Chapter 85. Across the woods

Karakchwi moved. Slowly and leisurely, with the composure and leisure of the strong.
Every time he walked, the giants around him collapsed, spurting blood. Their limbs were severed, heart pierced, and neck ripped off.
“This little guy!”
The giants rushed at him in anger, but their life was lost as quickly as the momentum of the rush.
When he cut down over twenty giants alone, the giants who had trampled the battlefield were greatly embarrassed and began to retreat.
There were still many enemies. Even if Karakchwi was great, he could not block all battlefields alone. But the atmosphere has already changed. As he appeared, the enemy’s momentum was greatly reduced. The demoralized enemy forces were not as threatening as before.
Those who change the flow of the battlefield with individual bravery were called heroes. He was the hero of this battlefield. Karakchwi was the hero of this battlefield.
Woo-woo-.
A horn sounded from the enemy camp. It was as loud as when announcing the start of the battle. Upon receiving the signal, the giant’s army stopped fighting and began retreating at once.
The enemy was very strategic. Rather than judging that the current situation was unfavorable, it was correct to feel the change on the battlefield and just take a step back.
The Fairy Legion and Frost Elves, who watched the giant’s army leave until the end, breathed heavily.
“Whoa, whoo!”
It was a fiercer battle than they expected. In addition, the psychological wound caused by cutting off the connection with the World Tree was too great. They tried not to show it, but a look of fatigue was evident on their faces.
Karakchwi glanced at Philane Greywood and Baltimoor Iridin who approached, after they had collected their scattered troops.
Just a goblin, an insignificant and weak goblin. It wasn’t that they didn’t think so, but the goblin’s gaze made the elven heroes flinch. It was because they instantly felt the gap between them and Karakchwi.
“… amazing Could a goblin be this strong?”
Baltimoor Iridin muttered that inadvertently, and Tezan, the seeker of nature, appeared out of nowhere and grinned.
“Before you say that, how about thanking you for your help? Don’t you guys have that kind of manners, elves?”
At that, Baltimoor Iridan nodded and acknowledged.
“It is my mistake. I apologize for that and thank you for the help we could have been in big trouble.”
“Hehehehe, to see the elf lowering his head. This volunteering is rewarding.”
Ivan narrowed his eyes when he saw Tezan, the Seeker of Nature, laughing exaggeratedly.
‘For a shaman who lives buried in nature, he’s used to politics.’
Although they fight together against the army of the old giants who have reawakened, that doesn’t mean that the alliance of blood and the elves are very amicable.
After that, several more forces will gather, so it’s like they jumped out of the bloody alliance to take the initiative.
Karakchwi, on the other hand, stood expressionless as if he didn’t care how Tezan behaved. As he should be. He wouldn’t be very interested in anything other than training himself.
Ivan knew him. He knew what he had done, and he knew the legend he would create.
The swordsman representing the alliance of blood, the strongest goblin.
Ivan was aware of his greatness, which could not be explained with just such adjectives.
“… Do you have something to say to me, human?”
Feeling Ivan’s hot gaze, Karakchwi opened his mouth. It was a somewhat stiff and crude tone, probably because he was not familiar with the common language. But it suited him so well.
“No, not at all. I just felt that there was a long way to go.”
Answering that, Ivan tried to take a step back, but Karakchwi unexpectedly spoke up.
“Are you the warrior who killed Valkrun and cut off Srakan’s arm?”
Valkrun and Srakan were the sons of Kartak, the Orc Lord who lost their life or became a disabled after being defeated by Ivan. When Karakchwi recited their names, a chill went down Ivan’s spine. Because he doesn’t know what he meant by bringing up the story.
Ivan gave him a moment’s pause and nodded his head.
“Well, that’s what happened.”
Karakchwi showed no hostility. His eyes were still and calm. It was just a normal way of talking, as if asking about the weather today.
“It is different from what I have heard. You are not comparable with those guys. Did it not take that long before you grew up this much?”
“It seems like a long time ago to me, but when I think about it, it’s not that long ago. I had to become strong in order not to die.”
“It is a good motivation to become stronger.”
A tone that seemed to be looking down for a long time. But Ivan didn’t even think to refute. It was because he acknowledged that there was that much difference in skill between him and himself.
In the meantime, Ivan has become much stronger, but he is still not enough to compare with a strong enough representative of a single faction.
‘If I accept the power of God to the limit… … .’
Ivan, who was measuring his level with Karakchwi like that, soon shook off those thoughts. He knew it was just his greed.
Chuck, Chuck!
After some time, a mixed force of orcs, goblins and trolls arrived across the snowy forest. All the reinforcements sent by the Blood Alliance have arrived.
They must have sent their elite, but their presence was not great. Since they were only the aides of Karakchwi and Tezan.
“The alliance is still at war with humans, so there aren’t many of them. But I can’t say we lack sincerity.”
Nature Seeker Tezan said so, and everyone else acknowledged it.
Some time ago, the human nations formed a coalition of trust to fight the alliance of blood, and the battle was fiercer than ever. Yet, they sent Karakchwi and Tezan, it was proof that paid great attention to them.
Anyway, when reinforcements sent by alliance of blood joined in, Ivan and his party distanced themselves from them. It was to prevent pointless clashes as there were bad ties between them.
Delfino, who had been running around to treat the wounded, collapsed next to Ivan with a tired expression.
“You don’t look very good. How are the patients?”
“The damage is great. As expected, there are many elves who got hurt by the giants themselves. I tried to restore them, but…”
The dead were dead, and the living could somehow be restored. The problem was on the psychological side.
“Everyone’s mind was scarred as they hurriedly cut off the connection to the World Tree. It’s not something that can be cured at once, so I’m rather worried.”
At those words, Ivan frowned.
“Is it because of the Wendigo? How could his curse permeate their mind?”
The evil spirit of ice and hunger, Wendigo, was truly a terrible one. However, it was not at the level of shaking the spirits of the strong Fairy Legion and Frost Elves.
It was also connected to the world tree, which meant that their spirit was protected by divine power, so it was not a wall that evil spirits could dare to penetrate.
The answer was given by Irene.
“Because the priomordial giant’s power. He is suppressing the power of the World Tree and weakening our spirits.”
The priomordial giant was once a being that stood shoulder to shoulder with the gods. Although he was defeated in the battle for supremacy and was driven out and sealed away, his essence was not mortal, but one infinitely close to immortal.
They thought that he was inactive because he had not fully recovered his power yet, but it seems that his power and authority were already exerting some influence.
“If it was the priomordial giant, he must have been a bad match against fairies. Because we have the most traces of our ancestors among the tribes living in this era.”
At that, Ivan’s expression turned serious.
“Has the priomordial giant already regained all of his powers?”
“If that was the case, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. Not yet, but I can tell you that he is recovering very quickly.”
Irene’s face was full of displeasure. The condition of other elves was much worse than they thought.
All the elves who were stained with Wendigo’s madness came to their senses, but they were so devastated that they couldn’t get up from their seats. Others also had seizures, unable to overcome the shock of being disconnected from the World Tree.
They stayed up all night with their eyes open, wondering if the giants were attacking again, but it was quiet even after a day or two passed.

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Clap!
A wall was erected and a bonfire was built to block the strong snow wind. As Ivan was adding firewood, Tezan suddenly appeared and murmured.
“It’s strange that they have been quiet for days. If it were me, I would have attacked by now. Isn’t it?”
Ivan looked at him disapprovingly as Tezan casually took the potatoes Ivan had put into the campfire to eat as a snack at night, then nodded his head.
“Well, maybe. But in fact, the more time you take, the better it is over there, right? It must be that the priomordial giant just needs to restore his powers.”
At that, Tezan let out her snort.
“No way. If that was really the case, I wouldn’t have moved in the first place. They would hold out on their territory, and when the priomordial giants regained all his power, they would start a war. I think you were mistaken because they move quite systematically, but they are not that patient.”
“Or maybe the appearance of the swordsman made them hesitate.”
Ivan glanced towards Karakchwi.
He had his old sword resting in his lap, his eyes closed. Sometimes his brow twitched and his fingers twitched. Each time, sharp air waves formed around Karakchwi’s body and then disappeared.
“Image training is rough for the mind. Even the blizzard is avoiding it.”
Even though the weather was so cold, and a sharp wind was blowing, a warm wind blew around Karakchwi. It was because the energy that flowed from his body from time to time created a kind of barrier.
“Well, at least this is on the quiet side. They seem to be restraining themselve.”
Tezan, who swallowed the hot potato in an instant, stared at Ivan and grinned.
“You are also an interesting person. Very interesting.”
“Well, it’s not a good thing for me. We’re not that close, are we?”
“Take it easy. We are not a warrior who rush to break each other’s heads just by looking at soemone’s faces, right?”
“… Are’nt orcs supposed to be like that?”
“Well, yes. And if you survive, you become best friends. I’m not a warrior, so I don’t get it, but that’s how they usually make friends.”
There is no such thing as a hell game, you crazy people. After all, Ivan doesn’t like dealing with orcs.
Ivan, who had been swearing inwardly, suddenly narrowed his eyes. There was a strange tension in the forest.
The crow spirits, Hugin and Munin, rose from Ivan’s shadow and quickly flew into the sky.
Tezan, who was looking at it, scratched his chin as if interested.
“You have a good sense. You responds quickly.”
“… If you notice it first, you should tell us. We need to join forces for a while.”
“The giants moved. One group to the west, one group to the east.”
“What is over there?”
“One is a beast, the other a human. Well, seeing as they are full of divine power, they are the humans of the temple.”
It was a support group. Great forest and Denomination. The giants seemed to notice them and were moving to deal with them first.
If the elves were in a normal state, they would have noticed it as soon as they got close to the forest, but they seemed to be a step behind because their connection to the world tree was cut off.
“This is not the time to relax. We must help them.”
“Let’s take one each. You go the human, and we will go to the beasts. How’s that?”
“Would it be okay for you old man? Your joints won’t be that good.”
Tezan grinned at Ivan’s provocation.
“I have already left.”
Squeak.
Tezan’s body collapsed. The alter ego made of soil, branches, and leaves returned to its original form and scattered.
Ivan shouted, biting his lip.
“East! Everyone follow me!”