The Indomitable Martial King

“This is… the blessing of Debata…”

It was an unbelievable sensation.

The burst of water became a mighty current that enveloped his entire body. His fatigued body was invigorated to an astonishing degree, and the pain gradually disappeared. The unimaginable force coursed through his arms, legs, and entire musculature, galloping like a wild horse.

Everything in the world seemed new. Could this be how a blind man felt when he opened his eyes for the first time to see the world? Even though it was something he had always seen and felt, it now felt completely different. The overwhelming sensation traveled up his spine, stimulating his brain to the point of confusion.

“Haha…”

A laugh escaped him.

“Hahaha!”

Stefan, trembling with fury, shouted at the sight of Tassid laughing like a madman.

“What kind of strange sorcery are you using this time?”

Stefan’s face twisted into a vicious grimace as he drew his black greatsword. His bloodshot eyes glared intensely at Tassid’s Blade Aura.

It couldn’t be.

That couldn’t be Aura.

There was no way a mere orc could awaken that great power!

Stefan shouted, denying reality. His body, greatly amplified by his Berserker Armor, shot towards Tassid like an arrow.

“How dare you imitate me!”

Tassid held his sword horizontally. As if his previous excitement had been a lie, Tassid’s face had already become calm as he glared with sharp eyes.

“Let’s go, Dakar!”

Tassid also launched himself forward. The black greatsword and the teal Blade Aura clashed in midair. As the swords met, they began to spark and clash.

The black greatsword left afterimages as it swept through the air. However, each time, the teal blade blocked every attack. It was a completely different scenario from before. Tassid countered every ferocious attack from Stefan, turning the tide with his own counterattacks.

“You wretched orc, how dare you!”

Stefan’s eyes turned blood red. The Berserker Armor, which he had trusted so much, and his greatly enhanced physique, no longer had any effect. No matter how strong or fast he swung his sword, it was all blocked by that teal flash.

His mind was filled with chaos.

“That’s impossible…”

A voice full of disbelief escaped Stefan’s throat.

“That can’t possibly be Aura!”

Slashing down with his blade, Tassid shouted with disdain.

“Do you not acknowledge what you see with your own eyes? A disgrace to warriors!”

The Blade Aura on his sword struck Stefan’s greatsword with tremendous force. Unable to withstand the pressure, Stefan’s knees buckled. Trembling violently, Stefan let out a shout that was a mix of a war cry and a scream.

“Aaaah!”

In truth, Stefan should not have been pushed back to this extent. The Berserker Armor was designed to counter Aura users, and even if Tassid had awakened his Aura, the artifact should have been sufficient to handle it. Moreover, since Tassid had only just awakened, his level of Aura usage was merely at the basic stage of strengthening his body and manifesting Aura on his blade. Had Stefan remained calm, he would not have been easily defeated.

However, Stefan was currently in a half-dazed state.

It was the light he had longed for so much.

It was the glory he had yearned for so desperately.

Not only was this great power realized in the hands of a lowly savage, but now even an orc, nothing more than livestock, was wielding it.

This was something that could not happen.

It was something that should not happen!

“Aah! Aah! Aaah!”

A sword swung randomly in extreme denial of reality could not have any real power. As he faced Stefan, who was no longer using swordsmanship but thrashing about like a madman, Tassid lightly drew a circle with his Chamma Blade. He murmured softly.

“I’ll end this.”

Whoosh!

The blade of Dakar sliced through the air with a sharp sound. The massive Chamma Blade, like a razor, cut through Stefan’s wild attacks with an unfaltering trajectory. In an instant, four streaks of light ravaged Stefan’s entire body.

Swoosh!

Blood spurted from the gaps in the black armor, the Berserker Armor. Tassid slashed through Stefan and scattered crimson droplets into the air. Kneeling in the blood rain, Stefan’s eyes widened.

“Gah!”

His consciousness faded into the distance. Cursing reality, Stefan slowly lost consciousness.

☆ ☆ ☆

“Hah, that guy Tassid. He kept grumbling, but in the end, he awakened.”

Russ clicked his tongue as he watched Tassid’s brilliant cyan aura. Having faced him continuously for the past few days, Russ had always felt a sense of urgency that Tassid would catch up to him soon, but he never expected it to happen this quickly.

‘Well done, Tassid.’

Sincerely congratulating his friend’s progress, Russ turned his gaze to Eusus.

The Mage Armor Eldrad was already cracked and damaged in various places, looking quite miserable. In that state, Eusus alternated between looking at the fallen Stefan and Tassid in disbelief.

“What the? How can an orc use an aura?”

Circling around Eusus, Russ clicked his tongue.

“That’s because he’s capable enough. Isn’t that a simple fact?”

Irritated by Russ’s mockery, Eusus attacked again. Amidst the terrifying storm of magic, golden blades stabbed incessantly. However, Russ easily evaded all the attacks. Having exchanged blows numerous times, Russ had long since figured out Eusus’s techniques.

‘But because of that armor, I can’t deal a fatal blow. Damn it…’

It was true that Russ was almost toying with Eusus. However, the problem was that his Blade Aura was not strong enough to shatter the Mage Armor Eldrad in one strike.

Russ’s most powerful strike at the moment was the Gigantic Blade, stolen from Sir Spirius.

‘Even after striking it several times, it only got dented but never fully broke?’

Indeed, Mage Armor Eldrad had protected its wearer Eusus’s life even after taking a direct hit from Repenhardt’s Calamity Horn. The Gigantic Blade’s destructive power seemed insufficient to break it.

Nor was it easy to aim for the gaps in the armor like Tassid.

Unlike Stefan, Eusus was accustomed to twisting his body to deflect the blade with his armor in case of an attack. Eusus had spent his entire life mastering the use of magical equipment. No matter how skilled Russ was, it was never easy to face Eusus head-on and aim for the gaps in his armor.

“Die!”

Once again, Eusus swung the Magic Sword Eldran, launching an attack. As Russ parried the blow, he suddenly had a brilliant idea.

‘Wait, there’s that, isn’t there?’

Suddenly, Russ concentrated his aura at the tip of his sword and struck. The precise strike stabbed Eusus’ entire body eight times in an instant. However, Eusus skillfully twisted his body, taking all the stabs on the surface of his armor. Eusus stepped back and shouted.

“Hmph! Eldran won’t break from that!”

“Of course, it won’t break from just this. But it did get pierced, didn’t it?”

“Hmm?”

Seeing Russ’s calm demeanor, Eusus looked down at his chest. Blue light was emanating from various spots on Eldran where it had been pierced. Russ’s aura had seeped into the cracks in the armor.

“What trickery is this?”

As Eusus glared at Russ in alarm, Russ snapped his fingers with a smile.

Snap!

With the sound of the snap, the aura in eight places simultaneously flared and exploded. The exploding aura interlinked and clashed, amplifying the destructive force even further.

Boom!

Eldran shattered, and the storm of destruction battered Eusus’ upper body. Muscles tore, and blood spurted out. In the moment of the chain explosion, Eusus spewed blood and was blown backward.

“Aaagh!”

Seeing Eusus being blown away, Russ smiled brightly.

“Indeed, there’s a lot to learn from Ms. Stalla’s techniques.”

It was a technique adapted from the one Stalla used to break down the fortress walls. As Eusus was flung back, Philena screamed.

“Sir Eusus!”

Philena rushed towards the fallen Eusus and Stefan. Neither Russ nor Tassid bothered to stop her. Philena, on the verge of tears, inspected their wounds. Fortunately, both were still breathing, but their injuries were severe and life-threatening without immediate first aid.

“Paladin Christine!”

Philena shouted towards Christine. A holy knight could perform a certain level of divine healing spells, even if not as proficiently as a priest.

Christine, who was fighting against Siris, frowned at Philena’s shout. Christine was in a similarly disadvantageous situation, having already sustained numerous injuries from Siris. She was struggling just to take care of herself, let alone going to assist others.

Frustrated, Christine yelled.

“Hey! Why did you guys lose?”

“…”

What a beautifully comforting thing to say to a fallen comrade. Philena was left speechless by Christine’s words. She turned to Teslon in her bewilderment.

“T-Teslon!”

* * *

In truth, Teslon was even more bewildered. He was still clinging to Repenhardt, trying to break his joints. He had already attempted dozens of techniques, but this steel-like body refused to break easily.

Even now, he was crossing his legs to strangle Repenhardt and continuously pressuring his neck bone…

“This, this…”

He saw Tassid and Russ, who had defeated Stefan and Eusus, approaching with gleaming eyes. The problem with submission techniques was that they were incredibly powerful in one-on-one situations, but became a major disadvantage in a many-on-one scenario. Locking an opponent’s joints to completely immobilize them meant that, conversely, one’s own movements were also restricted.

“Damn it!”

In the end, Teslon pushed Repenhardt away and retreated a fair distance. If he continued holding onto Repenhardt, he could be skewered by an aura-infused sword and, with his current body, a single hit might send him to the afterlife. There was no benefit in continuing to grapple with Repenhardt.

“Ah, my neck. Thanks, Russ, Tassid.”

Barely managing to get up, Repenhardt moved his neck from side to side. It wasn’t just his neck; his entire body ached. It seemed like the first time he had been this battered since getting beaten up under Gerard.

Tassid asked in a concerned voice, “Are you alright, benefactor?”

“I’ll be fine with a little help from Sillan. I’m okay, I’m okay.”

Limping, Repenhardt began walking towards Teslon. Eusus and Russ also raised their auras, watching him closely. Sweat started to bead on Teslon’s forehead.

‘If only I had a little more time, I could have defeated the Demon King!’

But it was impossible to face three aura users alone. Repenhardt spoke in a cold voice.

“Give up, Teslon!”

Golden aura surged from Repenhardt’s entire body. Purple magic spread like mist through the aura, enveloping it. He had drawn out both his aura and magic simultaneously. Having barely escaped, it was clear he would no longer let his guard down and would fight with all his might.

“I will not let you hinder my dreams again!”

A chilling gaze emanated from his brown eyes. It was a truly cold and murderous look befitting the Demon King. Teslon clicked his tongue inwardly as he glanced at the fallen Eusus and Stefan.

‘Damn it, I underestimated the others compared to Repenhardt.’

Teslon knew how strong his own body was.

He also felt deeply how overwhelming the Demon King’s magic was.

So, even while constantly growing stronger, he repeatedly told himself that it was not enough and was tormented by nightmares.

However, the Demon King he met in person was not as strong as he had imagined. Just as Teslon, who had taken over this body, could not fully utilize the Demon King’s brain, the Demon King could not fully utilize his body. As he had arrogantly assumed, they were not completely unmatched.

On the other hand, he had underestimated the strength of the companions by his side.

He was aware of the existence of Russ and Siris. He had also heard from Christine that the future Orc Great Warrior, Tassid, had joined the Demon King.

Yet, Teslon did not hold them in high regard. Although in his previous life they had made names for themselves as the Sword Saint and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King, he judged that at their current age, they wouldn’t be much of a threat.

In the historical context Teslon knew, Russ at this time was not as strong as he was now. Tassid at this time shouldn’t have already awakened his aura. Siris also did not use spirit magic from such a young age.

According to his calculations, the Golden Knight Eusus and Stefan, who wielded the Berserker Armor, should have been enough to take down the rest.

‘It was my mistake, I didn’t account for the variables that would arise with the Demon King’s involvement.’