From above, one could see the orcs surging like ants toward the entrance of a natural cave.
However, this number was only a small part of the main force. The orcs were bypassing the lake and gradually advancing toward the wetlands.
There was no one to oppose them, and the orcs filled the wetlands, entering the cave like a landslide.
But, a murmur arose from one corner of the group.
Someone had initiated an ambush.
This was the trigger for the battle between the orc army and the lizardman warrior corps in the wetlands.
The prince of the wetlands, the lizardman, possessed high combat power and could move at high speed even in the muddy terrain.
Hiding in the dense undergrowth, they silently approached the side of the orc group without being noticed.
Everything went as Gabil had predicted.
After confining the former chief and his party in the underground grand hall, he reorganized the army and emerged from the divided communication tunnels to the surface.
Then, he quickly formed a striking force and delivered a blow to the orc group.
Gabil was not incompetent. Though he lacked the vision to see the big picture, his leadership of the warrior corps was commendable.
He had also properly inherited the long spear from his father, the former chief.
The lizardmen were a clan that admired the strong.
Therefore, they did not follow just anyone who was physically strong.
There were those who followed Gabil, which also proved that he was not just a brave but incompetent person.
However...
The force left to guard the grand hall was 1,000 strong.
In the hall, there were only non-combatants like women and children. While the women could fight in an emergency, their combat power could not be relied upon.
Therefore, he had stationed 500 soldiers at each of the entrances leading to the grand hall.
In addition, he planned to gradually withdraw from each defensive line and join the defense.
All the forces, except for those, were under Gabil's command.
Their number, 7,000 goblin soldiers and 8,000 lizardman warriors.
This was the current combat strength.
Gabil, thinking he could win a ground battle without utilizing the maze-like terrain, had left the minimum force to defend and led the rest out.
The initial battle went as he had predicted.
With a successful ambush, they managed to divide and strike the orc group.
The scattered orc soldiers were individually defeated by the goblin group.
The newly formed army, executing Gabil's commands accurately, moved well.
The goblins, with their lives on the line, were desperately coordinating their movements.
This coordination ultimately created the best synergy, smoothly opening the first act.
Look!
Gabil thought, there was no need to be overly afraid of the pigs! His father was old and worried too much.
He would reassure him.
If he could show his prowess here, his father would surely recognize him as the chief. For that, the pigs needed to be dealt with quickly.
He also thought this was an opportunity to take over as the chief.
Cheers spread.
It seemed his subordinates had achieved a great feat.
Look! Pigs are no match for us, the lizardmen!
Gabil, feeling good, looked at the battle situation in the wetlands.
However, things went as he had predicted only up to this point.
With many casualties, the situation should have lowered the enemy's morale.
Gabil did not know the fear of the Orc Lord.
The former chief did.
This difference now showed its teeth to Gabil.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
The orcs, stepping on corpses.
Crawling on all fours, they moved. No, it was different!
They were not stepping but eating. A terrifying sight.
Even for the brave lizardman warriors, it was an unusual scene.
An eerie aura enveloped the orcs.
One warrior, frightened by the sight, stumbled backward and fell. The orc soldiers pounced on him.
Pulled into the mud, his limbs torn, the lizardman warrior was killed.
This was the first casualty on the lizardman side since the battle began.
But, this triggered something.
The ability to eat, possessed by the low-ranking soldiers, eventually reached the Orc Lord.
It was an incomplete interpretation, not a complete one like the "Devourer."
However, it absorbed some of the enemy's abilities and fed them back to those under its control.
This was one of the abilities of the Unique Skill "The Hungry One (飢餓者ウエルモノ)."
It could also transform the group into a different collective, a characteristic of "The Hungry One (飢餓者ウエルモノ)."
Therefore, the former chief had feared casualties to the extreme.
To maintain superiority over the orcs as individuals.
While it did not steal the enemy's abilities like the "Devourer," it could acquire minor traits.
For example, the ability to move freely in the mud.
Or, the ability to create hardened spots on the body for better defense.
Such changes.
But, they could dramatically turn the tide of the battle.
"Fear not! Show the strength of the proud lizardmen!"
Encouraged by Gabil, the lizardman warriors' morale rose.
As the prince of the wetlands, they felt secure fighting in a favorable location and launched another ambush on the orc soldiers.
They confirmed that their movements were faster than the orc soldiers.
Even if they were outnumbered, by attacking the thinly defended side, they could divide and conquer as before.
However!
As the lizardmen began to move to attack the side, the orc soldiers also formed a formation to respond.
Their movements were noticeably faster than before.
Strange. By the time Gabil noticed, it was too late.
The orc army, moving at an unprecedented speed, surrounded them in a large circle.
A force of 50,000 quickly sealed off Gabil's group from behind.
They had ventured too deep.
Overconfident in their mobility, they had pursued the slow-moving orc soldiers too far.
If the orcs were not under the influence of the Unique Skill "The Hungry One (飢餓者ウエルモノ)," it might have been fine.
But, that was just a hypothetical. In reality, the surrounding was complete.
It was like a single insect being eaten by army ants.
No matter how desperately they resisted, they would eventually lose their strength and die.
Why did it come to this? Gabil could not understand.
Desperately trying to rally his allies, he shouted and encouraged them.
But, the goblins were already in a state of fear, and the lizardmen were starting to feel anxious.
Dangerous. Thinking so, he considered retreating, but it was understandable that there was no way to escape.
When they marched out, they were well-organized, and each group could leave the cave in an orderly manner. But, if they fled in a disorganized retreat, the cave entrance was too narrow.
If he gave a retreat order, the goblins, trying to save themselves, would block the cave entrance.
In that case, with their retreat cut off and in a state of disarray, they would be at the mercy of the orcs.
Even if they fled to the forest instead of the cave... they would be individually defeated by the orc pursuit, leading to defeat.
Retreat was impossible.
Gabil understood this well.
Why did his brave father insist on a defensive strategy like a siege? He understood now.
How foolish he had been. But, it was too late to regret.
Now, the only thing Gabil could do was to encourage his allies and try to calm their fears.
"Ha ha ha! Don't look so anxious! I am with you! We cannot lose to the pigs!"
Thus, he encouraged his allies, even though he did not believe it himself.
Their morale was sinking...
Ah...
The chief of the lizardmen sighed.
He regretted not teaching the fear of the Orc Lord, even in fairy tales or old stories.
No, he had told the story, but he regretted not sharing the specific anecdotes of that fear.
If he had, Gabil might have been more cautious.
Now, the chief, with a sigh, shook off the thought.
He still had a task to accomplish.
The compatriots gathered in the grand hall all looked anxious.
There were four large passages. The escape route was one.
There would be no orcs coming from the escape route. It was a direct passage to a small hill in the forest, which they had dug to avoid getting lost.
Therefore, the four passages in front needed to be guarded.
The units that had been attacking the orcs at each intersection were cautiously retreating and gathering.
Currently, there were about 1,500 guarding the four passages, with some units still not gathered.
The number of orc soldiers was large, and their numbers would quickly discover their position.
Before that happened, he wanted to concentrate the remaining forces...
The chief glanced at the escape route.
With all the compatriots gathered, the grand hall was crowded.
If the group tried to escape all at once, it would take too much time.
During this time, he needed to get as many as possible to escape.
Either way, it would cause chaos. Still, he needed to reduce the possibility of total annihilation.
But, if they fled to the forest, they would be discovered by the orcs sooner or later.
Moreover, even if they could escape, he did not think they could sustain a life afterward.
Therefore, he could not order a retreat.
Ultimately, he could only buy time.
To wait for reinforcements that might or might not come.
The chief's anguish seemed endless.
The lizardman chief guard ran through the forest.
Feeling a powerful aura, he ran toward it.
While the wetlands boasted high mobility, the forest did not.
Breathless, his pulse quickened, and his fatigue accumulated.
Still, he did not stop his running legs.
The future of his compatriots depended on his legs.
After three hours.
Shaking off the restraints, he just kept running. He held on by sheer willpower, but he was in a state where he could collapse at any moment.
In fact, he understood.
There was no guarantee that the monster Sou would be there.
Even if it was, there was no guarantee it would help.
Would it be better to just run away?
Such thoughts crossed his mind. But, he did not allow them.
He could not stop Gabil's rampage. He blamed himself for that.
He knew Gabil wanted recognition from the chief.
But, he could not report it to the chief. Gabil, the brave lizardman.
He, too, had once admired Gabil.
Therefore, he could not run away, to take responsibility.
If he stopped, he would never run again.
So, he kept running endlessly.
Someone found him.
It was impossible for him, running desperately, to notice.
The person leaned against a tree branch, silently tracking the chief guard.
Was he talking to someone? There was no one there, and he was having a conversation without speaking.
Finally, he nodded once.
Then,
"As ordered. I will do as you commanded."
Muttering, he silently leaped in front of the chief guard!