Ignoring the axe lodged in my shoulder, I slammed my hammer down—not at the Orc Champion but at the ground. As I released control of my mana, the shocked lightning spread in all directions.

Lightning bolts streamed from the crackling sphere at my chest. I could feel the violent energy scorching through my armor as it passed. It was a searing pain I'd never experienced before, despite having a natural 6★ tank's body.

But even as my entire body heated up, it wasn't unbearable. The acrid smell of burning, the tingling sensation throughout my body, the spasming muscles and stinging skin—I hadn't coasted through my adventurer life so much that I'd complain about something like this.

It hurt, it was irritating, it was difficult—but not unbearable. The creatures in front of me and around me had surely suffered worse than I had.

"Huff, you crazy, bastard."

"How's that? Electrifying?"

After blinking several times, tears flowed and my vision cleared slightly. The Orc Champion looked terrible—apparently he couldn't avoid a bolt from the blue with just a backward step.

The ornaments that had decorated him like some orc warrior or Indian brave had turned to brittle ashes scattering in the air, and the throwing axes at his waist had become scrap metal dropping to the ground.

If I had suffered burns that scorched my armor and damaged my skin, he was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The damage exchange—trading flesh for bone—was quite satisfying for a self-destructive technique with maximum mana input.

"Fine, you damned hero. I acknowledge you."

"I didn't particularly want recognition from an orc."

"...Are you going to repeat the same trick?"

So I gathered my mana once more.

Rolling my eyes slightly, I saw that the rampaging lightning had shattered mighty trees halfway up their trunks. Orcs caught in the blast, whether common monsters or named ones, had all amicably turned into mana stones rolling around on the ground.

So, with an implied threat to take him down next, I channeled mana again.

My muscles and joints seemed to ache from the electrocution, but I could recover using holy power instead of mana. A tank who uses a self-destructive technique and then recovers alone—nothing could be more disgusting from an opponent's perspective.

"Huff, you. You know my technique."

The Orc Champion seemed to think so too, gritting his teeth as he pulled something from his waist instead of an axe. It was a strange object that had somehow remained intact despite the lightning shower that had reduced his ornaments to ashes and his throwing axes to scrap.

A strange milky-white ring that appeared to be made of ivory or some large, finely carved bone. Looking at its shape, it resembled a toy puzzle ring like the "Ring of Wisdom" and began to rattle on its own.

If he was taking out a tool, it would have to be that ritual item that forced one-on-one duels. With that thought, I calmed the mana I'd been packing in for lightning and quickly switched to holy power to heal my lightly seared body.

"Roland! Be careful!"

"We'll handle the minions!"

-Hmm, good. Let's finish this before the holy sword's wielder settles it

As the rattling ring came apart with a clatter, a strange flow of mana surrounded us. Noticing this, Irene quickly cast her holy protection, while Katie and her ancestor froze and shattered the orcs that were trying to approach me.

Just as I wasn't the only one enhanced by sacred relics, a gentle light enveloped my lightly seared body.

Though internal healing with holy power had been progressing slowly, my condition now recovered as if nothing had happened. Irene's sacred law didn't have a recovery function—it felt more like it was squeezing my enhanced body to endure.

"Hah, you look like you'll be my final battlefield. Come, mad hero."

"Mad hero? That's harsh."

Holy power wrapped around my bones from the inside, while the Crystal Shield embedded in the protection of the sacred law protected my skin from the outside. Even if his ritual forced a one-on-one duel, it apparently couldn't remove buffs applied just before—the Orc Champion glared at me with a complicated expression. Of course, no matter how superhuman his body, he couldn't escape the lightning that had pierced his skin and shredded his nerves.

For him, he probably never imagined a hero would jump into the middle of enemy lines and self-destruct without warning. Having his backup weapons stripped and health halved before he could even activate his ritual must have been quite frustrating.

After tearing off the remnants of his cumbersome ornaments, he gripped his axe firmly with both hands. Living up to his title as one of the Four Heavenly Kings and Champion, despite his crispy exterior, intense fighting spirit flowed from him.

Looking at him, I felt just one thing: this brute was the last boss I could handle alone. If I hadn't chipped away at his health with lightning, I might have had to fight like a madman with the holy sword and possibly even enter a frenzy state.

"But I won't surrender the Champion's position easily. Come at me!"

"No thanks."

So, let's commemorate this final freebie.

※

Living as a walking tank in a fantasy world creates many annoying situations.

Just as infantry in FPS games develop a hatred for flyers, living with a sturdy but slow body brings its own problems.

In the skies are flying wyverns and carnivorous wyverns, underground are worms swimming through earth, and some unique ones even use shadows or light for short-range teleportation... Even in a fantasy world, it's enough to make you lament the abundance of mobility skills.

"You, crazy bastard! Don't you have any awareness as a hero!"

"It's because I do!"

So watching the Orc Champion throwing a tantrum in front of me made me think:

Now it's your turn to suffer.

In short: come and get me.

Having somewhat recovered my health with sacred law protection and holy power, the melee had begun, but the ritual had isolated me and the Orc Champion. Looking through the translucent, hazy barrier at the orc minions being overwhelmed by the frost giant, I gathered my mana once more.

Crackle-pop—sparks flew as lightning gathered. If he didn't approach, I'd collect mana and detonate a massive blast; if he charged in, I'd take the hit and then draw my holy sword for a brawl.

So I backed away, moving my mana as cautiously as possible.

Like I was gathering lightning, like I was recovering, like I was fleeing, like I was baiting—

I was obviously cowering, practically forcing him to attack by implying it would be his loss if he didn't.

"Groaaaaargh! Fight me seriously, you bastaaaaard!"

When I flashed lightning threateningly as if to say I'd detonate it if he didn't approach, the Orc Champion began foaming at the mouth.

For an orc, he'd shown remarkable patience. After days of stress from the crystal dragon's luring and raids, he'd been terrorized by a suicidal madman hero and was now being taunted with "come and get me." If he kept his cool here, he wouldn't be the Orc Champion but an enlightened orc.

Of course, that wasn't my problem. Knowing how frustrating it is to be on the receiving end of one-sided attacks, if I could dish it out one-sidedly, I should do so relentlessly.

"You, you damn bastard, my final opponent! A threat heading toward the Demon Lord!"

As I gathered lightning while slowly backing away, he came charging in frantically. With bulging veins in his neck and spittle flying, he looked less like an orc (supposedly a pig) and more like a dog with rabies.

So as he raised his axe high and rushed in, I launched myself forward.

Did he think I'd flee to the bitter end while gathering lightning? As he stupidly raised both hands, his torso was naturally left defenseless. Without extinguishing the lightning, I threw my body forward and rammed into him.

Ah... the smell of burning pork.

"Urgh, you son of a biiitch-!"

A nauseating stench mixing unwashed body odor, the gaminess of wild animals, and burning flesh. With what was essentially an electrified metal plate smashing into his solar plexus, his loud mouth finally shut.

Realizing that even opening his mouth was a luxury, he groaned while gripping my shoulders with powerful hands.

Despite being seared by that powerful lightning and again being electrocuted with metal smashing his chest, he still squeezed his muscles to embrace me. In the midst of that stench, his bulging arm muscles performed a bear hug, trying to crush me to death.

Even with electrocution and melting skin, he boasted strength comparable to mine, perhaps slightly greater—his brutish body. For an orc, he had a physique more powerful than an ogre even without using mana—

But it was a foolish move. How could mere arm strength affect armor that had only been dented by a full-force axe strike?

Crack-crack-crack—!

Crunch-crunch-crunch—!!!

As he squeezed my waist, I also wedged my shield and warhammer into his sides. Though they weren't blades but blunt metal objects, a natural 6★'s monstrous strength was enough to turn the tough flesh between the metal pieces into mincemeat.

Moreover, though not powerful enough to burn him to death, electricity still flowed through the heated metal. Yet he still wouldn't let go. Without drawing either axe or holy sword, we engaged in a simple, brutal struggle to crush each other to death.

'What's going on? Does he have some hidden trump card?'

The situation was strange no matter how I looked at it. My armor wasn't even being dented or cracked—why cling to me so stubbornly in such a brutish manner?

Gathering my wits against mental fog caused not by pain but by the stench, I looked up at his distorted face. Hot, filthy air wafted through his helmet. Though I could deal damage effectively this way, I didn't want to wrestle with a man, especially a foul-smelling orc... I needed to draw the holy sword, whatever his plan was.

If I drew my holy sword while crushing his sides with shield and warhammer, would his waist split in half, killing him?

With that thought, I pulled up holy power, when suddenly he released his grip.

"...Grace? Did you shoot this?"

Then he slid to my side and dropped onto the lightning-melted ground with a thud.

With an arrow lodged in his head.

Enjoy the chappy!