"Hmph!"
Seeing the incoming flames, the Orc General abandoned Gabil, swung his great axe around, and brought it crashing into the fire. The magic-infused great axe and the flames collided in a violent explosion.
"Boom!"
Thick smoke from the blast obscured the Orc General's vision, leaving him unable to make out what lay beyond it.
[Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!]
"Oh no!"
Watching the slash tear through the smoke, the Orc General had no time to parry and could only leap back, but he was a step too slow.
"Pfft!"
A flame-wreathed longsword carved across the Orc General's chest, and its wielder emerged from the smoke before him.
"Ugh…"
The wounded Orc General spat out a mouthful of blood, propped himself up with his great axe, and knelt on one knee, staring up at the man before him.
"A human? How is this possible! Why would a human appear in the Lizardmen's territory?!"
Looking at the Orc General before him, Rengoku Kyoujurou held his longsword and stepped in front of Gabil, his expression earnest.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rengoku Kyoujurou, a subordinate of Rimuru-sama, she who will one day rule the entire Great Jura Forest."
"And as for why I am here, the answer is simple. I am here on Rimuru-sama's orders to stop your advance!"
Hearing Rimuru's name for the first time, the Orc General let out a disdainful snort.
"Rimuru? Some unknown nobody wants to rule the Great Jura Forest? How utterly ridiculous! I'll admit you have some strength, but do you really think you alone can stop my entire Orc army? Isn't that a little too arrogant?!"
Rengoku Kyoujurou raised his longsword, rested it against his shoulder, and flashed the Orc General a broad grin.
"Hahaha! And who said I was alone?!"
"Aah aah aah!"
"Boom!!!"
"Hmph!"
"Kill them all!!!"
"For Rimuru-sama, charge!"
From every direction at once, a great mass of troops burst through the Orc encirclement.
"Hehe! Take this!"
A short Goblin astride a Tempest Wolf charged left and right, swinging a spiked club, with dozens of Goblin Riders on Tempest Wolves surging close behind. Their charge tore a gap clean through what had been an airtight encirclement.
"Gobta! You're charging too fast!"
[Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!]
Tomioka Giyu, clad in his Demon Slayer Corps uniform, used Water Breathing to cut down dozens of Orcs in an instant, carving a small vacuum through their ranks.
"Boom boom boom!!!"
Several massive Black Flames erupted across the battlefield. Any Orc caught in the blaze was either killed outright or left gravely wounded. In moments, thousands of Orcs had fallen.
'This… is this the Lizardmen's great magic? I must finish off this man in front of me and then deal with whoever is casting it!'
Thinking this, the Orc General slowly rose to his feet, levelled his great axe at Rengoku Kyoujurou, and roared.
"Come, mighty human! For the sake of our king's ideal, one of us will not leave this place alive today!"
Looking at the Orc General across from him, a flicker of genuine admiration rose in Rengoku Kyoujurou's chest. Those who cast aside their own lives for the survival of their people are always worthy of respect.
"Orc General! Come, let us settle this with our lives!"
The moment the words left his mouth, both of them charged toward each other simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the Orcs stationed on the outer perimeter, standing watch against threats from outside, spotted three figures slowly emerging from the thick fog and cried out.
"Who goes there?!!!"
Benimaru, who led the way out of the fog, fixed the Orcs blocking the path with a grim look.
"Didn't I tell you to get out of the way?"
One of the Orc soldiers looked nervously at the three figures and asked, "Just who exactly are you?"
Benimaru's eyes filled with killing intent, though his voice remained flat.
"Forgotten us already? That's rather hurtful. After all, your kind devoured our village whole."
The soldier's gaze caught the Ogre horns on Benimaru's head, and he exclaimed in alarm, "Those horns, are you Ogres?!"
Benimaru's lips curved into a cold smile as a ball of [Black Flame] materialized in his palm.
"I have been waiting for this moment."
Shion, standing at his side with a great sword resting over her shoulder, added in a low voice, "All thanks to Rimuru-sama and Kaito-sama for giving us this chance."
Benimaru slowly raised the [Black Flame] in his hand and addressed the Orcs one last time.
"One final warning, get out of the way, you foolish pigs, unless you want to be reduced to ash. [Black Flame]!!!"
He hurled it into the main body of the Orc army.
"Boom!!!"
"Aah aah aah!!!"
"Quick, get out of the way!"
The [Black Flame] detonated in the crowd, annihilating hundreds of Orcs in an instant.
Rimuru, floating high above the battlefield, couldn't help but let out an impressed gasp.
'Amazing! Benimaru and the others are even more capable than I imagined! Now then, where exactly is the Orc Lord?'
Just as Rimuru was scanning the battlefield for the Orc Lord, the sky above suddenly darkened as black storm clouds gathered, streaked through with crackling lightning. Fierce winds coiled into tornadoes that swept up every Orc in their path and sent them tumbling into the air. Rimuru turned to Great Sage.
'What is this?'
[Answer: Individual Ranga's large-scale attack skill: [Death Storm].]
'Ah! Really?! Ranga has become this capable too!'
Thinking of Ranga's usual cheerful demeanor, Rimuru never would have imagined that such a terrifying attack had come from him.
"Swish swish swish!"
Streaks of sword light flashed across the battlefield as Hakuro's figure cut rapidly through the Orc ranks. When he finally stilled and sheathed his blades, every Orc behind him spurted blood and crumpled to the ground. Hakuro straightened up with a faint smile on his face and said quietly,
"A fitting stage for Rimuru-sama's grand debut."
Shion looked out at the Orc soldiers still blocking the way, lowered her great sword from her shoulder, and spoke.
"Let us present the first victory report."
She swung a powerful forward slash. Where the sword light passed, Orcs fell dead on the spot, and when the light faded it left a scar dozens of meters long carved into the earth. Shion sheathed her sword and waved happily up at Rimuru in the sky.
"Rimuru-sama!"
Rimuru smiled and waved back, then turned her gaze back to survey the battlefield. The Demon Slayer Corps members were weaving through the Orc army freely with their Breathing Forms. The Goblins, bolstered by their fine equipment, were engaging the Orcs in direct combat, while Benimaru and the others had become the main force driving the Orcs' losses. The number of Orcs on the field was visibly dropping at a staggering rate.
'Come to think of it, the Ogres and the Security Force that Kai-chan trained are genuinely astonishing. The Orcs are being wiped out so fast!'
'Well, that's a good thing. It means the war ends sooner. I wonder how Souei is getting on?'
On the way to the battlefield, they had encountered Gabil's sister, just as in the original story. From her, they learned that Gabil had indeed defected. At her earnest request, Rimuru had assigned Souei to rescue the Lizardmen's leader.
'Oh ho! The Demon Slayer Corps has made remarkable progress. Their bodies have actually been strengthened by this world since arriving here! Could it be that every person who comes from another world receives this kind of benefit?!'
Kaito couldn't hold back his amazement as he watched everyone active on the battlefield through the water mirror.
'System! If the world is out here strengthening everyone else, why wasn't I strengthened too?! Even if my body doesn't get a boost, at least throw me a few skills! I'm not greedy, just give me some of the Seven Virtues skills or something!'
[Host! You have me. Isn't that enough without going around asking the world for handouts?]
[Host, you are a three-dimensional being who has traveled here. The two-dimensional world cannot recognize you properly. In their perception, you register as a jumbled mess.]
'Ha! You could just say "virus", no need to be so evasive about it.'
'Forget it, I'm not going to argue with you. I'm going back to watching the live broadcast.'
With that, Kaito swiped his hand across the water mirror, and Rimuru's figure appeared within it. At that very moment, a giant Orc was stepping to stand before Rimuru…