novelraw Chapter 42 : Chieftain of the Broken Axe Tribe, ‘Jadrak’ (2)
Chapter 42 : Chieftain of the Broken Axe Tribe, ‘Jadrak’ (2)
Chapter 42: Chieftain of the Broken Axe Tribe, ‘Jadrak’ (2)
‘The Eyes of the Prophet’ dug deep into the orc’s inner being.
[Jadrak]
Race: High Orc
Constellation: 1st Moon (月), 6th Star (星)
Unique Ability: Broken Weapon
Strength 31 Agility 25 Magic Power 6
Physical Defense: 50
Magic Defense: 45
Trait: [Rage]
The 6th Star of the 1st Moon.
Other orc chieftains had Constellations of the 1st or at most 2nd Star of the 1st Moon…
Jadrak, whose rank was four levels higher, was on a completely different scale.
To defeat this one-on-one right now, he’d need a top-tier A-rank—or perhaps even an S-rank hunter.
“To think you’d react to that. Hmm. You’re certainly different from the other humans I’ve faced. But if you’re going to freeze up so stiffly, my compliment will have been wasted, don’t you think?”
Jadrak adjusted his grip on the glaive and spoke.
“Ah, sorry. It’s just the first time in this round I’ve faced an opponent that’s even a little fun. Guess I got excited.”
“…Did you just say I’m a little fun?”
“Yeah. Ah, just so you don’t misunderstand, you’re not that fun either.”
Someone who could slightly raise his heart rate—about that much.
Unfortunately, it was hard to call him a tense or dangerous opponent.
Maybe it was because he had just fought Vivian and White Spirit.
“What a strange human. To say such things even after seeing this carnage.”
Jadrak looked around.
The humans who had confidently declared victory as they charged in—recognized as capable hunters in their own right—were now all lying cold and lifeless.
As if paying the price for their arrogance, they’d all become corpses.
And soon enough—
“You’ll meet the same fate.”
Kukukuku!
A fierce aura surged around his body.
Jadrak gripped his glaive with iron-like arms.
But just then—
“He finally crawled out from behind his guards!”
“If we take him down, the episode’s cleared!”
The hunters, who had been waiting only for Jadrak, launched their attacks from all directions.
[Affleck activates Lv1 ‘Fang of the Serpent’!]
[Victoria activates Unique Ability ‘Fire Arrow’!]
[Patrick uses Trait ‘Ice Blade’!]
A barrage of skills and powers manifested, all aimed at one target.
“To interrupt a sacred one-on-one duel…”
Jadrak’s eyebrows curved sharply in irritation.
[Jadrak activates Lv3 ‘Spirit of the Green’!]
A terrifying energy burst from his glaive.
Though it was inferior to an aura, its sheer power was nothing to scoff at.
Crack!
The ice blades shattered.
Pafafaf!
The arrows of fire split apart.
Kwaaduduk!
And next, even the melee-type hunters’ bodies were torn in half.
Rather than saying he cut them, it was more accurate to say he ripped them apart.
The hunters who had attempted the ambush were annihilated within seconds.
“Kuooooooh!”
“Jadrak! Jadrak! Jadrak!”
The orcs roared their chieftain’s name in fervent devotion.
Their battle cries, full of sky-high morale, thundered through the entire Prehistoric Hall.
“Apologies for keeping you waiting.”
Tok, tok.
The glaive, dripping with blood, turned toward Yohan.
＊＊＊
“A dagger won’t last long against that thing.”
It was obvious its durability would hit rock bottom in seconds.
In that case—
Yohan pulled out the weapon he had recently obtained from the subspace.
[Glaive of Hatred]
Acquisition Difficulty: B
Attack Power: 60
Durability: 50 / 50
Description: One of the favorite weapons of Lian Kal, leader of the Fang of Hatred Tribe. When fighting an enemy marked with the Insignia of Hatred, attack power and attack speed each increase by +10% and +15% for 3 minutes.
For a glaive, an attack power of 60 wasn’t particularly exceptional.
However, the special effect attached to it easily made up for that shortcoming.
Moreover—
When combined with the title ‘Orc Slayer’ and its trait [Heart of the Slayer]—
When fighting orcs, Physical Defense increases by +20, and both Physical and Magical Attack Power increase by +10.
At least when it came to battling orcs, it was fair to say he had the ideal specs.
“I’d heard the Fang of Hatred Tribe betrayed us, but seeing it firsthand still leaves a bitter taste.”
“You trusted your kin too much. I get this place is important, but when the supreme commander leaves his post, holes are bound to open elsewhere. You should’ve at least set up some kind of safeguard.”
“They swore an oath upon their pride to follow me.”
“An oath made of words isn’t a safeguard.”
He could have taken hostages from each tribe and used them as leverage.
Or brainwashed them to dull their reason.
If not that, then he should have ruled through fear so they wouldn’t even think of rebelling.
If it were me, I’d have dunked them in a vat full of mint chocolate and displayed them in the plaza as pickled orcs.
Well, everyone had their own methods.
Regardless, the key was to keep the inside firmly under control.
“I’ll pay for my shortcomings later.”
As soon as Jadrak finished speaking, he kicked off the ground.
Kwaang!
Fast.
The first strike came at lightning speed, grazing Yohan’s head.
Buuung!
The glaive traced a smooth half-moon arc, targeting Yohan’s chest and thigh in quick succession.
This time, however, Yohan swung his own glaive in response.
Kagagak!
The two brutal weapons clashed, scattering red sparks in every direction.
High and low—
Kaaang!
He twisted the blade from the flank and struck back with a counter.
Then a sudden punch slammed into Yohan’s abdomen.
Puhuk!
A heavy impact shook his insides.
However—
“I can endure this.”
With his already high physical defense boosted by +20, even the orc chieftain’s bare-fisted blow only registered as “somewhat painful.”
Yohan, unfazed, swung his glaive once more.
Jadrak’s expression distorted.
“Khuk!”
Kwa-kakakakang!
Each time the glaives collided, a massive shockwave echoed through the air.
Before long, even the orcs who had been slaughtering hunters stopped moving one by one.
It was only natural.
Their chieftain—who had felled countless foes with a single strike—
Had never once met an opponent, human or orc, who could withstand even ten exchanges.
And yet now—
The duel had already surpassed thirty, no, forty exchanges.
“This… this can’t be….”
“Who in the world is that human, to be fighting the chieftain on equal footing?”
“Incredible… Could that be one of those S-rank Hunters I’ve heard about?”
A skill so dazzling it drew gasps of admiration.
The exchange of blows—so fierce it was nearly impossible to follow with the eyes—was unpredictable to the point of chaos.
“A-amazing.”
“Which guild is he from? Black hair and black eyes… he must be from the East.”
“To think someone could go toe-to-toe with that monster. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Ha… ha.”
Cheers erupted among the Hunters.
Yes.
From the outside…
…it certainly looked that way.
However—
“Khuh.”
A heavy groan escaped Jadrak’s mouth.
A small frame, thin arms, and even a glaive—hardly a weapon suited for a human.
Everything about this battlefield overwhelmingly favored him.
It was, by all accounts, an environment where losing wasn’t even a variable.
‘What is this human…?’
The sound of slicing air grew fiercer with each swing.
Kwaaang!
Jadrak barely managed to block the attack as cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
It wasn’t that the human was overwhelmingly strong.
But his strikes—sharp enough to send chills down one’s spine—and his unorthodox patterns shattered the flow of battle completely.
And then—
“If that’s all you’ve got, I’ll be disappointed….”
Those words came from his opponent’s mouth.
“How dare you…!”
[Jadrak activates Unique Ability ‘Broken Weapon’!]
[Weapon durability decreases by 50%!]
[Physical Attack Power and Strength increase by 30% for 1 minute!]
Kwakwakwakwakwang!
Deep slashes carved into the marble floor.
The indiscriminate bombardment shredded everything in sight, ally or foe alike.
“Kuaaaagh!”
“B-back away! You’ll get caught up in it!”
The Hunters and orcs watching nearby quickly retreated, putting as much distance as they could.
Even the flying debris alone was deadly.
“Stop scurrying like a rat and face me head-on, human! Have you no pride in honorable combat?!”
Jadrak roared thunderously, calling out to Yohan.
Kwadud… Kwaaaang!
Several pillars shattered in succession.
Gray smoke rose into the air.
The surroundings were dyed in a murky, dust-filled haze.
And through that haze—
[‘Ring of Crimson Lotus’ is activated!]
Fwoosh!
Flames drew a circle two meters wide.
Then, the blazing fire was absorbed into the glaive.
[Through the Might of the Ancient Dragon, the ‘Glaive of Hatred’ attack power increases from 60 → 120!]
[Durability rapidly decreases!]
Crimson cracks appeared along the blade’s surface.
But it didn’t matter.
He only needed it to hold out once.
Yohan faced Jadrak directly.
A perfect, straight-line distance between them.
“Don’t call it running away like a rat. Think of it as crafting the optimal strike path.”
He preferred to set his stance at a seven-meter range, angled toward the enemy’s left heart.
Bloodline Sword Art. First Form.
A torrent of blood scattered the dust away.
‘Crimson Flash.’
A single streak of red light cut through life itself.
Chak!
A sharp, thin line tore through the air.
＊＊＊
Pshuk!
A jet of blood erupted.
“Kh…!”
Jadrak clutched his shoulder, nearly severed in half.
He had barely survived—but continuing the fight was impossible.
“You’re really something.”
Yohan murmured, half in admiration.
He had used nearly half of his First Flame, and yet Jadrak had managed to dodge.
As expected, this one wasn’t someone to take lightly.
Even the most skilled Hunters couldn’t have survived that strike with just one arm.
Jadrak staggered, regaining his stance.
“You still want to fight like that? The match is already over.”
“Until I die… it’s never over.”
Even if all his limbs were severed, the will to fight still burned within him.
Pride and honor…
Even as an enemy, that much deserved respect.
Yohan clicked his tongue softly and gathered his mana.
If he ended it with Void Magic, Jadrak wouldn’t have to suffer any longer.
But just then—
[Kim Geunsik activates Unique Ability ‘Ashen Grace’!]
[‘Gray Rainstorm’ is unleashed!]
Kwakwakwakwakwang!
A rain of fine gray needles poured down where Yohan had been standing.
It resembled a torrential downpour—like a storm of porcupine quills.
Yohan rolled hard to escape the range.
So, he finally showed himself.
Well, with Jadrak defeated, there was no way he could stay hidden any longer.
“This is… far more dangerous than I thought.”
Fear filled Kim Geunsik’s face.
“Stay out of it! This is my battle!”
“Don’t you understand that this isn’t the time to care about honor? Order the troops to kill him now!”
“I cannot. If I die here, it simply means I was weak.”
“Stubborn fool…! What are you all doing? Your chieftain’s about to die—will you just stand there and watch?!”
But even at Kim Geunsik’s desperate shout, not a single orc moved.
Their eyes blazed red, yet none interfered.
They knew.
To intervene now would be to defile Jadrak’s honor.
If they did, his soul would never be allowed into the Hall of Honorable Orcs.
And so—
“Kuoooooh!”
They watched in silence as Jadrak prepared his final strike.
Buuung!
With only one arm, the blow carried no true strength or weight.
Its speed was slow—so slow anyone could have avoided it.
Even the trajectory was so blurred it was unclear what he aimed for.
However—
Kagakang!
Yohan met the attack with his full strength.
The broken glaive’s blade deflected upward—
Puk!
And Yohan’s glaive pierced straight through Jadrak’s heart.
“My victory.”
“Khuk… yeah. Seems that way.”
Jadrak looked down at the glaive lodged in his heart.
No matter how tough an orc was, a strike to the heart was fatal.
He had, at most, ten seconds left.
And yet—
Even in defeat, there was no despair in Jadrak’s eyes.
Rather—
Elation.
Yes. What filled Jadrak now was the ecstasy of finally realizing his tribe’s long-cherished wish.
“This battle… truly is your victory. But… the war… the war will be ours.”
Jadrak gasped, releasing his final breath.
And with those words—
The white object hanging at his waist began to glow.
[‘White Cube’ is activated!]
A radiant square screen unfolded.
And beyond it—
An unbelievable scene was displayed.