Tale of the Fake Hero

Chapter 13 – The End of Childhood, Battle of Aristapo (4)

“Assault troop, ready.”

Kaisen was temporarily transferred to Sharon’s corps at the marshal’s orders and climbed onto the back of Lia’s saddle.

At the bottom of the hill, the uruk army was roaring up the slope.

The corps decided to attack the east gate, which had a relatively lower number of enemy forces. Thankfully, the decision proved effective.

The number of lower-level demons was overwhelmingly greater than the number of high-level demons.

The first thing one needed to pay attention to in the Demon Race Alliance were the goblins and gnolls. The lowest-level monsters were reorganized into miscellaneous soldiers under the demon army flag.

One characteristic of the uruk clans was that they never used bows, claiming they were cowardly and petty weapons. What filled the void of long-ranged attacks were low-level monsters with neither physical ability nor intelligence.

“First line, artillery, ready to fire.”

The first line’s riflemen and spearmen raised their muzzles and long spears in unison.

The large Prisvia Cores that operated the field artillery on the hill spun furiously and emitted beeping and boiling sounds.

The artillerymen loaded the shells and covered the gun ports (to allow the steam to collect just before exploding) before retreating for safety.

“Hold…”

As the uruks’ huge figures shook the earth on approach, the soldiers gulped.

“Hold!”

The moment the waves of uruks finally came within range with their disgusting faces…

“First line, fire!”

Fsssh, fsssh, sheeeek—!

Bullets pierced the uruks’ chests and thighs, causing them to sway in a dance of death before falling over.

“WuraaaaaaaaA!” The uruks rushing over their fallen clansmen had their necks pierced by abnormally long polearms.

“Artillery, open fire!”

Tang tang tang tang—!

The uruks behind them screamed as their limbs were crushed by the shells that continued rolling and bouncing on the ground.

“Forward!” Sharon pulled her horse’s and led the cavalry down the hill.

Her corps consisted of 988 cavalrymen, including 10 Dunos Kingdom knights. Armed with dual pistols to facilitate mounted shooting, they had already proven their power on numerous battlefields.

“Uruk wolf cavalry approaching from both sides!”

Pale blue walls of ice rose up on both sides, as if denying the heat of the summer day. It was one of Wolf’s, the greatest ice archmage’s, spells.

After quickly creating the huge walls of ice that reached the castle gates, Wolf seemed anxious. ‘Please take care of yourself, Kaisen.’

Kamila’s corps, as infantry, remained in reserve on the hill, and so did Wolf. They had to deal with the wolf cavalry targeting the flanks.

Kamila’s mission was to cut down high-ranking demons, such as trolls, that were targeting the main force.

‘Don’t lose your focus just because the ice walls are up. What you need to be careful of is…’

Something spun and violently crashed into the left ice wall.

Horses fell to the ground, their front legs cut off, and the three gunmen on their saddles sprawled across the mud.

The weapon was a massive boomerang made from human bones. An uruk, with its distinctive red mask, climbed onto the ice wall and grabbed the returning boomerang.

“Kyujin…!”a soldier yelled out.

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Kyujin was a member of the Kiranzuki, a title given only to the strongest combatants in the Kiral Clan. His specialty was using boomerangs, and the frontline human military was aware of his notoriety.

The other thing they had to be careful of when breaking through was Kiral’s strongest power, the Kiranzuki.

Kyujin leaned back again and flexed his deformed right arm—a sign of the power with which he could throw his boomerang.

None other than Kaisen stood up to the uruk, leaping off the back of Lia’s warhorse and flying into the air.

Kyujin’s eyes narrowed. ‘What is this human kid doing…?’ Did he want to compete one-on-one? The uruk believed the boy was looking down on him too much and decided to kill five soldiers in one go—including that cocky boy.

Cross Sword Style – Quick-Draw Technique, Cutting Firewood.

Kaisen raised the hilt of his sheathed sword above his head. At the same time, he generated explosive magical power through Mana Heart and Mana Chain.

Mana concentrated in the blade, but because it was confined in the sheath, circulation and dissipation couldn’t take place, and it produced overwhelming heat.

Using the principle of letting out the trapped mana in an instant, he utilized the sword technique of cutting down the enemy—Cutting Firewood.

Flash—

Just before his boomerang entered its throwing orbit, Kyujin saw a flash of light in the darkness.

“What…?” The uruk’s vision rotated. He felt a moment of helplessness, as if he were being grabbed by something powerful and forcibly shaken. For a moment, he thought it was magic, but strangely, he saw his own body letting go of the boomerang. ‘I was beheaded by a kid like that?’

“Wow, did you just see that?” a soldier cried out.

“He killed a Kiranzuki in one blow!”

Explosive shouts erupted from the assault team.

Sharon, who took a moment to glance at the situation behind her, whistled. ‘Not only his skills, but also his ruthless personality… Anyone can see he is Kamila’s disciple.’

Lia called out to Kaisen from far ahead, but Kaisen had to shake his head. ‘It’s already too late to go back to that horse. I went too far back.’

Was he going to be isolated there? No, since Wolf’s ice wall was installed on a downhill slope, he could slide down the top. Kaisen demonstrated an extreme sense of balance by climbing onto the top of the ice wall and managing to keep pace with the assault troop.

‘That woman is also amazing.’ At the forefront, Sharon’s fierce actions—cutting and stabbing all kinds of demons—were as brutal as Kamila’s.

‘A blue afterimage follows the slashes…’ Unlike the wide swings of the Cross Sword Style, the Extreme Spider Sword Style was precise. It killed through accurately stabbing the enemy’s vital points.

The moment he diverted his attention to Sharon, the ice wall was crushed, and he lost his footing and felt a sense of weightlessness.

Killing intent washed over him. After flailing helplessly in the air for a moment, he managed to regain his bearings.

Jumping over the fragments of the ice wall here and there, he swung at the source of the deadly force that had shattered the ice wall below.

Claaaaang—!

At first, he couldn’t help but think that the thing that blocked his slash was a monster.

“Ha!” The force of the collision broke his inertia and caused him to fly back.

The large monster raised its eyebrows in satisfaction. “Mide? I’ve finally met a human worth fighting.”

The massive uruk raised his hand, causing all of the other uruks to back down. “Let’s see how good you are with a sword, human kid.”

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“Let’s see how good you are with a sword, human kid.” As soon as the monster’s shout ended, a blue flash of light appeared right in front of Kaisen.

Kaisen’s eyes widened. ‘Damn, what speed…?’ The attack broke his balance, and he barely managed to avoid the slash by rolling backward.

“Uha!” The monster praised him and slowed his pace, as if to give him some time.

Kishun Giolobepe… it was Kaisen’s first encounter with the powerful enemy that would end his childhood.

The uruk’s overwhelming physique was covered in leather and fur; his shoulders were broad and strong; and his eerie face was covered in scars. “This isn’t your best, is it? Make me happier. Have fun.”

Kaisen was surprised to see the uruk’s dark smile. He spoke the human language quite well. “An uruk, who is no better than a pig, speaks like a human.”

“I learned human language. When I meet strong people like you, I want oldoroshi? to talk to you.” Kishun clinked the blade-shaped claws in both hands and fed his appetite for battle.

His offense was unreal. Each slash was almost fierce enough to break Kaisen’s wrists. If an attack missed, trees and rocks broke, and if the uruk hit the ground, craters appeared.

“Kwagwagwagwa…!”

Dust and small stones went flying from the force of the blow, and Kaisen retreated again and again.

‘What kind of crazy monster is this…?’ His mouth twitched. Cold sweat covered his forehead. There were no gaps or time to counterattack.

Chang, Kaang, Cheng, Kiing—!

Metal blades danced blue and white amidst the volcanic ash, and the uruk warriors of the Kiral Clan watched with mouths agape.

‘What is that human kid?’

‘Fighting on equal footing with Kishun?’

‘Are you saying that cutting Kyujin down in one blow wasn’t a fluke?’

‘No matter how strong he is, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t hit me,’ Kaisen thought as he dodged a slash narrowly enough to feel the sharp breeze past his eyes.

All Kaisen could aim for was a counterattack after the uruk went in for the killing blow. He flinched back slightly.

At that very moment, Kishun swung his left claw wide and dominated the space. The blade flashed in Kaisen’s eyes.

Quick-Draw Sword Technique – Fleet Foot.

The technique did not require a connection to any other moves in the Cross Sword Style. He avoided the attack by tilting his head slightly, using the force of that tilt to guide his sword.

Again, using his forward momentum, he hit the uruk in the abdomen with the end of his scabbard.

Thump一!

The target’s guard broke down. Each person’s body had a natural flow of power, and Kaisen’s move was a surprise counterattack that broke the balance of that flow in an instant by sending a Mana Chain into the enemy.

‘Now. Gotcha.’

Kishun stumbled back.

Kaisen immediately swung his body around and used the rotational force to raise his sword from below.

一Kagagagagagak!

The sounds and sensations of the impact were strange. Rather than the sound of flesh being cut, it was the sound of metal scraping off metal.

All the hair on his body stood on end. “Fuck!” Kaisen took a deep breath and kicked off the ground to widen the gap, but一

‘Ah…?’ The tip of the uruk’s kick grazed his abdomen. At least two of his ribs were shattered. The pain was so great that he rolled around on the ground in an ungainly manner.

The pounding pain was enough to darken his vision. If he had been one beat or even half a beat late, the attack would have resulted in instant death.

“Ha!” Kishun whistled, looking between his stomach and Kaisen.

Kaisen stood up, suppressing the pain. ‘The move didn’t work?’ No, the uruk was wearing chain armor under his fur… Even if he had to take the risk, he should have aimed for the chin.

“You even have excellent judgment. How old are you now?” Kishun asked.

“Shut up…”

Kishun raised his hand, and uruks mounted on blache wolves approached from all directions. A hundred cavalry? No, at least two hundred.

Kaisen looked around the battlefield and took deep breaths to ease the pain from his broken ribs. Still, thanks to the delay, the Black Rose Corps seemed to have safely made it to the city…

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you here,” the uruk said.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“If you guys make it through that gate? Tohos? You must have some trick if you want to go inside the castle gate, right? So this? It seems like you are trying to use your courage to get in. If so, we welcome it.”

“What scheme are you plotting, you son of a bitch?” Kaisen asked.

“The humans in that castle are pathetically weak. Olbu? The humans who come to help? They’re even more pointless. I don’t like that kind of battle. I’m like you, no? Do you like it? I don’t want it.”

A chill ran down Kaisen’s spine. He couldn’t believe he felt so cold, even in the summer heat.

“This is the first full-fledged war in a few years, so shouldn’t we enjoy it? Pabis?” Kishun asked.

What? Was the uruk a fool?

Perhaps seeing the light of doubt in Kaisen’s eyes, Kishun shook his head and explained. “What about you, Doroshi? Yes, I think it’s worth ripening before eating. It would be a waste to kill now.”

The way the monster said those words like a joke could only be described as eerie.

Kaisen sneered and said, “If you want to live a long time, then don’t bluff, you fucker. If you’re going to kill me, you’d better kill me now.”

Kishun nodded. “You’re scared. Yes, that’s how a warrior should be. That’s why I don’t want to fight anymore. What if you guys go in there? The battle will be more fun.”

After Kishun shouted something in the uruk tongue, the uruks who had surrounded Kaisen laughed and retreated.

‘What?’ Were they just letting him go? It was natural to feel antipathy at that point, but to submit right away? Was he really that popular?

“My name is Kishun. I am Kishun Giolobepe, son of Zukan, the warchief of Kiral. In return for letting you keep your life, tell me your name.”

Giolobepe… Didn’t that mean ‘fierce storm’?

There was no need to hide it, so Kaisen spat and said, “It’s Kaisen.”

“Whose son are you?” In uruk society, the names of one’s parents and tribe were of utmost importance. When warriors revealed their names, they always mentioned their father’s name.

“Do you think I’d tell uruk bastards, who are no better than pigs, my mother’s name?”

Kishun must have felt the fierce hatred burning in Kaisen’s eyes for an instant and raised his eyebrows, feeling excitement for the upcoming battle. “Okay, Kaisen. Then don’t die until I come to kill you. Defeat my clan. The tribe is 500 paces away. This is proof that I won’t attack you.”

“Really, you’re fucking horrible with human language. Are you scared?” Kaisen asked.

“Yes, I was scared! If we fight here any longer, won’t you humans become dull? Err? Won’t you be wiped out? Doueba, then we won’t be able to enjoy the fight. Hahahaha…!”

‘He… he’s just having fun?’ Kaisen’s mind went cold. He shouted at Kishun as the uruk turned away from him. “Hey, you idiot…!”

He pointed at death with the end of his sword and looked around to see a blache wolf whimpering, its lower jaw cut off, and an uruk warrior wailing while holding his severed leg.

“What… what is so fun about this that you’re giggling?!”

‘Mother said there was no such thing as a cool battle. She was right.’ Over the past four years, he’d become acutely aware of why she’d never tried to teach him how to use a sword, but those uruk bastards…

“Don’t lose your temper, Kaisen.” Kishun, who was walking away with his back turned, defenseless, stopped, and his voice was cold and subdued. “Don’t hide your true nature.”

Kaisen suddenly felt a chill. “True nature?”

“When you kill someone, you do it right. Have you ever clenched your fist and said, ‘What an amazing parry? Achidomo? Have you never had any such experience? Have you ever burst into laughter after miraculously winning a battle while outnumbered?”

Kaisen tried to refute it, but he couldn’t, so he hesitated and retreated. Such things had happened to him several times.

The uruk’s gaze choked him. Eyes as black as a deep well… He felt like he was being sucked into those eyes.

“Kaisen, you and I are Atidos! We are the same kind. We are all warriors! We can do whatever we want! Ha ha! It’s the true form of humanity!”

“Humanity… its true form?”

“Yes! Acknowledge your true nature and put aside reason, hahahahaha…!”

Kaisen was dumbfounded. Spared by Kishun and able to enter Aristapo without bloodshed, his sword felt heavy.

“Kaisen.”

The sword might as well have been a bar of lead, and his mother’s voice seemed to feebly cry in his head.

“How do you want to use this sword?”

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