“I can only go back for now… As a golden-rank expert, I still have at least a century of life ahead of me. This setback is nothing, I still have a chance to retaliate in the future!”
Imsh rallied himself within his mind as he fled into the depths of the dark mountains while being accompanied by his guards.
However, deep within him, even he himself doubted as to whether they would actually really get the chance to retaliate and what’s he’s been thinking are mere futile attempts of deceiving himself…
After all, in just less than two years, the Elvenkind have undergone such significant and radical changes to the extent that one might even question if they are still the very same elves widely renowned for their nature-loving and peaceful nature…
If, in just this short amount of time, the elves have already transformed into such a formidable and crazy species, then how much more would they further evolve if given a few more decades of development?
Can his own people even keep up with such absurdly fast pace of racial advancement?
King Imsh couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about the future.
Moreover, he still couldn’t comprehend how so many elves had managed to gather together here in the Elven Forest.
Nearly ten thousand elves!
Such figure wasn’t a small number!
It was a widely known fact that Elvenkind, in general, has difficulty in producing an offspring. Furthermore, it is said that their race was almost close to being extinct due to the rampant hunting of Elves.
So the appearance of these ten thousand elves with almost all of them being young, really baffled the Orc King.
Perhaps gathering this many might have involved bringing together even the remaining wild elves hidden within the southwestern part of the continent.
“No…it can’t be more since elves are not like humans.”
Imsh shook his head.
As the Orc King fled alongside his guards, suddenly, an elf riding a crypt spider emerged out of nowhere at the front.
From the looks of it, this particular elven rider wasn’t actually part of the group that was chasing after Imsh frpm behind but rather just an individual who had lost their way and had somehow accidentally stumbled upon the Orc King and his retinue along the way.
Both sides paused in mid-surprise upon seeing each other for a couple of seconds but when the elf clearly saw Imsh’s appearance, the elven rider excitedly shouted, “Oh, its the event Boss! Nice, I’ve found the Boss!”
…Boss?
Imsh was left both equally baffled and shocked.
Although he didn’t know what the word ‘Boss’ actually meant, based on the elf’s behavior just now, it’s most likely referring to him.
In his anger and surprise, Imsh quickly drew his Lionheart Longsword and swiftly dealt with the unfortunate elven rider as soon as he passed by him.
At this moment, the group of elven riders that were chasing him from behind also got excited.
“The event Boss? Is it really the Orc Boss?”
“I didn’t notice! Heh, don’t tell me we’ve been chasing the Boss all along?”
These elven riders were all from the First Legion, a group of battle crazed fanatics. They had been fervently pursuing the Orc King’s group for quite some time already, but they actually hadn’t really paid much attention as to who exactly they were chasing after.
In their minds, these particular Orc group were simply armed to the teeth with wonderful equipments, and that alone is enough to chase after them, regardless of these Orc’s identities.
However, upon realizing it was actually the quest event’s Boss all along, all these pursuing players became instantly thrilled as their bloodlust rose up a notch.
“Hell yeah! It’s the Orc Boss! That guy must be the Lionheart King mentioned in the quest description!”
“Guys be careful, he’s a golden-expert; we can’t beat him by ourselves. Let’s call Queen Rose instead! Quick, bring her here!”
“Are you an idiot? Forget it man! if Rose comes here, then we won’t even get a chance to gain anything!”
“How about we call for the Black Dragon instead? Meryer is still in golden-rank! He won’t easily beat that boss like Rose, and if we do it this way, we can also score some contribution and EXP points by aiding Meryer in taking down the Boss!”
For a moment, the excited voices of the players echoed behind him, causing Imsh, the Lionheart King, to feel a foreboding sense of dread.
These elven riders mounted on magical beasts, were incredibly fast in their pursuit.
However, due to his injuries, Imsh’s speed had been drastically reduced. Yet, as a golden-rank expert, his speed still far surpassed that of an iron-rank magical beast even while being injured.
But as their king, he also had to consider the lives of his companions who were fleeing along with him.
He had already lost thirty thousand troops…
Too much of their kind have already perished and he didn’t want to abandon this last group of a few dozen orcs who are fleeing alongside with him
Therefore, he hadn’t completely shaken off the elves that’s pursuing him until now due to these concerns.
Yet, it seemed that his choice of ignoring these pursuers appeared to be a mistake on his part!
He might truly face his demise here if they really do decide to call the Black Dragon to deal with him considering his current injured condition.
The other orcs around him also understood this truth.
They composed themselves, steeling their resolve for a last stand despite their injuries. Those with weapons drew them one after another, and those without one simply clenched their fists before addressing him.
“Great King! Leave quickly! We’ll stay behind to delay these elves!”
“That’s right! You alone…can surely make it back to our homeland by yourself and bringing us along with you would be too much of a burden!”
“You are our liege! As long as you survive, we half-orcs can definitely rise up again!”
“Only if you return safely My Liege… can we avenge our fallen tribesmen!”
Everyone within the Orc King’s retinue stated with fervent voices, as each of their gazes burned bright and resolute.
Observing his subordinates like this, the expression on King Imsh’s face became increasingly conflicted.
“Hey…”
He then momentarily halted, before wiping the blood off his Lionheart Longsword.
“If I abandon everyone here and escape by myself… then what right do I have to be the king of the half-orcs?”
Imsh’s expression showed a gloomy look of desolation.
The other orcs, upon hearing this, also displayed mixed expressions.
After King Imsh finished speaking, he then raised his sword anew and with pained eyes and a fierce expression, he bellowed in a tone brimming with sorrow and anguish:
“After chasing us for so long, I’ve truly had enough! Aren’t they merely just a few hundred iron-rank elves? Let me destroy them alongside all of you! As your king, I declare that everyone here will return to our homeland together!”
His subordinates upon hearing their king’s declaration, showed an equally pained expression as they either clenched their fists tightly or raised their weapons high, before shouting in unison:
“Kill them all! Go back home together!”
“Kill them all! Go back home together!”
“Kill them all! Go back home together!”
King Imsh then took a deep breath, his aura surging with the pressure of a golden-expert bursting forth from his body.
A faint red glow then enveloped him as he roared and fully turned his body around to face the incoming charging elves who had been chasing after him with wild abandon.
Wielding the Lionheart Longsword tightly in his hands, the Orc King let out a resounding war cry. The other orcs shortly followed suit, also turning around and roaring as they charged alongside their king with the ferocity akin to that of wrathful warriors on death’s door.
“Kill them all! Go back home together!”
This sudden turn of events startled the players who had been chasing after them.
“Oh damn! They’re going all out!”
“Hmph, what’s there to fear? We have more people on our side!”
“Get rid of the other lesser mobs first! The Boss is our main target!”
“Don’t focus much on gaining EXP! Deploy your best attacks!”
“That’s right! No more holding back!”
The group’s sub-leaders shouted one after another, with every player preparing to counterattack.
Then, Imsh, in a mix of astonishment and anger, saw many elves suddenly raise a weapon he couldn’t forget—steam guns.
And these elves aimed the gun barrels at the charging orcs, before pulling the triggers simultaneously.
Amidst their charge, the orcs were instantly assailed by a hailstorm of gunfire as numerous gunshots echoed within the air!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lionheart King immediately felt stinging sensations from multiple places all over his body, knowing full well he had been hit several times.
However, he also fully knew that a golden expert like him couldn’t be easily killed by mere projectiles. Thus, when he exerted his full strength, the bullets only barely grazed his skin and were entirely incapable of piercing deeper into his muscles.
Alas… it was different for the orcs around him.
Most of his subordinates were at most only at the iron-rank, and many had even previously discarded their weapons, let alone having shields to protect themselves.
Now, they were practically easy live targets.
In an instant, seven or eight orcs grunted before falling down to the ground. While others also groaned in pain, whilst visibly sustaining varying degrees of injuries…
Seeing this woeful scene, Lionheart King Imsh’s eyes turned completely bloodshot.
“Bastards!! Cowards!!”
King Imsh released a shout full of anguish, his speed surged forth anew as he charged right into the midst of the elves all by himself!
— 255 —
【LIONHEART KING 】
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