Chapter 18: A rematch.

The gigantic orc walked toward Rigel, and each step it took was enough to shake the ground. The remaining orcs moved away from Rigel because they knew it was a sacred duel. Rigel never thought those monsters upheld fairness, but he didn't complain and appreciated them.

Back then Rigel lost because he was in a tight situation where he was surrounded by monsters, unable to showcase his power to the gigantic orc. This time, it was different and there wouldn't be anyone or anything that could interfere with the fight.

Rigel looked at all the stuff he had on him, and then he removed his vest and dropped his guns that were weighing him down. He pulled out another sword and signaled to the gigantic orc that he was ready for the duel. The gigantic orc was smirking and showed interest in him and his determination.

The gigantic orc roared, and then the other orcs roared to cheer their leader. It was a bit unnerving because Rigel had never been in that kind of situation before. Although it was unnerving, it gave him the excitement because of the atmosphere.

The gigantic orc dashed forward and swung its axes down at Rigel, but Rigel dodged it and managed to avoid the devastating blow. Rigel saw how powerful the attack was and what it did to the road that got split in half. He needed to keep some distance and thought that he should charge in when he believed it was the perfect timing to attack.

Rigel kept dodging the attacks that the orc threw at him, and no matter how many times he dodged them, he couldn't get used to how fast the attacks were. A single mistake was no doubt would kill him, and unlike fighting the ogre's leader, the orc's leader had experience in a fight making it even more challenging.

Although Rigel was faster, he couldn't find an opening, and he couldn't block the attacks because it would break his swords. He had no other choice but to use his surroundings and that was to let the orc destroy the buildings in his surroundings.

Rigel lured the orc toward the building behind him, and when the orc swung its axe, the building got destroyed, releasing dust and debris. That was when Rigel took the chance to dash forward, cutting the orc's achilles left heel. The orc was in pain, but it immediately swung its other axe and spun around. Rigel almost got his head flying because he barely dodged the attack.

The orc started to put more strength and speed into its attack, pushing Rigel and hoping to corner him once again. Rigel gladly let the orc corner him, and when the orc swung both of its axes down at him, the building couldn't withstand the attack and it collapsed right on top of its head.

Rigel charged in again and cut the achilles tendon even deeper until his sword hit the bone on its heel. He knew he had done enough, and ran as far as he could to avoid getting crushed by the building behind him.

The orc was buried by the debris, but it survived and it got enraged because it fell for the same trick twice. The orc no longer held back and swung its axes at Rigel, ignoring the wound on its foot as if it didn't affect the orc at all. Rigel knew it was the only way to fight a larger opponent, so he stuck to the plan.

The orc couldn't land a single hit, and Rigel had gotten used to its attack pattern thanks to the orc wielding two axes. He managed to find the openings and cut the other achilles tendon until the legs of the orcs couldn't bear the weight of its body and strength.

Rigel aimed not only at the heels but also aimed at the back thighs of the orc where the hamstring muscles were. Thanks to the orc's limited movements, he could easily move around it and cut the hamstrings until the muscles were severely damaged. The orc was unable to stand, sit, or bend its legs, and so that was when the duel was over because the orc collapsed with no ability to stand.

The orc swung his axes aimlessly at the ground, but Rigel dodged them and then he cut the orc's left wrist with both swords. The left hand of the orc was hanging and it had no more strength to grip the axe. The orc then used his right hand, but Rigel did the same thing and used all his strength on that attack, cutting the hand off.

The orc didn't give up and used his elbows and forearms to attack Rigel, but the moment Rigel cut the biceps and triceps of the orc, it could no longer do anything. Rigel climbed the orc's body and stood on its chest, staring down at the helpless orc below him.

"I appreciate the fairness, and I'll let you die painlessly," Rigel said and then he jumped and stabbed his sword into the orc's skull and killed the orc.

The silence overwhelmed the air as the orcs were shocked at the death of their leader in the hand of a small creature that wasn't even a third of the leader's size. But none of them dared to make a move because it was a sacred duel, and they accepted the result wholeheartedly.

Rigel didn't believe the orcs didn't seek revenge for the death of their leader. He then pulled his swords and started to cut open the orc's chest to get the stone. This time the color was dark green, and it disintegrated and turned into ashes just like the previous one. The ashes went into his nose and mouth, but this time it was bearable for some reason.

He could feel the growth within his body, but again, he couldn't tell how much his power had grown. He was going to ask Lysara'elmaris about his growth when he had the chance to meet her again.

The screeches in the sky made him look up and saw the wyverns were taking over the sky. He squinted his eyes and saw the black dragon above the clouds, higher than the wyverns. He was determined that he would kill that black dragon before he was going to enter the tower again.

"Are you guys going to fight or not?" Rigel glanced at the orcs on the sides of the road.

The orcs looked at each other and didn't understand what Rigel was saying, but somehow they dropped their axes to show Rigel that they had no intention of fighting. Although they didn't understand each other, Rigel had proved himself to be the strongest, and the orcs submitted to his superiority.

Rigel sheathed his swords, grabbed the stuff that he put down on the ground, and then left. The orcs had lost their leaders, and it would take a while before they could decide what to do.

"2 down, 3 more to go," Rigel looked at the sky and it was already noon. Rigel decided to go back and meet with the army because he needed more bullets for his guns.

After wandering around the city and hunting for the monsters, the sun was setting, and the sounds of gunshots and explosions became louder. The endless battle that seemed devastating was just the start, and the battle would keep on going for the next 5 years just like in Rigel's past life.

Rigel managed to find a temporary base for the joint military from all European countries. It was big enough that it looked like a fortress, and they had everything to deal with all kinds of monsters. He was welcomed by the soldiers, and almost everyone recognized him. Those who didn't know were immediately informed of who Rigel was and what he had achieved.

"Rigel! Thank God you're safe..." The captain approached Rigel. "I heard that you managed to kill that giant monster," he looked at Rigel and couldn't believe a human could defeat the gigantic orc on his own.

"Do you know the location of the remaining leaders?" Rigel asked as he loaded the magazines.

"Leaders? Do you mean those gigantic monsters?" The captain asked. "They're currently out there on the east side of Berlin. We don't know their exact location, but that's where they were spotted by our scout," he answered.

Rigel looked at the east and then nodded with understanding.

"By the way. The commander wants to see you," The captain said.

"The commander?" Rigel furrowed.

"Commander Hugo. He wants to see you," The captain answered.