Chapter 795: The Day the Orcs Fled (Patreon)

The Orc War General plummeted from the sky. For a moment, the entire city seemed to hold its breath. Then the roars came, and orcs scattered throughout Farmarug raised their weapons, beat their chests, and screamed themselves hoarse.

Charlie turned toward the noise, eyes sharp. “I hear a lot of them coming this way, Master Luke.”

Luke gave a crooked smile. “Even better.”

He glanced back at the humans. “I’ll say this one last time. You’d better fall back. I’m not responsible for keeping you alive.”

Before anyone could answer, a row of buildings collapsed in the distance. Then another. Something was coming straight through the city, walls bursting apart ahead of it as nearby orcs scrambled aside on instinct. Even they knew standing in that thing’s way was stupid.

Luke spun his kukris in his hands. “Charlie, the generals are yours.”

[Perception Sphere activated]

[Cloak of the Arcane Witch activated]

[Demonic Predator Hands activated]

Luke shot forward. Ahead, the War General crashed through a building, completely berserk, sending chunks of stone and dust across the street. He didn’t slow down. His axe was already raised. Luke barely dodged. The axe tore past him and punched straight through the wall behind him. A second later, it ripped free and flew back into the orc’s hand.

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Well, look at that. You’ve got that trick too.”

The orc answered with a snarl. His chest was still torn open from [Artemis’s Spirit Slash]. The attack had destroyed part of his armor and carved deep into his flesh, but the damage was nowhere near fatal.

They collided, and Luke felt it immediately. In raw strength, the orc had him completely outmatched, and every swing carried enough force to pulverize bone. Luke never tried to meet that brutality head-on. He slipped past the worst of it, redirected what he could, and let the general’s own weight work against him.

He’s wearing armor. Good armor.

The War General held nothing back. Every time his axe missed Luke, the ground, a wall, or a rooftop paid the price.

Luke leaped back to avoid another charge. “A strider wyvern, huh? The orc continent has some interesting beasts.”

He leaped after Luke, and they slammed onto the roof of a nearby building, making the whole structure groan.

“You killed my mount!” the general roared. “You humiliated me!”

His axe flared as he charged again.

He’s adapting to my attacks.

Luke jumped just as the building took the hit and collapsed beneath them. The general hurled himself after Luke in midair, but Luke controlled his fall with [Cloak of the Arcane Witch] and hammered him with [Shadow Ball] after [Shadow Ball].

They crashed into the middle of a group of orcs. Smaller soldiers tried to close in and died for it, caught in the blows meant for Luke and the War General.

Luke slipped past another swing and watched the general for a beat. “You planning to march against the Orc Lord?”

“Against the Orc Lord?” The general laughed. “Against all of you. This continent will fall to us. We’ll devour it. It’ll feed the brood.”

Luke narrowed his eyes.

“The brood...” he repeated. “So the orc larvae really are part of this. Are you breeding them? Mass-producing them? Or is this just another name for expanding your kingdom?”

The War General froze for a split second. Luke smiled.

Got you.

“You know too much for a human.”

The general came at him again, and the fight carried them over another rooftop, then the next. By the time they broke apart, the human lines were several blocks behind them. Down in the streets, the nearest people were little more than moving figures between the buildings. A few orcs nearby still stole glances their way whenever they could.

Luke caught one of them looking.

Good. Let them watch.

The general pointed his axe at him. “You’re the biggest problem here. Consider it an honor, human. You’ll be devoured.”

Luke glanced back toward the distant human lines, then smiled. He ditched the mask and slipped it into his pocket dimension.

“Good enough.”

[Horns of the Demon of Darkness activated]

Black horns emerged from his head as the shadows around him deepened.

[Lethality Infusion activated]

Ghostly black blades extended beyond the kukris, translucent like living shadow and edged in deep violet light.

The orc’s eyes widened. “Horns? Don’t tell me you’re a demon.”

Luke tilted his head, still smiling. “Now, General... it’s showtime.”

[Shadow Phantom Reaper Dance activated]

Luke lunged forward, the mimic appearing beside him. The orc swung, and his axe hit him dead-on. He grinned, but the body beneath the blade broke apart into black smoke. Luke was already behind him, one kukri cutting through armor while the other opened flesh.

The War General wheeled around, but Luke had already switched again. His axe tore through the mimic as both kukris slipped through a gap in his armor.

Steam rolled off the general as his muscles swelled and veins stood out beneath his skin. He charged, and Luke gave ground across the rooftops, staying just ahead of the axe while the orc smashed through whatever got in his way.

Luke disappeared from sight. A blade opened the general’s ribs, and before he could bring his axe around, another slash caught him high on the shoulder. He swung back, but Luke was gone. Another switch, another cut. Then his attention shifted to the mimic.

There it is.

The axe came down at Luke’s head. Luke switched, the mimic taking his place, but the general was already turning. He’d figured it out. His fist came around the moment Luke reappeared.

Luke twisted away. The punch only clipped his ribs, but it still sent him skidding across the rooftop. He buried one kukri in the stone and dragged it behind him until he stopped.

A roar went up from the orcs below. The general grinned.

“That all you’ve got, demon?”

Luke glanced at his ribs, then back at him.

He smiled. “You need to hit me hard. I just need to cut you.”

The general bared his tusks. “Then one clean hit is all I need.”

“If you get another.”

[Arcane Infusion activated]

The kukri trembled in his hand as mana flooded through it. Raw arcane energy bled into [Lethality Infusion].

[Arcane Infusion (Epic)]: Evolution of [Mana Infusion]. Retains all previous effects. When channeled into a blade held by the Witch, arcane energy gathers along its edge, greatly increasing its cutting power.

Might as well make this unfair.

Mana surged through both kukris, and the violet edges of the phantom blades burned brighter, shedding tiny particles of light. Luke rolled one blade in his hand, leaving a faint trail in its wake.

The general charged, but this time Luke went straight at him. The axe came down, and Luke slipped past it with a single cut. A section of the general’s breastplate slid free.

The orc looked down at the ruined armor. By the time he looked up, Luke was already moving again. Another slash opened the plate over his ribs, then a third cut through the armor at his thigh. He swung harder and faster, trying to catch either Luke or the mimic, but every miss cost him another piece of armor. Luke started laughing.

“Here.”

The general turned toward his voice. A blade ripped across his back.

“Here.”

He swung again and hit the mimic. Luke appeared at his other side.

“Here.”

“STAND STILL!”

Luke drove in. One kukri sheared off the general’s tusk while the other struck the axe just below the head and snapped it.

He smiled. “What happened to that clean hit?”

The general snarled and threw the broken weapon aside. “I don’t need an axe to kill you.”

He threw a punch, but Luke slipped inside it and took the arm off at the shoulder. Blood splashed across the rooftop as the general staggered back, staring at the stump. The cheering from the orcs below died almost at once.

Luke glanced at the severed arm, then back at him. “You’re running out of options.”

The orc roared and came at him anyway. Luke stepped aside and drove one phantom blade into his stomach. The general stopped cold. When Luke pulled the kukri free, he dropped to one knee, one hand pressed against the wound.

Luke looked down at him. “This was over a while ago.”

The general’s face twisted. “You hide behind tricks and shadows. You know nothing about war!”

“You’re right. I don’t.”

The broken axe flew back into the general’s remaining hand. He forced himself up.

Luke lowered his kukris. “But I’m a hell of a lot better at killing.”

The general roared and came at him anyway, broken axe raised.

Before he could swing, Luke was already inside his guard. One kukri ripped across his chest, the other opened his throat, and both blades crossed through his torso as he slipped past. He landed behind the general, who made it one more step before his body came apart, pieces hitting the rooftop.

[You have slain an Orc War General - Lvl 147][+454 Soul Energy absorbed]

[Your class [Shadow Phantom Reaper] has reached Level 121!] (+30 Lethality, +24 Agility, +23 Perception, +22 Intelligence, +18 Wisdom, +13 Willpower, +10 Dexterity, +20 Free Points)

[Your second class [Arcane Spellcaster] has reached Level 117!] (+40 Intelligence, +31 Wisdom, +22 Perception, +19 Willpower, +10 Agility, +8 Dexterity, +7 Vitality, +25 Free Points.)

[You have reached Level 125! Half-Demon (Rank D)] (+8 bonus points to all attributes, +20 free points)

Luke raised his eyes to the orcs surrounding him.

“What’s with those faces? Aren’t you having fun?”

If they’d feared him before, now panic took over. Several ran, but six stepped forward instead.

[Orc General - Lvl 132]

[Orc General - Lvl 128]

[Orc General - Lvl 131]

[Orc General - Lvl 130]

[Orc General - Lvl 130]

[Orc General - Lvl 132]

One of them growled, “You think it’ll be that easy, human?”

The six didn’t charge like idiots. They surrounded Luke with two in front, one on each side, and two behind him, axes raised, eyes tracking his every move.

Luke looked at them, then at what was left of the War General. “Are you here to kill me, or are you planning to eat your War General?”

One of them hesitated, and Luke smiled.

“I know exactly how monster powers work.”

All six attacked at once. The two in front forced Luke back while the ones at his sides cut off his escape. The pair behind waited for him to switch. Their formation lasted all of three seconds.

Luke vanished between their swings. One axe struck the mimic while Luke opened a general’s throat with a kukri. He switched places with the shadow, ducked under the next swing, and cut a second orc open from ribs to sternum before the remaining four could close ranks.

One lost his head. Luke drove a kukri through another general’s throat, spun past another axe, and opened the orc’s chest before he could turn. The last one tried to run. Luke appeared in front of him, and a second later, he dropped too.

[You have slain an Orc General - Lvl 131][+273 Soul Energy absorbed]

[You have slain an Orc General - Lvl 132][+275 Soul Energy absorbed]

...

[Your class [Shadow Phantom Reaper] has reached Level 122!] (+30 Lethality, +24 Agility, +23 Perception, +22 Intelligence, +18 Wisdom, +13 Willpower, +10 Dexterity, +20 Free Points)

Luke looked over the bodies, then bent down and grabbed the War General’s severed head by the remaining tusk.

He held it up for the surrounding orcs to see. “This is the bastard you followed across the ocean.”

Luke smiled. “Who wants to be next?”

[Dread Aura activated]

Nobody moved. The nearest orcs backed away. One turned, then three, then a dozen. Someone shouted an order, but nobody listened. The army broke.

Luke went after them with the War General’s head still in one hand, cutting down anyone stupid enough to turn and fight. Before long, warnings were spreading through the streets ahead of him.

“Demon!”

“Run! The demon’s coming!”

By the time Luke reached the beach, the retreat was complete chaos. Orcs shoved and climbed over each other trying to reach the ships while captains screamed for them to hold formation. Some ran straight into the water in full armor. Others went down under the crowd and never got back up.

Luke rose above the beach and lifted the War General’s head again. Hundreds of orcs looked up at him.

“Your War General is dead!” he shouted. “Your generals are dead! So come on!”

He spread his arms.

“WHO THE FUCK IS NEXT?”

Nobody answered. The front ranks backed away as Luke let the head drop and conjured a knife. The moment they saw it, they turned and ran.

Luke threw.

[Meteor Shot activated]

The blade crashed into the fleeing ranks and exploded. Luke conjured another, then another, sending both into the crowd before dropping onto the beach with his kukris.

“Come on!” Luke shouted as the orcs scattered around him. “Come get me!”

Nobody did.

Luke rose back into the air as the ships began pulling away from shore. He threw a knife, and part of the nearest vessel exploded, spraying wood, metal, and orcs into the sea. Another blade tore open a second hull. He raised one more knife.

“Tell King Gurgal this: if he ever thinks about sending another army here, remind him who owns this continent.”

He pointed the knife at the fleeing ships.

“ME!”

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