Page 195

The last to leave was the golden eagle youth Siegfried, who was flying in the sky. He summoned his companion magical beast with one hand while waving goodbye to me with a smile. The other humans and barbarians thought he was just showing off his composure, making it impossible for me, the dragon knight, to pursue him, thus taunting me. But I knew that each eye of the golden eagle tribe had two pupils, giving them effective vision over a hundred kilometers away. Even my enhanced vision couldn't match his. If I could see him and Katherine clearly, he could certainly see my face.

After transforming into human form, my appearance didn't change much; it's just that others wouldn't notice unless they knew. Familiar people would naturally recognize me if they were aware. When I left the Orc Alliance back then, it was a secret, so Siegfried naturally didn't know. But now, after disappearing for two years and the "Doomsday Horn" being recovered, this young genius is one of the few who knows about my unique moon-attribute "Holy Ice Thorn Aura." Coupled with his training alongside Katherine, it would be strange if he hadn't guessed my identity from the clues. His wave was probably a way to take revenge for the humiliation I inflicted on him in the Holy City under the guise of a duel.

With the orcs retreating, the barbarians, though unable to crush their enemies and avenge themselves, escaped the shadow of defeat and naturally thanked us, their supporting force. The barbarian warriors, regardless of gender or age, ignored their wounds and reformed their ranks. Their wounds, no matter how deep, were already covered by ice and snow, with no blood flowing out. The sword emperor who had matched Katherine in skill strode forward, removed her face-covering helmet, and revealed her true appearance.

A wild yet graceful female face silenced everyone in the Radiant Temple.

How to describe the perfect blend of "brave and beautiful" exceeded the linguistic capabilities of most people. No one expected the barbarian sword emperor to be a beauty rivaling the four holy maidens of the Temple. Even Katherine, her opponent, was breathtakingly beautiful, but during the battle, the distance between humans was too great for anyone to see clearly. Now, with the battle settled, the visual shock of transitioning from a "terrifying barbarian leader" to a "beautiful valkyrie" was significant.

As if the shock wasn't enough, just as everyone was still recovering, the heavy armor covering the beautiful sword emperor disintegrated and fell to the ground, revealing her full, athletic, and not overly muscular curves. During the intense battle, Katherine and the female sword emperor fought with all their might. Katherine's attire and armor were legendary or even epic-level equipment from the previous orc king's collection, so they remained undamaged. However, the female sword emperor's armor, which was elite-grade supported by the Temple, was several levels lower and had been damaged by the colliding auras. Once she removed her helmet, the armor immediately fell apart. Apart from the arm and leg guards, she was left with only a black leather triangle covering her shapely buttocks and a chest guard holding her prominent breasts. She showed no embarrassment, walking confidently to greet a senior priest.

Embarrassing! Too embarrassing!

This was my only feeling at the moment. Although I am a werewolf, I am currently using the identity of the Temple. Watching the senior priest, who had likely spent years in seclusion on Saint Spirit Mountain and had never seen a woman's body, stare speechlessly, and hearing at least seventy percent of the Temple members swallowing hard, I really wanted to kick each of them. Fortunately, there were people capable of handling such situations. Knight Apu, who was protecting "Mr. Pang," saw that the Sacred Sword Knights' commander, Knight Hein, was still directing the cleanup, and the responsible priest was struggling. He stepped forward to take over the conversation with the female sword emperor.

"Your Excellency, greetings. I am Apu Renoxis, a Grail Knight of the Radiant Temple. It is truly an honor to meet such a young and skilled warrior."

"Grail Knight, the strongest human warrior? Indeed, you are impressive. I am Zara, the general of the third legion of Valhalla. Thanks to your army's assistance, we avoided defeat today. Please accept my gratitude." The female sword emperor, calling herself Zara, seemed to find Apu's rugged appearance very appealing to barbarian aesthetics. After praising him, she formally thanked the reinforcements. Standing nearly two meters tall, she had a well-proportioned build with developed muscles that weren't overly bulky, giving an overall harmonious impression. Her name, a single character, was a mark of honor reserved for the elite among barbarians. However, what truly surprised Apu was her surname.

"Oh? Your surname is Lotharzam. May I ask about your relationship with the chieftain of the Valhalla clan...?"

"That is my father," the female sword emperor nodded.

Chapter 79: The Beacon of Crisis Echoes the War Drums

The Valhalla clan, known as the barbarians, claim descent from the frost giants. In reality, their history spans ten thousand years, longer than that of humans and almost as long as the orcs. Despite being a warlike race with physical prowess and combat skills on par with orcs, they have been suppressed in the northern wilderness by the orcs, even facing near extinction multiple times, leaving an indelible grudge. For this proud ancient race, it is a great disgrace.

One must admit, the barbarians have had terrible luck.

Their natural homeland, the Arctic tundra, is a barren land where nothing grows. Relying on hunting and fishing cannot sustain their growing population. The only exit from the tundra is blocked by orc territory. Whenever they engage in battle with the orcs, the few hundred thousand barbarians stand no chance against the millions of orcs, leading to repeated defeats. Many barbarians often lament that if the gods had given them a door, they would have dominated the mainland.

However, when this door opened for the first and only time, fate once again abandoned the barbarians. Seizing the opportunity when the orcs broke through the Never-setting Mountains and marched into the mainland, the barbarians took their first step out of the northern ice plains and developed a sufficient population to prepare for a full-scale war against the orcs. At this critical moment, several geniuses among the orcs, while competing with the elves, suddenly grasped the secrets of aura and taught it to the entire clan, significantly boosting the orcs' strength. Combined with the barbarians' inability to adapt to the new environment and the outbreak of epidemics, the orcs easily annihilated the ambitious barbarian tribes. This led to the frequent lamentation among later generations of barbarians, "The gods do not favor our race."