. The same chain continues to punch through the belly of a deer monster behind the first one.

Im far from done yet!

At once, I make Baldok reappear in my right hand. Then I shoot a restraining Frozen Bullet at a deer monster diagonally to the left. Moreover, I brandish Baldok.

As the ax blade draws a horizontal semi circle, it bisects the torso of a flabby monster that has approached me from the right. As soon as the monster screams in agony while its torso halves misaligned, its upper body slides off, falling backwards. Flames shoot up from the cut section of the remaining lower body half. A disgusting iron stench of burned meat wafts my way. The blazing lower body half stinks, so I send it flying with a kick.

Using the recoil of the kick, I rotate my body like a spintop, and jump up high in the air after utilizing the rotational power to kick off the ground with the toes of one foot.

My visual field changes, allowing me a peek at a sun-flooded Sea of Trees scenery. Confirming the small battlefield, I see a cloud of dust rising at the spot where Ive been fighting. I guess Ill observe the situation for a bit.

And then, after a short while, I stab my Frozen Snake Arrows into the torsos of the monsters which are running away from Helmes stake attacks. An ice spear is embedded in the belly of the deer monster I had restrained with a freeze bullet. Its one of Helmes ice spears.

Ice spears pierce its vital spots at the belly, head, and chest one after the other. Lastly, one spear accurately penetrates its b.u.t.t.

How typical of Helme.

Afterwards, Helme uses the strings extending from the flower bulbs on her fingers, and moves around the low sky as if dancing while blocking the enemys movements. She blocks the visual field of enemies, who get close to her, with a water curtain, and mows them down or stabs them with her ice swords. She deals with the enemies at mid-range, whore keeping a bit of a distance, by firing ice pebbles. At close range, she releases an ink-black darkness mist, sealing their visibility by covering their crooked deer heads with the mist in accordance to their heads sizes.

And then, once she makes the strings of her

gleam even stronger by apparently pouring more mana into the skill, she manipulates those vividly s.h.i.+ning strings to twine themselves around the necks of the monsters who had their sight robbed by the mist.

Helme gets ready by grabbing the strings with her hands and twining them around her elbows. She grins like Benten-sama (G.o.ddess of Arts and Wisdom).

No sooner than I suspected that she might draw the deer to herself by reeling in the strings, Helme tugs on them, and in the next instant, all the monsters lose their heads.

Wow. So her strings are capable of something like that as well, eh?

Shes fighting while freely using various ice and darkness spells as well as her new skill.

In the brief time Ive been admiring her beautiful fighting style, shes been surrounded even further. At that moment, Helme transforms herself into a liquid and invades a deer monster through its mouth as a counter-attack after evading its physical attack. The deer monsters head was already crooked, but now it becomes even more distorted.

Far from just showing an expression full of anguish, it screams madly with some strange squeals, just to have its head explode in the next moment.

Helme, whose liquid is blended with blood, appears within a shower of blood and brain matter. And then she fires a series of ice spears in a state of being human-shaped but still liquid at the same time. Many of those spears stab into the headless deer monster as it continues to crumble to the ground like a broken doll.

After Helme finishes her transformation into her humanoid shape, she shouts, Ahahahahahaha! A deer, and yet such a rich blood! Ive gladly taken it for His Excellency!

At the same time, she diagonally slashes a nearby deer monster with her ice sword, and then she pulls off a weird but posyea, okay, I havent seen anything. However, small water droplets scatter from the tips of her eyelashes.

Very pretty.

Just like that, she keeps steadily slaughtering the deer monsters who are surrounding the orcs. I guess Ill stop watching from the air, and join the battle again.

I erase Baldok from my right hand. I put my free right hand on my left wrist as I recall how I shot

at the dog with the torn mouth back at the beginning in the underground world. I focus on

. Regarding my left palm as a scope, I hold it up as if targeting.

Im counting on you, Hougu Saraten!

The instant I feel the inside of my left hand open up, I scream, Gooooooo!

Saraten rushes out. It pierces through the bare teeth of a deer monster, penetrating the deer Huang Gai altogether just like that.

At that moment

Bleh! Youre makInG me drink such inFEriOr blood!? Dont f.u.c.k with me!

I hear a voice.

Dont tell me its coming from the sword?

Did you bite your tongue!? Even though you approved of me as sacred treasure!!

It looks like Helme cant hear it. The same applies to the orc swordsman and the leader orc who are still alive.