Seeing that everyone was handling their own fights, Takeru didn't intervene. Instead, he surveyed the surroundings. The ground was littered with the bodies of many volunteers and humans.
Facing the more physically imposing orcs, humans were inherently disadvantaged in terms of raw strength, physique, and defense.
However, they held an advantage in speed. Coupled with the volunteers' honed combat skills, the gap wasn't enormous; in fact, humans even held a slight edge.
But compared to the attacking volunteers, the number of orcs was simply overwhelming, which put the battle situation at a disadvantage.
After a brief glance, Takeru used his foot to flick up the dagger from the orc rogue he had just killed.
He caught it, aimed at a nearby orc, and hurled it. The dagger shot out like a bullet, a mere silver flash before it pierced straight through an orc's skull.
The survivor who had been saved by this stared blankly at the orc that had fallen beside him. Just moments ago, he had prepared himself for death. Now, seeing his assailant collapse first, a wave of relief washed over him.
Looking around, he spotted Takeru throwing the dagger and instantly understood who had saved him, feeling immense gratitude towards Takeru.
Takeru, however, had no time to acknowledge the person he'd saved. He pulled a pouch of specially crafted sharp shortswords from his backpack.
Though called shortswords, they resembled needles more than anything, only useful for stabbing.
He had specifically commissioned these weapons to complement his telekinesis.
Grabbing three of the shortswords, Takeru threw them towards a specific direction with force.
Thwip, thwip, thwip!
The sounds followed as the three shortswords accurately struck the heads of three orcs, killing them instantly.
Without pausing, Takeru grabbed another three shortswords and flung them towards another area. Three more orcs fell...
Soon, due to Takeru's actions, the number of orcs around him rapidly diminished, giving many volunteers a brief respite.
They then went to support other volunteers and border soldiers.
As time passed, Takeru's high-profile actions naturally drew the attention of the orc commander.
Seeing the large number of orc corpses around Takeru, it grew enraged and ordered three more squads of orcs to charge directly at Takeru.
These three squads moved like sharp blades, quickly tearing through the battlefield towards Takeru. Any volunteers attempting to block their path were cut down.
"Oh no, elite orc squads! Three of them!" This major movement was noticed by many, even amidst the chaotic battlefield.
Some volunteers who had been saved by Takeru spontaneously gathered near him, intending to help him face this formidable enemy.
Of course, others were frightened and dared not approach. As for the border army, they were too entangled with their own opponents to spare any reinforcements.
Facing these seemingly unstoppable elite orc squads, Takeru merely revealed a cold smirk.
"Fall back." He calmly addressed the volunteers who wanted to assist him.
The volunteers stared at Takeru in shock. However, seeing that Yui, Ui, and the others around Takeru obediently retreated, the other volunteers hesitated for a moment before also stepping back a distance...
Once everyone had moved away, Takeru took a step forward towards the charging elite orc squads.
"Paralyzing Roar!" When the distance was just right, Takeru suddenly swung his staff forward.
Instantly, the neatly charging elite orc squads seemed to suffer a terrifying electric shock, their bodies going completely numb.
Maintaining their forward momentum, the sudden paralysis caused the entire formation to tumble to the ground in a heap. The resulting collisions caused significant injuries among the orcs.
Seizing the opportunity, Takeru rapidly moved his legs. Several white shockwaves shot out, reaching the orcs with incredible speed and slamming into them violently.
A multitude of orcs were immediately drenched in blood. But Takeru wasn't finished. He took out the last of his special shortswords and hurled them all at the mass of orcs, killing another batch.
By this time, the surviving orcs had recovered. They glared at Takeru with hatred, stood back up, and charged at him once more.
Facing these orcs, Takeru now closed the distance himself. His hands and feet moved continuously, targeting the orcs' weak points with precise strikes...
As for the orcs' attacks, Takeru's figure moved like a falling leaf, always evading at the last possible moment, appearing elegant and effortless...
Although he knew these orcs couldn't breach his defenses, Takeru preferred to dodge rather than look disheveled from being hit repeatedly...
For a moment, this small section of the battlefield seemed like a stage built for Takeru alone, with everyone watching his performance in awe.
In about ten minutes, the three elite squads were effortlessly slaughtered by Takeru.
"Roar! Takeru! Takeru!" Witnessing this, the nearby volunteers shouted Takeru's name like fervent fans, their morale soaring and combat power surging. Joining the fray again, they began to suppress the orcs.
The orc commander, seeing Takeru eliminate four of its elite squads in a row, gnashed its teeth in fury. However, with the loss of four elite squads and the volunteers' boosted morale, the orcs began to lose ground.
But retreat wasn't in their nature. The battle continued intensely, reaching a fever pitch, with countless orc and human bodies falling.
Takeru's killing spree didn't stop. He moved through the battlefield like a war god, wherever he went, a trail of orc corpses was left behind.
By the time the battle ended, Takeru had lost count of how many orcs he had slain with his own hands. One hundred? Two hundred? It was impossible to tell. He also felt utterly exhausted.
Compared to his near-invincible defense, Takeru's strength, constitution, and speed were relatively average.
So, feeling fatigued after several hours of intense battle was no surprise.
Additionally, Takeru's robes were tattered and torn, and his staff was in a state beyond practical use.
This was understandable. Initially, Takeru had energy to dodge, but later, to conserve stamina, he chose to simply tank attacks head-on, not bothering to evade any incoming strikes.
As for Yui and the others, they fared relatively well. Though they sustained numerous injuries, they managed to heal while fighting, aided by the potions Takeru had provided.
While their kill counts paled in comparison to Takeru's, their performance was still exceptionally outstanding.
Now, with the battle concluded, the volunteers had undoubtedly emerged victorious. Takeru and the others had completely occupied the Deadhead Watching Keep...
No one had expected the battle for the Deadhead Watching Keep to conclude within a single day, rendering the second wave of volunteer reinforcements unnecessary.
After the battle, everyone was exhausted, but they still diligently collected spoils. Many survivors even requested to join Takeru's team.
However, after some thought, Takeru declined. One reason was that their remaining time here was short. Another was that Takeru planned to use the remaining time for proper rest and training.
Time flew by, and it was the afternoon of the next day. All volunteers who participated in the battle were gathered. Count Granvold appeared before them, first expressing his gratitude, then began distributing rewards.
As the greatest contributor to this major battle, Takeru received personal commendation from Count Granvold.
Apart from a reward of 100 gold coins, he was specially gifted a set of top-tier robe and staff. Finally, he received an ultra-rare star ring.