Chapter 84

Chapter 84The four members of the Aquamarine Expedition Team finished their preparations to enter the Rift and stood on deck, looking down at the gaping hole that led to the Sea Orc Den. The ominously flickering portal looked like a crack, and the dark void beyond seemed to peer back at them.

Leonard extended his mana senses, narrowing his eyes.

This is completely different from a spatial portal. It’s structured in a way that we can’t discern what’s beyond without actually entering.

He essentially felt nothing from the portal. Even when he used his upper dantian’s Intent, it felt like falling into an abyss, forcing him to retract it. This indicated that a law of nature beyond the reach of the Creation Realm existed.

“Time is more crucial than anything inside the Rift. If you exceed the five-hour limit by more than ten minutes, I’ll ask the Chief Elder for help and bring you all back to the ship,” Frances said in an unusually tense tone.

“When you’re inside the Rift, all communication with the outside world is cut off. We won't know what’s happening in there. Plan your route carefully with the time limit in mind, and don’t push yourselves to the point of going over the time limit. You can return early, but not late.”

The four nodded in agreement. Then, Leonard and Galano led as the vanguard while Esther and Ninian took the rear. With no hesitation, they leaped into the hole from the deck of Aquamarine, despite it being a few meters above the entrance to the Sea Orc Den.

As Leonard passed through the Rift, an indescribable sense of unease washed over him, a feeling of entering a place that wasn’t supposed to exist. It was extremely unpleasant and eerie.

“...Ah.”

After some time, the darkness lifted from Leonard’s vision. As Frances had explained, the other side of the Rift was over the sea.

Leonard emerged a few meters above the water and naturally began to fall. It seemed like he would drop into the sea, but fortunately, the speed of the fall outside the Rift had dissipated.

However...

“Hmm.”

Leonard landed effortlessly on the water’s surface, using a high-level Lightness Art that allowed him to walk on water. Among the Lightness Arts used by the Immortals, Leonard’s could be considered the most advanced one, excluding legendary techniques like Windwalking or Void Steps.

“Kyaaaaah!”

Esther, who emerged next, fell into his arms. Because of the disorienting passage of the Rift, she hadn’t managed to create a foothold with magic. But like any Class 5 Battle Mage, she quickly assessed the situation and cast a spell.

“Glaciate Field!”

The water beneath Leonard’s feet froze, forming an ice disc with a ten-meter diameter that caught Galano and Ninian, who had fallen right after her. They looked relieved, having narrowly avoided a plunge into the sea. Nevertheless, it felt like the scare had shaved ten years off their lives.

“So-Sorry, it's been a while since I last passed through a Rift, so my spell was a bit delayed...” Esther quickly got out of Leonard’s embrace and apologized while covering her face, seemingly embarrassed.

“Even if you’d failed, I would’ve managed to catch three people,” Leonard reassured her. “Don’t beat yourself up. Besides, we don’t even have time for that.”

“Huh?”

At Leonard’s cryptic words, the other three turned toward the shore.

Schwaaah—!

Screech—!

Kreeech—!

Dozens of sea orcs, armed with hooked spears and nets, growled and screeched aggressively. They formed a defensive line, ready to repel any intruders entering the Rift. At first glance, it seemed there were only a few dozen sea orcs, but as more emerged from primitive tents, it became clear that there were over a hundred of them.

“It doesn’t look like those guys are going to let us pass that easily. Can you maintain this ice platform while dealing with the monsters at the shore?” Leonard asked Esther as he gazed at the monsters.

“...With Ninian's cover, I can take care of them within five minutes,” she replied.

“Five minutes, huh.”

Galano’s harpoon also had a rope attached for throwing, but his weapon only allowed him to subdue a few enemies at a time.

Normally, a swordsman would not be able to do anything in this situation, but Leonard was no ordinary swordsman.

“I’ll go ahead and break their defensive line. Landing will be much easier then. Follow me at your own pace,” Leonard instructed.

“What? Wait, no. Come to think of it, how are you walking on water like that...?!”

Ignoring their astonished reactions, Leonard ran across the waves toward the shore using the Water Running Art.

The distance to the shore was less than five hundred meters. If he ran at full speed with his External Force Tier capabilities, Leonard could cover the distance in under ten seconds. Moreover, his internal energy, flowing from the Yongcheon point in his feet, shattered the waves below him.

Five Elements and Six Divinities Arts

Crimson Crow Sun Art

Burning Heat Stride

Although it lacked the rebound force it had on land, it was still usable.

Boom!

A massive water column shot up. Leonard had covered more than half the distance in a single step.

Kreeech!?

Terrified by his incredible speed, a sea orc raised its spear. The Orca Riders moved faster than the ice platform, and they were already off the shore in the blink of an eye. Leonard was about two hundred meters away from the beach.

The sea orc at the vanguard clashed with Leonard, who was running at full speed.

Swoosh!

In one swift move, Leonard sliced the sea orc and its weapon in half. He had merely slashed horizontally, taking advantage of the momentum of his dash, and yet he had even managed to slice the weapon blocking his path.

The remaining distance was now 150 meters. He cut through three nets attempting to entangle him and charged. At one hundred meters, he bisected another orc and its orca mount.

Only fifty meters left.

Leonard leaped from one sea orc’s head to another, using them as stepping stones. He landed smoothly on the beach and faced the horde of sea orcs before him.

Despite their monstrous, hateful eyes, fear was evident in their gazes, indicating a certain level of intelligence. They could use complex tools like hooked spears and nets, but this also meant they could recognize the disparity in power.

However....

GROAAAR!!

Among the sea orcs, a particularly large and imposing one emerged—a True Demon Tier sea orc. Its roar restored order among the disorganized ranks, allowing them to quickly surround Leonard.

This orc appeared to be the leader of the defensive line. Alongside its brute force, it seemed quite cunning as well, ready to exploit any opening.

“Not bad,” Leonard muttered with a sly smile. Faced with dozens of Peak Realm monsters and one Apex Realm foe, he felt a rare thrill. His fight with Conrad had been pretty decent, but he rarely came across someone who could give him an exciting one-on-one fight.

If the enemy wasn’t formidable, at least their large numbers could make for somewhat of a challenge—quantity over quality in this case.

Five Elements Style Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Azure Dragon First Form: Thundershock

Leonard’s sword moved faster than the sea orcs could react. His blade, now emanating a blue aura, severed the heads of three sea orcs in a single stroke, sending blood flying in three fountains.

Enraged from having the blood of their kin fall on them, the remaining orcs thrust their hooked spears. Even if Leonard dodged the initial stabs, the barbed hooks on the side of the spear could snag his clothes or flesh, restricting his movement. The orcs’ weapons were designed to subdue a single target, capitalizing on their superior numbers.

A strategy that leverages their numerical advantage, huh? These monsters are quite smart, Leonard observed as he deftly avoided the trajectory of the hooks, recalling his past encounters with sickle users back in murim.

Unlike the long and heavy shape of the hooked spear, the chain-sickle, also known as the Kusarigama, was more prevalent in murim. The lethality of the sickle, combined with the flexible trajectory and centrifugal force of the chain, was unimaginable. Compared to that, the hooked spear was rather unremarkable.

The Yellow Lotus Temple’s Hell Blood Sickle Squad was a real nuisance.

Facing dozens of enemies wielding Kusarigamas was a harrowing experience. This weapon could restrict one’s movements if the chain wrapped around their arms or legs. If the victim didn’t shatter the chain with their protective qi, they would end up being carved up by the remaining foes even if they managed to win in a battle of internal energy.

Yeon Mu-Hyuk had only managed to emerge victorious from such a battle because he had already crossed into the Creation Realm. If he had still been in the Apex Realm, he would have most probably died.

To cut down dozens of hooked spears at once required more than just sword qi—it needed augmented qi. However, if the objective was to just sweep the chains aside, then sword qi sufficed.

Leonard planted his foot in the ground and unleashed the vigorous White Tiger Qi from his blade.

Five Elements Style

White Tiger First Form: Mountain Crusher

Like a tiger’s claw, his horizontal slash shattered several hooked spears and deflected the rest. The brief moment of hesitation among the sea orcs was all Leonard needed. He would never miss this perfect opportunity.

Five Elements Style

Azure Dragon Eighteenth Form: Thunderclap Return

It was a technique capable of turning a single enemy into a honeycomb, but it was also possible to stab dozens of enemies in one stroke.

His sword, now a blue streak, pierced the necks and foreheads of several sea orcs. Then, the lightning qi surged through them, frying their brain, heart, and central nervous system, killing them instantly.

“Hmm.”

At that moment...

Boom—!

A massive hooked spear, distorted and menacing, struck where Leonard had stood a moment earlier, missing him by inches as he jumped back ten meters with a single step.

It was the defense leader, the True Demon Tier sea orc, who had launched the surprise attack. That kind of destructive power couldn’t be obtained just with sheer strength. Realizing that, Leonard looked more closely at the True Demon Tier sea orc.

...It knows how to use energy, just like External Force Tier martial artists.

Besides just strengthening its body, the orc also infused energy into its hooked spear. It seemed that the orc was maintaining energy around itself.

The defense leader retracted its hooked spear by yanking the chain and then charged at Leonard, trampling on its fallen comrades.

Five Elements Style

Vermillion Bird Twelve Form: Scorching Flame Edge

Confronted by a towering opponent, who stood over three meters tall and possessed strength far surpassing that of a human, Leonard met the charge head-on, his sword glowing with a fierce red aura.

The defense leader’s hooked spear clashed with Leonard’s sword qi. The surrounding air shimmered in a collision of energies, and the blade of the hooked spear shattered into multiple fragments.

But even so, the True Demon Tier sea orc, confident in its massive physique, kept charging. If technique overwhelmed power, an answer would be destroying the technique itself.

“Foolish beast,” Leonard muttered with a disdainful expression. “A spear user charging at a swordsman. How absurd.”

In the battle between sword and spear, maintaining distance was crucial. By closing in, the spear user relinquished their primary advantage, making them vulnerable in close quarters. Thrusting or swinging a spear required more distance than slashing with a sword.

Five Elements Style

Black Tortoise Third Form: Ending Massacre of the North Gate

As if refuting Leonard’s biting remarks, the sea orc prepared to strike, but at that moment, Leonard countered with a swift, precise movement. His blade intercepted the spear, halting its thrust.

Whether for stabbing or swinging, a spear required some distance to gain momentum, and if its trajectory was disrupted at the moment of the attack, its effectiveness was nullified.

With its attack thwarted again, the sea orc realized its mistake. In a desperate attempt to regain distance, it kicked at Leonard.

“...Foolish.”

Irritated by the sea orc’s persistent foolishness, Leonard shot it a cold glare before ducking under the kick, maintaining a straight posture. Then, he raised his sword.

Five Elements Style

Azure Dragon Second Form: Sky-Piercing Dragon.

A dragon surged from Leonard’s grip, piercing the sea orc’s jaw and bursting through the top of its skull—a single, deadly strike known as the Sky-Piercing Dragon.