The sound of torches burning was unusually loud.
The current state of Endeavor Fortress was that it had entered a state of battle readiness.
So, even though it was deep into the night, not a single person was asleep.
The tension was palpable, effectively expressing the current intense situation.
"Ooh, thrilling!"
Luna exclaimed, shaking her body in a comically exaggerated manner, breaking the tension in an instant.
But no one could bring themselves to laugh at that sight.
'It's not thrilling on my end, it's more like prickling.'
This energy I'm feeling is probably emanating from that guy we can see under the fortress walls.
'Orc Lord.'
Orcs are becoming Masters.
It's like a stand-up comedy routine.
But the presence was too strong to be laughed at.
In the dark, it was hard to see, but when I focused my mana to heighten my senses, I could see the grotesque figure with all sorts of tattoos covering its bulky body. Despite its massive size, its muscles weren't overly large; they were tightly packed, suited for combat. That alone exuded an overwhelming aura.
"Why the hell did he come?"
"Perhaps he didn't come for a battle with just that number."
"True, he's the Orc Lord after all. He might have thought he could take us down even alone."
"Still, we're fortunate. Now that we have Luna Pendragon, it won't be easy for us to be pushed back."
The commanding officers who came out together each muttered a few words.
Well, even with that energy, Luna is probably a bit hard for him to handle.
When I gave her a sidelong glance, she was merely looking at the Orc Lord with an excited expression.
—Human!
At that moment, an unexpected voice came out of the Orc's mouth.
Did orcs speak human?
"Unbelievable..."
"Even a guy like him is trying to speak!"
It seemed I wasn't the only one surprised; the surrounding area was filled with astonished voices.
And the subsequent words from the Orc Lord put everyone in the fortress in a state of concern.
—The attack before was to give our warriors a full experience of the battlefield. A battle is an Orc's honor. The souls of the dead orcs have entered the land of eternal battle. So now the probation period is over.
The Orc Lord raised a huge mace and pointed at us.
—Before a true declaration of war, I have a proposal for you humans.
Now he's even giving proposals.
We should at least hear what kind of proposal it is. The fortress commander, Dawson, just stood there quietly, gazing fixedly at the Orc Lord.
—Are there any challengers among you Vayatra's sons for an honorable duel? If any of my nine subordinates are defeated in a duel, I will acknowledge your warriors. Also, if your side has more winners, I'll grant a day's respite before our invasion.
The Orc Lord's words were arrogant.
However, the mention of a day's respite was a rather sweet proposition, causing a variety of opinions among the commanding officers.
"He announced a full-scale attack openly. We must somehow secure a day's respite and request reinforcements from other forts."
"It's an absurd idea! They're orc chiefs. Among us, only His Excellency could defeat an orc chief in a one-on-one duel!"
Initially, there was almost a sharp confrontation of opinions, but eventually, they realized that they didn't have the strength to oppose.
At that moment, Dawson stepped forward.
"To be honest, if it's a duel with an orc chief, I have confidence in defeating at least one of them. But what about the other eight orc chiefs?"
He subtly turned his gaze towards Luna, and she was staring into empty space with an unreadable expression.
The commanding officers also noticed his gaze and looked at Luna, but she remained unfazed.
"It's pointless. Even if Luna Pendragon steps forward, who will handle the other seven...?"
I might as well try to talk to him.
"Orc Lord, what's your name?"
Standing on the fortress wall, I faced the Orc Lord and asked.
As I did, I heard gasps from the people behind me.
"W-What is that man doing...!"
"S-Stop that right now!"
Whether he spoke or not, I kept my eyes fixed on the Orc Lord. With a mocking smile, he replied.
—Human, start with your name.
"Barry Sanders."
—Quite brave. Different from the cowards in the back.
"What's your name then? Should I just call you Orc Lord?"
—My name is Al-Ghurad. I am the seventh son of Al-Paion and the 219th descendant of Al-Kaia.
It seemed orcs had the same customs.
Of course, hearing it directly in the orc language was my first time.
"Yeah, Al-Ghurad. Since you made the initial proposal, shall we add a little twist?"
—Speak, Barry Sanders.
"How about having a grand duel?"
When Al-Ghurad heard my proposal, he fell into thought for a moment.
He seemed to regard this fortress attack as nothing more than a triviality, and it seemed he was orchestrating these events due to his honor and superstitious beliefs.
In that case, he might accept my proposal easily.
"Sanders, do you really want to complicate things?! We don't have any talents who can participate in a duel!"
Dawson's son, Phillion, urgently approached me and said.
"A day's respite, isn't it tempting?"
"Well, that's true, but as I said, we can't fulfill the basic condition. We don't have anyone who can face an orc chief!"
As Dawson's son was talking to me, Al-Ghurad finished conversing with his subordinates in his language and turned to address me.
—Fine. Either way, our goal is a duel. As long as only honorable one-on-one duels are guaranteed, I don't mind.
"Great."
I nodded my head in agreement, causing an uproar from behind.
"Oh my! How on earth are we supposed to handle this..."
"W-We should attack them immediately, even now. It's better to ambush them while they're off guard..."
Dawson, who had been observing the situation for a while, approached me.
"Arrogant. Your bluster is beyond my understanding. I'm only tolerating this because I thought Luna Pendragon might be able to do it."
"Just because of that, huh."
"Hmph, it's only because of Luna Pendragon that I left it open-ended."
At that moment, Luna interjected.
"Friend, are you going to do it?"
"Yes, since I brought up the idea, I should see it through."
"You did all this fun stuff last time too! Are we just going to watch again?"
"Luna, I'll leave the Orc Lord to you."
"Hmm... Got it. So I'll take down the Orc Lord and imprint his fresh soul."
"Thank you."
The expressions of the people listening to our conversation were quite amusing.
For them, it must be unbelievable.
To hear that I, who they had neither seen nor heard of, would face orc chiefs alone.
"I didn't mishear that, did I? You're saying you'll face them alone?"
"Yes, please don't worry too much. Even if I were to lose, Luna will step up."
With that, I ended our conversation and descended from the fortress wall, attracting everyone's gaze.
"Wow!"
I heard someone exclaim in surprise, but I landed lightly.
I had already experienced falling from a height during the Krates Mountains incident.
As I approached the orcs across the sea of corpses, a growing energy enveloped my body.
'Honor, honor, singing songs and doing such trivial things.'
Al-Ghurad was radiating a powerful aura.
It seemed to be directed solely at me, but I put on an unaffected expression and walked forward.
In reality, my impression only slightly furrowed, and I wasn't significantly affected.
"A chief-level orc? A regular knight would have his neck cut like opening a can."
However, I wasn't afraid.
I had already experienced their abilities in the game.
With my current skills, I was more than capable of defeating them.
"This is a suitable opponent for me now. It'll be a good source of experience points."
I had two reasons for volunteering.
First was to improve my swordsmanship and the growth of my mana through actual combat. Even if I were to lose, Luna would be able to take over, so a duel against an orc chief was an opportunity I couldn't miss.
The second reason was to control the situation.
Ultimately, my goal was to annihilate the orc army for the invasion of the Great Forest.
For that, it was necessary to break the enemy's morale.
There was nothing better for breaking morale than personally taking down the enemy commanders, as I had experienced in the Vayatra Fortress.
'War is ultimately a battle of morale.'
The difference in morale can surpass the difference in numbers.
Many historical battles have proven this.
I had already witnessed it at the Vayatra Fortress.
I pointed my sword towards the orcs.
"Let's start. Who wants to go first?"
.
.
.
.
At the top of the Endeavor Fortress walls, not only commanding officers but also soldiers ready for battle had gathered.
Their gaze was solely directed at the enigmatic swordsman who introduced himself as Barry Sanders.
"But he must have a trick up his sleeve, right?"
One of the staff officers subtly remarked to Phillion.
However, based on his war experience facing orc chiefs, Phillion was skeptical of the officer's words.
'The combat strength of an orc chief isn't something you can easily gauge. Only the strongest among orc warriors capable of handling the Orc Lord's power can become chiefs.'
Even among orc warriors, regular knights would find it difficult to contend.
A warrior using tremendous physical abilities and also wielding the power of the Orc Lord would naturally overpower knights.
If there was one advantage for humans, it was swordsmanship.
In terms of combat technique, humans were on par due to their mastery of weaponry.
'But even that is meaningless before a chief.'
Out of countless orc warriors, only one could become a chief.
His power was evident without needing words.
Still, the reason people didn't stop Barry Sanders was their trust in Luna Pendragon.
Even if that swordsman were to lose, it was believed that with a duel in play, Luna could step forward and have a chance.
'And Father is here as well. With Father, he might be able to win against at least one.'
Lost in thought, the duel suddenly began.
Quang!
The chief's power was horrifying.
A deafening sound that was hard to describe as simply swinging a greatsword reverberated.
"Ah…"
In the face of that immense power, Barry Sanders trembled like a willow leaf.
Onlookers started showing disheartened expressions, believing the situation was already bleak.
'As expected, those who brag the most tend to be quite ordinary. But the duel has already started. We still have Luna Pendragon, so there's no need to despair...'
At that moment, Dawson, who had been silently observing, mumbled.
"He won."
"What? What do you mean..."
"Don't you see? He's smiling."
Upon Dawson's words, those with the ability to sense mana raised their power.
And soon, they saw it.
Though his face was masked, they saw the edges of Barry Sanders' eyes curving into a smile.
Phoosh!
"Huh?"
In what felt like a whirlwind, Barry Sanders' old-looking sword, which seemed to be on the verge of being defeated, suddenly moved at an invisible speed, passing through the orc chief.
Simultaneously, a faint mist of blood erupted, and crimson blossoms bloomed across the chief's body.
The chief hadn't even realized when he was struck, as his blood splattered around.
Kahk!
Even with a shallow wound, the orc chief came to realize that he was dying.
Though his eyes bore a questioning gaze, what he received in return was the black aura flickering off the blade.
Seogeuk!
The sound of the blade cutting through flesh echoed softly, and the people on the fortress walls, who had stood watching, were left in astonishment.
"W-What is that...?"
"What just happened? Why did he suddenly win? Could it be that the opponent isn't the orc chief?"
"This is unbelievable. To defeat an orc chief so effortlessly?"
Ignoring the reactions of those people, Barry Sanders—or rather, Adrias Cromwell—smiled fiercely, then turned his gaze toward the orcs, sword trembling with anticipation.
"Next."