Chapter 202: The War Begins (2)

—There it is again! Crockta's signature move! The ‘Come at me’ declaration!

—In the past, when fighting against the empire, Crockta also provocatively invited the imperial army to come at him! As expected of Crockta! The atmosphere sure is heating up!

—If your enemy tells you to come at them, then you do it! The enemy is few! The expedition force is vast! How could they possibly just stand by and listen to the taunt? Ah! The expedition force is moving! They're going because he called them! Collision is imminent!

—The battle begins!

Crockta's bold invitation thrilled the crowd.

The inside of the pub, which was broadcasting the live stream of Elder World on the big screen, was getting heated. They were more than successful in bringing in a crowd using the live stream. The bar quickly filled up, allowing no room to take an extra step.

"He really is a star."

Jung Yun-Ji laughed, swirling her beer.

In the world of Elder World, her name was Stella.

She was an elite employee in the gaming world, becoming an executive of the Blacksmiths Trading Company at a young age. She had already submitted a leave of absence form to her college and practically has been a semi-professional Elder World player.

She was watching the war between the expedition force and the orcs with her classmates, including Yoon Bo-Ra, Ban Tae-Hoon, and Park Jung-Tae.

"Look, they’re fighting."

"Don’t forget the bet. The loser pays for dinner today. I'm going to eat until I burst."

"Hah, you better not be thinking about running away."

Yun-Ji and her friends were all hyped up.

—

Splash!

There was a sound of water being sprayed.

And it wasn’t coming from anywhere else. It was from the large screen!

The expedition force that had charged right at the onset of the battle was split apart by the strike of Crockta who was also charging at them at the forefront of the orcs, causing a fountain of blood to spray out.

Following that, Crockta's roar resonated inside the pub. The volume was so loud it seemed like the speakers would burst.

"The one and only Crockta!"

"Crockta is the best!"

Those supporting Crockta started chanting his name. He was cutting through the expedition force on his own, like parting a tsunami.

"Hey, this one’s interesting too."

Suddenly, Yun Bo-Ra pointed to the tablet screen.

It was hard to hear the audio of the stream because of the noise level inside the pub, but a streamer was participating in the war and livestreaming it from his point of view.

He had joined the expedition force. From the frontline, he faced the orc army.

"It's so immersive."

The streamer panted, speaking to the viewers.

—Chat! Look at this! There are so many orc bros, their faces are terrifying! This might be the end of Streamer Jung-Min! Chat, please send some donations! I'm dying! I'm too scared to move, chat!

Yun Bo-Ra typed.

「Boradoridori: Go closer to Crockta! Here's some donation! Show us Crockta!」

[Boradoridori has sent 10 donations.]

—Thank you, Boradoridori! Here’s a reaction for you! Hyat!

Even in the midst of the war, Streamer Jung-Min tried to do a handstand. It was the spirit of a non-popular streamer with not so many viewers. Then, he got trampled by the rushing expedition force and fell over.

The screen got messed up, showing Streamer Jung-Min’s face planted on the ground and the army walking all over him.

—Kek! It hurts...... But I still love you, my viewers! Boradoridori, I love you!

Yun Bo-Ra was shocked.

「Boradoridori: Enough with the chit-chat and go already!」

—Understood, Boradori bro! Keep watching, and chat! Streamer Jung-Min is on the move!

He clumsily got up, grabbed his weapon, and started heading toward Crockta.

His weapon was a slender rapier.

—I see Crockta over there! Look, chat!

In the middle of the battlefield, there was a single spot where people were being blasted away above the crowd.

It was as if modern firearms had appeared in the world of Elder World!

Every time an explosive sound was heard, several people were turned into pieces and shot into the sky. The terrified expedition force didn’t dare approach that area.

"Do not be afraid and fight!"

Arcran was screaming from behind, trying to encourage the people.

—Ugh, that bastard really talks too much! He’s just watching from the back, why the hell doesn’t he do it himself instead of telling us what to do? Am I wrong, chat? But still, chat, this Streamer Jung-Min will personally meet the legendary Crockta himself! Fully prepared to die! If I live, I live; if I die, I die! So, please send some donations...!

「Boradoridori: Just stop babbling and go! I'll donate if you go!」

—Yes, sir! Here we go, chat!

Streamer Jung-Min dug his way through the expedition forces and advanced to the very front line, the 'Crockta Zone.' It was a place deserted as no one dared to approach Crockta's vicinity.

At that moment, Crockta's face, wielding a greatsword and glaring at his enemies, was revealed.

Gasp!

Streamer Jung-Min inhaled sharply.

And so did everyone watching the video. Yun Bo-Ra and her friends around her also gasped.

Murderous intent.

The energy had materialized, pressing a blade against their throats.

Crockta's eyes were already red. The shimmering gaze beneath the black helmet was terrifying just by meeting it. His body was already drenched in blood, and the greatsword in his hands trembled as it sought the enemy's breath.

An emissary delivering death to the enemy without a moment's hesitation.

That was why no one could approach him.

Just a single step.

Taking that one step meant certain death. Everyone could feel it.

"No wonder he fights alone..."

Yun Bo-Ra muttered.

Everyone agreed.

Crockta was an unreal warrior who had dominated countless battlefields alone. His record of fighting alone against the empire's army and knight order never made sense to begin with. That was why it was difficult for people to truly understand his level.

And now, for the first time, they were facing the true image of a one-man army, a butcher slaughtering an entire army from the perspective of the opposing side.

That was it.

The overwhelming combat power that slices up the enemy the moment they approach.

The fear that makes the enemy's legs buckle just with Crockta’s murderous intent.

The face of a demon.

"I’m scared..."

Crockta was a fierce-looking orc, so it was natural for people to be scared of his face. People's enthusiasm partly came from his righteous deeds that did not match his appearance.

But the "scary" now wasn't what they had always meant.

Now, it was an emotion that was truly and desperately being felt—the kind that makes you want to turn away, that kind that everyone wants to avoid.

The madness of a murderer that makes you avert your eyes.

That was warrior Crockta.

—Chat... I'm sorry... Jung-Min cannot go on; my legs are giving way...

At that moment, the screen distorted.

Simultaneously, a tremendous roar filled the pub, followed by a burst from the tablet.

—I am Kumarak────────!

It was a turmoil from another place.

The shout shook the earth. It was an earthquake. Everyone on the screen lost their balance and fell.

Streamer Jung-Min also collapsed with a short yelp.

—Chat, at this rate, this Jung-Min will die... Huh?

At that moment, Streamer Jung-Min came to a realization.

So did the viewers.

The moment he fell due to the earthquake's aftermath.

He had entered Crockta's range.

Swoosh.

Suddenly, the screen was dyed red.

Everyone was speechless.

Those watching the stream knew exactly what it meant.

Soon, the blood unable to hold its weight flowed down. In between the streams of red liquid, Streamer Jung-Min's decapitated face was frozen on the screen.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Then, the screen went dark.

[Streamer Jung-Min's broadcast has ended.]

*

Crockta slung his greatsword over his shoulder and advanced. An open space was formed around him as he walked forward from the enemies staggering back at the sight of him.

But this was a battlefield. Blocked by their own allied forces behind them, the enemies had nowhere else to retreat.

The faces of the soldiers turned pale.

"Is that all you’ve got?" Crockta asked the expedition force.

The tattoos engraved all over his body heated up intensely.

"You say you’ve come to eliminate us with this──────!"

Crockta roared as he wound up the God Slayer behind him.

He twisted his body to its limits, concentrating his strength. His muscles coiled in preparation for a single explosive movement.

The enemies before him, sensing their impending doom, closed their eyes and prayed to their gods rather than resisting.

Crockta granted them a final moment of mercy, delaying his attack just a bit.

One.

Two.

Were their prayers finished?

Then, the God Slayer was swung.

A reddish blade aura spread out in a fan shape.

Slash!

The foremost row was split into two halves.

Slash!

Then another behind it was split.

Slash. Slash. Slash

.

The army crumbled, and blood fountains erupted.

Splash!

And Crockta watched every single drop of blood fly. In this world that had come to a halt at his swing, Crockta alone was free to roam the battlefield.

Faces filled with terror, faces resigned to death, faces in prayer, he looked at them all closely.

The pinnacle of that world.

From there, Crockta looked at his enemies.

It was a moment of solitude.

But then, the atmosphere trembled.

".....!"

He turned around.

Their eyes met.

It was Kumarak.

He grinned wickedly, lifting his axe.

In that world, stretched thin to the brink of eternity, Crockta was not alone.

And it wasn’t just Kumarak.

Creak.

He heard the sound of a bowstring being pulled.

It was Zankus.

A strange laugh echoed.

It was Wallachwi.

Crockta’s lips curled up.

"I see."

Standing before him were waves of enemies close to infinity, not seemingly going down in number no matter how many times he slashed them.

On top of that, they bore the power of gods on their backs.

Yet, Crockta felt no fear.

For in that moment, he was not alone.

It was a splendid feeling.

"Hey!"

Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed before his eyes.

"Don't get distracted during battle, Crockta!"

Tiyo was laughing, aiming the General.

Crockta burst into laughter.

"My bad."

Then lifted his greatsword again.

It was time to fight.

Creak.

Then, the wheels of time began to move once more.

The enemies started to move.

Simultaneously, blood fountains burst forth across the battlefield.

*

“This is mad," Adantadore remarked, chuckling.

"The orcs are truly an insane race."

What made them think they could win so easily?

Everywhere they looked, bewildering scenes were unfolding. With each swing of the axe of the famous Kumarak, swathes of soldiers were erased from the battlefield. Giant arrows coming from directions they could not anticipate skewered soldiers in layers.

"I understand how those creatures are doing this, but..."

It wasn’t a surprise that these monstrous orcs were doing what they were doing.

But nameless orc warriors too were displaying terrifying strength.

"Is that all you've got!"

An orc took a blade in the belly but merely grinned, swinging his axe to behead his foe.

Slash.

Then a spear impaled him.

Still grinning, the orc brought his axe down. The spear's owner was cleaved in two.

"Is that all you've got, you humans?!"

Blood streamed from his mouth, nose, and eyes, but his frenzy did not cease. Soldiers continued to fall around him as layers of wounds were being added to the orc’s body simultaneously.

Only when bristling with spears and swords like a hedgehog did the orc finally halt.

After catching his breath, the orc raised his axe again.

"Burnnnn!"

The surrounding soldiers retreated in horror.

But the orc couldn't complete his swing and miserably froze mid-laughter. He fought as a warrior and died as a warrior. In the end, he was surrounded by the dismembered and disemboweled bodies of the humans that he took with him.

This was just one nameless orc warrior.

And such beings formed an army fighting against them.

The orc battle cries incessantly tormented the ears of the expedition force.

"Arcran. At this rate, we might..."

Adantadore looked at Arcran.

"... Arcran?"

Upon turning his eyes to look at Arcran, Adantadore’s face turned pale.

A faint light was emanating from Arcran.

"The real battle starts now," he declared calmly.

Adantadore realized.

They were an army sanctified by the oracle of the gods.

This war was not merely a clash between an average expedition force and the orcs.

"The gods are with us."

It was a battle between the gods and orcs.

Arcran spread his arms wide.

Then, the heavens parted, and divine radiance illuminated the earth.

The touch of gods caressed the soldiers of the expedition force. It instantly healed the wounds of the expedition soldiers, invigorated them, and ignited a near-mad zeal inside them.

The tide of the battle shifted. The expedition force who had been completely outpowered by the orcs just moments ago were now overwhelming them instead. They shoved their swords and spears into the orcs with a frenzy as intense as theirs.

In a disregard for their own safety, the battlefield became a brutal slaughterhouse.

"Protect this place."

"Arcran?"

Arcran dismounted his horse.

Priests and paladins of various temples followed him.

"We will prevail."

Divine power surged through them.

Arcran drew his sword, and a flash of light blazed.

"In the name of the gods."

Banners were raised.

At that moment, the gods joined the fray through their priests and paladins.

The real war had begun.