AN: Same as Canon except Sarena's battle
3RD POV
They are only 3 kijins and an original left in the area.
Sarena: "Well, I will tell you all now. Like YN-Sama said -Fight as you wish- go with it."
Earning the permission by Sarena to fight as they want was a blessing to them. If you want to annihilate them, do it, if you want to show them despair show them, if you want to cut them one by one or all of them at once, if you want to team up or fight solo and etc. It is all up to them to decide how they would fight.
Benimaru began to stretch out his body, not a trace of concern in his mind. As a fighter race who worked as mercenaries and such, ogres bore a particular emotional attachment to having a -master- to rely on. Earning a master to serve for the rest of their lives was the single sincerest wish they all shared.
That, and Benimaru's warrior past changed his outlook on the world. He knew he tended to act selfishly most of the time. That was why he had hesitated to take over the role of ogre king, back in the day, not that it mattered now. Having such a lofty position would mean he would never have been allowed on the battlefield where death was a constant presence. Now, things were different. He could play a front-and-center role all day if he wanted. He liked where he was, and he had two of his friends with him, following him without complaint.
Hakuro: "It is coming soon."
Hakuro observed, stretching out his body to prepare.
Shion: "It is. We must thank YN-Sama for providing this chance."
They, along with Benimaru saw Yn and Rimuru both brothers as their masters. In the battlefield YN is their master and in normal days Rimuru is their master. Even so be it in a battlefield or normal day both of them were their masters at anytime and anywhere. Their respect them and work together for common masters, and Yn enjoyed his position leading them in this war.
Sarena: "Hmm. It's been so long since I have gone to war. You guys could do whatever you want."
Benimaru: "All right. Shall we kick this off, then? The first battle in the glorious victory we will eventually offer to Rimuru-Sama and YN-Sama?"
The ogres nodded at Benimaru's words, and instantly, the three took off at top speed. They ran through the lush trees and grass, almost flying along the ground, the smell of water growing stronger in their nostrils. They were up on the marshlands in the blink of an eye, smashing through the orc hordes on the outer perimeter without dropping their speed for a moment.
A blast of energy shot out from Shion's heavy sword. The orcish soldiers crowded in front of her were blown away before they realized what had happened--- and the attack signaled the beginning of their battle.
Weak. That was Benimaru's first impression. He didn't have to bother lifting a finger as Shion and Hakuro cut down anyone foolhardy enough to approach. To Benimaru, though, this wasn't very fun. His two compatriots were masters of close-quarters combat. Shion also had the Art known as Ogresword Cannon, which let her unleash pure energy from the tip of her blade. From an overhead perspective, Hakuro worked in little dots of activity, while Shion fired lines of lethal bolts from afar. There was no room for Benimaru to do anything else.
Benimaru: "All right! You pigs standing in front of me; you had better run for your lives. Do, and I will spare you."
None of the orcs flinched. They could hear shouts of - Die! - and - You will not ridicule us! - as they charged at the ogres, even more enragedthan before.
Benimaru: "Prepare to die, then!"
Realizing his foes had no intention of fleeing, Benimaru casually thrust his right hand forward. A black ball of flame flickered to life above it, expanding to about three feet in diameter before he unleashed it. Realizing the danger, the orcish soldiers took evasive action--- but they were too late. The fireball continued to expand and accelerate, faster than a hurricane, and the orcs were simply too slow to run from it.
Anyone who touched it was instantly incinerated, not even leaving a pile of ashes behind. But that wasn't what made the dark fireball terrifying. Several seconds later, upon reaching a large clutch of orcs in front of it, the flame released all the energy it had stored inside. An area three hundred feet in diameter was suddenly cloaked in a dome of pure black, centered around the fireball. Then, a mighty rumble, low and loud enough to freeze the entire battlefield, and the blood of everyone in it.
The entire area was now quiet, robbed of the sounds of war that ruled over it just a moment ago. This was <Hellflare>, an incendiary attack that dominated like nothing before or since.
In his evolution, Benimaru had obtained the extra skills <Control Flame>, <Dark Flame>, and <Ranged Barrier>. Combining those with his own mystical skills and a little training from YN led to this creation, an original skill exclusive to himself.
In a few seconds, the dome disappeared, leaving nothing but scorched earth behind. The marsh water in the area affected had vaporized, the very soil under it turned into glass by the heat. The transformation was stark, and the several thousand orcs who had been under that dome were all now a thing of the past, never knowing what had hit them.
And it all happened within a minute of the first flicker of flame from Benimaru's hand.
This was the answer Benimaru had for this war. The evolution had turned him into a terrifying magic-born, one whose area-of-effect attacks could now wipe out entire regions at once. He grinned an evil grin.
Sarena: "Open the way pigs or you have to face something even more terrifying than that."
It was Sarena who warned them. She checked on Souei who seems to be doing fine so she decided to join the battlefield. Even if something happens then Yn and Rimuru were still there so there was no reason for her to just observe so she came in front of the orcish armies.
Now these orcs knew fear. The <Ravenous> unique skill inoculated them to it to some extent, but Benimaru's tactical strike was more than enough to stoke the fear at the deepest pits of their stomachs.
This was an attack they could never withstand, no matter what they did. It was on a level they had never experienced before. Magic, they had measures against, but not even the orc generals, equipped with anti-magic full-plate mail, could survive the incineration. Innate resistances to fire, the orcs reasoned, were useless, and they were right--- your garden variety of magical immunity wouldn't work here. This attack was a fearsome antipersonnel weapon, equal to a high-level forbidden incantation.
There was nothing any of the victims could have done. And not even their ashes remained, robbing the survivors of the ability to consume the corpses and strengthen themselves. No orc soldier could handle a high-level magic born, and his debut struck fear in their hearts. In a panic, they began to stampede, totally out of control. Nothing could knock them back to their senses now; the only thing in their minds was running, quickly, anywhere away from there. And it was that opening salvo that signaled to YN and his forces that it was time to join the fray.
Sarena: "But since we are at war so---"
From her feat magic circle was formed and from that circle came a spear. She grabbed the spear and face it upwards towards the sky.
She started creating magic circles on the sky and from that came were suns incoming from the circles.
Sarena: "--- if you could dodge that then you could survive."
The suns rained down towards the ground and once it got connected to the surface there explored and not only incardinated the orcs into ashes, but the light was so dense that the orcs nearby got blind by it. The mere heat of the sun is equal to that of a sun's surface. This is literally the stars she summoned and send them down. The sun also blasted. It power is that of a nuclear power.
Sarena attribute is the light energy. She does have a unique skill name <Glow> and stating by his name it has light affinity.
Sarena used to train with Veldanava and YN. She also got to light energy directly from Veldanava himself as a token for her help to him.
In the past YN could never name Sarena not because he doesn't have strength but the opposite, he has too much <Dark> and if he did make a mistake then he will change her affinity which he wants to avoid. But now since Yn has a little <Dark> he could manage to name. He used all the magic he saved in reserves and named her. She only has light energy inside her and not even an ounce of <Dark> in it.
With Gabiru
Just as he had come to terms with his upcoming death, Gabiru found himself saved. He turned around, intending to offer a word of thanks. These figures looked familiar, but it took a moment for the memory to return to his brain.
Gabiru: 'Ah! Yes! The ruler of that village that tamed the direwolves!'
Gobta's dimwitted expression matched Gabiru's recollection of the noble hobgoblin that had defeated him in battle.
Gabiru: "Ahh! You! You are the master of that village, yes? Have you come to our assistance?"
Gabiru had dismissed him as a scheming coward before, but now that his reinforcements were here, he figured he had the wrong impression all along. Gobta, meanwhile, wasn't sure how to respond. What's he goin' on about? he thought, dumbfounded. This lizardman made so little sense to him that he decided not to grace his madness with a reply.
This completely unexpected gift allowed Gabiru a moment to survey his surroundings again. There was a great commotion from afar, indicating something else going on. Probably had something to do with that rumble from before, Gabiru imagined. But Gobta knew what it really was--- a signal from Benimaru and Sarena that the ogres were on the scene.
Gobta: "Oops! Guess we're getting started. Ummm, you're Gabiru, right? Bring your allies together and get back in defensive formation!"
Gabiru: "Mm. Yes. I know."
Each had no idea what the other was talking about, but they still had the mental capacity to unite toward a common goal. They both hurried off, both with a new responsibility to handle.
Outside of Gobta and Gabiru's scope of attention, Ranga was sizing up the orcgeneral.
Orc: "You wish to get in my way? Who are you?"
The fighter said, spear pointed straight at the wolf, a little unnerved by these new events but still in control of his wits.
These wolves were a concern to him, certainly. The orc general had afeeling that the low rumble from before was a sign of even clearer danger, buthe couldn't simply leave the wolves unchallenged.
Ranga: "I am Ranga, the faithful servant of Rimuru-Sama!"
Ranga gave the low, half-growled reply.
The two glared at each other.
Orc: "Rimuru, you said? I've never heard the name, but if this Rimuru seeks to defy us, we will destroy him."
Now the orc general had no interest in Ranga. If he wasn't aligned with a demon lord or high-level magic-born whose name he was familiar with, he felt free to kill him without regret. That rumbling roar suddenly seemed a lot more important to investigate.
He distractedly thrust his spear forward, attempting to skewer Ranga and end this fast. Ranga effortlessly reared back, dodging the strike.
Orc: "Crafty little dog!"
Now the orc general gave Ranga a closer look. Then he noticed this wasn't any regular wolf at all.
Orc: 'What? Come on. Just a simple magical beast... Why am I letting him worry me so much...?'
He assumed his sudden trepidation was just his mind playing tricks on him.
Orc: "How dare some lowly animal bare its fangs at me!"
He shouted, giving orders to his team of elites. The orc knights fanned out, surrounding Ranga in a perfectly timed maneuver. Following their general's direction, they focused each of their spears on the wolf. There was no point challenging some animal to a one-on-one duel, he thought.
Ranga chuckled. He hadn't felt this heartened in ages, able to release hisfull instincts as an apex predator.
With a howl as long and loud as he could muster, he unleashed his aura. After spending so long in the shadow of Rimuru, he had been heavily exposed to his beloved master's aura and used it to picture himself as the magical beast he was. Something drove him to pursue this form of himself, and now Ranga realized it was time for his instincts to awaken.
He could feel the power surging within. His muscles grew, propelling him to his full, sixteen-foot-tall frame. His claws enhanced themselves, his fangs transformed into steel-like daggers--- but what stood out most were the two horns that now grew from his forehead.
This was the form of his master, the one he saw in the past. The tempest star wolf. And now he had evolved into that.
The howl made the orcish soldiers shudder, but they felt no fear from it. Their orc general was right by their side, and the <Ravenous> skill had dulled their hearts. Ranga gave them a disinterested snort as he glanced at their leader. This was no threat to him now. He could feel his true strength, and it was time to show it off.
Sensing the flow of power, he focused his magic on his horns. The orc general picked up on this higher-level transformation, and he knew the danger involved. He hurriedly ordered his soldiers to spread out, but he was too late.
A flash of light ran across their ranks. Then the sound came--- the crack of thunder as pillars of electricity shot up from the ground to the heavens, accompanied by a small army of tornadoes.
Ranga had obtained the <Dark Lightning> skill like Rimuru's one--- and while he couldn't directly control lightning the way Rimuru could, his two horns allowed him to define its range and power. And he had something else---the extra skill <Control Wind>. This was, in a way, an inferior version of the Control Particles skill Rimuru had picked up. It let Ranga raise and lower the local atmospheric pressure to generate wind gusts and combining it with <Dark Lightning> provided a lethal one-two punch.
Ranga knew that--- his instincts told him so--- and he used it on his foes without a moment's hesitation. <Control Wind> was his now, and he used it to generate a staggering pressure difference in the air above. This was the area he used <Dark Lightning> on, and the ensuing beams of electricity filled the exact area he wanted. The result was a writhing maelstrom of upward and downward air currents, eventually gathering themselves into a single massive vortex.
This led to several large tornadoes, exuding electricity as they ran roughshod across the battlefield like a great death-dealing storm. The orc general was instantly rendered into a pile of carbon, and his nearby soldiers were quickly picked off by the storm and thunderbolts.
Once the tornadoes left the scene, there were no more orcs nearby. Ranga's broad-range attack skill <Deathstorm> thus made its first impact on the world.
Ranga watched contentedly as his tornadoes stormed across the land. It had not affected any of the lizardmen, and even at maximum range and force, they did nothing to damage him. It emptied his magical reserves, of course, but not enough to render him immobile.
He wagged his tail, realizing it had worked perfectly. He let out another long, happy howl, more than enough to terrorize the orcs observing from afar. Ranga watched them flee in a panic, sitting down as he silently refilled his magic. The battle wasn't over yet. He would have more opportunities to contribute. There was no need to hurry things along.
Gobta appeared to be doing well, too. The lizardman force was starting to gather itself back together under the watchful command of Gabiru. The goblin riders had rejoined Gobta, and together they were mowing down the orcs that had so tormented the lizardmen and goblins not long ago. It wouldn't be long before Gabiru's men were a coherent force again.
And now---they could see Sarena and his friends, walking in from faraway. Ranga nodded to himself. Victory seemed assured now.
With Gelmud
Gelmud was looking into his crystal ball. He didn't like what he saw.
Gelmud: "Damn those worthless bastards!"
In a fit of rage, he dashed the orb against the ground, shattering it into a million pieces. It had been showing the proceedings in the forest from the eyes of an orc general--- Gelmud had chosen that vantage point to take in what he expected to be the ultimate realization of all his ambitions. But now, the last of his intact crystal balls was a murky shade of black. All three of the soldiers he had entrusted orbs to had died in combat.
Gelmud had been pushing forward with preparations for the upcoming ceremony for the past three years. A ceremony to mark the birth of a new demon lord. It had all been left in Gelmud's hands to arrange, and the assignment filled him with glee. If all went well, it'd create a demon lord who would listen to his orders. It was too tempting a treat to ignore.
The demon lords of the world had forged a pact with one another that defined the Forest of Jura as untouchable, not belonging to any dominion. That was, however, just a formality, and small-scale interventions into the wood were a daily occurrence. Gelmud himself had several different operations under way below the surface.
What he was doing was planting the seeds of conflict across the forest.
Gelmud was personally giving names to the most powerful among each race that dwelled in the wood. Naming a creature consumed a great deal of magical energy, draining his powers for months at a time. It was a dangerous game to play, but the -named- treated Gelmud like a parent and listened to anything he told them.
Slowly, carefully, he had been building a small clique of pupils for him to manipulate forest wide. Some had been uprooted from the ground before they could fully sprout, but others had fully blossomed. Some were goblins, some lizardmen--- and there were other races involved, too, all participating in the war as named monsters. It was poisoning the well to cull the weak from the herd--- powerful against powerful, the survivors fated to be evolved into a demon lord.
Gelmud's plan had been going without a hitch. These great wars among entire races shouldn't have occurred until three centuries after Veldora's disappearance. Whether sealed away or not, triggering a war while Veldora was still alive was playing with fire. It could break the seal itself, in fact.
So, he had taken his time, gathering more pawns under his control and adjusting the power balance among the races. And now that Veldora had vanished far earlier than he anticipated, the whole thing was starting to fall apart.
But luck hadn't fled Gelmud's side yet. An orc lord was born—and while he hadn't been expecting that, he did successfully bring it over to his side. It was Gelmud's trump card, and now that plans were going well and truly awry, Gelmud had no choice but to play it. It would be better to let things work out naturally with a plan like this, but the way he saw it, he had no other choice. It was a bit like fixing the entire tournament, he knew, but he decided that the orc lord would be the next demon lord, no matter what. The lack of time had forced him to speed up the plan a little, and Gelmud still didn't have enough strength to bring the higher-level races of the forest under his rule. He had wanted to sow some seeds among the ogres and treants as well, but that had fallen by the wayside this time. To be exact, the ogres turned down the naming offer. He had tried to negotiate with them, but they steadfastly refused. As a warring race, the ogres were reluctant to quickly change allegiances. They were high level, yes, but Gelmud concluded that they could not be controlled. The experience riled him enough that he decided to have the orc lord target the ogres first. The way they easily steamrolled over the ogre homeland assured Gelmud that he was on the right track. He had sent a magic-born employee over to keep tabs on things, but it wound up being unnecessary. The orc lord was growing steadily, and even his underlings were now nearing A rank. It made Gelmud rest a lot easier at night.
Rubbing out those annoying ogres first eliminated the last seed of anxiety for him. The treants were harmless as long as their lands were not directly threatened. He could take his time crushing them. Everything was proceeding as planned.
He had once feared the demon lords who ruled over him, but now, it was Gelmud's turn to man the strings. It wouldn't be long now--- and when he topped it all off with the lizardmen's destruction, all he'd have left to tackle were those stupid goblin weaklings. And once the orc lord had supreme control over the forest, Gelmud intended to have him keep going and destroy a human city. It would be his declaration to the world that a new -demon lord- had been born, and that declaration would be supported by facts once he wiped away the dryads and treants from the forest. Soon, very soon, Gelmud would have a demon lord doing whatever he wanted. He would take his rightful place as one of the most powerful rulers in the world. He could see it all so clearly in his mind, but now...
He hadn't bothered to renew the contracts with the people he spent a fortune to hire. Gelmud's master was the one who introduced him to the Moderate Jesters. They were a creepy little band, and while they offered a wealth of powerful magic-borns to him, the plan was going so well that there just wasn't much work he could offer---not without revealing his entire plan, which he wanted to avoid. They had warned him to mind his business around the dryads. That was why he devoted so much effort to building an arsenal of magic-resistant armor and equipment. Problem solved, as far as Gelmud was concerned. The orc lord's army had conquered the majority of the forest. One more step, and everything would be theirs. But now...
Just as the orc lord was about to enjoy his new life as a demon lord, anunexpected presence had thrown a wrench into the gears.All of a sudden, one of the crystal orbs went black. One of the five orcgenerals, the commanders who answered directly to the orc lord, had beenkilled. Gelmud grew confused, then panicked. He realized that if things wentawry, not only would there be no place in the table among the world's elitesfor him---his master might decide he wasn't worth having around any longer. The realization came to him at around the same time his third crystal ballwent silent. All hope seemed lost for his ambitions---and for himself.
Gelmud flew outside, casting a flight spell to propel him forward.There was no time to bother formulating a plan now. He had to get to themarshlands, and he needed to be fast.
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AN: With this the chapter is finished. As I mentioned above this is heavily based on canon. This chapter was long. Anyway I hope you all like it. Tell me your honest opinion until then good bye.