Gerald directed his gaze to the female Phoenix Knight who he saw once before.
"Hey you, err… woman, where are the others?"
Igrit, who he was pointing at, woke up from her stupor and stumbled over her words.
"T-Tabbris and his team… I mean… He took most of the warriors underground… It… It was a trap! They knew we were coming!"
"Oh?" Gerald's eyes narrowed to a slit and he turned to the strongest of the Orcs present, "You, beast! What's this all about? You knew we were coming here? Where is the rest of your forces hiding?!"
The Orc Elite was surprised that a human could speak its language, but that didn't change a thing. It roared back, "A lower form filthy rat wants to speak with me?! Roar! Crush this arrogant human's spirit and devour his flesh! Tear him apart!"
The tranquil battlefield turned chaotic at once. The Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Orcs alike now had only one target to concentrate their firepower on.
"Come and get it, you freaks!"
Gerald similarly took an aggressive stance, but before attacking, he took out five Ice Barrier scrolls and activated them at once, before casting them on the wounded and exhausted warriors.
"Stay there and don't come out if you wish to stay alive!" he shouted. "I'll show you how one should deal with these filthy beasts!"
As dozens of those small things jumped at him at once, Gerald swung his spear, creating a powerful gust of wind with the help of magic.
The Goblins and Hobgoblins were pushed back while the Orcs simply watched on the sidelines. They might appear calm on the surface, but their eyes told a different story.
Should Gerald leave himself open for an attack, they would not hesitate to dismember him in seconds! They needed but a moment to tear a lone human apart.
In either case, Gerald didn't plan on giving them this chance. After creating some space, he immediately started spewing flames around himself, and any creature stupid enough to approach would be immediately engulfed in the scorching inferno.
It served as a great deterrent to sneak attacks, but it couldn't be used for long as the Mana consumption was high and quite unsustainable.
Then, to preserve some energy, he decided to use his superior physical capabilities to fight. He took a stance, with the shield in front and a spear at the side.
He was a great fan of ancient Spartan warriors, and now he almost looked like one of them. An opening was created in the flames and the beasts rushed through it straight at him like a flood.
He would punch forward with the shield to disorientate his opponent and then stab them with the Toothpick over and over.
The dirt beneath his feet sank, and the stones cracked with each transfer of force as he became an unstoppable mountain, slowly moving forward, and turning the beasts into fertilizer.
However, with each kill, a certain feeling was growing in his mind, and his calculated and precise strikes became increasingly more aggressive and wild, to the point that he would abandon all defense and just attack!
It was as if he was one of them, one of the beasts, and the Fire magic he created soon died down as his rationality left his mind.
Emotions of rage and anger welled up within him, and an insane bloodlust was born and he soon roared like the Orcs he was fighting against.
Each breath taken was rough and loud, full of aggression, anger, and rage! He fought like an animal, swinging his weapon wildly, as if trying to show off, wasting plentiful energy with unnecessary swings.
However, instead of getting tired and slow, Gerald appeared to be getting faster, as the only magic left was the one strengthening his body in various ways.
His blood boiled and his skin turned red, his muscles enlarged and filled with blood. Soon his eyes too turned crimson, and the final magic was complete.
The Elemental Avatar!
A combination of strength, defense, agility, and speed, it was a spell that Gerald came up with some time ago when trying to combine Juggernaut with Falcon Dance. And it was a success!
And while Gerald was on a rampage massacring the small ones, the Orcs couldn't just stand and watch anymore. They attacked at once!
Ten Orcs collapsed upon him at the same time, but those numbers meant little when the opponent was ten times stronger while also being indestructible.
Weapons collided with Gerald's skin, and even though sparks flew and Orcs roared, only shallow marks remained in the end.
It was all useless! Gerald roared and decapitated another enemy, his blood-shot eyes already searching for the next target.
Suddenly a powerful stone pillar struck his back and made him lose his balance. As he fell forward he abandoned his weapon and shield and did a quick roll on the ground.
He turned around with a fierce gaze and his teeth showing, searching for the target. And he soon found it!
The Elite! The leader of this group! It was looking at him in a provoking manner, almost as if challenging him to a duel. Should he accept, they would engage in a battle one-on-one, and the rest would simply have to watch.
That's how the hierarchy among the beasts worked. The strong would have special rules, and among them, only physical prowess mattered.
But Gerald was in no mood for honorable duels, nor was he rational enough to understand it. Stones and dust rose as his bent legs extended, and he jumped forward like a missile.
His bare hands opened wide, and his fingers bent, resembling claws. A loud roar escaped his throat just before he collided with the Orc Warrior Elite.
Gerald struck the beast's sword with his silver hand and slapped the weapon away effortlessly as the Orc Elite fell backward from the sudden impact.
His throat was then suddenly gripped by the monstrously powerful hands of the human and was torn to shreds to the horror of the other people watching.
Almost five tones, that's what Gerald's current strength was, and the unguarded flesh of the Orc has pulled apart as easily as freshly baked bread.
Such a battle was something totally unexpected, and although many layers of ice obstructed their vision, it was still possible to see. But in their minds, the victor was not a human. It was another monster in the shape of a human! One much stronger and vicious than even the Orcs themselves!
A fountain of warm blood sprayed on Gerald, but he didn't seem to mind. He simply panted loudly as the crimson liquid dripped from his fingers on the ground.
Then suddenly… he collapsed!
On his knees, and holding his head he howled in pain, and his eyes, still full of rage, were directed towards the sky.