"???"
"What?!!!"
The Lizardman Chief and his cronies stared at Gabiru, who lay unconscious on the ground, in total disbelief.
"What just happened?!"
The entire exchange had lasted less than three seconds.
That was… way too fast.
The Chief gulped.
Benimaru simply walked off the battlefield like nothing had happened.
Sweat beaded on the Chief's forehead.
The gap in strength… is this wide?
Since when did the Ogre Tribe become so powerful?
And more importantly…
He turned to glance at the black-haired human not far away.
A demon clan this strong… actually serving a human?!
How… is that even possible?
---
Chishiya scanned the crowd with his usual blank look.
As expected of Benimaru.
His control was precise, hitting hard enough to KO without causing any permanent damage. Clean work.
Rimuru smacked his lips.
Whoa…
That's some serious power.
Fighting that guy would be annoying.
Benimaru had been so fast, Rimuru had to rely on Great Sage's [Thought Acceleration] just to keep track of him.
---
Off the field, Gabiru was already being dragged away.
The second match was now up.
Shion rubbed her hands together, her whole body practically vibrating with excitement.
"Chishiya-sama, I'll definitely win!"
She waved at him and grinned with pure enthusiasm.
Across from her—
Gobta stood in the ring, completely confused.
"Huh?"
"Me?"
He turned to Rimuru, pointing at his own nose in disbelief.
Why am I being sent up?! I just woke up!
…Rimuru sighed and covered his face.
Yeah, this was probably going to be a mess…
Gobta immediately collapsed to his knees.
"Rimuru-sama, you've got to be kidding me!"
"There's no way I can fight that violent gorilla-woman!"
"Eh——?!"
Both Chishiya and Rimuru widened their eyes in horror.
Bro, you're asking to die with a comment like that!
As expected—
Shion's mouth twitched. A dangerous aura began leaking from her body.
Clenching her fists so hard they creaked, she stalked forward one step at a time.
"What… did you say?"
"You little punk… say that again if you dare."
Treyni, seeing that both sides were technically "ready," raised her hand and declared:
"Prepare!"
"Begin the—"
Gobta: "Wait—Wait a seco—!"
"Match start!"
BANG——!!!
Shion threw one punch.
Gobta: Who turned off the lights…?
Huh?
Why do I see Grandma waving at me from across the river…
---
So far, both matches had ended without any suspense.
Benimaru and Shion had claimed flawless victories.
Leadership of the alliance was temporarily handed over to Chishiya.
With the meeting concluded, the strike team led by Chishiya was finalized.
From the Ogre Tribe: Chishiya, Benimaru, and others would participate.
From the Goblin Village: Rimuru, Ranga, and Gobta joined the squad.
As for the Lizardmen… Gabiru was kindly assigned to logistics and cleanup.
Initially, some of Gabiru's closest followers grumbled that this decision was too sudden.
But the moment they heard Chishiya commanded over twenty High Ogres, they all zipped their mouths shut.
After all, they had already witnessed the strength of Benimaru and Shion with their own eyes.
Imagining twenty-plus of those monsters in one group…
Yeah. No one wanted to keep talking after that.
Action was scheduled for tonight.
---
Demon Lord's Castle
"Hey, Clayman! So how's that toy of yours doing?"
On the sofa, a pink-haired loli with twin-tails lounged casually.
She wore a black vest over a white tube top, black shorts, and pink-white thigh-high socks.
Her fashion sense? Bold.
In front of the window, a man in a white suit swirled a glass of red wine.
His voice was smooth and magnetic.
"Milim, everything is proceeding perfectly."
"The situation's getting interesting."
"Just be patient and enjoy the show."
The pink-haired girl, Milim, suddenly hopped off the sofa.
"Really?!"
"Alright then, I'll believe you this time!"
"I'm heading back. Let me know when it's ready!"
As she bounced off, Clayman turned to the window, sipping his wine with a smirk.
"Seems they haven't noticed anything yet."
A voice echoed from behind him.
Clayman turned.
"You're bold, Laplace. What if someone had caught you sneaking in?"
Laplace waved him off.
"No worries, no worries."
"That terrifying guy's already left."
Clayman narrowed his eyes.
"So what are you here for?"
Laplace strolled in, crossing one leg over the other.
"The President asked me to pass on a message."
"You've done well. Lord Kazaream is pleased."
"Neither Demon Lord Milim nor the others realized we were stirring up chaos."
"I figured it was all just a game."
Clayman smiled faintly.
"The Orc Lord is about to evolve."
"I wonder how the Western Nations will react to that."
"Can't wait."
---
Elsewhere
The news of the Orc Lord's emergence in the Jura Forest had already reached the Western countries.
The Western Holy Church, the Dwarf Kingdom, and the Free Guild from the Blumund Kingdom had all dispatched investigation teams.
Partly to confirm the disappearance of the Storm Dragon…
And partly to verify the existence of the Orc Lord.
At the same time—
Dwarven Kingdom, Armed Nation Dovagon
Moonlight poured through the palace windows, gleaming off the silver-white tiles.
At the end of a corridor stood an ornate door, carved with angelic symbols.
Two guards in steel armor flanked the entrance, gripping their spears.
Inside a dimly lit conference room, ministers gathered around a round table.
"My king, what did Night Assassins report?"
Dwarf King Gazel Dwargo slowly placed the letter in his hand onto a candle's flame.
He raised his sharp, eagle-like eyes.
"The reports are confirmed. The Orc Lord does exist."
"What?!"
The room erupted in tension.
"That legendary monster of destruction is real…?"
"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
King Gazel Dwargo frowned deeply.
"Ever since the Storm Dragon vanished, monster activity has become more aggressive."
"And now an Orc Lord, commanding two hundred thousand Orcs…"
Even if we manage to stop him…
That kind of number, if it gets out of control, would be a disaster.
The King exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
"Your Majesty…"
One of the Night Assassins operatives stepped forward.
"There's something else to report."
"Go on."
"We've detected signs of high-level monster movement in the southwest."
"A village has appeared there."
"Preliminary reports suggest the presence of Oni-type monsters."
Oni-types…
Could this be the evolved form of the Ogre Tribe?
Was this connected to the Storm Dragon's disappearance?
The Dwarf King narrowed his eyes.
"Our top priority is still the 200,000-strong Orc Tribe."
"Send a small team to keep an eye on that village."
"Understood."
The King continued,
"Make the Orc Lord a critical observation target."
"Monitor his movements closely."
"There must be no mistakes!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
(To be continued.)
***
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