Chapter 128: One Man against an Orc Horde
Silas stared at the advancing sea of giants and absentmindedly counted. One, ten, a hundred... thousands. Every direction was blocked.
Towering orc warriors tightened their grips around axes larger than cars. Trolls pounded their clubs against the earth. Ogres laughed as they cracked their necks. Goblins climbed onto boulders, cheering like spectators waiting for a festival to begin.
The Beast Tribes watched from the edges of the valley, curious to see how the strange little human would survive.
"..."
Silas slowly inhaled.
"System."
[Yes?]
"How much mana do I have?"
The answer appeared immediately.
<Mana: 43 / 3005>
"Forty-three?"
[Correct.]
"I used that much?"
[You maintained Fate Thread Vision over an entire world, maintained Thread Manipulation continuously, opened and stabilized a World Catalogue Portal, and prevented a thirty-foot Runic Jotun from becoming a crater.]
[In conclusion, you are broke.]
Silas closed his eyes and exhaled in resignation, "...Fantastic."
"So no Thread Spear."
[Negative.]
"No Web Domain."
[Negative.]
"No Razor Thread."
[Negative.]
"No Heart Domain?"
[Absolutely not.]
Silas sighed.
"So... I’m basically just handsome."
[Extremely handsome.]
"Not helping."
The first orc warrior stepped forward. He stood nearly fourteen feet tall with twin axes resting upon his shoulders. Unlike the celebratory expressions from earlier, his face had become serious. He struck his chest and spoke, his voice deep and resonating.
"King."
Silas raised a hand.
"Let’s calm down..."
The warrior charged.
"Oh. So we’re doing this."
Silas immediately opened the System Shop.
[Recommended Purchases:]
- Hunter’s Twin Daggers (C-Rank) - 25,000 CP
- Shadow Fang Daggers (B-Rank) - 180,000 CP
- Windstep Daggers (A-Rank) - 2,400,000 CP
Silas didn’t even hesitate.
"I’ll take the Shadow Fang."
[Purchase Successful!]
[-180,000 CP]
Two beautifully crafted daggers materialized in his hands. Their blades were matte black with faint silver veins running along the edges, granting him the perfect balance and perfect weight.
He spun them instinctively.
"Nice."
He clenched both his fists, and metal immediately flowed over his forearms. His gauntlets appeared, the familiar weight settling around his arms. He smiled.
"That’s more like it."
The charging warrior was already upon him, his axe descending powerfully and dangerously. Silas vanished, and the axe split the earth instead, causing the warrior to blink sheepishly and confusedly.
"Hm?"
A flash of pink appeared beside him, and one dagger sliced across his ribs. The cut was not deep, but enough to make the warrior freeze.
"Fast!"
Silas had already disappeared again. "Too slow."
The second dagger struck the back of his knee, causing the enormous orc to stumble.
Silas jumped, twisted, and slammed both of his gauntlets together. The impact exploded against the warrior’s jaw, and the giant spun three full times before crashing into several others.
Silence enveloped the place as the surrounding orcs stared at him in shock and surprise. Then, one of them smiled. Another laughed. And a third pointed.
"GOOD!"
The valley erupted.
"GOOD!"
"GOOD!"
"GOOD!"
Silas blinked.
"They’re complimenting me?"
[Affirmative.]
"That’s... surprisingly wholesome."
The next wave came, and this time, it was not one orc but twenty.
Silas grinned.
"No abilities... No problem."
He dashed forward, his movements becoming unbelievably efficient.
Martial Arts, Dagger Arts, Prowess, Perfect Stature- all his passive skills synchronized. One dagger deflected a spear, while the other buried itself into an ogre’s shoulder before being ripped free.
A troll swung a massive club, but Silas slid underneath it, and his gauntlet drove upward.
BOOOOM!!
The troll’s chin snapped upward. Before the body even hit the ground, another axe intercepted it. Silas twisted, caught the wooden handle, and used it as a vault. He spun over the warrior’s head, and his heel slammed into the back of its skull.
The giant dropped face-first onto the ground, smiling. Behind him, three goblins leaped.
"DIE!"
Silas sighed. "Really?"
He grabbed one by the ankle and used it as a club.
WHACK!!
WHACK!!
WHACK!!
Three unconscious goblins flew into nearby bushes.
"Sorry."
A troll applauded, and the applause immediately became another attack. Silas barely ducked as a club shaved several strands of pink hair.
"Okay. That one was personal."
He launched himself upward, his gauntlet smashing into the troll’s temple.
BOOOOM!!
The troll spun like a top before collapsing. The battlefield became absolute chaos. Silas never stayed still. Every fallen weapon became another stepping stone. Every charging warrior became another launching point.
He danced, not gracefully, but efficiently, becoming a living blur that left orcs, ogres, and goblins unconscious in his wake.
Far away, the Crimson Reaper Queen screeched.
Silas smiled.
"You finally got here."
The enormous mantis crashed into the battlefield.
SKREEEEEEEE!!
Several giants instinctively stepped back. The insect immediately lowered itself, and Silas understood instantly.
"You want in?"
The echo shrieked happily.
"Fine."
Silas jumped, landing upon its back, and the mantis exploded into motion. It wasn’t flying. It was running. Its six blade-like legs carved trenches into the earth as it sliced between warriors at frightening speed, but making sure not to kill them, most of the time.
Not like they cared. This was their king to be. Death for a greater cause was their motto. It was the perfect way to leave this world for Valhalla.
Silas used the echo perfectly. Every time it leaped, he leaped higher. Every landing became another attack. He fought like someone who had long abandoned the concept of conserving energy because he couldn’t afford to.
BOOOOOOM!!
A gigantic greataxe suddenly struck the Crimson Reaper’s side, making the echo screech in pain. Silas’s smile vanished.
"You hit my ride."
He dropped and landed directly before the twenty-foot-tall chieftain. The giant grinned.
"King."
Silas rolled his shoulders. "I’m starting to dislike that word."
The chieftain attacked, and Silas answered. The collision alone shook the valley.
BOOOOOOM!!
Silas slid backward several meters.
"Strong..." The chieftain nodded approvingly.
"So are you."
They clashed again. And again. And again. Each impact cracked the ground beneath them. Meanwhile, miles away, Alpha finally reached the edge of the valley and stopped. Apparently, the echo had dropped them off to rush to Silas.
"...What..."
Chloe stood beside him and neither spoke. Below them, thousands upon thousands of orcs surrounded a lone pink-haired figure. The battlefield stretched farther than either of them could see.
At the center, Silas continued fighting, not retreating or surrendering, but simply surviving. Alpha slowly rubbed his eyes.
"Tell me... I’m hallucinating."
Chloe smiled helplessly.
"No. He’s actually fighting an entire kingdom."
Alpha watched Silas punch a giant in the face before jumping onto another’s shoulders.
"One day... he’s going to be the death of me."
Chloe giggled.
"I think today is his turn first."
Then, together, they leaped into the battlefield.