What Do You Wish For With Murky Eyes: Record of Highserk War - chapter 62

“Ugh!?”

With just one glance, Walm instinctively understood. The ogre before him was one of the leaders of the monsters that had breached the northern castle walls – its sharp, crimson-tinted horns reached high into the sky. While its body was smaller than a typical ogre, both magical and physical powers were densely compressed, making it feel as if they were tightly held within. The antique armor bore scars of battles fought, yet there were no fresh wounds or stains.

The mask vibrated more vigorously than ever. Walm inwardly cursed the unrestrained and indecent oni mask. Yellow eyes, reminiscent of gold, stared directly at Walm. In its right hand, like Walm, it held a blood-soaked longsword, and in its left hand, it gripped human heads by the hair. The heads, meant for sustenance, had bite marks in addition to the scars from past combat. Even so, Walm could identify whose heads they were.

“…Wake, Al.”

It was the head of Wake, the platoon leader who had been tasked with sweeping the northern castle wall, and the adventurer Al. The heads were carelessly thrown at Walm’s feet and rolled on the cobblestones. Despite being former enemies, Walm tried hard to keep his emotions steady in the face of the deaths of those who had stood shoulder to shoulder with him on the battlefield.

While Walm exerted himself to eliminate the ogres, the ogre in front of him had also been sweeping through Highserk soldiers and adventurers. Walm had an idea as to the name of the intelligent leader of the armed ogres.

“Ogre, Lord.”

At the pinnacle of the races designated as S Type and serving as the ruler, the Lord, leading a horde of ogres, could even conquer major cities. The appearance of one corner of the mastermind behind a large-scale rampage was entirely plausible. The Ogre Lord did indeed laugh as it directed its blade toward Walm. Words were unnecessary. Without saying a word, the Ogre Lord provocatively challenged Walm, indicating that he would be next. Strangely, the surroundings had already been cleared by Walm and the Ogre Lord. Walm, swift in judgment, recognized that the soldiers and civilians he should protect had been lost. In an instant, Walm conjured up magical power. A hot wind blew, and flames approached the Ogre Lord, who was the adversary. Before the blue flames entwined, the figure of the Ogre Lord disappeared.

“Gu, ugh!?”

With a speed that seemed to be constantly enveloped in wind attribute magic and a posture lowered as if crawling on the ground, the Ogre Lord closed the distance from Walm’s side. He scattered blue fire in all directions, but the Ogre Lord neither avoiding nor burning, pierced through. A powerful magical membrane blocked the blue flames. Judging from the ostentatious red horns, there was even a fear that it possessed a fire resistance skill. The all-directional attack with blue fire was effective against small fry, but those with a certain level of magical power could endure it.

If I concentrate magical power on firepower by narrowing the range, I might be able to deliver an effective blow, but the problem lies in the Ogre Lord’s mobility. Walm intercepted the approaching blade from the lower level with his sword. A naturally concentrated magical power, «Heavy Strike». Even just slipping and avoiding it, the sword was repelled by the intense impact. Don’t just defend; don’t give up the initiative. Reminding himself, Walm relentlessly wielded his sword, but he was hindered by delicate and powerful sword techniques that were so captivating, and the sword never reached its target.

Walm could only react to indiscriminate slashes targeting his feet, throat, wrists, fingers, and more. The reliable «Ignis Fatuus» was also hindered by the agile response speed and the astonishing magical membrane, unable to reach its target. Even in a clash of guards, Walm was overpowered by the difference in strength, rolling on the ground.

To quickly withdraw in order to avoid the approaching fatal blade with wind attribute magic, Walm still suffered a sharp pain and blood flowed from his arm. Despite using wind attribute magic to accelerate and gain distance, he was wounded in the hand. Without using magic, Walm would undoubtedly have suffered a fatal injury. In terms of physical strength, magical power, and sword technique, Walm was clearly inferior.

Even so, Walm did not retreat. The desire for revenge for his subordinates, the wish of the girl, and the pride of a soldier drove Walm into the struggle. While using blue flames for suppression and adjusting the distance, he executed wave attacks, making blue flames dance across the area. However, Walm still couldn’t deliver an effective blow.

The Ogre Lord, reading the faint signs even before the activation of «Ignis Fatuus», manages to evade it. Even against the unavoidable demon fire, he executes a powerful «Heavy Strike» imbued with dense magical power, slashing through the blue fire.

Emerging from the sea of blue flames, the Ogre Lord leaps forward. Walm switches to a thrust-centric attack. Swiftly, he thrusts three times—aiming for the throat, the thigh, and the hand. However, the Ogre Lord deftly avoids them by slipping away like sliding on the sword’s belly, altering the trajectory of Walm’s strikes. While his reflexes are exceptional, what stands out is his eyes. Unlike Walm’s clouded gaze, his eyes reflect the battlefield well.

Blocking a series of consecutive slashes from the Ogre Lord, Walm unleashes a «Heavy Strike» from the midsection, but the Ogre Lord evades by leaning back. Walm realizes his mistake as the Ogre Lord extends a thrust toward his throat despite the close proximity. Although Walm tilts his body, the blade extended from an unseen angle fiercely scrapes the side of his helmet.

With his posture disrupted, Walm receives a sharp kick that pierces through, despite the armor and magical membrane, delivering an impact that penetrates his gut. Air is expelled, and the taste of stomach acid fills his mouth. The assault continues unabated, and the Ogre Lord, holding the sword wrapped around Walm’s torso, swings it horizontally. Despite attempting to guard, a part of Walm’s right arm, along with the armor, is cut, causing blood to seep. While the magical membrane suppresses bleeding, further magical consumption puts Walm at a disadvantage. Don’t stop thinking. Keep moving. If you cease your actions, only death awaits.

“Ah, aaaaahh!!”

Raising a roar, Walm attacks the superior opponent. His shins, sides, and arms are marked by slashes, bearing the brunt of the attacks. Ribs creak and scream, but his thoughts and body never come to a halt. Rolling clumsily on the ground, Walm scoops up debris scattered on the cobblestones with the tip of his sword and hurls it towards the Ogre Lord.

The Ogre Lord doesn’t even bother to dodge, which suits Walm just fine. In the brief moment when his vision is obstructed, Walm unfastens the clasp of his cloak. He creates a fabric partition between the Ogre Lord and himself, manifesting «Ignis Fatuus».

Azure flames extend like arms from both sides, attempting to entwine the Ogre Lord. One side of the flames arm is repelled and extinguished by the «Heavy Strike». The remaining azure flames struggle to slip through the remarkable mobility displayed by the Ogre Lord.

A formidable demon, indeed. Even in the face of such skill, words of admiration surface in Walm’s mind. Yet, this situation was within expectations. A certain level of trust as adversaries led Walm to believe that the Ogre Lord would overcome his stratagem. With the sword piercing through the azure flames and the cloak, Walm thrusts the sword toward the Ogre Lord’s retreat, finally catching him. The sword, enveloped in blue fire, melts the armor, scorching the Ogre Lord’s side.

The Mithril-made longsword gifted by Gerald complements Walm’s «Ignis Fatuus» well. The sound, akin to meat sizzling on a hot plate, brings a smile to Walm’s face for the first time. It’s the awaited melody, a gospel for Walm.

“I guess you don’t like it rare!?”

In stark contrast to Walm, the Ogre Lord, who had previously emitted agonizing sounds, immediately switched to furious roars and swept his sword. Compared to the injuries Walm had sustained, this retaliation was merely a small counterstrike. However, Walm’s swordsmanship, magic, and awareness were honed and elevated through the course of the battle.

Covering the strength difference with «Ignis Fatuus», Walm didn’t take a step back. The clash of mighty magical forces caused the cobblestones to chip off and turn into debris.

Monsters and soldiers who were inadvertently involved watched from a distance, observing the direction of the battle. On one side, the highest military force of Dundurg Castle; on the other, the Ogre Lord, the leader of the great rampage.

It was evident that the victor would have the advantage in the upcoming battle. Through dozens, perhaps hundreds, of intersecting sword strikes, Walm was delving into the pinnacle of concentration.

His restrained mouth forgot even to swallow saliva, and only necessary information was being processed in his field of view. The one-sided slash wounds he had been receiving ceased. As the Ogre Lord closed in, Walm adeptly defended with swordsmanship and magic, and whenever a slight opening emerged, Walm would counterattack.

The high-pitched sound of blades scraping against each other repeatedly echoed through the battlefield. It was like a duet playing a melody, and the swords engaged in the battle were instruments. Switching their footing, exchanging positions, despite the brief hostilities, they performed a synchronized dance. For those who dropped out, death awaited.

Against Walm, who had suffered damage to his left hand and internal organs, the Ogre Lord was being burned by «Ignis Fatuus» on half of his body. Walm, who had been using the heavily mana-consuming blue fire extensively, couldn’t escape a disadvantageous situation in a prolonged battle. In order to break the deadlock, Walm needed to take a gamble.

At the moment of disengagement from the guard clash, utilizing the pressure from Ogre Lord’s sword, Walm leaped backward and began chanting wind attribute magic. Walm’s body, accelerating rapidly, screamed in response.

Adjusting to Walm circling around from the side, Ogre Lord, with an agility unimaginable from his colossal body, reversed and brought down the longsword at the landing point. Drawing the sword close to the limit, despite the twisting of Walm’s ankle and the tearing of muscles, Walm chanted wind attribute magic again.

While Ogre Lord’s blade tore through the armor, Walm intersected with the Ogre Lord once more, completely circling around to his rear. The strategy of crushing the foot was a one-time move. Burning and gouging the cobblestones with «Ignis Fatuus», Walm forcefully fixed Ogre Lord’s foot in place and delivered a full-force blow.

Walm instantly pushed aside the sword that the Ogre Lord had pulled back. The sword penetrated the log-like neck, searing and slicing through flesh, cutting bones, and finally beheading. Walm, confident of victory, grimaced. The reason was that the Ogre Lord, with its severed head, was smiling.

Walm, the supposed winner, found his position about to be reversed. It was a pathetic struggle, but for Walm now, it was a fatal blow. The Ogre Lord, with its severed head, extended its fingers menacingly towards Walm’s face in what felt like slow motion. Walm realized that there was no time for evasive maneuvers, no time for magic.

“Damn demon—”

Sharp fingers approached with full view. In the instant darkness spread, Walm screamed in agony as if his brain were directly stirred up by pain.

“Ugh, guh!! I… it hur– gyaaah!!”

Unbearable pain surged from where his eyes had once been. The sensation of nerves being severed made Walm uncertain if it was pain anymore.

His brain is splitting. Splitting. Shattering. Walm has no room for flailing limbs. Contrary to his will, his entire body begins to convulse.

“A…ahh, ahh…”

Like a poorly crafted automaton, Walm continues to utter words. His breathing is erratic, his body arches backward, and it doesn’t stop. He hears something, but Walm’s brain can no longer process it normally. Amidst the excruciating pain, Walm is lured into an endless darkness. He struggles to grab onto something, but there’s no sensation. Whether his sense of touch is lost or even perception itself is beyond Walm’s current imagination.

“A…ah, uu?”

With a faint utterance, Walm’s consciousness is completely severed, and his hollow eye sockets are directed towards the unobstructed blue sky.