Chapter 93: Orc Annihilation (1)

The sound of hooves striking the ground echoed incessantly in his ears. The wind brushed against his face and the hem of his cloak.

The orcs, who had been far away, were now much closer. Demian shouted to the knights.

“Don’t leave a single one alive!”

- Yes!

In response to Demian’s command, all the knights answered with a resounding voice.

“Waaaaa! Let’s go! Let’s kill them all!”

Except for one, Veronica Sanchez, who was already extremely excited even before she swung her sword.

“Rude….”

Mihail glared at Veronica Sanchez with a displeased look.

Meanwhile, Demian, who was at the forefront, reached the group of orcs. Demian immediately swung his holy sword.

The holy sword flashed several times, grazing the necks of the orcs. Necks as thick as tree trunks were severed in one go.

- Gueek!

- Gweeek!

With each swing of Demian’s sword, the orcs’ breaths were cut off. Demian carved a path through the orcs, massacring them.

“Don’t fall behind! Help Sir Demian!”

“Kya-ha! Their flesh is so thick, it’s satisfying to cut!”

Mihail Ryanbloom and Veronica Sanchez closely followed Demian, coordinating their efforts.

“Follow Sir Demian!”

“Bring down the hammer on these savage monsters!”

The knights followed, finishing off the remaining orcs. The group of orcs began to split apart.

- Uuuuu!

- Woooo!

The orcs, who had only just realized something was wrong, were too late. Demian and the knights had already broken through the group and emerged on the other side.

Demian pulled the reins, turning his horse. The knights did the same.

Demian and the knights charged back at the orcs. The orcs, seeing the charging enemies, let out cries.

- Woooo!

- Uuuuu!

After the first charge, the orcs’ formation was completely shattered, but their momentum did not wane. In fact, it seemed to grow even stronger.

‘They are well-organized. The leader must be quite strong.’

Orcs have a characteristic where their combat power changes depending on their leader.

Not only does their fighting spirit increase, but their physical abilities also improve.

Mages say that this is due to the activation of mana within their bodies, influenced by their leader.

“Breaking through!”

That didn’t change anything. Demian charged back at the group of orcs.

- Uuuuu!

- Woooo!

The orcs blocked Demian’s path, their resolve to not be broken evident.

But it was in vain. When Demian swung his holy sword, the orcs were cut down without any resistance.

“Haaaa!”

“Kya-ha! Die! Dieee!”

Mihail Ryanbloom and Veronica Sanchez also did their part.

In the face of mid-class auras, the orcs were helpless.

The second breakthrough was much easier than the first. Demian and the knights broke through the group of orcs and emerged on the other side.

After being penetrated twice, the group of orcs was almost completely disintegrated. Demian realized it was time to finish them off.

“Scatter! Completely annihilate the orcs….”

A sound cutting through the air was heard. It grew louder in an instant.

Demian raised his holy sword to block the front of his face. Immediately after, a hand axe struck the holy sword.

A heavy impact traveled through the holy sword. Despite the increase in strength from Alekto’s royal jelly, Demian’s arm trembled.

Demian looked in the direction the axe had come from. Far away, an unusually large orc was glaring at him.

“Look at this.”

Demian looked at the orc with an amused expression. More specifically, he was looking at the greatsword the orc held.

The surface of the greatsword was continuously shimmering with a red mist.

“To see an Orc Warrior here.”

Orc Warrior.

There was a reason why the title of Warrior was given to an orc who was already a natural warrior.

An Orc Warrior referred to an orc who had awakened to aura.

The combination of an orc’s strong body and fighting spirit with aura made them incredibly dangerous, to the point where their threat level was hard to measure.

“Yeah, if it’s the Aberration School, they should be able to do this much.”

A black mage from the Aberration School, which Demian belonged to, could easily create an Orc Warrior.

“Mihail!”

“Yes! What is it?”

“From now on, you will command the knights.”

“Huh? So suddenly?”

Demian, looking at the Orc Warrior, said:

“I have something to deal with.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Demian charged at the Orc Warrior.

- Grrooar!

The Orc Warrior also charged at Demian. With each step, the distance closed rapidly.

‘If I take it head-on, my horse will die.’

The horse Demian was riding was just a regular warhorse, not a magical creature like a unicorn.

If it took the impact of the Orc Warrior’s strength, it would be severely injured.

Demian kicked the horse’s back and leaped. He swung his sword at the charging Orc Warrior.

The Orc Warrior quickly raised his greatsword to block Demian’s sword. With a loud noise, the Orc Warrior’s body was pushed back.

- Grrooar!

As soon as he was pushed back, the Orc Warrior charged again, wildly swinging his greatsword at Demian.

The sword technique itself was extremely crude. However, the orc’s innate instincts and wild nature made the sword technique incredibly sharp and threatening.

Demian blocked all of the Orc Warrior’s attacks, gauging his level in the process.

“He’s at a low-class level, but easy to defeat.”

However, he was not at a mid-class level. Of course, even this level of skill was sufficiently threatening.

- Grrooar!

The Orc Warrior’s face showed irritation. No matter how hard he pressed, Demian blocked everything, causing his anger to rise.

- Kwoooar!

The Orc Warrior let out a roar. His eyes were filled with bloodlust.

His muscles swelled, and the aura on his greatsword grew even thicker.

- Woooo!

The Orc Warrior swung his greatsword at Demian, clearly intending to kill with one strike.

Demian raised the blade of his holy sword to block the greatsword. The holy sword and the greatsword clashed in the air.

At that moment, the direction of the greatsword suddenly changed. The vertical trajectory suddenly veered to the left.

As a result, the Orc Warrior lost his grip on the greatsword.

- …Grroo?

Even the Orc Warrior, known for his savagery, was taken aback by the situation.

Demian did not wait for the Orc Warrior to regain his senses. Seizing the moment, he swung his holy sword and beheaded the Orc Warrior.

The Orc Warrior’s head fell to the ground. Even in his last moment, his face was filled with confusion.

After confirming the death of the Orc Warrior, Demian surveyed the battlefield.

“Don’t let your guard down until they completely lose their fighting spirit!”

Mihail was leading the knights and performing the battle excellently, cutting down the orcs with his own sword.

“Kya-ha! Die! All of you!”

On the other hand, Veronica Sanchez was fighting the orcs in her own way.

However, due to her exceptional skills, the orcs were being cut down helplessly.

“It should be over in ten minutes.”

Demian’s prediction was wrong.

The battle ended in less than five minutes.

The humans had won.

* * *

After the battle with the orcs, Lord Walnut came out of the castle gates to greet Demian and his party.

“Your Highness Oliver! I don’t know how to thank you!”

Lord Walnut was almost prostrate. It was a natural reaction, given that the situation had been reversed just before the castle was about to fall.

“To arrive just before the castle was about to fall! It was as if the angels sent by God to save us had appeared!”

Lord Walnut praised Oliver Apple until his mouth was dry.

“I have never seen such brave knights in my life! To crush a group of orcs with such a small number!”

Lord Walnut praised not only Oliver Apple but also the knights.

“Especially when I saw him behead the Orc Warrior with one stroke, I couldn’t believe my eyes! If it’s not too much trouble, I would like to know his name!”

Lord Walnut looked at Demian and asked.

“My name is Demian Haksen.”

“Demian Haksen… Could it be the same person who helped the church eliminate the corpse play…?”

Demian nodded. Lord Walnut’s mouth opened wide, almost as if his jaw would drop.

“Indeed… As expected… The rumors were not exaggerated! You are truly remarkable!”

Lord Walnut pointed to the castle gates and said:

“Please come inside! I will prepare a banquet for Your Highness and the knights today!”

The mention of a banquet brightened Oliver Apple’s face.

But he soon shook his head seriously.

“I appreciate the offer, but there might still be a group of orcs left. It’s too early to hold a banquet.”

Demian, standing behind Oliver Apple, could only admire his response.

It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had gone wild over alcohol and meat not long ago.

“Your Highness is right. Indeed, wise and perceptive….”

“More importantly, please tell me about the group of orcs. When did they appear? What is their size? The more detailed, the better.”

“Ah, I understand. According to the scouts….”

While the two were talking, Demian called Mihail over and said:

“Mihail, remember the items I told you to distribute to the knights?”

“Ah, the antidotes?”

“Yes, distribute them to everyone right now.”

“I understand. But is it really necessary?”

Mihail Ryanbloom asked, looking puzzled.

Orcs do use poison, but it’s not particularly threatening.

Most people worry about how to block the orcs’ axes, not about preparing for poison.

“It’s better to be prepared.”

Demian brushed it off. But deep down, he was certain.

‘They will definitely spread poison tonight.’

There was a black mage from the Venoms School here, along with the Aberration School.

During his time as a Death Knight, Demian had observed the behavior of the Venoms School’s black mages many times.

The Venoms School was a school with weak direct combat power. Therefore, they often used underhanded tactics to pressure their enemies in unexpected situations.

“Also, don’t forget to have the knights patrol the area. If any orc shows any suspicious movement, track and kill them.”

* * *

“What? Why are you already here?”

A bald woman, looking at Walnut Castle from a distance, said in disbelief.

“Even if they travel from Apple Castle, it should take at least a week, right?”

“It should take longer….”

A woman with a gaunt face, due to being too thin, said. Her voice was very weak and hoarse, like that of a sick person.

“Damn! I was planning to isolate Walnut before the extermination team arrived… Now the plan is off from the start!”

The bald woman, Noktis, vented her frustration by punching the air.

“Damn, I can’t stand it. I’ll call all the kids! I’ll bring them all and destroy those things!”

“Noktis, calm down. You just saw, they are not ordinary.”

Noktis, the bald woman, said with a frustrated look.

“Marina! But they’ve ruined our plan! If this continues, we’ll get scolded by Leonne!”

“No need to worry. Leonne sent me to prepare for such mishaps.”

Marina put down the backpack she was carrying on her shoulder. When she opened it, suspicious vials were revealed.

“I made a lot of poison with the materials Leonne gave me. Using this, they won’t stand a chance.”

Noktis, looking at the vials with curiosity, reached out to touch them.

“If you touch them incorrectly, your hand will rot.”

At that, Noktis quickly pulled her hand back.

“Noktis, prepare the orcs.”

“What for?”

Marina