Chapter 243: The Era of Heroes (1)

The battlefield was chaotic and brimming with soldiers. I wasn’t sure if I should call those guys the Seven Skian Heroes or the Viper’s seven clones. Anyhow, the Viper’s reinforcements helped the Skians overwhelm the Terras quickly.

If I left them like that, the Terras would be obliterated. Aside from the fact that the Viper was a ridiculous man, he was strong, and seven versions of himself were leading the army.

“Shit!”

I quickly crossed the battlefield using Aerial Step. Estelle and Uburka called me from behind.

“Patriarch!”

“Daddy Patriarch!”

“You guys wait here. Actually, Chief Warrior Uburka, maintain Aura Transmission with me and go up to the mountain peak over there!”

In an instant, I got closer to the battlefield. Uburka used his aura to fire his voice so accurately and precisely that only I could hear it.

“Mountain peak? Why?”

“I have something you need to do. I’ll tell you what that is and when you should do it, so just go there and wait for my signal!”

“Ugor. It looks like Daddy—no, the patriarch is planning something strange again!”

I stepped onto the air and rushed straight into the middle of the battlefield. If others had seen me, they would have been shocked and left in awe. However, I was no different from a ghost right now. Only those who were completing the quest could see me. Aside from our clan, the Viper was the only one on this battlefield to fit this description.

On the front line, a warrior smiled cheerfully as she swung her two swords.

“

Nyahahahaha!

They said Terra was the strongest species in the world, but it seems like that was just a rumor! How can they be the strongest species when they can’t kill me, a single Skian? Come at me! I’m the Dancing Sword of the Seven Skian Heroes! Come at me so I can kill more of you!”

With her red hair flying, the warrior’s two swords crossed paths with an enemy.

Swish!

The head of a Terra warrior flew away. I had raised and cared for these guys. They were my children, and I just saw one of them die.

Anger exploded in my heart. I immediately blocked the red-haired warrior’s path. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“

Huh

?”

The warrior had been walking around the battlefield with a grin, but her smug attitude was gone now as her eyes widened. Behind the warrior I saw the faint image of the Viper crossing his arms, looking just like the Guardian by my side.

“

Oh

? It’s you, Death King. You’re finally here.”

He didn’t seem very welcoming. Well, for me, it had been a really long time since I saw him, but it was different for the Viper. It had just been only a few days.

“What?” I asked. “Are you purposefully giving me a hard time? Why are you leading the battlefield to kill off my species?”

“Hey, hey. Calm down. It’s not impossible for a war between species to break out. I’m the god of Skians, so of course I’m going to fight on their side. Why are you so serious?”

“Are you kidding—”

I was about to burst into anger, but war was war. Even as we spoke, blood continued to be shed around us. A Terra warrior saw the Dancing Sword pausing as an opportunity, so he thrust his spear forward.

“

Ugeeeeeeer

!”

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“

Ha.

”

Of course, the Viper wasn’t a newbie martial artist who could be taken down easily. He thrust one of his swords right into the warrior’s forehead. The Terra fell to the ground, bleeding all over the place. That was when I lost it.

“Sect Master!”

“Gosh, you’re so annoying. Listen! It’s not like I want this war. If you’re late, stay out of this!” the Viper snapped.

“Shut up and turn your army around!”

“Why? This is a war that is supposed to happen! If one side overwhelms the other, it actually decreases the damage. Besides, all the Skians and Terras are fighting like crazy. How am I supposed to make them retreat? That will only result in more casualties, you idiot!”

The Dancing Sword spat on the ground and strode forward. After pulling out his sword from the forehead of the Terra corpse, she took a stance to use her swords again.

“Let’s talk after I finish this!” the Viper shouted.

Fuck. As much as I was outraged, the Viper had a point. The two armies were entangled right now, so, for them to retreat, I had to intervene.

I turned around and fired my Aura Transmission.

“Chief Warrior! Can you hear me?”

Beyond the battlefield, a mountain range overlooked the plains. From its highest peak, Uburka picked up on my transmission.

“Ugor. Your words are always so clear that I’d be able to pick them up from hell,”

Uburka answered.

“Chief Warrior, you are the only one among us who’s from this world!”

Uburka laughed out loud.

“That’s right, Ugor.”

“You should stop the battle.”

“Both starting and preventing wars are my specialties, but how am I supposed to do that now?”

“Pull out the mountain peak!”

I shouted.

There was silence for a moment. When I enhanced my vision with aura and looked up at the top of the mountain in the distance, I saw Uburka looking back at me, dumbstruck.

“Pull out the mountain peak? Are you out of your mind?”

“Why? You can do it, can’t you?”

“If I try hard, I guess, yeah...”

“Pull out the mountain peak and slam it in the middle of the battlefield! If possible, choose an area without soldiers! It’s the last thing they’ll expect, so the soldiers will stop in shock, even if only for a moment!”

“Ugor.”

Uburka laughed.

“Is that the first order that you give to your son after you became the patriarch and made me your chief warrior, Daddy?”

“That’s right!”

“Good.”

Uburka stood up.

“I was worried that things would get a little boring after you became the patriarch, but I guess I was worrying over nothing. You’ve always been a psycho. Regardless of whether you’re called patriarch or god, you will always remain a psycho at your core!”

Rumble!

Something akin to thunder resounded from afar. As Uburka grew bigger and bigger, his aura contracted and expanded his muscles, enough to produce fierce noises. However, ordinary soldiers didn’t know where the sound was coming from.

“

Uger

, the day is already fucked up, but it’s going to rain too!”

“Stop that idiot, the Dancing Sword or whatever her name is,

Uger

! If we can’t kill her, we’ll lose!”

The Terras reorganized themselves. Even though the seven Vipers were destroying their formation, the Terras weren’t going to back down. They were warriors that I had personally poured my sweat and tears into raising him.

I’m so proud of you.

I looked up at the top of the mountain.

“Chief Warrior!”

“Ugor. I’m ready, Patriarch.”

“Pull it out!”

A transcendental sound shook the world, sending tremors on the battlefield. Both the tall Skians and large Terras lost their balance and composure.

A Skian who seemed to hold quite a rank shouted, “Is this an earthquake?”

“Get in line with your comrades! Don’t run away! It’s a small earthquake anyway—”

I felt bad, but this was no earthquake. This was a man-made disaster.

Thuuuuuuud!

The sounds of destruction were clear. Only then did some of the soldiers with keen ears turn their heads and look up at the mountain range from the other side of the field.

“Ugor.”

There stood the legendary giant. A couple of soldiers opened their mouths and pointed to the top of the mountain.

“What’s going on?”

“Why are you acting like that?”

Questions quickly spread among the soldiers. They turned their heads toward their comrades, hoping at least someone had answers.

“It’s been a while since I used my aura like this.”

Giantification was a technique where one turned into a giant using their aura while maintaining full control over their movements. Before I met and taught Uburka, he had used this technique to reign over the Terras. It had been so long since then that the story only remained in legends. Now, everyone witnessed this legend in action.

“W-What is that? What is that?!”

“Hey, is this illusion magic from Sylvans? Did the Sylvans send reinforcements for the Terras?”

“The hell? Hey, we haven’t gone crazy, right? Right?”

The soldiers trembled, unable to wrap their heads around what they were seeing. Until just a moment ago, they were proud warriors driven by the desire to fight their enemies. However, now that the scene before them defied common sense, they instantly forgot their duties. Unlike brave warriors, they took a step back and trembled with fear. Everyone was a mere mortal when standing before legends.

Uburka seemed to think it wasn’t necessary to use Aura Transmission anymore.

“Look, Patriarch,” he said with a grin. “I am your chief warrior, the sharpest of all the swords you have, and the greatest of all your vassals! My name is Uburka, the chief warrior of the Death King Clan! I am the vassal that carried out the patriarch’s first order!”

[The Immorality-Dreaming Muscle Pig roars!]

He pulled out the mountain peak and carried it on his back, then leapt and slammed down the mountain peak right in the middle of the battlefield.

Booooooooom!

A loud noise rang out. No, that was an understatement. Both the heavens and the earth shook. Uburka had jumped from an absurd height, crossed an absurd distance, and slammed down a mountain peak on the ground. Yes, he was an absurd warrior.

Thud! Thuuuuud! Rumble!

The mountain peak was supposed to tear the sky, but it now tore the ground, dividing the battlefield. The peak split apart due to the impact with another roar.

Thuuud!

Sand, dust, and dirt enveloped the battlefield. Screams echoed from all directions. Regardless of species, both the Skian and Terra soldiers fell to the ground in shock at what had just taken place before their eyes. Shields and spears fell helplessly from their grips. Like caterpillars, they stuck to the ground and trembled.

“

Ugor.

”

There was still a lot of dust everywhere. On the mountain peak that had sunk upside down, Uburka sat cross-legged, laughing. Compared to before, he was a lot smaller. However, while all the other people were submerged in the clouds of dust, only Uburka stood alone above them. It provided a clear answer to who the lunatic was here.

The mountain peak covered in dust looked like a pillar of an old, ruined temple. From there, Uburka gazed at the ground, where the soldiers trembled in fear.

“I am Uburka, the one who served as the two hundred and twelfth chairman of the Fire Water Council.”

Gasps of awe echoed from all around. As if astonishment carried a sweet scent, Uburka sniffed a couple of times until he finally flashed a smile that showed his molars.

“I am now the chief warrior of the Death King Clan.”

No one dared to ask what that meant. Questioning was a privilege granted only to the strong, and no one here was strong enough to ask a question to the legend.

“My patriarch wants the battle to stop, so he has ordered me to step in,” Uburka clarified, glancing around the battlefield. “If anyone has any objections, come out. I’ll accept the challenge.”

Silence reigned. Occasionally, cracked ground and parts of the mountain peak crumbled a little more. No one uttered a sound.

“Hey.”

The Viper, still possessing the Dancing Sword, lowered his swords. His mouth was agape, but he was looking with shock at me, not Uburka.

“Death King, what kind of lunatic have you taken under your wing?”

***

Many Cavefire plays were made about the legendary warrior. The hero was popular among all Terras, regardless of their age and gender.

Young Terras looked up and shouted, “U-Uburka!”

“Uburka! Our wackiest ancestor has returned!”

Uburka scoffed. It seemed he liked how enthusiastic his descendants were to meet him. He opened his mouth wide, sucked in the winter air, and exhaled it.

“

Ugooooooooooooooor!

”

On the torn mountain peak, Uburka spread his arms open and let out a roar that split the mountain, the sky, and finally swept all the way across the battlefield.

“

Eeeeek

, what is this?”

“My ears...”

His aura-amplified roar didn’t lose its momentum one bit as it swept the battlefield. The deer, which had been crouching in the bushes to avoid the battle, ran away, startled. The birds that had been sleeping in the forest also flapped their wings and flew into the distant sky.

In the end, the entire vast field once again became silent. There was no sound of insects or birds, not even steps from wild animals. Everyone who could run away was gone now. Only the soldiers were shaking after missing their moment to escape.

“

Ha...

There is no other way. I’ll have to solve this.”

The slender Skian boy, also the Viper, stepped forward, adjusting his gloves.

“

Oooh!

Dark Sword of the Seven Skian Heroes!”

“

Oi

, we’re counting on you!”

The Skians cheered. Dumbstruck, Uburka sent Aura Transmission.

“Daddy, the wacko is running toward me.”

“Get rid of him. Don’t kill him, though.”

“Ugor. Yeah, I feel a bit uneasy. It’s as if I got involved in a kids’ fight.”

The Dark Sword was agile and fast. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to charge at Uburka. He was at the bottom of the mountain, and Uburka was at the peak. Distance was the problem. Even so, the Dark Sword said, “

Oi, oi

, just wait for me, okay?”

And he started climbing the mountain peak. The problem was that the moment he set foot on the mountain peak, Uburka picked up a piece of gravel and flicked it, breaking the Dark Sword’s leg.

The Dark Sword instantly collapsed with a

thump.

“D-Dark Sword...!”

“How can this be? The Seven Skian Heroes have never been defeated!”

That was nothing short of a live lesson. Regardless of whether or not this was the real Uburka, the warrior standing above the peak was incredibly strong. Furthermore, trying to duel someone like that was most likely not a good idea unless the duelist was batshit crazy.

It seemed that the other heroes, the ones the Viper also possessed, also learned their lesson.

The Dancing Sword frowned. “Retreat! Retreat! Let’s retreat first, then set up camp and think of a way out. This is the will of all the Seven Skian Heroes.”

“Yes, yes.”

The spirit of the Skian soldiers was drastically reduced, but they still bowed to the Dancing Sword. When one of the Seven Skian Heroes stepped forward to carry the Dark Sword out, the Skians left in perfect order.

“Your son’s single stone throw is all it took to stop the war,” Sylvia said. It was unclear if she was being sarcastic.

Before I could react, Kim Yul corrected her. “You mean our chief warrior’s stone throw.”