The amount of energy Odin could use from his environment reduced drastically as visible tendrils of world essence gathered towards the opposing pair.

‘This will be troublesome…’

Not satisfied, the orc champion also absorbed the energy from the wolf leader and at this moment, the aura around him changed completely.

His muscles became taught and his veins bulged up. He looked much more hideous compared to before as his entire body was glowing in shades of green and red.

Wuuuu!

The wolf cried tears of blood looking at the orc champion. Although it wasn't willing to submit to its master at first, the bonds forged through their years of companionship were as deep as an ocean now.

Aaarrrrggghhh!!

The orc champion was unable to contain the vast amount of world essence as blood seeped out from his seven orifices.

‘Although we are enemies, they are respectable opponents that deserve the honor of warriors,’ thought Odin as he gritted his teeth and used his Eye of Veritas to absorb as much world essence as he could.

Just like the orc champion, he too was unable to contain the world essence properly. Blue veins bulged out from his chest and they slowly crept towards his head

‘I can't maintain this for long, but I have another method,’

Both the orc champion and Odin glared at each other and they knew, this was the last strike.

The wolf had already fainted due to blood loss and was out of the fight.

As the orc champion had a much stronger physique compared to Odin, he was able to contain more world essence in his body.

‘Too bad for you…’ Odin smirked as he looked at the orc champion. He then channeled all the power within him into the array formation.

All of the essence that was present in his body was passed on to the seven swords.

The swords hummed as they glowed with a blue light. Some of the swords even started cracking as the incoming energy was too potent for these low ranked swords to handle.

Odin felt his head becoming dizzy and he was barely able to maintain his consciousness.

The orc champion was ready at this point as well. He jumped towards Odin with his twin axes held high.

‘I'll be crippled even if the swords managed to block the majority of the damage,’ thought Odin as he made a bold decision.

Instead of using any complicated maneuvers with the seven swords, he simply threw all of them towards the orc champion.

*Dash*

‘If I can't block it, I'll just run!’ Odin laughed at the bewildered and infuriated orc champion as he ran with all he had.

Though he respected his opponent, he wasn't strong enough to fight against him honorably.

Although Odin personally didn’t like it, this scenario reminded him of the quote he once heard from the elders at the underground mine. ‘The world praises the victorious, not looking at the path he walked on to attain that victory’

Unfortunately for Odin, he became complacent a bit too early. The orc champion wasn't as gullible as he'd thought.

He threw one of the axe straight towards Odin and held the other one to block the coming swords.

‘Tch..I can't recall the swords now or he'll just throw the other axe at me,’ thought Odin as he placed the axe strapped on his back towards his chest.

Both the Odin and the orc champion looked at one another with ruthless expression as they waited for the final outcome.

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This all happened in an instant but as both of them were using world essence with heightened senses, they perceived the passage of time differently.

‘Got you’ Odin had a wide grin on his bloodied face as the swords approached the orc champion.

At that very instance, rather than using the swords to attack he used them to surround the orc champion and then,

*Booooommm*

The seven swords exploded with a glaring blue light. Deafening silence ensued in this barren wasteland after the explosion.

In the aftermath of the explosion, the orc champion and the unconscious wolf leader were blasted into pieces

Odin wasn't in a much better condition as well. The axe thrown by the orc champion had enough force behind it to break his bones.

Huff… huff… Odin panted for breadth as blood once again gushed out from his mouth.

‘I'm glad that overloading the swords with world essence to make them explode worked out well.’

Had he failed to kill the orc with this blow, the one to perish in this confrontation would've been him.

Although his bones were broken and blood poured out from his wounds like fountain, Odin was happy.

“So this is what freedom feels like” Odin whispered with a smile as his consciousness slowly faded sway.

The orcs in the ironclad keep were also alarmed by this explosion. By the time the investigation team arrived at the scene, only chunks of flesh and blood remained there.

Amidst the blood soaked earth adorned with dismembered body parts of the orcs, not a trace of Odin remained on the scene.

…

Past:

As the tender sunlight arrived in the early morning, it adorned the horizon with hues of crimson and gold, signifying the arrival of a new day. The fading night sky acted as a canvas for the nature to show its spectacle.

The three moons seemed like jewels hanging in the sky. One moon, bright and purple in color, looked down upon the realm with its brightening glory, while the others albeit a further distance away, graced the heavens in a sharp yet delicate crescent shapes, one being pure silver while the other was hazel green.

Even as the dawn was approaching, the stars in the colorful sky were still twinkling brightly, as if they were reluctant to bid their farewell.

They showered the sky like scattered droplets of water, forming a celestial painting in the early morning sky. It was a scene that reminded all living beings of the vastness and majesty of the cosmos.

When the orange sun claimed its rightful throne, the soft and gentle glows of other celestial bodies added a bewitching charm to the awakening day.

The morning dew persistently clung to every leaf and the blades of grass it could find, transforming the surroundings into a glistening wonderland. Even the Petals of flowers and small stone pebbles, all of them held the sparkling beads of water, creating a serene landscape.

As the sun's rays penetrated through the misty air, the realm started to glow with ethereal beauty, creating an enthralling sight on cliffs and hillsides.

A gentle and warm wind blew through the air, bearing the arrival of the first day of summer. It carried the smell of flowers and brought with it the newfound vitality.

On this first day of summer, nature graced all of the mankind with a bouquet of myriad colors and scents. The songs of birds filled the air and they livened the mood with their sweet chirping.

The realm's residents awoke, reaching towards the warmth and light. Regardless of their wealth and status, everyone embraced the first summer day with eager anticipation.

Today, the cliffs of the underground mine were ever more mysterious and beautiful. On this first day of the summer festival, all of the slaves were eager to celebrate the upcoming warm days and good harvest.

Although there was nothing like “fresh food” or “warm summer” in the underground mine, the day was still celebrated as traditions are hard to let go after all. Even after a millennia of suffering.

The stone cliffs were moist and the wind that blew was neither too cold nor hot, a very pleasant change compared to the bone-chilling cold it carried before. Countless slaves were going for their work and their families were waving them goodbye.

Amidst this merry atmosphere, the elderly and young kids were hurrying up to the kitchen to cook good food for their families. Even if they did not have many ingredients, they still did their best to prepare a good feast for the first day of summer.

Among the living quarters of thousands of slaves, those who were orphans were given their own area. Even though it may sound inhumane, no one wanted to take care of a child on top of their family.

That is because even with their daily mining, the amount of food they get was barely enough for them to provide for their family.

Also, those who were orphans still got their own portion of food which was enough for them to live on. And so, no one was kind hearted enough to take care of these kids.

They were all aware that in the future their children might face the same situation, but there was no way that people could let go of their selfishness. No-one wanted to starve for the good of others, such was life in the underground mine.

The nobles who were in charge of the underground mine used these types of “mild” methods to show discord amongst the slaves. Despite them being devious and inhumane, they were still considered mild compared to the harsh policies in the previous city lord’s reign.

In one of those living quarters, a little kid woke up in this early morning. Although they were not supposed to work in the kitchen before noon, he still chose to go outside.

Compared to other kids his age, he was a more outgoing and cheerful kid. Children were more naïve and mischievous, even though he knew that he was not supposed to do certain things, he just took them for granted.

As someone who had never gotten out of the underground mine and had never even heard of anything existing beyond the underground mine except for the stories, this cage was his entire world. Today he planned to go on an expedition in this world.