The Black Iron Burst began to crack, emitting a red glow from within.
Boom!
With a deafening roar that seemed to pierce the heavens, it exploded.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Black Iron Burst split into dozens of fragments, tearing through the orcs.
"Aaagh!"
"Kraaagh!"
"Krrrk!"
Though small, the fragments left bowling-ball-sized wounds. A single Black Iron Burst sent dozens of orcs to the ground, dying.
Did I put in too much inner energy?
"Yuren, what was that? What did you throw…?"
Ilia trembled, witnessing the Black Iron Burst's power.
The Black Iron Burst was a hidden weapon similar to a modern fragmentation grenade, but instead of gunpowder, it used inner energy, allowing me to control the explosion's timing.
"It's called Black Iron Burst."
"Black Iron Burst?"
"I'll explain later. Focus ahead."
The fight wasn't over. The orcs' formation collapsed, and many died, but plenty remained, including the episode's boss, the red orc warrior Ka-Ruda.
"Wooaah! We can do this!"
"Trust Lord Yuren!"
"Throw another!"
"We can survive!"
The terrified soldiers, sensing a turning point, roared with newfound courage.
"Kraaaagh!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Kraraaa!"
"Krrrk!"
Ka-Ruda, at the rear, let out a war cry. The orcs responded, slamming their weapons into the ground.
"Kwaaa!"
At Ka-Ruda's final roar, the orcs charged us simultaneously.
I can use it one more time.
I formed another Black Iron Burst and threw it into the charging orcs' center.
"Krara!"
Ka-Ruda shouted, and the orcs split left and right.
He figured out the Black Iron Burst's weakness already?
Like a grenade, it's most effective against clustered enemies. Ka-Ruda, noticing the delay, was dispersing the orcs around the impact zone.
But he got it wrong. I control the explosion's timing.
Boom!
"Kraaagh!"
"Aagh!"
"Krrrk…"
I detonated the Black Iron Burst above the orcs' heads before they could scatter. Dozens more were engulfed in blood-soaked fragments.
"Krara!"
Yet Ka-Ruda and the orcs didn't slow, charging relentlessly despite their losses.
"Lord Yuren!"
"Yuren, got more?"
"Too late. Detonating here would kill us all. Their numbers are down—fight! We can win!"
I summoned Agnes and turned her into a dagger.
Whoosh!
Boom!
It wasn't a dagger but a missile. One hit, one kill—every throw took down at least one orc.
"Wooaah!"
"We can do it!"
"Kill the orcs!"
"Avenge our comrades!"
Inspired by my words, the soldiers charged forward, their spears steady.
"Let's do this."
Emboldened by the soldiers, I threw a dagger at Ka-Ruda.
Clang!
Ka-Ruda angled his blade, deflecting it. His combat sense was sharp.
"Kra!"
When we were about ten meters apart, Ka-Ruda suddenly leaped.
"Krrk!"
Our eyes met mid-air.
He's targeting me!
Whether he saw me as a threat or acted on instinct, he was clearly after me.
I grabbed Giranox's waist and used the Lesser Dragon Step to dodge.
Boom!
"Kraaagh!"
His mere downward slash sounded like a cannon, shredding nearby soldiers. Terrifying destructive power.
As Ka-Ruda pursued me, Ilia blocked his path.
Bang!
Their swords clashed, producing an unnatural sound, like a collapsing building.
"Urgh!"
"Krr…"
Ilia parried Ka-Ruda's violent strikes with fluid swordsmanship, but the strength gap was too wide—she couldn't absorb all the force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ka-Ruda swung relentlessly, not to kill but to destroy.
"Hah!"
Despite being pushed back, Ilia twisted, dodging a strike and stabbing Ka-Ruda's chest.
Clang!
"Urgh!"
Ka-Ruda blocked with his left sword, leveraging his dual-wielding.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ilia's expression hardened with each clash, but her sword grew sharper.
Clang!
As the fight continued, the clashes lessened—Ilia was reading his moves. To grasp a wild, instinctive sword so quickly—her Sword Empress trait was a cheat.
"Hah!"
"Krak!"
Ilia's sword grazed Ka-Ruda's left arm. Enveloped in aura, it sliced through his steel-like skin and muscle like tofu.
Boom!
I kept throwing daggers at orcs, never taking my eyes off Ilia.
So far, it's like the novel. But Ilia will lose.
"Krak!"
Ilia's sword pierced Ka-Ruda's stomach. Thinking it was over, she relaxed.
Now's the moment.
I focused solely on Ilia and Ka-Ruda.
Wooong.
"What?!"
As Ilia moved to finish him, Ka-Ruda glowed, pushing her sword out of his body.
"Kaooo!"
His body blazed red.
"No way… an orc with aura…?"
Ka-Ruda, struck by Ilia's aura-infused attacks, forcibly awakened his own. The explosive aura was blinding.
Whoosh!
"Damn it!"
Crack!
Ilia swore, blocking Ka-Ruda's now-faster strikes, but the sound was ominous.
Crunch!
"Aaagh!"
Ka-Ruda's explosive aura was breaking Ilia's sword. Sensing her death, she pressed forward, determined to land one last hit.
I can't let her die.
[Using Direct Shot.]
[Using Arcing Shot.]
Whoosh!
Fwoom!
Clang!
Clang!
Two inner-energy-charged daggers knocked Ka-Ruda's swords away.
Stab!
Ilia seized the moment, stabbing his chest and retreating.
"Huff, huff! Thanks."
Ignoring her, I crafted my personal hidden weapon, tested only once: the Blood Flower Butterfly.
Shwing!
A beautiful red butterfly, as if drawn to a flower, landed on my hand.
"Kuooo!"
Ka-Ruda, forcibly stopping his bleeding, charged at me, not Ilia.
Flutter.
I released the butterfly. It flapped, flying toward Ka-Ruda.
Flutter.
Its graceful wings, out of place in the bloody battlefield, drew the gaze of soldiers and orcs alike.
"Krrrk!"
Fwoom!
Ka-Ruda, wary of me, didn't underestimate the butterfly. He swung his crossed swords to swat it away.
Flap.
But the Blood Flower Butterfly deftly dodged, landing on his chest.
Click.
Spurt!
A mechanical sound preceded a fountain of blood. The butterfly pierced Ka-Ruda's chest, shredding his heart.
"Karr…"
A clean, vivid hole gaped through his left chest.
Thud!
Ka-Ruda collapsed, his blood soaking the ground.
A butterfly smaller than a palm killed a 2.5-meter monster in one strike—an unreal scene that silenced the battlefield.
"Phew…"
I knew the Blood Flower Butterfly would reach Ka-Ruda, but I wasn't sure it could pierce his aura-infused body. A needless worry—it obliterated him. Terrifying power.
"Y-Yuren, you…"
"Ilia, how long are you gonna stand there? Finish the fight."
Snapping out of it, Ilia nodded.
"Only stragglers remain. Kill the orcs! This battle is ours!"
"Wooaah!"
"Raaagh!"
Seeing me fell Ka-Ruda, the soldiers, spurred by Ilia's cry, fought beyond their limits, wiping out the remaining orcs.
"Victory!"
"We won!"
"Wooaah!"
From expected annihilation to triumph, the soldiers wept, roaring in victory.
"Yuren…"
"Ilia, you hurt?"
"No, but this is…"
She lifted her near-broken sword.
"I owe you my life, so I don't know what to say."
"Haha!"
She was courteous, curious but restrained, knowing I was her savior.
"Simply put, I trained in hidden weapons, not swords."
"Hidden weapons? Like daggers?"
"Daggers, the black orb that exploded, and the butterfly that killed that monster—all hidden weapons."
"Unbelievable…"
Ilia's eyes shook. Understandable—she only considered swords true weapons.
Today will broaden her perspective.
"Let's head back. We're too few to recover bodies now."
"Yeah, we'll come back tomorrow."
Ilia beheaded Ka-Ruda and put it in her magic pouch.
Wow, putting that dripping head in there?
"It's meant for enemy heads. No need to feel bad."
"Oh…"
Reading my expression, she smiled.
We organized the bodies, marking them for later retrieval.
"If we stay too long, something else might happen. Let's go."
With the sun down, we hurried back to As Castle. But lights approached from the opposite direction.
"Everyone, halt!"
At Ilia's command, we stopped, waiting for the lights.
I know who they are…
Not in the novel, but my inner energy already identified them.
I glanced at Ilia, tense and alert.
What will you do?