"Hold firm, don't let them pass!" The soldiers, whose lives were in danger from Sangre's arrows, were relentlessly pressing against the shield wall formed by the orc warriors. Domuzkuyruk, seeing that these arrows were their only attack weapon, shouted constantly to motivate his warriors.
"Alyon, do you want me to join the fight?" said Nafız. Although the Chief's intention was to use the battle as a test for his warriors, the casualties under these circumstances could greatly exceed his estimation. Alyon, knowing that Nafız wanted to enter the battle to replenish the blood essence she had lost, had to politely ask her to join to avoid unnecessary risk.
"Yes, seeing you fight on the front lines as the Chief of the Warriors will give them morale. Please, don't waste the hearts of the armored warriors." Alyon, speaking in the kindest tone, was frothing with rage inside. He knew that speaking to her with a sarcastic tone would anger this unstable personality, and he could lose materials highly precious for their development.
"I'm going to vanish for a moment, look at the state these warriors have fallen into under your command!" Nafız, muttering in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, as if talking to herself, shot like a bullet toward her warriors.
After this strange atmosphere developed, Dimitri and Sasha fixed their eyes on the battlefield. The duo, knowing the female orc possessed Abarran's weapons, held their breath so as not to miss a second of the show. The warriors on both sides of the shield wall were visibly exhausted due to the day-long battle. In this struggle, which turned into a test of will, the soldiers who had been exposed to tough training for years were slowly gaining the upper hand. At this moment, a big surprise awaited the soldiers who were relentlessly pressing forward, thinking they had the wind at their backs.
"You trash cans! If you retreat even one step, I will personally dispense your punishment!" When Nafız's high-pitched and repulsive voice reached their ears, the orc warriors' hearts literally trembled. The orc warriors, remembering what had happened to those who disobeyed her previously, supported their shields with all their might.
BAM! BAM! BAM! The orcs lined up behind the shield wall felt something walking over their heads, and immediately after, they saw Nafızdiving headfirst into the crowd of soldiers, drawing her daggers. Nafız, entering the crowd, moved like a fish in water. She was cutting the armor that arrows and axes couldn't penetrate as easily as a hot knife cuts butter, with her blood-red daggers. Mora had been chosen as the next leader of the Holy Blood Sect. Since childhood, she had received ruthless training in blood magic and close combat. Although Nafız had not yet reached the proficiency to use blood magic, her close combat skills and the daggers in her hands would make her the Angel of Death for these soldiers.
Anton was stunned by what was happening as arms and legs began flying into the air from the location of the newly joined orc. His soldiers wore alloy steel armor; how could this orc, dancing with daggers in her hands, sever a limb with every strike? "Kızılkuyruk, you vile wretch, your reports stated that this was a small, savage orc village. If this continues, we will lose all our soldiers. Are you sure you can account for this?" The Commander, realizing Kızılkuyruk had lost his composure, gave his order: "Soldiers, retreat! Take defensive positions at the headquarters!"
The soldiers, hearing Anton's command, began retreating as fast as possible to save their lives. Nafız, who continued killing the fleeing enemies, finally stopped attacking when the unit she was chasing crossed the rock-filled trenches. Since the memories she inherited told her that mercy on the battlefield would only return as harm, Nafız didn't hesitate for a second to kill an enemy whose back was turned.
Anton's face fell completely when only about fifty soldiers returned from the unit he sent. Before him were about a thousand warrior orcs and almost three times that number of tribe folk. The Defense-type mechanical vehicle hidden behind the hill came to his mind. If he could create an opportunity and reach it, he could save his life.
Nafız made eye contact with Alyon before destroying the enemy retreating to their headquarters. After receiving a signal from him to stop, she retracted her daggers into her wristbands and began waiting.
"I am Commander Anton from the Nikonya City Guard Unit!" Anton continued his speech after his voice stopped echoing across the empty steppes. "I realized too late that I was here due to the misdirection of slander. I was sent to support them after these bandits claimed you were purchasing weapons to launch an attack on Nikonya city." Kızılkuyruk was looking at Anton with disbelieving eyes as Anton continued his speech. Just as he saw the situation turn against him and tried to interrupt to deny the claims, he was knocked to the ground by a punch from the Commander and began writhing in pain.
"I don't think you want this misunderstanding to pit you against the Nikonya Army. Orc Chief, please cooperate to solve this through negotiation." Facing death, Anton played his last card, bringing the powerful city army to the table, and at the same time, Alyon rose furiously from his seat.
"You pathetic insect! Do you think you can threaten the glorious orc tribe by mentioning the name of a small city army?" At the moment of high tension between the parties, Kızılkuyruk leaped up from where he lay and called out to Alyon.
"Great Orc Chief, Godfrey, the leader of Nikonya Trade City, is my brother. Please allow me to discuss the compensation for this mistake with him. I agree to remain a captive in your tribe during this time." The bandit leader's words astonished everyone who heard them, except for Alyon, Nafız, and Domuzkuyruk.
When the merchant set off to procure the orders, these three had discussed the tribe's location and environmental factors for a long time. The fact that the Red Storm bandits, who terrorized the region, were the only group that maintained their existence despite the powerful Nikonya army, pushed them to a single conclusion. There was an unknown connection between the trade city and these bandits
After the merchant Dimitri received the news, he observed that the Orc Chief was quite calm, unlike his apprentice and himself. 'All the pieces were falling into place; the fact that an orc in this remote location possessed such wisdom and priceless equipment must have a single explanation. I am facing Dungeon Conquerors, whose names were mentioned in the stories my father told when I was a child.'
"Aaaaahhhhhh!" As Alyon prepared to speak, the situation became complicated with a cry of agony coming from the enemy ranks. Kızılkuyruk, who had just called out to them, was stabbed in the back by Commander Anton. The Commander, running toward the Defense-type machine after his treachery, shouted joyfully.
"Just wait; when I reach the city, I'll come with a huge army and flatten your tribe. You won't escape me even if you run to the end of the world!" The moment the bandit leader claimed he was the city Lord's brother, Anton formed a plan in his head. Although he understood from him and his unit being sent for this job that Godfrey and the bandits had a relationship, even he hadn't imagined there would be a blood tie. If the bandit leader surrendered and the news reached the City Lord, no one, including himself, would be left alive to keep the connection secret. The best thing he could do right now was to kill Kızılkuyruk and go to the City Lord, lying as if he knew nothing about the whole affair. Then, by eagerly taking responsibility, he would command a large army and silence all witnesses to the event.
"Nafız, don't you dare let him escape! If he reaches the machine, we won't be able to stop him!" Alyon was cornered for the first time throughout the entire battle by the enemy Commander's unexpected move. He frantically called out to Nafız to prevent the disaster that would befall them if Anton escaped from their hands.
While her target was rapidly moving away, Nafız languidly stretched. She realized the fleeing person was using speed-boosting boots, and although it was possible to catch him at her normal speed, bothering with such a spineless coward was not her style at all.
"Sangre, hunt that fleeing purple rabbit for me!" Anton might have been a spineless coward, but he wasn't stupid. He had seen there was a warrior in the tribe who could shoot arrows that pierced their armor. Immediately after killing Kızılkuyruk, he activated his speed-boosting boots and moved to get himself out of arrow range.
Sangre, drawing his bow on his master's command, discovered his target had already reached a thousand paces away. Fearing he might not hit the target that was almost out of his line of sight, he said, "Master, the target is out of my line of sight; hitting him may not be possible!"
Sangre's words were met with a harsh reaction from Nafız. "Did I give you this ability just for you to whine! If you can't see with your eyes, use your other senses to hit your target!" Sangre drew his bow once more after the scolding he received. Anton, who was barely visible in the previous aiming attempt, was now completely out of sight. While his heart pounded with fear of failing his first task given by his master, a vibration from his bow suppressed all the surging emotions within him.
The weapon in his hand trembled slightly, as if saying, trust me. Sangre, calming his spirit, closed his eyes, which were useless at the moment, and began listening to the battlefield. Sangre, entering a semi-meditative state, felt the vibrations spreading from his weapon sweeping the steppe over the battlefield. He could hear the grunts of the orcs, the conversations among the soldiers whose commander had fled, and even the final desperate beats of Kızılkuyruk's heart pumping the last of his blood. As the vibrations crossed the tribe boundaries, a sound of footsteps caught his ear; this rapidly running person was his target.
He was unaware that his master was watching him as he gently released the arrow from his bow. Nafız, knowing that the ability needed to be forged in the live fire of battle, seemed quite pleased with the development experienced by her first blood warrior.
Shortly after, a shriek that no one but Nafız and Sangre could hear rose far away from the tribe. The treacherous Commander, losing his balance from the blow and tumbling to the ground, groaned in pain from the arrow lodged in his bone while struggling to get up. Sangre, taking a second arrow from his quiver with the relief of stopping his enemy, muttered mischievously:
"You shouldn't have screamed, Anton; now I know the location of your mouth!"