Chapter 45: Orc

“Heh.”

He chuckled softly, then shouted to the orc scratching her thigh and grinning foolishly:

“Amy! Get up, there’s work to do!”

“What now? Amy just lay down.”

The orc rejected the order, rolled over, and continued reading the evening’s Snow Hill Post story collection.

She loved this romance tale about an orc and a female knight.

“There’s a fight coming—what do you think you’re doing?”

The Shadow Mage smiled and waved toward the two figures in the distance.

“Isn’t that Kakashi? One of ours,” the female orc said lazily.

“It’s Cassidy, you idiot.”

“Amy is not an idiot!”

“You are. And so are these two in front of me. You know I’m the Shadow Mage, yet you dare hide people in my shadows.”

The Shadow Mage sneered: “I’m serious, Amy. Those two ahead are bad people. Do whatever you want to them.”

“Really? Hugo’s gonna scold Amy!”

“He won’t. I promise.”

The female orc, given that assurance, grinned with battle-lust.

She hooked up her chest binding and tucked the Snow Hill Post between it and her skin.

“Don’t rush. Wait till they get closer before striking.”

Before she finished speaking,

*Boom!* Amy slammed into the ground, cratering it deeply, then shot forward like a cannonball.

“Damn female orc!”

Over there,

facing a green meat cannonball.

Pan Ni and Tally reacted instantly—one dove into the earth, the other blinked away from her spot, both evading cleanly.

Luo De leapt out from the shadow.

“Original plan!”

At that moment, the female orc plunged headfirst into the soil, sending dirt surging forward like a wave.

Then, instantly, she rose upright like a gorilla, arms raised high.

Debris sprayed everywhere.

Luo De’s [Giant Slash] completed its buildup; [Sacrificial Sword Offering] became a pillar of light, crashing down toward the orc’s neck.

The opponent reacted swiftly, spinning on the spot and accelerating.

Her massive blade, forged from blue-white crystal stone, became a blur as it met the light column head-on.

*Ping!*

The light column shattered into two pieces!

The spiritual-energy greatsword [Giant Slash] had been effortlessly broken.

“What the hell!”

She severed spiritual energy?!

When Luo De faced Pan Ni before, he had shattered her [Erosion Sphere].

But that was an external, already-formed solid energy ball—any skilled warrior could do that.

But [Giant Slash] continuously outputs spiritual energy along the blade’s edge, like a lightsaber.

You can block it—but you cannot split a lightsaber cleanly in half!

It would be like Luo De splitting [Erosion Sphere] in two, yet each half still retained its erosion effect.

But if the orc did it, she’d simply chop the [Erosion Sphere] clean out of existence!

Is this the orc’s innate spiritual technique?

No.

More likely, it’s her weapon.

Luo De used [War Trample] to slow the orc’s advance.

He retreated backward at the same time.

“No tricks!”

Amy, off-balance, plopped onto her ass and cursed.

She preferred raw, close-quarters brawling—no spiritual techniques, no flashy moves.

But Amy wasn’t stupid.

If others used it, she’d use it too.

She suddenly drew a deep breath.

“ROOOOAR!!!”

A deafening roar erupted!

The orc’s innate spiritual technique—[Rage Battle Cry]!

A violent sonic wave radiated outward from the orc.

Flying stones, dirt, and dust combined into a powerful spiritual shockwave!

Enough to paralyze everyone present.

Luo De stiffened all over.

But the new effect of his [Guardian Veil]—[Shock Reduction]—kicked in immediately, snapping him out of the abnormal state.

Facing the female orc’s aerial downward slash, he used [Repel Shu ] and [Steel Vine Charge] to thrust himself away.

*Boom!!*

The female orc’s [Mountain Collapse Strike] landed violently.

It shattered the ground into a massive spiderweb crack!

Luo De leapt into the air.

Aimed straight at her head.

[Aethelon Flash]. [Five Flash]!

Luo De didn’t want to use [Six Flash]—it would drain most of his spiritual energy.

[Tree’s Blessing] doesn’t restore instantly; it takes time. In this life-or-death fight, he had to keep spiritual energy in reserve.

Amy instinctively raised her weapon, blocking two of the blades.

Three bloody gashes appeared on her body.

“What monster? Your muscles nearly trapped my blade?!”

Luo De roared in fury, rapidly pulling distance.

“A fifth-rank human fighting a sixth-rank orc? You must be insane.”

He could hear the Shadow Mage laughing loudly from over there.

But he had no time to check on Tally and Pan Ni’s battle.

The female orc’s strength far exceeded expectations. Without a strong bonus from [Tree Armor Technique], gaining advantage was nearly impossible.

Wait—

Isn’t that the Giant Ginkgo Tree over there?

Luo De’s eyes lit up; he quickly shifted direction and retreated toward it.

Meanwhile, wounded and more excited than ever, Amy.

She kept hacking apart steel vines bursting from the ground, her blade whirling so fast it formed an impenetrable wall—she was about to break through all obstacles and reach Luo De.

At that moment, a sharp whistling pierced the sky.

A spiritual arrow struck her squarely in the face.

*Boom!*

The arrow exploded violently.

It blasted the orc flying backward.

Bond’s [Explosive Arrow]!

“Nice shot!”

Bond and Kali were actually hiding in secret all along.

But Luo De had ordered her not to shoot unless absolutely necessary—a good sniper must fire only at critical moments, and above all, never reveal her position.

“Someone else?”

The Shadow Mage realized this instantly—he could easily handle the ghoul minions attacking him.

He immediately released his magical sensing.

But clearly, the shooter’s range far exceeded his perception.

Not a problem. He’d faced opponents like this before—he could pinpoint the direction.

*Ssshh—*

Another spiritual arrow descended from the sky.

Boom!

Amy was blasted away again, looking increasingly frustrated.

“Sixth-rank power? Over there!”

“Go, search in that direction.” He summoned three shadow hounds and pointed toward the Windwall Forest.

Taking advantage of this opening.

Pan Ni’s large ghoul slapped his magical barrier.

It immediately cracked open in several places.

Tally suddenly flickered into view.

Her magic dagger slashed out a spiritual air blade, successfully shattering this layer of magical barrier.

With her advancement to sixth rank, the power of her spiritual air blades had also increased.

“Annoying!”

The shadow mage swiftly cast 【Shadow Assault】.

Shadows on the ground coalesced into sharp shadow spikes, lancing straight for Tally’s heart.

The succubus’s arm suddenly elongated, shoving her into a backward roll like a dancer, dodging the shadow spikes.

She did not draw 【Sickle-Claw Counterblade】.

The moment had not yet come.

She 【Flickered】 away from her position again.

Her current task was to delay the mage, preventing him from joining the battle between her master and the beastmen.

As for Pan Ni.

She was busy summoning ghoul servants and holding back the Brotherhood’s rear-line soldiers.

There were many Brotherhood members’ corpses on the battlefield; transforming them all into ghouls was no simple task.

While casting, she kept glancing at the distant shadow mage.

“Hmm, mage flesh? Tastes bad. I’ll just eat the organs.”

(End of Chapter)