Chapter 137: Seii Taishogun

"So you are the 'champion', eh?"

A high orc wearing a heavily armoured outfit emerged from the tent. He was the very incarnate of the term 'Seii Taishogun' and was tall enough to literally look down on the humans. The black armour plates with golden border lines was a spectacular sight to behold. The triple horned helmet had a menacing appearance and even the guards shuddered at its sight. The traditional red mask was unnecessary, as his red face with upward pointing overgrown canine incisors amplified the visual disturbance of his face. The scars on his intimidating face made D assume that he was still single!

A pair of ōdachi decorated both sides of his waist. Their black and red coloured leather handles were alluring, and displayed his vigour to fight. At a glance, the worn out scabbards indicated his ruthless and barbaric mode of fighting. Metallic clanging noises were produced at every step he took. Maybe it was because of the armour's weight, his foot left a faint impression when lifted off the ground.

Towering almost 8 foot tall, that behemoth bipedal walked with an unspeakable elegance. The guards came running from all sides and bowed as he passed them. Their respect did not stem from reverence, but from fear. Taking leisure steps, the high orc reached in front them. Mia and An silently reached for their swords.

"You? Champion? Don't make me laugh and get lost!"

For the first time, Lee is looking literally up to someone. The mocking was evident in his words and in those green pupils. The high orc bended his torso forward and brought its face before Lee. The green pupils glared at him with intense waves of threat, which was not enough to make him cringe. Witnessing the unwavering spirit inside the champion's eyes, the armoured orc straightened his posture, and said-

"Looks like you might be the champion. Fight and prove that you are one!"

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Quest generated.

'Defeat the High Orc.'

Reward: 3000 Essence, 1 Weapon Upgrade Token.

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[I was wondering why there were no quests. Turns out it was looking for a worthy opponent.]

The invite to fight became official, when the high orc released its aura of 6th stage Soul Manifestation realm. Gauthama took a few steps backward and gestured at the ladies to step back by a good distance. Leaving Lee alone, his five companions retreated to more than 9 metres. They were doubtful as to whether this distance would be enough, as they saw the guards moving much away from the high orc. Taking them as an example, the five people moved even further from him.

"Are you trying to tell me that you don't have a weapon?"

The rough voice of mockery roise up into the air, and the guards laughed in unison with the high orc. D immediately reminded to take out the scythe and acquire it's mastery. With a smirk, Lee pulled out the Kiramium from the spatial ring. The thin sandy brown diagonal stripes on the black handle unconsciously invoked a sense of caution in the orc in armour. It was amazed to know that it had involuntarily reached for the handles of the ōdachis.

"Does he know how to use it?"

Mia asked Gauthama, who gave him the scythe. Ruella and An were concerned about his proficiency in such an uncommon weapon. More than that, they were clueless as to how he was going to defeat the high orc with two ōdachis, with a short scythe. They had no choice, but to watch the fight.

"Timur Adiuvat, Brigadier in command. 5th stage Soul Manifestation realm."

"Lee, adventurer. Rookie level melee weapon user."

The high orc introduced itself and Lee followed him. The cultivation of the orc was actually 5th stage, but the aura was thick enough for a breakthrough to the 6th stage. Timur intentionally added his position and cultivation stage to scare Lee, but it in turn made him more eager to fight. The smirk on Lee's face gave a green flag to the high orc, to go all out. A ferocious smile crept up on Timur's face as his right hand swung to his left and instantly gripped on the sword handle. Within an instant, the ōdachi flashed horizontally at Lee.

Upgraded Foresight skyrocketed his sensory reception and showed him the trajectory of the sword in detail. The sword cannot reach Lee, but it displayed strength enough to make any average person cringe.

'D, let me show you something I learned when you were asleep.'

A ball of Mana materialised around the palm in which he held the scythe. Lee twirled backward on his left leg and simultaneously lowered his torso forward. The sword slowly drifted above his hairs, and he extended his arm with palm open. The short scythe flew away from his palm,but the Mana acted as a thick thread and swung the scythe as he turned 360 degrees. With each passing moment, the Man elongated and the scythe moved away from his palm.

Before Timur realised what was happening, Kiramium was swinging and it's trajectory was sure to chop of the high orc's neck. Lee simultaneously used Map and the Foresight to precisely adjust the length of the Mana construct.

The brigadier high orc saw the arrival of death's scythe. His left hand immediately let go of the swinging ōdachi, and grabbed the handle of the other one at the waist. He did not get enough time to defend, because as soon as he unsheathed it partially, the scythe blade was near his cheek. So he took out the sword in an almost vertical manner, and blocked the scythe's strike by a hair's breadth. The momentum contributed by the instant twirl and the swing pushed the partially unsheathed sword to Timur's face. He saw his own eye's reflection on the blade!

The sword drifted over Lee's face and he straightened his posture. To not stand out too much, the Mana flow was deactivated and the scythe fell on the ground. Timur was frozen for a second as he faced an unexpected threat from an unpredictable angle. Slowly and steadily, he sheathed his twin ōdachis and glanced at the scythe and Lee. Glancing back to the unique short scythe, he picked it up and walked towards Lee.

"You are the champion, because you have skills. You and your companions may pass."

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Quest completed.

Weapon Upgrade Token stored in Inventory.

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