When the bone thorns of the ceiling, lowering a bit more every second, were just three meters away from piercing the orcs' bodies, the leader swinging his glowing red-hot sword opened his mouth but dropped to his knees before he could say a word. The energy that broke off from his weapon took the shape of a sword and, along with the nine orcs running behind it, was advancing towards one of the bone pillars.
A breath later, the sharp tip of the red energy attack found its mark; the trap, which returned whatever it was dealt tenfold, remained silent at first, then, accompanied by a loud noise, began to crack starting from the spot where it took the hit. A gap wide enough for nine orcs to pass through opened up, but their leader couldn't move an inch from where he knelt.
Even though he knew he would die in two seconds, he didn't break his upright posture. With a faint smile on his face, he stood tall to meet the inevitable end.
As his nine subordinates stepped outside the trap, they wanted to turn around and check on the condition of the orc who sacrificed himself for them, but that wasn't possible. An energy that sent their bodies flying struck them in the back, carrying them back to where they started, right next to their leader on his knees.
You might think everything their leader did by giving his life went down the drain, but after the downpour of bones that suddenly hit like summer rain, your mind would completely change. The energy attack that struck them in the back hadn't just sent them flying; it had also blown the mechanism descending from the ceiling to smithereens, and now it was returning to its master right before their eyes.
"Orc Blood Techniques – Lion's Claw"
When the words that came out as a whisper from the mouth of the leader of the ten orcs, who was waiting for death just a few seconds ago, reached the ears of the others, Nafız was taking the blood-red claw back into her body. This was the last scene the leader, who caused a small cloud of bone dust to rise from where he fell, saw before passing out, and the smile on his face stretched from ear to ear.
"After trying for five years, is this the only idiot who managed to grasp the techniques I created?"
Bookworm was about to speak but instantly swallowed back the sounds coming from his throat; it wasn't the time to talk about the situation the only orc who managed to graduate from the Orc Blood Techniques class added to the Orc Military Academy curriculum fell into in front of the technique's creator.
"Get over here, quick!"
When the blood-red-haired orc yelled, the nine orcs, tossed back and forth like leaves torn from a branch, shot off like an arrow and appeared exactly where they were wanted.
"Feed this clump to that idiot you call your leader and bring him to me the second he comes to!"
The Blood God gave her order and started walking with large strides; clearly, she had no intention of waiting for the orc she helped treat to regain consciousness. The others, realizing this, went after her. While three of the nine orcs carried their leader on their backs, the others were struggling to feed him the medicine.
The Raider unit, continuing their journey inside the hollow, advanced without slowing down. Nafız was at the front, and the others didn't dare to step up and take her place; they continued advancing like this until they reached the next trap.
"Alyon, Bookworm, Wind of Death, and Hammerstriker, come to my side!"
How could they not go to her side when the Blood God called them? The five people, whose statues were found all over the Orc Steppes, were side by side, and the energy they radiated made the onlookers hold their breath. Listening to their stories from those who knew them was one thing; witnessing it with their own eyes was something else entirely. Especially the Elemental Ten and the ten orc warriors, whose leader was slowly opening his eyes, watched the quintet as if their lives depended on it.
"This show is going to be just for you! Watch closely, it won't be repeated!"
After Nafız finished her words, she took a step forward, and the trap separating the quintet from the others was triggered. Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect Hueso was biting his lips, which were red enough to make freshly bloomed poppies jealous; how could it be possible to detect the trap he prepared with such precision?
"Blood Dome"
The red-haired orc warrior's technique activated; the dome-shaped technique surrounding the five people would protect them against any kind of incoming attack, but for some reason, they couldn't see any sign of an attack around them.
"Hueso!"
When his name was called, the porcelain-skinned sheikh took two steps forward. Judging by his fluttering eyelashes, he was dying to explain something only he could know.
"Yes, you were able to pinpoint the exact location of my trap, but it's impossible for you to figure out its type. Why? Because the blood-red dome surrounding you prevents not just physical but also spiritual attacks."
They had encountered physical and energetic traps, but this was the first time they were stepping into a spiritual trap. Hueso gave them some time to think about this situation and only decided to continue his words several tens of seconds later.
"The name of my trap is Killer Friend; it is my favorite among my spiritual traps, and the one I get a kick out of the most, thinking about the end those who fall into it will experience. Of course, it sounds a bit weird saying it like this now, but you know, these are all things I prepared for my sworn and eternal enemies, so no hard feelings!"
Even though the Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect looked like he was saying 'no offense,' he couldn't hide his curiosity about how his trap would play out. While his mouth apologized, his hands were more than ready to applaud the show.
"We can see how sorry you are, Hueso, cut the crap and tell us how your favorite trap works."
"Right away, I'm explaining right away! When you step into the trap, a frequency you can't comprehend hearing reaches your brain and trespasses into your subconscious. There, it finds the person who touches your soul, the one who hurt you the most, the one you want to kill with your own hands.
Once it manages this, everyone around you starts looking like that person to you; whether it's your mother, your father, or the love of your life, it doesn't matter, they are now your greatest enemy. The desire to kill that person turns into a passion that takes over your soul, and you don't stop until you are satisfied.
And the best part is, even if you kill them once, when you turn your back, you will see them again in someone else. Whether ten, a hundred, or thousands of people get caught in this trap, in the end, the number of people who will stay alive is only one."
Hueso's joy knew no bounds. The old creature, who had adopted the place where the living recorded what they experienced from the moment they were born as a spirit, was using a monster he found there to drive a person crazy.
"Looks like a piece of work exactly expected of you, but there's something I'm curious about; where did you find the thing that will create this effect? As far as I know, your society isn't into these kinds of things; are the Mercenaries or the Empire of Machines the source of the thing making this effect?"
Making it obvious he expected the question by wagging his index finger left and right, the Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect couldn't hold back from giving the answer this time.
"I took it from an old enemy; I prepared this trap using one of the treasures of the Holy Earth Sect."
The five people in the middle of the trap Hueso prepared using pillaged loot weren't surprised by what they heard. What they did after the war that shifted the power balances of the Hell Realm still maintained its freshness in their minds. Even if he didn't completely destroy them, with the Holy Blood Sect and the Orc-Druid armies behind him, he had crippled the four sects to the point where they could never get back on their feet again.
Now, they were inside a trap under the effect of an object he seized perhaps during those pillages or in an attack he pulled off long before, and Nafız, who had stepped in here, had a goal.
"This turned out even better than I expected! You ten graduates of the Orc Military Academy, watch without blinking. I will show you how an orc team fights!"