Chapter 15
Chapter 15 . Monster Subjugation (3) .
Kang Chul-In, in the eyes of Rustler and Lana, was like a beam of light .
The impending doom, and the invasion of the Orcs .
And the Sovereign that appeared at the moment of death .
The strength and prowess of slitting the Orc’s throat in one stroke while on the back of a white horse . For this father and daughter, Kang Chul-In was their life savior and a rope sent by the heavens .
‘Oh, my Lord has come…!’
Rustler was overcome with awe .
It was the same for Lana .
She thought she was going to die .
The Orc’s fierce cries when she and her father had fallen to the ground was enough to bring chills down to her bones . And when she had given up all hope and accepted her fate, a miracle happened .
‘Oh, my Lord…!’
Lana, as her life hung from a thread, felt her heart pounding as she saw Kang Chul-In on top of the white horse .
‘He is Laputa’s Lord…!’
Amidst the b.l.o.o.d.y situation, a spring wind formed in the heart of the young girl . It was an unforeseen thing, but it was understandable . A knight on top of a white horse was every girl’s dream!
However, Kang Chul-In had no interest in the feelings of Lana .
And he never even looked at her in the first place . He solely focused on the Orcs that were to harm his people .
“You four!”
He called to the soldiers who were armed with s.h.i.+elds and spears .
“Move that father and daughter to somewhere safe . ”
“Yes, my Lord!”
The four soldiers who were commanded quickly moved to Rustler and Lana, escorting them out of the danger .
“James!”
“Yes, my Lord!”
“Take ten soldiers and protect the people escaping . I will take here . ”
“But…but… how will you…!”
“Now!”
“Ye…yes!”
And like that, James and ten soldiers left the group .
‘Fifteen gone . 35 left . This is enough . I will end this in 10 minutes . ’
Kang Chul-In, who had divided the little he had, remained calm .
“Those with s.h.i.+elds, come forward and maintain a close formation!”
Kang Chul-In roared and began to lead the troops .
“Those with muskets, head to the back!”
The troops moved quickly with Kang Chul-In’s orders . They were quite good in following orders .
Squelch!
Squelch!
The Orcs, that until a couple seconds ago was looking forward to their killing and stealing, showed their fangs and screeched at the unexpected visitors . They were menacing .
‘How dare you?’
Kang Chul-In’s eyes, that were looking at the Orcs, were filled with disgust and anger .
Dirty living things that would have not even been able to look at him before, were threatening him and his people . This was disrespect unforgivable by the Grand Sovereign Kang Chul-In .
“Sigh…”
Kang Chul-In dismounted from his horse with a loud sigh .
He did not fit well with horseback riding .
The speed and weight that a running horse brought was definitely powerful . He had just killed an Orc with one swing . They did not call Calvary troops powerful for nothing .
However, with battles like these, it was better to just fight on foot . Kang Chul-In himself also preferred to fight with his two feet on the ground compared to on a horse .
“Musket soldiers, calmly shoot!”
Kang Chul-In ordered immediately after he had gotten off his horse, and joined the Royal Guard’s ranks .
Boom! Boom!
The Breech Loading muskets that loaded every two shots, fired at the Orcs, leaving a thick smoke .
“s.h.i.+elds, hold! If you crumble, we all die!”
Kang Chul-In worried most about those who faced the Orcs in the front of the line . In order for the musket soldiers to safely fire, the role of the s.h.i.+eld holding soldiers were important .
“Use your spears when you can! Aim for the neck!”
The soldiers’ spears penetrated the Orcs’ necks .
‘Orcs are nothing . ’
In the face of Kang Chul-In who was staring at them, was a smug smile .
Orcs were quite dangerous monsters .
Even for Kang Chul-In, in his current state, it was difficult to take on even two Orcs . If he had overextended himself, three . And if four, then he too would have to put his life on the line . However, that was in case of a 1:1 battle . He had an army .
Orcs were strong, but their only tactic was to use their large physique and group together to break and hit everything in their way . It was primitive and one sided . This might be effective in a scuffle or hand-to-hand combat, but if it was a battle with ranks, it was a different story . Humans knew how to group, and knew how to use that to their advantage . Especially Kang Chul-In, the master of war strategy!
Boom! Boom!
The ten musket soldiers fired their weapons again .
‘Reload!’
The basic musket had two fires . A bit of time was needed after two blows in order to reload .
“s.h.i.+elds! Push harder! Hold!”
Kang Chul-In yelled .
If there was a threat, it would be this moment .
The moment where firepower had seized for a quick moment during reload—it was a bit of time for the Orcs to attack .
Kang Chul-In’s prediction was right .
Squelch!
The Orcs who had realized the flying bullets stopped for a short while began to advance fiercely . They were monsters with a bit of intelligence .
“Prepare well and brace yourselves! It won’t be easy!”
Kang Chul-In warned the soldiers holding the s.h.i.+elds in the front of the lines .
Boom–!
An explosive sound was released as the soldiers’ s.h.i.+elds and Orcs’ body met . The soldiers swayed . An Orc’s average weight was about 120kg, much larger than a human . It also had great muscular strength . It was expected .
‘Danger . ’
Kang Chul-In, when he saw this, realized that it was his turn . He could not just sit back .
If the front formation was destroyed, then the soldiers will be hit by the Orcs in an instant . In order to win this battle, the formation must be maintained .
“Sigh…”
Kang Chul-In released a loud breath .
His heart pounded .
From the top of his head to his feet, he felt all his muscles tighten .
And a lone s.h.i.+ver went down his spine .
Because he was afraid?
No way .
Kang Chul-In’s body that had been away from battle was filled with excitement .
It was a thrill of sorts .
Like people who enjoyed extreme sports, Kang Chul-In enjoyed going to battle with his life on the line . It was something that the ruler of a land should never do, but what could he do . He was born a destined warrior and had a heart of steel . He could not control his blood boiling when he went to battle .
‘Let’s have some fun . ’
Kang Chul-In left his spot from behind the s.h.i.+eld and went towards the Orcs .
“Ah!”
“My Lord!”
A couple of the soldiers called to him when they saw his unexpected action .
“Do not worry!”
Kang Chul-In yelled .
“Do not concern yourselves and maintain the ranks!”
Kang Chul-In, after giving his order, began to swing his Blood Sword as if he was possessed .
Swish swis.h.!.+
Thick weapons flew towards him from all directions . It was expected, seeing that he had made his way right in the center of the Orcs .
‘I just need to create enough chaos . ’
Kang Chul-In, who had made his way into the Orcs as a Level 1 Sovereign, was extremely level-headed .
He knew something .
Orcs were much larger than humans, which meant there was not enough s.p.a.ce for more than three Orcs to attack one person at once . Even if there were a lot of Orcs, no more than three attacks will come at once . Although, this was the typical ‘theoretical’ battle . It was easier said than done—therefore, this was almost suicide .
But Kang Chul-In could .
Countless, numerous battles and the swordsmans.h.i.+p of his past life was clear in his head . Although his physical state would not completely support him, it was enough to buy a little time .
Swish,
Swis.h.!.+
The Blood Sword grandly drew deathly tracks as it bore through the Orcs . Kang Chul-In did not show brute courage and foolishness .
He faced the weapons that came to him, but he did not wrestle strength . If he did, he would break bones, or be in a disadvantageous position that would get him lynched by the Orcs . If he was to fight with strength, he would cross the valley of death . And therefore, the method he chose was to pretend to respond to the Orcs’ attacks while actually letting it flow through . It was a skill that was only performed by extremely well trained and experienced swordsmen .
“Huh?”
The soldiers were surprised when they saw Kang Chul-In .
There could have been no other feeling .
A Sovereign had used himself as a distraction amongst the Orcs… he had put his life on the line . A person of his status?
“You…you… retched Orc b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!”
A soldier enchanted by Kang Chul-In’s example yelled with rage .
And that was the start .
“How dare!”
“I will kill you!”
“You dogs! Die! Die I said!”
As the musket soldiers were reloading, the other soldiers started to put forth immense fighting power and began pus.h.i.+ng back the Orcs . They had skyrocketing morale, but it was possible because Kang Chul-In had disheveled the Orcs .
“Reload complete!”
The reload was finally done .
“Fire!”
Kang Chul-In roared .
He was still in the center of the Orcs . He could, by chance, be shot by friendly fire .
“Bu…but!”
“Just shoot!”
Kang Chul-In yelled and the musket soldiers slightly hesitated, but went into firing position, aimed at the Orcs, and pulled the trigger .
Boom! Boom!
Ten gunmen, and ten bullets were fired, aimed for the Orcs .
‘Down!’
Right before the soldiers pulled the trigger, he threw his body quickly on to the ground .
Squeal!
Three or four Orcs were shot and fell to the ground . The soldiers’ spears found its home in the fallen bodies .
The sharp spear penetrated their necks .
“Push further! Do not give them a chance to think!”
Kang Chul-In, who had moved to safety in a moment shouted, encouraging his troops .
And it was then .
The soldiers who had gotten the hang of the battle began to push further into the Orcs’ ranks . They adapted fast, as if to prove that nothing was better than practice .
‘It’s done . ’
Kang Chul-In, who realized his troops had gained momentum, smiled .
From this moment, everything will fall in place . All they needed to do was to move like a machine, taking the Orcs one by one . Almost ten Orcs had fallen, so it was already a battle won .
“How…how can this…!”
Commander James who had returned to join Kang Chul-In and his forces, after evacuating the people of Laputa, could not believe what was happening in front of him .
It was a grand victory .
There was not one Orc alive . 20 Orcs were littered on the plains, cold and dead .
Compared to that, how were the friendly troops?
There were some with minor abrasions, but there were none with serious injuries .
“If you follow my lead and orders with loyalty, I promise no lives will be lost . Trust . Trust me, and do not doubt victory . ”
Commander James remembered what his Lord had said right before the battle occurred .
‘Really, not one has died…!’
It was hard for James to believe what was happening, because something that he was on the fence about had become reality . To completely wipe out 20 Orcs with 35 soldiers! With no casualties!
“Did you evacuate the people to a safe location?”
James heard Kang Chul-In’s voice as he was marveling and admiring his Lord .
“Yes, my lord!”
James quickly turned towards the direction of the voice and answered .
And there was Kang Chul-In .
Kang Chul-In, sitting atop a straw bed, sipping beer like any other foot soldier .