Chapter 173 – Encirclement Battle (4)
He laughed with his eyes closed. Everyone was staring at him.
The man coughed.
“Cough! Kuk. There are people eavesdropping.” Then he straightened and spoke to the army in front of him. “Do you know?”
He spread open his arms. At that moment, a dark aura exuded from his body. His eyes were wicked. The darkness started to cover up his normal appearance.
“The scent of a man becomes deeper and deeper over time…”
The one who controlled the body started to assert himself. The great evil that was invited encroached at the body. His eyes became like a beast. His gait started to flow strangely. He stood in front of the imperial forces.
He smiled, “My contractor says that people are like wine.”
“……!”
A soldier who met the man’s eyes dropped his weapon. His strength fell. He could feel it instinctively. This was an existence he absolutely couldn’t contend with. A black curtain fell over his eyelids. His vision blurred.
“In that case, I…”
The sense of space inverted. The soldier didn’t notice he was being pulled down. All his senses were locked in the darkness. The man’s voice entered his ears.
“I am the vintage wine, the demon Demogorgon.”
***
All of a sudden, the dead rose. Cockta knew that it was the work of Iron, the person who once helped him. He had already been overtaken by the demon and attacked the soldiers with bizarre laughter.
The imperial army became confused as the dead rose again. However, that power didn’t help much.
The magicians exerted their efforts to control the situation. ‘Dispel Undead’ were used to break down the undead. Demogorgon’s power was so strong that while the undead weren’t completely eliminated, they were noticeably weakened.
Furthermore, there was a bigger problem.
“The products are too finely chopped.”
The corpses of those killed by Crockta and Andre weren’t intact. They were so broken that they couldn’t be raised again.
Demogorgon shouted, “Ignorant orc!”
“Kulkulkulkul, I’m sorry.”
The imperial army soon regained their morale and hit Demogorgon. His figure was surrounded by the imperial army. An angry Demogorgon started to kill the soldiers by hand. Demogorgon swung his fists and scattered the darkness, but no matter how strong the demon was, it was hard for him to exert all his abilities.
He also entered an uphill battle.
“Kaaaat! Bring it on, humans! Keok! You bastards!”
Andre also bellowed, “I am the white knight of justice, Andre! Die!”
Crockta resumed the fight. He laughed as his blade struck the enemies. This was originally a body that should’ve fallen before such a huge number. But now, two assistants appeared. Both of them were equal to 100 warriors, like Crockta.
Rommel’s face distorted.
“Rommel──────!”
Crockta called out to him.
“Only this much──────!”
Crockta stepped forward. A sound similar to an explosion occurred. A terrifying aura rose from him as he swung his greatsword at the knights.
The knights had become accustomed to Crockta’s swordsmanship so it wasn’t as easy as before. Crockta was also tired and refrained from explosive attacks like before. The wounds on his body caused him pain.
The battlefield was still disadvantageous. Adandator was in the rear. Demogorgon was on the defensive due to the difference in numbers. Crockta could feel how reckless this fight was.
He raised his strength and stared at Rommel.
The best way to win against so many enemies was to kill the leader. Furthermore, Rommel was the key since he controlled the imperial army with the power of a War Maestro. His loss would be greater than any other commander.
Crockta wielded Ogre Slayer as he figured out how to approach Rommel. However, Rommel calmly directed the troops. He built an effective formation to deal with Crockta, Andre, and Iron. Andre was blocked by Betring and Bluno, while Iron was handled by the magicians. Crockta was surrounded by the knights.
As Crockta stepped forward, the vanguard stepped back. The minor attacks consumed his stamina. Crockta’s mouth twitched. He wasn’t an easy guy. In addition, Andre was about to collapse.
Betring, Bluno and some soldiers continued to press at Andre. Andre didn’t have the same combat power as Crockta or Demogorgon. He had more power than ordinary users because of his practical abilities, but he couldn’t go beyond the limits of a user.
Crockta looked up at the sky.
Crows were flying.
***
Betring’s attack hit Andre’s wrist, causing his opponent’s sword to miss. Subsequently, Bluno struck. Andre barely managed to avoid it. Andre breathed heavily as he lost his sword and looked around.
A bloody face.
He glanced at Rommel and then back at the entire battlefield. Maybe all of this would be broadcasted. He had appeared in a wonderful manner, so he needed to fight nicely until the end. He was White Knight Andre.
“Cowardly and stupid guys!” Andre cried out.
Bluno laughed and said, “Are you going to speak nonsense like the orc? Those who will die soon always speak the loudest.”
Bluno’s voice was rough. He received a shock from Crockta’s declaration. He had great pride in being a knight of the kingdom. He believed that he was in the right.
However, he lost all confidence in front of the orc Crockta. He saw Crockta, who confronted the army alone with just faith, and compared him to the imperial army. Rather, Crockta seemed like the real knight.
Moreover, he laughed as he trampled on them. It was as if he was denying all injustices.
Bluno nodded. He rushed towards Andre along with the soldiers. The weary Andre revealed a gap. Bluno’s attack didn’t miss Andre. Andre tried to avoid it using acrobatic movements, but the stab wound was still deep. He fell to his knees.
“Now, say it again. What were you saying?” Andre tried to speak, but Bluno kicked his stab wound. Andre fell down. “Again…”
“Cowardly and stupid scum.”
Bluno paused.
“The name of a knight is wasted on you, trash.”
Bluno slowly turned around. Andre wasn’t in a position to speak right now. It wasn’t him. The voice was coming from behind. Bluno and the knights discovered four people behind them.
An unknown group. They stood shoulder to shoulder with their arms posed. Bluno’s face distorted as the unidentified people emerged.
It was already the third time.
“Who are you?”
“Who?” The man standing on the far left spoke. “You asked who we are.”
Then the woman standing next to him spoke, “We’ll give you an answer.”
The next man answered, “Knights who have lost your chivalry, let our names wash away that dirt on your chest.”
The man on the far right lifted his shining sword, “We are the mighty people of justice! F4!”
They were the best roleplayers who teamed up with Crockta, Iron, and the Orc Users Brotherhood at Chesswood. The F4 had appeared again.
Bob, who had the role of a warrior, raised his shining sword as he watched the soldiers in front of him. He had been waiting for this. They traveled the world of Elder Lord after Chesswood, but couldn’t feel the thrill of that time again. This was the real stage they wanted.
He wanted to get a haste scroll and join quickly, but he wasn’t sure. So he tried to observe the situation. Crockta didn’t disappoint him. He wasn’t a roleplayer like them. He was a real warrior. Bob was thrilled as he saw what Crockta said on the screen. That wasn’t all. He could feel that the whole world was thrilled by Crockta’s words.
‘A warrior doesn’t forsake faith.’
When did he see those fighting for faith?
‘A warrior doesn’t persecute the weak.’
Who would risk their life for the weak?
‘A warrior doesn’t attack unarmed people.’
It was a world where people would stab each other in the back if they saw a gap.
‘A warrior doesn’t yield to injustice.’
Life was a process of being accustomed to injustice.
‘A warrior doesn’t shame the gods.’
He looked godly as he spoke.
‘A warrior pays back any favor or disservice.’
Was that really an orc over there?
‘A warrior protects the powerless.’
He really put his life on the line for this.
As a warrior, Bob was ashamed of himself. This orc wasn’t a user with an extra life like them; if he died, then it was the end. Nevertheless, he faced the great army alone without any hesitation. Yet they were worried about being hurt, despite being users.
Bob immediately called his friends to come here. They tore the haste scroll and rode horses to this place. In the end, they were able to arrive in time. They discovered Crockta and two men facing countless enemies.
Now it was time for F4 to make their mark here.
“Knights, listen carefully.”
It might not be as strong as Crockta’s, but they had their own beliefs. Bob wielded the shining knife.
“My sword X-Geiger is in pain…!”
Joseph, standing beside him, hit his back.
“Cough!”
He grabbed Bob’s head. Then he whispered.
“Hey, this will be shown all around the world.”
“Don’t do it.”
“This is the main point!”
“Let’s just go to fight.”
Bluno looked at them and shouted, “What are you doing?”
The situation continued to twist and more strange guys appeared, so Bluno became angry.
Bob responded by effortlessly moving the sword.
“Anyway, we are the mighty people who came to help Crockta!”
“We will protect Espada’s freedom from the empire!”
“In the name of justice!”
Bluno was outraged. Crockta, the white knight and the unknown necromancer, these three were obviously powerful. But it was unacceptable for this group to ridicule them.
“I will kill you.”
“Kill him!”
Bluno started running towards the F4. The fireballs, created by the magician Joseph, flew towards them. The blades crossed.
***
Demogorgon was angry. It was difficult to use his power because there were no proper corpses, and this physical body was limited. It was like ants were crawling on his body, but his limbs were tied up so he couldn’t squash them.
“Trivial humans!”
Demogorgon gathered the darkness and turned it towards the knights. Their bodies were broken. The voice of his contractor rang in his head.
‘Demogorgon! Fighting! You are also manly when punching! The movement of your center of gravity is excellent! Kukakak!’
Well. This was true. He was well versed in war tactics. Demogorgon felt better as his contractor praised it from the objective of a third party.
“Huhuhu, humans…you can’t win against me.”
The imperial army calmly circled around Demogorgon, despite his force. They were well-trained soldiers. He determined that the man in the distance was commanding all of this. A great guy for a human. He controlled the soldiers like they were his own limbs.
Demogorgon had gone through many fights in hell so he had a dim foreboding. It would become difficult to fight. If reinforcements came…
At that moment.
“……?”
A dust cloud could be seen from far away.
Reinforcements.
He stopped fighting and turned his head at the thought of more enemies being added to the imperial army. A crowd was coming. They were a unit of humans. It was lacking compared to the imperial army, but it was still quite a large number.
They stood before the imperial forces. They formed a systematic formation against the imperial army. Then they slowly approached. Three people stood at the forefront. One of them pointed to Rommel and the army before saying.
“Hey, people from the empire.” The man spread open his arms. “Whatever evil you have done, I know that you aren’t really bad guys.”
“……!”
The man pulled out a coin. He threw it towards them and said.
“Now is the time of rehabilitation.”
It was the Rehabilitation Brothers.
“Rehabilitation!”
“Rehabilitation!”
“Kaeeeeeng!”
The Rehabilitation Brothers shouted.
Demogorgon burst out laughing. “They are funny humans! Kukakakakat!”
***
Rommel frowned as he witnessed the battle. The situation continued to be reversed. Crockta, Andre, and Iron weren’t easy to stop, and more strange people kept appearing.
“Rommel. The situation…”
“It is still okay. Crockta is tired. In the end, we…”
There was still room.
“Over there!”
A member of Heaven and Earth shouted. Rommel and Keynes hurriedly turned their heads. On the other side of the Rehabilitation Brothers, a group with red headbands appeared. They were all holding blades and looked like bandits. Yes, that was the crazy Red Headbands group.
The number of variables kept increasing.
Rommel frowned. Yes, it was still okay. It would be hard but they could still win. Apart from Crockta alone, there was Andre, Iron, F4, the Rehabilitation Brothers and the Red Headbands. The power had increased tremendously but the empire still had the advantage.
Except for Crockta, Andre, and Iron, the rest weren’t that strong and there were still many imperial troops. Regular users couldn’t match up against well-trained ones. But the bad news kept flying.
A member of the Heaven and Earth clan came running up to him.
“Rommel! The ‘He’s an Orc, yet still Praiseworthy’ members are coming!”
“Those dog like scum…” Rommel cursed. They weren’t a proper clan or social club, they were just a fanclub. It was like disregarding the entire Heaven and Earth Clan.
The formations broke. The strange guys surrounded the knights around Crockta. He watched the battlefield with the power of the War Maestro. It was still okay.
Keynes opened his mouth, “Rommel. If we…”
“No. We still have the advantage. The knights are still going strong. It is good that we can take care of them all at once…”
At that moment.
Dudududududu.
The ground started to shake.
Dudududududu.
The eyes of both the imperial forces and Crockta’s forces focused on one side. Who was going to appear next? A black group was running like crazy towards them.
The distance narrowed.
Dududududududududu!
