Praise the Orc! Chapter 62:
Chapter 62 – The Demon’s Mouth (3)
Crockta walked through the darkness, moving downwards every time he took a step . It was like sinking into a dark swamp .
Crockta stared at the darkness that was surrounding him . Gradually, his footsteps became heavy and the darkness that couldn’t be repulsed swallowed his whole body . Moans were heard inside the darkness . An abyss .
His flesh would be erased . Only his spirit moved in the darkness . He couldn’t tell if he was seeing darkness, or if his vision was so broken that he couldn’t recognize anything . He felt drowsy .
Then someone said .
‘The world is a parabola . ’
A single ray of light emerged in the darkness . It was small and slender, like a firefly, as it moved in a gentle curve .
‘Everything that rises will eventually sink . ’
The light fell down . There were no traces of it left . It became dark again like there had been nothing there from the beginning .
‘It is small . ’
‘It blows away like dust in a void . ’
Crockta was standing now . He raised his gaze . It was a battlefield .
‘That is the world . ’
The sky was red . The ground was black . In this place where the boundary between heaven and earth were broken, many people were killed . Orcs and humans rushed towards each other in a confrontation . It was a strange war filled with the living and the dead .
A human screamed in pain . His head flew through the air . The orc who cut at him roared . Then a sword was stuck in the back of his head .
Blades crossed . There was a rain of blood .
Gradually, it started moving further away . The terrible battlefield moved further towards the horizon . The continent was seen on the horizon and then the sea was seen . The outline of a round planet appeared .
It was the view of a star that didn’t care about the cries of small beings . But the view kept on endlessly expanding .
The galaxy . The endless darkness and dust of the galaxy appeared .
The universe . Everything faded for a while . Even that just became a dot .
‘The world is just an empty place . ’
Life and death were just fleeting moments . Crockta’s soul rattled as the darkness and void enveloped his mind . Depression, emptiness, and resignation pulled him towards **** . He kept falling . Even this rise and fall was pointless .
Suddenly, someone called out to him, “Oppa, what are you doing?”
Jung Ian shook his head .
“Huh?”
Jung Ian looked around . This was Café Reason . Ah, that’s right . After finishing school, Jung Yiyu had come to the café to play and asked him for a latte . For a moment, he had a different thought . Jung Yiyu narrowed her eyes .
“What were you thinking?”
“Uhh…nothing . ”
“You should focus, Boss,” Jung Yiyu said with a smile . Ian laughed .
Then her face melted and her flesh dripped down her chin . As Jung Ian looked at her, she became a skeleton .
“Ah…”
Jung Ian freaked out and retreated .
‘When it comes to life, everything sinks eventually . ’
The skeletal Jung Yiyu cocked her head . Jung Ian staggered as he could no longer control his body . Suddenly, a voice was heard from next to him, “Boss, what are you doing now?”
It was Han Yeori’s voice . Jung Ian stuttered as he grabbed her arm .
“Yeori, you see, now, Yiyu…”
His fingers touched something cold . His head became blank as a collection of white bones smiled at him .
“Yes?”
‘I see life and I laugh death and I cry . Life is truly a fleeting moment while death is an eternity . ’
Jung Ian froze as the world came tumbling down . In the infinite time, he sank into eternal darkness .
Life .
An unlimited void caught up . He held onto his hair as he shook his head and stared into the core of darkness .
‘Look . ’
‘This is the world . ’
The boundaries were crumbling . Once again, Crockta stood in the darkness .
The Demon’s Mouth was smiling at his waist . A perverted consciousness that melted in with the darkness . He had to overcome it . No, winning or losing was pointless at this moment, as any thoughts fled into the emptiness of the void .
Crockta dropped his head .
The ‘it’ on his waist constantly whispered to him about the notion of emptiness . The malice and emptiness mixed up in his head . It felt like his body was going to burst . His blood vessels enlarged and he vomited .
Crockta’s soul screamed .
‘The world is a void . ’
***
Tiyo ran towards the bunker with the defenders .
All of a sudden, the ogres had become silent . The wyverns stopped . The creatures stood still and looked somewhere . Despite his confusion, Tiyo quickly led the guards . The defenders moved in unison under his leadership .
“The creatures have become silent all of a sudden! This is an opportunity dot!”
“Evacuate!”
The gnomes ran . They were approaching the building where the bunker was located when the ground shook .
Kuuong!
The running gnomes lost their balance and fell . Only Tiyo barely managed to keep his balance as he encouraged the soldiers . He looked behind him . Something was walking towards them .
The person was big but smaller than an ogre . He looked familiar but also strange . Green skin, a tough face, and tough body . He was holding a greatsword . It was Crockta . But Tiyo instinctively recoiled . It was Crockta’s shape but he looked different . An unknown dark aura was coming from him .
Crockta’s eyes were tinged red . Creatures like ogres and trolls were walking behind him . The wyverns hovered over Crockta’s head and made a bizarre sound . Crockta pointed towards Tiyo and the gnome garrison .
Then the creatures started to rush at them . The ground shook as the ogres rushed towards them . The gnomes couldn’t regroup so they failed to resist .
Tiyo also dropped the muzzle of General . Resistance was futile .
The ogres surrounded the gnomes . They opened a path . Crockta was walking over from the distance . As if he was the ruler, the creatures moved according to his gestures . Tiyo discovered the belt around Crockta’s waist .
“……!”
Everything made sense . That was the problem . It was due to the cursed artifact that all the monsters became wild and invaded the city . Crockta discovered it first and tried to fight against the Demon’s Mouth for Quantes, but he was eaten by it .
Tiyo gritted his teeth as he grasped General . The muzzle flashed before the ogres could react . However, Crockta instantly swung the greatsword and blocked the magic bullet . The bullets were deflected .
An ogre waved its hand .
“Ack!”
Tiyo’s small body flew through the air at the ogre’s punch . He didn’t let the queasiness stop him from raising his head . The orc was looking down at him . Crockta’s red eyes weren’t those of the honorable warrior Crockta that he knew .
“Grrrr…”
He had been devoured by the evil of the artifact . He raised his greatsword . Tiyo closed his eyes .
The moment that the greatsword was about to fall,
“We are orcs… The mighty orcs…”
The greatsword hesitated . Tiyo kept singing .
“The great warriors have appeared…”
It was the orc sound that Crockta had drunkenly sung for Tiyo and the Quantes garrison . It was beyond ridiculous .
“Humans get lost, elves get lost, dwarves get lost… Gnomes…”
Crockta’s greatsword trembled . Tiyo opened his eyes . Crockta’s distorted face was visible .
Tiyo laughed, “What are you doing Crockta?”
“……”
“Don’t you have to go somewhere?”
The greatsword paused in the air and didn’t move . It shook like he was fighting something invisible . Soon, the steel teeth on the belt at Crockta’s waist started moving .
The teeth slowly opened . Since there was a crisis, the belt was trying to swallow the foolish gnome that shook its host .
The moment that the steel teeth moved to cover the gnome . The greatsword moved .
***
Crockta groaned from within the abyss .
The demon within the Demon’s mouth constantly whispered to him . Everything he deemed important was collapsing . The demon fed on his despair and dominated his body . He was faintly aware that he was trying to kill Tiyo with his greatsword . But Crockta thought that it might be better .
People would just die anyway . However, Crockta temporarily regained control of his body as the greatsword moved towards Tiyo’s body . He resisted the demon but it continued to whisper things to Crockta .
His soul was suffering . Physical pain was nothing compared to the pain of the soul . Crockta’s spirit was broken . The demon at his waist opened and was trying to swallow Tiyo .
Crockta moaned .
“Strength . ” Crockta kept repeating it . “Don’t give in . ”
“Whoever, please give me strength . ”
At that moment, a brilliant light burst out . It was a radiance that seemed to blind him . Crockta closed his eyes . Then he opened them again . There was a familiar face standing in front of them .
“Ah…?”
“Hey, it’s been a while, Crockta . ”
It was him, the hawk of the north . The blue guardian of the sunrise . The pale blue standard bearer who guided the shamans . The orc shaman mentor .
It was Tashaquil .
“You?”
“You’ve been doing great things . Kulkulkul . ”
Tashaquil waved his staff . The world became still . It was the same for the Demon’s Mouth and the fallen Tiyo before him . It was like looking at a stalled scene from the perspective of a third party .
“Tashaquil, how are you here?”
“Don’t be surprised . I’m not Tashaquil . It is like a residual piece he left behind… In reality, I am probably at Orcrox or Basque Village . ” He laughed as he touched the Demon’s Mouth with his staff . “Have you forgotten? I gave you a power the day you left Orcrox . ”
The memory of that day was revived . Tashaquil had cast a spell when Crockta was saying goodbye to him .
‘Tashaquil has granted you an unknown power . ’
‘The unidentified power will settle within your body . ’
‘One day it will help you . ’
Now he remembered . Crockta asked, “Tashaquil, what should I do now?”
“Let’s see…I don’t know . ”
“Huh?”
Tashaquil laughed, “Actually, it was a lie . ”
“Huh?”
“There is no power in this spell to help you Crockta . ”
“……”
Tashaquil waved his staff and smiled . “Just when the time comes, I am supposed to tell you what you want to hear . ”
“Tell me what I want to hear?”
“That’s right . ”
Crockta still had no idea .
“What do you want me to say?”
“I…”
“If you want to be comfortable, you can relax your mind . ” He pointed to the Demon’s Mouth and said . “That is too strong . You have done your best so you can rest comfortably . What about this?”
He seemed to be laughing . Crockta frowned and asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, that wasn’t it?”
“No . ”
“If it isn’t…” Tashaquil swung his staff and hit Crockta’s head .
“Ouch!”
“Then I can say only one thing . ”
“What is it?”
“It’s the same if I were any other orc . There is only one word I can give you now . ”
Didn’t he already know it? Tashaquil laughed . Crockta raised his gaze .
“Listen carefully . ”
“Yes . ”
“I’ll only say it once . ”
“I understand . ”
Crockta listened closely . Then Tashaquil spoke .
***
Just like it was alive, the demon’s teeth protruded from the steel belt and prepared to bite Tiyo’s throat . Crockta’s greatsword struck it .
Kakang!
The Demon’s Mouth twisted . Then the steel teeth twisted and gave a strange shout . It was a terrible cry that sounded like it came from purgatory . Then the belt twisted like a snake and aimed at Crockta .
Crockta stretched out and grabbed it . The steel teeth chewed in vain in front of Crockta’s face . Furious noises kept coming from it . But Crockta just smiled .
“Are you afraid of the void?” Crockta asked . The Demon’s Mouth made a strange sound and tried to bite Crockta . “Are you afraid of the death that you will meet someday?”
Kaaaaaaah!
“Is that why you tease people like this?”
The Demon’s Mouth bit Crockta’s arm . Crockta groaned but didn’t let it go . Crockta swallowed back the pain and said .
“I will give you the answer that you want to hear . ”
Darkness emerged from the Demon’s Mouth and covered Crockta . His vision became dark . Crockta faced the darkness once again . The darkness vibrated and threatened Crockta, but Crockta didn’t waver .
Then he said, “The world isn’t a void . ”
It stopped . The darkness became thinner .
Crockta continued speaking, “Even if the world will end someday, life isn’t meaningless . ”
The darkness shouted, ‘What do you mean?’
“Isn’t this the answer that you wanted to hear?”
Crockta stared at the other side of the darkness . Now he could see it clearly . It hid in the darkness and yelled, but it was actually crouching down from fear . It witnessed the end of the world, the darkness of the universe, and became frightened by it .
“I will tell you again . Death isn’t the end . ”
It turned to face Crockta . It said, ‘Prove it . ’
“How?”
‘You tell me!’ It stood up and shouted at Crockta, like a young child of the darkness .
“Do you want to know?”
It didn’t answer . Crockta said, “Then follow me . ”
‘What?’
“If you follow me, then I will prove it . ”
‘……’
Crockta spoke firmly .
“My life . ”
It tilted its head . A fine movement . Crockta stared into its eyes . Then he spoke again, “I will prove it with my life . ”
Crockta had seen it . The dark side of reality . A demon in despair .
It smiled . And…
The darkness was lifted .
***
As the darkness around Crockta was lifted, the Demon’s Mouth threatening Crockta couldn’t be seen . It closed its mouth and returned to being a normal steel belt at Crockta’s waist .
Crockta asked, “Make them go away . ”
The belt twitched like it was unhappy and emitted a strange sound . Then the creatures stopped moving . The wyverns grabbed the ogres and trolls and left by air . It was a stunning sight . All the creatures turned and started leaving Quantes .
Then system messages popped up .
[The Despairing Demon’s Belt (Hero) has come under your jurisdiction . ]
[You still can’t control the power of the belt . The power of the belt has been limited . ]
[The demon is sleeping . ]
Crockta looked down at Tiyo who was still on the ground . Tiyo looked up at Crockta .
“Have you recovered your mind?”
“Of course . ”
“I’m glad dot . ”
Crockta grabbed Tiyo’s hand . Tiyo got up .
“Crockta . ”
“Huh?”
Tiyo said, “I want to go to the north with Crockta, dot . ”