Chapter 43 - The Great Orc Invasion V

Bismark was once a Royal Knight and the best to be selected to become a Master. His home nation was the Radiant Kingdom and was of the first generation. When Cepheid was newly creating the Radiant Kingdom, the first-ever generation of Knights presented themselves to the Silver Dragon.

The one that caught the eye of the Ancient Wyrm was none other than Bismark who was on the brink of becoming a Master Knight. His mana was seen with the Draconic Eye and Cepheid was delighted to have the chance to make a Master into his malevolent image. He intended to make his first Master Knight into his many pawns of killing machines.

Being the most talented, Bismark had attained such a level by making his body go through extraneous experiences, hundreds and thousands of such experiences. In effect, his Aura was the most explosive and could be a threat to the Silver Dragon if allowed to grow beyond. However, Cepheid hadn’t anticipated the individualistic nature of humans, and therefore, underestimated the beings he had thought to be mere ants building his colony. Bismark was the first human aside from Claudio Valeth to realize that the true ruler of the Radiant Kingdom was an evil Ancient Dragon.

When Cepheid came to this realization, he hastily cast Dragon Tongue to make Bismark an Undead, but, a freak accident happened since the Master Knight was wearing an Artifact that counteracted the Dragon Language.

It was then that Bismark transformed into the Heteromorphic species as a Doom Knight. Unable to gain consciousness due to the major changes happening to his body, Bismark was nothing more than an empty vessel that would kill all living lifeforms in his nearest vicinity, and the first would be Cepheid.

Although the battle was purely one-sided, Bismark was able to be a match for the Ancient Wyrm for a short period. Acting purely out of survival, a Doom Knight is not a mindless killing machine, but a being willing and able to preserve itself. Right when Cepheid was about to seal the Undead to be an eternal servant bound to the Silver Dragon, Bismark opened a portal with his scythe and escaped from Cepheid’s Dragon Tongue. Ever since then, Bismark has moved to places with extremely dense yang (negative) energy. With Hollow World being the place with the most intoxicating dark energy, the Doom Knight would regain its HP and MP by simply being in that environment.

It was only at this time, after thousands of years, that Bismark was finally slain by Emir Sarjace and revived as an Undead by a Sith Lord’s blessing. If he had been revived by anyone other than that, then Bismark would not have been able to regain consciousness. Internally, the ancient Master Knight was thankful.

Upon saving the Dual Sword Saint, the Doom Knight had already slain 100,000 Peak Realm Orcs by himself. This had given Bismark the leeway to watch his comrades. Noticing that the energy signature of the Dual Sword Saint had majorly diminished, he would intervene and rescue Gerald Killeway. Having more than enough time to recover his mana thanks to the Dragon Heart and Final Purification Chi Method, Bismark blasted a deadly whirlwind that cut the Orcs to many pieces.

Aura Technique: [Dreamsever Chaos Whirlwind] -Winds of fury with the nature of Chaos Mana and the status affliction of Sleep created a dream-like whirlwind that is a beautiful sight to see but terrifying to be anywhere near. It Inflicts MP and AP damage and causes the status effect, Sleep. Rank: EX Proficiency: 120%

Violet whirlwinds created from Chaos Mana with the nature of the Wind Element produced an attack both unconventional and mesmerizing. Not only that, a status affliction would place the Orcs in a state of Sleep if they happen to survive the terrible winds. Quite an unorthodox attack both amazing in damage performance with the bonus of an after-effect.

From the palisade of Fort Graham, Claudio Valeth controlled the Dual Sword Saint’s body through Telekinesis and teleported Gerald Killeway to a safe location. Their Strategist, the Doom Lord had acted instantly after the intervention of the Doom Knight.

Close to 25,000 Orcs were left in their specific region, “I’ll absorb your Negative Mana.” With those last words, Marquis Bismark expressed his true self with the new body and ability to manipulate Chaos Energy.

***

Caesar Ryozen was relieved that his close friend, Gerald Killeway, had been safely transported out of the battlefield. You were too excited. Knowing the character of the Dual Sword Saint, he fully understood why such a situation had occurred. Now that the danger of losing an ally was no more, the Illusion Curse Saint could focus on the rest of the Orcs on his side, only, they began to enter their Berserk state due to them being overpowered.

[Total Orcs: 350,081]

In this mission, Marquis Bismark, Gerald, Caesar, and Nocturne were the ones not required to slay 100,000 enemies. Their duty in this battle was to kill 50,000 of them, however, it was unexpected for Marquis Bismark to finish the Orcs in his region in a short amount of time. Much like Claudio Valeth, Glenn Courtwell, Quasar, Emir Sarjace, and Calavera, the Marquis proved his power by being able to compete in the Mystic Realm.

At this moment of the invasion, a red Berserk Aura was emanating from the bodies of both the Blood Orcs and the High Orcs, “Hmph!” Caesar evaded an attack that was faster and stronger than usual.

“This must be their innate ability, Berserk,” the Illusion Curse Saint carefully observed the current flow of the invasion. Digging into his memory, such a state would make an individual’s offensive attacks skyrocket while having a severely lowered defense.

“Kuku,” this conclusion made Caesar have an uncommon grin on his face. He had been influenced by the devilish nature of Dario Courtwell, so much so, that even his thoughts had begun to find ways of how to kill his enemies in the most effective and cruelest manner possible.

In an instant, the Illusion Curse Saint performed a newly developed move that was created after his battle against his Lord Uncle, Demon Lord Yoshitada Ryozen.

“Cursed Illusion Sword Rain!” In a series that looked like there were tens of Sword Rain attacks had tricked the Orcs as they attacked the illusion and were instead sliced into smithereens. The actual attack did not only produce an illusion effect, but, to the level where the illusion themselves could freely materialize. In effect, it would be tens of Sword Rain techniques being executed making it a wide-area attack. It was a magnificent and sophisticated move utilizing the status affliction, Curse, and the aspect of Illusion. This could be considered the most sophisticated technique with two unlikely attributes seen so far. Even Dario did not have such a move in his repertoire.

Aura Technique: [Skill - Illusion Curse Ryozen Swordsmanship] Cursed Illusion Sword Rain - A two-handed technique that swings Murasame downward or upward with the power to easily split castles. Produces mirages of the user that freely materializes and deploys multiple Sword Rains. Inflicts the Curse ailment for those who survive such an attack. Rank: EX Proficiency: 110%

In the Sword Saints Era where Caesar was given the order to slay a Demon Lord to enter the ranks of a Demon Lord Slayer, he was shocked to believe that his long-lost Lord Uncle would be the one he would kill.

After the long battle that took days and nights, the Cursed Sword Saint was able to learn and copy the skills of his Lord Uncle and fully assimilate them into his Martial Arts making Caesar grow to become the “Illusion Curse Saint.” The aspect of “Illusion” was originally practiced by the people of Ether Village who hid their community with an illusion barrier. When Caesar returned to his village to give his Lord Uncle his burial rights, the clan acknowledged Caesar as the Clan-Head for bringing the stolen martial arts back to their originators. They had seen Caesar Ryozen as an individual to have surpassed the preceding Clan Leader that would redeem them of their sins and lead them to walk into a brighter future.

Still, the death of Yoshitada Ryozen weighs heavily on Caesar’s mind. He too experienced the antiquated lives of his people who would never leave Ether Village. Unlike his father, Caesar was similar in thought to the Illusion Sword Saint who had wanted a different way to live their lives, only, Yoshitada had walked far too deep into the darkness for anyone of Ether Village to follow. With all that said, Caesar Ryozen was facing psychological trauma, although, he seldom shows it under his wizened guise. This would be the next step for the Illusion Curse Saint to overcome.

KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM!

The Cursed Illusion Sword Rain dealt tremendous damage to the Orcs whilst not receiving any damage in return to the user. In this battle, Caesar has the upper hand due to his fighting style of utilizing illusions. Contrary to his close friend Gerald Killeway who fights head-on, Caesar is more fitted for this invasion because of the endless waves of giant Orcs that keep approaching like cockroaches. And in sequence, the Illusion Curse Saint followed with another attack.

“Oni Buster!!” Among all the skills that Caesar was able to employ, this would be the best against multiple enemies.

Aura Techniques: [Skill - Illusion Curse Ryozen Swordsmanship] Oni Buster - In an effort to combine the Cursed Ryozen Swordsmanship with Demon Lord Yoshitada Ryozen’s, Illusion Specter Darkness Blade, a new Martial Art had been born. An execution move that produces tens of images of the user dealing a consecutive series of slashes. A classic technique that evolved into a superior skill. Rank: EX Proficiency: 118%

“KURGHH!!!” “GRAHHH!!”

The Orcs were helpless with their severely lowered defense due to their Berserk state. With intelligence to that of a toddler, their minds were reduced to that of pure instincts killing anything outside of their own species. This was an opportunity ripe for someone like the Illusion Curse Saint to take advantage of fully. Caesar knew exactly what to do with such a situation and executed accordingly to the cards that were presented.

Maintaining his chi above levels where it would be disadvantageous, Caesar knew this would be an invasion where conserving the most mana was crucial, therefore, efficiency was the primary focus for someone like him. And, it was relatively easy.

The Illusion Curse Saint did not have to perform big Aura Techniques or anything above that because Caesar could freely make illusions of himself which easily tricked the Orcs and opened a window for a perfect counterattack. In essence, this was more of a battle of attrition for Caesar which he knew all too well.

“Come!” It was unlike Caesar to say anything during a battle, especially something of this magnitude. “Show me the strength that you’re so proud of!!” Baiting the Orcs who prided themselves on brawn, Caesar’s words easily affected them.

“GRAHHH!!” “Filthy human!!!” The Orcs took the bait and took the words as insults. Caesar’s schemes had grown to a higher degree, employing words attuned to a saboteur. And so, the Illusion Curse Saint would be the one out of the nine souls guarding Fort Graham to have the most MP saved.

Caesar Ryozen Lvl. 106 Class: Mystic Realm Species: Human

Main Job: Sword Saint

Sub job: Shogun

Titles: Martial God (passive)

Ether Clan Leader (equipped)

Illusion Curse Saint (passive)

Night King/King of Night (equipped)

***

Nocturne Mallory was also concerned about the status of his close friend, Gerald Killeway. Reckless fool. Recognizing the energy signature of the Dual Sword Saint to be close to non-existent, Nocturne felt uneasy that someone like Gerald would fall to the likes of Orcs. However, a small sense of doubt was still there due to the sheer number of Orcs pouring in wave after wave. Even with the powerful members on his side, the 4th Demonic Master remained vigilant for any unforeseen variables. This was a trait unique to pickpockets and conniving thieves. A plan must be seen through from all sides to mitigate losses.

However, the sense of doubt was erased when Gerald was teleported to safety. In turn, Nocturne was free from the burden of doubt. His focus was invigorated as he disappeared as soon as he stepped forward. Nocturne had reached a level of stealth that he could hide himself in broad daylight. With that said, the Orcs were helpless and clobbered nothing but dust as the shadows of Nocturne were seen for a brief second.

Whenever Nocturne strikes those giant Orcs with the Bind Saber or the Mallory Family Relic, Fortuna, it would instantly reveals his position. Be that as it may, it was a carefully planned tactic on Nocturne’s side. After all, the Orcs would spread to the other guardians of Fortress Graham if they could not see an enemy. Although it may be much easier to fight fully in stealth, such an option was not viable this time around.

Critical!

-40531

Overkill!

KACHING!!

Critical!

-62908

Overkill!

Critical!

-39054

Overkill!

Nocturne’s point of view was something like that. He would receive no damage at all just like Caesar as none of the Orcs have any sensory skills to detect the position of the Demonic Master. The only things that could be seen were the shadows and after-images left by Nocturne as the Orcs grew in frustration and anger while in their Berserk state. Their innate ability to utilize the aspect of Berserk has completely turned the tables against them. Stealth was their complete kryptonite.

However, since Nocturne was tasked with slaying 50,000 Orcs, this would be a battle of stamina even though the Demonic Master would have a smoother time in this invasion. And that posed no problem for a Master Thief like Nocturne. In actuality, a Master Thief is on par with a Master themselves, in a one-on-one battle, the former would win more often than not. For a job class such as a Master Thief, their stamina and mana usage is certainly a grade higher than most Masters.

Not just that, Nocturne had progressed his thievery skills to the level of his late father. This was also the reason why Nocturne was appointed as the 4th Demonic Master and the Guildmaster of the Virtu Guild. It was all because he had achieved the Legendary Rated Job Class as a Nightingale. Effectively, he could be considered “World-Class” in the world of thievery, yet, when waves of Blood Orcs and High Orcs poured non-stop while in the state of Berserk is a dangerous matter to contend with making anyone’s stamina drain precipitously. Therefore, there would have to be something more than stamina to win this battle.

Though, this caused no concern for someone like Nocturne. He had recently begun to take in the aspect of “Blood” to which the Bind Saber was affixed when it was lodged deep within Deluc’s Blood Orb. The understanding and comprehension of the power of Blood was something like osmosis to Nocturne. In fact, this Great Orc Invasion was a perfect playing field to employ Blood Skills and Blood Magic.

“Vampiric Fortune,” many knives replicated to look like Fortuna had manifested in the form of blood and blasted in all directions towards the crazed Orcs.

Blood Aura Techniques: [Vampiric Fortune] -Materializes blood to imitate the form of the user’s weapon and blasts tens of them toward a target. Drains HP, MP, and AP. Rank: EX Proficiency: 109%

Critical!

-12905

Overkill!

Absorbed +5720 HP

Absorbed +2401 MP

Absorbed +6129 AP

The results spoke for themselves as the aspect of Blood had a nature to absorb and drain the life essence of lifeforms that had blood. This easily answered the problem of which stamina would not be the only thing that was needed in a battle of attrition.

Nocturne would have the smoothest outcome of the battle similar to Caesar. Even though the 4th Demonic Master may have it the easiest out of all the nine guardian souls, he would expend quite a lot of chi due to employing Aura Techniques, Blood Skills, and Blood Magic.

This power… is sweet and savory. Nocturne was in thought while in the heat of battle. His sclera was beginning to shimmer a crimson color. The power of Blood can bring about an insatiable thirst for blood which comes in several forms, however, what is currently being displayed is the beginning stages of Vampirification. Although Nocturne is not a Vampire, the Blood aspect that the Bind Saber had naturally absorbed from the Blood Orb brought about a surprising power.

The question is, will the 4th Demonic Master be able to handle such a power that even Vampires themselves could not fully overcome?

Nocturne Mallory Lvl. 107 Class: Mystic Realm Species: Human

Main Job: Nightingale

Sub job: Knife Saint

Titles: Martial God (passive)

World Thief (passive)

Virtu Guildmaster (equipped)

4th Demonic Master (equipped)

Mallory Family Leader (equipped)

Night King/King of Night (equipped)

[Total Orcs: 250,049]