Chapter 166 – Five Senses Landscape (2)
“Fire!”
A barrage of arrows rained down from the sky as Crockta moved quickly to evade them. His body was worn out and a sigh emerged from his mouth. However, he couldn’t stop. He raised the limits of his power and entered the realm of the Pinnacle.
But in a flash, he moved away from the Pinnacle as the world’s speed returned to normal.
“Dammit.”
His stamina was drained, as he had fought for too long. He couldn’t reach the Pinnacle anymore. Crockta tried to use the power again. His body gradually accelerated. His mind overwhelmed his body. The world slowed.
Then his body twisted again.
“……”
He turned around. An arrow was stuck in his calf. He didn’t know when he had been hit.
“Shit.”
Betring and the knights were rushing towards Crockta. Crockta looked around. He didn’t have a weapon. He used his bare hands to fight the fully armed knights.
A collision between the two occurred. It couldn’t be helped, even if it was Crockta. He avoided the weapons, but their bodies slammed into him and he flew back. Crockta fell to the ground. He rolled across angular rocks so his whole body was bloody. He felt lightheaded.
“How many achievement points will I get from killing him?”
Crockta raised his eyes. A Heaven and Earth member was approaching. Crockta spat out blood and tried to raise his body.
“Eh?” The clan member suddenly stared at Crockta. “This guy…his forehead…”
Crockta could feel something hot flowing down from his forehead. Blood. There was a wound on his forehead. He felt his forehead. The red headband around it was half torn.
“Perhaps…”
Crockta stood up and swung his fist. The user’s head exploded and he turned into white particles.
“Keuk!”
He felt back down again from the recoil. Arrows pierced his calf and shoulder, the fire that burned his body and the wounds from the knights’ weapons meant his body didn’t function properly. As Crockta staggered, the knights’ attacks flew towards him.
Crockta collapsed and the kicking continued.
“If we capture this guy alive…”
“His Majesty…”
“Make an example of him…”
Their voices were heard above his head.
“Wait a minute. Sir knights, please wait.”
The Heaven and Earth members were approaching. One of them reached out towards Crockta’s forehead.
“Wait…”
Crockta blocked the hand and the kicks came flying again. Crockta fell down without any strength left. The moment they were about to completely rip off Crockta’s headband…
Peeok.
Blood poured onto Crockta’s face.
“……!”
Crockta frowned and opened his eyes. The user’s head was gone. Blood was flowing down from the neck.
Kuaaaang!
The roar of a beast. It was somehow familiar.
“What’s going on?”
“What is that?”
The low-frequency cry of a beast was heard. Crockta turned around. He fell to his knees. He gripped his weary head. The blood had blurred his vision. Gradually, his head became clear. He breathed deeply as some strength was restored to his broken body.
He slowly got up. Crockta tore a dead soldier’s clothing and used it to cover his ripped headband.
“Pant, pant…”
His hands were empty. A greatsword was needed. Crockta looked around for Ogre Slayer. Suddenly, Ogre Slayer was pushed to his side.
“Thank you…”
Huge teeth were biting the blade of Ogre Slayer. Crockta unconsciously took it and looked at the one who gave it to him. The teeth were sharp enough to chew on an ogre’s skin. The eyes of a fierce beast. The body covered in stripes was somehow familiar.
“Simba?”
“Kuang!”
The first mission given by Lenox was the mutant wolf hunt. This was clearly the grown up tiger Simba, who had been unable to fight the mutant wolf and his pack. Simba shook his head like he was pleased to see Crockta.
“Why are you here…?” Crockta raised his head. There was another familiar face. “You…?”
“You have become stronger, grrung!” The orc he met at Lenox’s funeral, ‘Mountain Smasher’ Kumarak who possessed a tremendous strength. “There is no time. We have to get out! Grrung!”
Kumarak grabbed Crockta and dragged him. The knights tried to stop them, but couldn’t approach due to Simba. They started running.
“What are you doing? Follow!” Betring shouted. The knights got on their horses again.
“Kuaaaaang!”
At that moment, Simba roared. The horses freaked out at Simba’s roar. The knights struggled with the horses.
“You!”
Betring ran directly. The soldiers followed. Simba turned and ran towards Crockta and Kumarak.
“Surround them!”
The city was fully occupied. Soldiers appeared from many directions to block their path. Simba ran towards them, but the enemies resisted. Kumarak raised his axe. Then colorful flashes of light flew at the enemies.
“Run! Quickly dot!”
It was Tiyo. He was riding on a bone wyvern with Anor. A small number of people had come to save Crockta. Due to Tiyo’s shooting, the enemies fell and Crockta and Kumark escaped the encirclement.
The various minor enemies were dealt with by Simba. Every time the huge paws hit an enemy, the body was ripped to pieces.
“There is no time dot! Run away quickly!” Tiyo shouted from above them. “The condition of the bones isn’t good dot! Run!”
The bone wyvern they were controlling now wasn’t like Boro in the north. It was small and couldn’t carry many people.
“Eeit!”
Tiyo changed General to a more advanced Vulcan mode and furiously fired. The knights used their swords and shields to block it. Some bullets bounced off the armor.
“Persistent dot!”
The soldiers kept on increasing. Rommel showed up in the rear. Under his command, the soldiers forgot their fear and pursued Crockta and Kumarak. After calming their horses, the knights attempted an encirclement.
“At this rate…”
Kumarak tightened his grip on his axe. Maybe they should fight. He glanced at Crockta. Kumarak read the answer in Crockta’s eyes and nodded.
Kumarak laughed. The previously immature orc was now a warrior shaking the continent. He fought like a warrior.
They stopped at the same time. Crockta held Ogre Slayer. Kumarak waved his battle axe. Expressions that indicated they would fight. Pressure spread out from Crockta and Kumarak. The troops chasing them flinched. They were chasing but once their targets stopped, they couldn’t attack.
“……”
In addition, the gnome was pointing a strange weapon at them from above. As they were stunned, Rommel came forward. Despite this turmoil, he was able to maintain a sober expression. He scanned Crockta and Kumarak. Then he looked at Tiyo and Anor on the wyvern. It looked as though he was searching all of them. Then he opened his mouth.
“Everybody…”
The soldiers raised their weapons. His order was conveyed, despite him not saying anything else. The atmosphere reversed. Their morale changed whenever Rommel was on the front lines. After Crockta and Kumarak’s atmosphere changed, the soldiers lowered their posture and stared with resolute eyes.
The air felt like it was about to explode. The fight was about to start again. All of a sudden, screams were heard from the soldiers in the rear.
Rommel looked around.
“What…”
He shook his reins from confusion. The militia members were approaching them. They were all dead. Just corpses.
“Necromancer?”
They walked with their broken bodies. The bizarre sight terrified the soldiers. It was an instinctive fear towards death. It wasn’t just the north that had a taboo against dealing with death.
A kiik noise was heard. Rommel looked back at Crockta. The flying wyvern landed on the ground. It couldn’t maintain its body anymore. The gnome and dark elf jumped down while concentrating.
“A necromancer.”
Crockta, Kumarak. Two monsters. There was the gnome with the good artifact and the necromancer.
“Grrrung…”
A huge tiger that was staring at them.
Rommel laughed.
Crockta. Rommel had wondered about the orc who had an unfortunate relationship with Keynes. This battle was already beyond his expectations. It was the first time the battle hadn’t flowed according to his will since he received the War Maestro class. His predictions and plans had fallen through.
Thus, he declared. “Withdraw.”
There was no need to fight anymore. Anyway, they would meet again. The empire’s army followed him in an orderly manner. It was a systematic movement that seemed impossible for the soldiers who were tired from the battle.
Rommel once again glanced at Crockta. Crockta’s eyes were clearly visible. Then Rommel turned his horse around. He left in a leisurely manner.
Crockta sighed at the sight.
“Crockta, you would be dead if it wasn’t for us dot. Kahahat.” Tiyo laughed cheerfully as he spoke to Crockta. Crockta grinned.
This was after the battle.
“Thanks to you.”
Tiyo hit Crockta’s ass. Then he panicked as blood emerged. “Crockta! You aren’t okay dot! There is a wound on your rear!”
His recovery was better than a troll’s, but there were many wounds on his large body. Tiyo hit his back. Crockta groaned.
“This place! Many injuries dot! You’re not okay!”
Tak tak!
“It hurts!”
“You won’t die dot!”
Tiyo laughed again.
As he walked beside his party, Crockta looked up at the sky. The crows hadn’t left yet and were circling above him.
***
They arrived at Katalu, the center of Espada. Espada was originally a place with a strong local color, and it didn’t appreciate any interference from the kingdom. They paid taxes but rejected being ruled. Their pride was strong and they wouldn’t acknowledge the empire.
“This is Katalu dot.”
Crockta frowned at the distant view of Katalu.
“Hrmm…”
Tiyo scratched his head at Crockta’s expression. They all felt it. Katalu was too open. Katalu had no outer walls. It might be easy to open, but it made Katalu vulnerable to invasions. Right now, they were setting up barricades and obstacles in preparation for a siege. However, it was a poor place to fight.
This would be an easy defeat for the elite knights of the empire.
“Let’s go inside and see dot.”
“Don’t look like that. Crockta is a wounded person so you can’t get stressed.” Anor supported Crockta. Crockta nodded.
Simba licked his cheek.
“Simba. It has been a while. You have grown bigger.”
He had earned the title ‘One who Respects the Honour of Tigers’ by building a friendship with Simba. It felt like he could feel Simba’s pleasure.
“At that time, you were still young.”
Crockta thought Simba was big at the time, but a great bloodline ran through his veins. Even if Crockta wasn’t there, Simba would’ve been able to destroy the mutant wolves after some time passed.
“This guy came to give something to you. Grrung.”
“Give me what?”
“I will show you soon.”
He tapped the sack around Simba’s neck. Crockta was confused.
They arrived at Katalu. The residents of Katalu welcomed Crockta.
“Thank you Crockta! We are acquainted with your reputation. Tiyo and Anor were also very helpful to us.”
Katula’s mayor and the leader of the resistance, Guardi shook hands with Crockta. The residents cheered for Crockta, who fought against the empire.
It was at that moment.
Jiing.
His vision blurred. The world became black and white.
Crockta looked around. His spirit escaped from his body. He was looking at his body. He watched himself shake hands with Guardi, with the cheering residents, Kumarak and his companions around him. His spirit kept rising. It was like he had been released.
Crockta looked down on everything. He continued to rise upwards until everything became smaller. Now he was able to see all of Katalu.
‘…….!’
Then he felt sick with fear.
“Crockta?”
“Hmm?”
Crockta regained his mind. Guardi was looking at him.
“Ahh…”
What did he just see? Crockta touched his head. His mind was a mess of confusion. He didn’t know what it was that he had just seen.