The day was repeated, starting with the face of Ipo appearing in front of me.
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“The expedition is progressing smoothly.”
However, he would be killed today, along with his subordinates. In fact, it was impossible for the orc species to emerge here. There was a time when the red-faced clan’s outpost extended along the border, but that was a bygone era.
Numerous enigmatic aspects surrounded the orc who had ruthlessly slaughtered the expedition team.
Could it be a transcendent being?
That possibility could not be ruled out.
I patiently waited for the opportune moment after interrupting Ipo’s report that was about to resume.
At night, as the sounds of Ipo’s whipping and the priests’ agonizing screams filled the air, an eerie scent permeated the campsite. Sensing that it was time for me to move, I got up from my seat.
When night descended upon the forest, one would typically tread cautiously or wander aimlessly, especially when they were unfamiliar with the region. It went the same for the orc.
Nonetheless, this guy advanced without hesitation, indicating that it evidently knew the direction it needed to go. Of course, it was going toward the campsite.
Besides seeming familiar with the local geography and how it appeared alone, there was not anything else particularly strange about the guy. Its towering physique, thick tusks, and green skin were just the typical features of an orc, and I didn’t sense any danger. It was just one of the ordinary orc species, and its ax was nothing special either.
Then, what on earth allowed this orc to annihilate the exploration team?
Originally, I had planned to prevent the disaster that was about to befall the exploration team and interrogate it, but seeing it changed my mind. I wanted to see it with my own eyes, and that was why I didn’t obstruct its path. I quietly followed from behind.
The conversation between the orc and Ipo was only two sentences. The orc told Ipo that it was looking for the [Demon King of the Night], and Ipo responded that he didn’t know. The priests were showing hopeful glances at the orc, but it didn’t seem to care much. It seemed to only want to hear Ipo’s answer and leave, despite witnessing priests of Lord Lacryma being treated like slaves and seeing the cave filled with turncoats to the Demon King swarming before it.
It didn’t show any animosity and tried to leave quietly, which was not the typical behavior of an ordinary orc. Also, it was capable of confronting the entire exploration team. It needed to punish the turncoats and rescue the priests to prove it was a warrior of Lord Lacryma.
The disaster would have started this way.
The swordsmen under Ipo’s command were moving busily behind Ipo at his signals. He was actually the one who initiated the disaster first, probably because he judged the orc would be weak as its fellow species. If he let the orc go, then there was a high chance that the orc would return with a group next time to kill them.
Anyway, who started the conflict first was not important. How did an orc that couldn’t handle Mana achieve a complete victory over multiple swordsmen who could deal with Mana? Without a single scratch? Could a civilian dodge a sword swung by a platinum Awakened with the intent to kill?
It was indeed a mystery that could not be explained by anything. It was an incident that completely destroyed conventional common sense. No matter how I calculated the odds, such an event was impossible. Absolutely. Absolutely…!
***
The orc did not avoid the attack. Instead, it had moved to a position where the opponents couldn’t have their attacks hit him as he faced multiple of them. At first, I thought it had happened accidentally, but if it was just a coincidence, it couldn’t be repeated continuously.
The spot it chose to move to with all its might was where the knights’ attacks intersected. If they didn’t retrieve their swung sword quickly, they could end up slicing their own comrades. The orc continually chose such positions.
In the game of Go, there was a thing called ‘God’s Move.’ Looking back, every spot the orc chose was something like that. It was so precise that it led me to suspect something. It either had the ability to see the future or it had also turned back in time like me to repeat the current battle thousands of times.
This was my first time seeing such excellent combat skills. Even the Fourth Virtue, who had ascended to the rank of Named through innate combat ability, could not perform as this orc did. The same applied to me.
Nonetheless, there was a clear difference in abilities in all aspects, so he couldn’t counterattack for a long time. When confusion and frustration arose from the knights’ faces and they began to control the amount of Mana they used, the orc’s true colors began to appear. At times, it pushed forward like a raging bull, and at other times, it displayed cleverness akin to a monkey, disrupting the opponents’ emotions. It resembled the god of war at times.
Soom, even its slow counterattacks that were void of Mana made the knights flinch. Unanticipated transitions were occurring from its hand movements and its entire body. I was left speechless at the sight of it moving freely and broadly across the battlefield.
Yes, this was definitely the moment when the slaughter began. There was no longer a reason for me to observe what came next. The incredible combat skill, or in other words, its war sword, could not have been developed in a few years. It was impossible even with genius DNA. Even if it had the ability to see the future, it wouldn’t have been able to respond so quickly.
Therefore, there was only one thing. I didn’t know how long it had spent, but it had dedicated itself solely to combat. The orc body it was wearing was merely a shell. The Black was in a female body, the Red was in eternal sleep, and the Gold represented a high-ranking existence. The Spirit Kings were blocked by Yeon-Hee, and there was no reason for them to don the guise of an orc.
This fit in terms of timing. Who was the first one Black would have asked for help to kill me? Green. The Great Green. He has resumed his activities as well.
I decided to reveal myself after debating for minutes. I stood behind him and shouted, “The situation in Elsland would be more urgent, wouldn’t it?”
He turned around to look at me and flared his nostrils while breathing heavily. The knights, who were about to jump into him, immediately backed off. All eyes were on me, and they were filled with relief except the Green’s.
Then, his fangs moved, and a heavy voice came out of his mouth, “Did you finally decide to have a conversation with me?”
“Yes.”
“Then, I have a place to show you. Follow me.”
***
We left the campsite together. He was leading the way, and I was following him. Every time his bulky trapezius muscle responded to the movement, his body seemed to be saying that an ambush would be no use.
However, I didn’t think there was any need to rush. The greatest gain of holding the power to reverse time in my hand was that I wouldn’t miss any opportunity. If necessary, I could just go back in time to when he visited the camp. For now, I decided to confirm the purpose of his visit to me first.
“You seem to know me, so I will skip the introduction.”
He spat out the words while still running, showing no signs of stopping.
“Are you not curious about where we are heading right now?”
I smiled. “This is my territory. You should be the one worried, Green.”
“Makachu.”
“...?”
“My name is Makachu.”
I could tell that he strongly refused to be called Green. The conversation ended there. Whether it was sealed by others or himself, he did not increase his speed any further.
I kept running after the orc. We had crossed several hills by the time dawn was breaking. Then, I felt something. I overtook him and headed there first.
It was also in the middle of a mountain where no one could not reach, but the traces of about a dozen individuals remained. There were small and large footprints, which indicated that various species had appeared and disappeared. The traces of when they were summoned were scattered and did not remain.
There were only two places where any traces remained. Those gathered here were split into two groups and disappeared into the gate. Even if I didn’t witness it at the time, I could easily infer it from the traces.
It was easy to tell where I was. This was where those who conspired against me had gathered. This was where the Holy Knights of different species had gathered for the Great Black!
I could also find the footprints of the Green, and the orc had arrived quite a while later. Since he had engaged in fierce battle before climbing mountains, he was clearly exhausted. He seemed reluctant to use the power of the transcendent, just as he showed a sense of rejection to being called Green.
He exhaled deeply and said, “Demon King Lu-neah made us an offer to kill Demon King Doom Man.”
Then, I waited silently for him to continue.
“I will return the suggestion at that time to Demon King Doom Man.”
“...”
“I, Makachu, will cooperate in removing Saint Jayden.”
“You are talking about the Great Red. Sure.”
He frowned as he didn’t expect such a reaction from me.
I continued, “I will go check it out right now if you tell me where it is sleeping.”
He stared at me for a while before opening his mouth. “Kasaila and I do not know where it is either. But I can wake it up by myself.”
He was talking about the only bloodline of the Great Red.
“Do you not feel the crack in space?” he asked.
I nodded. “I feel it in two places. One is likely to lead to Elsland.”
“The other one leads to the hideout where Jayden’s bloodline has returned.”
I then asked, “What do you gain if I kill Jayden? Ma. Ka. Chu.”
“Just think about what you are going to gain. Isn’t that already overwhelming? The Demon King will give you a satisfactory reward.”
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking from his calm gaze.
“I am already ordained to kill Jayden. If you are going to cooperate, then wouldn’t it be better to be sincere about it? Surely this is not the end, right?”
He was quiet.
“Even if Jayden’s heart is torn, he is a difficult entity to confront. If you truly wish to take down Jayden, then you have to fight with me. Unless you are hoping for our mutual destruction.”
I pointed to the void.
There was the trace that allowed access to the hideout of the Great Red’s only bloodline, Dragon Red.
“I will open the gate now. I will kill Jayden’s bloodline to awaken Jayden.”
“Wouldn’t it be better without me? Do you actually trust me? Aren’t you suspicious that this could be a trap? What if I help Jayden and attack you?”
“That could be possible.”
His face was distorted, probably because I mocked his serious face. Regardless of his true intentions, it was time to get to the point now that I had confirmed why he had sought me out.
“If you are reluctant to join me, there is a better way.”
He threw an aggressive glance at me, as if he was asking for me to continue.
“Offer your heart to me.”
