Chapter 765: A Weapon of War (Patreon)

“Tell your general I’m here to kill him.”

Luke stood at the bottom of the crater, facing the enemy army, with the human troops behind him. All around Luke, chunks of earth and debris rose higher and higher under his telekinetic control.

The orcs had dug a pit. Dirty trick. Just as crafty as the orcs from the tutorial.

Luke’s only real question was what they had done with all that dirt. He held out a hand, and an axe flew from a dead orc’s grip into his fingers. Luke examined it for a moment, testing its weight, balance, and edge.

Not bad. As well made as any human axe.

Then he drew one of his kukris.

Let’s see if this works the way I think it does.

He activated [Weapon Assimilation].

[Weapon Assimilation]: The spirit understands that its master is both versatile and indecisive in battle. The kukris have developed a space within themselves that allows them to absorb another weapon and inherit its form and effects. Once assimilated, that weapon can be reproduced without abandoning the wielder’s bound Spirit Tool. While transformed, the wielder instinctively gains the knowledge needed to use the weapon with lethal efficiency.

The kukri absorbed the axe. The second blade dissolved into liquid shadow, and the two merged in front of him. A large black axe appeared in Luke’s hand, identical to the dead orc’s weapon, except now it belonged to him.

For an instant, the axe felt wrong in his grip. Then the borrowed knowledge settled into place. Angle. Weight. Momentum. Reach. Luke knew exactly how to wield it, as though he had spent years training with an axe.

“Kill the bastard!”

Only then did Luke look at the other orcs.

He ran.

With the cloak making his body impossibly light, Luke crossed the distance before they could react. The axe struck the first orc in the chest and split him open. Luke was already past him by the time the body began to fall. The second thrust a spear at him, but Luke slipped beneath it and swept the orc’s legs out from under him. The third died before the second hit the ground. The fourth tried to run. He didn’t make it far.

One by one, the orcs dropped as Luke charged up the slope of the crater, swinging the black axe with brutal ease.

“He’s fast, Chief!”

The arrows came next, but none of them touched him. When Luke reached the rim, he spotted an orc wearing more armor than the others. He smiled and threw the axe.

[Burst Throw activated]

The weapon spun through the air and struck the orc in the face, dropping him instantly. Luke launched himself out of the crater in a massive leap.

[Magnetic Return activated]

The axe snapped back into his hand as though yanked by an invisible magnet. Luke landed among the orcs and stared at the weapon with a predatory grin.

All my knife skills work with the axe because it’s still my kukri. That’s useful as fuck.

The orcs roared and charged him.

“Thanks for making my job easier.”

Luke surged forward like a beast. The black axe carved heavy, precise arcs through the air, striking every orc that came near him. He moved so fast that his enemies kept swinging at empty air where he’d been a heartbeat earlier.

The cloak made him light, almost impossible to track, yet his blows remained absurdly heavy. Whenever the axe struck an orc, the impact sent nearby enemies flying. Behind him, the human soldiers began climbing out of the crater, shouting orders. Those who had avoided the fall charged as well, and at last, the two armies collided. Iron struck flesh, shields crashed against axes, and screams clashed with roars.

Farther away, Luke spotted the rest of the orc army. There were even more of them. They had hidden underground, waiting to attack from above once the human soldiers fell into the trap. Their leader had to be there.

“Let’s see how far I can push this.”

Luke flooded the axe with stamina and mana.

[Burst Throw activated]

He hurled it skyward, and the weapon shot into the distance. As it began to fall, Luke activated [Telekinetic Impulse] and layered in his other throwing skills.

[Knife Storm]

Copies formed around the original and slammed into the orc formation with explosive force, throwing bodies and dirt into the air.

[Magnetic Return activated]

The original tore back through the orcs like a bullet and snapped into Luke’s hand. He caught it without breaking stride, hurled it skyward again, and sent another wave crashing down.

Then another.

The repeated combination barely made a dent in Luke’s mana. The orc formation, however, wasn’t nearly as fortunate.

Luke wasn’t paying much attention to the human soldiers, but he saw enough. Some stood frozen with weapons in hand, staring at the relentless rain of axes with the same stunned expressions as the orcs.

“DON’T HOLD BACK!” an orc bellowed across the battlefield. “GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!”

The orcs roared in answer. Steam rose from their bodies, and their eyes turned red as they charged with fresh fury. Luke caught the axe out of the air and ran straight toward the largest group. Orc captains tried to trade blows with him, but the axe tore through them as he crossed the battlefield like a black hurricane. He never slowed and barely needed to dodge.

Then one orc stopped him.

The creature raised a metal shield and caught the blow. For the first time since entering the battlefield, Luke’s axe stopped dead. The orc howled in pain, but the shield held. Luke glanced at the metal. That shield should have folded in half. Instead, the orc roared and shoved him back.

Interesting. A general?

[Orc Vice General - Lvl 115]

Luke shifted his grip. “Are you the leader of this army?”

The orc answered with a roar and charged.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

The vice general raised its shield and activated a skill. Energy spread across the metal, hardening it as the orc planted its feet.

Luke watched the glow settle over the shield. “If that’s how you want to play it.”

[Crimson Fang activated]

The edge of the black axe blazed red. Luke swung. The shield shattered on impact. The axe tore through the broken metal and struck the hand behind it, severing it at the wrist. The vice general’s scream rang across the battlefield as the ruined shield and its severed hand hit the ground together.

The orc lashed out with its remaining weapon, but Luke knocked the attack aside, cut off its other hand, and drove the axe into its chest with just enough restraint to keep it alive.

The vice general collapsed. When it tried to rise, Luke pressed the edge of the axe against its throat.

“I’d take you alive, but I need you dead.”

The orc roared again, though its voice was already weakening. The berserk power it had activated began to fade.

“Your weapons are pretty sharp,” Luke said, studying the metal. “These aren’t normal orc weapons. Did your people forge these?”

For the first time, the orc hesitated. Then its face twisted with rage.

“I’LL KILL YOU!”

Luke cut off what remained of its arm.

“Still right here. Very much alive.”

Other orcs tried to close in on him. Luke turned and threw the axe, striking one of them. The weapon returned at high speed and hit another on the way back, while a third took a punch to the gut. Luke caught the returning axe and finished that one before it could recover.

The vice general remained on the ground. Blood poured from its wounds, but it was still conscious.

“I don’t sense any other powerful orcs nearby. Where’s your general?”

The orc spat on the ground.

“That’s fine. I’ll make one of the captains talk.”

Luke cut off its head. The nearby orcs froze.

“Orcs are like wolves, if I remember right.” Luke stared at them. “The strongest one falls, and the rest of you shit yourselves. Am I wrong?”

One orc tried to attack him. It died before it could raise its weapon. Luke appeared in front of the others, moving too fast for their eyes to follow. They stumbled back in terror.

“Guess I was wrong. Fine. I’ll kill every last one of you.”

The nearest orc met Luke’s eyes, and whatever courage remained in its face vanished. The fear spread through the others.

[Your Despair Aura I Skill is evolving...]

That was enough. The orcs broke and ran for the forest.

Luke smiled. “Excellent.”

They fled straight toward where Norn was waiting, while the human army made short work of the remaining orcs.

***

Garen stood on the battlefield, watching the humans crush what remained of the orc army. He drank a potion and felt some of his strength return. Kyran stood beside him. At this point, there was almost nothing left for them to do. Victory was already certain.

Garen finally allowed himself to breathe.

“Who am I supposed to give this to?” a voice asked beside him.

Everyone turned at once, weapons raised. A figure stood in their midst.

“H-how did he get past us?”

The masked man faced them, the same man who had handed them victory. Even so, the knights watched him with unease. With fear.

“He helped us,” Garen said. “There’s no reason to raise our weapons against him.”

The masked man held the head of an orc covered in tribal markings.

“This was their leader. Put it on a stake or something, right here beside the road. Add the captains’ heads too.” He tossed the head onto the ground. “Trust me. It’ll leave an impression.”

“You have my thanks, sir,” Garen said.

“What’s your name?” Kyran asked.

“You can call me Lord Moon.”

Garen narrowed his eyes. “Which kingdom are you from, my lord?”

The masked man turned. Even with the mask covering his face, his eyes made it clear that he was smiling.

“Mine.”

With a single leap, he launched himself into the sky and vanished into the clouds.

“Holy shit,” someone muttered. “The guy can fly.”

Kyran kept staring upward. “Where the hell did he come from?”

Garen had no answer. The man clearly didn’t belong to any kingdom they knew. Someone that powerful wasn’t just a warrior.

“A weapon of war...” Garen murmured.

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