Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 44

6. The Decisive Battle

1

After sweeping away the monsters in Garen Territory, Luke systematically eradicated the monster groups that were rampaging in the western part of the Duchy. It was an impossible task for an ordinary mage or knight, but he had a golem army and black magic that could absorb the opponent’s power. Moreover, with the vampire Belpar, who regained vitality by drinking blood, as his subordinate, he never felt the word ‘tired’ at all. Rather, the two became more vibrant as they continued their campaign.

‘The power of black magic has increased more than I expected,’ Luke thought, examining his current state while Belpar was out scouting. Perhaps because he mainly used black magic when fighting monsters and absorbed power with Black Bind, the amount of his magical energy had increased considerably. It seemed like he could form the 6th Black Circle if he increased it a little more.

‘I’ve been neglecting Black Circle training because there have been too many eyes watching, but this is good. After all, the source of my power is black magic.’ He had the knowledge of the 9th circle black magic he had achieved in his previous life. However, he could not fully use it because his Black Circle level was low. ‘I should pay more attention to absorbing magical energy in the future.’ Of course, that didn’t mean he would neglect swordsmanship or white magic. Both were major pillars of his current power, so he planned to train hard.

“Master, I’ve discovered a large monster army to the west!” Belpar flew in and reported urgently.

“A large army?” Luke asked.

“It looked like about ten thousand. Judging by the direction, they seemed to be heading towards Akvar Fortress… The problem is that they are being led by an Orc Hero.” Luke’s eyes flashed sharply at the mention of the Orc Hero.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes, it was similar to the appearance I saw before, and the aura was the same,” Belpar confirmed.

“Then we must pursue them immediately.” Luke, guided by Belpar, set out to pursue the Orc Hero. After a while, he discovered a monster army of ten thousand and secretly followed them.

‘This is the largest group I’ve faced so far. And if it’s led by an Orc Hero who is skilled in both intellect and martial arts, it might be a difficult fight.’ Even if they are the same soldiers, the power they can exert varies greatly depending on the commander’s ability. It meant that if he underestimated them like in the previous battles, he could get into serious trouble. So, Luke looked for a good terrain to fight ahead of the monster army. Then, he found a suitable area about a day’s journey from Akvar Fortress. It was a narrow passage between two hills, where a small force could easily block a large army.

‘This place will do.’ However, while setting up a magic circle and preparing for battle, a situation favorable to him occurred. The monster army split in two along the way, and about half of them went to Akvar Fortress first. Shaikan had sent reinforcements first, mainly the bison cavalry, because news had come that the situation of the advance unit attacking the fortress was not good. Luke didn’t know the reason, but he didn’t miss the opportunity to reduce their forces. After letting the first group pass, he launched an attack as soon as the main force led by the Orc Hero appeared.

“Kweeek! Strange guys have appeared in front!” At the report of an Orc warrior, Shaikan looked at the place the warrior was pointing at. Although it was far away, it was as clear as if it were right in front of him to his Draconian eyes [referring to his enhanced vision]. About a hundred golems and two humans were blocking the road in the narrow passage between the two hills.

‘No, one of them is not human.’ The scent of blood and the thick magical energy emanating from the guy in the black uniform were something that no human could possess. ‘Is he perhaps a demon? Then the human next to him must be a black mage.’ But the platinum-blonde human was a bit strange. It was strange that he was wearing a sword at his waist like a knight, and the aura emanating from his body contained mana and intense aura in addition to black magic. ‘What kind of guy is he?’ He had heard about the existence of Rune Knights from the deceased Stephen, but he had never heard of a knight who had mastered black magic. Shaikan was showing great curiosity about the human figure he had never seen in books when the platinum-blonde human stepped forward and opened his mouth. His voice was amplified by magic, so it could be heard clearly even from a distance.

“Are you the Orc Hero Shaikan?” Shaikan came forward in front of the monsters, his eyes fixed on him.

“Do you know my identity?” Shaikan asked with a startled face. He had been leading the monsters since the invasion of the Navarr Duchy, but he had never done anything that would reveal his identity.

“Heh heh, I did some legwork and found out.” At Luke’s answer, Shaikan pointed his chin at the golems behind him and asked, “Did you appear here to stop me?”

At Shaikan’s question, Luke shrugged and replied, “That’s right. No one welcomes your appearance.”

“Hmph, I guess I’m not very welcome. To the point that they would commission a black mage, who is condemned on the continent, to eliminate me.” Among them, Emperor Rudolf of the Barok Empire would be the least welcoming. If he knew that the Orc Hero Shaikan was the Third Prince Reikart. Anyway, from Shaikan’s point of view, he had to deal with this strange human. Only then would the path to destroy the Navarr Duchy and go to the Empire be opened.

“I don’t want to stain my sword with the blood of a black mage, but I have no choice.” No sooner had he finished speaking than Shaikan drew a greatsword from behind his back and threw it at Luke in a surprise attack.

Swoosh!

“… !” The sword flew at a terrifying speed with a fierce tearing sound. Luke hastily deployed a shield magic to block the sword, or rather, deflect it.

Clang! Shaikan’s power was so strong that the sword, which had bounced back after hitting the shield magic, shattered one of the golems. However, what surprised Luke was not the power carried by the sword, but the sight of the sword instantly returning to Shaikan’s grasp.

‘What is this? Magic? No, it’s a little different…’ But Luke didn’t have time to analyze it leisurely. The monster army had launched an all-out attack at the signal of Shaikan’s flying sword.

2

Crack! Thud!

Clang! Clang!

Luke’s golem army and Shaikan’s monster army collided in the narrow passage. As befitting the troops guarding the Orc Hero, the monsters’ combat power was strong, and their tenacity was even greater. Even Belpar, who had been leisurely dominating them until now, was showing a disgusted expression at the sight of the Orc warriors rushing at him.

“Damn it, these guys are tougher than ogre tendons!” However, unlike Belpar, who was complaining, the golem army was fighting well. This was because they were receiving systematic control through the geographical advantage and marionette magic [magic that controls puppets or golems]. Then, suddenly, the situation changed.

Kroooooo!

Kuaaaak!

The large monsters suddenly roared and began to change their momentum wildly. The ones with red eyes launched reckless attacks, not even fearing death. Belpar was startled by the distinctly different appearance from before.

‘Is this a berserker?’ He had seen it several times in the demon world, so he immediately recognized that the large monsters had entered a berserker state [a state of uncontrollable rage and increased strength]. The guys, who had become stronger by burning their life force, began to push back the golems.

“Master, the battle situation…” Belpar looked for Luke to inform him of the urgent situation. And soon, he could find him in the air.

Clang! Bang!

Clang! Shuga-gak!

Luke was fiercely exchanging blows with Shaikan in the air. Every time they exchanged swords and magic, lightning-like sparks flashed, and heavy shockwaves shook the air. Both of them seemed to have no regard for the battle taking place on the ground, focusing all their attention and senses on their opponent. No, the enemy was so strong that they couldn’t win if they didn’t.

‘This is bad, he’s a tougher opponent than I thought.’ ‘He’s no ordinary black mage. But I have to defeat him to win against the enemies that will appear in the future…’ Luke and Shaikan clashed from the beginning of the battle. Luke judged that he had to deal with Shaikan to break up the monster army, and Shaikan also thought that he had to defeat Luke to get rid of the annoying golems. With these thoughts of both sides coinciding, a great clash occurred in the air. Because of this, Luke could not concentrate on marionette magic, and Shaikan also had difficulty controlling the monsters.

“But it seems like my side is a bit more advantageous.” Shaikan glanced at the ground and smiled triumphantly. This was because the combat power of the berserk monsters had increased even though they had lost control. On the other hand, the golems, who had lost control, had become simple in their movements and were being destroyed one by one. Despite this situation, Luke did not show much panic. Rather, he wore a meaningful smile.

“The cards we prepared are not just golems.” It was a whopping 5000 to 100. No matter how much he fought with the advantage of the terrain, Luke did not think that he could easily overcome the numerical difference. So, there was one more thing he had prepared. After finishing his words, he quickly drew hand seals in the air. Then, a purple light flashed from the ground, creating a huge black magic circle that floated into the air. As the magic circle activated, Belpar quickly backed away. This magic circle of his master did not distinguish between friend and foe, and it was fatal even to demons. However, the monster army, which had been fighting the golems, was trapped inside the magic circle.

Woo-oong!

“Kueeeek!”

“Kkueek! H-h-h-my power…” As the light of the magic circle flashed, the monsters, who had been fighting bravely, collapsed powerlessly on the ground. The weak ones like goblins and kobolds were already withering all over their bodies. Shaikan couldn’t help but be startled by the plight of his subordinates.

“T-this is!” he exclaimed.

“Among black magic, there is a method of absorbing the opponent’s mana or aura. Among them, this magic circle is called Life Steal, and it’s quite effective.” Life Steal was a magic circle that expanded and strengthened Black Bind. Once trapped within the range, there was no way that anyone could avoid being drained of every last drop of power.

“You despicable black mage!” A huge flame flickered from the tip of Shaikan’s sword in anger. It was a flame created by dragon language magic, hot enough to melt even rocks in an instant. However, Luke easily avoided Shaikan’s attack with Blink [a short-range teleportation spell]. And he immediately launched a counterattack.

“Thousand Bullet!” An uncountable number of purple magic bullets floated around Luke. It was a much stronger attack than the existing Dark Bullet, and it could unleash a barrage of attacks that would make the enemy lose their mind.

Swoosh! Swish! Sseeeek! Shaikan hastily put up a shield to block or deflect the magic bullets. However, the power of the magic bullets was considerable, and since dozens or hundreds of them were pouring down at once, he couldn’t withstand it.

“Hmph! Dragonic Move!” Shaikan hastily deployed teleportation with dragon language magic and escaped from the hail of Thousand Bullets. However, Thousand Bullets was just a feint. Luke, who had predicted that Shaikan would dodge and in which direction he would move, moved above his head and launched an attack.

“Build Up!”Luke channeled the demonic powers he had absorbed. Activating the Touma tribe’s strengthening ability, his arms swelled as if they would burst. He added a purple aura to his enhanced strength and swung his sword down at Shaikan.Swoosh!The blade connected, and red blood scattered in the air. Shaikan’s greatsword was broken in half, and a gruesome wound ran from his right shoulder to his abdomen. It was a fatal wound, but Shaikan instinctively twisted his body, avoiding instant death.”Ugh! Re, Recovery!”Shaikan healed his wound with recovery dragon language magic and hurriedly retreated to create distance.’Damn it, how did he suddenly get so strong!’ Just a moment ago, Luke’s dark magic and his own dragon language magic were evenly matched. But now, Luke’s combat power had suddenly increased, which was unbelievable.’Could it be because he absorbed the mana of the monsters with dark magic like Life Steal? But even if he absorbs mana, it should take time to fully digest it?’ Luke was just as puzzled by his opponent. Normally, there was a slight delay in manifesting magic because it took time to chant spells or complete magic formulas. However, his opponent was using powerful magic without these processes.”You use quite unusual magic. How is such mana manipulation possible?” At Luke’s question, Shaikan slightly curled the corners of his mouth.”Hmph, do you want to know?”Luke didn’t answer. He honestly wanted to know, but he felt a strange sense of danger. It seemed like his opponent was still hiding power he couldn’t imagine. Luke’s prediction was exactly right.”I’ll show you, the root of my power!” Shaikan, who had thrown away his broken greatsword, clenched his fists and roared.”Change Dragon!”‘What?’Luke’s eyes widened. In his eyes, Shaikan’s figure was swelling up like a balloon. His whole body was covered in red scales, his neck stretched out, and a tail and wings sprouted. Sharp teeth grew out of his protruding mouth, and sharp claws and talons grew out of his rugged hands and feet. When Shaikan, who had transformed into a giant reptile over 30 meters from head to tail, opened his eyes, they contained fiery red pupils. The strongest race, the dragon, which was considered a legend, no, a mythical being, revealed its existence.3Kieeeeeee!A terrifying roar that seemed to shatter eardrums spread in all directions. The echoes of the roar reverberated countless times in the sky, and everything breathing on the ground stared blankly at the red dragon.”A, a dragon!” Belpar, who had witnessed something unbelievable, collapsed on the spot. In his frozen eyes, Luke’s figure was reflected in front of the dragon. Luke was unable to move, suspended in the air. He was so shocked by the situation that his mind and body had stopped due to the dragon fear that had just erupted. However, the instinct to survive desperately awakened his consciousness and infused strength into his frozen body.’Is that really a dragon? No, dragons went extinct a long time ago. Then what is that…’ About 500 years ago, he had heard a story from Katarina. The dragon that had fallen out of favor with the gods due to arrogance and greed. Tiamet, the last dragon left on earth. The descendants of the half-human, half-dragon who inherited the dragon’s power, knowledge, and magic from Tiamet. In a world where dragons had disappeared, those successors who carried on everything about dragons were… ‘Dragonians! Was Shaikan a Dragonian!’ He had certainly thought that he was no ordinary orc. But he never imagined he would be such an absurd being. It had been so long since dragons and Dragonians had disappeared into the annals of history that they had almost been forgotten in people’s memories. But now was not the time to be surprised. Shaikan, who had transformed into a red dragon, was still showing hostility towards him. If he remained blank, he would be defeated in an instant.’Move! Move now!’Krrrr!In Luke’s eyes, desperately struggling, he saw Shaikan opening his mouth wide. The air was sucked in, and a thick sulfurous smell and a toxic gas flowed out.Puaaaaaak!Sparks flashed between his teeth, and then Shaikan spewed a breath of blazing flames. The breath that instantly engulfed Luke blew away half of the southern hills on the ground. In this process, the Life Steal magic circle was destroyed, and the monster army that was dying from mana depletion was saved.”Kweeek! It’s a monster!””R, run away!”But, ungratefully, the monsters threw away their weapons and were busy running away. Many of them were so terrified that they soiled themselves. Shaikan, seeing the scene, shouted at them.”You stupid fools! Where do you think you’re going, leaving your king behind!” But what came out of Shaikan’s mouth now was more like a wail than a shout. As a result, the monsters were even more frightened and ran away. In fact, there was a reason why the monsters were reacting like this. Shaikan had shown them mysterious abilities with dragon language magic, but he had never shown them what he looked like when he transformed into a dragon. Moreover, in the process of transforming into a dragon, Shaikan temporarily lost control of the monsters’ consciousness, which he had been maintaining with dragon language magic. He hurriedly tried to regain it, but the monsters had already scattered like ants. And there was an obstacle.”Dark Bullet!”A purple magic bullet suddenly flew and struck Shaikan’s body. The magic bullet was much larger and more powerful than before. But since the shape was the same, Shaikan could clearly tell who the obstacle was.”Tch, you were alive?””Yes, I dodged it by a hair’s breadth.”Shaikan turned his head towards the direction where Luke’s voice was coming from. There, a steel giant about 15 meters tall was standing. The Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine], clad in bright bluish-gray, sharply angled heavy armor, looked incomparably more powerful than the old Gigants used by the Duchy of Navarr.”Kratos, is it?”Kratos, the hero-class Gigant of the Altica Magic Tower. Shaikan had seen Kratos when he was young. This was because Kratos was deployed in the imperial palace as the Gigant of the commander of the Royal Knights. But the figure from his memories had now appeared before him as an enemy.”It was a good thing I brought this guy. If I had kept him in the territory to save him…” He would have been unilaterally defeated by Shaikan, who had transformed into a dragon. Just a moment ago, Luke barely dodged the breath attack with Blink [a short-range teleportation spell]. And immediately, he took out Kratos from the subspace. Since his opponent had become a dragon, he felt the need to strengthen his side as well. He couldn’t be sure if he could catch a dragon by riding a hero-class Gigant. However, once he got bigger, he felt somewhat psychologically stable.”Take this, Black Sphere!”When Luke, riding Kratos, manifested dark magic, the Gigant’s core engine reacted and amplified the manifested dark magic. The Black Sphere, which had grown more than 10 times larger than before, flew towards Shaikan, who was looking at Kratos with wary eyes.”Not a chance!”Shaikan turned and swung his tail, and the Black Sphere disappeared as it was. But Luke was not flustered and continued his attack. He deployed fly magic, approached Shaikan with Kratos, and then swung down a greatsword imbued with aura.”Dragonic Shield!”When Shaikan manifested dragon language magic, a transparent red barrier was instantly cast in front of him. However, it could not completely block the aura sword that the hero-class Gigant had swung down with all its might.Squeak!’……!’As the greatsword broke through the Dragonic Shield, Shaikan hurriedly crossed his arms to block the attack. Fortunately, the aura sword, weakened in the process of breaking the Dragonic Shield, bounced off without piercing his thick scales. When the attack failed, Luke frowned and pulled Kratos back.”It’s really strange. Is this the dragon language magic that dragons use?”Whether it was white magic or dark magic, it was deployed based on mana constructed in a ring shape in the heart. But Shaikan’s magic was different. When he uttered a spell, the surrounding mana reacted instantly and manifested. Therefore, the magic was activated very quickly, and there was no need for a ring in the heart.’Isn’t dragon magic supposed to be used based on the dragon heart?’ But this was just a guess by later generations who did not know about dragons. The dragon heart only served to maintain the dragon’s life and to unleash a combat technique called Dragonic Aura. The dragons, a race blessed by mana, could activate magic simply by uttering a spell. That’s why ancient dragons who had lived for thousands of years were able to freely use even 12th circle magic. However…’Tch, even if they inherited the blood, Dragonians can’t become real dragons.’Shaikan clenched his fist in frustration. A Dragonian who had awakened their blood could transform into a dragon along with dragon language magic. However, since they were not real dragons, their size was about half as small, and their power was only about a third. Not only were there only a few dragon language magic they could use, but their power was also inferior. He thought he would at least be as strong as the Sword Emperor, the strongest human, or a 9th circle archmage, but he never expected to struggle against a strange dark magician he had met for the first time today.’And the fact that I haven’t fully awakened as a perfect Dragonian must have played a part too?’ It had only been two years since Shaikan had awakened as a Dragonian. He had created a monster army by using that ability, but it was still too much for him to transform into a dragon. As proof, he was very tired and exhausted even though it hadn’t been long since he had transformed. The dragon instinct imprinted in his bloodline was telling him that the transformation time was running out.’But I can’t end like this.’ How could he achieve revenge if he couldn’t even defeat one dark magician! Shaikan, who had whipped himself, pushed Luke with all his might.”Flame Blizzard!”When Shaikan manifested dragon language magic, a storm of flames struck Kratos. But Luke deployed barrier magic and instead broke through the storm and thrust his greatsword at Shaikan. Shaikan blocked the greatsword with his sharp claws, turned, and struck Kratos with his tail. And then, he immediately spewed breath at Kratos, who had paused from the impact.”Do you think I’d be hit by such an attack!”Luke, who had dodged the breath and entered, swung his greatsword down on Shaikan’s head. But Shaikan blocked the greatsword with the horns on his head and struck Kratos with an explosion manifested by dragon language magic.Kwaaang!”Ugh!”The breastplate of Kratos, which was hit by the flames, was shattered in an instant. Fortunately for Luke, Kratos’s armor was thick. It was the outer secondary armor that was broken, and the primary armor was fortunately intact.”I’ll turn you into scrap metal!”The moment Shaikan gritted his teeth and tried to attack again, his body staggered from an intangible shock. Luke did not miss the opportunity and added Kratos’s weight to the gravity magic he had just cast, slamming Shaikan to the ground.Kwaaaang!

“Whoa!”

Belfar, who had been watching the fight from the ground, scrambled away when Shaikan and Kratos fell nearby.

He had no desire to be caught in the crossfire of such a massive battle.

“Kuh-heuk! That black magician!”

Shaikan staggered, clearly having taken a heavy blow from the fall, and struggled to get up.

Seeing this, Luke immediately unleashed his specialty, black magic.

“Black Bind!”

“No!”

Dark, plant-like stems shot up from the ground and instantly wrapped around Shaikan’s body.

Shaikan struggled, but they were so tough and tenacious that he couldn’t break free.

Seeing him completely bound, Luke wore a triumphant smile.

“Heh heh heh, did you think I just slammed you into the ground for no reason?”

Thanks to Kratos’s core engine being amplified, the power of Black Bind was several times stronger. It was more than enough to hold a creature over 30 meters long on the battlefield.

“Now, to deliver the final blow… Huh?!”

Suddenly, a red light flashed, and Shaikan disappeared from sight.

Luke frantically looked around, and Shaikan’s deep voice reached his ears.

“I’m over here, black magician.”

Luke turned his gaze toward the voice.

Shaikan was standing on the northern hill, having returned to his original form from the dragon.

It seemed he had deliberately undone his transformation to escape Black Bind.

“I thought with my current power, I could go beyond the Duchy and aim for the Empire, but I was mistaken.”

Shaikan had completely withdrawn his fighting spirit, as if he had no intention of fighting anymore.

“Shaikan, what are you talking about! Come at me!”

“My subordinates have all fled, so let’s end the fight here today. But before I leave, there’s one thing I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

Luke wanted to take down that guy and absorb the enormous mana of the Dragonian, which was incomparable to that of a monster.

However, he couldn’t recklessly attack a Dragonian who would obviously transform into a dragon in his bare form.

To confront him, he would have to use the Gigant [a large, humanoid combat machine], but unfortunately, there was a problem with Kratos’s core engine.

It had broken down from the impact of slamming Shaikan into the ground a moment ago.

If he were to activate it forcefully here, it could explode.

‘Tch, what a shame.’

As Luke was internally lamenting that he could no longer engage in combat, Shaikan’s question struck his ears.

“Are you perhaps a descendant of the Demon King Seymon?”

At first, he didn’t know, but after the fight, when he thought about it calmly, he was able to guess Luke’s identity.

The combination of a combat golem legion and black magic.

It was such a famous combination that Shaikan, who had heard the story of the hero Rakan in his childhood, was able to quickly recall it.

When Luke didn’t answer, he spoke again.

“If you are a descendant of the Demon King, and if you have strong feelings toward the Baroque Imperial Family, we might be able to become allies walking the same path.”

“Allies?”

“That’s right. I have a debt to repay to the Baroque Imperial Family. I hope that when we meet next time, we will be allies, not enemies.”

With those words, Shaikan disappeared using teleportation magic.

‘What on earth happened with the Baroque Imperial Family that makes him so hostile?’

Luke stood there, lost in thought.

The fact that the Orc Hero who caused the monster wave was a Dragonian was surprising.

But more important to Luke was that the Dragonian was hostile to the Baroque Imperial Family.

This could be an important variable that would affect his future actions.

“Master, are you alright?”

Belfar approached Kratos, where Luke was riding, and asked about his well-being.

Opening the hatch, Luke answered Belfar as if scolding him.

“Why? Would you have preferred if I wasn’t alright?”

“N-no, of course not.”

Belfar waved his hand, but deep down, he wasn’t entirely without such thoughts. If Luke died, he would be freed from their soul contract.

Clicking his tongue, Luke looked at him and said, putting Kratos into the subspace of his bracelet.

“Anyway, we defeated the Orc Hero, so let’s go to Akvar Fortress. The battle there is also important.”

“Yes, Master.”

Luke and Belfar immediately flew toward Akvar Fortress. Although they were very tired after the battle in the narrow pass, there was no time to hesitate.

4

Kwaaaang!

Kkirururuk!

“Kkuiik, don’t fall back! Push forward!”

While Luke was fighting Shaikan, Akvar Fortress was also engaged in a fierce siege against the monster army.

The siege, which had begun at dawn, continued relentlessly, as if the monsters were determined to see it through to the end, despite suffering enormous losses.

The Duchy’s army, exhausted from the continuous siege, was barely holding them off.

If the Imperial Army hadn’t come to their aid two days ago, they might have already been overrun.

“Hold on just a little longer!”

“If we can just repel this attack, we can launch a counterattack!”

Officers on the walls shouted to encourage the soldiers.

Their words were not false.

In fact, dozens of Gigants and 2,000 cavalrymen were gathered behind the gate. The plan was to strike a blow the moment the monsters retreated, ending the grueling battle.

The number of monsters had decreased significantly enough for them to devise such a plan.

Therefore, even though they were struggling under the fierce attack, the soldiers’ eyes were filled with hope.

On the watchtower inside the outer wall.

Several figures stood on the watchtower, which offered a clear view of the area. It was the Imperial Army’s high command, and Sebastian, disguised as Luke, was looking down and giving instructions.

“What are you doing? The east is being pushed back! Block it off!”

When the standard-bearer, who received the instructions, waved the agreed-upon flag to give the order, Sebastian pointed to another area and said,

“The west is about to have its gate breached! Send the Gigants quickly!”

Sebastian calmly directed the battle according to the strategy book Luke had given him before leaving.

Having seen and learned from Luke, he looked exactly like him, without any sense of incongruity.

However, there was a woman watching him from behind.

It was Princess Magreta, who had been dispatched as a liaison officer, and for some reason, her face was as red as a ripe apple.

‘Aah… why am I like this? My body is so hot, I can’t stand it.’

Since a few days ago, whenever she saw Luke, or rather, Sebastian, her heart would race and her head would spin. She was so intoxicated with excitement that she would even twist her body.

She scolded herself several times for being like a ‘bitch in heat’.

‘Are you crazy, Magreta? You’re supposed to ensnare that guy with your charm, what are you doing getting excited first!’

But no matter how much she resolved herself and pinched her arms and legs, she couldn’t stop getting excited whenever she saw Duke Luke.

At first, she suspected that Duke Luke might have secretly used an aphrodisiac or a love potion on her.

However, no matter how much she examined herself, she couldn’t feel any trace of such a drug in her body.

Moreover, there was no sign of mental magic being used.

‘Why is my body like this!’

Just as Magreta was about to cry at the inexplicable phenomenon, Sebastian glanced back and grinned.

‘Kyaoong! She’s in quite a state!’

Sebastian knew very well what was happening to her body. No, he couldn’t help but know, since he was the cause of the phenomenon.

Every night, Sebastian would sneak into her quarters and feed on Magreta’s impure desires and negative emotions.

When the emotions embedded in her soul were transferred to Sebastian’s soul, something from Sebastian’s soul was also transferred to her soul.

It was the pheromone of the Incubus race [a demon that seduces humans in their sleep].

One of Sebastian’s ancestors was an Incubus, and the pheromone that the Incubus race emitted when seducing the opposite sex had poisoned Magreta’s soul.

Anyway, because of that, Magreta would often express her desire to come and pounce on him.

“Princess, are you feeling unwell? If you are, you should return to your quarters and rest.”

Philip, who was watching the battlefield next to her, asked with a puzzled look.

Startled, Magreta quickly shook her head.

“N-no, it’s nothing. I’m just tired from not sleeping well. I’ll be fine soon.”

“Is that so? Well, when you think about it, it’s no wonder.”

The monster army launched fierce attacks during the day and attempted surprise attacks at night, screaming and yelling, so not only the soldiers on the front lines but also the commanders couldn’t sleep peacefully.

So Philip thought that the princess, who had come as a liaison officer, would be no exception. The real reason was completely different, though.

“The battle will be over soon, so please hold on a little longer.”

As Philip said, the momentum of the monsters attacking the fortress had clearly decreased.

‘If the Lord succeeds in dealing with the Orc Hero in this situation…’

Philip had also heard about the operation from Sebastian after Luke left.

At first, he doubted whether Luke could find and deal with the Orc Hero with just the two of them.

But now, it was more important to defeat the enemy in front of them than to just hope or worry.

Anyway, the tide of the battle was turning in favor of the fortress.

When small monsters like kobolds and goblins started to cautiously flee, the large monsters also began to turn their backs.

The orcs, unable to control the situation, issued a retreat order.

“The monsters are retreating!”

“Good! Open the gates! We will begin the counterattack!”

The combined forces of the Empire and the Duchy, who had no intention of missing this opportunity, opened the gates and came out.

The Gigants and cavalry, who had been prepared in advance, fiercely chased after the fleeing monsters.

However, it was a trap set by the monster army.

Suddenly, monsters that had been hiding underground popped out and began to charge at the vulnerable gate!

Moreover, the fleeing monsters also turned around and began to attack the pursuing forces.

In the face of this sudden situation, the fortress was quickly in danger of being overrun.

“Damn it, who knew those monsters could pull off such a sophisticated feint!”

“We can’t hold them back any longer! We have to retreat!”

The fortress, which had barely held out for several days, became like a lighthouse in front of a giant wave.

As the number of monsters entering and rampaging inside the fortress increased, the high command of the fortress, judging that they could no longer hold them back, were about to order a retreat.

But then, suddenly, the monsters’ movements became strange.

Instead of their previously coordinated actions, they began to rampage haphazardly, and some were even tangled up and fighting each other.

Orc shamans and warriors tried to control them, but their orders no longer worked.

“W-what’s going on?”

“Have these guys suddenly gone crazy?”

The soldiers were all puzzled, but Philip and Sebastian realized the reason.

“The Lord has succeeded in eliminating the Orc Hero!”

“Master, hooray!”

The soldiers of the Duchy and the Empire, who had narrowly escaped the crisis, reorganized their ranks and pushed the monsters out of the fortress.

The monsters, having lost control, were no longer an army but mere prey, so there was no problem in driving them away.

That evening, when Luke and Belfar arrived, the battle was already over.

Thus, the momentum of the monster wave was clearly broken by the battles in the narrow pass and the siege of Akvar Fortress.

Although the whereabouts of the Orc Hero were unknown, and many monsters still remained in the Duchy, the main force of the monster army had been defeated, so the war was virtually over.