Chapter 92: Holy Knight Jerea (3)
Leon challenged the orcs to a duel for two main reasons.
The first is to get to the bottom of this historical mystery.
Why did Jerea die here, and why did the holy relic never reach the kingdom?
Who intervened in this history? What is the real story?
If the orcs responded, he could see what their hand was, and if they didn’t, it didn’t matter.
It would mean that their leader was cunning enough to see beyond the immediate struggle.
“There is also the aspect of buying time. If their main force is tied up here, it will make life much easier for those escorting the relics.”
Of course, in the original story, Jerea had succeeded in tying up the Orc main force quite a bit.
The distance between the Baltaric Legion and Jerea would have been considerable, and the main legion would have been far behind.
“Nevertheless, the convoy failed to deliver the holy relic.”
“Then… isn’t that a big deal? Doesn’t it mean that even if we stop the orcs here, we’ll fail in the end?”
Jae-hyuk and Soo-ho had heard from Leon that the convoy had failed.
The holy relics were supposed to be the maximum reward from this gate, but if they failed, wouldn’t the gate capture also fail?
“I wonder about that too.”
Jerea had done enough for the convoy.
Even if he a superhuman like a Holy Knight himself, he still had an alter ego attached to the Holy Relics that could die and relive the past.
A seasoned knight who had traveled the world to become a Holy Knight should have been able to outrun the orcs.
‘But he did not reach the borders of Lionheart.’
Something else had intervened.
After listening to Leon’s story and pondering, Soo-ho cautiously raised his hand.
“Your Majesty… Then shouldn’t we go to support the convoy instead of staying here?”
After all, protecting this place is only a ‘side mission’. The main quest is the Holy Relic Convoy.
The main base here will eventually be defeated without Leon, but everyone here are just NPC’s recreated from history.
“Practically speaking, it’s the right thing to do. After all, this is about paying off this king’s personal debt.”
Leon felt a sense of debt to Jerea, who had ascended during the mission he’d been sent on, but also to all those who had been with him.
Most of them had been admitted to Paradise of the Gods, and none of them blamed him… but he wanted to keep them alive, if only in this false history.
Of course, he didn’t abandon the quest out of a sense of debt alone.
“There is Lord Spinner and Queen Beatrice. I’m sure they can handle things in this king absence.”
“I see…I see.”
Both Beatrice and Yappy are superhumans who have attained the rank of Holy Knight.
Of course, Yappy hasn’t been able to recover his body, which was the nightmare of the Earth hunters, but there is also Beatrice.
The magician queen of the Kingdom of Spero, her strength is such that even S-class Hunters don’t stand a chance against her.
“And…maybe if we can get that guy to come along, we’ll be fine.”
“The man?”
When Soo-ho tilted his head, Leon closed his eyes as if reminiscing about old memories.
“At this time in the past…his knights were standing by to greet the convoy, though it was thwarted by Imperial opposition.”
Leon Dragonia Lionheart, the 15th Lionheart King.
The Grail Keeper, the most powerful of all time, there were certainly superhumans of the Glory Generation.
Saint Anak.
Gunnar the Sage.
Anton the Guardian.
Each and every one of them shook the continent to its core and if Leon had to pick a favorite, he’d pick the man.
Before the Great War, when Leon was still a young Grail Guardian… there was only one knight who could surpass him.
“I miss you, comrade. And…….”
Grail Knight Georgic, a Grail Knight not found anywhere in the Paradise of the Gods.
The flame.
The Butcher.
The mightiest holy sword.
If he is lucky, someone in the Ten Thousand Gods Guild will face him.
* * * *
A rugged valley in the wilderness that stretches across the North and the Empire.
Tens of thousands of green waves have marched through it, right up to the noses of the kingdom’s armies.
Only to be met by hundreds of Kingdom troops who stand like rocks at the narrow entrance.
Despite the overwhelming power differential, which common sense tells us should never be able to hold, they’ve been blocking the army’s advance for over four days.
This is due to the overwhelming experience and skill of the Kingdom army… and the presence of the Holy Knights.
The orcs, tired of the constant guerrilla warfare of the Holy Knights with their boundless vitality, accepted their request for a duel, and the fighters of both armies gathered in the center of the field.
“Is this a good… sword, if I don’t get it right, they’ll come right at me?”
Jae-hyuk groaned at the sight of the green wave in front of him.
So far, they had managed to hold out in the narrow canyon, but the number of orcs in the main army was truly unbelievable.
It was unbelievable how they had managed to hold out against such a large army.
No, in reality, the orcs couldn’t use their power properly.
With such a narrow canyon, there are only so many troops that can be projected. Orcs may be simple, but they’re not stupid enough to not know the basics of military strategy.
They are not foolish enough to push their troops into a canyon full of knights.
“We’ve come this far… I’m sure we’ll get through if we push hard enough…….”
But in the face of tens of thousands of troops, the kingdom’s army, which is only a few hundred strong, looks like leaves to be swept away by a storm.
Jerea patted Jae-hyuk on the shoulder and reassured him.
“They may be lowly beasts, but they have a code that must be followed.”
Helkan, God of Struggle, Lord of the Orcs.
While Helkan revels in the blood-washing slaughter of the masses, he also revels in the one-on-one combat of a duel.
“Orcs never touch the winner of a life-and-death duel. It is one of the few virtues of their tradition.”
It was one of the few qualities that the Knights of the Lionheart held in high esteem, as the orcs were savage and favored bloodshed.
Leon does not deny Jerea’s words. After all, he’s dueled with orc fighters himself.
“Let’s get going.”
“I’ll lead the way.”
The four of them set off from the main camp of the kingdom’s army, closing in on the gathered masses.
-Kill! Kill! Kill!
-Helkan is watching!
-Kill the armored ones!
Leon clicks his tongue at the roar of the orcs in the arena.
“Tsk, undignified things.”
“Yes, they are. Always the loud ones with the most momentum.”
There were four opponents on the other side, three orcs and a barbarian.
One of them stepped forward. He was the tallest of the orcs and carried a huge axe.
“You have come, strong men.”
Large molars, simple but heavy shield-like armor. He spoke cynically.
“The rules of the fight are simple. He who dies is the loser.”
It was a simple rule, plain and simple. The orc shouted.
“I am Balbaza, champion of Helkan, undefeated! Who is the warrior who will fight me?”
The Champion of the Gods. Jerea and Leon exchanged glances.
After all, there was a Champion of God on this battlefield. Was he the leader of the orcs?
In any case, the other side sent out a duelist. It was this side’s turn to step forward.
“A braggart beast boasts of his undefeated record in the Shallow Well, Jerea of Twilight, Holy Knight of Dreams and Death!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Go and fetch the head of that shameless beast!”
“At your command!”
Jerea willingly stepped forward as he asked to be allowed to go ahead of the king.
He stepped forward, carrying a sword that paled in comparison to Balbaza massive axe.
“Your opponent is this old man.”
“Name yourself.”
Had this been an ordinary opponent, Jerea would have gladly revealed his honored name. But instead, he glared at Balbaza with contempt and twisted the corners of his mouth.
“I have no name to reveal to a brute. You will die here today.”
“Old man, the impossible is not to be spoken of.”
“I’ve been through the impossible before. Who do you think you are in front of?”
Balbaza raises his axe, heat rising from the corners of his mouth.
“Then today will be the first day I break the impossible.”
He swung the axe.
* * * *
Orc Champion Balbaza, Warlord of Helkan.
Orc warlord and chieftain who united seven orc tribes.
He is the chosen one of Helkan, the unforgiving and demanding god whom all Orcs serve.
In other words, his life has been a history of struggle, and he is a warrior that Helkan was pleased with.
The northern part of the Lionheart Kingdom and the northwestern part of the Empire is a rugged craggy land commonly known as the Savage Lands was a place of killing and destruction, domination and subjugation.
Balbaza was born to the weakest of the orc tribes that inhabit these harsh lands.
There, at the youngest age, Balbaza rose to chieftaincy as the largest orc in the tribe.
He proclaimed.
“I am the largest orc! My tribe must be the biggest!”
Balbaza conquered all the neighboring orc tribes. Even the smallest tribe was three times the size of Balbaza’s, but they fell to the mighty axe of the great orc.
Born to be a champion, Balbaza fought tirelessly, and his struggles satisfied Helkan.
His strength was arguably the greatest of the age.
“Die, human.”
It was a massive axe, an axe that could have covered Jerea’s entire torso, and could have shattered the armor of a Holy Knight.
The three swords that blocked it, on the other hand, looked so thin and weak… they couldn’t withstand a single blow from Balbaza’s axe.
-Crack!
The sound was too light to be that of steel being cut. The axe that had split Jerea’s sword in two instantly struck the old knight.
“What…!”
Jerea’s eyes filled with horror, but he couldn’t dodge the axe. The next moment, Balbaza’s axe sliced through Jerea’s head, splitting it in two.
-Kwazizik!
The strong Holy Knight’s body splits along with his armor. Balbaza looked down at the fallen Jerea with satisfaction and raised his axe.
“I win!”
-Waaaaaah!!!
The orcs roar and cheer, a sound he’s heard countless times before. Balbaza named his next opponent.
……
…
“”…….””
The audience in the arena, Jae-hyuk and Soo-ho, as well as the orcs, stared in wonder at Balbaza, who hadn’t moved since the beginning.
Balbaza hasn’t moved a step since the duel began.
Only Leon and Jerea understand the situation.
“It worked, a beast is a beast.”
Jerea casually walks toward Balbaza, who continues to drop his head as the duelist approaches.
“Ah…!
“The Holy Knight of Dreams and Death!
Only then did the two realize what Jerea had done.
Holy Law.
For Jerea, who is endowed with the power of dreams and death, making an orc fall into a dream is not a hard task.
By now, Balbaza must be celebrating his victory in his dreams, unaware of his approaching death in the real world.
Jerea has coated his sword with a death aura. A lethal blow that kills at the mere touch.
Jerea’s dreams and lethal connections to death flood in.
“Die in a sweet dream.”
The moment the sword rushes towards Balbaza-──
“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA────!!!
With a scream, the orc warrior opened his eyes.
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