The Overlord of Blood and Iron

Kang Chul-In, in the eyes of Rustler and Lana, was like a beam of light .

The impending doom, and the invasion of the Orcs .

And the Sovereign that appeared at the moment of death .

The strength and prowess of slitting the Orc’s throat in one stroke while on the back of a white horse . For this father and daughter, Kang Chul-In was their life savior and a rope sent by the heavens .

‘Oh, my Lord has come…!’

Rustler was overcome with awe .

It was the same for Lana .

She thought she was going to die .

The Orc’s fierce cries when she and her father had fallen to the ground was enough to bring chills down to her bones . And when she had given up all hope and accepted her fate, a miracle happened .

‘Oh, my Lord…!’

Lana, as her life hung from a thread, felt her heart pounding as she saw Kang Chul-In on top of the white horse .

‘He is Laputa’s Lord…!’

Amidst the bloody situation, a spring wind formed in the heart of the young girl . It was an unforeseen thing, but it was understandable . A knight on top of a white horse was every girl’s dream!

However, Kang Chul-In had no interest in the feelings of Lana .

And he never even looked at her in the first place . He solely focused on the Orcs that were to harm his people .

“You four!”

He called to the soldiers who were armed with shields and spears .

“Move that father and daughter to somewhere safe . ”

“Yes, my Lord!”

The four soldiers who were commanded quickly moved to Rustler and Lana, escorting them out of the danger .

“James!”

“Yes, my Lord!”

“Take ten soldiers and protect the people escaping . I will take here . ”

“But…but… how will you…!”

“Now!”

“Ye…yes!”

And like that, James and ten soldiers left the group .

‘Fifteen gone . 35 left . This is enough . I will end this in 10 minutes . ’

Kang Chul-In, who had divided the little he had, remained calm .

“Those with shields, come forward and maintain a close formation!”

Kang Chul-In roared and began to lead the troops .

“Those with muskets, head to the back!”

The troops moved quickly with Kang Chul-In’s orders . They were quite good in following orders .

Squelch!

Squelch!

The Orcs, that until a couple seconds ago was looking forward to their killing and stealing, showed their fangs and screeched at the unexpected visitors . They were menacing .

‘How dare you?’

Kang Chul-In’s eyes, that were looking at the Orcs, were filled with disgust and anger .

Dirty living things that would have not even been able to look at him before, were threatening him and his people . This was disrespect unforgivable by the Grand Sovereign Kang Chul-In .

“Sigh…”

Kang Chul-In dismounted from his horse with a loud sigh .

He did not fit well with horseback riding .

The speed and weight that a running horse brought was definitely powerful . He had just killed an Orc with one swing . They did not call Calvary troops powerful for nothing .

However, with battles like these, it was better to just fight on foot . Kang Chul-In himself also preferred to fight with his two feet on the ground compared to on a horse .

“Musket soldiers, calmly shoot!”

Kang Chul-In ordered immediately after he had gotten off his horse, and joined the Royal Guard’s ranks .

Boom! Boom!

The Breech Loading muskets that loaded every two shots, fired at the Orcs, leaving a thick smoke .

“Shields, hold! If you crumble, we all die!”

Kang Chul-In worried most about those who faced the Orcs in the front of the line . In order for the musket soldiers to safely fire, the role of the shield holding soldiers were important .

“Use your spears when you can! Aim for the neck!”

The soldiers’ spears penetrated the Orcs’ necks .

‘Orcs are nothing . ’

In the face of Kang Chul-In who was staring at them, was a smug smile .

Orcs were quite dangerous monsters .

Even for Kang Chul-In, in his current state, it was difficult to take on even two Orcs . If he had overextended himself, three . And if four, then he too would have to put his life on the line . However, that was in case of a 1:1 battle . He had an army .

Orcs were strong, but their only tactic was to use their large physique and group together to break and hit everything in their way . It was primitive and one sided . This might be effective in a scuffle or hand-to-hand combat, but if it was a battle with ranks, it was a different story . Humans knew how to group, and knew how to use that to their advantage . Especially Kang Chul-In, the master of war strategy!

Boom! Boom!

The ten musket soldiers fired their weapons again .

‘Reload!’

The basic musket had two fires . A bit of time was needed after two blows in order to reload .

“Shields! Push harder! Hold!”

Kang Chul-In yelled .

If there was a threat, it would be this moment .

The moment where firepower had seized for a quick moment during reload—it was a bit of time for the Orcs to attack .

Kang Chul-In’s prediction was right .

Squelch!

The Orcs who had realized the flying bullets stopped for a short while began to advance fiercely . They were monsters with a bit of intelligence .

“Prepare well and brace yourselves! It won’t be easy!”

Kang Chul-In warned the soldiers holding the shields in the front of the lines .

Boom–!

An explosive sound was released as the soldiers’ shields and Orcs’ body met . The soldiers swayed . An Orc’s average weight was about 120kg, much larger than a human . It also had great muscular strength . It was expected .

‘Danger . ’

Kang Chul-In, when he saw this, realized that it was his turn . He could not just sit back .

If the front formation was destroyed, then the soldiers will be hit by the Orcs in an instant . In order to win this battle, the formation must be maintained .

“Sigh…”

Kang Chul-In released a loud breath .

His heart pounded .

From the top of his head to his feet, he felt all his muscles tighten .

And a lone shiver went down his spine .

Because he was afraid?

No way .

Kang Chul-In’s body that had been away from battle was filled with excitement .

It was a thrill of sorts .

Like people who enjoyed extreme sports, Kang Chul-In enjoyed going to battle with his life on the line . It was something that the ruler of a land should never do, but what could he do . He was born a destined warrior and had a heart of steel . He could not control his blood boiling when he went to battle .

‘Let’s have some fun . ’

Kang Chul-In left his spot from behind the shield and went towards the Orcs .

“Ah!”

“My Lord!”

A couple of the soldiers called to him when they saw his unexpected action .

“Do not worry!”

Kang Chul-In yelled .

“Do not concern yourselves and maintain the ranks!”

Kang Chul-In, after giving his order, began to swing his Blood Sword as if he was possessed .

Swish swish!

Thick weapons flew towards him from all directions . It was expected, seeing that he had made his way right in the center of the Orcs .

‘I just need to create enough chaos . ’

Kang Chul-In, who had made his way into the Orcs as a Level 1 Sovereign, was extremely level-headed .

He knew something .

Orcs were much larger than humans, which meant there was not enough space for more than three Orcs to attack one person at once . Even if there were a lot of Orcs, no more than three attacks will come at once . Although, this was the typical ‘theoretical’ battle . It was easier said than done—therefore, this was almost suicide .

But Kang Chul-In could .

Countless, numerous battles and the swordsmanship of his past life was clear in his head . Although his physical state would not completely support him, it was enough to buy a little time .

Swish,

Swish!

The Blood Sword grandly drew deathly tracks as it bore through the Orcs . Kang Chul-In did not show brute courage and foolishness .

He faced the weapons that came to him, but he did not wrestle strength . If he did, he would break bones, or be in a disadvantageous position that would get him lynched by the Orcs . If he was to fight with strength, he would cross the valley of death . And therefore, the method he chose was to pretend to respond to the Orcs’ attacks while actually letting it flow through . It was a skill that was only performed by extremely well trained and experienced swordsmen .

“Huh?”

The soldiers were surprised when they saw Kang Chul-In .

There could have been no other feeling .

A Sovereign had used himself as a distraction amongst the Orcs… he had put his life on the line . A person of his status?

“You…you… retched Orc bastards!”

A soldier enchanted by Kang Chul-In’s example yelled with rage .

And that was the start .

“How dare!”

“I will kill you!”

“You dogs! Die! Die I said!”

As the musket soldiers were reloading, the other soldiers started to put forth immense fighting power and began pushing back the Orcs . They had skyrocketing morale, but it was possible because Kang Chul-In had disheveled the Orcs .

“Reload complete!”

The reload was finally done .

“Fire!”

Kang Chul-In roared .

He was still in the center of the Orcs . He could, by chance, be shot by friendly fire .

“Bu…but!”

“Just shoot!”

Kang Chul-In yelled and the musket soldiers slightly hesitated, but went into firing position, aimed at the Orcs, and pulled the trigger .

Boom! Boom!

Ten gunmen, and ten bullets were fired, aimed for the Orcs .

‘Down!’

Right before the soldiers pulled the trigger, he threw his body quickly on to the ground .

Squeal!

Three or four Orcs were shot and fell to the ground . The soldiers’ spears found its home in the fallen bodies .

The sharp spear penetrated their necks .

“Push further! Do not give them a chance to think!”

Kang Chul-In, who had moved to safety in a moment shouted, encouraging his troops .

And it was then .

The soldiers who had gotten the hang of the battle began to push further into the Orcs’ ranks . They adapted fast, as if to prove that nothing was better than practice .

‘It’s done . ’

Kang Chul-In, who realized his troops had gained momentum, smiled .

From this moment, everything will fall in place . All they needed to do was to move like a machine, taking the Orcs one by one . Almost ten Orcs had fallen, so it was already a battle won .

“How…how can this…!”

Commander James who had returned to join Kang Chul-In and his forces, after evacuating the people of Laputa, could not believe what was happening in front of him .

It was a grand victory .

There was not one Orc alive . 20 Orcs were littered on the plains, cold and dead .

Compared to that, how were the friendly troops?

There were some with minor abrasions, but there were none with serious injuries .

“If you follow my lead and orders with loyalty, I promise no lives will be lost . Trust . Trust me, and do not doubt victory . ”

Commander James remembered what his Lord had said right before the battle occurred .

‘Really, not one has died…!’

It was hard for James to believe what was happening, because something that he was on the fence about had become reality . To completely wipe out 20 Orcs with 35 soldiers! With no casualties!

“Did you evacuate the people to a safe location?”

James heard Kang Chul-In’s voice as he was marveling and admiring his Lord .

“Yes, my lord!”

James quickly turned towards the direction of the voice and answered .

And there was Kang Chul-In .

Kang Chul-In, sitting atop a straw bed, sipping beer like any other foot soldier .