You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"This is just a guess, but the magic concentration and flow rate around the cracks I just checked were all similar, only this one was much slower!"

Iori's eyes blazed with excitement and high spirits. He activated Instantaneous Roar, covering his body with powerful magical energy fluctuations, and shot straight into the dark crack like a bolt of lightning!

Chapter 202: People die when they are killed—that's a lie!

Orcs are a subhuman race with the appearance of humans and the physique of wild beasts, who follow the law of the jungle.

The difference between them and humans is that they usually have animal ears and tails. To be honest, there is not much difference, and from some angles, this can even be considered cute.

However, in this world, orcs are a symbol of savagery and lack of intelligence. Compared to the more intelligent elves and humans, they believe in the survival of the fittest and mostly live in tribes and clans. In the eyes of humans, orcs are all muscle.

Orcs generally lead a life that combines fishing, hunting, and farming, but they also accept employment from humans as adventurers or mercenaries to go out "hunting" and decide who becomes the leader by force—basically, they can be regarded as barbarian tribes around a great power.

It's not that there aren't wise people among them; ultimately, everyone has the same brain capacity, only their living environments and upbringing differ. Although most are militant, occasionally a few bright individuals will emerge.

In this orcish society, there exists a long-standing tradition:

exile.

When a tribe becomes too large and the nearby forests can no longer meet its survival needs, it will exile some young orcs who have made mistakes or have problems, leaving them to fend for themselves as nomadic tribes.

Most of these nomadic tribes disintegrate during their wandering for various reasons and are gradually absorbed by mercenary groups or other orc tribes, but a small number manage to survive and establish their own homes in other places.

This is how the orc tribes, now scattered all over the world and almost everywhere, came about.

There are some explanations for this:

Most orc tribes are relatively "rule-abiding," meaning they follow the traditions of fishing, hunting, and being mercenaries, honestly earning money by risking their lives.

However, some will go astray and evolve into a gang of thugs like bandits—given the orcs' belief that might makes right, they are actually quite prone to corruption.

...A traveler wearing a large cloak walked along the rugged mountain path. Her face was obscured by a black hood, and only her figure revealed her to be a woman.

She walks at a moderate but even pace. An expert would likely notice that she maintains excellent balance on any type of road without any unnecessary movements, and even her breathing is very calm.

This means she won't reveal any "weaknesses" and can switch from slow to fast at any time, instantly switching into combat mode.

The traveler's destination is an orc village nestled deep in the mountains. It is a very "new" tribe with about two hundred young and strong orcs.

About a year ago, this group of orcs moved here. At first, they were normal, but later they started attacking passing merchants. In the last two months, they have even targeted the surrounding human villages, causing a lot of bloodshed.

Interestingly, this bandit group wasn't just made up of orcs; there were also an equal number of humans. They were originally bandits from the nearby mountains, and somehow they joined the group, forming a great interspecies "friendship" with the orcs.

As it turns out, villains don't become gentle just because they're of the same race. The bandits treat all the "food" they can reach equally, regardless of race or age.

Orcs kill orcs, and humans kill humans. In this forest, people do not follow morality and law, but rather the naked law of the jungle.

However, the villagers, whom they regarded as food, were not always so submissive. They reported the situation to the lord and even tried to hire adventurers, but for various reasons, they were ultimately unable to resolve the issue.

Just when they were about to give up and decide to move away, a long-eared traveler passed through the village. After being treated to a meal by the villagers and hearing about their plight, the seemingly weak traveler decided to help them and solve the problem once and for all!

Regardless of the villagers' attempts to dissuade him, the traveler set off alone along the mountain path and fearlessly arrived at the orc village.

"This is……"

She found the body on the outskirts of the village. It was a young orc with canine features, whose head had been chopped off with a single blow, but there were no other wounds.

The traveler, a warrior accustomed to bloodshed, was naturally not frightened. What surprised her was that, judging from the bloodstains on the ground, the orc must have fallen from a tree... probably some kind of sentry.

Judging from his unfocused eyes, he didn't see the attacker; he was simply scanning his surroundings aimlessly. Perhaps... his face only showed surprise; he may not have even felt the pain before he died.

Master!

After examining the severed section of the neck, the traveler's gaze sharpened immediately:

This is definitely a master swordsman, and he is very good at stealth. Even the orcs with their keen senses could not detect his approach!

However, the traveler did not back down, because she could do similar things; this unexpected discovery only made her more vigilant.

What's going on? Is it infighting within the bandit group, or are there outside invaders? An adventurer with this level of skill wouldn't be swayed by a group of villagers' offer of payment, would they?

Despite a flurry of speculations, the traveler pressed on fearlessly toward the village. Along the way, she saw three more sentries killed in a single blow, and the village gate was wide open, with half-congealed blood dripping from the watchtowers on either side…

Strange... If it were the kingdom's army or an adventurer's party that came to subdue the thieves, there would be no trace of them at all. But apart from the thieves' corpses, nothing was left at the scene, and there wasn't even any decent fighting.

Secretly channeling her magic, the traveler entered the village. As she ventured deeper, she encountered more and more corpses, and finally saw signs of a struggle, though it appeared to be a one-sided massacre.

At this moment, she could finally faintly hear shouts and collisions. Instantly, she transformed into a gust of wind and leaped onto the roof, covering over a hundred meters in a few steps. After a few breaths, she arrived at the source, where the cries for help were even clearer:

"No! Let me go! Help me! Someone please help me!"

What came into view was a human girl with disheveled clothes. Judging from her attire, she was clearly a villager from the foot of the mountain. At that moment, a strangely dressed man was holding her wrist, and he was unresponsive no matter how much she called out to him.

"Help!"

At that moment, the girl also saw the traveler and became immediately agitated, shouting in a hoarse voice, "Help! Help me! I don't want to die!"

The traveler narrowed his eyes, waved his hand, and lifted a corner of his cloak. An invisible force traveled nearly twenty meters and struck the two of them!

She did not directly attack the man because the situation was unclear, and it was still difficult to say whether he was a robber.

Of course, saving the girl was the top priority, so the attack was aimed at the man's wrist, with enough force to dislodge him.

call!

A gentle breeze blew by, causing the other person's sleeve to flutter, but their hand showed no sign of loosening its grip, seemingly unaffected by anything.

"Huh!" The traveler was taken aback. She clearly hadn't seen the other party make any move, so how did they manage to deflect the attack?

"No! Let go of me! Daddy! Mommy!"

The girl struggled even harder at this moment, and the traveler's expression tightened. He rushed forward like an arrow released from a bow—

"Let go!"

Even at this point, she still didn't draw her sword, but instead smashed it down along with its sheath.

Nevertheless, given her wrist strength and speed, the strike was still incredibly fierce.

Bang!

The longsword struck the steel, producing a cracking sound that made people's eardrums ache.

—The traveler's eyes widened.

The opponent neither released the girl nor dodged, but instead reached out his free left hand to catch her sword!

Without the slightest wavering, his arm seemed to be forged from steel or rock... No!

Although it was a sheathed attack, it shouldn't have been so easily blocked. With her strength, even real steel should have been crushed!

"rush!"

Two fingers extended from his left hand, pointed at the traveler like a short knife—

Alarm bells rang in her mind, and the traveler quickly jumped back to get away, but the sharp wind pressure released from the other party's fingertips still grazed her face and pierced through her hood.

Call ~

Amidst the disarray, a head of smooth, light golden hair, slightly grayish, cascaded down, her pointed ears revealing her identity, and a pair of emerald green eyes fixed intently on the mysterious youth.

This is actually an elf girl with an absolutely stunning face!

It was at this very moment that the hunter lurking in the shadows suddenly sprang out, swiftly reaching the boy like a spider hunting a flying insect—

"careful!"

The elf noticed the sudden change out of the corner of his eye and instinctively called out.

However, it was too late. As the leader of this village, this feline beastman possessed lightning-fast speed, even faster than sound. This sneak attack, launched from a blind spot, was sure to kill!

Clang!

The iron claw-like weapon pierced the boy's body, and the orc grinned arrogantly: "Die, you scum!"

This guy broke into my village and killed countless of my fellow countrymen along the way. His power was so great that it was despair-inducing. Even I could only tremble and hide in the shadows, praying that he would lose interest after killing enough and leave as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, fate was on his side, as a skilled adventurer unexpectedly intruded and distracted the other party... and he seized the opportunity!

No matter how strong a human is, they are still just flesh and blood and cannot withstand the piercing of steel.

When a person is killed, they die; that's only natural!

"Haha! I finally—"

Before the orc could finish speaking, he instinctively swung his iron claws to crush the other's internal organs, but a piercing clanging sound rang out.

He looked down in astonishment and saw that his iron claws had only torn the outer garment but had not pierced the other person's body. Instead, the weapon itself was distorted by the force, which was why it made that sound.

"This, how is this possible..."

That's undoubtedly skin, not armor... Impossible!

"Is it difficult to understand?"

Iori frowned in disgust, as if she had found a mosquito on her body.

"Weapons, magic, martial arts... in the end, they are all just ways to concentrate and utilize power more efficiently."

The fact that this happened means that the magic you use to strengthen your body, the weapons that enhance your destructive power... all of these things combined are no match for the magic defense that I unconsciously disperse on my body.

"Is it hard to understand?"

Chapter 203: The Basic Qualities of a Heartbreaker

laugh!

Without giving the orc more time to think, Death waved his hand gently, and the fragile neck bone twisted and drooped like a broken flower branch.

As the corpse fell lifelessly, Iori pressed her thumb against the screaming girl, instantly silencing her unfocused eyes. Strictly speaking, she had lost consciousness; her limp body was lifted up by her knees and held in her arms.

The elf didn't put the sword back; instead, he gripped the hilt even tighter: "What have you done?"

"Just let her sleep for a while. The child is terrified. If this continues, she will hurt herself."

These words made the elf's eyes look strange: the boy in front of him clearly didn't look very old, and according to the human life cycle, he should be less than seventeen years old, but why did he speak in such an old-fashioned tone?

"Can you please stop pointing your sword at me? Even if it's not drawn, I can still consider it an act of hostility."

Iori smiled slightly: "Let's confirm first—do you want to fight me?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, the elf released the hilt of the sword and sheathed the rapier.

Here you can see hot pants and a tube top under the cape, a provocative outfit that is almost like a swimsuit, but the well-proportioned and graceful figure hides a strong vitality. The abdomen is faintly visible, and the muscle lines that are only revealed when exerting force are reminiscent of an Amazon warrior.

The man did not hang the weapon on his waist or back, but carried it directly in his hand. It was a sharp weapon, long for his arm span, shaped like a katana, and even when sheathed, it exuded a cold aura.

Although the types are quite different... that cold and aloof appearance, with a somewhat dazed look, is a bit like Akame in terms of atmosphere.

"I'll let it slide since you're good-looking," Iori said, as magnanimous as ever.

"I was entrusted by the villagers at the foot of the mountain to come and subdue the thieves... Now it seems that I don't need to take action."

The elven girl stared directly at Iori with her pure turquoise eyes: "Who are you? Did you do all this?"

"Is there a third person here with a reason to do this?"

Iori, holding the unconscious girl, turned his head to one side: "What a coincidence, my motive is the same as yours... It seems that quite a few villages have been persecuted by these bandits."

The elf followed his gaze, her cherry lips slightly parted:

Inside a dilapidated house with its door half-open, several pale-faced and haggard-looking girls huddled behind the door, watching nervously.

They were afraid... to be precise, afraid of fairies.

Realizing this, the pointy-eared girl subtly tucked her longsword under her cloak, and when she looked at Iori again, her gaze had softened considerably.

"It seems these orcs and slave traders have reached a cooperation agreement to capture these girls as commodities... I only discovered these kidnapped people after I had killed almost everyone else."

Some people are just too sensitive; they won't listen to anything I say and they think I'm a bad person too.

Iori glanced at the peasant girl in her arms and shook her head slightly: "Anyway, the bandits here have been almost all killed. I don't think anyone has escaped within my sight. You'll probably have wasted your trip... Hmm, that looks like the leader's room. There might be some gold coins or something. I don't mind if you take them all."

“I have no interest in those things.”

Rather than saying she's not short of money, it's more accurate to say she doesn't need money and would never covet other people's spoils.