Borzak lunged at Gus, the Grand Master of the Order of the White Swans.
Gus tried to block with his sword, but the Orc's strength, combined with the weight of the hammer, made his defense falter.
CLANG.
The impact sent a jolt through his entire arm, a dull pain shooting up to his shoulder.
*He's stronger than I thought.*
The knights around them were too caught up in their own battles to help Gus.
Not that it mattered—they trusted him to handle himself.
"The Grand Master's got this!"
"Focus on your own opponents!"
The Orc's hammer swung down toward Gus's head.
It was inches away.
Gus ducked at the last second.
SWISH.
The hammer grazed just above his head, ruffling his hair.
Then he countered.
He infused his sword with concentrated flames and delivered a swift, downward slash.
BOOM.
The impact unleashed a fiery explosion, hurling Borzak backward.
"Tch!"
Borzak rolled across the ground but quickly sprang back to his feet.
During their clash, Borzak took pleasure in pummeling Gus.
He raised his hammer and charged forward.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
With each step, the ground cracked beneath his feet.
The force of his swing created a violent gust of air, knocking Gus back.
"HAHAHA! HUMANS ARE SO FRAGILE!"
Borzak leaped, aiming to crush him into the ground.
Gus rolled to the side, narrowly escaping.
CRASH.
The hammer slammed where he'd been a second ago, leaving a crater.
"So weak you have to hide in armor from head to toe!"
Borzak seized Gus with his free hand before he could fully stand.
His muscles bulged with mana, tightening his grip.
Gus groaned in pain.
"Let me go!"
Borzak slammed him into the ground.
BOOM.
Then he brought his hammer down to pin him.
Gus rolled just in time, the hammer striking the earth beside his head.
"That's why I love you humans. So delicate."
Borzak licked his lips, savoring twisted thoughts.
"I'll spare you if you become my slave. What do you say, human?"
At those words, a dark fury surged within Gus.
*How dare this filth speak to me like that.*
He spun, slashing his sword in a wide arc, unleashing a ring of flames.
FWOOOOSH.
The flames spread several meters, forcing Borzak to retreat.
The fight was close at first.
Gus thrust forward, his sword glowing red-hot.
THRUST.
The strike pierced the air, melting the ground behind Borzak.
Borzak dodged narrowly and countered with a wide, horizontal swing.
The hammer whistled through the air.
The compressed air threw Gus off balance before the impact even landed.
SMASH.
Gus was hurled against a wooden wall.
CRACK.
The wall splintered.
But gradually, the Orc's superior combat instincts and reflexes began to give him the upper hand.
Borzak struck the ground sharply.
BOOM.
A fissure formed, and the vibration shot straight toward Gus, throwing him off balance.
Borzak seized the moment, leaping forward with a crushing blow.
Gus raised his sword to block, but the impact was too much.
CLANG.
He was driven into the ground, his knees buckling.
Then, during the fight, Borzak tossed a strange powder at Gus.
"A gift for you, human!"
The powder dispersed into the air, invisible but suffocating.
Gus couldn't quite make out what was happening.
*What was that?*
Borzak, meanwhile, quickly chewed a strange plant to immunize himself.
He chomped loudly, a smug grin on his face.
"Mmm. Delicious."
The powder began to take effect.
Gus tried to charge his sword with flames, but the mana wouldn't respond properly.
*What?*
He tried again.
The flames flickered, unstable.
*My mana… I can't control it properly.*
Their clash led them away from the main battle, between two wooden buildings.
As the fight wore on, Gus struggled more and more.
Borzak slammed the ground with all his might.
BOOM.
Rocks shattered, and a shower of debris rained down around them.
Caught in the chaos, Gus was disoriented.
Borzak seized the chance, grabbing him and smashing him against a wall.
CRASH.
Gus spat blood.
Eventually, Gus could no longer control his mana at all.
Every attempt to use it failed.
Worse, as his mana control faltered, he suffered internal backlash.
*Damn it… what's happening?*
He made one final, desperate attack.
He charged straight at Borzak, sword forward, trying to envelop the blade in intense flames.
But the flames fizzled out halfway.
Borzak didn't miss the opening.
He raised his hammer, leaped high, and brought it down vertically.
BOOM.
The impact left a crater, the shockwave rippling outward.
Gus was thrown to the ground, his armor cracked.
Borzak approached slowly, hammer resting on his shoulder.
"So? Do you submit?"
Gus, lying on his back, glared defiantly.
"Go… to… hell…"
Borzak sighed.
"Pity."
He raised his hammer one last time.
"I would've enjoyed breaking a noble human warrior like you. But you don't have the eyes of someone who can be tamed."
CRASH.
The hammer came down.
Gus was dead, isolated between two wooden buildings.
His death went unnoticed amid the chaos of the battle.
No one saw.
Borzak, with his opponent down, dove back into the fray.
More specifically, he went to harass the knights guarding the prisoners.
"HAHAHA! WHO'S NEXT?!"
The prisoners, still huddled behind the knights, began to feel a bit safer.
"Are we going to make it?"
"I think so. Look, the knights are winning."
A child tugged at a soldier's sleeve.
"Mr. Knight, will the monsters go away?"
The knight smiled and knelt down.
"Yes, little one. We'll drive them all off. Don't worry."