Stomping the ground, cutting down trees, the Orc Tribe's army pressed through the forest.
Trample! Trample! Trample! Trample!
Shouting at the top of their lungs, eyes yellowed and glazed, the Orc Tribe's army pressed through the forest.
There was no rational thought in them.
Anything that moved before their eyes was prey.
They were perpetually hungry, and their minds converged on a single point: eating.
Thump.
Another companion fell.
They rejoiced. Fresh prey!
Once, that individual had been their kin.
Now, it was nothing more than a morsel of food.
The thing still seemed to be breathing, but to them, that only proved it was fresh.
Those lucky enough to be walking beside it immediately set about butchering the carcass.
The liver was delivered to the leader of the pack, and the rest of the parts went to whoever could grab them.
Squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch.
Hideous sounds filled the surroundings.
They were always hungry.
And the hungrier they grew, the more their combat abilities increased.
That was the power of the Unique Skill "Starved."
The more they ate their starving companions, the more they starved themselves, the more their fighting power rose.
Their army—two hundred thousand strong— an army of ruin tormented by hellish hunger, placed under the dominion of the Orc Disaster.
There was no salvation for them.
They acted solely to sate their own hunger. Yet their hunger could never be fulfilled…
It was an endless hell.
Before them lay the village of the Ogre Tribe.
They were D-Rank monsters.
Normally, they would fear a B-Rank Ogre but never dare to direct hostility toward one.
And yet…
Trample! Trample! Trample! Trample!
Their march did not stop.
If anything, they accelerated, seeking prey.
Ogres rampaged, wielding their tremendous power!
Companions were sent flying by the dozens, hacked to death with axes…
But! To them, that simply meant a mass production of fresh prey.
They rejoiced.
Hoping that their hunger might be even slightly sated.
One Ogre fell.
Immediately, several Orcs swarmed the body and tore it apart.
Bathing in blood, devouring flesh. Ah… even so, they were not satisfied.
But the Orcs' bodies began to change. They took on the power of the Ogre.
The Ogres, overwhelmed by the swarm of lesser Orcs, let out death screams.
Lamenting the impotence of their own strength against what should have been an inferior foe…
Gradually, among the Orcs, those with extraordinary power began to emerge.
They ate the strength of their companions and made it their own!
They ate the strength of defeated enemies and made it their own!!
And so they continued to eat.
Ultimately, they feared no death. Someday, their power would, in the grand cycle, be delivered to their King.
Their King.
The ultimate— the Orc Disaster!
They continued their march.
Their next prey was right before their eyes.
The chief of the Lizardman Tribe turned pale upon hearing the report.
What he had feared had become reality.
According to the report, the village of powerful Ogres had been wiped out in a single day.
Swallowed whole by the Orcs.
There was no longer any room for doubt.
The Orc Disaster had appeared.
If it were just a matter of numbers, two hundred thousand D-Rank Orcs could potentially be fought to a draw by ten thousand C+ Rank Lizardmen.
But if the feared Orc Disaster had appeared, they were no longer merely D-Rank.
Their abilities should be considered boosted by one to two tiers.
At minimum, C-Rank. At worst, they might have reached C+ Rank strength.
Even with a numerical advantage, their forces were already worn down—adding the threat of the Orc Disaster's existence meant they couldn't count on the enemy running out of supplies either.
Their numbers would decrease, yes, but the army itself would grow stronger…
If there were hope of reinforcements, a siege could work, but if the exits were sealed off, they would be the ones starving to death.
There was no choice but to fight.
The chief was forced into a grim decision.
There had been no reply yet from
But in the current situation, spending more time would only risk further strengthening the enemy.
When he was beginning to feel that, in the worst case, he might have to lead the army out himself…
He sensed the approach of a presence radiating a powerful Demon Aura unlike anything he had ever felt before.
Sensing that overwhelming, unhidden Demon Aura, the chief realized it would be unwise to resist.
He called a subordinate and ordered them to guide the visitor.
Even if this was a natural labyrinth, having its passages destroyed and its interior ransacked at random would serve no purpose.
He intuited that this bearer of Demon Aura was precisely the kind of being who could do exactly that.
He waited for a time.
Guided by a subordinate, a single monster appeared.
Dark complexion, blue-black hair. Blue eyes. A monster standing roughly 190 centimeters tall.
For a monster, that was by no means large. Yet the presence the being carried was composed and impenetrable.
It was the kind of monster that radiated overwhelming power.
Around the chief, roughly a hundred Lizardman warriors stood ready.
At his command, they could all attack at once…
But doing so would mean their deaths, he knew.
The chief looked at the monster and felt resignation wash over him.
"My apologies—we are rather busy at the moment and cannot offer proper hospitality."
He gestured around the cavernous surroundings.
"What business brings you to a place like this?"
Among the younger Lizardman warriors, there were those who bristled at the chief's words.
There was no need to bow and scrape to some suspicious monster! That must have been what they were thinking.
The chief appreciated that fighting spirit, but now was not the time.
If this monster's mood soured, they could all be wiped out.
The young warriors simply lacked sufficient experience. They had no ability to gauge the strength of their opponent.
Unlike the chief, who had lived long enough to develop that kind of survival instinct, they could not grasp the true power of the being before them.
But as if seeing straight through the chief's thoughts— "It's nothing urgent. No need to worry."
The being spoke without dropping that composed demeanor.
"My name is
"My master wishes to enter an alliance with you."
"I have been tasked with arranging the details. You may consider me an envoy. Be glad—my master said it would be a shame to abandon you."
"That is why this offer of alliance has been made. I await your answer."
He spoke with an air that made it clear refusal was not an option, regardless of the words' content.
The message was concise. Yet it carried an undertone of finality, as though the answer was already decided.
But… the chief considered.
Souei. This monster who had introduced himself by that name. A "Named" monster of overwhelming power.
And a being that served such a creature. If that kind of ally stood at their side, perhaps— Perhaps they could even stand against the Orc Disaster.
An alliance, he said—meaning this was not a one-sided subjugation. They would be treated as equals.
This offer had to be accepted. That was his gut feeling.
At that moment— "Chief! There is no need to listen to whatever this stranger spouts!"
"We, proud Lizardmen, have no reason to grovel before some vagrant of unknown origin!"
"Indeed! Lord Gabiru will return before long. We can handle the orc swarms perfectly well on our own!"
"Hmph. His master must be the one afraid of the orcs, begging us for help!"
"If he'd just asked nicely for assistance, we might have considered it. How unappealing!"
A commotion broke out among several of the warriors—those who had been sent with Gabiru to secure the goblins' cooperation.
The chief wanted to click his tongue in frustration.
Even if they didn't know the other's true strength, to arrogantly assume they could reject an alliance offer on their own authority…
True, the other party's manners were somewhat lacking. But Souei was an envoy, and that was no excuse for those without any authority to act rudely.
Moreover, any discourtesy on Souei's part had already been offset by the fact that someone of overwhelmingly superior standing had come in person…
He had thought them too hot-headed for negotiations, which was why he hadn't brought them along. But it had backfired.
Had they offended him?
The chief glanced at the monster called Souei.
He hadn't looked away. He simply continued staring at the chief, paying no attention whatsoever to the commotion.
The chief felt a wave of relief.
This alliance must not fall through because of a few short-sighted individuals.
"Silence!"
A single shout cut through the noise, and the complainers fell quiet.
He signaled his royal guard, "The decisions are mine to make. You have no right to interject! Reflect on your behavior overnight!!!"
He had the young warriors from Gabiru's group taken to the cells.
They had been making a ruckus, but there were far more pressing matters now.
Then, turning back to the envoy monster— "My kin were rude. I wish to accept this alliance. However, the situation is urgent."
He masked his inner unease and pressed on.
"Under normal circumstances, I would arrange a meeting with your master at some location. But we do not have that luxury."
"Would it be acceptable for your side to come here instead?"
He had essentially told a being of obvious superiority to come to him. It would not have been strange for the envoy to be angry.
Yet, Souei accepted the request as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Understood. I am sure my master will be pleased with your favorable response. I leave it in your hands."
"We will make preparations and come here to join forces."
"At that time, you will have an audience with my master. Please do be accommodating!"
He hadn't for a moment considered the possibility that the chief might refuse.
Or perhaps—had the chief refused, the fate of the Lizardmen would have ended in that instant? The thought flickered through his mind.
It may not have been mere paranoia.
The monster before him possessed precisely that kind of power…
"We will join forces in five days. Until then, do your best to stay alive. Under no circumstances are you to launch a preemptive strike!"
With that, the monster vanished from sight.
Without a sound, swallowed by the shadows.
Five days…
If it was just a matter of lasting that long, anything could be managed.
The Orcs would grow stronger too, no doubt, but reinforcements were coming from their side.
He didn't know how substantial those reinforcements would be, but even a single monster named Souei would be invaluable help.
Rather than gambling on an uncertain breakout, it was wiser to wait for reinforcements and preserve their fighting strength.
The chief made his decision and addressed everyone.
"We hold the fort! Whatever it takes, we must hold out until the reinforcements arrive!!!"
And so the Lizardmen withdrew deep into the labyrinth, quietly preparing for the coming decisive battle.
--- Gabiru opened his eyes.
It took him some time to recall what had happened.
Then he sprang up in fury.
"You're awake, my lord!"
His Lizardman subordinates looked at him with worried faces.
"I've caused you concern. It appears I was deceived…"
"Deceived, you say?"
"Yes. Those Fang Wolf tribe dogs used a cunning trick…"
"They had their underlings pose as the boss, while the boss himself fought me directly! A dirty scheme to lower my guard! They're called the rulers of the plains, but in the end, they're nothing but beasts! A coward's trick, just as you'd expect from such timid creatures!"
"I should never have tried to fight them honorably. That was my mistake!"
"I-I see… That must be the case. There's simply no way Lord Gabiru could have been defeated otherwise."
"Exactly! Curse those wolf dogs!!! Filthy tricks!"
At this response, Gabiru nodded with satisfaction.
Of course. That had to be the reason. Any other explanation was unthinkable.
He had thought them a proud tribe, but to resort to such underhanded methods…
Gabiru was disappointed in the Fang Wolf tribe.
"Still, those who would use such despicable tricks are not worth having as allies!"
"Perhaps it's just as well, thinking about it."
"Indeed! Indeed!"
Gabiru and his subordinates burst into laughter.
"Oh, by the way, there's something I've been thinking, Lord Gabiru. It seems rather strange to me that you remain merely the Captain of the Warriors."
"What?"
"No, no—I don't mean you're unworthy of the position! Quite the opposite!"
"Don't you think it's a waste to remain under that old fogey of a chief forever?"
"Go on."
"Well, it's about time that old man stepped aside and retired, wouldn't you say? If you, Lord Gabiru, were to become the new chief of the Lizardmen…"
"Then we'd never be looked down upon by the orcs again, is what I humbly believe!"
"That's exactly right!"
"Show them the full extent of your power, Lord Gabiru! Sweep away the stubborn old guard and usher in a new era for the Lizardmen—there could be no greater joy!!!"
Gabiru nodded.
"So you've all been thinking the same thing. Truth be told, I too have been considering that the time has come to act!"
"Will you fight alongside me?"
He looked around at those gathered.
Every one of them had a fierce gleam in their eye, already envisioning the new era of the Lizardmen.
An era in which they stood at the center, wielding absolute power.
And then— "Would you stand as our representative?"
One of them asked.
Gabiru nodded magnanimously.
"The time has come, has it? Very well! Let us fight together!!!"
He made his declaration with powerful conviction.
The cheers of the Lizardmen echoed through the cavern.
The fools had taken the stage.
Thus, the curtain of chaos rises.
The protagonist had no part to play.