Chapter 64: Axi’s Counterattack
To speed up her recovery, Airael pulled out a bottle of blue potion.
She popped the cork and began chugging the contents like it was the last drink on Earth.
The taste was a bit hard to swallow, but at this moment, Airael had no choice but to force it down.
As the blue liquid hit her taste buds, her brows furrowed tightly.
Honestly, if she could avoid taking medicine, she really would!
Besides the yucky flavor, there were other reasons.
Every medicine has its downsides, and this one was no different.
Though the toxicity was lowered to barely noticeable levels, it was still there.
So, avoiding potions was definitely preferable when possible!
After finally gulping down the entire potion, Airael’s frown slowly eased.
At the same time, she felt a surge of energy, and the magic power that had been drained began to recover significantly.
This sensation made her feel much better.
And it seemed like the price she paid before was worth it.
While every potion might taste awful, the phrase “bitter medicine cures illness” also applies here.
At first, it was hard to accept, but gradually, once you feel the benefits, swallowing it gets easier.
Feeling mostly recovered, Airael immediately resumed casting spells.
Now both sides had committed almost all their forces into the fray.
In this situation, it could be said that the battle between humans and orcs was at a stalemate.
However, with Airael rejoining the fight, the human side’s strength would greatly increase.
This shift would put the humans in a more advantageous position.
Conversely, the orcs would find themselves at a disadvantage.
As the lightning bolt Airael conjured struck down upon the orcs, obliterating several of them at once,
The orc’s defeat had officially begun!
The humans tangled with the orcs, not allowing them to break free.
This allowed Airael, along with Celia and Aurora, the two sharpshooters, to concentrate on dishing out damage from the rear.
Their attacks were lethal for the orcs.
Once they found an opening, any orc targeted by them was practically destined for a one-way trip to the underworld.
Under the powerful assault from the three elves, the orc’s fighting strength steadily dwindled.
The humans racked up numerous achievements.
Many orcs fell at their hands.
As the orc’s numbers dwindled, their situation became increasingly perilous.
Eventually, the orcs had no choice but to draw closer to the battlefield of Sko and Axi.
Seeing the orcs converge at their location, the humans significantly lightened their attack.
They were neither willing nor dared to interfere with Axi and Sko’s duel.
In the end, both sides stopped fighting, standing in a tense standoff.
Meanwhile, they were also taking a breather.
After such a long fight, most of them were drained.
However, the battle between Axi and Sko did not cease.
They were still clashing away.
While dodging Sko’s attacks, Axi caught a glimpse of the fight’s progress, letting out a sigh of relief while also pressing himself to think of a strategy to turn the tides.
Dragging this out forever was not an option!
I must defeat this guy in front of me!
Watching Sko relentlessly assault him, Axi thought to himself.
But at the moment, Sko was completely in command of the pace, and countering him to gain the upper hand wouldn’t be easy.
Observing Sko still under the effects of his frenzy, Axi made up his mind.
You can’t catch wolves without getting rid of the sheep first.
For that, some sacrifices must be made.
Suddenly, while dodging Sko’s assault, Axi lost his footing and nearly stumbled to the ground.
Though he quickly planted his sword into the ground to steady himself, dodging Sko’s next attack would be far from easy.
True, Sko had lost all rationality, but his instincts clearly told him that Axi would struggle to completely evade his next strike.
That next blow could likely determine the victor of this duel.
Thus, Sko raised his axe high, gathering strength and then swung down hard toward Axi.
Axi’s eyes widened as he gazed at Sko’s descending axe.
Right then, he realized there was no way to escape altogether.
But he had no intention of dodging anymore.
However, the spectators had no clue about Axi’s plan.
Seeing Axi on the brink of being cleaved by Sko’s strike, the orcs were thrilled, while the humans were wide-eyed in shock.
Including Airael.
In contrast, Celia and Aurora looked somewhat indifferent.
Even Axi, Airael’s ally at that moment, hadn’t earned them much goodwill.
Their assistance to the humans was solely because of Airael.
Just when everyone thought Axi was about to get sliced in half, he suddenly launched a counterattack against Sko.
Since dodging was off the table, it was time to strike back.
Sko, having just readied his attack, was caught off guard.
He never expected the guy who’d been evading him would suddenly go on the offensive.
Axi drew his sword, gripping it with an upward swing towards Sko.
The powerful charge he unleashed pushed Sko back, his massive frame staggered.
The sudden reversal thrilled the humans on the sidelines.
But Axi had no time for celebration.
Although he had momentarily pushed Sko back, he needed to secure his advantage.
Sko wasn’t too badly hurt; the pain merely twisted his face a bit.
Axi continued to charge at Sko, adjusting his grip on the sword from reverse to standard.
With both hands gripping tightly, he unleashed a hefty strike against Sko’s chest.
The sword scraped against the armor covering Sko’s chest, sending out a bright, sparking flash, leaving a deep mark behind.
The force of the attack made Sko stagger back again.
While Axi hadn’t broken through his defenses, the impact still caused an aching sensation in his chest.
And just like that, Axi kept slashing away at Sko’s chest.
He seemed to have entered a frenzy, relentlessly repeating this action without tiring.
The results may not have been drastic, but the pressure from the attacks kept Sko from regaining his footing, making his robust form retreat continuously.
The scars on the armor he wore were multiplying.
Creating a distinct “X” shape on it.
Finally, after delivering a total of eight swings, Axi leaped into the air, twisting his body and delivering a final, complete-powered strike down onto Sko’s neck—his ninth strike!
