Two people looked at the damaged carriage and the trail of blood.
"How did this happen?"
"Whatever did this does not fear humans."
"I think we should follow the blood trail. It might lead us to the culprit."
"Or we might be walking into its trap."
A third person rushed toward the two individuals. "Sir… it seems there were two youngsters in the carriage. Their bodies were not found. They might still be alive, or…"
"Sir, the team has not returned yet."
"Tsk… Contact Suroji."
---
"Your disguise looks dumb," Saturu murmured.
"Huh?"
"I still don't see the point of the disguise."
"What would people think if they saw the legendary Elven Sorcerer as a spirit?"
"!?" Saturu's eyes widened.
As he fell deep in thought, he understood that Kayon must have been someone he knew in the past.
Yet he had no memory of Kayon or the events before. It now made sense why their relationship had grown so quickly.
Saturu felt himself a fool who had forgotten his old companions. A more powerful thought came to him as Kayon referred to himself as a spirit. What more might I have forgotten?
"Stop right there! This place is off limits. If you value your life, turn back."
The man guarding the path stopped the unfamiliar men. He did not know them. "Who goes there?"
Kayon stepped forward and raised his head, looking at the man. His expression hardened instantly.
"We're the backup to clean up the problem here."
"Oh, you must be Suroji… I apologize for the mistake," the man said, bowing his head.
Kayon had disguised himself as a human with brown hair. The name of his disguise was Suroji, a well-known knight—a persona he had used often after being summoned during Saturu's coma.
"No harm was done."
"I will escort you immediately. Follow me."
The man led Kayon—who was in disguise and Saturu to the spot where the creature was last seen.
"Lead the way." Kayon and Saturu followed the man.
---
One of the adventurers ran out of the forest. The man had sustained ghastly injuries a brutal piercing through his chest and a missing arm.
What could have done this? Looking at the man's deep scars and marks, it suggested the creature was troublesome, as it had taken down the rescuers.
The man who had come with Suroji and Saturu arrived at the scene. "What happened? Where are the others?" He was deeply shocked by the man's injuries.
Kayon, disguised as Suroji, healed the man's injuries and regenerated his arm.
The man gasped for air. "They're all dead… so many of them," he said, his voice low, before taking his last breath.
Everyone around was overwhelmed and confused. They had no idea what kind of merciless creature they were dealing with, or what dwelled deep in the forest.
Kayon narrowed his eyes. A large number, and only one survivor. This is a trap.
Kayon chanted a spell to create a giant barrier around the forest. The man close to Kayon was shocked.
He had known Suroji was a well-known knight, but he never expected him to use such an advanced wide-range spell.
"Looks like I'll be the spectator this time," Saturu murmured.
"Here you go." Kayon kicked Saturu to the inside of the barrier.
"What the heck did you do that for?"
"Can't you see I'm busy with the barrier? You will take care of whatever that is."
"I'm gonna remember this forever," Saturu said as he entered the forest.
"Oh, almost forgot. Take this with you." Kayon threw a sword to Saturu.
---
Saturu walked through the forest, his hands behind his head as he was deep in thought.
How much longer is this going to take to find whatever that is? Also, how do I know if the kids are still alive?
Suddenly, he entered a thick mist that disturbed his visibility. Through the mist, he stepped on a piece of human bone. A bizarre sound seemed to echo from deep in the forest.
The mist cleared as he entered the monster's lair, which was full of Orcs. One of the Orcs appeared to be holding a torn-off human hand, most likely from the adventurer he saw earlier. Another was feeding on human flesh.
"Grrrr…"
The ground where he was standing was littered with human and animal bones. The Orcs who had spotted the person invading their territory rushed toward Saturu without mercy.
"Let's hope this body obeys my movements."
He took a sword from the ground and leaped into the air, closing the distance with merciless speed. He sliced through them.
SLASH!
Saturu landed cleanly on the ground with a smirk on his face. "This is nothi—"
He was instantly pulled aback by the sudden pressure from a larger Orc.
What in the world…? he muttered.
He had never seen anything like this monster. It looked different from an average Orc; this one had horns and larger canines. Saturu realized this must be the boss.
He had not recovered all his strength. For now, he would have to rely on instinct and luck. He exhaled.
Interesting. Something I can use to check my strength after the regression.
The Orc spotted Saturu, let out a deep growl, and blitzed toward him with a blur, leaving an exploding ground behind.
BOOM!
Without warning, it launched its giant blade at Saturu. Saturu was caught off guard by the sudden speed of the Orc's attack.
Though he managed to block it using his sword, the force of the impact sent him crashing to the ground.
"URG!"
The Orc pulled its sword from the ground, then raised it to cut down Saturu.
Saturu regained his consciousness and leaped backward from the crater. He grabbed his sword as his eyes glowed a murderous red.
He dashed toward the swinging sword, closing the distance. The moment the sword reached him, he reacted instantly, hitting it from the side with full force and sending it blurring back through the forest.
His hand had been broken and twisted from the force.
His physical strength is lacking, no doubt a consequence of the long coma. For now, an enhancement technique will have to suffice.
Blood dripped from his hand. The pain was a distant thing.
Saturu unleashed a piercing slash, cutting the arm of the Orc.
Rooar-!
Blood gushed from the clean cut. The Orc held its wound as its muscles twitched. As the cut on its arm closed, Saturu's slash was rendered useless.
The Orc roared, releasing a surge of violent energy that completely overwhelmed Saturu.
B'DUMP! Blood spilled from Saturu's mouth as his body was hurled back.
"What is this?" It's as if the mana pouring out from the Orc is poisoning me. If this continues—
Saturu leaped with his bright red eyes, landing on top of the Orc. His sword glowed with purple energy as he slashed through the Orc's horn and into its head with precision.
Slice-
Saturu's sword shattered from the impact. The Orc staggered as it fell to the ground, one of its eyes bleeding out. It screamed in pain as it gazed at him with disbelief.
It turned, trying to catch Saturu, but he dodged with precision. Saturu narrowed his eyes. He charged a sword blast with the broken sword.
The Orc recognized the danger and the killing intent of Saturu. It picked up a giant rock and threw it at him.
Saturu exhaled and steadied his pose. His eyes glowed as he blitzed past the Orc. The giant rock thrown at him was cut cleanly in two. Saturu severed the arms and legs of the Orc.
The Orc had not given up. Its muscles twitched as it regenerated its limbs. Saturu's battle had come to a point where he had planned for its regeneration to slow, which it had throughout the fight.
Using the broken sword, he jumped from the ground to a tree, looking down at the troll menacingly. Although he didn't finish it immediately, he needed to destroy it entirely to prevent regeneration. He made up his mind.
Instantly, the surroundings felt as if they were being pulled toward the Orc. It opened its maw, burning with red energy, and released a devastating roar that felt like a scream in Saturu's eardrums.
Rooar-
---
Kayon, who had been healing the injured, felt a rapid increase in the corruption essence. Instantly, the barrier he had cast could no longer withstand the sudden increase in power.
The barrier shattered.
Violent energy and pressure erupted so intensely that the people nearby had to cover their eyes and ears momentarily.
What the heck!? Something releasing this kind of power exists?
Kayon's expression hardened as he realized what could have caused this trouble.
How did the corrupted essence end up here? He had never imagined it could occur in a place like this, and the timing was uncanny.
"What kind of monster is causing this?"
"It's an Orc," the knight said.
Kayon and the others were shocked.
"!?"
"Impossible! No one can stand this pressure… even at full recovery, I can barely stay on my feet."
He looked at Kayon, disguised as Suroji, with suspicion. How strong are you to remain unfazed by this?
The man wore a worried face. "Everything is riding on this young man."
---
Saturu was taken aback by the sudden pressure from the Orc but remained unfazed.
The Orc, who had been smiling leisurely until now, felt a shiver of fear run down its spine. Instead of being the hunter, it was the one being hunted. Its eyes could no longer fix their sight on Saturu.
The Orc, who had been the one to kill any human, could not stand much longer. It began fleeing away.
With a purple blur, Saturu moved toward the Orc with piercing force, carrying all the fallen knights' power into a single strike aimed at the troll's chest.
BOOM!
The energy from the broken sword exploded from within and out of the back of the Orc. Its blood splattered everywhere as its body was annihilated by Saturu's piercing strike.
Saturu's battle had come to an end, his face and clothes drenched in blood. Yet to him, it looked like the aftermath of a routine skirmish. The broken sword he was holding had finally reached its end.
---
A young boy sat in a small cave, breathing heavily from fatigue.
"Huff, huff…"
He had dark circles under his eyes and dried lips, which indicated he had had no sleep and was avoiding hunger. He held his swollen arm.
He forced himself to stand and walk out.
Footsteps echoed toward the small cave.
"THUD, THUD!"
The footsteps originated from a lesser Orc. The young boy rushed back to protect the young girl.
The Orc rushed toward the youngsters. The broken sword Saturu held blurred through the head of the Orc at full speed.
SHLUNK!
The head of the Orc was annihilated in an instant. The headless body of the Orc fell down, revealing a figure covered in shadow, only his red, glowing eyes visible.
The young boy fell to the ground, trembling. He held the younger girl tightly in his arms, filled with fear.
Finally, the figure who had appeared was Saturu. He stepped closer as light illuminated him.
"…"
However, the boy was still frightened by Saturu, whose hand was still broken and drenched in Orc blood.
"Let's go home, kid."
The young boy held the younger girl in a defensive position.
Kayon entered the cave and saw the young boy frightened. He then shifted his gaze to Saturu, who was still fresh from the battle.
"…"
"What are you doing? Can't you see you're scaring her?"
"Why is that?"
"Really, you're asking?" He looked at Saturu, scanning him from head to toe.
The young girl in the boy's arms had fainted. Kayon mustered the strength to smile to reassure the boy that they were now safe.
He took the young girl and healed her. He did the same for the boy, healing his swollen arm back to normal.
---
"Once again, I thank you for your work, sirs," the man said, bowing to Suroji.
The man gave Kayon, who was still in disguise, a bag of gold coins. "This is all for your work."
"Thanks," Kayon said, about to take the bag.
A hand reached out to grab it. "I'm the one who did most of the work, so this is rightfully mine," Saturu said casually.
"You greedy bastard."
Saturu, who had prepared to leave, suddenly lost consciousness.
THUD!