Imperial Crown.

Chapter 505 Reverse Slash of the Fifth Rank!

Many thanks to QQ Reading's author [秋、殇] for the 100-coin reward!

……

"Broken tooth!!!"

A roar erupted from Eric as he burst through the breach. As far as the eye could see, the swarms of orcs stretched out like an endless abyss!
Many people may not have a good grasp of the number 100,000. To put it simply, even a human army of just 3000 people can form a dense, seemingly endless mass! Not to mention more than 100,000 tall and strong orcs!
Clad in heavy armor, Eric was practically a "human tank," but standing amidst the swarming orcs, he gave off an impression of being in an adventurer's forest. However, his strength was simply too terrifying; he had slaughtered at least 7-800 orcs along the way, if not 1000! This caused the orcs to cower and dare not confront him directly!

"Broken Tooth! Get out here!" Eric roared. Since he had chosen to fight his way out of the gap, he had no intention of going back alive!

A few nights before the final battle, the patriarch Raven had a heart-to-heart talk with Eric, frankly explaining the reasons behind this decisive battle. Eric, who never liked to think, took his "brain-free" approach to the extreme after meeting Raven. To put it bluntly, Eric felt that his successful breakthrough to the fourth tier after the age of 50 was partly due to his "completely calming down and focusing solely on cultivation over the years." Patriarch Raven was indeed accommodating, giving him a very easy-to-understand example that immediately made Eric understand the importance of this final battle. This example was the battle of the Duchy of Eivor! After completely shattering the Duchy of Eivor, Raven only earned a little over 3 million gold coins, and more than half of that—163 million gold coins—was received after the teleportation array was built! But how much did he spend building that teleportation array? A whopping 4.3 million gold coins!! And then there was the annual maintenance cost of around 200,000 gold coins. Even with the grain and supplies transported from the Duchy of Eivor, it would barely be enough to break even! But if this attack on the Orc Empire could truly secure control of the magic crystal mine that Chuchulinga mentioned, how much money would that bring? Probably more than two or three times three million! That's a whopping ten million gold coins! But what if Raven could carve out a territory within the Orc Empire? That wouldn't just be one or two ten million! It would be a continuous stream of ten million!

This is the reason why Patriarch Raven decided to wage a decisive battle!
Even though Eric wasn't particularly interested in politics, he could guess at other factors. The patriarch Raven's near-de facto break with Emperor Keynes meant that conquering this orcish territory was likely part of a future plan. The patriarch simply hadn't told him, perhaps to spare him too much worry.
All of this sounds simple and wonderful, but how incredibly difficult is it to tear a piece of flesh from the Orc Empire with just 30,000 men?! Only Patriarch Raven dared to think and act on it; anyone else probably wouldn't even dare to dream of it. Therefore, the goal of this decisive battle was never just "easily winning," but to annihilate all the elite main fighting forces of the surrounding Orcs! To completely terrify them! To completely demoralize them! To completely cripple them! Otherwise, even if they occupy this land, they will inevitably be mired in a quagmire of endless war! There will be no possibility of peaceful development! Then this land will simply become a barren wasteland!
This is just like Simon in the sky; his goal was never to kill Silvermane, but to entangle him! If Simon went in with the goal of killing Silvermane, he would only die faster! Similarly, winning this war is also simple for Raven: just repair the Bloodstone Wall, and he can win. But this victory will only be temporary; in the future, he will face continuous harassment and attacks from Silvermane and Broken Tooth! In fact, the patriarch's decision to launch a decisive battle was a lucky accident; otherwise, even if the Bloodstone Wall were repaired, it wouldn't be able to stop the sixth-tier Silvermane! Without any preparation, it would be a one-sided slaughter!

"The sins are for the present, but the merits will last for generations" were the last words spoken by the patriarch Raven that night, giving this rough man a profound and powerful shock and resonance to his body, mind, and soul! The patriarch's vision was always far-sighted and unmatched, making Eric understand the heavy burden on his shoulders! This was also the reason why Eric didn't say a word when facing his son Thor just now, because he didn't know if he would be able to return alive today!

"Only death remains."

Eric roared inwardly, determined to stand here today and not let the broken tooth slip into the gap!
"If you want to compete with the clan leader, you'll have to get past me, Lu San, first!"

A roar came from afar, and the beast soul behind him was already manifesting, clearly indicating that Ye had broken through to the fourth level of the Transcendent Realm! Lu San charged forward like a moving wall of flesh. His broad chest and muscular arms bulged like vines carved into stone, his skin had a rough, dark brown texture, and his hair was sparse and coarse, like dry black grass, hanging down his shoulders in strands, blending into the animal skin cloak draped over his back.

"Humph!!!"

A cold snort escaped Eric's nostrils, and with a resounding clang, his Martial Soul Greatsword flashed out behind him, hilt upwards, tip downwards, slowly rotating with shimmering light. In the pitch-black snowy night, the aura emanating from the greatsword flickered, creating a terrifying visual spectacle that sent chills down one's spine! As his battle aura surged, the Steel Battle Technique [Master of Ten Thousand Roars] was instantly activated. The armor and weapons of the surrounding orcs flew towards Eric's Martial Soul, clanging and clattering like a magnificent sight of weary birds returning to their nests!
The expressions on the faces of the surrounding orcs grew increasingly horrified. Some looked bewildered without their weapons, some instinctively clutched their chests without their breastplates, and some even hurriedly covered their crotches with both hands... because after half of their armor was sucked away, a dark object was exposed inside.

It has to be said that deliberately choosing to have the final battle here was indeed very beneficial for Eric!

Thousands of weapons and armor were attracted to it. The martial spirit, which was originally formed from fighting spirit, seemed to have a physical body at this moment. With a hum, the falling sword tip suddenly straightened up and rushed towards Lu San!

The Martial Soul Greatsword flew past, swaying a long beam of battle aura in the dark snowy night. Lu San's expression was solemn. Behind him, the Beast Soul raised its giant axe with both hands and slammed it towards the flying Martial Soul Greatsword!
Boom--boom--boom--

A series of explosions echoed through the air, and blinding orbs of light rose like mushroom clouds. The once arrogant orcs, now like frightened groundhogs, howled, screamed, and scattered in all directions! This was what they called orcs! Mercenaries in war were, in a sense, synonymous with "poor," but these orcs were even worse than mercenaries! When faced with life-threatening danger, fear would take over their minds, and instinct would replace their thinking! So, strictly speaking, they hadn't completely escaped the category of magical beasts.

Despite Lu San's fearless and desperate efforts to resist, the difference in strength would not change in the slightest because of his courage! When Eric's Martial Soul Greatsword came crashing down from the sky, whether it was the giant axe in the beast soul's hand, the beast soul itself, or Lu San, they all let out a wail! Like spring sunshine meeting snow, they were utterly destroyed and annihilated in the air with a loud bang, turning into ashes.

puff--

Lu San coughed up blood and flew out, his life seemingly beginning its countdown.

"Why are you acting so tough when you're so weak?!"

Eric said, somewhat puzzled, "I killed Lu San with a single sword strike."

Although both were at the fourth tier, Eric's affinity for steel elements had long been enhanced by Raven to a terrifying degree. Coupled with the high-level combat skill of the Lord of Ten Thousand Roars, and the advantage of being in a place where steel elements were overflowing, similar to fighting on home turf... all these factors combined to form Eric's feat of "slaying someone of the same tier with one sword"!

“Orcs…” Blood bubbles spurted from Lu San’s pig-like mouth, and the constant backflow of blood made it impossible for him to even finish his sentence. “Orcs…” He struggled to reach for Eric’s iron armor boots as he approached. “Orcs… can also be slaves…” After saying that, his eyes widened and he lost his breath.

"Tsk," Eric frowned, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Eric wouldn't have gone to such lengths if he'd said so earlier! A fourth-tier beast slave is still quite valuable! "Eric"

A deep voice rang out, and Broken Tooth walked over step by step, holding his battle axe in both hands. "Finally, I've met you!" Broken Tooth shook his neck from side to side, making a crackling sound like popping soybeans. "That old bastard Raven, he really hid you well!"

"Broken Tooth, you've finally decided to come out?" Eric said with a serious expression.

"Do you know how I used to treat the humans I captured? Especially the women... I heard you humans have come up with a theory that women with big butts are good at giving birth to sons. Coincidentally, I also like women with big butts and big breasts!" Broken Tooth said slowly, "I would strip them naked, hang them up in a row, and ravage them mercilessly amidst their struggles, screams, and fear! But when they become numb or accept the process, near the end, I would take a big bite. Or I would eat their breasts raw, or their ears raw, or... I would eat them all."

Judging by appearance, the broken tooth was about nine feet tall, and the thick spine hunched forward, forming a poised, arched curve. The enormous head resembled a blood-stained stone hammer—its forehead covered with layers of keratinous growths, like bronze armor extending from the brow bone to the top of the nose. Two curved fangs protruded from the lower jaw, not smooth ivory white, but covered with axe-like cracks and dark yellow tartar; one fang was broken off at the third of its length, making it particularly conspicuous! The tip of the other fang was covered with dried mud and bits of flesh, as if it had just dug the prey's intestines from the bottom of a swamp. The eyes were sunken below the brow bone, like two black gems embedded in the soil, the outer ring of the iris swirling with blood vessels, gleaming with a ferocious amber light. The four toes were short and thick like stone pillars, the nails cracked and blackened. When the three-toed hoof stepped down, it left a bowl-sized crater in the ground. A low growl, a mixture of phlegm and teeth grinding, echoed in the air, leaving behind a strong, fishy smell.

As Broken Tooth spoke, a look of enjoyment appeared on his face. "Those lowly creatures, did they really think I would let them bear my offspring! What woman but an extraordinary one is qualified to bear my children?!"

“Eric, kneel down now and submit to me, and I can guarantee you will not suffer these tortures, how about it?” Broken Tooth pointed his giant axe at Eric.

"You talk too much nonsense!"

Eric had long lost his patience. His fighting spirit surged, and with a wave of his hand, his Martial Soul Greatsword spun around, instantly killing nearly a hundred orcs. He then absorbed thousands of weapons and armor from the vicinity and slashed down at Broken Tooth.

"madness!"

Broken Tooth roared, "I'll let you see the difference between the fourth and fifth tiers with your own eyes!" A massive beast soul appeared behind Broken Tooth, raised its head and let out a silent roar. Light and shadow flickered, and the next second, the massive beast soul disappeared in a flash!

When it reappeared, it was already in mid-air, its double axes slashing fiercely at Eric's Martial Soul Greatsword! A thunderous explosion rang out, and Eric's Martial Soul Greatsword shattered instantly, leaving behind a mountain of steel debris!

However, the beast soul with broken teeth was not far from unscathed either. Its two axes were also shattered, and the beast soul was blasted backward in mid-air!
"A fifth-tier transcendent beast soul can fight outside the body! Did you know that?!"

Broken Tooth's eyes were dark and filled with a bloodthirsty madness. He had deliberately sent Lu San out to test Eric's strength and deplete Eric's fighting spirit! He hadn't expected Lu San to be so useless, actually being killed by Eric with a single sword strike! But this also made Broken Tooth realize that Eric's strongest move was a combat technique combined with his Martial Soul Greatsword! That's why he had his Martial Soul leave his body, intercepting Eric's Martial Soul Greatsword in mid-air! He then took this opportunity to appear in front of Eric, his twin axes flashing with two cold lights, and slashed down at Eric's head.

A strange look appeared on Eric's face. At this moment, he actually thought of the family head Raven. Those foolish enemies always tried to get close to him by taking advantage of the fact that the family head Raven was a magician. Little did they know that the most terrifying thing about the family head Raven was not his magic, but his powerful physical body, which was like a magical beast!

At this moment, Eric was also enjoying this indescribable joy. His face, hidden beneath the armor, suddenly grinned: "And do you know? My physical strength is no less than that of a fifth-tier magical beast?!"

"what?!"

Eric's words stirred a hint of doubt in Broken Tooth's heart, but he quickly suppressed it. Eric must have been boasting in his dying moments. How could a mere human possess a body like a magical beast? "Ah~~~~ Ah... Ah..." However, Broken Tooth soon paid a heavy price for his ignorance.

Eric swung his spear, sending Broken Tooth's double axes flying! The terrifying force emanating from the blow split Broken Tooth's tiger's mouth open! Immediately afterward, Eric leaped off Clawed Yellow Lightning, his right fist swung back sharply, then he unleashed a powerful punch, slamming it into Broken Tooth's abdomen! Instantly, the nearly 3-meter-tall Broken Tooth was sent flying with a howl of pain!

"So this is how satisfying and enjoyable it is to smash an enemy with one punch! No wonder the patriarch does it every time."

Eric laughed heartily!

He then raised his spear and hurled it, pinning the broken tooth firmly to the ground!

Reverse Slash of the Fifth Rank!

……

(End of this chapter)