Kays Translations

Chapter 289: The Misty Bulwark

A fist meant to crush Lutz’s entire body, but it couldn’t clench. As he tried to grip tightly, numbness shot through his arm, leaving it half-opened and thrusting forward, as if offering itself to be sliced.

Light surged from Lutz’s waist. With a thud, his wrist fell to the ground. In an instant, fresh blood spurted out, as if his body just remembered being slashed.

“Ahh, ugh, aaah!”

Caught in incomprehensible terror, the Chimera Orc swung the two large trees wildly.

Why couldn’t his fist move? Why couldn’t the sliced part be repaired? It made no sense. Right now, they just wanted to keep this eerie man away.

Without pushing too hard, Lutz had immediately retreated after severing the Chimera Orc’s wrist. Though his gaze remained fixed on the orc, its dark, gleaming eyes were unsettling.

Still, two arms holding large trees and two others free remained intact. Its four legs were unharmed. While the bleeding from the severed wrist had initially been severe, it had now considerably subsided. The mycelium swelling around the upper arm might have aided in hemostasis.

In terms of combat power, it hadn’t diminished much. Yet everyone felt the tide of battle had drastically shifted.

The knights would die instantly if they took even a single direct hit from the chimera orc’s attacks. On the other hand, the chimera orc had the unique regenerative ability of the orc tribe, with embedded mycelium aiding in healing even deep wounds. For them, this battle was supposed to be a game where they could safely torment and kill their opponents one by one from an absolutely safe position.

But it realized there was someone among the enemy who could kill them. This was no longer child’s play. The Chimera Orc couldn’t take its eyes off Lutz. Naturally, its attention to the others waned.

And there was no way this man would miss the change in his enemy.

“Hahaha! Ahahaha!”

Laughing with a drawn sword, Gerhardt, the mad warrior, charged. A creature of incomprehensible laughter and anger.

“You… you’re in the way, you small fry!”

The Chimera Orc swung the large tree in frustration, but Gerhardt anticipated the distance, dodging at the last moment and closing in. It was a feat he couldn’t accomplish when overpowered by momentum. But now, he could.

“Are you afraid?”

Gerhardt’s mocking laughter infuriated the Chimera Orc. Who allowed ants to look down on giants?

The Chimera Orc tried to grab Gerhardt with its two arms. It wouldn’t be satisfied until it tore off each of the old man’s limbs and heard him scream.

But due to caution stemming from fear, it noticed. Lutz was creeping closer with his sword still drawn.

It was only a moment of distraction, a cruel instant of negligence. But facing the Sword Demon Gerhardt, it could be fatal.

The famous sword “Ittetsu”, which had been enchanted with magic to improve its sharpness, sparkled, and three fingers, as hard and strong as heavy machinery, danced in the air.

“Guh, aaargh!”

A scream shook the wasteland. The wound quickly bubbled and frothed, stopping the bleeding. But the severed fingers wouldn’t return. The Chimera Orc swung its remaining arm to drive Gerhardt away.

It was still okay, for now. …But how long would it last?

Its combat ability remained, but it was steadily eroding. Since taking this form, it had always been filled with hatred and anger, devoid of fear and panic. Why had this happened? It didn’t understand.

Realizing the battle was unfavorable, the Chimera Orc swung the large tree, turning the tide.

There was no one who could resist the raging torrent. No one should be able to. Yet the knights, their eyes gleaming, stood their ground.

“Don’t mess with me! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!”

They believed they could defeat him. That was the greatest insult.

The swung large tree hit one of the knights, but it was shallow, just a slight graze at the tip. The Chimera Orc’s frustration grew stronger. Nothing was going right.

With each movement of Lutz, its eyes had to follow. Consequently, its concentration seemed to waver, which the knights exploited.

The cause was clear, but what to do about it was not.

“As long as I hit it, you bastards will be no match for me!”

With a roar, mycelium burst through the fingertips, flying out. It wrapped around the large tree, merging with it. Maybe it would never come off again. But that was fine. It was better than losing to them.

Relieved that he no longer had to worry about letting go of his weapon, he felt a slight relief in his heart. And then he saw one of the knights sway.

…Had their stamina reached its limit?

Dodging even a single swing of the large tree would have felt like risking one’s life. It seemed that the constant pressure they had been exerting all along had paid off here. The Chimera Orc had accumulated fatigue, but the mycelium forcefully moved its body, ensuring no decrease in performance as long as it didn’t die.

Lutz, who had been waiting for the right moment, suddenly sprang into action. Perhaps a little earlier, the Chimera Orc might have been startled, but not now. It understood that he had dashed out realizing his comrades had reached their limits.

…What a pity to have such foolish comrades!?

The three faces of the Chimera Orc displayed an unmistakable joy. This time, it would crush him for sure. It raised one large tree high and held the other horizontally, assuming a stance reminiscent of a master swordsman wielding two swords.

It was confident it could win, believing it could crush him at this moment. But then, the Chimera Orc’s vision wavered abruptly.

“Don’t underestimate us, you brute!”

Keith, formerly of the Thirteen Knights, was slashing at the Chimera Orc’s Achilles tendon with a form resembling a baseball bat swing, forgetting all about swordsmanship.

He didn’t wield a famous sword, and the Chimera Orc’s muscles were too tough for brute force swordsmanship to sever. Yet, by targeting the Achilles tendon, the creature’s weak spot, he created a momentary opening.

“These… pests…!”

The Chimera Orc reached out to crush Keith, but his outstretched hand was pierced by sword after sword, thrust in by the knights who gathered to protect him.

What to do next? Who to defeat? Ah, there aren’t enough hands.

The most troublesome man was closing in. Yes, if they could defeat him, they could turn the tables. The Chimera Orc tried to let go of the large tree to knock down Lutz.

But its hand wouldn’t release.

“D-Don’t you dare mess with me…!”

With a pained cry, the tip of kyouka suigetsu was thrust into its gaping mouth.

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