A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 276 : Triumphant Return (5)

【Cough…】

The massive tusks, protruding like elephant ivory, were pathetically broken.

The pointed right ear had been sliced off, while the left ear was burnt and stuck to his head amidst viscous blood.

His black, barrel-like torso and the thick lines of his sturdily trained muscles were drenched in blood and slumped over.

The dangerous aura he exuded—a scent that transcended the mere fear of the unknown—had long since evaporated.

The figure before them now was not 'Nedkul,' the undying Orc Lord who was tyrannical, powerful, and had suppressed all other Orcs through sheer strength to ascend the throne.

He was nothing more than a pitiful piece of prey facing death.

Nedkul, covered in thick blood, was kneeling on both knees, slumped forward.

Even that posture was not by his own will.

His arms and legs were entwined with so many mana chains that counting them was meaningless, and the Orc Lord’s heart had been pierced by a massive 'Holy Spear' thrust down from the sky.

[…How on earth.]

The voice of Kanna Cartier, sounding as if she couldn't believe it even though she was the one who had pierced his heart, came through the transmission device.

…In truth, it wasn't that difficult.

Whether in my past life or this one, I had the advantage in terms of compatibility against this guy.

[…Just how did this happen?]

“In terms of compatibility, he originally couldn’t beat me.”

The combat strength of the Undying Baron, Nedkul, lay in his continuously regenerating health and his absurd durability.

His unique ability, , allowed him to absorb the blood of enemies on the battlefield to restore his own health.

And that was the same for me.

As long as I possessed the traits of a Vampire, my battery was near infinite while fighting in the middle of enemy lines.

However, unlike , which only restored health, my unique Vampire trait, , could also restore mana.

In the end, every time I blew up the stupid Orc barrels standing nearby, my mana and health continued to fill up.

Since we both had combat-regeneration traits, the fight was bound to take a while, but assuming the same conditions, I, who could also restore mana, had the upper hand.

[…….]

“Even without that, I have the advantage, but I also completely tailored the environment.”

Furthermore, I didn't give Nedkul any materials to restore his health.

I had intentionally headed deep into enemy lines beforehand to set the battlefield right in their center.

I had also driven 'Iron Stakes' in advance to exclude the intervention of nearby shamans and bound Nedkul with mana chains so he couldn't escape the battlefield.

Consequently, the battle took place in the deepest part of the enemy camp, meaning I was the only 'enemy' the Orc Lord Nedkul faced.

That was the worst possible combat environment for the 'Undying Orc.'

Aside from the rare occasions when he absorbed my blood after landing a hit, his greatest strength had essentially been castrated.

…Though the timing was a bit later, the reason I was able to catch Nedkul in my past life was by using this exact same method.

It required taking some risks, as one wrong move could lead to an irreparable groggy state and certain death.

But unlike my past life, where I had to analyze his patterns in real-time while fighting, this time I already knew them. Moreover, my experience level was on a different scale compared to before I joined the Special Task Force.

Of course, in my past life, the old man in the bamboo hat scolded me, asking if this wasn't 'breaking the bone to take the flesh' rather than 'giving up the flesh to cut the bone.'

But in terms of effectiveness, nothing was more certain than this.

Since the only risk was 'my life'—aside from the fact that it took quite a while—and the life of a single Hero on the battlefield isn't that significant.

As long as no other alternative existed, it was an inevitable choice for me.

【…Cough—】

…Fortunately, it seemed to have worked well this time as well.

“…Whew.”

Now that the Orc Lord Nedkul was taken down, the battle in the Orc Mountains was as good as won.

Even for me, he was a powerful opponent I couldn't afford to let my guard down against, so I had been completely immersed in the fight.

Quite a bit of time must have passed since the battle ended, as I could see the forces of The Order and familiar faces who had attacked from the other side of the mountains.

The 'Mad Dog' I had seen in the Darkest Dungeon was occupying one side of the battlefield, drenched in blood.

Shim Cheong, wielding the Demonic Sword 'Chiyu,' had already brought a group of Orcs under her command and was decapitating those who were wandering aimlessly, unsure of where to go.

‘…….’

At this point, the Northern Subjugation was essentially over.

…And it was a great victory, at that.

Sigh—

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

I had saved the Northern Subjugation Army, which had been annihilated in my past life.

I had neutralized all of Isaac Einstein's traps, and the Demon King's Army suffered significant damage as their carefully constructed traps were smashed to pieces.

‘…Now, is there only one left?’

I felt that the end was slowly approaching.

* * *

『Great Victory in the Northern Subjugation』

『Northern Subjugation Army, Once Filled with Worry, Makes a Triumphant Return』

The victory of the Northern Subjugation was featured prominently on the front pages of every newspaper.

The editorials in one daily newspaper, which had been spreading conspiracy theories claiming The Order was paying the price for executing the Saintess after the 'Veil of the Black Sea' was cast, vanished into thin air.

It was only natural.

To The Order, the 'reclamation of the North' was of no small significance.

The North was a place The Order had long yearned for, and it was a territory where many refugees belonging to The Order used to reside.

While the Northern Subjugation Army hadn't reclaimed all of it, they had recovered about half of the lands beyond the Black Sea, including the Orc Mountains.

Photos of refugees with happy smiles as they stepped into their homelands filled the articles.

In an atmosphere where the entire territory of The Order shared that happiness, criticizing the Northern Subjugation would have been an act so socially oblivious it would have invited glares.

The eyes that had looked unfavorably upon the Northern Subjugation plan itself—regardless of the issue regarding the Saintess's execution—disappeared without a trace.

The entire territory of The Order was abuzz with nothing but praise for the merit of the returning Northern Subjugation Army.

Of course, there were more than a few voices of concern.

In the process of revealing the achievements of the Northern Subjugation Army, the fact that the Orc Mountains had been fortified by the Demon King's Army was made public.

The existence of Orcs mutated by the effect of the Black Ollive was bound to evoke fear.

Just as Kanna Cartier, who led the Northern Subjugation Army at the time, had been shocked, this was an unprecedented case in the long-running War against Demons.

The fact that the combat power of those Orcs had been doubled was a terrifying prospect, enough to justify screams of horror.

However, those concerns within The Order did not last long.

Soon after, a subsidiary organization of the Vatican that handled related incidents clarified and announced the facts.

『The phenomenon related to the mutated Orcs, defined as the ‘Berserk Effect,’ is an anomaly limited only to Orcs. It is not a result of a fundamental improvement of the Black Ollive…』

In summary, while it was a clear fact that Isaac Einstein had improved the Black Ollive and applied it to the Orcs to significantly strengthen their forces.

The claim was that such 'Improved Black Olives' were not broad or universal enough to be applied to other members of the Demon King's Army.

Of course, it was impossible for such research results to be produced in such a short time.

Unless every existing Magical Beast was made to ingest the 'Improved Black Ollive,' it was difficult to guarantee.

Even if they limited it by saying 'theoretically,' it was impossible to prove in such a short period that the Black Olive could not be universally applied to Magical Beasts.

Such an announcement was a preemptive measure to quell the unnecessary fear rising within the territory of The Order.

…That didn't necessarily mean the announced facts were lies.

Although a different organ of the Vatican made the announcement, in reality, it was U-jin who provided the information, and UMC who handled the process leading up to the announcement.

While it would take much longer for The Order's independent research to yield results, U-jin had already seen the outcome—that such a thing would not happen.

Since he had already secured the excellent excuse of the 'Saintess's Prophecy,' he was able to quell the rising fear within The Order without much difficulty.

There was the great victory of the Northern Subjugation Army.

And although voices of concern arose, they were revealed to be unnecessary through the official announcement by The Order.

The next topic was a more detailed 'sharing of credit.'

In simple terms, discussing who performed best in this 'Northern Subjugation.'

And the most talked-about subject in that process was.

Naturally, the guild 'Hunter.'

『Guild ‘Hunter’ Participates with Over 100 Hero-Class Personnel.』

Guild Hunter.

More accurately, people were astonished by the news that the forces secured at the level of the fief, which included the 'Beastkin Nation,' numbered over 100 Hero-class individuals.

And for good reason.

That was roughly the level of the total combined power of the minor non-Constellation kingdoms belonging to The Order.

Of course, it was still far short of the past glory of the powerful Beastkin Nation that had served as the leader of the neutral zones.

Nevertheless, the fact that they had secured such a force in such a short time was enough to cause a stir.

Furthermore, above all else.

The fact that the person who played a distinguished role in annihilating the 'Mad Baron, Nedkul'—the core and highlight of the Northern Subjugation—was none other than U-jin, the Guild Master of 'Hunter,' became known.

Hunter completely solidified its position as a guild.

Originally, it was a new power that couldn't shake off a somewhat disorganized feeling, but now it began to be recognized as a major power, as if it were one of the pillars supporting The Order.

And that was exactly why U-jin had gone to such lengths to have the unit composed of Beastkin participate in this subjugation.

The Northern Subjugation was the most suitable stage for the debut of 'Guild Hunter.'

Especially considering that the growth ceiling for the Beastkin, who had just begun to grow, was still far off.

“…….”

After that, a period of lull ensued for a while.

Since a subjugation on the scale of The Order was a rare occurrence in recent times, it naturally took time to reorganize the reclaimed spaces according to The Order's administrative system.

The Demon King's Army didn't show any particular movement either.

While this kind of 'reorganization' continued.

U-jin.

“…I have heard the rumors.”

“…….”

“So, you were looking for me.”

He went to find the Emperor of Murim.