The lizardman chieftain was desperately fending off the relentless attacks of the orc soldiers. He had divided his forces into four squads, each guarding a passage. The narrow passages were a blessing, as they limited the number of enemies they had to face at once. In terms of individual strength, the lizardmen were slightly superior to the orc soldiers.
The chieftain had evacuated the girls to the rear of the square and positioned his forces to protect them. This was to prepare for any who might break through the passages. Observing the battle, he realized that they could not hold out for a day. Despite rotating the squads to allow for rest, the orcs were gradually pushing through the gaps.
Currently, their forces numbered less than 1,200. Several squads had been wiped out without reinforcements. Moreover, a worse nightmare enveloped the chieftain. The orc soldiers were now surrounded by a yellow aura.
What is this?
As he thought this, the answer became clear. The individual strength of the orcs had improved. They were not dramatically stronger, but they seemed to have acquired abilities that were effective against the lizardmen. Until now, their individual strength had been enough to hold the line, but at this point, that advantage had disappeared.
Now... the only fate left is to fight to the death. The chieftain resolved himself.
Running away would be futile. It would only make things harder, and it might not even work.
Still...
"Listen!!! The girls will retreat now! Vanguard, move forward! You must protect the girls and save as many as you can! I will not forgive those who give up! We must find a new world and ensure as many as possible survive!!!"
He shouted with as much authority as he could muster.
"Chieftain, what will you do?"
The captain of the guard asked, but the chieftain replied,
"Obviously! I won't let the orcs have their way! We will show the strength of the lizardmen!!!"
He did not show any weakness. He was the symbol of the lizardmen's strength and hope.
"Warriors! From now on, do not let the orcs' invasion go unchallenged! We must buy time for the girls to escape!!!"
He encouraged the warriors. There was no despair on the lizardmen's faces. Even if the enemy became stronger, as long as the girls could escape, it would be their victory. The future would not be cut off.
Though they would suffer, it would not be the end of their kind.
"Roar!!!"
They shouted, dispelling their fear. The cave echoed with the roars of the lizardmen, as if it would tear apart.
Just as he was about to tell the girls to escape, a man quietly appeared beside him.
"That's a problem. Chieftain, our agreement hasn't been fulfilled yet. We agreed to wait here, right?"
The man had pale black skin, dark blue hair, blue eyes, and was about 190 cm tall. He was a monster who had previously met with the chieftain and called himself Souei.
Did he come to help? No, the alliance had not been formed yet. But...
"Lord Souei... did you come to help? But, we didn't follow your advice and acted hastily..."
"Advice...? What are you talking about? It doesn't matter. You must wait here. The agreement is for tomorrow. Tomorrow, our master will also come here."
Is he promising to keep the alliance? But...
"But, now is not the time for that, those orcs!"
At this, Souei glanced at the orcs as if they were noisy.
"Those noisy fellows would surely prevent us from talking calmly... Fine. I'll take care of them. Wait a moment."
He said this and walked calmly. Was it an illusion? Souei's body seemed to waver and overlap... No! It had split into four.
Each one headed towards a passage and reached the lizardmen who were defending.
"Switch."
He said, and the four of them engaged the orcs in each passage.
From that moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded. The orc soldiers, who had been tormenting them like the dead of hell, could not break through Souei's defense. Each stood in a passage and said,
"Manipulate Demon Slash Formation!"
It was a technique of slaughter using shining threads. The threads, which were cast in the passage, moved freely according to Souei's will. The moment he used this technique in the passage, the orc soldiers were torn apart. They were slaughtered one by one without any resistance.
The unfortunate ones were the orc soldiers. In each passage, they died due to the technique used by Souei's clones. Without a sense of self, they could not feel fear and followed simple commands.
One by one, they were caught in the spider's web, which instantly severed their lives. They moved forward, dying, as if they were being caught in a web. The web was a terrifying trap that instantly cut their lives.
The lizardmen were speechless at the endless repetition of this scene. The battlefield, with its labyrinthine structure, was Souei's stage. The variety of traps he set up changed according to the situation. For Souei, the orc soldiers were only targets to be eliminated.
He performed the slaughter without mercy or unnecessary effort. The lizardmen were amazed and could not even speak. They were witnessing a power that was on a different level. It was the embodiment of fear, a being that overwhelmingly surpassed them.
The situation changed after two hours. The orcs, who had been invading relentlessly, suddenly began to retreat. Was something changing in the battle? Souei sensed this.
He could create up to six clones at once. The two he initially created had disappeared, so now only four remained. The main body hid in the shadows, stopping the clones to maintain silence.
The situation was under control. He left it to the clones and began to move, unseen by anyone, towards his master, Rimuru.
??????????????????????????
The Orc Digestor called himself a demon king and even gave himself a name.
Was it correct to say he had taken it? For the Orc Digestor, it was simply a matter of fulfilling Gelmute's ambition to become a demon king. He had made Gelmute a demon king, as Gelmute had wished.
The Orc Lord, who had no sense of self, showed the utmost loyalty. Of course, I had not noticed or cared about such things.
Gelmute, who had gained a sense of self and the light of intelligence in his eyes, declared himself a demon king by his own will. He had evolved to a level that could not be compared to the Orc Lord.
Behind him, the party was ready for battle. They must have recognized the Orc Digestor as a threat. The carefree smile he had been wearing was gone, replaced by a serious expression.
"Lord Rimuru! This one is mine!"
With that, Benimaru suddenly shot a Hell Flame. Receiving the mental signal, I took to the air, thankful for having my wings ready.
A black dome formed around the Orc Digestor. Inside, a high-temperature storm raged, trying to burn the demon king. But...
After a few dozen seconds, the dome dissipated, and the Orc Digestor stood there calmly. He had not been consumed. His skin was charred and peeling, but it was not fatal. He had released a mana aura to resist the heat.
Moreover, the charred skin began to regenerate. It must be the healing ability Gelmute possessed.
The mana he possessed was overwhelmingly different from before. He seemed to have the strength to call himself a demon king. More than that, he was a "Demon King Type" as described by the "World Language." If he awakened, he would truly become a demon king.
If not killed now, he would truly become a disaster. I was certain of this.
Seeing his ultimate attack fail, Benimaru grimaced. The Hell Flame was powerful, but it was a technique for group battles and was weak against individual targets. It wasted too much energy. In a one-on-one battle, the energy needed to be more concentrated.
If he had done that, he might have been able to completely burn the Orc Digestor without allowing resistance or regeneration.
Next, Ranga moved. Like me, he concentrated the "Black Lightning" and released it.
The Orc Digestor stiffened upon being hit directly. It was a good shot. I would have done the same. A single, powerful strike focused on an individual.
The Orc Digestor, carbonized and falling to the ground, was a sight to behold. I wouldn't have been able to withstand that attack either.
It wasn't a 1-on-1 battle; it was a group attack, and it was a surprise. I didn't think it was a bad strategy.
He probably wouldn't have been able to defeat any of the ogres in a 1-on-1 battle. But, with this, the battle was finally over, I thought.
"Ahaha???! Is this pain! I feel the taste of death! But, it's not enough to destroy me!!!"
I thought the Orc Digestor had been carbonized and killed, but he stood up. Upon closer inspection, he was tearing off his own arm and eating it.
Soldiers ran towards him, and he killed them roughly and ate them. What kind of creature is this! Each time he ate, the charred skin peeled off, and new skin was formed. The arm he had torn off regrew from the root!
It was an incredible regenerative ability.
"Unbelievable..."
I muttered without realizing it. The creature was so monstrous that it seemed unreal.
Ranga, who had used his ultimate attack, was now drained of mana and could not move. He was probably in a state of near-exhaustion.
There was nothing I could do. The energy consumption of the "Black Lightning" was considerable. He wouldn't be able to use it again.
Suddenly, Shion swung his sword and delivered a powerful strike.
The Orc Digestor blocked it with his Meat Crusher. But that wasn't the end. He was pushed back and took damage, though it wasn't decisive.
"Filthy pig calling himself a demon king? Don't be arrogant!"
Shion shouted and surrounded his sword with a mana aura, striking from above.
The Orc Digestor, staggering, held his Meat Crusher with both hands. The sword and the Meat Crusher clashed, creating a shower of sparks.
Shion was overpowered. The Orc Digestor's strength surpassed Shion's, who was already strong and had the "Powerful" ability.
The Orc Digestor's physical abilities were also overwhelmingly enhanced. I sighed.
Shion was thrown back, and the Orc Digestor's strike followed him. Sensing the danger, Shion surrounded himself with a mana aura to withstand the attack.
He took considerable damage. He looked angry but would need time to recover.
Silently, a middle-aged samurai stood behind the Orc Digestor. It was Hakuro.
Even from my vantage point in the air, I could only just recognize his speed. He swung his sword.
Blocking it was impossible, and dodging was out of the question. The sword cut through the Orc Digestor's body, splitting it in half and severing the head.
I thought he was dead. But...
The split body was connected by yellow mana, and the head, which had fallen, was picked up and returned to its original position.
Everyone was speechless at this horror movie scene. Hakuro's eyes were wide with shock.
I was certain now. The most terrifying ability of the Orc Digestor was his incredible regenerative power.
He didn't have various resistances yet, but with this regenerative ability, if he gained resistances, he would be impossible to kill.
Even if we tried to burn him with fire or "Black Lightning," his defense and regeneration would likely surpass it.
What should we do...
Benimaru and Ranga were out of mana. Shion was injured, and now Hakuro was in a 1-on-1 sword fight with the Orc Digestor.
Hakuro's attacks didn't work, and the Orc Digestor's attacks didn't work either.
He was a master, but if this continued, the situation would worsen.
Then,
"Manipulate Demon Bind Formation!"
The Orc Digestor was bound by "Sticky Steel." It was Souei's doing. He must have been hiding in Hakuro's shadow, waiting for the right moment.
Indeed! I was impressed.
With this, even with his high regenerative ability, he wouldn't be able to do anything.
The last one arrived late. It was Souei.
Just as I was about to relax, I felt a sense of unease.
A yellow aura adhered to the "Sticky Steel."
"Chaos Eater!"
The Orc Digestor used his ability. It was more vicious than what the Orc General had used.
It corroded and consumed everything it touched. The yellow aura itself was the essence of the Orc Digestor's ability.
It was one of the unique skills, "The Hungry One," which corroded and decayed everything it touched.
If resistance failed, it would corrode and lead to death for living beings.
The Orc Digestor pursued.
"Die! Feast of the Hungry Ones!!!"
It was Gelmute's technique, but it was far more vicious.
Hakuro and Souei dodged, sensing the danger. Benimaru's Hell Flame had left nothing around, so the full power was unclear, but it would give both damage and a corrosive effect to those it touched.
A fatal attack, with quality, power, and range. The only fortunate thing was its slow speed.
If hit directly, even an ogre wouldn't survive.
"Ahaha???! Good! Make it more exciting! It's a good warm-up before the meal. You all look delicious. Hahaha! You'll be my food. Aren't you happy?"
My five main subordinates attacking simultaneously wouldn't be enough to defeat him.
This...
I couldn't stop my body from trembling.
This trembling came from instinct.
It's dangerous. I trembled so much that I couldn't do anything.
...Is this fear?
No, it's different.
This is...
Joy. Is that it? Am I happy!
Yes. Deep inside, my instinct was wildly rejoicing, and I couldn't stop it.
My five main subordinates couldn't defeat him, yet I felt no fear in my heart.
The initial sense of unease had vanished.
Yes. I recognized this creature as a worthy opponent.
I was sorry for thinking it was a nuisance.
I stopped flying and landed on the ground.
The yellow aura, "Chaos Eater," enveloped me.
The sticky sensation on my body was unpleasant.
So, you want to eat me?
Fine. Try it if you can!
Following my instinct, I smiled faintly.
If you want to eat me, I'll eat you first!
I and the Orc Digestor Gelmute were about to clash.