The Indomitable Martial King

“Keck! Is it possible to do such a thing?”

As expected, Teslon, who was overpowered, released his entangled arm and broke away. Repenhardt barely managed to get up, clicking his tongue.

“Damn it! I’ve done all sorts of bizarre things in my life.”

“It’s my body, but it’s really ridiculous!”

Teslon lunged again. Repenhardt tried to move his hands and feet to turn it into a striking match, but sadly, Teslon already had a perfect grasp of his fighting methods. In an instant, he dodged and went around to Repenhardt’s back, choking him from behind. Repenhardt gagged and threw himself backward, pinning Teslon against the wall with his back, but Teslon swiftly slipped out and tripped him by grabbing his legs.

Seeing Repenhardt continually getting pushed back, Sillan clicked his tongue.

“Wow, this is the first time I’m seeing an Aura User’s wrestling techniques.”

Unlike Philena, who was an amateur, Sillan, although a priest, had a deep understanding of ground wrestling techniques. Of course, he couldn’t actually perform them; he just had the discerning eye for it. He had often seen the muscular monks of his order compete with such techniques, so he could clearly understand what Teslon was doing now.

“Repen’s completely losing, isn’t he?”

Sillan stomped his feet in worry. Every movement was so natural it was astonishing. It didn’t seem like Repenhardt had any way out. But even if he wanted to do something, he couldn’t because Philena was keeping him in check.

“Hup!”

Holding his breath lightly, Teslon applied an armbar again, twisting Repenhardt’s arm. Repenhardt, about to fall, held on purely by strength, lifting Teslon with his arm.

“I’ll slam you to the ground!”

Just as he yelled and tried to slam Teslon to the ground, Teslon spun his body, using the centrifugal force to slam Repenhardt face-first. It was a reverse armbar that brought his opponent’s upper body down while locking his arm. As a result, Repenhardt’s face hit the floor.

“Keck!”

True to his nickname ‘Gym Unbreakable,’ he didn’t suffer any real shock from breaking the floor with his face. However, the humiliation was immense. Grinding his teeth, Repenhardt’s eyes blazed with anger.

“Uraaah!”

Repenhardt let out a loud yell and headbutted the floor.

Boom!

The recoil sent both Repenhardt and Teslon soaring into the air. With a body that could lift itself with its hips, a headbutt was certainly capable of lifting him. They soared through the air, attempting to find a breakthrough…

“Keck!”

Even in mid-air, Teslon ensnared Repenhardt like a rope. The Karzian martial arts, which used the opponent’s body as a foothold, worked regardless of whether the setting was in the air or underwater. Repenhardt tried to lift his body with the muscles in his hips, abs, and shoulders, but Teslon continually changed his position, persistently targeting all of Repenhardt’s joints.

Sillan murmured, his mouth agape.

“Is this… sky wrestling?”

Repenhardt started bouncing around the cave like a ball. Each time, Teslon targeted his joints, keeping the pressure on Repenhardt. The two of them, locked together, flew into the air, only to crash into the walls.

Boom~ Crash! Boom~ Crash! Boom~ Crash!

It was a truly remarkable sight to see an Aura User using joint locks. The two continued to fly around the cave, entangled with each other.

Although Teslon was overwhelmingly suppressing Repenhardt, the latter’s body was so robust that Teslon couldn’t completely dislocate his joints to make him combat ineffective. However, if the situation continued as it was, Repenhardt would eventually be defeated. Grinding his teeth, Repenhardt thought to himself.

‘Damn it! If I had kept my distance and mixed in some magic from the beginning, it wouldn’t have come to this!’

The problem was that he underestimated his opponent. Now that things had reached this point, he couldn’t think of a way to escape.

Repenhardt glanced at his comrades. If any one of them could take down their opponent and provide even a moment’s distraction, he might be able to break free from this situation…

‘It seems impossible to expect help right now.’

Russ was fiercely pressing Eusus but couldn’t land the finishing blow. The same was true for Siris, who was fighting Christine. They would eventually win, but it didn’t look like they could free themselves immediately.

Moreover, Repenhardt remembered that knight in black armor—Stefan—and looked towards Tassid…

‘Tassid is getting pushed back? By someone like Stefan?’

* * *

“Die, you orc scum!”

With a crazed expression, Stefan swung his black greatsword down. Tassid blocked it with his cursed sword, groaning.

“Ugh!”

Even though he blocked the attack, the sheer force was so strong that the shock ran through his entire body. Each time he blocked a strike, he was pushed back, unable to even think of counterattacking. Stefan continued his relentless assault with a fierce shout.

“Taaat!”

The black blade repeatedly struck against the cursed sword, Dakar. Each time, the blade creaked as if it might break at any moment. The reason Dakar hadn’t shattered yet was due to the power of the Spirits Weapon and Tassid deflecting the attacks with the flat of the blade rather than the edge.

Since the Dwarven technology spread across the continent, most renowned swords could clash edge to edge without easily dulling. However, orcs, whose weapon-making techniques were relatively crude, had learned to defend by angling their blades. If the orcs’ old, flimsy weapons clashed directly with human swords, they would lose their edges almost immediately.

Barely managing to block the attacks, Tassid ground his teeth.

‘Damn it! How can a human have such strength?’

In terms of technique, he was not lacking. Although his opponent’s attacks were refined, they were not beyond Tassid’s ability to handle.

The problem lay in the fundamental difference in physical performance.

Stefan was neither a giant nor particularly muscular. He simply had the physique of a well-trained human knight.

Yet, Stefan’s strength was easily overpowering the muscular Tassid. Each swing of his sword generated a wind that relentlessly pushed Tassid back. It was an incomprehensible display of brute force.

Moreover, Stefan’s speed was incredible. He wielded his greatsword with such force and followed up with subsequent strikes so quickly that it was difficult for Tassid to even guard, let alone counterattack.

‘It feels like I’m fighting Russ or Chieftain Kalken…’

But this wasn’t the blessing of the Fighting Spirit. Tassid had seen many Aura Users, those who wield the power of the warriors, Karuga. The aura that naturally emanated from them exuded an overwhelming and awe-inspiring presence.

However, the dark knight before him was different. He was undoubtedly as strong and fast as an Aura User, but the aura he exuded was one of unpleasant, sinister darkness.

There was no doubt about it.

“That’s not a warrior! That can never be called a true warrior!”

In his disgust, Tassid shouted angrily.

“Damn it! Dakar, my loyal companion!”

Activating the Spirits Weapon, Tassid threw the cursed sword. It traced a complex trajectory, aiming for Stefan’s back. Stefan sneered.

“Using that strange sorcery again!”

With a grand sweep of his cloak, Stefan wrapped the flying Dakar.

“Foolish!”

Stefan shook Dakar off forcefully and then extended his greatsword, slashing through the air. Black energy slithered out, forming a whip that surged toward Tassid.

Swish!

The intense sound of the air being split echoed through the cavern. The ground near Tassid’s feet was deeply gouged as he dodged in a hurry, rolling on the floor while gasping for breath. He reached out, and the cursed sword, which had flown off, trembled before flying back into his grasp.

“Huff… huff…”

Catching his breath, Tassid regained his fighting stance, his determination rekindled. Stefan, withdrawing the black energy whip, looked at him with disdain.

“As expected, you wretched creature can’t even grasp the situation. Do you really think you can challenge me? Drop your weapon and kneel!”

At Stefan’s unbearably arrogant words, Tassid’s eyes blazed.

“Warriors of the Blue Bear Tribe never give up!”

“How amusing. Do you think you’re some kind of knight?”

Despite overwhelmingly dominating Tassid, Stefan showed no joy or excitement. The berserker armor he wore had been bestowed by the Great Sage of Silver to combat an Aura User like Repenhardt. It was hardly worth boasting about to use it against a mere orc.

“You should be begging for your life, yet you don’t even know your place and keep coming at me. Truly, wild orcs are no different from beasts.”

With contempt, Stefan raised his sword overhead. Black energy coiled around the blade. As he swung down, Stefan shouted.

“Perish, you lowly creature!”

The black energy surged like a tidal wave, engulfing Tassid. He raised his cursed sword to block, but the overwhelming force struck his entire body. As he was swept away by the energy, Tassid screamed.

“Keurrgh!”

Boom!

Tassid crashed into the cavern wall with a thunderous sound. Hitting the wall with his back, he bared his teeth and coughed up blood.

“Cough!”

Shaking violently, Tassid forced himself to lift his head. Pain surged through his entire body, making it impossible to rise. Stefan looked down at the fallen Tassid with a sneer.

“I’ll give you credit for holding me back this far.”

After casting a disdainful glance, Stefan turned his attention back to Repenhardt. His target was always Repenhardt; Tassid was of no concern to him.

Feeling humiliated by the disregard, Tassid trembled with indignation.

‘Damn it…’

That familiar look in Stefan’s eyes—full of contempt and indifference, as if he were looking at a beast or livestock.

Humans always looked at orcs with such eyes.

During his days as a slave gladiator, treated like livestock, unable to resist, merely doing as commanded, how much anger and despair had he felt, even as a child?

That’s why he escaped. He resolved that he would rather die wandering the continent than live like a beast under humans. During his escape, he met a benefactor and found the Blue Bear Tribe. Thanks to them, he became a true orc who knew pride and honor, not a beast.

That pride was trampled.

That honor was sullied.

He was a warrior. A true warrior could never lose his pride and honor, even if it meant losing his life!

“Ugh…”

In pain, Tassid rose to his feet. His legs trembled, and sweat poured from his body like rain, but he did not kneel.

With shaking hands, he gripped his sword once more.

‘I am a warrior of the Blue Bear Tribe…’

A fierce cry echoed through his soul.

‘I am a descendant of a great warrior!’

Something surged within his chest, ready to burst forth. Something that transcended his broken body supported his warrior’s spirit and raised him up.

“Uraaaaah!”

With a scream, Tassid lifted his cursed sword high. At that moment, the great dam within his chest burst open.

Bwoooom!

A turquoise light surged from the blade of the cursed sword, Dakar, like a flash of lightning. The light, embodying destruction, tore through the air with a sharp sound.

Stefan, who was about to advance toward Repenhardt, turned his head and widened his eyes.

“What… is that?”