Chapter 26: Tough, Aren't We?
It was over.
Not a single orc remained standing. Their bodies lay in ruin—torn, split, eviscerated. The battlefield was silent again, the air thick with the stench of iron and death.
At the far end of the grand hall, seated upon the towering throne of black stone, the Orc King sat frozen. His massive form, covered in thick steel, was motionless. His dull orange eyes, brimming with pride moments ago, now held nothing but fury.
The man stepped forward. Slow. Deliberate. Each step echoed through the chamber like a death knell. The heavy fabric of his coat, drenched in blood, dragged behind him like a royal cloak woven in the suffering of his enemies. The very air around him seemed to tremble—distorting, shifting—as if the space itself recoiled from his presence.
Then, he lifted his gaze.
Crimson eyes. Burning. Empty. Cold.
"Is that all your soldiers could do?" His voice, void of emotion, cut through the silence sharper than any blade. "I expected more. Much more."
The Orc King's hands clenched the armrests of his throne, his sharp teeth grinding together. His dull orange eyes, once brimming with arrogance, now smoldered with fury. The human had slaughtered nearly all of his soldiers. Alone. Effortlessly.
The man exhaled. A sigh. A whisper of disappointment.
"Pathetic."
The orc king's muscles tensed. His orange eyes darkened with disgust. He slowly lifted a finger, pointing straight at the man.
"You miserable insect." His deep voice rumbled like distant thunder before a storm. "You dare insult me in my own throne room, human? Who gave you permission?"
A slight chuckle.
The man tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with something between amusement and apathy. Then, a smirk curled on his lips.
"So, you can talk." His voice was a whisper—soft, mocking. He shrugged slightly, his posture completely relaxed despite the overwhelming presence before him. "For a second, I thought you were just another oversized beast, drooling on its throne."
The orc king's nostrils flared.
"How dare you—you impudent little worm!" He pointed again, his voice rising with anger. "MY SOLDIERS."
"KILL HIM! TEAR HIM APART!"
A tremor shook the room.
One of the remaining eight Orcs stepped forward.
His body burned—charred from within, veins glowing like molten cracks in the earth. His tusks gleamed under the dim light, his ember-lit eyes locked onto the lone figure before him. In his grip, a colossal black blade, forged from obsidian, its jagged edges wrapped in thick iron chains. Each breath he exhaled came out as smoke, his presence alone weighing upon the chamber like an untamed beast unshackled.
His steps rumbled through the floor as he advanced—
Then vanished.
A gust of wind.
Silence.
A flicker of movement—behind the man.
The Orc reappeared mid-strike, sword descending like a guillotine, aiming straight for the man's neck.
Fast. Too fast.
The moment of impact—
Nothing.
His sword sliced through empty air.
A whisper brushed against the orc's ear.
"Just kidding."
SLASH!
A streak of green light tore through the air. The Orc barely tilted his head in time, the dagger carving across his cheek—mere inches from severing his skull.
CLANG!
Sparks erupted as the orc twisted his body, swinging his black blade with raw, explosive power. The weapons met—metal screaming, the shockwave rupturing the marble beneath their feet.
The orc grunted, his massive boots grinding against the stone as he was pushed back. Deep trenches marked his path.
The man landed smoothly.
Still. Composed.
His coat billowed slightly, yet his posture remained relaxed—unnervingly so. One hand resting on his hip, the other holding his sword at a slight angle, crimson eyes glowing like dying embers.
"Tough, aren't we?"
The Orc bared his fangs, ember veins pulsing violently. He lunged forward, muscles rippling as he swung his blade in a downward arc—
SLASH!
The man shifted his weight. A mere tilt of his body.
SLASH!
Another swing—sideways, faster.
He stepped back. Effortless. Unbothered.
CLANG!
The orc feinted, twisting mid-swing, bringing his colossal sword down like an executioner's axe. The man raised His dagger, meeting the strike head-on. The impact howled through the chamber, sending deep cracks racing across the walls.
The orc grinned, pushing forward, pouring all his monstrous strength into the clash—
Only to feel his balance shift.
A sudden pull.
The man's dagger twisted—redirecting the force.
SLASH!
A clean cut across the orc's arm. Not deep, but precise.
The Orc recoiled, snorting smoke through flared nostrils. His grip tightened, fury consuming him.
"RAAGH!" He roared, slamming his foot into the ground. The impact cracked the marble beneath him, sending debris flying as he launched himself forward with terrifying speed.
SLASH!
The man ducked.
SLASH!
He sidestepped, turning with the orc's movement—his coat flowing like ink in water.
CLANG!
Their swords met again, sending another shockwave through the throne room. The Orc twisted his weapon, forcing the man's blade down.
A flicker of motion.
The man shifted—his wrist snapping at an angle unnatural to human reflex.
SLASH!
His sword cut upward, slicing clean through the orc's shoulder guard. Metal screeched as shards rained onto the ground.
The orc snarled, his ember veins burning brighter. He charged, swinging wildly, each attack heavier, faster—desperate.
SLASH!
CLANG!
CRACK!
The air screamed with each impact. Sparks illuminated the dim chamber as their weapons clashed, over and over, the floor trembling beneath their feet.
Then—
A step.
A whisper of movement.
The man's foot slid forward, his body leaning just slightly, just enough—
SLASH!
The orc gasped.
A fresh wound. Thin, shallow, but perfectly placed. His forearm—nicked just beside the tendons. His grip weakened for a fraction of a second.
But the man was already moving.
Another step—seamless, untraceable.
SLASH!
Another cut—along the orc's thigh.
The Orc staggered, confusion flashing across his ember-lit eyes.
This wasn't just swordplay.
This was something else.
A dance.
An art.
Each movement of the man's blade was fluid, controlled. A hunter wearing the skin of a swordsman.
The orc roared, shaking off hesitation.
He slammed his foot down—hard. The entire floor cracked beneath him as he twisted his hips, swinging his obsidian blade in a wide arc, igniting it with flames hotter than molten rock.
A wall of fire surged outward, swallowing everything in its path.
The man didn't move.
Not yet.
The flames surged closer—
Then—
His sword flickered.
A single slash.
A crescent wave of light cut through the inferno, splitting it apart.
The orc barely had time to register what happened before—
SLASH!
A cut across his ribs.
SLASH!
His shoulder.
SLASH!
His leg.
A barrage.
Too fast. Too precise.
His vision blurred as pain erupted across his body. Blood dripped onto the shattered marble, pooling around his feet.
The man stopped.
Still.
Motionless.
His head tilted slightly. Not in arrogance, but curiosity.
The Orc panted, his massive chest rising and falling.
His grip tightened around his sword.
"RAARH—!" He roared, shaking the very chamber.
Every ounce of his power.
Every fiber of his being.
A final, all-consuming attack.
His sword howled through the air, wreathed in flames hotter than the core of a dying star.
Then—
A single step.
The man moved.
SLASH!
Silence.
The orc's breath hitched.
Time slowed.
His vision blurred.
His sword halted mid-air.
His grip loosened.
A sharp pain.
Then—
Darkness.
His head spun, detached from his body, eyes frozen in shock. It tumbled, landing with a dull thud on the blood-soaked floor.
A moment later, his body crumpled beside it.
The man knelt in front of the corpse, his dagger still dripping with green blood. His aura, darker than before, loomed over the battlefield like a creeping shadow. The air felt cold—like death itself had walked through the room.
Then—
Slowly, he lifted his gaze.
His crimson eyes locked onto the Orc King.
The throne room fell into absolute silence.
Not a word.
Not a breath.
Only the quiet drip of blood.
The man stood, adjusting his grip on His dagger. His posture, relaxed yet unmistakably predatory, exuded an unshakable finality.
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(Chapter Ended)