The orc lord walked forward with the same slow, deliberate pace, his massive feet pressing into the earth like a conqueror marching toward his throne.
Each step sent tremors through the ground, his aura suffocating the air around us.
We could only watch in helpless silence as he approached the city’s gate, his presence alone a reminder of how insignificant we were.
Then, out of nowhere, a gunshot.
A single bullet cut through the air, heading straight for the orc lord’s head.
For the first time, the creature paused.
I turned toward the shooter, my heart slamming against my ribs.
Mira.
She stood atop the barricade, gun raised, her fiery red hair whipping in the wind.
Her stance was unshaken, her glare locked onto the orc lord with defiance.
"You think you can just waltz in here like a damn king?" she yelled, her voice sharp with fury. "I don’t care how strong you are, you’re not getting past me!"
The orc lord resumed walking, entirely unfazed.
Mira didn’t hesitate, she fired again.
And again.
And again.
Each shot rang through the battlefield, the muzzle flash illuminating her determined face.
But the bullets never reached their target.
Just like before, they froze in midair, as if the very air itself refused to let them pass.
Then, one by one, they dropped to the ground, harmless, rolling in the dirt like spent casings.
A cold sweat formed on the back of my neck.
"Mira, stop and get out of here!" I shouted. But she wasn’t listening.
She reloaded in an instant, gritting her teeth.
"I don’t give a damn about your stupid tricks! Die already, you ugly bastard!"
She fired again.
The bullets never even got close.
The orc lord was now right in front of her.
And then, he moved.
A single, lazy swipe of his enormous hand.
The impact was instant.
Mira’s body shot through the air like a ragdoll, her scream cut short as she slammed into the city wall.
CRACK.
The sound of breaking stone.
No, not just the wall.
Her body.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
The city wall, built to withstand even a nuclear blast, had fractured from the sheer force of the hit.
Mira slid to the ground, her limbs limp, her gun falling from her fingers.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Because we all knew.
She wasn’t getting back up.
The orc lord’s eyes shifted, locking onto me.
A deep chill crawled up my spine as his gaze settled, heavy and suffocating like an invisible weight pressing down on my chest.
His presence alone was a force of nature, and for a moment, I struggled to breathe under the sheer intensity of it.
But I couldn’t afford to falter.
I clenched my fists, grounding myself.
I adjusted my stance, lowering my center of gravity, ready to move the second he attacked.
My grip tightened around the hilt of my sword.
I knew, this fight wouldn’t be like any before.
This wasn’t just another orc or another monster.
This was something else entirely.
The orc lord lifted his massive hand.
Every fiber of my being screamed at me to move.
To dodge.
To attack.
To do something.
And then--
A voice rang out from above.
"DIE, YOU MONSTER!"
A shadow blurred through the air, descending like a meteor from above.
A man, his fist pulled back, his muscles flexed with raw power, came crashing down toward the orc lord’s head, aiming to end it in one decisive blow.
The force behind his attack was incredible, enough to crack the earth if it landed.
But it didn’t.
His fist froze inches from the orc lord’s head.
Just, stopped.
Like the air itself had become an unbreakable wall between him and the monster.
For a heartbeat, everything was still.
The attacker’s eyes widened in shock, confusion flashing across his face as he realized his punch was suspended in midair, unable to move forward no matter how much strength he put behind it.
And then---
A low, rumbling chuckle escaped his throat.
And in that moment, i knew...
This wasn’t going to be a fight.
It was going to be a massacre.
The orc lord slowly raised his head, his dark, piercing eyes locking onto the figure in midair.
There was no surprise on his face, no reaction of urgency or fear, only a slow, almost amused acknowledgment.
Like a predator watching an insect struggle before the inevitable.
The one who had attacked him... was Edward.
His massive frame was rigid with tension, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
His expression was the definition of pure rage, his jaw set as he refused to accept what had just happened.
His punch had stopped midair like it had hit an invisible wall, an unbreakable force that kept him from even scratching the orc lord.
Edward wasn’t the type to back down.
With a deep, guttural growl, he pulled his arm back again and launched another devastating punch.
His entire body tensed as he poured every ounce of strength into it, his fist colliding with the unseen barrier that protected the orc lord.
BOOM!
The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave blasting through the air.
Dust and debris erupted from the ground, the very air rippling from the strength behind the blow.
The city walls trembled, loose stones breaking free from the ancient structure.
But the orc lord didn’t move.
Edward snarled, his muscles flexing as he pulled back again, this time faster, stronger.
Boom!
Boom!
BOOM!
Each punch was relentless, a series of brutal, earth-shaking strikes, like a storm trying to tear through an unmovable mountain.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Yet, nothing.
The orc lord remained completely unfazed.
His massive form didn’t shift an inch, his towering presence utterly still.
His armor, his skin, even his expression, untouched.
Edward’s breathing grew heavier, his teeth grinding together as his attacks grew more frantic.
There had to be a weakness.
There was no such thing as an invincible enemy.
He just had to find the weak point.
Another punch.
Another explosion of force.
And then—
A shift.