The war between the Empire and the Alliance was an 'unrelated' matter that the west couldn't care less about.

The orcs that lived on the Ruman Mountains, which was covered by snow all year around, didn't care about the war either.

However, there were some orcs that thought differently from the majority.

"Father, this is our chance. The humans are so busy fighting themselves that they won't be able to stop us. Let's steal their territory, and place our flags on their land! This will bring honor to our ancestors," Touch said enthusiastically.

He had wide shoulders, thick muscles, and tusks that protruded from his mouth.

"That would be foolish," Asuka said. He was Touch's father, as well as the Great Chieftain of the Ruman Orcs.

He was a hero that, together with Kang Oh, saved the western grasslands from the trolls, and was also an exceptional leader.

Asuka had also wisely dealt with the conflict between his tribe and the Tuslam, who claimed that the Ruman Mountains were theirs.

He had made it so that they could coexist without a single drop of blood being spilled.

"But...!"

Asuka tapped Touch's shoulder and calmed him down. Then, he said, "Touch! Learn from the failures of the trolls. Engaging in a war of conquest without proper justification will always lead to ruin."

Touch's frustration was still widely apparent on his face. In fact, Touch glared at him like a wild animal.

Then, Asuka showed Touch his place.

"Touch!"

Ultimately, Touch bowed his head.

"Under...stood."

However, Touch's expression didn't match his speech.

Touch left Asuka's home, and furiously struck a wall.

Bam!

'If we make good use of this opportunity, then we can take control of the entire world!'

Touch was absolutely infuriated.

'The father is so wise, yet the son is so foolish,' the orcs whispered.

Not only was Touch hot-tempered and violent, but his leadership abilities were poor. The orcs were clearly looking down on him.

However, he believed that the true fool was his father. He was an orc without any dreams or aspirations that was content to live in peace!

Touch was different. He dreamt of becoming an Orc Emperor!

Then...

"Mr. Touch." An orc approached him. He was undersized for an orc, and was completely covered in robes.

"Gejla!"

He was called the Wanderer. Gejla would show up like the wind, and then just as quickly disappear.

"Is something wrong?" Gejla grinned. His smile looked downright evil.

* * *

What if countless men came rushing towards you? And what if these men were riding on horses, and those horses were galloping towards you at max speed? It would make you shiver in your boots.

However, Kang Oh was excited.

The weak had the right to group together, while the strong had the right to feel excited when they slaughtered countless enemies by themselves.

"It's Kang Oh. All forces, full speed ahead!" Taker yelled, and pointed his spear at Kang Oh.

Lance of Annihilation!

It was a Spearman secret move. Taker's body brimmed with red energy, and his horse ran even faster, breathing haggardly as it did so.

"Follow the captain!"

The Iron Horse Squad released fierce energy of their own. Their energy combined into one, forming what appeared to be a giant spear.

It was clear how powerful their attack would be.

However, Kang Oh wouldn't back down.

'I'm a Demonic Swordsman!'

He was going to use his powers as he pleased.

Kang Oh would start with a 'red wall'.

A giant, red ice wall rose from the ground, separating Kang Oh and the Iron Horse Squad. Sharp spikes lined the surface of the wall like icicles.

"Don't stop. We're breaking through!"

"Yes, sir!"

Taker and the Iron Horse Squad charged through the wall.

Boom!

They made a hole through the wall, causing red shards of ice to fly through the air.

However, the Iron Horse Squad took a lot of damage themselves.

"Ugh!"

"Uheok!"

Frostblood wasn't merely red colored ice. It was unique ice that possessed a level of resilience that no ordinary ice could imitate, and could also absorb the enemies' strength.

Five of the Iron Horse Squad were overcome by the ice wall, and fell off their horses.

Those pierced by the ice shards also felt their strength draining.

"Kang Oh's over there! Go, go! Keep moving forward!" Taker said roughly.

At that moment...

Kang Oh swung Sarahoff and Blood simultaneously.

Red Avalanche!

It was exactly as advertised.

Reddish blue energy mixed together, creating a giant red avalanche that came rushing towards the Iron Horse Squad.

Its power was incredible. Plus, it retained Frostblood's special abilities; it was not only extremely tough, but it also drained his enemies' strength.

More of the Iron Horse Squad fell to the floor.

However, Taker had managed to get in close, and unleashed the Lance of Annihilation.

Boom!

It resulted in a massive explosion.

But that was after Kang Oh had quickly stepped back. The ground had also turned to ice, making it incredibly slippery.

"I won't let you go!" Taker leapt off of his horse like a spring, and thrust his spear at Kang Oh's head.

Hell Thrust!

His spear glowed with demonic energy.

Clang! Clang!

Kang Oh swung Blood and Sarahoff one after another, and deflected his spear.

Then, he moved forward.

At the same time, a clump of ice, resembling a professional runner's starting block, came out of the ground and supported him. To add to that, Tasha forcefully flapped his wings.

Kang Oh picked up a ton of speed, and then he extended his body like a washing line.

Bam!

Kang Oh left an X mark on Taker's breastplate; Taker hadn't even been able to respond to it.

Spurt!

Shards of light fell from his body.

'Let's take him down before he can escape!'

Taker had a huge bounty on his head. There was no way he'd let him get away.

Tempest Tiger!

He diverted Taker's attention with the mighty, golden aura. Taker had fallen for the bait, and had overreacted to Kang Oh's attack.

Spinning Spear!

His fiercely spinning spear pierced through the tiger-shaped aura.

However, he wasn't able to react to Kang Oh's follow-up attack.

Transcendent Blade!

Sarahoff had already struck one of Taker's vital spots.

But...!

Kang Oh's back suddenly felt cold.

He instinctively threw himself forward. However, he wasn't able to dodge the lightning quick attack in time.

Bam!

His HP fell by almost 10%, even though his Avenger set reduced damage taken by 30%.

'He's strong!' Kang Oh immediately turned around and ascertained his foe.

Based on his clothes, he was part of the Iron Horse Squad. However, his spear left quite the impression.

The tip of the spear was shaped like an X, like a butterfly's red wings.

Blood Bringing Butterfly Spear!

This was the spear that the God Spear was renowned for.

In other words...!

That middle-aged man, who appeared like a member of the Iron Horse Squad, was Kantos!

Death Sentence!

Kantos softly thrust his spear. However, it was much faster and sharper than it appeared. This was proof of Kanto's skill.

'Tch!' Kang Oh ducked and used Frostblood Drill.

An ice spike rose from the ground, pushing Kanto's spear into the air. With this, Kang Oh was able to escape from Kanto's assault.

However, there were others that were aiming for him besides Kantos and Taker.

The tip of a spear, which was shaped like a lightning bolt, sparked and came flying at him.

Lightning Spear!

It was an incredibly sharp attack, though he was able to dodge it because of his Hyper Intuition and high evasion.

'Fabio!'

He was Kanto's son, and like him, was a Master that was known as the Lightning Spear. Fabio had also come disguised as a member of Iron Horse.

Why else would the God Spear and the Lightning Spear disguise themselves as members of Taker's squad?

'They're aiming for me.'

Kang Oh was immediately surrounded by three Master tier opponents.

Moreover...!

Giyaahk!

A shadow cast over him, accompanied by a shrill shriek. Black Wolf's Death Eagle quickly descended like a hawk trying to snatch its prey.

Kang Oh rolled on the floor and avoided the Death Eagle's talons.

However, there were so many attacks he needed to avoid.

The Ghost Spear, God Spear, and Lightning Spear came at him one after another.

This was driving him crazy.

* * *

Kantos had learned that Kang Oh and Sephiro had arrived at Golden Road Fortress via a spy in the Elephant Corps.

"Let's take him down."

Kantos devised a trap in order to kill the Hero of the Nazrak Plains, Kang Oh.

Taker and the Iron Horse Squad would be the bait!

After all, they would be such appetizing prey! Especially for Kang Oh, who wouldn't pass up a chance to fight against other strong opponents.

He and his son, Fabio, would disguise themselves as part of Taker's squad, and would wait for their opportunity to strike.

Back to the present...

Kang Oh was busy dodging their attacks.

His choice of jumping down the wall and engaging the enemy before anyone else had come to bite him in the ass. His allies would take a long time to join up with him.

"Open the gates. Let's help Mr. Kang Oh!"

It would take some time before he received reinforcements, even though the Lord of Lenoc Castle had responded as quickly as possible.

"Iron Horse Squad, form a wall. Don't let anyone get through, and make sure Kang Oh doesn't escape!" Taker yelled, and the Iron Horse Squad quickly surrounded Kang Oh.

Kang Oh couldn't escape through the air either. Five Death Eagles were hovering in the sky above him.

However, Kang Oh didn't feel pressured at all. He had a trick up his sleeve.

'I'll take you down all at once!'

He could just use Divide the Sea repeatedly with his unlimited Stamina.

Kang Oh's necklace glowed.

Moon's Protection!

While he was protected by his necklace, Kang Oh quickly pulled out an SS-rank item from his inventory.

It was a snow-white dress made out of Taranturus Thread.

'Flying would be pointless for the time being due to the Death Eagles.'

Kang Oh switched Blood with Ubist.

His wings disappeared, and he transformed into a jet-black demon with frozen horns.

Gluttony!

Ubist's darkness devoured the dress. It was as voracious as ever.

[Demon Sword Ubist has consumed the Snow-White Dress.]

[Entering Gluttony mode.]

[It is an SS-rank item. Gluttony's effects have been improved significantly.]

[For 30 minutes, the demon sword and your character's abilities are tripled.]

[Rip Apart has a much higher chance of activating.]

[You may use all of the consumed item's abilities: Spider's Movement, Taranturus's Poison, and Hell Thread.]

[Spider's Movements: You can stick onto walls or the ceiling. Greatly increases your agility.]

[Tarantarus's Poison: Coats your weapon in Tarantarus Poison. You can control anyone affected by the poison.]

[Hell Thread: You may produce thin, yet extremely tough skein. It is useful for capturing your enemies or setting up an invisible trap.]

'Huh? Did I miss something?'

Kang Oh checked the system messages again. However, he didn't see anything indicating that his Stamina was unlimited.

Why wasn't his Stamina infinite?

'No way...'

He suddenly had ominous thoughts.

The Hell Greatsword and the Snow-White Dress.

Both of them were SS-rank, but they weren't on the same level. The Hell Greatsword was in the highest class of SS-rank weapons, while the Snow-White Dress was in the middle of the pack.

That's probably why it didn't give him unlimited Stamina or buff his weapon.

It seemed right.

After all, his weapon's attack power hadn't gone up.

Since he'd consumed an SS-rank weapon, he was able to use all of the item's abilities, and Rip Apart's activation rate had gone up. That was all.

'Shit. Then does that mean I have to sacrifice a weapon like the Hell Greatsword for infinite Stamina?'

The Hell Greatsword was a weapon used by a Grandmaster. To be more specific, the Devil's Sword, Sraka.

The only items he had that were on the same level were his demon swords and his belt. Ah, that's right. Max Cain, the weapon he'd pilfered from Dukeram, was on the same level too!

The Avenger set, Kunta's Ring, and the Cassio Ring just barely didn't reach the mark.

Even if he had an item that could match the Hell Greatsword, it would be such a waste to use it for Gluttony!

Crack.

The barrier was broken.

He didn't have time to think about this anymore. Kang Oh cleared his mind, and focused on the three Master Spearman!

Demon Sword Sarahoff released a powerful, chilling energy.

Ring of Frost!

Intense cold spread outwards, freezing even the air like dry ice.

Taker, Kantos, and Fabio gathered a ton of energy in their spears, and either spun them or thrust them lightning fast in order to deal with it.

However, Ring of Frost was powerful enough to freeze even the soul. The cold froze their spears, spreading to their hands, their ears, hair, and even their toes.

Tap.

Kang Oh rushed forward.

When fighting against multiple opponents alone, this strategy was usually effective; take out the head, or chop off the tail.

Kantos was his strongest enemy. His gaze was completely fixed on Kang Oh.

'If that's the case, then...'

Fabio was weaker than Taker. Even so, he aimed for Taker.

After all, Kantos wouldn't sit idly by while his son was getting attacked. You should think before deciding to mess with a parent's child.

He immediately swung Sarahoff at Taker.

Taker responded immediately, since his body hadn't frozen so much that he couldn't swing his spear.

However, Kang Oh's attack was a feint.

His weapon stopped halfway through, and he suddenly thrust Ubist.

Transcendent Blade!

He was absolutely sure this would hit.

But...!

Spurt!

Kang Oh looked at his own chest in astonishment. Taker's spear had pierced through it.

'How?'

He hadn't gotten any warning. His Hyper Intuition hadn't activated either.

It was as if he were really possessed by a ghost.

"How's it feel?"

Taker had used his secret technique.

Ghost Spear!

It was an absolute counter that switched the order of his and his opponent's attacks!

However...!

'It's not that bad!'

Kang Oh rushed forward, even though the spear went even further into his body. He didn't care in the slightest.

"Hey!"

'What the hell are you doing!?'

Taker tried to pull his spear out, but it was no use.

"Stop!"

"Get away!"

Kantos and Fabio barraged Kang Oh with attacks. They weren't very fast, courtesy of Ring of Frost.

Kang Oh didn't even bat an eye and swung Ubist at Taker's neck.

Rip Apart!

Black shards of light flew through the air, and Taker fell to the floor.

At the same time, a ton of darkness seeped out of Ubist, engulfing both Taker and Kang Oh.

Then...

Swish! Swish!

Fabio and Kantos' spears pierced through the darkness!