Chapter 258

Chapter 258

***

Rickart was tall and had a sturdy physique, but couldn't be compared to the orcs. He was relatively slender to the point it seemed the orcs could easily break his limbs with just a slight application of force.

Let alone that, his sword was at the level of a black iron skewer. Even if he succeeded in landing a blow, it looked like it would break before even cutting through all the muscle.

So generally, there was no one who faced orcs head-on. Of course it was the same for elves. Although occasionally, stories were passed down of heroes from legends or myths beating orcs to death.

However when a sacred flame dwells in a sword, what was believed to be common sense gets simply severed.

A straight line of light was drawn downwards in the shaded forest. As it traversed *ttuk* through space, the thick flesh and bones that were in between got separated. And that light instantly created multiple lines.

*Hwik! Hwihwik! Hung!*

The orcs collapsed spurting blood without even knowing what hit them. While that happened, Rickart dug into the herd of orcs with a low posture as if sliding.

No matter how ferocious of a monster they were, there should be time to see and judge with their eyes but there was no such time.

As Rickart gripped the sword with both hands, tightly applied force to his stomach and swung the sword horizontally like pulling, a long arc was drawn flashing brightly.

The orcs' legs were sawed falling *wareureu*, and they collapsed without even knowing why they were falling over.

Among them one struggled and suddenly grabbed the hem of Rickart's clothes, and Rickart corrected his posture, lifted his foot high and trampled it. Then the orc's long molars broke and its skull was smashed.

*Peogeok!*

Screams burst out at this time. Unlike the roars that blindly revealed merciless aggression, they were shouts dyed in fear.

"Kuoooooo!"

Edex, an elf who was still young in age, widened his eyes leaning down from the tree. Rickart looked up at him and shouted.

"Now! Come down!"

Fortunately Edex didn't seem to have his body freeze in fear, and instantly came down the tree like a squirrel climbing a tree. Then he lightly jumped *poljjak* and leapt into Rickart's arms.

Rickart caught the boy elf with one arm, and felt a heterogeneous feeling for a moment. Because it was truly light like a feather to the point where sense of weight was hardly felt. Were elves all this light?

Thinking of other things was brief, Rickart immediately ran to where the elves were. Even during that time battles were taking place throughout the forest, and perhaps somewhere caught fire thick smoke was rising. The flamelight shone through beyond that.

When Rickart really brought Edex rescued, the elves including Elline widened their eyes and looked. As Rickart approached they poured a barrage of questions.

"You really deserve to be hired as a champion?"

"Are humans all this strong?"

"What was that flaming sword?"

It seemed rescuing Edex wasn't that thrilling. Only, Rickart blindly sawing the orcs seemed surprising.

"That's not what's important right now. Resume the battle but fight while protecting comrades."

Rickart said as if giving instructions. But as expected, the elves seemed to not properly understand. Just because the basic concepts themselves were different, what was common sense to someone was a very unfamiliar thing to someone else.

It's not that he couldn't understand that part but he couldn't just stay still either.

"Follow me from now on! Let's counterattack!"

Rickart shouted raising his sword. Nevertheless perhaps because elves inherently had little emotional fluctuation and were conservative, they didn't get firmly swept up in the mood like humans.

Just, when Rickart ran somewhere they did follow as if drawn by a magnet. Edex also ran sticking closely beside Rickart.

Rickart ran south. Orcs were in all directions, but instead of chasing and hunting them one by one he just ran in one direction for now. To naturally create an effect of cutting off the offensive.

Because even if he couldn't control the entire battlefield, if he weakened the offensive in just one direction that place would soon become a weak point. Rickart intended to strike up through that part to cut off the rear, surround, and annihilate them.

*Hung-hung-hung-hung-hung!*

*Kaang!*

A heavy handaxe flew from somewhere, and Rickart parried it with his sword. Whether a certain orc discovered Rickart running leading the elves amidst the chaotic battlefield.

Turning his head there was a single orc glaring its eyes from afar looking this way. It seemed to be a warchief class leading multiple orcs.

It was wearing elves' elongated ears cut off and connected by a string like a necklace, and perhaps it hadn't been long there were traces of blood dripping *jiljil* from the necklace.

Rickart and that orc looked at each other like meeting their fated opponent. Naturally since words couldn't communicate names couldn't be known, and though races were different the fact that they had to kill each other communicated without borrowing language.

The elves following Rickart quickly scattered trying to take their usual combat formation, but Rickart looked back and yelled fiercely.

"Do not run away! We will not back down from now on!"

Strictly speaking it wasn't that they tried to run away, but anyway no matter how much elves had almost no emotional fluctuation, being overwhelmed by fiery charisma was the same as humans.

Seeing Rickart's burning eyes the elves couldn't disobey as if frozen on the spot.

Rickart turned his head again and walked towards the warchief orc. Then the warchief orc also left his subordinates and walked over alone.

No matter how different the races were, and even if words didn't communicate, the most fundamental means of conversation existed. That was precisely the law of the jungle. Who was stronger? Who will win and take it all?

The warchief orc had lived without backing down, and Rickart was the same. So where could they back down to?

Rickart gripped his sword with both hands and raised it high above his head. And then drew up all his strength.

Although he thought it was a bit strange himself, strength overflowed more than when he was fighting in the middle of a battlefield. A strength hard to control that was.

As an unprecedented power whose origin was unknown boiled up, the space around Rickart's body flickered. Due to a lens effect from spatial distortion the surroundings looked blindly twisted.

And that area uniquely looked definitely darker, and a breeze blew making the dirt or fallen leaves on the ground flutter.

Though it wasn't magic, everyone felt strange fear at the magic-like phenomenon. However the warchief orc approached Rickart as if being sucked in.

And then opening its mouth wide it struck down the giant iron-lump-like sword with all its might. Whether Rickart was a human or whatever, the intention was to completely crush him.

A truly overwhelming sense of weight and power seemed like it would turn Rickart into a bloody lump right there. A faint wind pressure was felt even from afar, but even when the blade almost touched Rickart's head Rickart stood still with his sword raised up.

Because the elves had very good dynamic visual acuity, they were seeing all of it. Only then did an emotional fluctuation occur.

"Ricky!"

"Champion!"

Multiple elves shouted simultaneously. And as if that was the activation word for magic, at that moment a thunderbolt of fire fell upon the orc.

*Tteoeong-!*

A sound like hitting some huge bell was heard. And Rickart's single blow caused a certain wave starting from there. At the same time the giant sword broke, the warchief orc's own body ended up getting split in two as well.

Because the body was so huge the contents pouring out from there were also tremendous. Pouring out wildly falling *wareureu, walkak*, Rickart stood still in that spot without moving a single inch. Battlefield noise seemed to faintly be heard from afar.

Rickart raised his sword and pointed at the warchief orc's subordinates with the tip of the blade and said.

"Kill them all."

The elf warriors moved their bodies reflexively. Exactly opposite to their combat method, they dashed in from the front and tried to kill the orcs.

Having their spirit broken the orcs could did nothing but run away, and the elf warriors chased after them and killed them all in an instant. And then looked back at Rickart like a hunting dog looking back at its master.

Now the relationship seemed completely changed. Although still a small number, Rickart seemed to dominate and lead about six or seven elf warriors.

Rickart led the elves and ran south again. While running he killed all the orcs met in the middle.

When Rickart dashed in first, the other elves supported with bows amazingly well or assisted on both flanks.

Elves certainly had very outstanding individual combat abilities, and even without coordinating beforehand they performed their roles .

There were many isolated or struggling elves. Rickart and the elves repelled the orcs and rescued them. Then like a swarm of bees gathering increasingly, the elves following behind Rickart gradually increased.

Finally reaching a place where orcs were hardly seen, he felt like he had escaped the battlefield. Only then did Rickart look back. It seemed there were dozens of elf warriors.

He said to them.

"Listen to my words well everyone! Drawing the enemy in to absorb the offensive is a good tactic, but if we don't counterattack and cut off the enemy's breath it ends up only being a war of attrition! Because elves have a small population troop replenishment is difficult, so this kind of battle merely amounts to slowly dying! Just as you have followed me until now, now is the time to attack!"

"But Champion, the orders we heard were to keep guard. If we attack beyond the boundary wouldn't it become disobeying orders?"

Having seen Rickart's performance directly with their eyes their tone had become polite. That aside, the elves were inflexibly strict to the point of being almost pathological.

"I will take responsibility! I came here as a champion, and received a request to repel the orcs! Therefore I am not bound by boundaries! You helping me means helping the champion so it is not disobeying orders! If there is anything to take responsibility for I will take it alone! Do not fear! Now is attack! We will plant fear in the orcs! Let's show what price they pay if they cross the boundary!"

Rickart shouted passionately. Though unfortunately there was no enthusiastic response to it. The elves merely stared blankly at Rickart.

Still fortunately the words seemed to somewhat work on the elves.

At that time a horse's long neigh was heard from somewhere in the forest.

*Hihyhing-!*

Including Rickart everyone unknowingly turned their heads that way, and the sound of a horse galloping *duguduk*, *duguduk* was heard. It gradually got closer.

And simultaneously, a feeling like the entire forest was moving alive was transmitted. No, that wasn't a feeling but actually the case. Thick tree roots popped up *tuktuk* from under the ground, and tough vines wriggled alive.

He could feel something was happening, but couldn't accurately know what it was.

Even during that the galloping sound of the horse gradually got closer, and for a moment Hushike riding the black horse was seen galloping from afar amazingly dodging trees this way and that. And a pure white light was spurting from the staff held in her hand.

At the surprising sight Rickart was also somewhat dumbfounded, but Hushike escaped the forest and reached the place full of ash and stopped. The horse named Black Cloud, or Exrumo raised its front legs high.

With her silver hair fluttering Hushike shouted towards Rickart.

"I blocked the orcs! Come this way!"

Every military operation had to have meticulous plans. Even if plans go awry in actual combat, one would display resourcefulness based on that plan.

If one moves according to the situation case-by-case without a plan one will inevitably face a disastrous result.

Rickart had no plan, and everything was impromptu. It was extremely dangerous but a certainty of unknown reason occurred. It was an instinctive sensation.

So he just, ran aimlessly to where Hushike was.

"Let's go!"

Rickart shouted. The elves followed along falling *wareureu*. Abandoning their combat methods of hundreds, or thousands of years. It was a counterattack.