Chapter 197
Kalken, who had been pushed back, suddenly smiled with satisfaction and extended his greatsword towards his feet.
“Here we go! Ivory Tusk Block!”
Kalken’s greatsword drew a large circle on the ground around him. Along the carved line, green aura burst out explosively, and a barrier of aura surged upwards. The flow of the rising aura deflected all the rapid strikes of the rapier.
Tatata-tang!
“Hahahaha!”
Laughing loudly, Kalken swung his greatsword, continuously emitting blades of aura. The green aura blades flew across the ground, tearing it apart. Being dragged along by his opponent’s intricate swordsmanship, Kalken decided to simply push through with large-scale destruction.
“Your attacks are sharp, but they lack thickness!”
The situation changed drastically.
The woman continuously stepped back, deflecting the aura blades. Although her swordsmanship was clearly superior, Kalken’s aura manipulation skills were equally matched, and his aura capacity was far greater. With an overwhelming amount of aura, she couldn’t find an opportunity to counterattack.
However, even in the midst of this, the woman skillfully redirected the green aura without a scratch as she retreated. It seed that the battle would not easily be decided.
Kalken admired her and grinned, revealing his fangs.
“You’re strong, Elven warrior! I can’t help but acknowledge it!”
Despite his praise, the woman maintained a cold expression. Kalken lifted his greatsword with both hands and held it upright.
“Let’s play a little more!”
He threw his greatsword into the air and roared.
“Go! My fierce companion, Magnum!”
* * *
The greatsword, which was over two ters long, sliced through the air, imbued with green aura. The soaring greatsword circled in the air, firing green aura blasts. The woman, startled by the attack from above, reached out her hand.
Buuuuung!
A silver shield materialized, blocking all the aura blasts. Taking advantage of this mont, Kalken charged forward. He tore through the ground, thrusting his fists repeatedly.
“Fist Scale Breaker!”
Green aura shot out from his fists extended into the air like cannonballs. The woman twisted her body to dodge, and the missed aura blast struck the cliff within the canyon. With a resounding boom, part of the cliff crumbled, and rocks tumbled down.
Urrrrrng!
Even as debris fell over their heads, Kinzir, Hadatoum, and Russ, the three aura users, did not think of evading. As if they had an agreent, they simultaneously reached out their hands and created an aura shield above them.
Thump, thump, thuthump!
Blocking the debris as casually as one would use an umbrella on a rainy day, Hadatoum muttered.
“That guy is having a blast.”
Kinzir responded, eyes gleaming.
“Indeed. Do you think I could have a bout with her later? It looks fun.”
It was an attitude befitting the warlike leaders of the orcs. Well, Russ didn’t feel much different either.
‘Honestly, I want to have a go too… There seems to be a lot to gain from it…’
anwhile, Kalken, who had approached the elf woman, began to throw punches. His fists, brimming with surging green aura, were thrown repeatedly.
“Leather Tanning!”
Straight punches and hooks from the left and right targeted the woman’s entire body. With astonishing reflexes, the woman twisted her waist and lowered her head, continuing to dodge the attacks. Even as she did, her rapier kept aiming sharply at Kalken’s vital points.
Kuuuuung!
The green aura from his fists and the silver aura from her rapier mixed, creating a storm. The scattered waves of aura destroyed the cliffs on either side, leaving traces of formidable destruction. Because of the clash between the two aura users, the surrounding area was no longer a canyon. A wide-open space had ford between the narrow valleys.
Shouting a battle cry, Kalken swung his left arm widely.
“Huuup!”
A massive left hook aid for the woman’s chin. As she barely dodged the attack, Kalken’s beloved sword, Magnum, thrust from behind her. With two opponents, the situation had completely tilted. The woman frowned slightly at the movents of Magnum, which flew through the air, firing aura and swinging its blade.
“This must be the orcs’ traditional technique. It’s definitely troubleso.”
Suddenly, the woman perford a sorsault, soaring into the air. While airborne, she placed her hand on her rapier and murmured softly.
“Rosia, Shade. Embody my sword.”
Saaaa…
For a mont, Kalken was taken aback. The woman’s rapier, through its silver blade aura, emitted a chilling cold.
“Huh? Is this spirit magic?”
The water spirit Rosia and the dark spirit Shade infused themselves into the silver aura.
The rging of the two spirits created an intense cold.
The silver aura transford into cold particles, turning into a blizzard that surged towards Kalken. The sudden cold caused Kalken’s limbs to freeze, slowing his charge.
Russ, who had been watching, clicked his tongue.
“To imbue aura with elental power!”
Aura, by nature, was fundantally the energy of life, unable to transcend its basic nature. It could change forms and possess attributes like destruction or healing, but not elental power. While he had often seen Siris infuse spirit power into her sword, he never imagined it could be done with aura.
“Huh? Then that ans I can’t use that. Tch.”
Russ, who had been admiring, openly showed his disappointnt. Having copied so much, he seed to no longer feel any pangs of conscience.
“Amazing technique! But if it’s only this… Haaap!”
Kalken, covered in frost, enveloped his entire body in aura, shaking off the cold. Ice fragnts scattered and sparkled in all directions.
Seizing the opportunity, the woman threw her rapier at Kalken’s greatsword, Magnum.
“Freeze!”
With a chilling shout, the rapier collided with Magnum. The green aura clashed with the cold aura, neutralizing each other. Semi-transparent ice rose from the rapier, covering Magnum entirely.
Thunk!
The two swords, now encased in ice, fell to the ground with a thud. Kalken grinned as he saw their weapons neutralized.
“So we’re both barehanded now? You’ve made a mistake, Elf warrior!”
That technique which sealed the Spirits Weapon was indeed remarkable. However, if both were barehanded, the battle between the 2.3-ter-tall, thickly-muscled Kalken and the slender elf woman was a foregone conclusion.
“Taaah!”
Confident of his victory, Kalken gathered all his aura.
“Haaaah!”
The elf woman also faced him, wrapping herself in silver aura.
The two aura users flew at each other. Kalken swung his fists, letting out a roar.
“Leather Tanning!”
Dozens of punches occupied all the space in front of the woman. She dodged every attack, swaying like a willow branch. As she lightly stepped to evade, she simultaneously launched a sharp counterattack with her hands imbued with silver aura.
“Ho?”
Kalken was montarily surprised. Despite being unard, the woman’s skills were not inferior to his. Russ’s eyes sparkled.
‘Wow, if you use swordsmanship like that, it imdiately turns into unard martial arts. I think I could replicate that footwork too.’
If Kalken’s technique was the epito of strength, the elven woman’s movents were the pinnacle of finesse.
Even as they exchanged attacks continuously, the outco was not easily decided.
Green flashes and silver streaks wove through the air, clashing fiercely as they flowed, curved, and blocked each other.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The aura collided in midair, producing explosive sounds.
“Hoo-hoo, it’s been a long ti since I’ve had such an enjoyable fight.”
Kalken smiled with enthusiasm as he rubbed his neck. At that mont, the woman suddenly gestured toward him, who was deeply excited.
“Let’s stop fighting.”
Kalken, about to launch himself, asked with a disappointed expression.
“Why? It’s fun, let’s continue fighting.”
The elven woman shook her head and turned her gaze inward to the canyon.
As the two spirits within her sword departed, the ice lted. With a gesture, the sword flew through the air and returned to her hand.
She sheathed her sword at her waist and calmly posed a question.
“Isn’t this enough to prove myself?”
The woman no longer had any fighting spirit left. Kalken, whose enthusiasm had also diminished, sheathed his greatsword. As he strapped the Magnum on his back, the woman suddenly asked him.
“Am I a warrior?”
It was a sowhat out-of-the-blue question. Blinking, Kalken nodded.
“Of course! You are a splendid warrior, no, a fighter!”
Although he did not know the reason, the elven woman was undoubtedly a powerful fighter. There was no reason not to acknowledge her.
The woman asked again, this ti directing her question not only at Kalken but also at Kinzir and Hadatoum.
“I heard that to earn the trust of orcs, you must fight. Have I shown my trust to you?”
The orcs looked at each other. Indeed, the elven woman had proven herself by matching swords and fists with Kalken. They confird that she possessed the pride and spirit of a warrior.
As if in a chorus, the three orc warriors spoke simultaneously.
“Of course!”
“You are now our sister!”
“We are pleased to et a strong sister!”
The faces of the orcs were filled with expressions of goodwill. The elven woman murmured as if relieved.
“I was a bit doubtful since it was an old story, but it seems it was true.”
Only then did Russ nod.
“Ah, were you performing the Ritual of Hotu?”
The woman nodded. Russ shook his head inwardly.
‘I wondered why she suddenly wanted to fight…’
He had heard that elves were a rational race, but he didn’t expect them to be so straightforward. Usually, you’d at least introduce yourselves first, right?
The orcs seed to have thought the sa. Kalken thumped his chest and spoke.
“I am Kalken of the Blue Bear Tribe.”
The others introduced themselves as well.
“I am Kinzir of the Dirt Boar Clan.”
“I am Hadatoum of the Grey Hawk Tribe.”
The woman placed her hand on her chest and opened her mouth to speak.
“My na is Iniya. I am the leader of the Stiria Tribe.”
She then pointed above the canyon and continued.
“Those are my tribesn.”
Shadows of people began to appear one by one above the canyon. In an instant, everyone present, including Kalken and Russ, showed expressions of astonishnt.
“Huh?”
“Were there that many people up there?”
There seed to be at least hundreds of figures revealed above the canyon. Like Iniya, they all had white skin, blue eyes, and purple hair. Their attire was also similar, mixing fur and white cloth.
So many people had been hiding there, and the aura users hadn’t noticed?
Russ squinted slightly as he looked at them. It was already deep into the night, so visibility was poor, but a faint darkness swirled around them. Yes, it felt sowhat similar to Siris’s ability.
‘Did they conceal their presence using spirit magic?’
Turning her gaze, Iniya spoke again.
“Our tribe has co from the northern tundra to et the one who resurrected the World Tree. Warriors of Antares, will you guide us?”
* * *
The naless tundra of northern Fetland.
In a place untouched by humans for many years, there was a village made of snow and ice. Dozens of houses built with snow bricks stood tall among ice pillars, and the sunlight on the tundra made the entire village look like a beautiful glass artwork. This was the ho of the elves, the Stiria Tribe, who lived hidden from human eyes.
Throughout the village, elves with purple hair and blue eyes were busy with their respective tasks. So were repairing houses, drying harvested fish and seaweed, or tanning leather.
A man walked through this scenery. He was an extraordinarily handso man with sleek black hair flowing down to his waist.
The man looked around the village with his obsidian-like eyes. An elf woman who was preparing seaweed noticed him and brightened up.
“Oh my! Repenhardt!”
He was the Archmage Repenhardt, the youngest in continental history to master the 9th circle of magic.
Repenhardt, who had amazed the world by entering the 9th circle at the age of thirty, eventually succeeded in reaching the pinnacle of magic by the age of thirty-five. It had been nearly a hundred years since a ‘Master’ of the 9th circle, rather than just a practitioner, appeared on the continent. The last one was Dreza, the Archmage of the Lastil Principality, who had lived to an old age and died a few years ago. Even he had mastered the 9th circle after turning seventy, so all the mages on the continent could not help but marvel at Repenhardt’s trendous achievent.
Everyone paid attention to Repenhardt’s movents.
Since becoming an Archmage in his late twenties, many countries had tried to recruit him. However, Repenhardt had declined all offers, choosing to remain a dungeon explorer to further his magical prowess.
Now that he had beco a 9th circle Master with no higher realm to reach, everyone was curious about which country he would go to.
But contrary to everyone’s expectations, as soon as Repenhardt beca a 9th circle Master, he suddenly disappeared from the world.
All sorts of speculations circulated. So said he had beco indifferent to the world and secluded himself, others claid he died from the side effects of mastering the circle at such a young age, and so even suggested he was secretly assassinated by a fearful magical faction.
In reality, however, Repenhardt was traveling through remote areas with Siris and Tassid, seeking out various non-human races.
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