House Moloch of Lag were the same. Even after losing a village, they stubbornly refused to give up the land god and felt nothing but hatred toward those who’d taken control of the land. It wasn’t just humans who treated their gods as treasures to be passed down to their ancestors through countless generations. If the koror lost their land god, they would just as stubbornly try to claim it back for as long as they lived.
This really isn’t the right time to think about all that.
Kai had more pressing things to worry about.
He tried not to let his guard down as he searched for an enemy with the axe carried over his shoulder.
Although the orgs were driven by their desire to steal the guardian from the koror, it was still a problem that they’d dared approach the valley’s edge when the fear of the god of the valley was enough to keep other species away. Allowing them to return home unharmed would set an unacceptable precedent.
It may have been a mistake to allow the koror to build their temporary settlement here. When the orgs had seen the koror living peacefully at the valley’s edge, they’d lost their fear of the valley.
KILL THEM
Kai felt as though he’d heard a voice inside his head.
Then he felt a feeling of heat fill his entire body. Kai knew his kumadori was starting to show on his face.
PUNISH THEM WITH BLOOD
It dawned on Kai that this was the only way to ensure peace in the valley.
Now he understood the true reason why the previous master of the valley had needed to ward off outsiders so aggressively. The previous guy had loved the valley just as much.
Kai felt himself fill with power.
Although Kai knew that he was a guardian bearer, he’d never measured the full extent of the god of the valley’s power in any objective way. He was confident that he could handle just about any opponent who didn’t have a guardian, but if the orgs had brought their own guardian bearer to this fight, he wasn’t so confident that he’d be able to kill it.
But he had no time to sit and think about it.
I’ll kill every last one of them.
Kai quickly surveyed his surroundings and tried to keep the relative positions of the orgs in mind. Then he took action, moving in the sequence that he thought was most efficient and using his superior physical strength to leap from one place to the next. Orgs fell one after another, each from a single blow.
The sight of Kai brandishing the heavy axe as if it was a light tree branch struck fear into the hearts of the orgs. He reckoned that he’d taken down three or four orgs by the time he realized that the org soldiers were disappearing.
The orgs had come expecting to fight a weak species, and it was only now that they were running around and trying to arrange themselves into formations.
Behind them was the one giving out instructions to the scattered soldiers. This org was no doubt a guardian bearer who was in command of this org company.
“God of Arbitration!”
Porek approached, carrying a narrow sword.
His sword was already glistening with blood and fat after having taken several lives. Porek was the koror’s only guardian bearer, and he was in no way inferior to an org foot soldier.
“My sword and I are with you.”
“Don’t go thinking I showed up to save you.”
“Those who enter the sacred region of the valley without permission cannot be forgiven. This is my understanding.”
Porek grinned as he emphasized the words “without permission.”
The koror had permission to be here. The orgs, on the other hand, were trespassing and had incurred the wrath of the god of the valley. It was a simple way of looking at it, and Kai saw the logic.
“You think you can use me?”
Porek took up a position beside Kai with a clear look of discomfort on his face.
Porek shook his head. “This situation came about by chance,” the old koror said apologetically with his head bowed. “Everything was mere chance and coincidence.”
Kai had nothing to say in response, so Porek continued speaking.
“Unless we demonstrate our power here, the orgs won’t hesitate to enter the valley from now on. They are here to steal the wealth of the valley. Their greed knows no bounds.”
“And what about your people? Aren’t you after the valley?”
“Most certainly not. We are a small and powerless people. We know our place all too well.”
“You can swear you won’t enter the valley?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’ll believe you for now.”
“I am most grateful. On this day and at this moment, the koror of the village of Hacar swear their devotion to you.”
It was an easy oath to make when threatened by a stronger enemy. But when Kai heard the words, he felt a sharp feeling inside, like a tingling in his godstone. Without needing an explanation, he understood that a mysterious sort of pact had just been made.
The future could bring more than just orgs; demi-humans of all sorts might swarm the valley to seize the gravesite. It made sense to have someone act as the valley’s sentinel.
“Well then, we’ve got orgs to kill.”
“Your wish is my command.”
Kai slowly approached a group of org soldiers with his axe held low. The orgs were holding torches, and they must have clearly seen the enemy approaching.
A small human soldier with his kumadori visible.
The intricacy of the sigil on that face was enough to unnerve the orgs.
“***, *****, *!”
“**, ***!”
Kai didn’t understand what the orgs said, and nor did he care to. The only feeling that filled him was the desire to kill.
27
Kai had seen battles between guardian bearers before.
A meeting of two sources of power far beyond the reach of ordinary people was an extraordinary event, like a sacred ritual, and no one could watch those fights without feeling both fear and awe. But Kai had never seen one of these otherworldly fights reach a true conclusion.
“None of you are going home alive.”
This grim promise caused the org soldiers to huddle together, and they were visibly shaken. Behind them stood the stern-faced org leader, who was clearly the guardian bearer giving orders. The org leader let out a howl of rage.
To someone who didn’t understand the orgish tongue, it sounded like nothing more than a high-pitched screech. But it was as if the voice at their backs pushed the org soldiers forward, sending them charging toward Kai. The anger of their leader must have scared them more than the thought of taking on an unknown, human guardian bearer.
Kai remained still, and watched closely as the cluster of orgs charged toward him with their eyes bloodshot.
Needless to say, Kai had no doubts about his ability to hold them off. What Kai was worried about was what was to come next. He might make the fatal mistake of leaving himself open to attack while dealing with their frenzied assault, or they might deplete his strength enough to leave him tired while facing the real fight that followed.
“Please, leave the formalities to me.”
Porek stepped forward as if he’d read the concerns on Kai’s mind. Then, as if trying to demonstrate the devotion he’d just sworn to his master, Porek acted as his master’s shield and intercepted the attack.
The narrow, slightly curved blade he held was made to exploit the most vulnerable parts of an enemy’s huge body, and it allowed Porek to use his small koror body to his advantage.
Porek leaped at his opponents, moving to close the gap between them like a rush of wind. His narrow blade moved with each leap, licking at the bodies of his enemies and wearing them down.
Once Porek found an opportunity to get behind an opponent, in an instant, his sword would make cuts in the vital areas of their ankles and the backs of their knees. Porek left each opponent with blood spraying from their severed tendons, and before they knew what had happened, they found the
mselves unable to move.
It was clear now why Porek’s sword had been covered in blood. The orgs had nervously approached him to start with, but now that they’d clearly seen this koror guardian bearer make fools of them with his swordplay, they hastily fled to the left and right, causing a path to open.
“You are free to proceed, God of the Valley.”
Porek shook the blood and fat from his sword with a sharp flicking motion.
The old koror was far more skilled than Kai in terms of martial arts, but Kai still felt confident that he wouldn’t lose in a fight between the two of them. Such was the incredible power that the god of the valley’s blessings gave to him.
A path leading to the enemy’s leader was now open before Kai. Orgs took up positions at either side of their leader, but none of them were willing to sacrifice themselves to act as a shield.
The orgs instinctively knew that they were no match for Kai and the koror guardian bearer. The org soldiers were trying to hide behind their leader, knowing that a guardian bearer opponent could only be dealt with by another guardian bearer.
It has to die.
By this point, the org leader’s kumadori had appeared on its face. Kai couldn’t read the information carried by the pattern of rings that the kumadori formed around the org’s snout. If someone well-versed in theology had been there, they might have estimated that this org’s sigil was roughly a tres sigil. This rank of sigil was the most common for creatures with the blessings of a land god, and this level of divinity was about right for the god of a small dwelling such as a village.
As Porek hurried toward Kai and threatened the enemy foot soldiers, there was a doi sigil visible on his face, suggesting that the power of the blessing he received was slightly inferior. The blessings that both of them received might be considered appropriate for those living in a poor land such as the borderlands.
And on the face of Kai, who felt compelled to continue approaching his opponent, was a kumadori that was markedly different from the other two.
“***! ***.”
Porek yelled something incomprehensible at the org soldiers. Kai could tell from the enraged reaction of the org soldiers that Porek had said something crude and intimidating.
Not being able to understand what anyone was saying was a major inconvenience. He’d have to ask about it later.
The org leader had been whining shrilly at Porek in orgish, but now it fell quiet and assumed its stance while waiting for Kai to approach.
“Humans, no business here.” With some difficulty, the org managed to produce the sounds of the human tongue from its broad throat. It was hard to catch the words, but Kai understood. “This between koror and org. No business. Leave.”
“I do have business here.”
“Why?”
“You entered my valley without permission. So now I’m going to kill you.”
“Valley? But... Valley is yours?”
“Right. The valley’s mine.”
“...”
The org’s large, reddish body reared up in surprise.
“Valley... You say valley?!”
All three warriors had finally come to a shared understanding.
The org leader acted as though it was noticing Kai for the first time, and it looked at the kumadori on his face carefully. The change in its attitude was immediate.
“Stop...”
“I’m not stopping.”
“We leave. Yield... No need for—”
“If I let you get away, you’ll be back. So I have to kill you.”
“But please... I beg...”
“No buts.”
It was clear from this exchange that the org leader felt inferior, and the org soldiers were starting to become nervous. Then, when their leader took a step back, they threw themselves to the ground as if pleading for their leader’s life.
“***”
“**, ***!”
Kai couldn’t understand their words, but he understood their desperation.
But Kai’s resolve was firm. These invaders had come to murder every last koror, so it made no sense to forgive them if they threw themselves down and begged for their own lives. And then there were the koror who were under his protection. As long as he wanted to ensure their safety, there was no way he could allow these org soldiers to return home safely.
Kai gave himself to the anger that filled him and slammed the axe down against a rock by his feet. His strength was enough to split the rock in half and send out an explosion of large fragments that caused every org soldier to cower in fear.
Then Porek gave some command in the koror tongue to the koror who’d been watching everything.
“****!”
“**.”
There was an exchange of words between the many demi-humans, and then everything happened at once.
Every koror drew a bladed weapon that looked like a household tool, and they set upon the orgs who were unable to move because of their severed tendons. The fallen orgs tried to resist in the face of approaching death, but they could do little to delay the inevitable.
When the other orgs saw their fellow soldiers being slaughtered, they looked horrified to see the tables turned on them, but they continued to plead with Kai for the life for their precious guardian bearer.
But no matter how they pleaded, they were completely surrounded by the koror. The koror would never forgive the orgs for taking their village from them, or for the way they continued to kill so many of their people.
The koror moved in to torment and kill the prostrated orgs while their faces were still pressed to the ground.
Some orgs rose to their feet and ran to their leader, but they knew it was better to scatter and flee when they saw the koror draw bows.
At that point, even their leader decided to flee.
Kai gave chase.
Kai didn’t hesitate for a moment. He threw the only thing he had on hand, the axe, at the org leader in an attempt to prevent it from using its incredible speed to get away.
The org leader acted on instinct, using its own weapon to deflect the axe that flew toward it, and just barely escaped death.
“God of the Valley!” Porek yelled.
Kai was barely aware of the fact that he’d just left himself unarmed.
“You die!” the org laughed.
When Kai lost his weapon, the org felt confident that Kai could never overcome it using his physical strength alone, and it turned to face him. Even for a guardian bearer, throwing away the weapon they used to attack was foolish. No matter how strong Kai was, he wasn’t so much stronger than the org that he could land a killing blow in hand-to-hand combat.
The org’s two-handed axe was specially made to be used by a guardian bearer, and the blade was large enough that it could split apart a human head with the force of its weight alone. The powerful muscles of the org sent the blade cutting through the night air.
It came toward him like a gale of death, but Kai greeted it with a cool face.
Invisible sword...
Kai had done no more than throw away a weapon that he wasn’t used to using.
It took just a moment of concentration to coat his hand with spiritual energy, creating the blade he’d made for cutting through trees.
The magic that created this sword was probably limited in terms of the mass it could cut through. It had never seemed particularly powerful when used against broad trees, but the enemy’s weapon was much thinner, and the blade was more than up to the task.
Kai met the org’s weapon with a horizontal chop, cutting straight through the handle and sending the detached blade spinning through the air. He’d cut through the handle with virtually no resistance, so it was as if the org’s swing had hit nothing but air. Its bodyweight had been behind the swing, and it never doubted that it would land a hit, but now the org’s body was thrown off-balance.
The org must have realized it was defenseless now that its stance was broken. It began to shamelessly beg for its life again. But K
ai was done listening.
“You’re the first guardian bearer I’ve killed.”
“Wait... wait.”
“****”
One of the few remaining org foot soldiers leaped at Kai, risking its life in a desperate attempt to stop their god’s blessings from being taken from its species. But Kai sent the org soldier flying back with a single punch.
He knew that a punch was more than enough to deal with a foot soldier. Sure enough, after being thrown back and rolling across the ground, the org foot soldier was left unable to move.
Org soldiers appeared to be every bit as protective of their land gods. Kai thought of the koror who’d met the invading orgs. This was justice.
“Wait...”
He used his hand sword to gouge into the org leader’s chest and cut open its heart. At the same time, his fingertip touched something hard, and Kai saw no reason not to rip it from the org’s chest right there and then.
There was a spray of blood as his hand emerged from the fat flesh of the org. A white mass was there in his grasp.
Kai realized that the godstone he was holding was larger than any he’d ever seen before.
SEAL IT!
Kai heard the voice inside his head again.
He followed its command.
28
In his hand he held a fearsomely large godstone.
The bone was rough and covered in protrusions, and there was something unfamiliar contained inside. Kai unconsciously brought his spiritual energy to his hand and spread his power across the godstone’s surface.
“You have the creature’s stone, I see.”
Porek’s face was difficult to read as he looked at the godstone in Kai’s hand, which was as big as a baby’s head.
This was what remained of the org soldier who had killed many of his fellow koror and had almost driven his tribe to extinction. The corpse of the creature was lying at their feet, but it was the godstone that symbolized the life of the org to both of them.
Teogonia: Volume 1 (Premium) Page 17