A tall orc landed at the center of the clearing after being teleported out of the House of Cards. He was more than 1.85 meters tall and had a muscular build. The sides of his head were shaved and he sported a mohawk that ended in a braided ponytail.
Two sharp tusks protruded from his lower jaw. He had red and white face paint and appeared very menacing. It took the orc a while to gather himself after he was teleported.
However, that was all the time the surrounding Magi needed.
The four major races of the Southern Federation had a deep hatred for the orcs. After all, time and time again the orcs had raided their settlements and wreaked havoc.
Orcs were cruel and bloodthirsty. Every now and then they would gather their forces and wage wars to try and occupy the lands belonging to the Southern Federation.
But their forces were always repelled by the combined might of the four major races.
Allowing these barbarians even to enter the Soaring River Secret Plane and fight for the rewards inside felt like a huge disrespect to the Magi present.
These Magi had tried to finish off the orcs that had teleported to this clearing earlier, but they failed. These orcs were simply too powerful for them even when ganged up on.
The first orc to be teleported out of the House of Cards was a lanky fellow. Before the Magi could even attack him, he had already escaped with this superior speed. After that, every orc that was teleported out was quickly rescued by this orc.
"It's a damn orc again!"
"Finish this bastard!"
"Hurry, kill him now!"
The Magi slowly closed in on him, their mana-infused weapons mere inches from landing on the orc's body.
A loud explosion bloomed at the center of the clearing, engulfing all the Magi and the orcs within it.
Everyone was shocked by this sudden development.
When the dust settled, what greeted everyone's eyes was even more shocking. The half a dozen Magi who had charged forth to attack the orc youth were now dead.
Over their corpses stood the orc group from earlier!
The speed at which the Magi were killed caused everyone to be filled with disbelief. For a moment, the entire battlefield was enveloped in an eerie silence. No one spoke, no one made a move, they simply stared at the group of orcs in apprehension.
After gathering himself, Kurdan looked at his fellow teammates and faintly smiled. "So you all made it out before me."
"Hahaha, yes, leader!"
"We've been waiting for you!"
The orcs were very happy to reunite with Kurdan. The latter replied with sincerity, "All of you have made it out safely. I'm glad."
He then paused and asked, "By the way, who arrived here first?"
All the orcs simultaneously glanced at the lanky person who was standing with his arms crossed and displaying an aloof expression.
Kurdan followed their gazes and smiled with gratification. "So it was you, Gorgo. You did a good job. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened to us."
Everyone completely agreed with Kurdan. If Gorgo hadn't managed to escape from the attacks of the Magi all by himself and subsequently hadn't rescued the others, they probably would not have even been alive now.
Being praised by the leader in front of everyone, Gorgo smirked, "Hmph, what else did you expect from me?"
"But more importantly." Gorgo's gaze turned solemn as he looked at Kurdan and asked, "Did you manage to get that thing?"
Kurdan nodded with a smile. "Yes, luck was on my side."
All the orcs were ecstatic hearing Kurdan's confirmation. They had completed their chief's request. Now, all they needed to do was bring the 'item' back to the chief.
The Southern Federation was very likely to enter into a great period of upheaval!
"Hahaha!" Gorgo burst into laughter. His eyes turned maniacal and he asked eagerly, "So does that mean I can finally go all out now."
This time, Kurdan didn't reject him. Instead, he grinned from ear to ear, displaying his ferocious set of teeth.
"My fellow warriors! The time has come to bathe in the blood of our enemies!"
"OHHH!" The orcs responded fervently to Kurdan's orders.
The aura around the orcs completely changed. If earlier it was restrained, now it was filled with intense bloodlust, while their eyes shone with deep fighting intent.
Ever since they had entered the secret plane, they had kept their heads down and avoided battles with other Magi. Kurdan, being as cautious as he was, didn't want to risk losing any member as he prioritized the mission given to them by their chief.
However, now that the item had been acquired by him, the orcs were finally ready to go all out. They were a warrior race, to begin with, and never feared battle. In fact, they lived only for battle.
"Get into formation!" Kurdan roared.
The orcs got into a circular formation with Kurdan at the center. The latter then weaved a series of hand signs at lightning speed, following which, a bright magic circle lit up underneath them.
Rank 1 Spell: Alleviation!
Under the stupefied gazes of all the Magi present, ethereal crimson chains shout out from the bodies of the orcs and connected all eight of them.
A moment later, the crimson chains dissipated, however, the orcs' bodies were now covered in a bloody aura.
This was a special spell researched and developed by the orcs, one that connected their vitality with one another during battle.
Meaning, that any injuries borne by either orc within the group will be dispersed amongst all of them, effectively reducing the power of attacks on them. This made them extremely difficult to deal with.
To kill one, they practically had to be one-shotted!
A terrifying pressure emanated from the group of orcs, making the surrounding Magi terrified of making a move against them. This further enforced the orcs' morale.
Just when Kurdan and the orcs were about to go on a rampage, something very peculiar happened.
The space at the center of the clearing distorted and a Magus was suddenly teleported out of the House of Cards right in the midst of the orcs.
This Magus was a blonde young lady with emerald eyes and wielded a wooden staff. When Edward's gaze landed on this person, his heart sank.