Illusion Sword Master

Chapter 17

＜Western Front Abnormality (5)﹥

The human weapon, craving only battle, fell onto the center of the battlefield.

─ Whoosh!

Like a hungry wolf amidst sheep, Menka’s flames ravaged the orcs without mercy.

“Magic—cast! Catch—them!”

The orcs, unaware of the concept of fear, charged forward like moths to a flame, only to be engulfed by Menka’s inferno.

“Aaahhh—!”

The orcs that followed suit met the same fate, unable to reach her and instead burning to death with their bodies aflame.

Attack is the best defense. The flames that spread in all directions formed her domain, which the enemies couldn’t breach.

“You guys, catch—them!”

Menka’s appearance, mimicking the orcs’ battle cries and repeatedly casting magic, was more intimidating than the orcs themselves.

“Run away! We’re going!”

Among the orcs, there existed individual differences.

Those referred to as “orc generals” or “orc commanders,” possessing stronger power and sturdier bodies than regular orcs, pierced through the flames and headed towards Menka.

I had enchanted the flying swords with Menka’s fire magic, taught to me by her, and hidden them within the flames.

With fire hidden within the flames, it would be difficult to detect unless one had exceptional senses.

Moreover, our opponents were the orcs, who prioritized frontal assaults as their main strategy.

Pew!

Those orcs were struck down by the swords I had launched before they could reach Menka.

While Menka busied herself slaughtering the orcs, I had to move even more swiftly.

It was because I couldn’t be excluded from her attack range.

I observed her mana flow to avoid getting caught in the flames, changed positions according to the situation, and intercepted the orc generals approaching her.

“This damn fate of mine.”

It seemed that, even as a mage, I was still fighting for my life.

However, the fruits of my labor were slowly beginning to show.

Thanks to having pierced the enemy’s central forces, the 7th Division’s main army had gained some leeway.

With Roem, Sera, and Belmont’s combined leadership, it was entirely possible.

At this rate, there was even a chance of repelling the enemy before reinforcements arrived.

“Aaahhh—aaahhh—!”

A massive battle cry, unlike any before, shattered my optimism and resounded across the battlefield.

The old human adage “the loudest voice wins” was, in the orc’s world, a kind of truth.

Their battle prowess indeed correlated with the loudness of their voices.

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“Damn it. With a battle cry this loud……”

I looked towards the direction of the voice, feeling uneasy.

Where had that enormous creature been hiding, with a body three times larger than the orcs, now charging towards our main army?

The numerous small scars all over its body. Especially the thick, X-shaped scar on its back.

I knew the name of that orc.

Grola.

The named orc that had already killed nine knights during my time as an imperial army officer.

In a society where brute force reigns supreme, the Orc leader, capable of leading a single tribe, was one of the nightmares that turned the western front into a living hell.

“Why isn’t that kid going to the main base, Umber, and instead, is taking on a medium-sized unit alone?”

The unexpected variable’s appearance paralyzed my thoughts. The Orc leader, Grolar, wasn’t waiting for my judgment and was already shaking up the entire battlefield in an instant.

With a single leap, he jumped over the stone wall surrounding the barracks, and with a gigantic axe as large as a human body, he effortlessly swung it, splitting three soldiers in one go.

If this continues, our entire unit will be annihilated!

“What do we do?”

If I join them alone, Mencar will be in danger, and if I bring Mencar, the Orcs here will push us back to our original position.

“I can hold out on my own.”

Mencar caught my hesitation and spoke up first. She gathered the scattered flames around her and used her magic defensively.

“Mencar, you’re finally thinking like a normal person!”

The past year of tactical training had finally paid off.

“Enough praise, let’s go. It’s going well, so don’t get in the way.”

Perhaps she just didn’t want to ruin the excitement.

I quickly deployed my aerial swordsmanship and returned to observe Grolar.

Meanwhile, Roem and Sera blocked the Orc who was cutting down soldiers.

Sera unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts, targeting only Grolar.

Grolar’s skin was slightly charred, and he stumbled for a moment, but he didn’t take any significant damage.

“This is weird?”

Even if he’s an ordinary knight, he’s a monster-like existence that can easily gain the upper hand.

Yet, he was too strong.

He received Sera’s magic directly and didn’t take any notable damage.

Grolar quickly regained his composure and swung his axe again.

Roem stepped forward, creating a defensive barrier to protect himself and Sera.

Boom!

The barrier took a huge crack from blocking Grolar’s axe just once.

Boom!

Crash!

On the third consecutive axe swing, the barrier shattered. Roem, already exhausted from the prolonged battle, immediately raised another barrier.

Crash!

The hastily constructed barrier couldn’t withstand a single attack and broke. The impact sent Roem’s body flying backward.

“Roem!”

Grolar prepared to attack again.

Sera’s face turned pale with fear.

Fortunately, the axe was about to split Sera’s head when I arrived just in time.

I currently have five swords with me. One is deployed in aerial swordsmanship, three are suspended in the air using magic, and the Black Thunder is stored in its scabbard.

I fired four swords using magic, simultaneously enchanting them with lightning magic.

Pabababat!

The four swords, imbued with electricity, left a trail as they flew towards Grolar.

He changed the direction of his axe, which was originally aimed at Sera, to deflect the swords.

Chiing!

With a swift motion, I manipulated the scattered swords using my aura, simultaneously targeting Grola and standing face-to-face with him in front of Sera.

“Hey, Edan?”

I quickly got to the point.

“The odds are against us. We can’t hold out for long, so let’s escape quickly.”

“Huh? Why?”

Sera, who had just come back to life, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

There was no time to explain.

“Just go! If you die, it’s meaningless even if I survive!”

I wasn’t doing this just for my own sake. In that brief moment, I thought about abandoning everything and fleeing.

The clan leader-grade Orc, Grola.

Confronting him was suicidal.

However, no matter how I simulated the situation, the outcome didn’t look good.

The 7th Division was called the “Honey Pot” by Belmont, and I had also been deceived. Sera had been led here, thinking she could manipulate Menca, but in the end, she had followed me to this place.

If I abandoned my daughter and fled alone, would her father, Duke Zefer, let me off the hook?

“No way. He would mobilize all his power and connections to crush me.”

So, even if I were to flee, I had to leave Sera behind first.

Meanwhile, Grola’s scattered swords pierced deep into the ground.

The beast approached.

I pushed Sera aside and drew Black Thunder to block its axe.

Even with my aura focused on defense, my body couldn’t withstand the shock and was sent flying several meters back.

“Ugh!”

The blow had dislocated my shoulder. I used the hilt of Black Thunder to strike my shoulder and reset the bone. Damn, it hurt like hell.

As my head spun, one thing became clear.

The reason Grola was incredibly strong.

Like a knight wearing an aura, a dark, crimson energy emanated from its body, the opposite of the pure, blue mana.

I knew the true nature of this energy.

It was the same as the dark magic used by the Black Mage I had fought alongside Roland, which had reinforced Grola’s body.

It’s said that bad things come in clusters, but this was extreme.

Grola had a strong resistance to mana, just like the case of Marquis Merzel.

Although it seemed weaker than that old Black Mage, there was no high-ranking knight with an Oracle Blade to deal a fatal blow to it now.

Unless I used all my strength, I wouldn’t even be able to buy time.

Fortunately, Sera had regained her senses and was getting away.

“Yeah, escape quickly.”

I had no confidence in being able to escape from that monster. Still, it was better than being burdened with a heavy load.

Gripping the hilt of Black Thunder tightly, I stood before Grola once again.

“Strong mage. I’ll kill you. For the king.”

The axe wielded by the monster, which was making an unintelligible noise, targeted me.

I compressed my aura into Black Thunder and swung it to counterattack. At the same time, I activated my aura to summon the swords stuck in the ground.

Four swords clashed between Grola and me.

While his attention was dispersed, I slid down and disappeared from his line of sight.

I escaped through the gap between his legs, swung my sword towards his thigh, and released the accumulated mana.

Sliding Wave Slash.

It was a single, mighty blow that made my mind go blank, fueled by my mana and ki.

Puuk!

The feedback was shallow.

“Damn it.”

Black Thunder was stuck halfway into his thigh, a critical wound that would normally restrict movement and risk excessive bleeding.

“Aaahhh!”

Unfortunately, Groll was no ordinary opponent, but a powerful orc leader enhanced by demonic powers.

He let out a roar of anger.

I gave up on retrieving Black Thunder and continued my attack with other swords summoned by my mana.

Sliding Wave Slash once more.

It struck his arm, but couldn’t cut through.

I felt like my head was about to burst from overusing my mana.

Again, Sliding Wave Slash.

This time, the effect was minimal.

I aimed for his head but missed, only managing to pierce his shoulder.

Ugh. The consecutive strain caused my blood to flow backward.

Just one more time, Sliding Wave Slash.

Tik.

“Ah, damn it.”

I was wrong.

The mana granted to me had expired.

My connection to the mana was severed, my sword shattered, and my body lost its strength, causing me to stumble and fall.

“… Won’t you just admit defeat?”

Not even a scratch.

The monster’s axe loomed over my vision.

— Ting-ting!

The axe, which was about to strike me, halted in mid-air, vibrating.

At some point, a transparent barrier had appeared in front of me, blocking the axe.

“Roem?”

Roem, covered in wounds, stood behind me.

“Ethan! Ugh… Get out of the way!”

He too had overexerted himself, and blood was dripping from his mouth.

I regained my composure, half-rose to my feet, and retreated from the spot.

Kuung!

The axe, which still had residual power after breaking through the barrier, created a crack on the ground where I had just been.

Roem, using his last bit of strength, knelt down and let out a painful breath.

“Mage… I’ll kill you.”

Grolado’s eyes were exhausted, but there was no shortage of energy to spare for our group that was on the brink of collapse.

This time, we thought we were dead for sure.

Swung.

The arrow of judgment was cast upon him.

“Ethan! Get hurt, you idiot! What’s so good about lying down there!”

It was Belmont’s voice.

“Ethan! Come to your senses!”

“Get up, sir! You’re good at running away, aren’t you?”

The voices of the 7th Division soldiers followed.

Thanks to us binding Grolado, we were able to push back the orcs and regain our composure.

Something was still burning in the distance. Mencado was doing a great job of blocking the enemy’s merger.

“No. You idiots…”

It’s touching, but… it’s not much help. It’s not like shooting arrows at someone who doesn’t respond to magic will do anything but worsen the mood.

Still, it helped me regain my senses.

I barely managed to get up.

Grolado received the arrow that was supposed to hit me and targeted me.

“Run away! Ethan!”

“No way! Now that I’m up, I’ll kill that monster!”

Belmont and the 7th Division soldiers only cheered with words and arrows, but didn’t provide any real support or become a meat shield to help us escape.

“Ugh. You’re such a useless bunch.”

I absolutely cannot die here.

I have to survive and take revenge on those annoying guys until the very end.

Instead of feeling powerless, anger surged through me.

Thanks to my improved mental strength, I could sense a bit of mana.

I cast a lightning spell on the swords stuck in Grolado’s body.

Zzi-zzi-zzi!

A strong current flowed, and Grolado’s body momentarily stopped.

“Please, please, just fall down like this.”

It was a futile wish. The current’s energy soon weakened, and the monster’s axe regained its speed.

─ Zzi-zzi-zzi!

A reversal occurred. The weakening current turned blue and violently repelled the monster’s body.

Did my talent awaken in this crisis?

No, that wasn’t it.

Suddenly, Sara reappeared and was pouring mana towards the same spot as me.

“You’re running away in such a dirty manner! You’re from the Zephyr family! What do you think you’re doing, you noble lady!”

Is she crazy? Did she come here because of her own pride?

Anyway, it was timely.

At the moment when the monster’s muscles relaxed due to the consecutive brain attacks, I used my psychic powers to pull out the Black Thunder stuck in Grolado’s thigh.

And, vomiting blood, I shouted outside.

“Uaah! Paradox Refute!”

Thud. Thud.

Grola’s neck fell to the ground.

The monster was defeated.

The biggest obstacle was overcome, but this didn’t mean the situation was resolved.

The remaining Orcs, having lost their leader, continued their fierce assault with all their might.

I stood there, thinking, with my sword still grasped like a cane.

“Now it’s really tough.”

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My legs felt numb, and my brain seemed to be burning.

I didn’t even know how I was still standing.