Chapter 263

"Chase him!"

The captain in charge of security shouted in shock.

However, instead of pursuing Isaac, the orcs hesitated. Most of the shamans had died, making reincarnation difficult.

Isaac's prediction was correct: if a shaman died, the orcs would feel the fear of death.

The captain roared at the hesitant orcs.

"The general shaman was killed within the camp! Do you think Shaman Kirmas will spare you when he reincarnates?"

Only then did the orcs, startled, start chasing Isaac.

It wasn't just the common soldiers who could reincarnate; shamans could too, and their spiritual powers grew stronger with each reincarnation. They didn't know when Kirmas would reincarnate, but if he held them accountable, they could end up as souls, unable to reincarnate, destined to carry burdens.

"Where did such a madman come from...?"

The captain nervously bit his nails as he examined the shaman's corpse.

He knew there was a dragon. But he hadn't expected it to land precisely in the middle of the camp and target the general shaman.

No one could have predicted such a scenario. Only Isaac could pull off something like this.

"A mess."

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

Hoofbeats sounded from behind the captain. There was only one group permitted to ride horses within the camp. Not fellow orcs, but warriors born with the souls of orcs inside horse bodies, known as the chosen warriors.

Orcs called these warriors, who were born as paladins of the Olkan Code, the Khan's guards or "Keshik."

Isaac would have called them orc-centaurs, but the orcs had no such concept.

"Atlan Keshik."

Seeing the enormous figure with a horse's body and an orc's upper torso, the captain nervously stepped back.

"General Shaman Kirmas was killed? He wasn't someone who would die so easily."

The Keshik moved only on the Khan's orders and were exempt from the military hierarchy. Even the lowest soldier didn't need to treat the Keshik as a superior.

Yet, the captain couldn't tell the Keshik to just go away.

Though the Keshik moved only by the Khan's orders, they acted as executioners or overseers. If the commanding officer showed incompetence or signs of rebellion, the Keshik would immediately behead them.

Having the Khan's overseer witness this chaos meant the captain's head could be forfeit. But the captain didn't foolishly attack the Keshik.

Atlan circled the scene, paying particular attention to Kirmas's body.

"What is this? Did he stab his own neck?"

"Yes, Atlan Keshik. That's what the report said."

"I was inspecting the chaos at Major Koral's front, then came here... Had I known such an interesting event would happen, I would have stayed at the rear."

Atlan bared his teeth in a grin and stared in a particular direction.

It was the direction Isaac had fled.

"I'll pursue him. You tend to your duties. It seems the death of Major Koral has thrown the captains into disarray. With Shaman Kirmas gone, it'll become even more chaotic."

Startled by Atlan's words, the captain rushed off. To avoid blame, he needed to coordinate with the other captains. While the Holy Grail Knight's attack was a disaster from the sky, he had to stake his life on managing the aftermath.

Once the captain left, Atlan drew two curved swords from his back and started pursuing Isaac.

'He's a dangerous one.'

The Codex of Light wielded the mightiest warriors among the settlers. Atlan had expected strong adversaries, but he hadn't anticipated meeting one so early. Isaac's daring move to assassinate a shaman from the sky indicated a deep understanding of the Olkan Code.

This man was dangerous.

Atlan's instincts as the Khan's elite whispered that this man could threaten the Khan and the entire raid. He needed to be eliminated swiftly.

***

Isaac fled towards the dense forest behind the orc camp. Since Kirmas's location was near the rearmost area, Isaac couldn't break through the heavy frontline forces towards Soer. He had to make a wide detour or return riding Nel.

But the trail of slaughter and destruction left by Isaac became a clear path. Soon, orc soldiers riding for their lives entered the forest in pursuit.

Like many forests near large cities, this one was managed to raise livestock like pigs. Though there were no trees or vines blocking the path, it still provided enough cover for Isaac to hide.

Rather than returning, Isaac chose to show the incoming orcs a glimpse of hell.

"A monster!"

An orc soldier swung his spear wildly, but the only thing getting hurt were the innocent trees.

The soldiers who had entered with him had already vanished. The surviving orc could only see the barely perceptible movements of something inhuman and the occasional remains of his comrades.

Without a shaman, could he reincarnate if caught by this monster? Was this creature a chaos monster that devoured wandering souls?

As these thoughts consumed him, the orc's breath grew labored, despite his inactivity.

There was something evil in this forest. It wasn't a paladin. Perhaps even the paladin had already been devoured.

Rustle.

"Who's there!?"

The orc screamed and swung his spear. But there were only trees. The dark forest, shadowed by tall trees, barely allowed visibility. Yet, somewhere among those trees...

Was that tree always that close?

The orc fixed his gaze on one tree.

Its branches were unusually long and abundant for its short trunk, creating patterns unseen in nature. As he realized the tree was mimicking, his mind turned icy cold. The 'tree' abandoned its disguise and began moving slowly.

Hundreds of tendril-like branches, no, tentacles, floated as it 'walked' towards the orc.

The creature had a woman's torso, but its face was grotesquely split, and above it, hundreds of tentacles spread like branches.

Watching the tentacles dance, the orc felt his grip on reality slip. He realized the delicate balance of order and rules he'd known was being torn apart by this brutal, chaotic madness.

The monster, no, Hectali, approached and whispered to the orc.

"Evi."

The orc foamed at the mouth and fainted.

Hectali checked the state of the fallen orc to ensure he hadn't died of a heart attack. Just then, Isaac emerged from the forest, drenched in orc blood, and frowned at the sight of Hectali.

"You look horrific."

"You told me to scare them and send them back. I was doing as instructed."

Isaac nodded. He too had been killing half and sending the other half back half-dead. The survivors would spread fear within the ranks of the Olkan Code, spreading rumors that the Nameless Chaos devoured souls.

And it was no lie.

[You have devoured 'Olkan Code Priest (B-)'.]

[Special perk from 'Intestines of the Dead God' increases absorption efficiency.]

[Temporary perk 'Spiritual Communion' acquired.]

[Temporary perks remain active until fully digested.]

Though Isaac hadn't been able to devour Kirmas, he had absorbed soul fragments by killing the shamans with his swordsmanship, granting him this perk. It wasn't anything grand, merely the ability to see and speak with souls. While other faiths' miracles were learned, the Olkan Code's miracles were innate and could be acquired through devouring.

This allowed Isaac to scatter or disrupt the souls of the shamans, preventing them from returning. And even without this ability, Isaac had the 'Grasp of the Dead' gloves, capable of holding souls.

The fact that the souls killed in this forest couldn't return would unsettle the orcs.

Then, suddenly,

Swish! A sharp sound of an arrow pierced through the air, striking Hectali in the head. The numerous tentacles attached to Hectali's head lost their roots and fell to the ground.

Hectali staggered, pointing in the direction the arrow had come from. At the same time, the forest rustled and wildlife began to scatter.

Subject Here - But soon, she crouched down as if a flower withered.

Isaac realized Hectali wasn't dead but was seriously injured.

"Hectali, rest."

'Yes.'

Hectali's strength lay in curses and summoning, not physical prowess. Even so, she wasn't an opponent to be taken lightly.

'To hit her with a single arrow in this forest?'

It was an extraordinary ability.

Isaac immediately dashed in the direction the arrow had come from. In an instant, an arrowhead zoomed towards him as a tree trunk exploded. But Isaac, in a state of extreme focus, deflected the arrow. At the same time, he pinpointed the enemy's location and used Kaldwin's acceleration ability to charge.

Boom, boom! Kicking off two trees, Isaac soon spotted an orc—no, a centaur-like creature, half-orc, half-horse.

'Keshik!'

The opponent was just as surprised. He threw aside his bow and drew his curved sword.

Bang! The centaur, Atlan, skidded back, leaving deep tracks as he moved. Isaac, who had intended to cleave him in two, ground his teeth. The sword wasn't ordinary, nor was the strength.

"Who are you? I didn't know the Codex of Light had such a paladin."

"And who are you? I didn't expect anyone to block me."

"Atlan."

"Isaac."

They rudely introduced themselves, both taken aback. Atlan already knew Isaac's name through the whispers of the dead, and Isaac recognized Atlan's identity, leading to their mutual surprise.

'Why is the Khan's chosen here?'

***

"We must pursue immediately!"

"Are you insane? We should wait for Shaman Kirmas to appoint a new commander!"

"What's there to hesitate against that pile of rubble? Centurion Katawal nearly took the city alone!"

"That was before the Codex of Light arrived!"

Meanwhile, the orc cavalry was in utter confusion.

The captains, who were supposed to follow Major Koral's command, were in disarray due to the sudden death of their commander. Although a successor was appointed, he lacked support among the other captains.

"If your strategy is to wait until a new major is chosen, why are you the new commander? You should take the role and lead!"

The captain supposed to take command had tried to be cautious but was berated and marginalized.

Among orcs, such 'weak and defensive' strategies were not welcomed. Moreover, the enemy was a city they had already ravaged numerous times.

Eventually, the captains forcefully decided to charge towards Soer, not long after Major Koral's death. They hadn't yet learned of Kirmas's death.

Though they understood Major Koral's desire to flatten the city, they had waited too long.

And that wait brought them not the thrill of conquest, but utter humiliation.

They had to wash away this disgrace.

The only way to cleanse this humiliation was to turn Soer into a heap of rubble and bathe it in the blood of its inhabitants.

"Charge!"

With a thunderous roar, the cavalry stormed towards Soer, kicking up immense dust. The destructive force within seemed like a rising storm.

Their judgment was correct.

By the time Major Koral had shattered the city walls, they possessed enough power to seize Soer. This fact didn't change despite Major Koral's absence. Had it been an ordinary city, the forthcoming events would have been an all-out slaughter by the Olkan Code.

Had Isaac not perfectly prepared for the Olkan Code's assault.

"Kill them all!"

As the first cavalryman crossed the stone hill, the captains felt something was terribly wrong.