33. Okuah (1)
Yuri severed the cord extending from the pitch-black mass. And then, he was immediately struck by Okuah’s fist and slammed into the ground.
The dark shaman shrieked in terror.
[What kind of sword is that?!]
Yuri, sprawled on the ground, grinned.
“Isn’t it cool?”
[You bastard!]
Yuri tried to stand up, but his body wouldn’t respond.
He stumbled and fell.
Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over him.
When he lifted his eyes, Okuah was standing there.
Both of his long, muscular arms were raised high into the sky.
The fists clenched at the ends looked like sledgehammers.
“What are you doing? Holding a pose?”
Okuah, instead of answering, swung his arms down.
Yuri blinked as he saw the fist coming towards him.
He had to dodge, but his body wouldn’t respond.
Was this how it ends?
Had he failed in his second life as well?
Still, one thing gave him solace.
Honor.
He hadn’t tarnished it.
In his past life, he had survived shamefully, but in this life, he would die honorably.
Yuri forced his lips upwards into a smile.
It was at that moment.
“Go!”
A strange shout resonated through the battlefield.
Yuri’s vision blurred, and something filled his sight entirely.
He saw someone’s broad back.
Yuri breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been prepared to die, but he had survived once again.
Yuri coughed up the blood rising in his throat and muttered,
“What took you so long…?”
Moyongchan replied,
“My apologies.”
“It’s fine as long as you know.”
“Now, step back.”
Yuri, about to make a joke, suddenly realized that Moyongchan’s pronunciation was perfect. When Moyongchan was serious, his Common Tongue was flawless.
“Yes, Master.”
Yuri shook his head and crawled to the side. He glanced back as he moved.
Okuah was staring down at Moyongchan, his face twitching.
At last, the moment had come for Okuah and Moyongchan to face off.
Here, the fate of the entire Allied Forces would be sealed.
“Your Highness!”
Laurent rushed over and helped Yuri to his feet.
The dark shaman shouted something, and Okuah tried to chase after Yuri. But Moyongchan blocked him.
Okuah growled.
“Your opponent is me.”
Moyongchan’s clothes fluttered. Even facing the massive Okuah, he didn’t seem small at all.
Yuri escaped with Laurent’s help and looked back at Moyongchan.
“Are you alright?”
“I need to regulate my Mana Method for a moment.”
“Understood. I will stand guard.”
“Just for a bit.”
Once they were away from Okuah, Yuri sat down and focused on controlling his internal energy. An Orkbal approached but hesitated, pushed back by Laurent’s aura.
Yuri trusted him and closed his eyes.
The energy of Heart and Soul Slash soothed his meridians.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
Without opening his eyes, Yuri muttered,
“It’s starting now.”
Moyongchan and Okuah had clashed. The waves of energy they unleashed shook Yuri’s body.
Yuri chuckled.
“He finally did it. One on one.”
* * *
Moyongchan stared at Okuah, suppressing his anger.
He had fallen for the suggestion planted by Okuah’s sorcery.
If it had been a completely absurd notion, it wouldn’t have worked.
However, the idea that he should maintain perfect condition and fight one-on-one—though not entirely wrong—had dominated his thoughts.
That was what made him hesitate to intervene.
As a result, Okuah continued to grow stronger.
Now, standing closer, he could see it more clearly.
Okuah’s body had been modified through sorcery. Orcs were inherently beings that defied natural law, but Okuah was something beyond even that.
He was already a monstrous existence forbidden in the human realm.
“Today, I’ll end you and bring down the ominous star.”
He raised his sword and pointed it at Okuah.
Pure energy surged.
The secret internal energy, passed down within the Cheongseong Sect, harmonized with the subtle aura and flowed even more solemnly.
Then, something strange happened.
Okuah straightened his back and stood tall.
[Have you finally come to your senses?]
Moyongchan was slightly taken aback.
Okuah had never spoken like a human before. At most, he had only growled or roared.
That’s why Moyongchan had assumed Okuah was a puppet controlled by that dark shaman.
But now he was speaking.
And not just speaking—he was using the continental language.
His voice was also unexpected.
It was soft and smooth, a low tone with precise pronunciation. If he had listened with his eyes closed, he would have imagined a handsome young man.
“Okuah. Don’t tell me playing dumb was just an act.”
[Playing dumb?]
Okuah laughed.
[You are the foolish ones. Humans.]
He raised his hand.
Black mist began to seep from his fingertips, and the dark shaman beside him immediately prostrated himself before Okuah.
Okuah patted the dark shaman’s head.
[You’ve worked hard all this time.]
He seemed to be comforting it.
Then Okuah spread his fingers.
When his massive hand fully opened, it easily gripped the dark shaman’s head.
[W-wait. This isn’t what we…!]
[Rest now.]
[GRAAAAHHHH…]
The dark shaman tried to scream something, but it was muffled, escaping only as a suppressed groan under Okuah’s palm. His body convulsed violently.
Okuah opened his mouth wide.
The dark shaman’s hazy form began to be sucked into his maw.
“You bastard!”
Moyongchan, shocked, swung his sword.
The energy of his blade became a tangible force and rushed toward Okuah.
[Your turn will come later.]
Okuah swung his arm.
Moyongchan’s sword energy collided with Okuah’s palm. Flesh split and blood spilled, but the wound healed almost instantly.
Meanwhile, the dark shaman continued to be absorbed by Okuah.
It had become a shriveled corpse, like a mummy.
Okuah casually tossed the dark shaman’s body to the ground.
Okuah casually tossed it to the ground.
That sorcery is forbidden in the human realm!”
[The human realm?]
Until now, Okuah had moved with a sluggish, mindless gait, but now it was different. His movements carried a palpable sense of presence.
[Since when was the world yours, humans?]
A massive pressure, like a warhammer, came crashing down on Moyongchan.
Moyongchan didn’t dodge the attack; instead, he pushed forward. He entered the fist’s range and stabbed Okuah’s stomach.
Moyongchan, instead of trying to dodge, charged forward and stabbed Okuah’s stomach with his sword.
Thud.
The sword plunged deep.
It was definitely an effective hit.
But Moyongchan felt something was wrong.
Okuah’s muscles were gripping the sword, sucking it in.
Okuah said in a gentle voice,
[Too hasty.]
Moyongchan blinked.
When his eyelids closed and opened again, he was flying through the air.
Pain surged through him as he crashed to the ground, his mind snapping back into focus.
It seemed he had been kicked.
But he wasn’t certain. His memory had cut off momentarily.
Blood rose in his throat.
“Hahahahaha…”
Moyongchan spat out blood and laughed. And he muttered in the language of the East,
[Yes, this makes coming to the West worthwhile.]
Moyongchan reached out his hand to the side.
A sword, held in the grip of a fallen Allied Forces’ soldier, flew into his hand.
He closed his eyes.
Memories of the past flashed by.
The Cheongseong Sect had fallen.
His master and senior had died fighting for a cause the world no longer cared about.
The world of martial arts no longer needed them.
So he had abandoned everything and left.
He came to the West in search of the ominous star that was throwing the world into chaos. Evil was rampant.
There was still something he needed to do in this land.
Moyongchan stood up and pointed his sword.
A blue aura surged from his body.
“Okuah, you will die today under the sword of Cheongseong.”
* * *
After calming his inner energy, Yuri rose to his feet.
A strong wind blew from the distant Okuah and Moyongchan, their energies colliding and sending waves of force through the air.
Yuri spat out the blood that had gathered in his mouth and looked around.
The atmosphere was chaotic.
The fighting had died down, and even the orcs had stopped attacking, watching the two duel.
Yuri grasped the Guilty.
“Laurent.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“This is our chance.”
“Pardon?”
Yuri had no intention of idly watching while those two fought.
“This isn’t a fight between humans, is it?”
If this had been a human war, the outcome of the battle between Moyongchan and Okuah might have led to some kind of agreement.
But orcs were different.
They weren’t open to negotiation.
The Allied Forces had come to capture and kill all the orcs.
“Understood.”
Laurent nodded.
Yuri sprang into action, loosening his body. Despite the damage he’d taken from Okuah, he wasn’t in a condition where he couldn’t fight.
Suddenly, an explosion rang out.
Okuah and Moyongchan had fully clashed.
Yuri quickly diverted his attention.
He stealthily walked behind the orc, who was absentmindedly watching the one-on-one battle.
The Orkbal turned as he sensed Yuri’s presence.
“What are you looking at?”
And he swung Guilty.
The Orkbal raised its halberd to block.
Yuri followed up with a series of attacks. Their weapons clashed several times, and then Yuri thrust Guilty into the Orkbal’s neck.
“Die.”
And he twisted Guilty left and right.
The Orkbal’s head fell to the ground.
Yuri’s attack reignited the flames of the battle that had been dying down.
“Don’t stop!”
Yuri shouted.
Some knights looked at him with puzzled expressions. Some thought they needed a moment to catch their breath, now that the fatigue of the battle had reached its peak.
But Yuri had his reasons.
“Okuah is absorbing the orcs’ strength.”
Laurent looked at Yuri.
“What?”
“It’s hard to explain, but it’s true.”
When he entered the world of black and white where only density existed, Yuri could see the black cords connected by dark magic.
Besides the thick stem connected to Moyongchan, countless faint lines were also spreading out.
He had a vague idea of what they were.
Okuah was a being who used human sacrifices to fuel his power.
He could easily absorb the life force of orcs, who were born from the same dark magic and were loyal to him.
In fact, hadn’t he already absorbed the dark shaman’s life force?
Yuri murmured,
“We can’t leave the orcs alive.”
Even with dark magic, he couldn’t draw energy from orcs that were already dead. That’s why Yuri killed the orcs.
“I trust you, Your Highness.”
Laurent nodded.
Yuri saw absolute trust in his eyes.
“I will follow you, no matter what.”
“You…”
Yuri couldn’t help but smile.
The Laurent from his past life wasn’t like this. But the current Laurent somehow felt like a loyal hound, following only his commands.
“Laurent.”
“Yes?”
“We have a lot to do.”
Yuri extended his hand.
“Will you stay with me?”
Laurent’s eyes widened, and then he took Yuri’s hand.
He could feel Laurent’s warmth through the gauntlet.
“Of course.”
Yuri grinned at Laurent’s blue eyes and turned around.
“Then let’s clean up these bastards first.”
“Yes, Sir!”
The ground shook as Moyongchan and Okuah clashed. Explosive sounds, seemingly out of this world, echoed continuously. Occasionally, Okuah’s unique thunderous roar resonated.
But Yuri didn’t watch the spectacle.
He had something to do.
Forcing his sluggish body into motion, he approached the Orkbal.
Seeing his exhaustion, the Orkbal charged first. A fierce attack rained down.
But Yuri, seemingly about to fall, skillfully dodged and slashed at the Orkbal.
The enemy’s blood splattered in the air.
Yuri observed the orcs outside his direct line of sight.
Yuri kept his eyes on the Orkbal beyond the blood spray.
His mind wasn’t clear due to the accumulated damage. But his body, accustomed to battle, instinctively sought out and slaughtered enemies.
His subconscious guided him.
Even without conscious effort, Heart and Soul Slash flowed through his body like his own limbs.
“This is the final battle!”
Yuri shouted.
“We’re all going to make it out alive! Don’t die—kill them!”
The roar infused with Heart and Soul Slash mana shook the area.
Yuri didn’t just shout—he himself engaged the orcs directly.
The morale of the Allied Forces rose.
The knights’ efforts, combined with the army’s new vigor, began to take down the Ancient Worms and Wyverns that had been tormenting them until now.
“Graaahhh!”
Suddenly, a scream-like cry echoed.
Yuri turned to look behind him.
“Master.”
A smile tugged at Yuri’s lips.
Moyongchan was cleaving through Okuah’s chest, sending a storm of blood and snowflakes swirling in the air.