Chapter 284

The Horse King, the Terror of the East, the Thief of Fortresses and Cities, the Collector of Crowns, the Master of Ten Thousand Beasts.

As is often the case with those of great renown and power, Sahulan Khan was known by many titles.

Like the Khans before him, Sahulan was a leader with formidable strength, intelligence, and ambition. Even if he had not been, the wise Archangel of the Netherworld, who had guided and counseled the Khans throughout history, would have molded him into one.

However, if there was one flaw that even the Netherworld could not fix in Sahulan, it was his somewhat distorted love for horses. His affection for horses extended far beyond the usual fondness of a trainer or breeder and reached into a realm that was difficult to comprehend.

Of course, Sahulan was neither the first nor the last orc with such an inclination. The fact that a significant number of Keshiks were born only from the Olkan Code showed that this preference was not exactly a minor one.

Since horses couldn't speak and testify about their fathers, all the Khans throughout history had accepted and raised every Keshik as their own children. Even Olkan himself had been rumored to harbor an excessive fondness for horses, so no one dared to question Sahulan's sexual preferences.

Thus, when Sahulan brought his warhorse to the top of the mountain, Atlan furrowed his brow but was not surprised.

'No matter how much of a Khan he is, bringing his lover to the battlefield? Is he out of his mind?'

Though others might have found such a thought absurd, it wasn't particularly strange to the orcs.

As was customary, the Keshiks knelt when the Khan approached, waiting for him to pass. Atlan did the same, watching as Sahulan's warhorse left hoofprints in the ground before him.

Sahulan was an ordinary orc, but he possessed a giant physique similar to that of the Keshiks, enough to be called a giant without any sense of irony.

He was nearly in his sixties, a remarkably old age for an orc who treated life so carelessly. Yet his muscles remained solid and strong, like those of a robust warhorse.

"Is that the Issacrea estate?"

Sahulan asked, gazing down from the slopes of Mount Geliford. Below the steep ridges, the low-lying fog twisted in an unnatural manner. Small farmlands, villages, and a fortress stretched out between the sheer valleys along the winding mountain paths.

Sahulan glanced at Atlan and muttered.

"I never imagined that in such a rural village, there would be someone even you couldn't defeat."

"...That one is a monster. I mean it literally."

"I heard. He used tentacles?"

Atlan nodded.

He had reported everything he had experienced to Sahulan. Additionally, a few souls who had narrowly escaped being hunted by Isaac had given similar reports.

The implication was clear. Isaac was not a Paladin of the Codex of Light. He was some kind of bizarre creature from an incomprehensible realm.

But there was no way to use this information. Spreading it among their allies would only incite fear, and the enemies wouldn't believe it even if they tried. They had even told a captured priest as a test, but the priest hadn't believed it at all.

Sahulan tilted his head slightly, as if pondering Isaac's true nature.

"If that thing is what I think it is... just a monster wearing human skin, its inner self is no different from a beast. The Codex of Light wouldn't tolerate such a creature, so why would it go to such lengths to stand on their side?"

"It might be trying to destroy them from within."

"Perhaps. But it's a futile effort. The Codex of Light is not a faith that can be toppled by some petty scheme. Among the settlers, they are like the most solid bedrock."

The warhorse beside Sahulan snorted, and Sahulan patted its neck. This horse, named Orthea, was old, considering the lifespan of horses, yet Sahulan's undying affection for it was evident. It was also Atlan's biological mother, though he consciously chose not to dwell on that fact.

"Yes. As Orthea suggests, the only thing that can bring them down is overwhelming power. Not some unknown monstrosity."

"...Indeed."

Sahulan surveyed the Issacrea estate, then scoffed and withdrew.

"I thought my adversary would be a warrior like Emperor Waltzemer or Dehra Heman. I expected to meet them deep within the Empire, not in some remote corner like this."

As he spoke, he retrieved a large bow from Orthea's back. It was a greatbow, as large as an average orc. This bow, crafted by Olkan himself after slaying the dragon of the East, was so immense that ordinary orcs couldn't even draw its string.

In fact, only a Khan was permitted to wield it.

And this bow bore a name that commanded reverence from anyone within the Olkan Code, a name that even the Khan himself had to treat with utmost respect.

Sahulan Khan drew a steel arrow on the string of the bow named "Netherworld." As he pulled it back, the string emitted a chilling scream.

The ancestors dwelling within the Netherworld were not ordinary beings. Khans were not allowed reincarnation. Instead, they were bound to the Netherworld to advise and lend strength to their successors.

If the Archangel Manseungja was a being who had experienced thousands of lives, the Netherworld was a collective of over a hundred Khans.

As the Netherworld let out an eerie wail, the Keshiks hurriedly retreated. Sahulan Khan did not wait for them to fully prepare before releasing the bowstring.

A violent gust of wind swept through.

***

In exchange for rummaging through the mind of Derren, the Manho Chief, Isaac learned the strategy and tactics that the Olkan Code had devised. With this valuable military intelligence in hand, Isaac could formulate a more effective plan to thwart the Olkan Code.

However, he noticed that the Olkan Code's movements had begun to change starting from late noon.

'What is this?'

The previous night's raid had exhausted the orcs, yet the enemy hadn't budged from the ridgeline since the morning. Considering the ongoing decay, they should have been in more of a hurry, but their behavior was strange.

And Isaac didn't like this inexplicable movement.

'Hesabel, do you see anything unusual among the enemy?'

Hesabel was observing the orcs' movements from the sky, riding on Nel in Isaac's stead. While her daytime vision wasn't the best, thanks to the "Rat in the Wall" that had been planted, Isaac could share her view.

'No, they've been completely still since last night. But... there is some movement on the northeastern peak...'

'Movement?'

"Those orc-horse hybrids, you know? Keshiks? A lot of them are gathering over there. And... there's also a massive orc with them... Wow, he's almost as big as someone riding a horse!"

Isaac's senses sharpened instantly. There weren't many orcs of that size, and only one orc was ever guarded by Keshiks.

Sahulan Khan—he had appeared on the battlefield.

"Hesabel, immediately pull back with Nel."

"Got it."

Without questioning Isaac's command, Hesabel prepared to retreat, though she continued her reconnaissance as she did so.

"Ah, he's drawing something like an arrow now... Wait, is he planning to shoot it all the way to the city? Is that even possible?"

Isaac started running as fast as he could. At the same time, he commanded all his servants to move and vacate the area immediately. However, no matter how fast Isaac ran, he couldn't outrun the speed of an arrow.

He saw trees being shredded before his eyes, followed by a cloud of dust and shockwaves splitting the mountain ridges repeatedly. Somewhere in the mountains, an explosion erupted.

A thunderous boom echoed across the Geliford mountain range.

The arrow, which had pierced through the sound barrier at an unimaginable speed, exploded upon impact with the ground, uprooting dozens of trees and flinging them into the air. It was no ordinary arrow. The earth trembled as the ground rippled from the impact point, triggering a localized earthquake.

Landslides erupted across the Geliford mountain range.

Isaac quickly climbed up the ridge to find where the arrow had struck. What he saw was a crater, devastated as if a mortar shell had exploded. It was exactly where the fortress in Purth Valley had been established.

The narrow pass that could have been defended by just a few Paladins was now a gaping, open road.

Isaac knew instinctively that the shock from this impact had likely obliterated the makeshift barriers and obstacles he had spent weeks constructing.

"Isaac, what is that? Wait, is that...?"

Hesabel's frantic voice trailed off abruptly. Isaac looked up at the sky. Nel was flying at an altitude where it appeared like a tiny bird, but even at such a height, it was meaningless in the face of this catastrophic force.

As Nel suddenly veered off its course, a red dot rapidly descended from the sky. Clouds were torn apart in its unseen trajectory. Once again, the deafening sound of the projectile pierced the mountain range.

"Hesabel, get a grip!"

Nel fluttered its wings a few times before plummeting towards the ground at a speed close to freefall. Hesabel barely regained her composure, struggling to stabilize her flight. However, she ended up crash-landing somewhere in the forest.

There was only one weapon capable of creating such devastation.

Netherworld—the Archangel of the Netherworld, currently embodied as a weapon.

Of course, it had its true form within Urvansus, but the Netherworld in the form of a bow was one of the few top-tier relics that could harness the power of an angel.

If Sahulan indiscriminately unleashed the power of Netherworld, it would have no problem tearing the entire Issacrea estate to shreds.

Isaac felt a burning sensation in his head, but thankfully, there were no more arrows from Netherworld.

"There's a limit to how many times Netherworld can be used. It also places a heavy burden on its wielder. It's more of a tactical weapon than a regular bow."

But that also meant that Sahulan believed he could handle Isaac with just this much. Isaac struggled to suppress the unpleasant feeling that he had survived thanks to the enemy's overconfidence and carelessness.

Yet at the same time, the realization that Sahulan had personally come filled him with a thrill that more than compensated for his irritation.

"This means he considers me a worthy adversary."

Isaac gritted his teeth, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

"Fine, then. I'll be the bait that's too tempting to resist."

If Sahulan thought he could win by just deploying a few soldiers, curses, and minions, he was gravely mistaken.

The Issacrea estate had already been transformed into a massive trap meant to devour the Olkan Code. Now, the question was whether this trap could capture the unprecedented tiger that was Sahulan Khan.

***

Bwoooo— Bwoooo—

Shortly after Sahulan Khan's steel arrow struck the mountain range, the sound of horn trumpets blared from all directions. The orcs, who had been lying in wait, slowly began to advance once more. Their steps down the slopes were now much quicker and lighter than before.

Manho Chief Kraxal smirked as he observed the crude traps along the slopes, which had collapsed due to the earthquake caused by Netherworld.

So, is this the extent of his strategy? Trying to lower our morale and obstruct our supplies?

It's clever, but such tactics are meaningless against overwhelming power. The shamans were already preparing a full-scale retaliation ritual.

High up in the mountains, three shaman generals were gathered, performing the ritual.

The earthquake caused by Sahulan Khan was a kind of ceremony to cleanse the land of its Syahn energy. The positioning of the arrow just added a practical aspect to it.

Teherma, the shaman general who directly served Sahulan Khan, danced while waving a staff adorned with feathers and paper strips, chanting invocations. On the lacquered red table before them, fruits from the region were piled high.

Before long, the fruits suddenly bore teeth marks.

Crunch, snap, gnash. The fruits were devoured rapidly, leaving only their cores.

Teherma, drenched in sweat, chanted the invocation even faster, then suddenly swung the staff toward the west.

Thud, thud, thud. Out of nowhere, footprints began to appear in the sweat-soaked ground. And the effect was immediately felt in the Issacrea estate.

"What... What the hell!"

A resident who had just fetched some freshly smoked meat from the warehouse was horrified to see the food being devoured by something invisible right before his eyes. He tried to tear away the meat, only to have his fingers bitten off. Screaming in pain, he retreated. It was only then that he realized this was the work of some malevolent force. He ran to the monastery, seeking a priest for help.

But he wasn't able to get assistance in time. A similar phenomenon was occurring within the monastery itself, with the priests preoccupied with defending against it.

Throughout the Issacrea estate, bread, meat, cheese, and even unharvested wheat were being chewed up and swallowed whole.

The Hungry Horde of the Olkan Code.

It was a miracle created by harnessing the souls of orcs who had starved to death. These malevolent spirits wouldn't touch anything alive, but if they recognized something as food, they would devour it and send it to Urvansus.

In response to the miracle of decay, the Issacrea estate was now being looted of its food supplies by these evil spirits.