City of Desire: Chapter 1040 All Out (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

Orok Uram

‘Be ready,’ I said as I saw Viscount Mirevell, a few meters ahead of me. 

It won’t take long before he and his men reach the wall. We are trying to stop them, but they are good.

Well-trained and efficient, not to mention we can’t use too much mana to stop them, or we won’t have anything to fight them.

It will be a whole corps coming at us, while barely fifteen thousand men will defend the wall.

“A noble and one with the artifact, I don’t envy your place, Colonel,” said Captain Dunwall. He is the man who rebelled in Gailhorn before becoming a mercenary.

He had been stationed in Nakar; I heard he is quite good.

I didn’t reply, not because I don’t want to say anything, but because there is nothing to say. The enemy is powerful without a doubt, but I have to defeat him; that is an order.

Finally, the spell platform connected with the wall, but the man and his army didn’t charge in.

The middle-aged human was tall and lean, with dark hair, a long nose, thin lips, and bright blue eyes that drew attention.

He looked at me with open distaste, an expression I knew well. Few humans showed me such contempt; more often, it came from my own people.

“Silver has truly lost his way. He not only recruited filthy orcs, but raised them to positions of authority.”

“The Emperor must be rolling in his grave at the sight of it,” he spat, hatred clear in his eyes.

He did not hate me for the color of my skin, but for my race itself.

He seemed to expect a reaction, but I only kept watching him, and the anger in his eyes flared. His words hurt, even from a stranger, but I had learned to live with them long ago.

“I will follow our dear emperor’s path and cleanse Greltheaven of your kind, beginning with you.”

“Attack!” he roared, lunging at me.

He moved as quickly as the reports claimed, drawing a yellow blade shaped like a long blue lightning bolt, its edge sharp and bright as crystallized lightning.

Thousands of thin arcs danced across it, tiny bolts that made every hair on my body rise.

Blade of Averis—a lightning-element artifact.

I grinned, and a pale red glow covered me. I saw the surprise in his eyes, and in the eyes of my people. He isn’t the only one with an artifact.

I too have one.

It is the Belt of Berad; it’s an artifact that increases my strength and speed.

The Rhythm of the Wild rang in me, and I leaped forward with Feral Blitz before activating Lion’s Strength and Razorwing Edge as I swung my axe toward him.

The man glared and swung his lightning blade toward me; he was really fast.

Our blades clashed, and I felt the power; even with the artifact, I shook, and the man grinned; in that moment, the lightning covering his blade shot through my axe and covered me before I could pull back.

My armor helped, but it only did so much before it came at me.

“Feel the power of my blade, filthy orc; it is the same blade my ancestors used to kill thousands of your ilk, and I will do the same,” he said.

I did not reply.

Instead, I bore it with Wildheart’s Protection, my inheritance skill, but the lightning power was not weak, and it began to singe my skin. As it did, my second inheritance, Wildheart Healing, began its work.

It’s a passive skill; it’s not as powerful as the active one, but more sustained.

“So much for killing thousands of my people,” I mocked, while the lightning moved around me.

It’s very painful, but I’ve suffered worse.

I could see the anger burning in his eyes, and I thought he would come at me. Instead, he chuckled, and a moment later, I sensed the aura.

Aura Method.

It’s the method of his house; it had infused concentrated aura into every bolt of lightning in his blade. I also sensed another aura method activating, as green marks appeared across his body.

“I really don't want to waste my aura against a filthy orc like you, but I have to get control of the wall quickly,” he said and came at me, much faster than before.

If not for the Predator’s Gaze, I wouldn’t have even been able to see it.

Aura came out of me, and three fractals formed instantly. Fang Rend covered my ax’s blade, Savage Sinew filled me with strength, and Predator’s Pursuit gave me explosive speed as I moved toward him.

I could see the raw shock in his eyes. He didn’t expect it.

His blade clashed against mine, and lightning met Fang Rend. It resisted, but soon lightning destroyed it and came at me, covering me once more.

This time, it is filled with the power of the Aura Method, but I am also resisting with aura, powering Wildheart Healing and Wildheart’s Protection with it.

“Have you thought that only you have the Aura methods?” I asked, but didn’t give him a chance to reply as I moved with the attack.

The two exchanges and my Rhythm of Wild had given me a good idea about his strength. He is powerful without a doubt, but I have a chance.

The blades clashed once more, and the lightning came at me. I bore it and launched another attack.

“Don’t think you could defeat me with this beastly bit of power, you filthy orc!” He roared as he responded, with lightning covering his blade more densely than before.

It made me shudder in my heart, but I didn’t stop.

I have my orders, and they are to stop him, and I will. I love this city and all the people; I want to protect them, including the ones who hate me.

The wisps of smoke came off of my body as lightning assaulted it, but that didn’t stop my axe.

I kept attacking him, over and over, not giving him any chance to rest. Around us, our men fought, and I was already feeling the deaths, which made me intensify my attacks further.

He is the leader of the corps. If I defeat him, the corps might collapse.

It will at least lessen the burden.

A minute passed and another, and I kept attacking without stopping. He countered every one of my attacks, growing angrier and drawing more power from his blade.

I pushed my skills. Especially the Wildheart’s Healing and Wildheart’s Protection for help, but I am barely holding on.

The man is good and experienced, as his information stated. He is dealing with every one of my attacks, while sending more and more lightning attacks at me.

“The information stated that your skills are powerful, but it did not mention that they are inherited skills,” he said as our weapons clashed once more.

“Then whoever is providing you with intelligence is incapable,” I replied, making the man angry, but he controlled it and laughed.

“How long do you think you can continue? Your flesh is burning, your bones are heating. It won’t be long before you won't be able to maintain this strength,” he taunted.

I wanted to laugh, but I held myself back.

Things looked terrible from the outside, but they are not as terrible as they looked. My aura-infused healing and defensive skills are working overtime.

There are also the scripts that will activate when my condition truly becomes bad.

Still, he is right about one thing. I have less time than he does. With enough time, he could burn me to the bone with his lightning. So, I have to defeat him before that.

Minutes passed, and we kept clashing without a moment's pause.

The man is good. He understands his abilities and the abilities of his artifact well. That's why he focused only on defending against my attacks; he wasn't even trying to attack.

Still, I didn’t stop and kept attacking him relentlessly until finally I saw the chance.

It's small, but I didn’t hesitate for a second. I harnessed everything I could from skill and aura methods and let the Rhythm of the Wild guide me.

He sensed something different immediately and moved to defend, but it was predictable.

I wasn’t just attacking him; I was studying him. I comprehended his strengths and limitations. I used that to dodge his blade by less than an inch before bringing my ax down on him.

He moved to dodge, and he was really fast as he used the power of the artifact.

He dodged the attack, but not completely. A bloody long gash appeared on his arm.

“You dare!” he roared.

He seemed to take the attack as disrespect. He truly hadn’t seemed to expect that I could draw his blood.

This is war; what else did he expect?

His response came immediately, and I leaped forward to meet it. This is what I wanted. Now I have a chance to defeat him, and I will. There is no other way.

…

Count Viremont

“He is letting his emotions control him,” stated Gaiden, looking at Mirevell's angry reply.

I watched with a foul mood; nothing was going as I had expected.

Those under Lv. 40s are fighting equally against my Lv. 40s on comparable terms. As for those under Lv. 40, I have brought in large numbers who are fighting against those of the same level and power.

There are a lot of them, more than I had expected.

People like Baron Fairwyn, who are under Lv. 40, but have a power of Lv. 40 are clashing against the powerhouses of the same level and power.

There is also the artifact; all three of them have it, and I recognize all three.

‘So, this is their response,’  I thought.

A week after the attack, the leader of Oksall contacted me and told me that there would be a reply to what I had done. I denied it, of course, and contacted both courts, who assured me the merchants would not send their men or mercenaries to aid Silver.

They did not, but they sent their artifacts. All three are state artifacts of Oksall, and they are making a huge difference.

“The intelligence has failed us,” said Gaiden.

He didn’t have to say it; the results are in front of us, and the thing is, Silver and his sister hadn’t entered the battlefield. They are watching from the platform, just as I am.

It isn’t just powerhouses; even Silver’s soldiers are holding firm. Especially at the gate, where a young orc is defending; there, my forces are at a slight disadvantage.

I was watching when I sensed the aura awakening.

For a moment, hope rose in my heart before my expression turned ugly.

“It's time to go all out,” I said finally.

Gaiden’s expression turned ugly upon hearing that, but he nodded. Our original plan was to hide all our powerhouses until Greltheaven, but there is no choice now.

We might still win the battle with the powerhouses we have, but it would come at a cost.

The cost I don’t want to pay.

A few seconds passed, and the man in his late fifties appeared beside me. He had long, raven-haired hair and thick arms, with a Greatsword strapped across his back.

Kav Barisol. Second of the top powerhouses provided to me by my backup.

“So, it's time?” he asked, and I nodded.

I could feel Silver’s eyes, and a smile appeared on my face. Loxley wanted him, but with him busy, I could fight him, and I so much wanted to.

My defeating him openly would send a different message than Loxley defeating him would have.

“Attack!”

I ordered and charged toward Silver with Gaiden and Barisol to the left and right. Selveren had remained behind; he is a mage, and he does not need to be close to fight.

I looked at Silver and saw his lips curved.

A moment later, the ring above his hand floated up, and he pulled a beautiful blade out of it. As he did, a powerful suppressive presence spread across the battlefield.

“That is one powerful blade,” said Barisol, with fear and greed in his eyes.

There is not much known about the blade, but what we know is that it is powerful, with suppression or nulling abilities—one of the rarest artifacts.

It's why they want it.