Orc Hero Story
Chapter 53. The Hero vs. the Nameless Woman
There was a gigantic shell. It resembled the shell of a turtle, a snail, or the remains of an insect’s molt, but it was simply enormous. It was taller than a grown ogre man, and its edges were obscured by the forest trees, making it difficult to grasp the full extent of the shell. In the mossy forest, it had never been covered in moss or insects, and it emanated a faint light. Naturally, the rain poured around it, but the shell seemed to repel it, so it remained dry. If a human priest had seen it, they would have described it as divine. Or would they have described it as an ominous omen?
A woman stood in front of the shell, gazing at it for a while before entering. The interior, with its rainbow colors, was an otherworldly spectacle, but she entered as if it were an everyday occurrence and easily reached the innermost part.
At the back, there was a translucent stone like a jewel. The stone was connected to its surroundings by a glass tube, and somehow, it could be inferred that it was the core of that mysterious object. The woman carelessly took hold of it and pulled it out of the glass tube. There was a click, and the stone easily fell into her hands.
At the same time, the glow faded from the surroundings. The divinity, the ominous omen—they disappeared. It was easy to perceive. The power had vanished. Over time, this shell would decompose and disappear into the forest. It would be a disheartening sight for those who had found divinity in this shell. So the woman murmured.
“I couldn’t let Carrot do this…” The woman carefully wrapped the bundle in fabric and stowed it in her backpack. She exited the shell, looked up at the rainy sky, snorted, and stretched carefully. “Hm… hmm~ I didn’t expect it to take this long… it’s been quite a hassle. The succubus barrier is not something to be taken lightly either…” The woman’s field of vision was filled with countless corpses. They were the defending succubi who had attacked her as a last resistance after the demon magic key had broken the barrier. The corpses, covered in mud, all had a bewitching appearances. Even in death, the succubi remained enchanting. The woman gazed at their beautiful faces with a bored expression but suddenly felt a presence and looked up. “Oh…”
At the end of the pile of corpses, there was a figure. Two small shadows and one large shadow. They looked familiar. Anger surged within her.
“Orc! Why did you bring the children back?!” From the woman’s perspective, it was inexplicable behavior. Surely, he would have come because of what they had discussed the other day. The orc had looked at her with lust but had restrained himself and saved the two children. He was a good man for an orc. Of course, being a sexually active orc, she had thought that after sending the two to a safe place, he would come for her to r̲a̲pe̲ her. Although there was also the possibility that the kids wouldn’t give up and come for her.
But it was impossible if all three of them were together.
“I have come to avenge Miss Lula Lula’s death.”
“Eh…” The woman’s anger was suddenly drained by Bash’s words. Perhaps, upon hearing what had happened from the children, he felt such indignation that he decided to offer them help. She didn’t know why the orc was there, but if she were in his place, she would have also offered her assistance to the two children she was supposed to protect. It didn’t matter what purpose he had been traveling for; leaving the two children alone was not a good idea. “…What a surprise. You’re a surprisingly compassionate orc.”
On her part, she never expected an orc to act like this. The only behavior she could have anticipated was that the orc, while rescuing the twins, would realize that one of them was a girl and then kill the boy, r̲a̲pe̲ the girl, and dispose of them. Of course, that came from her own prejudices, so she didn’t say it.
Anyway, it seemed that the orc followed a behavioral principle that was surprisingly understandable.
“But again, you’re just an orc. You’re not very intelligent.”
“Why?”
“Because you didn’t think you would lose, right? That’s why you came with so much confidence.”
Anyway, it didn’t matter, so the woman drew her sword. Even if he approached her just as he was doing, she would kill him like the others.
“Orcs don’t think about defeat when they fight.” Bash also unsheathed his sword. The massive sword faintly gleamed. For a moment, the woman thought the sword seemed familiar, but she quickly dismissed the thought. She didn’t pay particular attention to swords, and besides, she couldn’t remember it anyway.
“I come from the Orc Kingdom, my name is…”
“Oh no, you don’t have to tell me your name. I can’t tell you mine either. I’m not a woman worthy of hearing it, and what’s about to happen is not an honorable duel, it’s just a slaughter. I don’t even think it qualifies as a slaughter.” With that said, the woman took a step forward. Her steps were incredibly silent, natural, and imposing. An ordinary warrior wouldn’t have noticed the woman’s initiation, not even her pause. “It’s a shame. I didn’t want to kill you.”
In a flash. Then the woman saw the orc’s head severed and rolling on the ground with a dull thud… Yes, she was certain of it.
“Eh?” But before the woman’s sword could reach Bash’s neck, it was blocked by his thick sword.
“…!” The moment she realized her sword was pushed back with tremendous force, the woman turned around. She deflected Bash’s strike, which came like a storm, with her elbow, spun around twice in reaction, and landed on her feet. She evaded the next blow as if she were dancing. The woman dodged five strikes and escaped Bash’s range.
The woman was aware of how her heart was pounding hard. She had been caught off guard. And she almost died.
“…Hey, orc, you’re strong. I’m impressed.”
Bash’s series of attacks were meant to completely finish her off. Each blow was extremely powerful, accompanied by a storm of wind and impact. If they hit her, she would lose a part of her body; if they grazed her, her skin would be torn and her flesh would scatter; and even if they passed near her, she would be thrown off balance. Especially her, being a lightweight woman.
If she hadn’t learned to dodge such attacks on the battlefield, she would have died. She didn’t withstand the impact of the sword; instead, she spun her body to escape the blow. It was a trick that required a strong torso and agility.
“You too,” Bash also reaffirmed that the woman was as strong as he had imagined.
“This is the first time in a long while that my enemy doesn’t die from a single blow, and also the first time in a long while that I can do nothing but dodge, if I recall correctly since Miss Lula Lula.”
“I feel honored.”
The woman’s praise received a calm response. If he were an ordinary orc, it would have been more… No, the woman wasn’t an expert on orcs, so her racist attitude towards them would resurface again. Anyway, the woman guessed that the orc in front of her was much more impressive than she had imagined. At the same time, from her limited knowledge, a name came to her mind.
“For an orc to be able to do so much… then you must be Bash, the ‘Orc Hero,’ right?”
“Yes,” as soon as he answered, Bash’s sword attacked. The woman barely managed to react, dodged it, and counterattacked with her own sword. The strike didn’t reach him, and only the wind grazed his skin. The blatant lack of forward movement made it clear that the intention was to gauge Bash’s abilities.
“I see, I apologize for not introducing myself to the glorious Dragon Slayer Hero… but I no longer respond to any name.”
“…”
“However, if I’m going to face the strongest orc warrior, I’ll have to get serious, won’t I?” The woman said, and she readied her sword once again. In Bash’s eyes, it seemed like a stance he had seen somewhere before. It resembled the posture of a human knight but was slightly different. A unique stance. Upon seeing this, Bash felt his hair stand on end. His instincts told him that the woman was a dangerous opponent.
“Graaaaaaaaaaaoooh!” To further intensify his emotions, he let out a battle cry.
The battle had begun.
