Emperor's Reckoning

The thud was heavier than any sun. Half of her forearm was gone as blood kept churning out from the pulsing vessels inside her.

Karina had her face sucked out of her. Her vision blurred at each second the clock ticks as the words coming out from the orc turned incomprehensible and echoing. She was swaying, with her severed hand pointing down. Her shoulders loosened, and her lips gaped open. Her breasts sluggardly heaved up and down. Her foot took one step forward instinctively to regain her balance, but it didn't take her another second before her entire body limped. Her trains of thought stopped before her blonde hair was pulled by the orc just as her face was above the ground.

"You even go as far as wanting to kill yourself, just to fail my objective," muttered the chief orc before he carried her by her shoulder. He looked at the bright sky, "However, it's my win, no, my entire tribe wins."

"Wu..." a soft whimper traveled the silent forest. His eyes could only gaze as the woman was being carried away by the giant arc, unblinking. His nose rapidly caught for breath, as he struggled to get up.

"Huh?" The chief leered over his shoulder. "Oi, oi, are you serious, you still alive?"

He saw the little black wolf had his four feet trembling, however, what made him furrow his brows was the glare that this little creature gave him. "You're amazing for something so small, however, what can you do with those trembling feet. You can't even take one more step, you even struggle to keep yourself breathing, I know you understand me."

"Grr!"

"Heh," the orc smiled before he approached the half of Karina's forearm. He played with it by playing catch with his hand. "If you wanted to survive, then I shall give you this meat." He threw it right at Fenrir's face.

Fenrir didn't even squeak as his body fell with a thud. His nose was breathing directly against the delicate hand, yet his eyes glared at the laughing orc.

"If you want revenge, then grow stronger, I'll accept your challenge in the future," the orc laughed before he turned around. "That is if you survive through the day."

"Stop right there!"

"Huh?" the chief didn't even manage to take one more step before a daunting voice of a woman made him frown. "What is it now? Why can't you people just leave me be!" he turned and ignited his killing intent toward the small platoon that was challenging him, especially the brunette.

"Kh! This presence?!" Aelina and her troops had their souls choked by the immense killing intent.

"P-Princess Aelina... I think we should run, h-h-he is beyond our limit," said one of the guards.

"Y-Yes princess, it would be our best course of action," added another one. "At our strength, I don't think we can handle him."

"Tch!" Aelina frowned, "If you guys want to go home, then go home! I won't force you to take draw your blade with me!"

The guards were stupefied by her unruly words. However, the chief orc was the most surprised one in the forest.

The chief smirked, "You women sparked valiantly lately, I never knew Deo would host such a rare specimen. Aren't you guys usually playing the part of the victim in any war? What happened to that era?"

"S-Shut up!" Aelina sheathed her blade against the orc. "What is your purpose in attacking Deo?"

"The purpose of me attacking Deo?" The orc smiled before he smacked Karina's butt. "This female woman right here, but don't get the wrong idea, I'm not planning on taking Deo."

"What do you want with her?" she furrowed her brows.

"What are you going to do? Your strength is not enough to contend with me! It would take those four that sit on the highest seats of your side to be able to draw my true strength, hahaha!" The chief laughed.

His laugh deterred the morale of her troop, but the princess was not a royal bred for nothing. "I hope you know who she is..." she said solemnly."

"You think I wouldn't know who she is? Her affiliation with that man called Lyon?" the orc smirked.

"Then what are you doing? He will hunt you down," said Aelina. "There would be no way for you to run then."

"Heh, I knew it, he didn't even know what transpires in his lovely hometown yet," the orc chuckled to himself. "Where I go, he wouldn't be able to find me, and even if he do then, he would be powerless in that place! Hahaha!"

"You seem so confident about yourself," Aelina frowned. "Don't you know who he is?"

"I know, I never met him, but his prowess even reached my ears. A miracle born in the human side," said the orc before he smiled. "Too bad, he can't even protect his loved one. However, he should thank me, with this lesson that I gave him, he would mature to a greater height."

"Thank you?! Don't kid yourself," said Aelina as she unsheathed her blade and pointed at him.

"Hmph! Such valiant display, such power to show, but your bones are still less dense than the trees in this forest," said the orc before he called his ax, Ragnar in his hand. "Can you bravely say that all of you can stop me from hacking you're fleshes?"

The guards gulped. The menacing aura permeating out from his ax was enough to envision how they would die by it. A swing from that muscular arm could perhaps split the entire forest into two. However, they failed to notice how he tightened his other grip.

"Heh, you can not stop me," said the orc as he turned around and simply walked away. His back was very open and any archer behind her could strike a blow, yet their trembling hands refused to reach out for an arrow.

(Why am I so weak...) thought Aelina as she tightened her upper lips. She gritted her teeth as she furrowed her brows. Her glabella made three layers as she closed her eyes shut. She might be the princess of the immense Luderia, but one creature renders her title useless. She could draw her sword at him but there was hardly anything she could do afterward.

"Pr-Princess Aelina."

"Princess Aelina!"

"Huh?" she snapped her eyes open.

"He's gone," said one of the guards.

"T-Then what are you guys doing, we need to chase him!" said Aelina.

"No, princess, we would be nothing but advancing to our death if we did so," said the captain of the troops. "I'm afraid there is nothing that we can do to retrieve Lady Karina from the hand of that vile green-skinned creature."

Aelina gritted her teeth. (Is there really nothing that I can do, what is this fancy armor even for!).

"Wu..."

"Huh?" Her brows raised before she glanced over. "Fenrir?!"

She immediately got down from the horse before she approached the noticeable little black wolf whimpering.

His ears were down as his tail. His jaw was on top of the ground as he sniffed at the hand right in front of him. Blood had dried and colored a part of the forest. The gruesome state of the flesh made the princess throw up to the side.

"P-Princess are you alright?!" said the captain of the troops before he and the rest were stopped by her raised hand.

Aelina had short heavy breathing before she wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She gulped as she calmly took a breath from her nose. She stood up and walked toward Fenrir. She crouched down with tears running budding up the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I can't do anything."

Fenrir kept his glance at the severed forearm.

"Come here, let's get you to heal up first," Aelina picked him up.

"Grr!" Fenrir growled menacingly.

"Princess!" the troops unsheathed their weapon in unison.

"You dare to unsheathe your weapon NOW?!" Aelina glared at them.

"Ah.." The troops had no spare words to use left.

She darted back at the growling Fenrir. She slowly placed her hand on top of his back and slowly rubbed him as he picked it up. "It's alright, It's alright..."

Fenrir slowly closed his eyes in her caress before she picked him up.

"Wrap the hand, and took the dagger," said Aelina to the captain of the troop. "Get the imperial physician to be present at the kingdom! I want no slight delay at all!"

...

Meanwhile at Nostria.

The battle was still raging on between the orcs and the kingdom, with the latter side being significantly overwhelmed.

However, the battle abruptly stopped the moment the chieftain appeared out of the forest. Everyone was petrified by the figure on his shoulder.

"Finally..." Nora grinned.

"Hmm?!" Sylviana couldn't believe her eyes before she quickly darted to the man below her.

"No... no... no... no... no.... older sister..." Jugen had his pupils shrunk at the sight of the blonde woman.