It seemed that the puppet master had retreated after the orcs targeted the duchy's military base, but some girls appeared to have been kidnapped before help could arrive.
"Alright, we have the signal from the elite forces on the ground. Let's go, you three," I instructed.
Below, a combined force of the reformed Ruby Knight Corps and the second-strongest force of the Jipan Empire, the Diamond Knights, had encircled the orcs. As soon as I received the signal that the encirclement was complete, I guided Snow to glide toward the orc horde. In tandem, Aya and the others began chanting their spells, aiming not at the center where the captured knights were, but at the outskirts of the horde targeted by the elite forces.
"Frost Rain!"
"Cannon Spike!"
"Thunderstorm!"
Aya summoned a rain of ice from her frost magic, while Shirフィール unleashed a scatter of stone spikes from her earth magic, and Amamiya conjured a storm of lightning from her thunder magic.
Frost Rain not only dealt damage but also froze everything it struck. In the same way, Cannon Spike would explode upon contact, sending shrapnel flying like a modern weapon. Thunderstorm was a devastating spell that called down bolts of lightning from the sky, clearing out enemies over a wide area.
The sudden barrage of magic from above sent the orc horde into chaos. At that moment, the elite troops charged in, slicing through the orcs with precision. To create a path for the elite squad, additional spells rained down from the outside of the horde, targeting the center.
The orcs quickly realized they were under attack and tried to retaliate with archers and mages launching their own strikes, but our spells danced just out of their range.
In a way, attacking from the sky felt like cheating. As I supported the ground troops with magic, a massive figure suddenly appeared before me.
No, it wasn't just a figure; it was a giant orc—an Orc King, towering at three meters tall.
Moreover, he had angelic wings sprouting from his back.
"Oh, an aerial attack using a dragon? Quite a clever tactic—if I weren't here," the Orc King said, swinging his battle axe with a flourish.
"S-Snow, prepare to intercept!"
Snow immediately reacted, unleashing a ray blast of light magic toward the Orc King. The three mages also cast spells at the sudden threat, but the Orc King paid them no mind, casually bringing his axe down on Snow.
With that strike, Snow was knocked to the ground. Somehow, she managed to protect her back, preventing us from taking any damage.
However, the hit Snow received was significant. Though the Orc King was only about three meters tall, he had dealt considerable damage to Snow, whose massive ten-meter form shouldn't have suffered such harm from a single blow.
The winged Orc King descended before us, having knocked Snow down to the center of the group, where several female knights could be seen watching.
Wait, why does the Orc have angelic wings? Could that be amplifying his abnormality? Then again, an Orc with wings is already strange in itself. I remember someone mentioning a guardian spirit during the strategy meeting... Is this what they meant by a guardian?
"Submit quietly," the Orc King commanded. "If you do, I won't resort to brutality. After all, I am a gentleman."
"Ah, a gentleman, huh? What do you plan to do with us once you've caught us? Are you really thinking about negotiating for our release?"
"Of course not. I'll take you back to my lair, kill the men, and have my fun with the women."
Not very gentlemanly at all. No matter how dignified you try to appear, or how angelic your wings may seem, you're still just a pig at heart. All you're thinking about is violating women.
"I was a fool to expect a decent conversation from an orc. Well, fine. I'll deal with you myself. Just make sure you don't die too easily."
"Oh? You dare to challenge me, the angelic version of myself? Very well. I'll engrave your foolishness upon your flesh. Listen, everyone. I'll handle this man myself. Do not interfere."
The Orc King took the bait and began to direct the surrounding orcs to prepare for a one-on-one battle, wielding his massive battle axe. It worked out perfectly for me. All I needed to do was buy time for my elite squad to arrive from the rear.
"Snow, protect those three. As soon as your damage is restored, take them to safety above. Don't worry about me."
"Kuruu."
Still, it would take some time for Snow to recover. The Unicorn doesn't deliver its abilities in situations like this. It's probably saying I should handle this myself. The three mages formed a defensive line behind Snow.
"Now, do your best to entertain me."
The Orc King charged at me, wings spread wide, brandishing his battle axe. I readied my Unicorn to intercept him. My Unicorn clashed with the Orc King's axe, and an intense battle ensued. I dodged the fierce strikes from the Orc King's powerful arms, swinging my Unicorn, but he showed no signs of taking damage. Despite landing numerous hits, the Orc King remained utterly unfazed.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed a faint film enveloping him.
"Have you noticed? Right now, all my attacks are completely negated. This is called Holy Blessing, a magic that absorbs damage for me," he said.
Wait a minute, that's a holy attribute magic! What is an Orc doing using holy magic?!
"Tch, a troublesome spellcaster, huh? But it can't absorb damage infinitely. I just need to figure out how to exceed its limits," I retorted.
"Now, let's see about that! Shining Feather!"
Suddenly, the wings on the Orc King's back glimmered, and countless glowing feathers shot out toward me like bullets.
Now he's using light attribute magic?! This isn't typical Orc behavior!
But it became clear that the transformation he spoke of, this "angelic" change, was indeed affecting him.
This is not your typical Orc King.
Dodging the light wings with the steps of my sword technique, I bide my time and swiftly move beside the Orc King using the technique "Shun" from the Gale Thunder style. While casting my spell, I unleash the "Sword Dance: Storm Blade."
"Fire Arrow!
—Sakura Blossom Inferno!!"
I scatter fiery arrows, landing a series of strikes with "Sakura Blossom Flash."
"Ugh!"
The Orc King struggles to keep up with my rapid strikes enhanced by the fiery arrows, taking blow after blow. As a result, the faint barrier surrounding him begins to weaken.
"Don't underestimate me, boy!"
The Orc King swings his battle axe, sweeping away the fiery arrows in an attempt to crush me. I backstep to create distance and evade the axe, but he persists with another attack.
"Cross Slash!"
He launches a diagonal strike from above while sweeping the axe.
"Tch!"
I'm targeted as I land from my backstep. I manage a hasty side step to barely avoid the axe, but the moment the Orc King brings it down, he follows up with another horizontal sweep aimed right at me.
For an orc, he's surprisingly skilled!
Using Unicorn as my shield, I brace myself against the force of the Orc King's axe, getting knocked back without resisting.
I was worried about Snow and the trio of sorcerers, but there was no time for that now. Just then, a third party intervened. I thought the elite squad had finally arrived, but the commotion came not from behind us, but from the direction of the mountain. An orc fell from the cliff, accompanied by a man and three elven girls who slid down the rocks and landed gracefully.
"Hey! Where's the pig who kidnapped Pristila and her friends?"
"Ah, well, look who it is. The Duke of the Lonely Principality has come to rescue them himself."
Could this be the so-called king of the little ones, Clem Hart Boltz—the Duke of the Lonely Principality? Even if the guards were sparse, who would come storming down a cliff like you're some legendary hero?
"So you're the leader of these pigs? You've got some nerve laying hands on my woman. I'll kill you!"
Without hesitation, King Clem rushed toward the Orc King and swung down his sword.
"What are you talking about? I haven't touched her yet. Despite my appearance, I'm quite the gentleman."
"A gentleman? For a pig like you? I'm going to roast you right here!"
The Orc King deftly maneuvered his battle axe, parrying Clem's attacks. As Clem's sword strikes were deflected one after another, he took a step back to reassess.
"Damn it, for a pig, you're surprisingly nimble.
Listen, I'll handle this filthy swine. The rest of the pigs are yours to take care of."
King Clem issued commands to the elf girls who had come down with him. It seemed he wanted to take on the Orc King solo. Initially taken aback by his sudden appearance, I realized it might actually work to our advantage. If the Orc King and King Clem tore each other apart, it would save us from losing more of our forces, potentially resolving the war in one fell swoop.
But, of course, life is rarely that simple.
"Where do you think you're going, boy? Weren't you going to bring death to me?" The Orc King taunted, eyeing me warily as I tried to create some distance between us. He skillfully used his holy attribute magic to keep me in check.
"What's this? A mercenary from the Jipan Empire? Don't get in my way," he sneered. A mercenary… well, I was technically employed by the Jipan Empire as an adventurer, so it wasn't entirely inaccurate.
As I pondered this, King Clem launched a slashing attack with his sword skill, Air Slash. I instinctively parried the strike and, begrudgingly, readied my sword against the duo of one man and one monster.
"Tch, this isn't going to be that easy. I was hoping to take down the Orc King alongside the Lolicon King…"
"Who are you calling the Lolicon King?! I'll kill you too!" It seemed from the very start that King Clem considered me an enemy as well.
I provoked the enemy lightly to shift their focus toward me and distract them from the Orc King. But seriously, does he not realize it? He looks like a total lolicon king from every angle. As King Clem takes the bait and charges at me, the Orc King unleashes a spell. Clem deflects the shining ray of light magic with his sword while dodging it, and I seize the opportunity to strike the Orc King with a swift slash from my Sword Princess technique. My blow strips away the holy blessing enveloping the Orc King.
Whenever I target the Orc King, Clem turns his attention toward me, and when Clem targets me, the Orc King goes after him. We're all locked in a deadly tug-of-war, a true three-way battle. So far, Clem and I have only sustained minor scratches, but the Orc King, despite taking damage, shows no signs of distress. No, thanks to his monster physique, he remains tough, even healing himself with magic.
"Damn it, the bastard's not only resilient and nimble for a pig, but he even heals himself. Can't he just drop dead already? And on top of that, those mercenaries from the Empire are buzzing around, getting on my nerves."
This king has a foul mouth. Yet, it's clear from his tone that his dissatisfaction with the battle is rising as things don't go his way.
"I have no choice. Since things aren't getting resolved, I'll put an end to this.
Activate skill, Zone!!"
King Clem unleashed his powers as the 'Awakened Apostle.'
Though, he looked unchanged.
"Die!"
King Clem charged at the Orc King, swinging his sword.
The Orc King retaliated with his battle axe, but his attacks never landed.
Just moments ago, King Clem was narrowly dodging, but now he evaded effortlessly.