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Chapter: 246

The overall situation was overwhelming.

The dwarves’ new weapon—a preemptive strike via a trebuchet. The flames raining down from the sky set the goblins ablaze over a wide area.

In a panic, the goblins tried to flee the fire, and soon enough, they started charging forward. They probably thought the fire was coming from the enemies right in front of them.

The soldiers confronting the goblins started to move.

Infantry steadily pressed the front line, and the knights dashed in quickly, crashing through clusters of goblins and scattering them.

The beastmen were faster than humans, though not as fast as horse-mounted knights, maneuvering around the front line to strike the sides. Surrounded in an instant, the goblins fell apart helplessly.

In the center, where the enemy was most concentrated, small ratmen lifted shields larger than their bodies, forming a tight defensive formation to apply pressure. With a solid setup, the ratmen dealt steadily with goblins, poking through with spears that jumped out between their short swords and shields.

The lizardmen rampaged instinctively, flailing their obsidian weapons to hack at the goblins. That was all they needed.

Above them, arrows shot by elves, guided by spirits of the wind, aimed directly at specially empowered goblins and orcs. Goblins shooting ice and raising the dead were helplessly sniped.

Magic used by mages created walls of flame where goblins clustered, turning them instantly to ashes.

The goblins, who began to be pushed back, tried to regroup with a few special goblins and orcs attempting to reverse their fortunes, but they were soon met with arrows from elves.

The arrows demanded the lives of goblins in an instant. An orc that blocked such arrows with a club charged at the humans, showcasing his ferocity.

The orc aimed to smash the spear-armed humans with his club. But such actions were interrupted by another.

“Yaaah!! Die!!”

A beast-like cry came from behind. Following instinct, the orc raised its club, while a weapon thick with obsidian blades pierced it.

“You! Not bad! Face me in a duel!!”

“Grrr!!”

“I’ll take that as acceptance! Humans! Move back!! I’ll permit no interruptions!”

In an instant, the humans retreated from the two, while a few clueless goblins flocked toward the lizardman only to be turned into goblins themselves by the orc and lizardman.

Was it just the lizardmen, or did even the orc refuse to allow interruptions? Both focused solely on their opponent.

Thus, a small arena of combat was formed in the middle of the battlefield.

“Things are still going smoothly.”

“Maybe it’s thanks to our reinforcements being stronger than we expected.”

The shield bearers of Rattkinia were holding up well against the frontal pressure, while the allied forces of Vistia exploited weak points with their mobility.

Elven hunters targeted goblins attempting to command or wield special powers, while mages lit flames of magic across the battlefield.

From the dwarves’ new weapon trial that sparked a rain of fire upon the goblins for the signal of battle, to the lizardmen storming around searching for strong foes—everyone was showcasing remarkable prowess.

“Thanks to that, the casualties are decreasing, which is a relief.”

The soldiers involved in the war were their own people, so fewer casualties were definitely better.

Moreover, serious injuries were being transported to the rear, treated by priests of the Church of Life.

As long as it wasn’t a fatal case… Under ordinary injuries, survival was likely.

If things continued like this, victory could be achieved without significant losses.

If things continued like this.

Kuuung!

The air of the battlefield sank, heavy with an overpowering presence.

From the far side of the battlefield, a giant something rose up.

From the throne made of crudely piled stones, the king of the goblins stood.

“Coming, are you?”

The knight-king gazed at the gigantic figure rising from across the battlefield.

A giant with green skin. A monster capable of competing with a drake.

The ultimate evolution of the goblin race—the ogre.

“Hmm…?”

At that moment, something else flashed through the knight-king’s mind.

‘Is that ogre… the final stop? Really?

If, just if… that ogre were to evolve further…?

When that time comes, what kind of monster would be born?’

The knight-king felt a chill run down his spine. If this imagination were to become a reality…

KWAAM!!!

Such thoughts scattered at the sudden deafening sound.

In the area where goblins and the Rattkin shield bearers faced off, a pit had formed. Inside, the ogre stood.

The immense shockwave crushed the formation of shield-bearing Rattkin, scattering the goblins in a disarray.

In such a scenario, the ogre only looked down with an arrogant gaze upon those around.

“Absurd.”

It was truly a monster.

“Did we really need to bring a giant…?”

Right now, there was no one on the battlefield who could contend with that monster.

With just the shock of its entrance, the sturdy formation of Rattkin crumbled.

As the elves released arrows, the flames of the mages surged up.

But it was meaningless.

Despite its massive size, the agile ogre started rampaging like a wolf in a herd of sheep.

The lizardmen, recognizing such strength, charged at the ogre, but even the powerful lizardmen fell to a single blow from it.

No, even those still standing after such a strike seemed almost abnormally tough.

“What are we supposed to do about that monster…?”

The lizardmen kept falling while relentlessly charging at the ogre.

To be precise, it wasn’t just the lizardmen—no one else could hold the ogre back.

With their scales tearing and tails getting severed, the lizardmen persisted in holding off the ogre to buy some time.

They paled the ogre with obsidian spears, and once their weapons shattered, they clung to it with their teeth.

Even such strong lizardmen seemed to only be stalling against the ogre.

If it had been another monster instead of an ogre—if it were a monster without the intelligence of a drake… perhaps the lizardmen might have been able to hunt it down.

But.

“GRAAAA!!”

Unlike those beasts, the ogre was smart.

In other words, it could turn situations to its advantage.

“Stop its movements!!!”

“Embed the spear!!!”

“Don’t let it reach the others!!!”

The lizardmen fought desperately.

But they could not stop the ogre. They failed to catch the ogre as it leaped high, falling toward other humans.

The ogre created distance from the annoying lizardmen and began targeting others.

Leaping high, it aimed toward those behind the humans; those igniting flames and showering arrows like twigs.

And to the one controlling the situation—the one holding the flag.

To the one known as the knight-king.

Seeing this, the knight-king quickly pulled his horse back, but he couldn’t withstand the impact of the ogre’s landing, falling off and rolling across the ground.

“GRAAAA!!”

“Grrk!”

The knight-king’s horse was shattered into pieces, and the area was left devastated.

All it did was leap up and land, yet it caused such a shock.

“Monster…!”

“Grrr…”

The ogre curled its lips into a grin.

The one directing those bothersome creatures must be this one.

The magic connecting it to the other annoying beings linked back to this human. It must be connected to the flag they held.

Thus, if it were to kill this human, it could scatter the annoying ones.

That was the ogre’s thought process.

“Ugh…”

The knight-king, tossing aside his crumbled helmet, surveyed his surroundings. His subordinates were downed from the ogre’s landing impact. Some appeared to have even lost their lives due to it.

The mages prepared their fire spells, but they couldn’t use them easily. It was because the knight-king was too close to the ogre.

The elves were also aiming arrows, but their arrows couldn’t deliver fatal injuries to the ogre. They could only puncture its skin where vital organs lay.

The lizardmen that had once rampaged were now charging toward the ogre, but soldiers blocked their path.

When they finally arrived at the ogre, the knight-king’s life would likely have already slipped away.

That’s why the knight-king gripped the flag tightly in his hand.

He felt no fear of death.

He had lived far too long already. He felt he had done his utmost while ruling over many.

Having gone through several battles and overcome numerous crises, he had nearly faced death many times. Yet he had survived until now.

He had already designated his first son as successor and trained him well, so there was no way Romani would crumble, even if he were to die.

In this way, the knight-king briefly reflected on his life.

Then he faced his imminent death.

The monstrous, massive green beast—he aimed the tip of the flag toward the ogre’s heart.

At least one strike. He wanted to deliver at least that.

In that moment.

Something fell from the sky.

 

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