SSS-Class Revival Hunter-Chapter 172: The Holy Land War (2)

The multi-species alliance’s military camp became a lot noisier.

“End the long war...?”

“You’re saying we shouldn’t destroy the Shellmounts?”

The commotion had the potential to quickly get out of control. The generals of other species, who had been quietly listening to the story of the great warrior of Terra from the side, began to vent out their anger.

“He’s basically saying that the Terras will take the slave masters’ side!”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Is this why they’ve been reluctant to join the war?”

“They’ve been waiting for both sides to become exhausted so they can take everything for themselves?”

“Did the Shellmounts ask you to do this? Aren’t you ashamed to meet your ancestors?”

Criticism poured in like a flood, but Gerkesa didn’t bat an eye. “It doesn’t matter what you say. I’m just here to state Terras’ thoughts on the matter. The Fire Water Council held twelve small and six large meetings to agree that destroying the Shellmounts to the point of extinction is beyond rightful revenge.”

“Traitors!”

“That’s the equivalent of shackling your ankles again!”

Bats hanging on the wooden fence flapped their wings. Hundreds of them gathered until they slowly took on the form of a human. A vampire wearing a black cloak—this was the Bloodborns’ evolved form.

“Hold on. My name is Karajan, the Margrave of Farwood. I have an elite force of 1,600 vampires under my command. My ancestors lived on the ceiling of Slimepolis, and my mother and grandfather fought in the last expedition.”

The Black Witch was shocked, not used to the evolution of her species. “They really became vampires.”

Of course, her children couldn’t hear her.

The vampire, a Bloodborn noble, bared his fangs. “Warriors of mud, your kind was the first to flee Slimepolis during the era of exodus. You were the first to rise up with stone hammers, but when the opportunity to put an end to the Shellmounts arrived, you turned your backs against it. And the Shellmount chasers somehow let you go, according to legend.”

Gerkesa let the vampire continue, not wanting to interrupt.

“I’m skeptical. You people have been refusing to participate in the war ever since the first military expedition, but you now show up here and cry about ending the war. Isn’t it possible that you Terras have made a secret pact with the Shellmounts a long time ago?”

“It’s been more than half a thousand years since we escaped the reign of the snails. Defeating the Shellmount chasers was achieved by Kekerukker and Gorke, his faithful apostle. Apostle Gorke rode on Kekerukker’s back and defeated thirteen Shellmount soldiers in duels.”

Gosh, my boy became an apostle?

For some reason, I felt both happy and sad. The kid had called me a devil because he didn’t want to die, but his name was now remembered in history.

“The leader of the Shellmount chasers was impressed and commanded the army to retreat.”

“How touching,” the vampire replied sarcastically. “An honorable duel between a noble prophet and an enemy leader who was impressed by him. It truly sounds like an epic poem found in legends. Maybe I’m pathetic and immature, but I’m more interested in plots like a secret agreement between two factions, not how an enemy general was impressed by your apostle’s skills.”

Gerkesa’s expression changed subtly. “The duels were far from noble. Kekerukker had a mean and cruel side, so he forced Gorke to duel.”

Huh?

“Throughout his entire life, Apostle Gorke always told his kin that Kekerukker isn’t a good transcendental being. He’s simply a friend who tries to take care of us. He has a foul mouth and is quite petty. He’s not a friend we want to have near.”

Huuuuh?

“That’s right. If I had to give him a title, Kekerukker is Terras’ scummy friend.”

“You are referring to your god as a scummy friend? That’s blasphemy!” the Puren captain yelled.

However, Gerkesa continued to look sad, like a hedgehog shedding its quills. “That is the history that has been passed on, so there’s nothing we can do about it. The other names we used to call Kekerukker are Foul-Mouth Lion, Punch Enthusiast, and Zealot of Violent Education.”

My fellow Hunters looked in my direction, watching me with doubt and criticism in their eyes. It had been a long time since they looked at me like that.

The Black Witch said, “Death King, I never thought you were like that. Have you been beating your children while we were away? This is a bit shocking. Actually, I’m very shocked.”

The Paladin glared at me. “They say a person’s true self is revealed when they become a parent and raise their children. How badly have you been treating the goblins for them to remember you like this, Death King? They’re so small. How can you even think about beating them up? I hope you reflect—”

“No, no, no. Wait a minute! Stop! Wait!” I waved my hands wildly from side to side. “I’m being framed! I’m not that violent! You guys know that!”

“Well, you’re a bit of a bulldozer... Still, why would the goblins remember you like this?”

“I did beat up Gorke, but I used the Dream Appearance! You remember the item! Yeah, that item! Nobody gets hurt or dies in their dreams, no matter how badly they get beaten up. That is how I trained him to use aura—”

“Oh my god. Are you saying the goblin died in his dream?” the Paladin asked, her eyes wide. “Physical wounds and mental trauma are completely different stories. Even if you haven’t scarred him physically, the scars left on the goblin’s mind may have been even more serious. On top of that, you beat him up to death to teach him something?”

My other colleagues also made comments.

“Foul-Mouth Lion...”

“Punch Enthusiast...”

“Zealot of Violent Education...”

“No, wait a minute. I know it sounds really bad when you put it like that, but it’s not that bad! Although I can’t tell you exactly what is and isn’t the truth, I really wasn’t that cruel! I’m serious! I was just trying to help my Blins not lose their culture. Please believe me!”

“Typical excuse...”

“This is a common behavior found in cases of domestic violence...”

Aaaah, aaaah! My reputation! My image is tarnished! My colleagues used to think of me as kind, trustworthy, capable, and dependable!!

—Hey, who are you talking about? the Guardian asked.

I immediately answered, Me.

—It’s amazing how there is no end to how crazy you can get...

My noble image was completely shattered. In the meantime, the leaders of the multi-species alliance looked at Gerkesa in bewilderment.

“It’s indeed a known fact that the descendants of rock salt are a bunch of lunatics.”

“They’re clearly not in their right mind to treat their god like that.”

“We really shouldn’t deal with them.”

What? The Terras also seemed to have a weird reputation.

Surely this isn’t all my fault, right? Probably not. Maybe.

Gerkesa sighed. “Ugor. I delivered the council’s message, so I won’t concern myself with how you interpret it. However, my warriors and I have come to end this war. Keep in mind that we will never allow complete annihilation of the Shellmounts or any other species.”

“Ha! Do you think we’ll just let you guys do as you please?”

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Gerkesa steered the lion away. “We always do as we please. Remember. We are only the vanguards. The chairman of the council is leading the main force, meaning the Rain-Drinking Lions and Fire-Loving Warriors are coming. You should be afraid.”

To his warriors, he said, “We’re leaving.”

The Terra warriors moved as one.

The allied forces were in a difficult spot. If they wanted to stop the Terra warriors, they had to fight them, but the allied forces had nothing to gain from fighting those who were neither their allies nor their enemies. The only thing left to do was to fidget with their bowstrings and vacantly watch the Terras.

“What?”

“What are they doing?”

When the soldiers of the allied forces saw where the Terra warriors stopped, they chattered among themselves in bewilderment. The leaders were in complete shock.

“W-why would they set up camp over there?”

Terras had proudly positioned themselves exactly halfway between the allied forces’ camp and the Shellmount’s bastion. In that spot, they could easily become victims to catapult shots from any direction.

“Urog, the viscosity of the soil here is not bad.”

“It’s pleasantly sticky.”

“I’m tired from marching for so long. Please scrub my back.”

A stream flowed in the field. From there, four hundred Terras skillfully kneaded the mud to scrub each other’s backs and draw markings on each other. It was such a leisurely sight that it was reminiscent of a vacation resort.

It was as if a public bathhouse suddenly opened up in the middle of the battlefield. If anyone saw the Terra warriors, they would think that the goblins had come here for a vacation.

My fellow Hunters took turns looking at me and the Terra warriors.

“So shameless...”

“It feels familiar for some reason...”

“I feel like I’ve seen that kind of shamelessness somewhere...”

What? I only took good care of my children.

When the bath was over, two Terras broke away from the group.

One of them faced the camp, and the other one Slimepolis. They were the only ones standing on the path that connected the two sides.

“Move according to the number you picked.”

“Ugor.”

They looked at the soldiers on their side, carrying greatswords. Their gazes invoked challenges. Understanding the warriors’ actions and gazes, the leaders of the allied forces were outraged.

“H-how...! How rude! They’re telling us to break through their defense with a duel!”

“Terras are always like that! They may say lofty words, but what they do is nothing short of barbaric!”

“We’re knights who follow the holy will of our guardian gods. How dare all those mix-bloods who blabber about how evil their god is block our path?”

“Send out the fighters! All we have to do is send our warriors too!”

Not long after, a Sylvan warrior rode out on a white horse. “You fungus bastard! Today I will bury your rotten smell!”

He was a fighter who was unusually bulky for an elf.

The Terra warrior indifferently stared at the Sylvan charging at him. “My name is Urmu. I’m the descendant of Gorgir, the Great Warrior who ran with Kekerukker. I’m currently ranked 631 in the Fire Water Council. What is your name?”

“I have no name to give to an imbecile like—”

Urmu threw his greatsword. The huge sword flew in the air, spinning like a windmill.

“—you?”

The Sylvan warrior raised his dual swords, startled.

Claaaaang!

The Sylvan warrior fell from his horse. Although he had managed to block the greatsword strike, he was unable to negate the impact, so he was sent flying. The Sylvan grunted after failing to land safely on the ground, trying to stand up while catching his breath.

But Urmu was already in front of him. His lion pressed the Sylvan’s shoulder with its front paw.

“Eek...”

“You don’t even reveal your name and ancestors. You have no manners, ugor.” Urmu commanded his lion to crush the Sylvan’s head.

The unknown Sylvan’s head turned to mush. The lion growled lowly in its throat and rubbed his front paw on the ground. Just like that, the duel ended before it even started.

Neigh!

The elf’s white horse, now without an owner, ran mournfully toward the other side of the field. It was a tragic scene like one from a novel. Or, at least, it could have been...

Neigh?

One of the Terra warriors threw his spear and killed the white horse, putting an end to its neighing. He then rushed forward and dragged the white horse away. When the allied forces’ soldiers blankly watched him, the Terra warrior politely bowed. Perhaps he was not aware that he had done something bizarre.

“Sorry. I’m hungry. I thought it would be a waste to let it run away like that. Meat is precious, but that’s just my opinion. Anyway, keep fighting.”

And then he leisurely returned to the Terras’ camp after he once again bowed in a perfectly polite manner.

The leaders of the allied forces muttered among themselves.

“Wh—”

“That is so low!”

“That’s ultimate savagery!”

“He threw his spear while an honorable duel was taking place! How can he still call himself a warrior?”

Urmu scoffed, indifferent to the commotion. “If you find it unfair, throw your weapon too, ugor. And we are savages.”

“What?”

“We’re ugly, so if we can’t even use aura, the best course of action is to just kill ourselves. Ever since we were kids, our Terra brothers beat us up, telling us to learn how to use aura. They beat us to the point where we thought it was better to die, but our brothers knew how to beat us up without actually killing us. As we get hit again, and again, and again, we automatically learn how to use our aura. Our coming-of-age ceremony is to pick one of our brothers and beat him up.”

Urmu looked up at the sky drenched in sunset colors. His clear eyes contained indescribable sadness.

“Even I, a member of the council, can’t believe that our species is so savage... But there is nothing we can do about it. There is no more effective way to teach aura than to suffer until we stare death in the face. This is the teaching that Kekerukker personally gave to High Apostle Gorke six hundred years ago. We call this, borrowing from Kekerukker’s habit of speaking, the Motherfucking Aura Teaching. It's really fucked up.”

The Terra warriors at the back chanted in unison.

“Friendship over idolatry! Trust over faith! Fuck!”

“Fuck!”

“Fuck!”

Urmu nodded. “The resentment of my species is deep and great. There is no god in this world, only a scummy friend, so we have to do our best to live our lives. My fellow detainees to old chains, stop trying to exterminate the Shellmounts. Otherwise, we’ll kill you.”

The allied forces stared at him intently. The field was silent, with no one daring to reply. I was also silent, but my fellow Hunters didn’t stay quiet.

“That’s the Death King for you...”

“He’s truly worthy of his title...”

“Death King, why is that goblin your spitting image?”

“When did you start to grow molars and paint your skin green, Death King?”

Wait. What the hell do they think of me?