After a few minutes, he slowed down and ran into the open space around an abandoned watchtower. He stopped at the base of the old watchtower and gazed at the lonely building. Like the other ruins that could be found everywhere in the land, it reminded him of a painful dark time. The black traces of war can be seen among the ruins of the wall, and it is obviously the masterpiece of the orc catapult. He still vividly remembers the time of the war, when these wreckers fired one burning shell after another, and the entire village was razed to the ground in an instant. He was amazed at how the building could survive the devastation. Suddenly, he noticed a strange series of footprints on the side of the tower. As he rolled over and dismounted, Tirio's blood seemed to have clotted: the massive footprints were not human, and they were not from a long time ago.

Tirio quickly looked around and saw that the open space was littered with such footprints, and the orcs must have been gathering here for many days. He was amazed that these cruel beasts could reassemble so quickly. No, the Fort Hearth's borders are safe, there must be another reason here. It is impossible for orcs to remain quietly under their noses for days without being detected, and it is not in the reckless nature of those beasts. As soon as an orc approaches the Hearthkeep, his scouts and guards will find it immediately. Still, the footprints are puzzling.

Tirio led his horse around the back of the tower, drawing his heavy sword from the saddle. He wished he had his powerful hammer with him. He was also proficient in swordsmanship, but whenever he faced danger, he wanted to wield a warhammer like a traditional paladin.

Tirio skimmed around the watchtower and crept inside. The front door of the tower had long since been broken, and the huge wooden tower beams had fallen to the ground, and splinters were scattered all over the ground. He walked into the deserted guard's room, only to find a small, simple fire pit and a crudely patchwork of bedding in which the fire pit was still alive, apparently the orcs were temporarily living in the ruined tower. Oddly enough, there are no weapons or loot that orcs like to collect the most. He wondered why the orcs were so disregarding the attack on the territory of the Alliance.

He decided to go back and gather his men first, so he strode out of the watchtower. To his surprise, a huge orc suddenly appeared at the edge of the forest. The orc was equally surprised to see him, and quickly dropped the firewood in his hand and touched the huge battle axe behind his back. Tirio gritted his teeth and swung his sword, and the orc steadied his steps, slowly unwinding the battle axe from his back.

It had been years since Tirio had looked at an orc like this, and his unflinching gaze was filled with deep hatred. However, despite his enthusiasm, Tirio noticed that the orc in front of him was unusually calm, unlike the others. Although the creature in front of him was as thick as he had seen before, with well-rounded limbs, green skin, ape-like standing, ugly fangs, and pointed ears that were indistinguishable from the savage animals Tirio had seen in battle, it behaved somewhat differently from them. Its movements are old, its eyes are wrinkled, its messy beard and bun are mixed with grayish-white. The other orcs were equipped with plate armor and gauntlets, but the one in front of them was covered only with stitched hides. Its calm and determined expression and skillful fighting posture all show that it is no longer a reckless young man, but a battle-hardened veteran. Regardless of its age, Tirio felt it was more dangerous than any orc he had ever met.

The stout creature stood silently, as if waiting for Tirio to act first. Tirio quickly looked around to see if there were any other orcs in ambush in the forest. Looking back at him, he found that the orc still hadn't moved an inch. The orc nodded slightly at Tirio, as if to reply that Tirio was indeed alone. The orc's knowing gaze made Tirio feel as if he wanted to remind Tirio to go all out in this battle.

In front of the orc's calm demeanor, Tirio rushed forward in a somewhat panicked manner. The orc's light sideways dodged Tirio's first attack, swinging an arc with his axe. Tirio flashed reflexively, dodging the ferocious blow, and rolled on, half-crouching defensively. Tirio wasted no time in stabbing the sword into the orc's bare lower abdomen, but the orc skillfully parried with his battle axe and slid backwards to gain more space. Tirio feinted to the right, and the sword swept horizontally. The orc, however, deftly avoided in the opposite direction, slashing down with his axe in the air, intending to cut Tirio in two. Tirio rolled over, and the axe landed less than an inch in front of him. Both stood still, looking at each other in amazement. Tirio realized that the orc in front of him was a formidable opponent he had never faced. A harsh sneer also appeared on the beastly faces of the orcs, as if to indicate the same feeling in the hearts of the orcs.

They began to slowly circle in circles, estimating each other's strengths and weaknesses. Tirio was once again struck by the orc's demeanor and composure. The orcs he had encountered before had invariably rushed at him without hesitation, preferring to use both wild and brute force rather than use their wrists and strategies. However, this orc is incredibly skillful and self-controlled.

After a moment, Tirio began to wonder if it could defeat the creature. For a moment, he even felt that his tired body and reflexes would kill him at a critical moment. He couldn't help but think that his beloved wife and son would lose him forever, which was even more distracting. He snorted self-deprecatingly, putting aside his vulgar thoughts and preparing to continue the fight. In his duty as a paladin, he had faced death hundreds of times. He relieved himself a little, regaining his fighting instincts. The Holy Light shone upon him. No matter how memorable the orc's fighting power is, it will always be a product of darkness, an enemy of humanity, and they must die!!

With determination, Tirio lunged at the orcs again, gathering every ounce of strength in his body to slam it down. In the face of the paladin's furious onslaught, the orcs were forced to retreat. Tirio pressed closer, and the tip of his sword seemed to burst into flames. The orc blocked, dodging every blow of the paladin, but the paladin's final delicate blow upset the balance. Tirio struck the orc in the thigh, causing it to step into a mud puddle. The orc snorted and fell into the dirt. Knowing that the situation was extremely disadvantageous, the orc endured the sharp pain of the wound in his leg and tried to get up. To its further surprise, Tirio took a step back and slowed down to get it up. The orc blinked in surprise.

Tirio is a paladin, a knight of the Silver Hand. For him, it is undoubtedly extremely dishonorable to slaughter an opponent who has fallen to the ground in a heads-up. The rules of the Holy Book require him to give the orc a reprieve. He nodded to the orc in certainty, motioning for it to stand up. Gritting sharp, black-and-yellow teeth, the orc slowly clenched his axe and stood up. They stood still again, staring at each other. The orc straightened up and clenched his fists to his chest. Tirio realized it was a salute. Now it was Tirio's turn to blink in disbelief, these savage beasts had never saluted on the battlefield, and he realized that there were more traits in this creature than savagery, which he didn't understand. Yet in any case, it is now his enemy. He nodded at the orc, and raised his sword again.

Now it's the turn of the orcs to attack in a surging motion. Unable to endure the severe pain of the wound, the orcs were forced to attack the paladin. The orc swung his axe and slammed it at Tirio, and the paladin was forced to dodge and retreat towards the entrance of the watchtower. Barely able to dodge the orc's deadly blows, Tirio retreated into the guard room in the watchtower. With a low roar, Tirio's right shoulder was slashed deep by the sharp axe. He held his composure through the pain and struck the orc's bare hand with a single blow. The frightened orcs howled in rage, but the axe fell to the ground. Tirio went on the attack, hoping to end the battle as best he could.

The orc grabbed a fallen beam and waved it at the paladin.

As the orc waved the beam, Tirio took a small step back. The beams slammed hard against the fragile walls, and dust and loose stones fell from the ceiling. The rest of the beams also creaked, as if complaining that they were overwhelmed. Tirio continued to attack, slashing the orc's makeshift weapon into pieces. Realizing their desperate situation, the orc simply dropped his weapon and rushed towards Tirio with his bare hands. With a roar, the mad beast grabbed Tirio by the neck. The paladin managed to stab the orc in order to prevent the weight of the orc's body from weighing it down. The fierce fight between the two finally toppled the already fragile tower wall, and the ceiling fell and smashed into the two of them.

All Tirio could hear was the creak of wood and the clatter of stone, and the dust around him kept him from opening his eyes. The guards suddenly turned black. His body was numb, but he still felt something pressing against his chest. When the dust cleared, he found him crushed under a huge beam and his legs crushed by large chunks of mud. He looked around in horror for the orc. If the orc were to kill him now, he would have no way to fight back. With all the strength he had left, he lifted the giant tree up, and it slid to the side.

Pain immediately flooded Tirio's body, and his head was drenched in pools of blood gushing from his arms. He tried to stand up. However, the severe pain of a broken rib was too much for him to bear. His right leg appears to have been broken by the mud as well. He was exhausted, miserable, and even felt like he was dying. The remaining walls are still creaking, and the whole tower is about to fall. As consciousness blurred, Tirio heard a rustling behind him. Tirio struggled to stay awake, only to see the orc's sinister green hand reaching out to him. At that moment, darkness enveloped him. (To be continued.) )