Praise the Orc

Chapter 172: Siege War (3)

Andre and his white horse became one as they raced down the hill.

Rommel took hold of the situation and ordered the soldiers supporting the knight's siege to split left and right. The back of the army opened the way, and the layers of soldiers surrounding the siege came apart.

The soldiers’ hems fluttered in the wind from Andre’s relentless charge.

Then, the final layer, the knights’ formation, was the only one left. Andre and his horse gradually sped up and advanced like a meteor.

The knights opened the way, unveiling the last circular formation, with Crockta standing beyond it.

A horse in a race didn’t have brakes. It only moved forward.

Andre crouched down as he went beyond the natural world and into the world of the Pinnacle. Space around him contracted, and he pierced through the contortion of space and time toward his target.

His lance had already pierced the line that stemmed from the tip of his spear to the enemy's heart. The sight of Crockta blankly staring at him came into view.

Andre grinned. His lips curved into a smile from the anticipation of the collision.

With his adrenaline at the maximum, his arms twitched from excitement. He extended his body forward as he embraced the imminent collision with his entire being.

Crockta’s silhouette became blurry, but Andre didn’t stop.

Bang!

‘One.’

Thud!

‘Two.’

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thud!

On the count of three, endless strikes ensued.

The bodies of knights swept up in the first collision exploded into pieces of flesh and flew in the air. Andre continued to charge relentlessly, crushing the ranks of knights and trampling the infantry.

Andre pushed forward with the screams of soldiers and shockwaves of the battlefield as his background music. It was an explosive assault carried out by a single man!

Soon, he managed to penetrate the entire battalion. Only corpses remained in his tracks.

The entire imperial army surrounding Crockta had split in half. The final target was Rommel, who had retreated to the back to command the imperial army.

Andre's white horse accelerated as it charged. Andre could see the bewildered faces of the knights. Andre thrust his lance and pierced a knight who scattered into white particles.

But the man wasn't Rommel. Andre had missed him by a narrow margin. Cainz and the Heaven and Earth clan members standing by Rommel had used their magic and bodies to protect Rommel.

Andre looked behind him. Rommel and his group were fleeing from Andre to join the empire’s army.

Andre slowed down his pace.

"What a waste.”

He didn’t kill him, but it was enough. He turned his horse and admired his work.

The imperial army was unable to recover their formation from the aftermath of the shock and was still in disarray. They floundered as if smoke rose from where Andre had trampled and clouded their vision.

“Hahaha!”

Andre raised his lance high to celebrate when he suddenly locked eyes with Crockta.

“Why do you look so surprised?” mumbled Andre as he lowered his lance.

He already knew that Crockta was his disciple, Jung Yi-An.

He had known since a while ago when Crockta began gaining media attention. During the video of Crockta’s battle against the player killers, Baek Han-Ho could see Yi-An's old habit in Crockta.

‘The index finger.’

He probably didn’t notice it himself. After Yi-An was discharged from the military and returned to South Korea, he began to flick his index finger whenever he entered a confrontational situation. Perhaps it was a habit from the battlefield, from when he used to pull the trigger.

Even in the video, he noticed Crockta subtly moving his index finger. His index finger trembled when he burned with murderous intent before swinging his greatsword.

Despite the larger body and menacing face, his unique movements and stance were exactly like the Jung Yi-An he knew.

There was no way he wouldn’t find out since he had been teaching Yi-An as his disciple since he was a child.

Moreover, Andre gained certainty when he saw Yi-An advocate for Crockta while arguing about Andre. Yi-Yoo, Yi-An’s younger sister, also attested that Yi-An was deeply immersed in Elder Lord these days.

Baek Han-Ho tried to challenge his disciple to a showdown in the game by provoking him, but the situation had gone awry.

But this wasn’t bad either.

One had to have such guts to call oneself Baek Han-Ho's disciple.

"Now, shall we go again?"

His white horse began to gallop. This horse wasn't just a regular horse. It was the greatest treasure he had obtained while playing the game.

Even if a legendary pegasus were to be resurrected, it wouldn’t be able to match this horse, which he had obtained at the end of a quest. It was a horse with dragon blood flowing in its veins.

"Let's go, Jindol."

Andre began circling the empire’s formation. He aimed to slice through their divided formation.

The soldiers at the edges were terrified. They were swept up in fear because they had already experienced his prowess.

Inside, there was Crockta, and outside, there was Andre.

The imperial army was in utter chaos due to just two enemies.

Andre, standing at an appropriate distance, began racing again. Crockta also swung his greatsword.

The hammer flew toward the anvil.

***

Crockta couldn’t help but laugh.

He thought Baek Han-Ho had gone mad because his character White Knight Andre was weirdly obsessed with Crockta, but Baek Han-Ho had known all along that Crockta was Yi-An, his disciple.

A master and his disciple meeting inside a game and engaging in a battle against a large army. The world was truly full of surprises.

Crockta raised his greatsword.

The empire’s army was recovering from the wounds inflicted by Andre. The enemy's numbers were still considerable. However, with one more person, the burden was halved.

That should be enough.

He saw Andre charging again. Crockta swung his greatsword in response.

The battlefield, which had been at a standstill, was once again drenched in blood. The empire’s soldiers died ceaselessly.

Blood stained the ground as Crockta fiercely pushed back the knights.

But Rommel was a formidable foe.

Although he had momentarily lost his composure due to Andre's sudden attack, he quickly resumed command and skillfully rounded up the knights surrounding Crockta, intensifying their siege.

He then ordered the back formation to look outside and stand on guard against Andre to solidify internal and external defenses.

Andre’s relentless charge came to an abrupt halt. He had to turn his horse’s head due to the reinforcement of knights.

The deathmatch continued.

Crockta had to deal with Adantadore, Betrong, and Bleuno all at once. Their attacks targeted Crockta's openings. Crockta switched between the realms of the Pinnacle and the Hero as he faced his enemies.

Having traversed extremes and expanded his limits through experiences, Crockta freely moved between the realms of transcendence. During critical moments, he slashed enemies in the realm of the Pinnacle and reversed the law of causality in life-or-death situations. Unable to withstand Crockta's great swordsmanship with unpredictable swerves and attacks, the enemies continually suffered losses.

Adantadore gritted his teeth. After receiving blows from Crockta, blood continued to gush out of his mouth. He spat out several loose teeth that hadn’t fallen off yet.

Murderous intent that surpassed the camaraderie they had built during their brief time together surged forth.

"I'll take on Crockta. The rest, cover the rear."

Though his pronunciation was off, the knights didn’t let on and calmly nodded.

Adantadore immediately reached the realm of Heroes and unleashed all of his strength. Terrifying tentacles that violated natural law and reversed the laws of causality extended from him. His aura surged toward Crockta.

Crockta’s face hardened as he sensed the surprising turn of events. Adantadore was coming with full force.

But Crockta mocked him as he clasped his greatsword, "Do you like soup? You should eat it for the rest of your life!"

"You asshole!”

Adantadore leapt forward. Crockta faced him in the realm of Heroes. Their swords clashed, and their transcendent powers coiled around each other.

They continuously exchanged attacks, but they were reversed in the realm of Heroes. It was a chaotic fight where it was impossible to discern where phenomena and reversals occurred. Crockta tracked Adantadore persistently without losing focus.

Crockta slashed Adantadore's leg, causing him to stumble. However, other knights immediately attacked him from behind.

Crockta ignored their counterattacks and thrust his greatsword.

Adantadore tried to dodge, but the greatsword was too fast. It slashed his shoulders and thighs and impaled his heart.

“...!”

But in an instant, causality was reversed. Their powers nullified each other's attacks.

Instead of his shoulders and thighs, wounds appeared on Adantadore’s back. The Ogre Slayer also pierced Adantadore’s shoulders instead of his heart.

"Ugh.”

"Ahhhh!”

Adantadore floundered.

Crockta received damages as well, but he had inflicted enough wounds on Adantadore to force him out of the battle.

Satisfied, Crockta stepped back. The knights took care of Adantadore, and Crockta turned around to look for Betrong and Bleuno.

But they were nowhere to be seen.

He turned his head and saw Betrong and Bleuno heading toward Andre. Each time Andre charged, he wreaked heavy damages, but it would still be tough to handle those two alone.

Andre’s horse also sustained injuries from the repeated attacks. The horse seemed too fatigued to continue its fiery charges.

Before long, Andre would be swept up by the empire’s army, and the situation would turn unfavorable again.

Crockta gripped his greatsword and tried to break through the knights surrounding him. However, the siege around him was solid.

With powers transcending causality, he simultaneously dealt with four knights. Their heads flew in the air.

Despite the horrifying sight, the knights maintained their composure and continued to hold their formation.

Crockta raised his head and saw Rommel overseeing the battlefield from a distance.

As expected of a War Maestro class, he possessed an astonishing ability to maintain the morale of the soldiers he commanded. His power bound the troops together. Under Rommel's influence, the knights forgot their fear and boldly resisted Crockta.

"Hahaha.”

He had known it since the beginning. Facing an army alone was close to impossible. However, it didn't matter. Crockta gripped his greatsword and assumed a stance. The enemies took a step back.

Crockta chuckled, "Did you not hear what I said at the beginning?"

He recalled the face of the Ashen God who was watching him.

With a one hundred percent assimilation rate, death for him in Elder Lord was now equivalent to death on Earth, but in this moment of crisis, he felt a sense of ecstasy.

He was doing what he had to do, and the world was pushing him forward.

"Come."

The knights gritted their teeth and charged collectively. Crockta dealt with them one by one. Deaths intertwined. Crockta shouted, knocking down the enemies collectively on the battlefield.

"Bul’taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!”

He was a warrior, and survival alone was not enough. He remembered the ceremony from the day he received the name Crockta.

‘Honor. What an honor for a warrior to risk death in the pursuit of honor.’

"Cooooooome!"

The enemies exploded. Crockta continued to accumulate injuries. Enemy blades pierced his back and thighs. He staggered as he pierced the throats of his enemies.

He pulled out the blades from his body, tearing his flesh.

He didn't care.

In the distance, Andre was seen fighting between the knights. The horse was already gone. Whether dead or departed. He was struggling against Betrong and Bleuno. Andre met Crockta's gaze.

‘Hey, kid.’

He remembered the first time he met Baek Han-ho.

‘Can you fight?’

Back then, Bae Han-Ho was young. He asked Yi-An with a smirk, and Yi-An just thought he was a local troublemaker.

It was an old memory now.

But he didn’t plan to dwell on an old memory like someone meeting their death.

He was Crockta, an orc and a warrior.

"Andre!" Crockta raised his voice and shouted his name.

Andre looked at him. In the midst of struggling against Betrong, he regained strength. Crockta laughed and shouted.

"Pathetic!"

Andre's eyes widened, and he began to laugh. Then as if he had regained his strength, he fought back against Betrong. Their swords clashed. Betrong stepped back.

"Mind your own business!”

Andre kicked Betrong and knocked him down.

Crockta also burst into laughter.

No matter how much they killed, enemies continued to replenish in numbers.

He was gaining momentum, but the overall situation had not changed significantly.

There seemed to be no end.

Crockta continued forward as he dragged his greatsword on the ground.

Now was the time to think. He took a deep breath as he thought about his younger sister, the balance in his bank account, and Café Reason when he heard strange sounds from a distance.

“...?"

Crockta and the imperial army turned their heads and saw a man approaching them. As if he was under a Haste spell, his footsteps were swift like he was sprinting. He was spiritedly talking to himself as if he were a madman.

Crockta choked on his saliva and began to cough.

The man's voice grew closer.

"Oh my! You managed to do such a thing! I used to boast of being quite capable in my prime, but I never heard, saw, expected, or imagined such a thing! Hahaha! Even if you go to hell, those charming succubuses will cling onto you and won’t let go! Hehehe, isn't it a given for heroes to go through trials and tribulations? No, really? Oh well, it's a series of surprises. My shoulders are shaking from excitement! Hahahahahahaha!”