Chapter 187 – New Slayer (2)
Geherad was in turmoil. The temple of the sun god, which could be called the reason for Geherad’s existence, was on fire.
“Everybody evacuate!”
“What is going on?”
“Fire, fire!”
The first place to react was the worship room. The fire started at the altar that contained the last fire and started to spread throughout the temple. The worshipers shouted and ran away, along with the guards of the temple. The terrified blacksmiths also left the forge.
It was the same for the priest and Crockta’s group in the archives. They rushed outside as the temple became hotter.
“What is this…?”
“Oh my god.”
“The sun god!”
“Come this way!”
Those who evacuated to the outskirts stared at the temple with devastation. Crockta gazed at the temple. It seemed like the entire building was on fire. Nevertheless, the temple itself didn’t combust. The whole temple felt like a melting fire pit but nothing was destroyed. Even the flags flying from the temple maintained their intact appearance. It maintained its intact appearance despite being surrounded by a red flame.
The priest muttered, “The sun will burn his enemy and wrap itself around his children. To those who don’t believe in him, he is the plague of hell.”
People looked at him.
“This is the power of the sun god. His flame is said to burn the enemies, while not harming those who weren’t enemies.”
“Ahh…”
“Is the sun god waking up? This is obviously his power.”
“Perhaps finally…”
The huge temple was burning while maintaining its appearance. It was an unbelievable sight that couldn’t be understood unless the power of a god were involved. People started to talk about the resurrection of the sun god.
Then someone said, “No, that isn’t the case.”
“Rastad?”
It was Rastad. There was an unknown expression on his face. It was both jubilant and bittersweet.
“That isn’t the resurrection of the sun god.”
“Huh?”
“It is the last forge.”
Everyone staring blankly at him. Only the priest nodded like he understood, “I understand. It is the last forge.”
“What do you mean?” Wasn’t the last forge the place where we were?”
One blacksmith asked Rastad. Rastad shook his head.
“That is just a room next to the worship room. The true last forge is somewhere else, and it isn’t a place we can use whenever we want. It is a legendary forge that appears when the last fire burns.” Now there was a clear smile on his face. “There are three conditions necessary to truly use the last forge. It will appear when the world needs the last forge, when a worthy craftsman puts the iron into the furnace and…
He looked at Crockta, who flinched. Rastad smiled so widely that his canine teeth were revealed.
“When a warrior who deserves a weapon made in the last forge is met. The last forge will only appear then.”
Rastad finished speaking and fell silent. It was a sight that he might never see again in his life.
At that moment. It started to rain.
Chiiiik!
Steam appeared as the fire around the temple and the rain met. The entire temple was covered in steam, making it not visible anymore. Consecutive scenes that were hard to believe appeared. Then they heard the sound of iron being hit.
Kaaang!
The sound became bigger.
Kaaang!
There was the blazing temple, pouring rain and hammering sound that rang out all over Geherad.
Kaaang!
***
After the divine message was received, public opinion wandered for a while but it gradually moved towards a conclusion. All temples followed the will of their gods and designated Crockta as an enemy to be destroyed.
“I never thought the day would come when all gods would whisper the same words.” A man wearing steel armor said.
Duke Christian of the empire looked at him.
“It is a chance I never thought would come in my life. I am going.”
The man standing in front of him was one of Christian’s subordinates. He was an important talent, a person that Christian didn’t spare any support for and was placed right below him. The strongest magician Mogsulin was one of his representatives.
It was the same for the man in front of him, a paladin chosen by the god of war. Using the god of war’s blessing, Aklan wiped out all enemies in front of him. He welcomed this divine message more than anyone else. He wanted to get rid of Crockta and the orcs as soon as possible.
His determined eyes proved this.
“Hrmm, I see.” Christian thought about it.
The deeply religious elves and dwarves were already preparing to march. It was a divine message so volunteer troops gathered together. Those who knew how to fight, the soldiers and those who wanted to win gathered together. It wasn’t just due to the divine message but also the ambition to distinguish themselves in a great cause. Those who wanted to know themselves and acquire honor lined up. The goal was Orcrox in the land of the orcs.
The man standing here, Aklan, was a person filled with both honor and faith in his god.
“If that is your will, I can’t stop you.” Duke Christian replied. He spoke negatively to the emperor about this fight, but he also thought it was important. However, he didn’t want to follow the trend. He was the person throwing the fire, not the one who caught on fire.
And Aklan was the best person to set fire to. He believed in the god of war. That was the reason for Aklan’s existence. This fanaticism would spread to people like a disease.
“Adandator wants to accompany me.”
“Adandator?”
“Yes.”
Adandator had been injured in the battle against Crockta. Was it due to vengeance? Or maybe Aklan’s madness had moved him.
“Okay.”
It didn’t matter. Adandator was a person close to the emperor. He didn’t have a large relationship with Christian.
“Please understand, I can’t send the regular armies and knights. It is because it is the emperor, not the gods, that is at the top of the empire.” Christian explained.
“I know.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t recruit volunteers. Gather people from the temple of the war god. Try whatever you can. I will speak to the emperor. If the soldiers want to go, they will be able to.”
“Thank you.” Aklan bowed deeply. “I will return to pay back all your grace.”
“Don’t worry about that. Bring back victory. That is enough.”
“Yes!”
“Then please go.” Aklan rose, bowed once more to Christian and turned around.
Christian watched him leave and thought.
‘Please spread this war so that everyone will become wounded, and there is no clear winner.’
“The orcs will truly cease to exist. Then the balance of the continent will fall.”
Create a shocking and exciting upheaval.
Christian smiled. “What do you think?”
Then a man standing next to Duke Christian revealed himself. The robed man was the great magician, Mogsulin.
“The orcs will disappear from the continent.”
“Aren’t there monsters among the orcs?”
“They are monsters, but their opponents are gods. All the gods are hostile to the orcs. Who can survive?”
“Indeed.”
“It can’t be helped, even if the fallen god is behind them.”
According to Mogsulin, the power of the fallen god was felt strongly from Crockta when he fought the empire, making the gods take this action.
“I’m glad you are here.”
Mogsulin had touched the Pinnacle and was linked to the gods. He overheard the stories of the gods and told Christian. Without Mogsulin, he wouldn’t have known all of this. Mogsulin smiled and bowed at Christian’s praise.
“But what will happen if that Crockta wins? He has succeeded in doing things that seem impossible. He is an orc but I admire him. No matter how great the gods are, I can’t help feeling uneasy.”
“This time, even he’s unable to do anything. He might be the best fighter who defeated Adandator, but the gods aren’t existences that can be killed with swords.”
“Those who can’t be killed by swords…how reliable.”
Christian laughed. People all over the continent were following the divine message. This was a great opportunity for those like Christian.
***
The rain didn’t stop falling in Geherad. Nevertheless, the flames around the temple didn’t go out. People tried to approach the temple but couldn’t enter due to the heat. An extraordinary event was going on.
In addition, the banging sound continued to ring through Geherad.
Kaaang!
Kaaang!
“Zakiro, is he alive?”
“We can still hear the sound…”
“Has he eaten dot?”
“……”
“What a great guy, dot. If I was him, I would die from hunger. Ohh.”
Kaaang!
According to the priest and Rastad, Zakiro was currently making a weapon with the last fire. A type of divine power had descended. However, Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor focused on eating as the crazy blacksmith hammered on the iron.
The interior was very hot so Zakiro might already be burned. Fortunately, the knocking sound continued but it was unknown if he was perfectly safe. This was a problem that continued all day.
“By the way, my father said he was going north dot.”
“That’s right,” said the priest as he drank his beer.
Due to the burning temple, the priest lost his home and stayed with Crockta’s group at the inn for a while. There was no rule against priests drinking alcohol. The excited priest drank the beer. He maintained good manners but he was still a dwarf.
“I remember him saying it in passing. He is seeking a person who knows the myths in the north.”
“My dad really is a wanderer dot.”
They pursued him from the north to the south, then the west and now they were heading north again. It was traveling all around the continent.
“But this time, the north…” Tiyo looked at Crockta and asked, “Won’t the land of the orcs appear dot?”
“Indeed,” Crockta nodded in agreement. If they headed north from Geherad, Orcrox and Basque Village would appear. Their destination was there, as if someone was intentionally leading them.
“It has been a really long time since I’ve returned home.”
The place where everything began, Orcrox. Crockta was filled with a burning desire to go back there.
“By the way, when will Zakiro finish the sword? I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too dot. Crockta is great, isn’t this like a divine sword?”
“Do you think it might be a legendary sword?”
They looked at Crockta. All of this was happening due to Crockta’s Ogre Slayer. What type of weapon would be created? Crockta scratched his head and said, “Uhh…well…”
He wasn’t sure. He expected a great weapon, but it became somewhat burdensome due to the burning temple, steam and knocking sound.
At that moment, a dwarf sitting in the next chair asked, “Hey, can you hear that sound anymore?”
The sound of iron being hammered had stopped.
“……”
It was quiet. Everyone got up in excitement.
“Perhaps!”
“This!”
“Let’s go dot!”
The group left the inn. It was still raining. In the rain, the temple lost the fire and steam, gradually returning to its original appearance. The flames around the temple that surprised Geherad faded.
Crockta’s group ran towards the temple. As they approached, they saw a man appear at the door of the temple. It was Zakiro. His body was covered in soot but his eyes were shining. He found Crockta and started to walk over, his steps filled with exhaustion.
He was holding a greatsword in his hand.
Crockta approached and faced him.
“…Good work.”
Zakiro stopped, looked up at Crockta, and laughed. Words weren’t necessary. Zakiro, a blacksmith of the Golden Anvil Clan, a genius who received the title of ‘Slayer Maker’ at a young age. He handed over the weapon that he poured everything into.
“……!”
Crockta realized it the moment he received the new sword. This wasn’t a normal greatsword. He knew it. It was more than a weapon. The standards that he knew about swords were all broken, and he felt like he could cause a miracle just holding this sword.
The perfect gift for a warrior. Crockta wielded it before looking at Zakiro with a shiver. How should he show his appreciation to the blacksmith who created this?
“Zakiro…”
Crockta opened his mouth. His mouth opened and closed. Crockta was speechless as he suppressed his emotions.
“Geez, something like this…”
