[Back to present]
The Great Ape tribe knew that they were being baited, but they happily bit the bait. It was as I had planned.
Just like it was shown in the novel, the Directory was a useful ability in the correct hands. I gained information about the tribes from it, and also from Orca to an extent.
The orc who had come to report to the Orc chieftain continued. "They monkeys are blaming us for attacking the villages under them!
They are condemning us by showing corpses of their brethren near our tribe, saying we killed those who found our secret! They monkeys have come prepared for war!"
The commotion gathered a good number of orcs at the door of the residence.
An Orc who I assumed to be Orc chieftain barked orders at the sudden attack of the Great Ape tribe. "Call all heavenly warriors in village! Those monkeys dare attack us!? If they want fight we give them one!"
A thunderous clamor erupted. The other orcs banged their weapons on the ground loudly to show acceptance of their chief's orders.
'With this, the security around the Orc chieftain would be reduced further.' I thought to myself as the Orcs moved in masses to prepare for the battle.
Everything was going perfectly. But then a thought popped into my head.
'Why can I understand these Orcs…?'
Unlike Orca, these Orcs shouldn't have any intentions to converse with me. After all, they didn't even know I was here…
A chill crawled up my spine, and I started retreating silently yet hastily. 'They know that I'm here. They were letting me eavesdrop to buy time!'
If I wasn't wrong, they must have created a siege around the house in the meantime.
'I need to get away now!'
I didn't know how, but the Orcs were aware that I had infiltrated and had prepared accordingly. I needed to get away before they realized that I was now aware of their plan.
However, dozens of
"Where are you going?" A massive fist broke through the wall behind me and caught me in its tight grip.
The wall broke and a behemoth-sized orc entered the room. The monster had an imposing figure, towering over most orcs with its massive size.
He was adorned with crude, intimidating armor made of bone, hide, and metal. The orc was carrying a massive, spiked club in his other hand.
The appearance of the weapon left no doubts about the identity of the orc, "The Orc Chieftain… Zor… The Ruthless."
At my words, the orc chieftain revealed his sharp, jagged teeth and erupted into raucous laughter.
The intensity of his laughter shook my eardrums and rattled my brain. His hold on my body slowly tightened, he was crushing me alive with his bare hands.
Taking a deep breath I used
and the force squeezing me became slightly bearable."Puny insect, you are still alive? You are stronger than you look, grroohahaha."
A warm liquid flowed down the corner of my mouth. Through the shoulder of the Orc chieftain, the view outside the house became clearer. Hundreds of orcs dressed for battle and carrying weapons were encircling the house.
The orc chieftain's massive fangs moved as he spoke. "Grooh Grooh, I must thank you, nonetheless. Because you, we can finally attack those monkeys!"
Listening to Zor an epiphany struck me. I clenched my jaws unconsciously and thought. 'These orcs were hiding inside the houses. They were aware that I would come. The only reason I reached the orc chieftain's residence without being caught is because they let me.'
Zor stared at me with a savage grin and thundered. "Why aren't you fighting back, insect? Call your creatures and beg them to help you. Grroohahaha, and you might be able to escape."
I didn't respond immediately but my thoughts moved faster than ever. 'This bastard is trying to probe me. He wants to know if I can use my summons to escape, if yes, he would crush me instantly without giving me a chance.'
Majority of my summons were fighting against Orcs outside the village. Escape was nothing but a pipe dream with the numbers I could summon at this moment.
'Should I use the crown? No, I might be able to kill 20 or even 30 orcs if I used the crown, but breaking out of the siege is impossible.'
The orc chieftain continued to put more strength into his grip with each passing second, slowly crushing me to death. It was as if I was stuck inside a room that continued to shrink, and I had no way to escape.
'I need… to buy… time' The air in my lungs was running out. It was becoming laborious and painful to breathe.
The gears inside my mind churned and I searched for something, anything to keep Zor engaged until I found a way out of this predicament.
"You should let me go…" I raised my head and looked Zor into his eyes. Then I continued while regulating my breathing. "Or, you'll die."
At my words, Zor suddenly stopped laughing. A dark shadow fell over his face. The atmosphere of the room became excruciatingly still… and my face hardened.
'Did I just provoke the enemy commander in the middle of the enemy camp when my life is at their mercy…?' For a moment, I refused to accept the reality.
My actions were far from buying time. They would instead end my life sooner!
The orcs outside the house had gone silent. Although they couldn't see what was happening inside between me and Zor, the oppressive feeling oozing from Zor was enough to explain that he wasn't in a good mood.
"Groohahahaha! You have guts! It has been a long time since I saw a real warrior, someone who won't beg for mercy, even at death's door. Grrroohahahaha." Zor laughed heartily.
The hand holding me in their eternal prison loosened slightly. The Orc chieftain continued. "But a warrior who doesn't have the strength to support his guts isn't a warrior, but a fool. Can you prove that you are no fool?"
Zor suddenly tightened his grip as if to emphasize his words. I heard my bones snap and a harrowing pain stabbed across my body.
I stopped thinking about searching for a way out and did what I could do.
'Summon Treant!'
A 5-meter large inconspicuous tree appeared beside us. The tree croaked and a human-like face appeared on its trunk. It yelled eerily and its thick vines wrapped around Zor's fingers.
The treant tried to pry Zor's fingers off, causing the orc chieftain's grip to loosen. Maybe because of pain or surprise, Zor grunted and then used his other hand to tear the vines.
It became a contest of strength and endurance.
'This is bad. I would lose if it becomes a contest of endurance.'
How did they know that I was going to come? Why do they know about my summoning?
I used
'This is bad, bad. This is…'
The orc chieftain's muscles bulged and his strength increased by many folds. He instantly tore the vines away. But it caused him to lose his grasp on me.
Swinging his fist, Zor attacked me.
'This is bad for them~ These dumbasses played right into my hands~'
A bundle of vine stopped Zor's attack. Before he continued, I spoke leisurely. "Didn't you know that my plan was a three-front attack? You might've been able to live if you waited until the last assault began."
"What?" Zor's brows creased. He realized that I had been aware of their plan to capture me. "You knew…?"
As if it had been waiting, right on cue, a deafening blast shook the orc village. The ground trembled violently and cries of orcs filled the surroundings.
Zor looked out through the wall he had destroyed and then returned his gaze to me. He spoke in a heavy voice. "I don't know what you have planned. But you cannot defeat me."
'I know.' I wholeheartedly agreed with Zor. Unless I used all the resources at my disposal, I had no chance of winning against him. But that would be the same as winning the battle yet losing the war.
However, I shook my head. "But he can."
"C…hief! Y-you need to run…" An orc tumbled through the hole in the wall. He dragged his body towards Zor till his dying breath. "T-two hundred heavenly warriors d...died in a flash. T-that thing isn't a hum…"
Schwing—!
The air whistled as a sharp object moved at great speed. And the head of the orc rolled on the ground.
A human clad in an azure white glow stepped inside the room.
'He is here.'
My assault on the third front has arrived.