NOVEL NEXT Chapter 100: The Pinnacle Of Swordsmanship
-----
After taking my attacks head-on, the powerful orc woman began to harness even more power than before, all the damage she had taken fueling her powerful blood-colored aura.
“Ahah… HAHAHAHA!”
She laughed wickedly, completely possessed by the power of her technique. Her Aura reinforced her muscles and size, suddenly making her a whole meter taller.
Yes, she became a whole meter taller out of nowhere; her arms, legs, and everything else became even stronger and larger; she was becoming a giantess.
At this point, her musculature was rather close to what Fiery Hair looked like.
And even more, it didn’t just extend to her body; her axe absorbed her powers, growing larger too. Her weapon possessed some magic properties; once exposed to her aura, it became larger and changed its design.
The silver-colored axe turned crimson like blood, gaining several red jewels across its body, which continued absorbing her aura. The weapon itself was incredible.
“Oh my, aren’t you full of surprises?”
She did mention that there was someone who once defeated her in the past, but that even after making their own faction, they were still defeated and died anyway.
It seems that she had gained the resolve to stop anybody from even doing such a foolish thing anymore; her position, apparently given to her by the Barbarian God’s cult as a “punishment” for her tribe’s "sins,” was done to punish her.
If she didn’t want to see any more innocent people die stupidly, she would have to go out of her way to beat them to a pulp and teach them to be realistic.
I can see the burden she carries, but I also find this whole punishment ridiculous, stupid, and unfair. Whatever this cult is, it’s going down.
But first, I have to beat her.
“RAAAAHH!”
With all her power and force at once, Mursha rushed towards me like a crimson beast; even her green skin had gained red tattoos resembling flames, and a pair of red horns grew in her forehead.
This was certainly a unique technique, something I had only seen in Murim and only wielded by powerful Immortals or Primordials.
“Magnificent!”
I received her gigantic axe attack with my sword, unleashing a powerful shockwave of golden light and shadows, imbuing my divinity of Yin and Yang into the blade.
CLASH!
The explosion of divinity and her aura collapsed into a huge shockwave, pushing away the people looking at the scene, barring my group, as their auras were strong enough to withstand it.
RUMBLE!
The ground beneath us shattered as I felt the immense power of Mursha pushing me down into the ground; she was mighty, amazing even.
She was perfect.
I want her as my disciple!
“RAAAH!”
With another mighty, beastly roar, the beautiful orc warrior unleashed her rage and wrath at once, her eyes glowing bright red as she attacked me with her axe several times at once, trying to shatter my stance or my weapon with sheer might.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
Yet unlike Caesar, she wasn’t without dexterity or technique. Although the King’s swordsmanship techniques abused their bloodline powers and brutal force to release devastating attacks, Mursha was both that and more.
“URRAH!”
With a ferocious roar, she swung her axe horizontally this time, trying to strike my ribs, which were unprotected like last time, aiming to send me flying into the air.
However, this time I moved my hands with dexterity and delicacy, the movements of my sword resembling golden snakes that wrapped around her arm and her axe.
CLANK!
Her axe was reflected by my sword’s blocking attack as I changed my stance into a more active role, rushing forward as I took ten steps forward.
“I recognize your incredible strength, Mursha! You’re an amazing woman!”
“GUH?!”
Mursha started to lose her footing as the movements of my sword became erratic to her, moving like a golden snake and then striking with tremendous force, like the deadly bites of these small predatory reptiles.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
“However…”
I imbued more Ki into my sword, my aura transforming completely, revealing the form of an eight-headed white and gold-colored snake.
“{Yin and Yang Harmonious Blade Arts}: {Heavenly Eight-Headed Serpent Blade: Orochi}”
“SHAAAH!”
The eight-headed serpent hissed furiously, clashing against Mursha’s axe techniques. At the same time, as I moved my hands and my blade, eight blows reached the orc woman within.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
“Ugh…! AARRGH!”
Mursha struggled, trying to overcome my blade arts, swinging her gigantic axe and unlashing explosive shockwaves of crimson energy.
However, I slashed them away as Orochi continued attacking her; her body was covered not in slashing attacks but in bite marks.
This technique allowed my sword to become like the fangs of a snake, and it also came with venom made out of condensed, liquefied Ki.
“Aagh! M-My arms…?!”
She quickly realized her muscles began to grow paralyzed; she couldn’t move as much as she wanted. I pushed forward, quickly slashing her stomach, chest, and legs.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
“Uuuaaaggh!”
She screamed in pain, being pushed back as she was covered by more and more wounds. Her aura grew stronger, but without the ability to even move her body, it was useless.
“It’s my victory, Mursha. You fought well.”
I rushed towards her and, with my bare fists, punched her stomach.
BAAAM!
“Uaagh?!”
She vomited blood, and then her eyes rolled, losing consciousness at that moment.
Her enormous body fell over mine, though, creating a rather awkward situation.
“Aahh… She’s quite heavy indeed,” I sighed. “Um, Mursha? I’ll heal you so you can stand up.”
I started healing her body, and then she slowly opened her eyes, widening them.
“Ah! … I lost?”
“Yes, you lost.”
“I… You’re incredible!”
“Am I? Well, thank you.”
“I’ve never faced another woman so powerful; I always thought I was the only female at my level... But you surpassed me, Bing Xue!”
“There are many strong women all across the Tower, I am sure... Um, Mursha, dear, how about you stand up?”
Her face was so close to mine that I could feel her warm breath in my mouth.
“Oh?”
Then she smiled mischievously.
“What? Are you embarrassed?”
I wouldn’t say embarrassed; I would admit I was quite aroused, in fact.
Of course, I can’t just tell her that.
“N-No at all... Ahem, but people are watching; you can stand up again, right?”
“I feel like laying over the grass for a while; you’re warm too; I like you.”
“You do?!”
“What is there to not like? You’re strong and beautiful.”
“Well, thanks…”
I am still trying to get used to beautiful women flirting so much with me.
Well, it isn’t as if that didn’t happen in Murim, but in Murim, they always had ulterior motives or were being forced by their masters.
However, she’s getting a bit too cocky now.
“Up you go!”
I quickly lifted her to free myself from her big, heavy body, carrying her in my arms like a princess.
“Uwaah! W-What are you doing?! I’m not a little girl to be carried like this!”
She complained but didn’t really fight me to free herself from my grasp.
Mursha had a cute side.
“You say that, but you seem rather happy I am carrying you, aren’t you, Mursha? You’re a bit cute.”
“C-Cute?! How dare you call an orc warrior cute?”
She quickly freed herself from my arms, kicking my stomach at the same time.
It didn’t hurt at all, though she had enough force to push me a bit back.
Damn, I love strong women.
As she freed herself, I saw my group rushing towards me and the rest of the spectators clapping after seeing such an amazing fight.
“S-She won…!”
“Mursha lost?!”
“W-What did I just see?!”
“She’s incredible!”
“I have never seen such a powerful warrior in years! It looks like Earth still has some good talents out there.
“Indeed! Mursha is one of our strongest, yet she was humiliated by that much smaller, yet mightier woman!”
“Bravo! I love bloody fights!”
“Though she’s too soft, she spared her life; how strange!”
They sure loved to see blood; these people had become savages on their own due to all these War Games. And nothing is saying there aren’t other members of that Barbarian God Cult here.
“You won, Bing Xue! Well done!” Peperina congratulated me. “I knew you would win anyway, but that fight was incredible.”
“I had never seen such a technique before; your swordsmanship is truly endless!” said Urbosa.
“Yeah! Just how many hidden techniques do you have, honey?” laughed Merkite.
“It was indeed surprising; that orc woman was very strong, though not as powerful as the Primal King,” Seth said.
He’s not saying anything more than seeing how well he did against the Primal King; he might have also won if he had come prepared enough.
He’s like Batman; give him enough prep time, and there’s little he can’t beat.
Anyways.
“So?” I asked Mursha. “Do I pass?”
“Of course you do,” Mursha said, crossing her arms and sighing. “And to think you even healed me back! I feel utterly humiliated.”
“The same thing was said by the King,” said Urbosa. “Do all of you warriors of honor feel humiliation when spared?”
“I can’t really relate to such feelings myself,” said Merkite. “I would only be grateful and happy to be spared and be given a second chance.”
“Hahaha! I suppose you deserters wouldn’t understand the Pride and Honor of a Warrior in these lands!” laughed Mursha. “Here in Elios, a Warrior’s Pride and Honor mean EVERYTHING! That I was spared and healed means I am humiliated by Bing Xue; by my customs and culture, it would mean that I now belong to her, even.”
“Belong to me?!” I asked. “Mursha, please…”
“I know that people from other worlds are softies, so I will not enforce my beliefs and culture into yours,” said Mursha with a loud tone of voice. “Nonetheless, I owe you a lot now. To restore my honor, I will serve you as a warrior and an ally if you allow me.”
“Thank you,” I nodded. “Does this mean I can now form my faction without choosing the other three?”
“Ah! "Right, I had forgotten that was the whole point, hahaha!” laughed Mursha. “Yes! You can now make your own faction! Naturally, as the general, I must join you in battle too. However, there’s a problem: even with me, you still don’t have enough members! A faction requires at least fifty people.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem at all.” I nodded with a smile. “After all, I do have a lot of friends too. Right everyone?”
I opened a golden-colored portal to my Inner Realm, revealing a huge army of mighty, primal people. Muscular and strong, with skin as black as charcoal, fiery red eyes and hair resembling flames, and white or red tattoos across their chiseled bodies.
Only wearing the minimum requirements of clothing after I forced them to not walk almost naked, they started wearing clothes made of animal pelt, fur, and bone armor; nothing else would make them feel comfortable.
These were mighty prehistoric humans from a parallel Earth, one where dinosaurs never went extinct, and one where a strange power mutated everything into overpowered creatures.
“Here we are, Bing Bing!” Fiery Hair ran to my side, smiling and hugging me. “Fiery hair brought all family! The fight for Bing Bing! Right, family?!”
She roared back at her family; they roared back at her.
“OOOOHHH!”
“FIGHT!”
“WOOOH!”
“BATTLE!”
“READY WE ARE!”
Their tremendous size, enormously strong, fiery Auras, and their appearances, which screamed “mighty warriors” everywhere, quickly caught the attention of the rest of the orcs.
“Are those humans?!”
“I have never seen humans like that!”
“Aren’t they all tiny rats?”
“How is this possible? Where did they come from?”
They couldn’t believe these people were all, in fact, the humans they looked down on so much.
Mursha glanced at me with disbelief and shock.
“Y-You can summon people here?! H-How?!” she asked.
“Hahaha, we can talk about that later in more detail,” I said, smiling. “Now, can I register these friends of mine?”
-----
