Hargon and the two generals standing by his side were gasping for breath.
After a brief rest, the three orcs entered the land of death, the “Silent Plains.”
“Huff―!”
Having run without proper sleep for several days, their already heavy bodies felt even heavier.
A dead land where not a single blade of grass could be seen, nor even the faintest breeze felt.
However, this was no mere natural phenomenon.
It was the result of a phenomenon caused by a certain being.
Hargon and his two generals knew this fact all too well.
“Is it there?”
“Yes, it is.”
The place they arrived at was the entrance to a massive cave leading underground.
It looked as though some enormous being was opening its mouth.
“My Lord.”
“What is it?”
“Will you be able to devour it?”
The monster they were about to face had pitiful fighting power.
It had been a creature that lived hidden away from the beginning.
However, its soul was terrifyingly vast.
If they were careless… even Hargon might end up being devoured instead.
“Takuda.”
Vandal, who stood beside him, spoke to Takuda in a scolding tone, but Hargon raised his arm to stop him.
“Nothing can stop me. Not even an Outer God. I will raise up our fallen world once more.”
“…It was a foolish question.”
“It’s fine.”
A true king did not cast aside a retainer who voiced objections.
Though he had fallen this far, he had once been the Conqueror King who led an army of one hundred thousand.
“Let us go. To revive our shattered world.”
However, by the time they reached the end of the cave—
Hargon realized he had overlooked one crucial fact on the battlefield.
The mysterious mage who had consistently obstructed his path all this time.
The mage of nature who summoned infernos and called down lightning.
The reason that one had not appeared on the battlefield.
It was because—
“Man, just judging by your aura, you’re like a seasoned hero, a real veteran.”
The mage was already waiting for them beside the “Black Whale”.
***
“…How?”
In response to Hargon’s question, Jun grinned and answered.
“Absorbing a soul is a dangerous act in many ways. Especially when it’s a soul far greater than your own. It’s even harder.”
Having already lost three mediums, the vessel had shrunk drastically. He would never have targeted the “Black Whale” with its massive soul from the beginning.
The Black Whale.
According to legend, it was a monster known by the epithet “the whale that devours the world”.
However, contrary to its grand reputation, the monster was treated more like an “object” than a true monster.
Encased within a spherical membrane, it didn’t so much as stir inside, and the only thing it ever did was absorb magical power from the surrounding area.
Even if one inflicted damage upon it, it showed not the slightest resistance.
And yet, the soul it contained was larger than that of any named monster in the field.
Trying to absorb it in one go would have been impossible.
It was the easiest to hunt but the hardest to absorb.
Naturally, it had to become the final target.
“The stage is just perfect, too.”
An underground cavern that looked like a colossal cradle.
Jun glanced over at his companions.
“Hoo…”
Aiden, taking a light breath, calmly drew his Sword.
“At last, a routine mission comes to an end.”
Maya spoke with a lingering undertone.
“Well, maybe I shouldn’t have insisted on tagging along after all?”
Eleanor tossed out a teasing remark.
“Alright, let’s have some fun.”
With those words, Jun unleashed his magic.
***
The Black Whale was a monster that absorbed magical power.
Jun accepted the principle as a concept similar to a magic circle.
A circle too drew in external magical power and imbued it with its own color.
The only difference was that the Black Whale merely devoured magical power, while Jun commanded it.
Come to me.
At that moment, Jun had already released 25% of the [Mana Body].
A portion of the magical power which had been sucked toward the Black Whale like a black hole gathered around Jun instead.
“Eleanor.”
“Okay.”
The only one who could freely use her abilities in this space was Eleanor, who wielded divine power.
She raised her staff and invoked divine magic.
[Block of Light]
A massive shield formed, isolating the party from the outside world and scattering brilliant golden light.
Afterward, she continued casting divine magic to buff the party, while Jun also began invoking enchantment magic.
He enchanted Maya’s weapon with the fire attribute and enchanted Aiden with wind-attribute magic.
By then, Hargon began to move as well.
“Eat this.”
Crunch―!
What he pulled out from his pocket were magic stones, which monsters dropped upon death.
He chewed them and absorbed the magical power into his body.
Meanwhile, Jun spoke to Aiden and Maya.
“I’m going to use ‘that’, so buy me some time.”
“Is it alright if we just kill them outright?”
At Aiden’s question, who sent a sharp glance at him, Jun chuckled.
“If you can.”
“Understood!”
Aiden and Maya faced off against the orcs charging toward them.
“For Orcutas!”
The first to move was Vandal, the Orc Lord’s first medium and general.
His large greatsword drew a crescent-shaped arc through the air, pressing down on the two.
Both Aiden and Maya judged that it was impossible to block that attack head-on and took a step back.
Just then, a golden spear, radiating holy light, shot toward Vandal’s heart from above his head.
It was Eleanor’s magic.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Takuda stepped in front of Vandal to block it.
Seizing the moment when Vandal’s vision was obscured by the golden spear, Aiden swung his sword with all his might like the wind.
[Bash]
This was not an opponent to be fought cautiously.
The moment Aiden’s sword which was already surging with aura from the start collided with Takuda’s shield—
Creaaaak―!
A brutal sound erupted as sparks flew, and Takuda was pushed backward.
“Kugh…!”
From behind the shield, Takuda was clearly flustered.
That small figure, whose body seemed so unimpressive compared to theirs, had just overwhelmed him with pure destructive power.
“You brat!”
Vandal lunged from beside the shield, thrusting his massive greatsword.
Aiden who had yet to recover his stance was fully exposed, but Maya was not just standing idly by.
Blending into the surroundings without notice, Maya had slipped into Vandal’s guard and swung her twin swords, aiming for his arm.
“When did she…!”
Unlike Gorta, Vandal had momentarily lost track of Maya’s movements.
The price for that mistake was far too great.
Both of Maya’s swords cut through Vandal’s thick arm muscles.
Taking advantage of that opening, Aiden knocked aside Vandal’s greatsword.
“Vandal!”
Takuda split his massive shield into two.
Whether it had been designed that way from the start, the huge shield transformed, now resembling tonfas wrapped around both his arms.
In pure power, they were outmatched.
Admitting that, Takuda covered Vandal and shoved Aiden away.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
The bleeding from his arm had begun to stop. He had forced it to clot by swelling his muscles.
“My apologies.”
“Save your weak excuses. Offer their souls to the Lord instead.”
“Of course.”
From the very first clash, the difference in skill was undeniable.
This had been partly the result of Aiden and Maya’s teamwork growing remarkably, but the environment had played an even larger role.
Orcs fundamentally absorbed mana through their breathing to strengthen their muscles, but for now, they had been substituting that with mana stones instead.
It was only natural that their immediate power output had dropped compared to before.
The two orcs once again adjusted their stances and chewed up magic stones before swallowing them.
“For Orcutas.”
“For Hargon.”
***
It’s the first time I’ve used this since coming outside.
Jun, who had entered a state of concentration, was undergoing a strange experience.
The surrounding objects vanished, and all his thoughts were erased.
Instead, he found himself observing his own body from a third-person perspective in a black void.
This phenomenon had occurred because the mana in the area had assimilated with Jun.
He was looking at the space not from a human’s point of view, but from the perspective of mana itself.
[Mana Body].
The moment he realized he needed a deeper understanding of this skill had been during his battle with The old crone at Silent City.
[Mana Body] granted strength beyond that of a human, but at the same time, it was a power forbidden to humans.
As the name implied, this ability meant that “the body becomes mana”, allowing him to command all mana in the world as his own.
It provided an overwhelming sense of omnipotence.
So overwhelming, in fact, that escaping from it could become impossible.
—It was an extremely dangerous temptation.
If he were swayed by that temptation, he would lose even his sense of self amidst the tidal surge of mana’s will.
After that, Jun had devoted himself entirely to understanding [Mana Body] even while at the sacred ground of the Ariklotus Church, and eventually, he had reached a conclusion.
This power was impossible to control.
At least, unless he acquired a mental barrier skill stronger than what he currently had, or unless he grew the two skills he possessed through [Growth Ring], it would remain impossible.
Still, I gained much besides that.
[Mana Body] was too much for a human body to endure.
—In that case, wouldn’t it be possible if he didn’t use a human body?
Ironically, he had found a hint toward this in the old crone witchcraft.
One of the supernatural abilities that summoned power by offering up a price.
Jun had now decided to apply the spell, which he had gained a certain level of understanding of, to [Mana Body].
[Summon]
From within a black space, a golem made of earth revealed itself.
At the same time, Jun pulled something out from within his robe.
It was an item he had seen once before in the past.
The only difference was that this time, the craftsmanship engraved on it was far more intricate.
It was the golem’s core, also known as the nucleus.
This core was much more meticulously crafted than the one Jun had taken from the golem he had defeated in the Black Forest, and it was made using materials he had obtained with Chloe’s help.
Seeing the core, which took the form of a regular polyhedron, the golem pounded its fists against its chest.
Following its will, the core burrowed into the golem’s chest area.
[Detecting Target]
[Mental-Type: Marionette Line]
[Enchantment: Elemental Body]
[Attribute Enchantment: Fire]
Through threads of black light, he linked the golem’s will, which was contained in [Tear of Teia], to the golem’s core.
Then, he imbued the golem with an attribute and, based on that, connected it to his own circle.
For the first time in a while, his crimson circle began to rotate vigorously.
The magic power that had long been dormant erupted into brilliant flames.
“Let’s see you rampage a bit.”
By the time all the preparations were complete—
A sudden wind of change was already beginning to blow across the battlefield where the battle was in full swing.
“Wh-What…!”
“Har… gon!”
***
Hargon had first begun to sense the anomaly back when he had killed the Arachne in the Ugly Canyon and devoured its magic stone.
“Rrrrgh…”
As power surpassing the limits of his body seeped into his muscles, his grip around the glaive tightened with force.
It felt as if the sensation in the hand that had just slain the Arachne became even more vivid.
At the same time, memories of the past surfaced unconsciously.
It was from the time he had just taken the warrior’s trial.
When he had not yet even fully come of age. When he had crushed the head of a troll much bigger than himself.
Memories unfolded as if they had been predetermined.
Hargon didn’t particularly dislike the phenomenon.
“Lord. Are you alright?”
“Ah, I’m fine. In fact, I feel more alive than ever, Vandal.”
“…….”
“Once, we started everything on this very plain.”
“And as it ended on this plain, so too shall we begin anew.”
“The end… yes. You’re right.”
His gaze, which had briefly drifted into the past, returned to the present.
***
Returning to the present.
Hargon was once again reflecting on his past.
It had all begun from the moment Vandal was injured.
– Lord! The forces of the Outer Gods are surging endlessly!
– The front line has collapsed!
– We must make a decision, quickly!
It was burning.
Just like all those he had conquered in the past.
But this time, it was his own legion that was engulfed in flames.
An army of one hundred thousand orcs was swallowed by fire.
The beginning of everything had been when they first realized the existence of the Outer Gods.
His army was crumbling.
Countless flames blazed before his eyes.
His generals, one by one, met their deaths.
And in the end, what choice was left for him, standing alone?
“Barbata.”
“My Lord.”
“Have they all fallen?”
“They fought valiantly.”
Valiantly?
No, it had been mere foolhardiness.
Their deaths had originated from none other than Hargon’s own reckless pride.
It was the price of standing against the Outer Gods.
“However, it is not yet over.”
“What do you mean?”
“Please, take our souls.”
“Your souls?”
“The lifespan of the body is finite, but the lifespan of the soul is infinite. Take the souls of the hundred-thousand-strong army and hide them within this plain.”
“And what difference would that make?”
“On the day you return to this world, Lord, the hundred-thousand-strong army shall return to your side.”
The words of Barbata, the greatest shaman and his mentor, were sweet and tempting.
Perhaps Hargon’s nod, stained with defeat for the first time in his life, was nothing more than an act of spiritual escape.
“However, you must never forget this. A soul that exceeds its vessel will surely betray you. Therefore, resist. Never forget yourself.”
Barbata’s final words lingered in his ears.
“If you ever see the memories of the past, it means that your soul has sensed danger.”
Hargon was still living in the past.
***
He felt a burning heat in his hands.
And it throbbed, pulsing powerfully.
Hargon instinctively realized the identity of the feeling and opened his eyes.
“Wh-What…!”
“Harg…on!”
There, in his hands, were two generals with their chests pierced through.
“Wha….”
Only then did Barbata’s words flash through Hargon’s mind.
“I am… now….”
A sense of crisis.
Yes.
As Hargon absorbed the named monsters of the field, he had clearly coveted power beyond his own vessel’s limits.
As a result, the souls forcibly absorbed by him had begun to resist his own, and unconsciously, Hargon had been recalling his past to avoid losing himself.
“I see.”
“Why…?”
“Why would you… to us….”
He fixed his gaze precisely on the two generals, who looked at him with faces full of grief.
“Vandal. Takuda.”
In disbelief at what was happening, the two generals looked to their king.
“I had been trembling in fear.”
“……!”
Hargon admitted it.
What he had done just now was, in consideration of the worst-case scenario, unconsciously create the best possible outcome he could choose.
The worst-case scenario was losing even the last two mediums to those humans.
The best-case scenario was to personally end the lives of the two mediums and absorb their souls.
“Do not worry. I am your king.”
“…….”
“Soon, I will bring you back again.”
If there was a spell.
If it were the spell of his master, Barbata.
And if it were in this bizarre world.
Then he would be able to summon the souls of the dead once more.
So for now, he had to absorb the power of the mediums from the two generals.
“Huuuu….”
First, he had to calm the raging souls within his now-complete vessel.
He absorbed the generals’ souls.
Carefully refining the power contained within the mediums, he forcibly suppressed the rampaging spirits.
A sense of peace washed over him.
It was the same feeling as taking refuge in a quiet cave while a storm raged outside.
A soul, never knowing when it might leave the body, had found rest.
And so, the Orc Lord opened his eyes once again and looked at his enemy.
Just then—
The black-haired man who had been keeping his eyes closed met his gaze.
“Submit. Surrender. And…despair.”
“Bullshit.”
At that moment, magical power began to surge around Jun.
***
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 25 percent.]
Magical power swirled violently around Jun.
However, Jun’s mental landscape remained calm, like the surface of still water.
Before long, even his appearance began to change.
Half of his black hair had turned white.
“Aiden, Maya. Support.”
His two mercenaries immediately widened the distance between themselves and Hargon.
The two of them had realized that ever since Hargon’s bizarre behavior, something about his aura had changed.
With just the two of us…
It’s going to be hard to handle him.
It was something they had already anticipated.
Orc Lord Hargon.
Even though he couldn’t fully use the power of his true self, he was still an overwhelmingly strong warrior. Enough to send chills down their spines.
At the very least, someone on the level of Leon or Schneider would be needed to block him head-on.
At that moment, he moved.
The instant they perceived it, Hargon was already striking the shield Eleanor had raised with his glaive.
Ka-kang—!
A single blow.
The shield shattered like broken glass under the glaive swung with his full strength.
Immediately after, Eleanor cast a divine spell.
[Life Shield of Light]
It was the same protective shield that had once saved Aiden’s life from the corrupted Bern.
This time, it simultaneously enveloped all three of them.
“Don’t rely on it too much! That bastard’s no joke!”
Hearing Eleanor’s warning, Aiden and Maya steadied themselves.
And Jun began to summon his magical power.
It began with a flame orb, red as blood.
[Fireball]
A fireball, dripping red sparks like falling blood, surged forward toward Hargon as if it had found its prey.
“Krrr—!”
With a beast-like roar, Hargon swung his glaive.
Before they realized it, a blue barrier had wrapped itself around his glaive.
A force that drove mages to despair.
Aura.
Compared to Aiden’s, Hargon’s aura was far more refined and concentrated, and with a single swing, he obliterated the fireball that had recklessly charged at him.
Snap—!
With a flick of Jun’s fingers, the scattered flames reignited with life.
[Multicasting]
[Fireball]
Without even a second’s delay, the magic was cast.
In an instant, the greedy flames multiplied into eight fireballs and attacked Hargon from every direction.
The glaive, swung like a crescent moon, wiped out six fireballs in a single sweep, and the magical shockwave bursting from the glaive’s blade destroyed the remaining two.
“Huff—!”
Hargon lowered his stance. At the same time, Aiden and Maya moved.
Aiden reached Hargon’s front first with [Charge].
“Guhk!”
But Hargon swung his large hand and struck Aiden’s body.
Aiden tried to counter by slashing at the hand with his aura-infused sword, but Hargon’s muscles withstood even that.
Although a part of it was cut, it wasn’t enough to stop the force of his punch.
Aiden’s body was flung like an arrow and slammed into the wall.
If it hadn’t been for Eleanor’s shield, his internal organs would have burst from the impact.
[Spirit Dash]
Maya, arriving right after him, thrust Acanthus Fangs forward.
“You bastard―!”
As she shouted, pouring weight into her soul, Maya’s body froze in place.
It was [Shout of Spirit], the same technique that Half-Ogre Gorta had used.
Hargon smoothly swung the end of his glaive, striking Maya’s waist.
Once again, Eleanor’s shield saved her life.
“Kaagh!”
Still, the result was the same as with Aiden. She was slammed into the wall.
“Cough―! S-Senior!”
Hargon’s gaze locked onto Jun.
Now, there was nothing left between him and his target.
Power gathered in Hargon’s legs―
[Leap]
Kwaaaang―!
His body shot forward like a cannonball.
Cutting through the air, Hargon reached Jun and spoke.
“Die.”
The muscles in his arm, which held the lowered glaive, swelled in an instant.
At that moment, Hargon’s vision was drawn once again into the past.
Ah, the glorious era.
Wait for me.
The Conqueror King will once again set out to conquer you—
The past flows through countless eras toward the future. A great army of a hundred thousand orcs was marching toward the future.
――It must be so.
“Got you.”
Had it not been for the moment when his glaive was caught by a hand clad in tight-fitting gloves.
Swooooosh――!
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