The lizardman chief nodded at the latest war report.
It had been four days since his conference with Soei.
Three days remained until the two armies would come together formally, but for that day, it looked like they could pass yet another night without any major losses.
The orcs' attack was, as they expected, severe. The corridors were teeming with them, pouring in like a flood.
As labyrinthine as the caverns were, that didn't matter as much if it was covered from corner to corner with the enemy.
They had set traps in some of the chambers to whittle down the numbers a little, and that was about all the offense they had attempted.
But not a single lizardman life had yet been lost.
They had focused on the defense effort, trying to keep casualties as low as possible, and it was paying off.
Their knowledge of the caverns played a major role, as did the lizardmen's ever-rising morale.
The network of cave paths ensured that their escape routes and emergency access passages remained untouched.
The teams facing the brunch of the orc attack switched in and out in shifts, ensuring that only the bare minimum of troops engaged the enemy at any one time.
The lizardmen had their chief's uncommon leadership skills to thank for their success so far.
But the chief refused to rest on his laurels. He knew that things
were still under control, mainly due to the promise of coming reinforcements.
The warriors who had actually fought the orcs reported on the astonishing amount of strength their foes exhibited—a far cry from anything an orc should
be capable of.
It was clearly the result of their orc lord's special skills, and if they had opted for a full-frontal clash, the lizardmen would have been decimated.
They had lost nobody, but only because of their single-minded focus on defense.
The lizardmen's elite troops had not seen their defensive networks
penetrated yet, but with the sheer numbers they faced, they couldn't let their guard down for a moment.
They had to keep their foes from growing any more powerful, no matter what.
For now, everyone among the lizardmen had to admit that the chief was right.
He had strict orders in place—if any fighter was wounded, he was to be replaced on the front lines immediately.
Anyone dying in battle would be
consumed by the orcs, and that would only make them stronger.
Everyone understood that they needed to be careful, thorough, and that the defensive lines must be protected at all costs.
And it was only for three more days. Three more days until the
reinforcements came, and they could stage a counterattack.
Then they could use the caverns to their advantage and fight back—or, at least, devote more men to offense instead of defense.
Little by little, they all believed it would turn the tables and bring this seemingly endless stalemate to an end.
It was a hopeful scenario for the chief to picture, one that relieved him a little.
And it was at that moment when an aide told him that Gabiru was back… the moment of great change.
◇◇◇
Gabiru was beside himself with anger.
What is this? he thought as he hurried to the chief. The proud lizardmen, burrowing in their holes like cowards, hiding from the pigs…
Well, no worries now. I have returned. And now we can fight with the pride of true lizardmen.
"It gladdens me to see you again, Gabiru. Were you able to gain the confidence of the goblins?"
Gabiru: 「Yes, my lord! They only number approximately seven thousand, but I have their support, and they await our orders.」
"I see. Hopefully, they will be of service to us."
Gabiru: 「Are we off to battle, then?」 Gabiru asked, his tone already growing confrontational.
He was back, and he had no interest in letting the pigs have the initiative.
He was sure the chief—his father—had been waiting for his arrival with bated breath.
But the reply he received was nothing like what he expected.
"Mm? No, not yet. While you were away, we received a request to form an alliance. Their forces are set to arrive here three days from now.
I plan to wait for them, formally agree to the alliance, and then discuss strategy at that point. After that, we will go on a full offensive."
The news was a complete surprise to Gabiru. It did not sit well.
What? Our chief wasn't waiting for me at all?!
"Relying on these mystery reinforcements from who knows where, all for the sake of defeating a stupid little herd of pigs?"—It was unacceptable to Gabiru.
Gabiru: 「My chief, if I take the lead, the pigs will be eliminated in a flash. Please, give me your order to strike them down!」
"No," came the cold reply. "We begin three days from now. You had best rest yourself today. You must be exhausted."
The chief was wholly uninterested in the idea. Gabiru seethed with anger.
Tossing him aside in anticipation of these reinforcements? Unforgivable.
Gabiru: 「Chief… Father, you have to get ahold of yourself! I fear your advanced age is making you fail to see reality!」
"What?"
"What is the meaning of this, Sir Gabiru?" the head of the chief's guard asked, while the chief himself eyed his son suspiciously.
Gabiru sized the two up, his gaze filled with pity. He felt oddly calm now.
He had been patient with his father as the leader up to this point.
There was much about him that he still respected—even he had to acknowledge his innate leadership skill.
He certainly did not hate his father, the leader of all lizardmen.
If anything, it was his desire to earn the praise of his chief that drove him from day to day.
The refusal to give him any irked Gabiru. In that case, he reasoned, let me stand above him and make him recognize me.
That was the best way to word it, though Gabiru's pride made it difficult for him to accept, deep down.
He nodded, then sent the signal to his men.
Gabiru: 「Father… your era has expired. Starting today, I will serve as the new chief of the lizardmen!」
With the declaration, a battalion of goblins swarmed into the chamber, stonetipped spears aimed at the chief and his guard.
Gabiru's own elite guard stood by him, ensuring there would be no unwelcome resistance from the outside hallway.
"Gabiru, what is the meaning of this?!" The chief spat out, at a higher octave than usual.
It was a rarity to hear—and it only made Gabiru feel even more superior.
Gabiru: 「Father, I thank you for everything you've done for us. Now, I want you to leave the rest to me and enjoy life in retirement.」
With another order, Gabiru's team disarmed the chief and his guards.
"Answer me, Gabiru! What is the meaning of all this?!"
Gabiru: 「Perhaps, Father, using our mazelike corridors to fight the orcs was a good idea.
But it spreads our fighters out too sparsely around the entire structure.
We have no way of staging a useful counterattack, and it dooms us to exhaustion sooner or later.」
"Don't be ridiculous… I told you that once we confer three days from now, we will get back on the—"
Gabiru: 「Too little, too late! We are lizardmen! We are strong, and that strength is at its best in our homeland, the marshes.
It is in those muddy, flooded regions where we are at our most mobile, and our enemy is at its slowest.
Our greatest of natural weapons. And what ruler of the marshes simply holes up in the dark and waits for their problems to go away?!」
He took the chief's weapon in hand, a spear that served as the symbol of the lizardman leader.
It was a Vortex Spear, a magical weapon to be wielded only by the strongest of tribal warriors, and as far as Gabil was concerned, he was born to hold it.
Now he could feel the power within it, a sure sign that the spear had accepted its new master for all time.
Looking down at the chief and his guard, he held his new weapon high in the air for them to see.
Gabiru: 「The spear has accepted me. Lizardmen require no alliances! Allow me to prove that to you!」
"Wait, Gabiru! I can not allow you to do this! At least wait until the reinforcements arrive!"
Gabiru: 「You may leave the rest to me.」 he replied, ignoring the shouted plea.
"You may find things a tad uncomfortable until the battle is over, but do try to hold out for me."
"Sir Gabiru! My brother! You dare to betray us?!"
Gabiru: 「Could we save family concerns for later, my sister?
I am not betraying anyone. As I told you, I am going to show you what the new era will be for us
lizardmen.」
"That's nonsense!" replied Gabiru's younger sister, the head of the chief's guard. "Everyone knows what a talented warrior you are. Why now, of all times? Is this what you truly want for us?!"
Gabiru: 「Do you think I am joking? Get out of my sight. Take her away.」
He could hear his sister shouting as the goblins hauled her out of the room.
It didn't matter to him any longer.
He had no intention of killing her or anything of the like, but he didn't want anyone in his way.
He would defeat the foe that the former chief found impossible to overthrow.
The results would turn him into a new hero, the perfect event for establishing his position at the peak of lizardman society.
Then, he thought as his heart raced,—"My father will admit it. He will admit that he was proud of me all along!"
His men were already dealing with anyone who sided with the chief, with goblins to hammer the message home.
They wouldn't be expecting it anyway, their attention too focused on the orcs in front of them.
They'd never expect their fellow lizardmen to attack them through the emergency tunnels.
Before long, the news had arrived—all opposition had been suppressed.
Gabiru sat down on his father's seat, the picture of calm composure. And then, as if
waiting for this exact timing:
"How's that chair feel to you, then?"
Gabiru: 「Ah, Sir Laplace. Thanks for your hard work. It went even easier than I expected.」
Laplace: 「Oh, lovely, lovely. I'm glad to be of service.」
It was a masked man, one with an asymmetrical smile that made it look like he was sneering at anyone he showed it to.
His clothing stuck out, too, clownlike with its rabble of colors and patterns.
It was a ridiculous sight, but Gabiru was unfazed.
This man, Laplace, was in the employ of Gelmud, the man Gabiru loved more than almost anyone else.
He had first appeared before Gabiru as he was returning to his homeland with his newly earned goblins.
"Laplace is the name," he began. "I used to be vice president of the Moderate Jesters, a group of…jacks-of-all-trades, you could
say. Lord Gelmud has hired me to serve you—anything you need, I provide."
This, Laplace did with efficiency, freeing Gabiru's men from the dungeon and providing regular reports on the lizardmen's moves.
It was Laplace who removed the seal on the Vortex Spear for him, ensuring his coup ended in
success.
The original plan called for Gabiru and his elite guard to suppress the chief and his men while the main force was out fighting in the marshes, but with the army hunkering down in the caverns, that idea was a bust.
It angered Gabiru immensely, but Laplace offered an alternative path.
He brought the goblins and Gabiru's own troops, right to the chief himself without arousing any attention.
It was like magic, the way he led them through the escape corridors without a single lizardman noticing.
Laplace: 「Aw, c'mon, Gabiru.」 Laplace laughed. 「I'm really nobody that special, no.」
But he was to Gabiru, this man working for Gelmud.
Gabiru: 「Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. Enough modesty, Sir Laplace.」 Gabil replied. 「We are coworkers, after all, under the watchful eye of Lord Gelmud. Let's make it a
useful relationship.」
"Sir Gabiru, we have all the tribal leaders in our grasp."
It was the news Gabiru had been waiting to hear. Now, at long last, every branch of the military was under his control.
Laplace: 「Oops! Sorry if I'm in the way here. I'd best head off to my next job, then…」
Gabiru: 「Ah yes. Sorry to detain you, Sir Laplace. I think it's time I whip those orcs and show my strength to Lord Gelmud once and for all!」
With one final, sneering bow, Laplace disappeared from the cavern.
Gabiru: 「You were quite helpful to me, Laplace. Lord Gelmud has so many talented people working for him… I'd best hold up my end of the bargain, then.」
Gabiru stood up, supremely confident. It was time to attack.
He couldn't even imagine defeat at this point, and the advice from his father failed to reach his ears.
His loyal followers were now cheering his every move, especially the younger lizardmen who formed his most passionate support team.
He called each tribe leader to his chamber, ordering them to prepare for an all-out attack.
To teach those pigs exactly how daring and brave the lizardmen
truly were, as he put it.
The order was greeted with cheers from every tribe, weary from days of siege warfare.
Their former chief's order to hold the fort and prevent casualties at all costs had, ironically enough, made it all the easier for Gabiru to consolidate his own power.
He was giving the people what they wanted, and that made things go his way.
Gladdened by the response, Gabiru sat back down. His time was here. He was confident about that.
Defeating the orcs, at this point, was just a minor detail.
◇◇◇
How could this happen…?
Waves of despair rankled the chief.
Soei's final advice—to watch his back—was referring to this, no doubt.
He thought he had the people under his full control.
Even the more hawkish were faithfully following his orders, solidifying their defenses.
And then his own son betrayed him.
Desperation overtook him. This was a terrible situation.
If it kept up, the lizardmen would be ruined before tomorrow, much less in three days.
Everything was going as planned, but that one thing he never considered was what brought about this great change.
It was a foreboding sense of doom.
His son was an idiot—that, he knew, but he never expected such a change in plan.
The day when he would be overthrown by his own son.
"Of all times, why now?"—he thought, as the recent event replayed itself in his mind.
He looked down at his chief guard—his other child, Gabiru's sister.
She noticed the signal and nodded.
"Go!" he shouted, and the chief guard immediately slipped out of her shackles and ran off.
The alliance forces needed to be notified as soon as possible.
They might get caught up in all of this otherwise. He had to prevent that.
His pride as a lizardman and as a leader demanded it.
That envoy, the man named Soei, didn't bother hiding his aura from him.
Once they were out of this natural fortress, they might be able to follow it to wherever he was now.
It was a slim chance, but it was all he had to offer his chief guard.
The lizardmen guarding the dungeon had taken measures to restrain both of them, but—perhaps out of distaste at the idea of abusing their former leader—they were not doing so with very much fervor as he expected.
She quickly took advantage of that to escape.
For now, the chief felt relieved.
He would have to stay here; that was his responsibility for now.
All he could do was pray his daughter could complete the mission he gave her.
Only seven days. That was what he promised, and he had failed.
He cursed his own worthlessness, there in his cell, and hoped it would not lead his allies to abandon him.
Soei offered that alliance because, to his master, the lizardmen held some sort of value.
If this coup made him change his mind, that would seal all their fates.
If this battle costs us the lives of those faithful to Gabiru, so be it. Perhaps they had it coming.
I just wish we could keep our women and children safe…
—This was his deepest and truest wish.
He could only pray for all to come to a good end as he spent the next few hours in silent desperation.
◇◇◇
On that day, the marshes were completely covered in orcs. An observer in the air would have seen them swarming for the cavern entrances like so many ants.
But even that was only a small part of the horde. Many were still in the forest, making their way toward the marshland region.
And the main force, marching
northward along the river, was still coming.
They faced no resistance whatsoever, preventing them from covering the marshes and descending upon the caverns
like an avalanche.
Now, though, there was a commotion in one small corner of the horde—the first clash between orc and lizardman out in the marsh.
In these lands, the lizardman was king.
Powerful in combat, they were capable of nimble, quick movements in the muddy, overgrown swamps they called home.
That was how the battle began—a handful of fighters hiding in the
tall grasses, sneaking up on a clutch of orcs.
Everything was going exactly as Gabiru had hoped.
His father, the former chief, and all those still loyal to him were shut up in a large underground chamber.
He had ordered his fighters to take a stick-and-move approach, dealing a blow or two and quickly falling back, just in case.
Simply put—it was a hit-run strategy.
Staying on their toes like that
would let them regroup as often as necessary, readying themselves for the next strike.
Now, he was back on the surface to reorganize his newly united troops.
Taking full advantage of the twisty access paths that crisscrossed over one another inside.
The defensive forces were still in place—Gabiru planned to wrap
up the fight before they exhausted themselves.
Over time, it would cull the orc numbers drastically, dealing them a decisive blow.
The orcs on the inside would lose contact with the outdoor forces, and with that, they'd be forced to retreat.
The final line of defense, the forces tasked with guarding the largest underground chamber, numbered a thousand strong.
That room was now filled with nothing but women and children—non-combatants.
The grown women could fight if it came to that, but there was no use relying on them.
That was why a thousand fighters were defending them, spread out across the assorted hallways linked to this room.
Each defensive line planned to gradually fall back over time, grouping en masse around the site of the final stand.
Everyone else—seven thousand goblins, around eight thousand battle-ready lizardmen—was under the direct control of Gabiru.
The new chief believed they could win in straight combat without using whatever geographical advantages the labyrinth offered.
Thus, only a skeletal defense team was left inside.
Every remaining available soldier were sent off to the marshes.
The initial strike came as a complete surprise to the orcs, who found their battalions cut off from one another and heavily damaged.
The stragglers who managed to flee the lizardmen were subsequently isolated, making them ripe for the picking by the gangs of goblins.
For a bunch of freshly minted soldiers, they performed magnificently, following Gabiru's orders to the letter as they
should have.
Their lives were riding on this, too.
It was hard to predict in advance, but the armies under Gabiru were showing a remarkable amount of synergy. So far, so good.
"Behold!" Gabiru thought. "There was no need to fear this herd of pigs at all.
My father's age has clouded his mind. He fretted far too much about matters.
Once he sees what I am capable of out here, I am sure he will recognize me as the new chief.
We'd best clear the marsh of these pigs before long…"
Gabiru wanted this to be decisive.
He wanted no room in his father's mind for doubt about his son's superior abilities.
And even now, the cheering he heard in the distance seemed to indicate he was on the right track.
"Look at that! These orcs could never hold a candle to us lizardmen!"
He liked what he saw as he surveyed the marshes before him.
But this would be the end of his streak of luck.
He had been expecting piles of dead orcs and their foes' morale, subsequently crumbling.
He was not aware of what made the
orc lord a truly terrifying foe.
His father did—and now, that single difference of opinion was making its presence known.
◇◇◇
*Splish*, *Crunch*, *Splish*, *Crunch*
The orcs appeared to be advancing over the bodies of their kindred, on all fours, attempting to gain purchase over the muddy land. It was only when one grew closer that the truth became clear.
It was actually a banquet, a feast upon the dead, and it was enough to make an observer's hair stand on end.
Even the most seasoned fighters on the lizardman side felt sick to their stomachs viewing it.
An eerie aura began swirling around the orcs. One fighter, rearing back in horror at the scene, lost his footing.
The orc soldiers immediately seized upon his body, dragging it through the mud, ripping all the limbs off.
The first lizardman casualty of the battle, and the turning point for the entire war.
The orcish infantry gnawing on the bare flesh was transferring the lizardman's abilities to the orc lord himself.
It would not be a perfect duplicate like the ones Rimuru could engineer with his Predator skill, but it had one advantage:
It could give the caster not only the consumed victim's skills but
also their innate physical traits.
Whatever the orc lord managed to absorb from the body, he could then feed back to the rest of his army.
This was known as the 『Food Chain』, another ability unlocked by the 『Starved』 skill.
It lets the orcs function both as a horde and as a single conscious entity.
Starved did not work the way a well-trained direwolf pack did, but the effects it could have on an enemy could be just as devastating.
Gabiru: 「Do not fear them!」 Gabil shouted. 「Show them the power we enjoy as the proud lizardman race!」
It was enough to inspire his men that little bit further.
They knew they were fighting on familiar territory, and they were certain they had the mobility
advantage.
The orcs would be too bogged down to catch up with them.
The water stagnation and density slowed down their movements, and their reaction speed was also affected.
The orcs were prone to falling under the effects of the opposing force of the water, so their overall speed in terms of combat and motion should be heavily restricted.
And even if they were outnumbered, a nimble attack on their flank would cut them off, just like before.
Or so they thought…
Matching the army's movements step by step, the orcish army stayed in formation, following their foes unerringly.
They were now perceptibly quicker
than before.
Huh? Are the orcs moving differently…?
But by the time Gabil noticed, it was already too late.
With newfound speed, the orcs spread out to the left and right, enveloping the advancing lizardman force.
In perfect order, the twenty-thousand-strong force had completely sealed off the escape route Gabil's men used to have.
The new chief had pushed his men
too far into the fray, placing too much confidence in their mobility and figuring they could easily get away if need be.
But right now, Gabiru's force was pitted against the ten-thousand splinter force that had attacked the ogres, plus another thirty thousand, the advance force from the main horde.
Half that number were now behind the lizardmen.
It was pure menace. An unexpected situation that would change the course of the battle forever.
It gave Gabil pause, but only for a moment. He decided to try breaking through the army in front of him.
If things turned against him here, the lizardmen would be surrounded on all sides and annihilated—to say nothing of
the much slower goblins.
And while Gabiru didn't see the goblins as much more than cannon fodder, he wasn't heartless enough to simply abandon the whole lot at once.
Gabiru: 「After me, my men! We are breaking through the encirclement!」
He roared as his actions matched his words. He began to run forward.
If this was a typical orcish army, one not under the effects of 『Starved』, Gabiru's desperation tactic might have had a chance.
But now, that was only a
hypothetical thought. The reality was definitely much harsher.
In a moment's time, the powerful attack the lizardmen launched at the orcs before them ended with a whimper.
They were perfectly countered.
And at that moment, the lizardman army—and by extension, Gabiru himself—doomed themselves to defeat.
The encirclement was almost fully complete now, and more orcs from the main horde were flowing in.
There was no refuge from the enemy in any direction.
They were like a bug surrounded by a boundless number of army ants.
As much as they wanted to resist, they were doomed to fall sooner or later.
Gabiru was not incompetent. In an instant, he recognized the dilemma his army faced.
But as for why it had happened—that was beyond his intellectual skills.
He knew they had been the overwhelming favorite, and all of a sudden, their attacks had been having next to no effect. It was unthinkable to him.
Even with that, he pressed on, trying everything his army was still capable of doing.
He called for his troops, attempting to rally them back into position.
His words held power, but the results were bland.
The goblins were almost hysterical, and their panic was beginning to affect the lizardmen as well.
He had to prevent that, no matter what, because once panic took over, the entire chain of command would fall apart.
Then came defeat, and then
annihilation.
The odds of victory had been turned in such a manner that all course of action taken would still eventually spell their ultimate doom.
For now, they could only resist, but "Resistance" had never been a permanent thing.
He considered a retreat, but only for a moment. He knew there was no escape route left.
Even if they could punch their way through this encirclement,
there was no place to escape to anymore.
Once he had wrested control from his father, he had ensured that all the troops under his command had exited the caverns safely—but the caverns were too tight to let them all back in.
It would be a stampede if he gave the order, the entrances quickly becoming choked with crushed and mangled goblin bodies, and they would be left waiting for death at the orcs' hands.
Assuming they could even reach the caverns now.
Sure, there was always the forest to flee to, but with the orcs suddenly quicker on their feet than before, all the forest offered was a future where they'd be chased down and picked off.
So, for the moment, retreatal was a no-go survival plan.
It was too late for regrets, so all he could do was face the challenge head-on.
Gabiru: 「Gah-hah-hah-hah!!」he shouted gleefully. 「Don't you start shitting your pants, boys! I'm right here with all of you! We could never lose to these mindless pigs.」
Perhaps it was his final battle cry of retaliation, but in the end, only one outcome was set in motion.
By now, he was having trouble believing it, but he had to say it anyway.
His troops needed inspiration, even as their fates were quickly catching up with them.
It was simply karma doing its work. This was the fruit of his labor.
◇◇◇
*Sigh*
The chief, too, was full of regret—regret that he couldn't convince Gabiru that the orc lord was a real threat and not some fairy-tale bogeyman.
Now he realized that his son needed things explained in more concrete, visceral terms.
He didn't place enough importance on that, and now he hated himself for it.
"This is all my fault," he thought.
If he had a more accurate idea of what the orc lord could do, perhaps Gabiru would have been a bit more careful.
But that didn't matter anymore. The chief sighed as he quelled the thought from his mind.
He still had things to do. His brethren were still in that large underground chamber, anxiety all over their faces.
In that chamber, there were four wide routes to the marshlands, along with one escape route behind them.
That route connected directly to a hilltop near the foot of the mountains.
It would be the long way to the forest, but it was safely away from the marshes themselves—and the corridor was a straight shot, ensuring that women and children could evacuate through it without getting lost.
Which meant that the four pathways at the front of the chamber were the main worry right now.
The forces that had been launching attacks at the interior orcs had slowly but surely retreated back through them all.
The final line of defense deployed in each one numbered around fifteen hundred at this
point; not all the platoons had made it fully inside yet.
The orc numbers were high. With so many, they would discover this location soon enough.
Before they did, the chief at least wanted the entire force back there, if he could.
He looked back at the escape route. It was a large chamber, but it was now crowded with so many lizardmen that the space felt cramped.
If the orcs swarmed in here without warning, he doubted they could all flee in time.
They had best start evacuating now, while things could still be kept orderly.
It would take just a single spark, a moment of panic, to plunge this room into chaos.
But what if they did all make into the forest?
Would the orcs simply find and
massacre them over there? It seemed plausible.
And even without the orcs, the
forest presented an unclear future for everyone.
For now, they needed more time. Time to wait for reinforcements, despite the chief having no idea if they were coming or not.
But the chief didn't get to enjoy the dream for long.
The sounds of battle began echoing from a corridor, accompanied by the smell of blood mixed with sweat and metal.
They're here…
Anxiety pervaded the chamber. The chief sprang into action, bringing the women and children to the rear of the chamber and positioning those who could fight up front, just in case the orcs had broken the blockade.
The fighters formed an arc ahead of them, readying their spears far earlier than they expected.
All four corridors in front should have been fully blocked off.
The lizardmen were instructed to pick off the orcs as they appeared, giving them no quarter regardless of how much weaker they were.
The hallways were narrow enough
that only a few orcs could engage at once, a welcome advantage.
In a one-on-one fight, a lizardman could make quick work of any orcish soldier—and this
formation, the chief thought, offered them at least a few advantages.
Things worked as the chief thought they would, at first.
The orcs were stronger than normal.
It was true, but the lizardmen were handling them well enough.
The forces assigned to each of the four corridors devoted themselves to staving off the hordes.
They took turns at the front lines, ensuring they were
careful with their work, but not even they could last forever.
The corpses piled up near the exits, but the orcs simply consumed them, got stronger, and kept pushing forward.
It was such a horrid sight that even the hardiest of the lizardmen couldn't deny the fear it began to strike in their hearts.
Then, the decisive moment came. A yellowish aura covered the orcs.
"What on…?"—the chief thought, just as a greater nightmare attacked him.
The orcs used to be a level below the lizardmen in strength. Now, it was disturbingly even.
The difference wasn't dramatic, but it was more than enough
to destroy the equilibrium from before.
Quickly and efficiently, it removed any advantage the lizardmen enjoyed up to now.
Observing the battle, the chief realized they'd be lucky to last the day like this.
The reinforcements would come after three days if they came at all. It was untenable, and already, they were losing good lizardmen at the defense lines.
They had to get the women and children out. It beat waiting for their doom in there.
"Listen to me! I will have to ask you all a favor. It is a grim one, but it must be carried out, or else the history of our people ends right now, on this very day.
We must survive. And I will provide you with the time to do it!"
Escape was pointless. It would just extend the misery they all experienced before their ultimate deaths.
He knew that…but there was still one final dream he could hope for.
"You must get out of here, now, and place your trust upon the monsters known as Rimuru and Fubuki! Now, go! Go, all of you!"
"Heh-heh-heh-heh! Too late. The path is blocked, my friend!"
A group of orcs walked out from the escape route, firmly crushing the chief's final hope.
They were orc knights, clad in full-plate armor—and as they entered the light, screams began emanating from one of the four outer corridors.
Appearing behind the shouts of pain was a hideous-looking orc, his body covered in jet-black armor that was spattered with blood from head to toe.
This very unusual orc was a bizarre sight, the fires of insanity burning in his eyes.
Is that…the orc lord?!
The chief was stunned as he beheld the figure, far larger than even the orc knights.
But if anything, the truth was even worse.
"You will all serve as an offering to our mighty orc lord," the orc in black intoned. "We will not let a single one of you escape."
Now, the chief knew who he was.
He was not even the orc lord, just another one of his servants—and yet, all this power, he wielded.
He was an orc general, and now he was here, a heavy, long-handled halberd in his hand. The mere sight of him called to mind a boundless hellscape of despair.
"This is it,"—the chief thought, his heart crushed. "But I won't…I won't go down that easily…!"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! You will be a worthy adversary for me, orc general. I gladly accept the challenge!"
The chief knew this was the end for himself, calmly readying his spear as he approached the general.
He would be the last chief of the lizardmen, the one who led them to their final fates, and he intended to do so with pride…
◇◇◇
The chief guard of the lizardmen ran through the forest, the orders still fresh in her mind.
Her exact destination, though, wasn't clear. As much as she honed her senses, searching for a trace of the aura that belonged to the envoy known as Soei, she could find nothing.
So instead, she ran, trusting in her instincts.
It had been around three hours since she began running.
It had been a constant run ever since she slipped out of her bonds, and while her mind was still strong, a single moment's distraction, and she was likely to fall on the spot.
She knew the truth well enough. There was no guarantee that the monster Soei was anywhere ahead of here.
If he was, there was no guarantee he would lift a finger to help.
The thought was starting to occur to her—maybe she should just keep running? For good? Away from home?
No! How could I betray my people? My own father?
She tried to banish the thought, focusing on other matters.
As far as she was concerned, the charge engineered by her brother Gabiru was something she should have stopped.
She knew that, above everything else, what her brother wanted was their father's approval.
But she could never bring herself to tell the chief.
She respected Gabiru too much—as her brother and as a lizardman warrior—and she thought he would become a splendid chief in time
without her butting in on his affairs.
And now look at what that earned them.
But she couldn't help but think it. If only she had talked things over with him more, as a sister, maybe they could've avoided all of this.
And if that was the case, she had a responsibility to uphold.
No, she couldn't abandon her homeland. If she stopped running now, she'd never run again. So she kept at it.
An ominous figure watched her. Someone that she, running with all her might, without a care in the world, could never have noticed.
He was nimbly leaping from tree branch to tree branch, following her every move without a sound.
Now he smirked to himself, a bit of drool falling from one edge of his lips.
He was waiting for the moment. The instant when her exhaustion took her, and she could no longer move…
And when it did, he soundlessly descended in front of the chief guard.
His arms were long, like a gorilla's, his legs those of a carnivorous animal.
His head and torso, however, unmistakably identified him as a member of the horrifying orcish race.
"Geh-heh-heh… You appear to be tired. Your muscles must be so well-toned, so delicious."
Pain filled the chief guard's eyes as she looked at the monster.
He was a high-level orc, no doubt about it. And he had more with him, a few dozen behind his
back.
Survival was not in the cards for her.
"You…"
"Geh-heh… Bah-ha-ha-haaaaa! I am one of the generals of the orcish army. Consider it an honor to take up residence in my stomach!"
"An… it's an orc general?!"
The chief guard readied the spear on her back. But it was clear to everyone involved how this fight would go.
She was already slowed by her fatigue, totally deprived of the strength she would need to defeat the orc general and his men.
She knew it was hopeless. But she was ready to fight anyway. Her pride dictated it.
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Word Count: 「6555」.