The Knight King Who Returned with Gods: Chapter 71
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 71: The Owner of The Hammer?
Even in the face of Yappy's <Specialized Exoskeleton
Integrated Armament Platform Mk.1> that suddenly stormed in, Lin Xiang
raised his axe without a care in the world.
"I don't know who it is, but this orc warrior, Lin
Xiang Kazak, is not afraid──"
[Assassination mode activated.]
Machine-gun bullets rained down on the orcs around Lin
Xiang Kazak.
The orcs were instantly caught in the net of the 6,000
rounds per minute firepower of the super-fast machine guns. But it was only the
lowest-ranking orcs who fell victim to the fire.
Because in that split-second, every armed orcs had raised
their respective shields to deflect the barrage.
"Fuck you, you big fucker!"
One of the orcs raised a large shotgun. A 17 caliber
shotgun, designed for orc infantry. It was the favorite weapon of the orcs, who
were fascinated by its fiery blast of power.
-Kwaag!
A hail of rounds hit the Mk.1. However, the firepower of
the shotgun could not even left a mark on the Mk.1.
"Firearms aren't working! Grab your axes!"
This is why the orcs were actively encouraged to migrate.
They are a fighter race that attacks gates with axes.
Orc generals holding axes the size of houses charged at
Mk.1 in unison.
[Specially Modified Ultra-High Mass 12-Rounds Shotguns x2
SET ]
This was a set of 35 caliber orc warlord shotguns
smuggled in through a domestic gang. A high-mass, high-firepower projectile
that had been capped to the extreme.
It was fired at two orc generals who had gotten too
close.
"Kkwog?!"
The orc generals were torn to shreds by dozens of metal
bullets.
In contrast to the monsters at the gate, modern equipment
does work against orcs and hunters. Not to mention the specialized ammunition
handcrafted by the Holy Grail Knight of the God of Metals and Blacksmithing
himself.
"Die!"
But the orcs, unconcerned with the death of their
comrades, took advantage of the opportunity and swung their axes.
-Kkaang!
A clear, resounding clang. The orc general looked on in
surprise; he was ranked general, among the strongest of the orcs.
The axe was more or less a unique weapon, and the power
of the swing was at least equal to that of an A-class Hunter. Even if you try
to block it with a shield, the shield will be shattered.......
[Unable to distinguish an adamantite through an
organism's sense of aesthetics.]
The exoskeleton is made of adamantite overlaid with the
molten blades of the Archdemon Androzin. That was not all.
The exoskeleton that framed the Mk.1 was crafted from
only the finest and rarest minerals, and its strength was unique level, even
without the adamantite.
It was not a defense that can be broken by an orc with a
slightly better weapon.
“This bastard…!?”
At that moment, Mk.1's palm grabbed the orc's face. The
orc struggled and tried to break free, but he couldn't pull away.
'W,
what kind of power...!'
Over the years, many combat robots have appeared to
replace hunters.
However, none of them were ever commercialized, partly
due to mechanical failures occurring inside the gate, and partly due to the
fact that it was nearly impossible for them to produce a power level that could
surpass that of the Hunters, which are man-sized fighting units.
Technically, it was possible to achieve the power of a
low-level hunter, but then it would be better to hire one more hunter or hire
orcs than to build such a super robot.
However, the Mk.1 manufactured by Yappy was far beyond
the limits of modern military technology.
The extra batteries from Yappy's tiny nuclear reactor
were enough to power the unit. Yappy had five of these batteries inside.
With that kind of power, there was no hope of escape for
the orc.
After blasting off the captured orc's head with a
12-rounds shotgun, Yappy stared at the lone remaining orc, Lin Xiang Kazak.
"Not bad. Those guys you just took out were just
about to be promoted to General."
Lin Xiang Kazak raised his axe as he looked at Yappy, who
had just finished off his men. The 12-rounds shotgun opened fire, but he
blocked it with his large axe blade.
"WHAAAAAAAAAA──!!"
With a deafening roar, Lin Xiang Kazak charged. Yappy had
made a mistake in trusting its adamantite armor to withstand the charge.
-Kkwaang!
With a loud crash, the Mk.1's fuselage was knocked off.
But that was not all. The adamantite-covered left arm was smashed and broken by
Lin Xiang's axe.
[......same material is used.]
"That's right! This axe is also made from pure adamantite,
and not even a drake could withstand it."
Lin Xiang was an immigrant orc soldier who rose to the
top, just shy of a warlord.
An orc's rank was determined solely by their performance
at the gate and their expertise. In other words──
[Estimated class S.]
Rather than a mere coup d'état leader, he was more like
an S-class hunter.
[Insufficient firepower.]
Because it was completed in a hurry, it lacked armament.
Besides a specially modified 12-rounds shotgun, the
design was originally supposed to be equipped with a special reaction machine
gun or a super-accelerated extra-class railgun.
The exoskeleton suit was originally intended to be an
integrated weapon system operating platform to serve as a replacement for
Yappy's shrunken body. If it wasn't for the urgent need to keep the investors'
torch burning, it wouldn't have even been used.
If so, there is only one way left.
Brute strength using absurdly high-energy.
[Unauthorized prototype combat system activation.]
Yappy manipulated tthe fuselage of the Mk.1. The two
thick legs split in half, becoming four.
The thick plates of metal on its back and sides suddenly
transformed into a massive greatsword.
It looked like a four-legged knight. Half-human,
half-horse... No, it was more like a spider. The final version was originally
intended to be a Spider Knight.
[Project Yakt Spinner: Prototype close combat
specifications activated.]
"Kahahahaha, you know what you're talking about!
Let's fight like warriors!"
Lin Xiang laughed heartily as he raised his axe and
charged at the Mk.1, which confronted him head-on.
Sparks flew as the axe and greatsword clashed, and the
sound of metal-on-metal friction rang out.
“Hmm…! That’s some decent power!”
The power was almost the same. But the greatsword had
already begun to make itself apparent. The difference in material composition
between the two weapons was simply too much.
[Thrust activated. Activity limit: 3 minutes and 20
seconds.]
"Hmm?!"
The Mk.1's exposed thrusters on all four legs began to
emit high-temperature energy. This was an overuse of power at the risk of
melting the battery itself.
Even Lin Xiang could only be pushed back by such
self-destructive overdrive. Lin Xiang was pushed against the wall and smashed
into the building wall one after another.
"Kahahaha! That's quite good, but...!"
Lin Xiang twisted his body slightly, deflected the Mk.1,
and slammed his axe down. The orc warrior, who had been rolling on the
battlefield for many years, skillfully avoided a head-on collision.
-Thwack!
One limb was blown off by the skillful axe strike. Lin
Xiang sensed victory.
"Die!"
The Mk.1, now missing a limb, swung the greatsword, but
it was easily parried and went straight for the center. Lin Xiang smashed Yappy's
remaining limbs with his axe and stomped on them.
"Stupid, stupid, slower than a gate monster!"
The moment Lin Xiang raised his axe, a hidden auxiliary
limb aimed a 12-rounds shotgun. But at that moment, a tremendous wave came from
Lin Xiang's foot.
-Kwang!
The powerful wave broke the Mk.1 in half, destroying its
auxiliary limb and shotgun. Lin Xiang laughed.
“Do you think you can deal with me, who receives the
protection of the warrior god Helkan, with this piece of scrap metal?”
That was it. Mk.1's last resort failed, and a relentless
axe blow struck the adamantite skeleton in the torso. And just like that, the
Mk.1 was destroyed...
[Lack of budget, lack of time. Field experiment a
failure.]
The Mk.1's chest opened up, revealing a glowing eye
within. Lin Xiang raised his axe to smash it down, but he wasn't able to move.
"W, what?"
Lin Xiang suddenly realized wires were binding his arms.
The moment the chest girdle opened, the wires that soared out of it had bound
Lin Xiang's arms.
[Good practice data has been obtained. Big Data is even
closer to perfection.]
"What bullshit──!"
At that moment, Yappy's auxiliary arm swung the wire.
Swish──
The spiderweb swept past Lin Xiang in an instant. Lin
Xiang could practically feel the chill right at that moment.
The ambitious orc dictator who had taken over the Jilin
Republic in a coup and waged war against its neighbors. This was the end of Lin
Xiang Kazak.
After slaying Lin Xiang Kazak, Yappy pushed past the
clamoring mob of orcs and picked up Lin Xiang's axe with a tiny auxiliary limb.
[Confirmation of adamantite material. Retrieved.]
Having secured the axe with wire and hoisted it onto the
half-destroyed Mk.1, Yappy left the command center.
* * * * *
[The coup d'état in Jilin Republic that had the world
abuzz has been resolved. The newly established government of Jilin Republic
apologized for this and negotiated peace──]
[The collapse in food stocks triggered by the invasion of
the Heilong People's Republic has returned to normal. At the same time, with
the revelation of blessed crops in the Beidahuang Granary, trading prices have
risen──]
The war ended with the destruction of the orc army
marching into the Heilong People's Republic and the assassination of Lin Xiang
Kazak and the other coup ringleaders.
"Waa~ Thank goodness, Sir Yappy. The war is
completely over."
Hari was relieved that the war was over. For a moment,
she wondered what was going to happen, but then she realized that they didn't
have to die.
"Ah, so this means Sir Yappy's private equity fund
will be back in business, right? Let’s see, huh? Th- the rate of return is?!”
Hari almost dropped her phone in a panic when she saw the
rate of returns announced for Yappy's private equity fund.
At the same time, favorable news began to emerge in the
media: the spread of worship of the goddess Demera and the purification of maso
in the Beidahuang granaries. As the blessed crops began to spread, albeit in
small quantities, the stocks skyrocketed.
The real-time soaring rate of returns was roughly 800% or
more before the crash. In other words, Hari had made more than 600 million won
in profit, excluding fees.
"S, S, S, S, S, S, Sir Yappy! This is too
amazing!"
-Kkilug.
Yappy turned to Hari and said in a somewhat smug tone,
-Ignorant ants. Do you know what liquid assets and real
economy are?
Yappy's seemingly doomed private equity fund skyrocketed
to a return of at least 1,200%, and Yappy promptly handed out the profits to
each investor before cutting them off.
-Foolish organic creatures who doubted us, you can no
longer trade with us.
"Ah, dear Sir Yappy, we have done wrong!"
"Have mercy on us, who are so foolish and
ignorant!"
For a while, there were more investors begging to be
allowed to invest again than guests coming to see the hammer, but Yappy ignored
their pleas for a long time.
And it was only after another round of favorable news and
soaring returns that Yappy said,
-Would you like to support the Pantheon Foundation?
Only after signing the most unfair deal in history -
donating 90% of the private equity returns to the Pantheon Foundation - were
they allowed to become investors again.
- Reached 12% of the target amount.
But there was still a long way to go. The final plan of
Heto, the god of metals and blacksmithing, and his Holy Grail Knight Yappy was
still a long way off.
The Jilin coup had left behind two legends:
-The appearance of Deus Ex Machina, the legendary hacker
who not only hacked the U.S. and Russian defense departments into disarray, but
also used deepfakes to neutralize the Jilin Republic.
-And the dramatic revival and legendary surge in profits
of private equity funds after it was thought to have collapsed due to the war.
Both, of course, were the work of the Holy Grail Knight
of the Pantheon, Yakt Spinner.
* * * * *
After the dust had settled, Leon compiled the evaluation
sheets of the knight cadets who had just completed a month of basic training.
The cadets of the Academy were all unique in their own
ways, but they thoroughly repeated only basic training for a month.
Swordsmanship, shield skills, and spear skills. Although
their horsemanship isn't quite up to cavalry standards, at least they no longer
fall off while riding.
'It
will be necessary to associate them with the deities.'
Normally, one would have had to go through a process of
adequate devotion. One would have had to be trained as an apprentice priest and
knight.
'There
is no time.'
There is no telling when the demons will strike again.
While the nature of the gate is still a matter of speculation, it is clear that
demons are involved.
Since the deities also said that they would exceptionally
simplify the process, the deities will be involved in their guidance to some
degree.
'Han
Hari.'
In terms of talent alone, she is the most gifted of the
children. Born with the energy of fire, the god of war and flame is interested
in her.
Leon had kept a close eye on her because of her innate
good nature and purity.
'Han
Su-ho.'
A boy with a cautious temper, but capable when necessary,
and who, true to his name, is a great protector of others.
Aside from his swordsmanship, his skill with a shield is
excellent, so he fulfills one of the virtues of a knight.
His unique skill is also enhancing defense, so he might
be a good fit for the goddess of life and fertility. If that boy can wield the
Sir Geobrick's hammer, then──
"Humph!"
The sound of unsuccessfulness. The hammer's choice of
owner was not the guy, meant he was not worthy of the relic's recognition.
If unlucky, a successor might not appear in a lifetime.
Leon considered that quite possible.
'Kim
Jae-hyuk.'
A boy who specializes in spears. Aside from his fierce
spear skills, he is surprisingly the type who seeks stability.
Scanning the rest of the knight cadets, Leon saw the
profile of a girl.
'Cheon
So-yeon.'
The granddaughter of the country's most powerful
swordsman. She is one of the few talents who quietly completed about a month of
basic training.
She has a surprisingly serious and disciplined
personality. She is suitable as a knight's material. But.......
'Avarice...'
No one is so naive as to think that the next heir to the
country's top guild is here just to join the ranks of the Pantheon.
The Holy Law, she's fascinated by its power. Most of the
cadets were like that, but she seemed somewhat impatient.
Leon saw a familiar face in her demeanor.
"Like that kid......."
Who did she resemble? She was harsh and blunt ──
[You killed him, Your Majesty. The greatest king in
Lionheart's history.]
"Huu......."
Leon sighed heavily and revealed a bitter expression.
“It’s already too late.”
Leon turned his attention back to his work, as if to put
the thought out of his mind, and that was when it hit him.
"Hmm?!"
Leon's five senses pick up every movement within 30
kilometers in all directions.
Lately, his attention has been focused on the hammer of
the honorable Holy Grail Knight Sir Geobrick.
The holy relic, which exuded great power by its mere presence,
will decide who it will choose as its master.
And just now.
The relic showed some movement.
Leon hurried to the training ground where the hammer was,
and there──
"This is... surprising."
Very slightly. It was vague to see if it really happened,
but certainly couldn't be compared to the previous challengers.
A worthy candidate, deemed by 'the hammer itself'. When
he saw Leon, he stammered,
"Y- Your Majesty! No, this... it's break time, so I
thought I'd give it a try...!"
The one who moved the hammer, even if only a little. He
is──
***
Previous chapter | Novel page | Next chapter
Help us keep our spirit up by buying
us Coffee (人ゝω・）
