Chapter 212: Last Stand (2)

The battle between Crockta and the War God was broadcast on only two channels, Under Games, which deployed numerous cameramen, and Laney the Youvidser.

All other streamers had died after getting caught up in the battle.

On the Youvids channel, things like the final videos of streamers who had participated in the expedition war began to be organized and uploaded.

Every scene was a highlight.

「HallofFame: That first streamer was killed by Crockta, what an honor. Don't wash your neck.

CaptainTsubasa: Look at his aura... Imagine actually running into him. I’d be so scared.

Radagast: How many more did he kill with a single slash?」

The first to die was a famous streamer trying to deliver the live atmosphere of the war from the front lines. He stood in the ranks of the expedition force, got caught in a charge, staggered forward, and ended up right in front of Crockta.

Crockta swung his greatsword.

He perished along with the other expedition soldiers.

This video fully conveyed the urgency at the start of the war and also accurately showed the fear those facing Crockta would experience.

Crockta, with a fierce look, glared at them and swung his greatsword in an instant. The momentum was literally terrifying as if it could split heaven and earth.

The screen the streamer was transmitting turned upside down with the sky and the earth reversing, then ended filled with flying corpses and dark-red blood. The expedition force members and him were the first casualties of this war.

The second was an unknown broadcaster, Streamer Jung-Min. He was swept away by Crockta with a single slash while begging for donations in a rather cowardly manner.

Then, scenes like those from a movie followed one after another.

Some broadcasts ended with the streamer’s skull being smashed and his eyeballs popping out by a hammer flying from behind as he tried to escape from Kumarak, and some were caught in the massive exertion of divine power from those being possessed by the gods and died. And the view of those massacred by Anya was like a horror movie itself.

「OrcsAreTheBest: What the hell was that? I think I just peed a little. That hunter is sick as hell?

MoroccanPrince: That’s crazy; No way he just shot the sun

Cristiano: Imma go be a hunter. That’s mad

WaltzForOrcs: Brb, gonna go make a Zankus fanclub」

Everyone shuddered at the scene where Zankus shot an arrow that killed the sun.

When the ghouls rose from the ground immediately after, the streamers and other broadcasters were terrified by the unknown entities attacking them in the darkness. Their panting breath was conveyed directly to the viewers.

They were torn apart in the blind spot of the unseen view, and when the terrible sight was revealed under the faint light illuminated by the expedition force, many reflexively turned off the video.

「CapsLockOn: Holy, that scared the hell out of me. You made me chuck my phone at the wall and now the screen’s broken T.T

TimeDifferenceofParis: The scale of this war is no joke, slaying the sun and summoning monsters

Yulululala: The users must be all dead lol thank god I didn’t go」

The best scene was the Goddess of Magic’s Meteor Shower.

The sight of meteors falling from the sky was more thrilling than most action movies.

When the meteors struck down beyond the shielded ranks of the expedition force and incinerated the orcs, the sight of them screaming and perishing was utterly tragic. The few streamers filming from the orc camp all died in this scene. The scene of flames falling from the sky was a sheer thrill.

It was on a different level from wars where regular swords and spears clashed and magic flew.

This was a true war of the gods, where earthquakes occurred and the sky crumbled.

「GnomeYululura: Damn, the gods really are strong, huh?

Analyst: The orcs put up a good fight, but... it was always going to be difficult against the gods. I’m guessing this will be remembered as a battle well-fought but still lost.

IBrokeMyProtractor: Tsk, orcs, that's why you don't mess around lolol. At the end of the day, they’re just monsters lolol. Die lolol.

AngryLikeTheHeavens: The gods are strong... As expected!!」

As the soldiers possessed by gods and filled with their divine power began to show their strength throughout the battlefield, the tide of war turned against the orcs. Even as orcs emerged from the flames caused by the Meteor Shower and broke through the expedition force's defensive lines, they were heavily outnumbered.

One by one, even the orc heroes that had astonished the spectators this war fell, and Crockta too was caught in the divine power of the Colosseum by the War God, unable to exert influence elsewhere.

When everyone thought it was over.

From beyond the horizon, flags never seen before appeared by the tens and hundreds.

It was an unidentified orc army.

When the one at the forefront waved his hand, the orcs following him began to charge in formation. This was completely different from the free-spirited demeanor typically associated with orcs. This army was charging with the discipline of trained elite troops!

That army rushed toward the expedition force.

「ILoveMovies: Twist after twist after twist... How is this war going to end?

MyNameIsSaladin: I get it now, Crockta really is the best!! The orcs will win!!

ProGambler: I've bet every single dollar I have on the expedition force, please die, Crockta

LaClerc: Say it with me!! Come on orcs!! Bul'tar!!!」

The battle once again reached a stalemate.

Both sides were exhausted.

Now, everyone's gaze turned toward Crockta and the War God.

Everything depended on the two of them inside the Colosseum.

The video ended.

Those who had little interest in Elder Lord and those who did not place much significance on this battle all realized something.

「Speedwagon: Just a FYI, this war is still being broadcast live, so if you want to see how it ends and who wins, head over to the Under Games channel or Laney’s channel now! These two are the only ones left. The others are all dead! Even I'm getting curious about the outcome of this fight! That's all for now!」

This was a war happening in real time.

Everyone switched channels.

There, fighting under the gaze of everyone on the battlefield, were two warriors on a divine level.

* * *

Crockta clenched God Slayer in his grip.

The two inside the Colosseum were putting their all into the fight.

The concept of time flowed differently for them.

Cause and effect were also continuously reversed and overturned.

If anyone dared to step even a foot into their Colosseum, their limbs would be crushed into a puddle of blood, disintegrating into nothingness.

As Crockta and the War God focused all their energies on killing each other, the inside of the Colosseum became a land of death.

The War God, abandoning his shield, wielded a sword ablaze with flames and struck down at Crockta.

"Die, Crockta!"

"Haah!"

Any weapon other than God Slayer would have shattered into pieces under the ferocity of their battle.

Ordinary weapons could not even scratch the gods. At best, the physical form of the body possessed by the god would collapse, and the divine power would return to where it originally belonged.

But God Slayer, forged in the ‘Eternal Fire,' not only withstood the War God's attacks but also directly damaged his divine power. With each strike, the War God's true form screamed in agony.

If struck by it, even a god would be obliterated or at the very least suffer wounds that would take an exceedingly long time to heal.

"I will kill you, and then I will throw the orcs into purgatory!"

"..."

The gods and orcs had decided that the outcome of the war would be determined by the duel between the two.

If Crockta won, the gods would retreat.

If the War God wins, the orcs would cease their resistance and live in confinement until the very existence of the Ashen God was erased, in a purgatory underground where not even light could penetrate.

"Let me ask you, War God."

After deflecting an attack from the War God, Crockta spoke to him.

"If it's proven that we have no ties to the Ashen God, how will you pay for what you’ve done? Countless lives have already been lost."

"Apologize?"

The War God cackled.

The body of Arcran, his true form, was already in tatters, with only the terror emitted by the War God flickering. He was now no more than a human-shaped flame.

"We are the ones sustaining the world. Have you ever expressed your gratitude to us? You leech off this world that would crumble without us yet boast about not believing in gods. You should be the ones apologizing and showing gratitude to us."

"What do you mean by ‘sustaining the world'? Are you saying the world would perish without you?"

"Exactly. This world is supported by our true forms. You are conspiring with the Ashen God. You reek of her stench."

Crockta shook his head.

"It’s actually the opposite. I wish to stop her."

"Well, that might be true, or it might not. But killing you and throwing your kind into purgatory makes all that irrelevant."

"Innocent ones will suffer."

"It doesn't matter. I'd rather kill you all to prevent the Ashen God from reviving and destroying the world again."

They glared at each other.

Then Crockta, smiling, lifted God Slayer again.

"Now I get it."

"Get what? That you deserve to die?"

"That you're not doing this to protect the world."

"What nonsense are you speaking now?"

"You're only doing this to protect yourselves. Cowards swinging your swords in all directions, trembling in fear of being killed by the Ashen God."

Crockta walked toward the War God.

"So that's what you gods really are."

"Nonsense!"

Enraged, the War God too picked up his weapon and walked toward Crockta.

At the exact moment that they stepped into each other’s range, they swung their swords like lightning.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

In that single moment, the world's time stopped, accelerated, and slowed. Death and life reversed, and cause and effect overturned.

The possibility of death was pervasive in the wind brushing past them, and the causality of survival rested on the blade threatening their throats.

It was a monstrous battle that distorted the laws of the world.

"Enough with the excuse of ‘protecting the world’. You're a coward, trembling in fear that the Ashen God might return. Constantly looking around, ready to annihilate an entire race based on the mere suspicion of involvement. War God? Kekeke, what a joke you are."

"Silenceeeee!"

The War God swung fiercely.

Flames erupted.

All sorts of death flew toward Crockta.

A strike carrying the true anger of a literal god was indeed terrifying. It was the most dangerous moment Crockta faced among all the perils he had encountered that day.

Cuts from the sword appeared all over Crockta's body, and his skin burned.

"Keughhhh!"

But he clenched his teeth and unleashed the power of extreme and heroism. Tattoos rose as if they were on fire, and his eyes locked onto the true form of the War God.

Crockta knelt on one knee. One of his legs didn’t move the way he wanted due to a cut.

He planted the God Slayer into the ground, using it as a staff to barely hold himself up.

"Kekekeke..."

Crockta chuckled before continuing.

"Do you know what we orcs call someone like you?"

"If you keep running your mouth..."

"We call them ‘dweebs.'"

Crockta grinned.

"Dweeb God."

The War God stopped shouting.

Instead, with a surge of flames, he lifted his sword high. Power surged from his entire body, then became a roaring flame above his blade.

At that moment, the world vibrated.

A portion of his power, which was upholding the world, descended in this place. His anger was so vast it risked fracturing the world itself. The gods were unsettled by this display, but the War God, with a single-minded determination to kill Crockta, summoned his strength.

Crockta, staggering, also clenched the God Slayer.

He was no longer afraid of the War God.

He realized one thing.

No matter the grand reasons or noble causes they claimed, at their core, they shared one truth.

Fear of the Ashen God.

And at the end of it, the fear of death.

Inside those who mocked mortals was a vile emotion. It was a fear for their own demise and one that was greater than any other being. They worried not for the fate of the world, but for their own end, trembling at the thought of the Ashen God returning and erasing their existence.

To prevent their own extinction, they frantically killed. That was the true face of this war.

Therefore.

"I can’t lose to someone who doesn’t even understand what it means to be alive."

Crockta lifted the God Slayer.

"I can't lose to a dweeb, even if I tried."

The War God had become a burning giant. He was holding his sword high from an immense height with his eyes ablaze as he looked down at Crockta. His sword grew larger and heated intensely.

Crockta was the clear target.

Yet, Crockta stepped forward.

"Because I am a warrior."

Crockta could see someone standing beside him. It was Lenox, who smiled at him while looking at Crockta wearing his helmet.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, spreading a refreshing energy. Fatigue vanished, and strength surged through his body. Behind him, Kinjur the shaman was smiling.

Someone stomped the ground with a loud thumping sound. It was Gultai, laughing heartily as he tapped his halberd on the ground several times before assuming a charge position.

More and more shadows appeared. They were fierce orcs covered in tattoos and battle scars like Crockta himself. They were warriors who had lived and died as warriors, those he had left behind that day. They were standing shoulder to shoulder with Crockta.

That day, Crockta did not deserve to fight alongside them.

But facing the greatest clash that would decide the fate of the orc race, Crockta could now fight alongside them.

He was no longer alone.

He was a legion himself.

"Bul'tar."

Crockta looked up.

He saw the War God's sword slowly descending toward him.

It was an overwhelming force that seemed like it could split the world itself.

But Crockta saw something else beyond that.

Giants larger than the War God, giants that look over the world, were surrounding him and the War God.

The great warriors of the Hall of Fame.

They were watching over Crockta.

Crockta nodded.

And he raised his sword.

"Hey, apprentice!"

Someone shouted at him.

"Swing it properly!"

Crockta smiled.

And following the voice, he attempted the best swing he knew.

The God Slayer was swung.

Flames engulfed him.