Chapter 161: The Empire’s Common Enemy (2)

Crockta was waiting for the emperor’s army near Natalya Forest. He selected the location strategically after recognizing the challenge of facing the sizable army alone. Crockta intended to employ guerrilla warfare tactics. At a place where vision was limited and the wild animals were mixed in the fray, he was confident in dealing with the enemies and escaping from the battlefront if the situation called for it.

Of course, that was under the premise that those like Adantadore were not around. Crockta recalled Adantadore’s sword as he raised his greatsword. He was an outstanding swordsman.

Crocka could see that Adantadore’s swordsmanship was the result of his perseverance and effort. It was a swordsmanship in which all the moves were countlessly repeated until there was no longer any unnecessary movement. It was a level perfected through extreme obsession.

When he encountered Adantadore's sword, Crockta immediately thought of Hoyt. He somehow looked like Hoyt, who repeated a simple swing tens of thousands of times. If there were more knights like Adantadore, this fight would be even more dangerous.

“Bultarrrrrrrrr!”

Crockta swung the greatsword mid-air, and a shallow scratch formed on the trees. He swung his sword madly, and every time he swung, the blade of his greatsword shredded the trees with an ear-splitting blast. However, despite his violent movements, there were only minor cuts on the trees. He meticulously honed each movement to utmost precision. He warmed up by cutting the trees with the tip of his blade.

Soon, he lowered his sword and calmed his breathing. He looked up to the sky, and within the dense forest covering the sky, a few crows gazed down at him and cawed.

“Crows are both signs of good luck and bad luck.”

In South Korea, crows were treated like ominous signs because of their caws, but in the West, crows were birds of good luck. If so, which one would it fall under at that moment, he wondered.

Crockta turned around and an unexpected guest was walking toward him. Crockta turned towards him and raised his hand.

“Long time no see.”

It was a man with a knife—Adantadore. He was not wearing the attire of a knight.

“Have you been well, orc?”

“It’s Crockta, human,” he smirked.

He may have won, but Adantadore was clearly a strong swordsman. There was a strange bond between them, forged through their previous duel that revealed the formidable strength each possessed. It was something akin to respect between the two, where it would not be strange even if one killed the other.

“Why did you come? I thought you followed the Emperor wherever he went.”

“The Emperor means nothing to me.” Adantadore dropped his baggage.

“I’m here to ask for a favor.” Adantadore continued.

“A favor?”

“Yes.” Adantadore approached Crockta. “Tell me about your sword.”

Crockta looked at Adantadore. It was the same glaring look when he defeated Adantadore, and that must be why he came here looking for Crockta. Crockta threw a punch.

“Kuhkk!”

Crockta threw a punch and struck Adantadore's chin, sending him flying. Adantadore crashed into a tree and dropped to the ground. He was knocked out of his wits due to the shock, and his body twitched slowly.

Crockta approached him.

“Ugh...”

“I do not trust those who have broken their oaths.”

Crockta stepped hard on Adantadore’s body.

“Kuhk...!”

“So, leave right now.” Crockta spitted out his words.

Their duel was a fight for Alaste’s freedom, and Crockta won. However, Alaste was destroyed. The moment that happened, Crockta swore to get rid of the empire. Crockta gradually put more weight on his foot. Adantadore could not bear the force and trembled. Despite that, he looked up at Crockta and grinned.

“You, ugh, seem to be very angry.”

“Of course.”

“Let me tell you then. All the nobles opposed the invasion on Alaste.”

Crockta narrowed his eyes.

“So?”

“So did I.”

“Then why couldn’t you stop it?”

“The Emperor deployed the troops arbitrarily; I’m talking about those cursed by the stars.”

“...”

“That was when I realized. The empire was a galloping horse, one that became unstoppable. How could I stop the Emperor’s decision?”

Adantadore pushed Crockta’s foot aside and picked himself up.

“Whether it’s the empire or the Emperor, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I just want to know about your sword.” He explained with a slight cough.

Crockta turned around.

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“I will give you information.”

“I will tell you about the empire. You will need it to fight against the Emperor anyway.”

Adantadore shouted again and again. Crockta looked back at Adantadore.

“...”

“Are you finally interested?”

“Why are you going this far?”

“I told you already. I want to know about your sword.”

“Is that all there is to it?”

“That’s all.”

Adantadore drew his sword.

“That’s all. Since I fought you, I can no longer hold my blade properly. It’s like I’ve stumbled on a wall. Whenever I try to pick up my sword, you suddenly appear and block my path. I feel like I’m going crazy. Resolve it for me.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“What more do I need? I am speaking from the bottom of my heart.”

Crockta laughed heartily, revealing his teeth. Adantadore was a fool.

There was a time when Crockta wondered how Adantadore was so strong. However, he soon realized that Adantadore wasn’t such a mysterious or incredible person.

He was just obsessed. Adantadore was the kind of man who could not breathe if he did not get his hands on what he desired, and he was someone who would use whatever method available to get what he wanted. There was only one thing this man wanted—the way of the sword.

“Is there a knight in the empire as strong as you?”

“None. There is Earl Benteke, but he retired due to old age. The rest are far short compared to me. The knight commanders have reached the peak, but anything above that is unattainable for them.”

Crockta wielded his greatsword.

“What does the Emperor want? A war between species?”

“I don’t know that far. But that may be what he wants.”

For Crockta, who used a greatsword, a forest where movement was limited was a disadvantageous battlefield. However, it did not matter to him.

For warriors, it was either kill or get killed anyway. The place where they would be fighting was not a well-equipped training hall, rather they would be fighting in the lush forest. The forest where they were walking now.

Crockta swung his sword first, and Adantadore reacted agilely. The two of them clashed blades. Gradually, their attacks reached the Pinnacle-tier.

In the tranquil forest, only the two of them were moving quickly as if time had fast-forwarded. Crockta’s sword smashed through the trees in his path, aiming for Adantadore. In response, Adantadore frantically defended himself.

“Are you only going to block?”

“...”

Adantadore was unable to launch an attack. It was the same phenomenon as when he swung his sword alone. The image of Crockta was interrupting him, and all he could do was sweat profusely. He could not go on the offensive at all.

“...They rose to power with the support of Duke Christan, and now they have become the Emperor’s close aide. The man known as Rommel is excellent at the command of battle. I have no choice but to admit that.”

“How good is he?”

“He can lead a ragtag group of soldiers like they are elite troops.”

“...”

“I have never seen a commander like that either. There have been very few wars, but even considering that his capabilities are a sight to behold.” Adantadore continued.

Crockta nodded. It was the power of the War Maestro Class. Although it was only reported through broadcasts and the media, Choi Han-Sung could strengthen and control the soldiers. He even possessed a skill capable of erasing the fear of war.

“This time, the Emperor even granted him control over the knight order. Be careful.”

“I see.”

If a well-trained NPC knight order was under his control, it would create a tremendous synergy.

Crockta pushed Adantadore again, confusing him. Adantadore thought that it would become normal again if he met Crockta in person and swung his sword, but that was not the case. He was one-sidedly pushed back. He did not dare to swing his sword at Crockta. To him, it felt like he was facing a dead-end wall.

“... Did you grow stronger than before?” Adantadore asked.

“A little bit.”

Crockta experienced a realm beyond that of the Hero-tier after defeating Adantadore. Since then, his overall ability has grown compared to before. That was why he was able to deal with Adantdore much more easily than before.

“...”

Adantadore gritted his teeth. He realized that the outcome would be the same no matter how much he tried.

“Show it to me,” Adantadore said, lowering his sword.

“Crockta, I can no longer handle my sword well after fighting against you. Even now, I can’t even swing properly and I’m reduced to blocking your attacks. That light keeps haunting me. What the hell was that?”

“That is-...,” Crockta puffed his chest and spoke confidently.

“I also don’t know.”

“...!”

“I used that by accident. I can’t use it anymore.”

Yes, Crockta could not use that power again after their fight. He bordered on that tier for a brief moment, but he did not reach it.

“What?!” Adantadore looked at him baffled.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“...”

Adantadore’s expression distorted.

“Did I... Did I lose to a skill you managed to use by chance?”

“Yes, you loser.”

“That is imp-...”

It was his first official defeat in front of everyone. He lost a battle with the empire’s fate on the line. From then, even till now, he kept wandering about it, unable to properly grasp his sword.

Despite that, was it all just a coincidence? It meant that it wasn’t Crockta’s real capabilities.

“Huff...”

Adantadore smiled and raised his sword. Then, he suddenly pounced toward Crockta.

“You bloody orc bastardddd!”

“You finally revealed your true nature, opportunistic bastard,” Crockta replied, blocking Adantadore’s sword.

“I just tried my luck, so that I could figure you out.”

“...!”

“Actually, I can use it.”

Adantadore stopped in his tracks.

“Ar-, are you speaking the truth?”

“That’s right.”

“...” Adantadore coughed.

“I made a rash judgment. I apologize. Just once, can you please show-...”

At that moment, Crockta swung his fist and punched Adantadore in the abdomen.

“Kuhk!”

“Did you just get tricked again? What a naive man.”

“You, you bastarddddddd...!”

“I can’t use it. There, the truth is revealed. But even without that, you are still below me, Adantadore.”

“You fuckerrrr!”

Adantadore threw away his sword and charged at Crockta. Likewise, Crockta also threw away his greatsword. His body charged toward Crockta and got tangled up with him. The two of them discarded their swords and continued to fight bare fists for a while. They threw punches at each other’s faces. It was an unsightly dogfight between the strongest knight of the empire and the orc warrior who defeated him.

“Wait, wait!”

Adantadore, who got the tables turned, and was now under Crockta in a mount position, waved his hand.

“Hold on!”

“What is it?”

Crockta, who was raising his fist, tilted his head. Adantadore put his hands together.

“I lost.”

“...”

“Don’t hit me in the face. I surrender.”

Crockta grinned.

“It’s nice that you admitted it obediently.”

Crockta stood back up. At that moment, Adantadore scraped a pile of dirt from the ground and sprayed it on Crockta’s face.

“...!”

“You tricked me!”

While Crockta rubbed his eyes, Adantadore punched Crockta’s body multiple times. Although there was a difference in size between the two, Adantadore was a swordsman who reached the level of a Grandmaster purely based on his swordsmanship. In other words, he was able to exert superhuman strength beyond his size. His fists continued to pummel Crockta.

“Cough! Yo-, you coward...!”

“There’s no such thing!”

Knights were also required to complete fist-fighting training. Thus, Adantadore was also skilled at this type of fighting.

Adantadore harassed Crockta with jabs and one-two punches, and as soon as Crockta used his hands to guard his face, Adantadore struck Crockta’s temple with two hooks.

Bam!

Crockta staggered.

“This is the end...!”

Just as he was about to kick Crockta in the chin with all his strength, Crockta disappeared.

“Huh...?”

Adantadore’s body was up in the air. Crockta instantly turned around and lifted Adantadore’s body.

“Wait, hold on, this is foul play...”

“There are no rules in a fight.”

“This is bare ground. I am going to die. Do you not see that rock over there?”

Crockta’s body trembled. He was smiling.

“Hehehehe...”

Crockta continued, “Then, die.”

Crockta tilted his body. Adantadore shrieked as he was about to slam down on the ground.

“Ackkkkkkk!”

Just as his body was about to hit the ground head-first, just before his skill was about to shatter, Adantadore stopped in mid-air.

“...”

Crockta stopped the motion just before he was about to slam Adantadore down. Crockta lifted him back up and safely put him back down on the ground.

Adantadore was speechless.

“Oy, was it that scary? You didn’t pee yourself, did you?”

“...”

“Oy?”

Crockta looked at him. There were tears in Adantadore’s eyes.

“...!”

“You-... You devilish orc bastard...!”

Adantadore swung his fist, and naturally, Crockta avoided it.

“Are you not even going to let me punch you, you bastard...!”

“Were you a crybaby? Pfftt.”

“I thought I was going to die!”

“Yes, yes, crybaby.”

“You fucking punk!”

Adantadore grasped the sword that had fallen on the ground and swung it at Crockta.

“YAHHHH!”

His swing, which quickly surpassed the Pinnacle-tier and reached the Hero-tier, aimed at Crockta. In response, Crockta also raised his energy and confronted Adantadore with a Hero-tier spirit.

The laws of causality were entangled. But in the end, Adantadore was thrown to the ground. The difference between Crockta, who experienced beyond the Hero-tier, and Adantadore, who was in a slump, had grown to a level that could not be narrowed.

Crockta looked down at him and said, “Hey.”

“You fucker...”

“What do you think? Can you swing a sword at me now?”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“...”

Adantadore opened his eyes wide. Crockta chuckled in response.

“A higher tier? You said you wanted to know about the light? You don’t need any of it. You were just afraid of me.”

“Nonsense...”

“I too, just like you, are a living creature that will falter when I get punched or struck in the temple. Don’t get cold feet.”

“You are spouting bullshit...”

Adantadore covered his eyes and smirked.

“You’re good at both lying and spouting bullshit, you orc bastard...”

“You, until the very end...”

Crockta kicked the ground and sprayed dirt on Adantadore’s face, causing him to spit out the dirt and cough. Of course, Crockta burst into laughter at the sight of that.

The members of Praise the Orc were returning to the forest with their bags in hand.

They found Crockta laughing and a man floundering on the floor. All they could do was tilt their heads in confusion.