Gilbert's voice was nothing more than a tiny whisper in Dante's head, but it held a tone of desperation that he couldn't ignore. His feet started moving, but his heart was full of rage.
Gilbert's spell was full of power, but also full of flaws. He was trying something he wasn't used to and he was just a kid.
The blinding light was a result of his inexperience.
Even though Gilbert was able to temporarily blind them, the orcs eventually recovered, able to see once more.
The blinding light was the least of their concerns, the large explosion was what scared them the most.
The spell was a success because it was able to wipe out 25 orcs.
The unfortunate part was that it didn't get all of the orcs, a quarter of them were able to recover from their injuries, as a result of the exposure to the spell.
Ktull shouted in agony. The orc's left hand was mutilated.
The other orcs stared in shock and bitter anger.
As the blinded orc-slayers recovered, they realized that they could see the bodies of their comrades. It was a scene of defeat.
The sudden burst of light temporarily blinded the orcs and for a moment, chaos reigned throughout the battlefield. But as their vision quickly returned, they screamed with rage and charged towards the now-defenseless orc-slayers with blades flashing in their hands.
The orc-slayers had already exhausted their mana reserves during the intense battle and were completely defenseless against the onslaught. Some of them futilely tried to fight back while others simply stood by in horror as they watched their companions being brutally slain.
Dante could hear the sickening sound of metal slicing through flesh and bone but no cries of pain and terror. He ran faster than he ever had before, determined to keep the promise he made to Gilbert.
His heart pounded loudly in his chest, threatening to burst as he sprinted for his life.
'What am I doing? Why am I willingly abandoning my comrades?' Dante's mind was full of sorrow and confusion, 'this is not you Dante. You are supposed to be the strongest in the world. You can't be called the strongest if you leave your friends behind.'
At that moment, Dante had an enlightenment.
Dante knew that turning back now will turn the sacrifice of his other comrades to waste.
His mind was full of regret and sorrow as a piece of his life was taken from him, but he wouldn't let it stop him.
The horde of orcs chased after the remaining orc-slayers, who were now too weak to do anything. The orcs moved like a pack of wolves, hunting down the weak humans.
A spear flew from Dante's left hand and stabbed a charging orc in its eye. The orc shrieked as it fell to the ground. Dante found this spear laying on the ground.
He threw the spear with all his might, the projectile nearly reaching the speed of sound.
This caught the attention of the orcs and hundreds of orcs started to run towards him.
The sight of literal giants running towards someone must be terrifying, but Dante's eyes were devoid of fear. He just wanted to save some more of his comrades.
He grabbed his trusty sword with both of his hands and closed his eyes. Images of the days when he was training with his sword with a single goal in mind, to get stronger.
As Dante opened his eyes, they were covered by a flaming-like purple aura.
He felt as if he was already one with the universe and his sword. He slashed at the incoming orcs with no mercy.
The glowing white runes on his sword were burning with a bright purple light. The runes looked like they were alive, moving and hovering around his sword, creating an aura of pure destructive power.
Dante was using a skill from the sword technique he had been practicing from the orc-slayers called "Foundational Knight Sword Dance." This technique enables its user to make the most efficient moves in every situation. Not a single ounce of energy wasted.
The orcs fell one by one, and as more and more orcs appeared in his vision, Dante just kept killing and never let up. His sword was a blur of purple and mana, slicing brutally through the flesh of the orcs.
He had been in a trance, only focusing on killing the orcs.
The orcs thought that they could overwhelm him by sheer numbers, but they didn't take into account one thing.
The method of fighting and experience.
The Foundational Knight Sword Dance was a specialty of the orc-slayers who were not only skilled in fighting but also trained their bodies to the point where they were nearly invincible. This allowed them to hold their own against powerful enemies even when they were outnumbered.
Without the training and experience, it would be impossible to face this many orcs at one time.
Just by himself, Dante was able to kill dozens.
Orcs were coming from all directions, and in the distance, he could see the remaining few of his comrades.
Some of the orcs that were near Dante's attacks started to get more serious and a bit more careful.
Dante had clearly grown into an opponent that they couldn't ignore. The orcs were now more cautious of their lives.
The orcs who charged at Dante started to be more cautious, and their swords were much more stable and locked into place. For a second, it looked like they were going to charge at him all at once.
But then, they all stopped.
It was like they all had a hive mind because they all seemed to realize something at the exact same time.
They all looked at something behind Dante and suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.
Dante's eyes slowly moved towards the source of their attention and he saw it.
The Warchief Ktull was slowly closing in on Dante. His battle axe held in his right hand.
Before Dante could react, Ktull was already within killing range.
Dante knew that if he didn't move, this orc would kill him.
The orc was coming at him with an axe that he was sure was enchanted with some sort of dark mana.
The spear was almost upon him, and it was only a matter of time before the spear reached Dante.
Just when Dante was sure that the axe was going to slash him and end his life, a sword intercepted it and deflected it to the right side.
Dante was shocked. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Stand up, kid." Commander Ashur was emitting a terrifying aura that will haunt humans and monsters alike.
Right behind him, hundreds of elite orc-slayers were riding their horses, charging right in the midst of battle. Dante didn't move an inch. Dante's mind was filled with relief and emotions, 'I guess I can survive for another day.'
He was full of trust in Commander Ashur and the hundreds of orc-slayers currently decimating the orc horde.
"You are seriously a strange kid." Ashur said as he blocked the axe with his sword. With a quick flick of his wrist, the commander's sword completely bisected the axe.
The Warchief Ktull yelled in pain as his hand fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry, but this is the end of the road for you." Ashur's sword then slashed through the orc's neck and taking his head off in one clean swoop.
The remaining orcs looked at the large group of orc-slayers in shock and confusion. They roared loudly and charged at the orc-slayers. The orcs quickly fell, and not one of them could even touch Commander Ashur or any of the other orc-slayers.
This group of elite orc-slayers were at the very least, 4 times stronger than the average orc. They were able to cut through the orc-horde with ease and were able to cause mass casualties.
The orcs were practically defenseless. Without their leader, they had no direction and were quickly decimated.
As the last of the orcs were killed, the orc-slayers sighed with exhaustion.
"The orcs are all dead." One of the orc-slayers said as he cleaned his sword.
The orcs were all slaughtered and the battlefield was strewn with orc bodies.
"Gather up the wounded!" The orc-slayers started getting busy.
Commander Ashur started helping the wounded survivors. Dante started getting frantic, 'Gilbert!'
Dante tried to find where Gilbert was, 'Please be alive, be alive for your sister's sake.'
As he got closer to the room where they held their position, Dante's felt nervous.
Undoubtedly, things don't always go as planned.
Gilbert was sitting at the corner, at least his body was. His head was a few meters away from his body. The other orc-slayers that were with him had their final breaths here.
'He probably thought about his sister before dying.' Dante was in shock. No tears came out. He spaced out. Dante couldn't even find the words to say.
A hand reached out to his shoulder, "You owe them your life. So for their sake, survive and become strong enough so that this doesn't happen again." Commander Ashur felt the need to say some words to Dante. This situation could make or break a person. Now, it all depends on Dante's mental fortitude.
Dante could comprehend the meaning of these words, but he just couldn't internalize them right now. Everything just happened too quickly, with no time to think.
For some strange reason, Dante recalled one of Simon's teachings, "Remember to never run away from battle… not before, not now, and not ever."
'I understand what I have to do now.'