A figure wearing a ask hopped on his toes, twirling as he sang in a sing-song voice. "Yes! Goodie, good, good! It's going splendidly, wouldn't you agree, Lelmud?"

  "Indeed," the ure replied, his tone measured and posed. He wore a bird-shaped mask and held a crystal ball, his gaze locked onto the swirling images within.

  "Everything is unfolding just as we pnned," the figure tinued, finally stilling as Gelmud observed the battle unfolding ihe crystal ball. Within its depths, Gabiru cshed against the eneral, the struggle intensifying with every passing moment.

  "It won't be long until my child gains plete trol over the forest," Gelmud murmured, a triumphant smirk f beh his mask. "And then my ambitions will finally be under..." He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes snapping toward a sudden green glow illuminating the area a few feet away.

  The figure ceased his twirling immediately. "Who's there?" he asked, his tone losing its pyful lilt.

  The glow dimmed, revealing a figure with flowing green hair, a white and green dress adorned with floating vines. Her eyes, closed in serenity, slowly opened.

  "I am Treyni, a Dryad," she announced, her voice calm yet firm. "And you are trespassers in my forest."

  The took a step back, his hands twitg at his sides. "Oh, this puts a k in our pns," he muttered. "Dryads are the caretakers here."

  Gelmud’s grip tightened on the crystal ball. "Are you serious?" he hissed.

  Treyni's gaze remained unwavering. "For the disruption you have caused, I shall remove you from these woods."

  Gelmud stiffened. "What?"

  Treyni closed her eyes again, raising her arms. "Now...{Spirit Summon: Sylphy}."

  A powerful gust of wind surged through the clearing, spiraling above Treyni as a slim figure with transparent wings emerged from the air itself. The Wind Spirit, Sylphy, floated gracefully beside her, her presence carrying ahereal, almost divine aura.

  "Whoa, now, hold on a sed! 't we talk about this?" the , fidgeted, retreating further.

  Treyni's expression remained impassive. "I will now pass judgment. Pray iance for your sins." She raised her hands. "{Aerial Bde} go!"

  A melodic chorus echoed as Sylphy danced in midair, her movements mesmerizing. But beauty was deceptive, without warning, tless bdes of razor-sharp wind materialized, sshing telmud and the figure.

  Reag swiftly, Gelmud raised a barrier, defleg the onsught. Yet, the barrier was not invulnerable, the figure's arm was severed in an instant.

  "Hey! Lapce, your arm!" Gelmud excimed, horror creeping into his voice as he saw his panion’s missing limb.

  Lapce barely flinched, gripping the bleeding stump. "Tch. e on, dy, you're being irrational," he muttered, shaking his head. "Looks like talking is out. Not that it matters, oals have already been achieved."

  Treyni’s eyes widened slightly.

  Lapce smirked beh his mask. "I guess this means the party’s over." With a flick of his wrist, he revealed several small orbs between his fingers.

  "See you ter!" He smmed the orbs to the ground.

  A thick plume of smoke erupted, engulfing the area. When it cleared, the two figures were gone.

  Treyni exhaled softly, closing her eyes once more.

  "You let them escape. Why?"

  A calm yet questioning voice spoke from behind her.

  Treyni turned, her lips curving into a gentle smile. "Hanae."

  The sed Dryad stepped forward, her gaze lingering on the scorched ground where the battle had takehat was an undesirable oute," she stated pinly.

  Treyni nodded. "Perhaps. But they were not the immediate threat. The Orust be stopped. To that end, I will leave the rest to Rimuru Tempest."

  Hanae frowned slightly, lifting a hand to restore the damaged foliage with a wave of her magic. "Are you sure that’s wise? After everything you just heard them say?" She g her sister. "What exactly are you pnning, Sister?"

  Treyni remained silent, the gentle rustling of the leaves filling the space between them.

  ---

  A se of the vast Orc army had gathered, f a massive circle around the battlefield. Thousands of Orcs stood shoulder to shoulder, watg in silent anticipation.

  Within the circle, Gabiru's forces, stood at attention, their eyes locked onto the duel unfolding before them.

  At the heart of the arena, Gabiru and the eneral cshed in fierbat.

  G!

  "Gah!" Gabiru grunted, his arms trembling as he barely mao block a crushing blow. The sheer force sent him skidding backward, his feet digging into the ground as he struggled to maintain bance.

  Rec swiftly, he leveled his spear at the t general, his determination unwavering.

  With a battle cry, Gabiru eled the magicules within him, his energy surging to the surface. He raised his spear high.

  "{Vortex Crash}!!"

  A massive torrent of water erupted from his spear, coalesg into the shape of a dragon’s maw. The swirling vortex roared forward, seeking to e its target.

  In respohe eneral flexed his massive muscles, swinging his colossal axe in a powerful arc. The force of his strike jured a whirlwind, its spiraling winds tearing toward the ining attack.

  The vortex and the whirlwind collided in an explosive csh, both forces struggling for domihe very air trembled as they tended against each other, until, with a deafening explosion, both attacks dissipated in a shockwave that rippled outward.

  Gabiru braced himself as the impact struck, f him to dig his feet into the marsh to stay upright.

  [Chaos Eater]

  A crimson miasma erupted from the eneral’s body, swirling ominously before maing into three massive, grotesque mouths. With a guttural roar, the spectral jaws shot forward, hungry for flesh.

  Gabiru’s instincts screamed at him, danger!

  He leaped backward just in time, narrowly avoiding the monstrous mouths as they crashed into the ground where he had stood moments before. The very earth was devoured, leaving behind a jagged crater.

  His eyes widened in horror at the sight. "You're trying to eat me?"

  The eneral chuckled darkly. "Do you think you run forever?"

  Gabiru exhaled sharply, l his stan preparation for atack.

  "Sir Gabiru!"

  He gnced back as three of his most loyal subordinates, his ever-faithful panions, called out to him.

  "We’ll help you!" one of them decred, gripping his spear tightly.

  They stepped forward, ready to join the fray.

  "Stay out of this! I'll hahis on my own!" Gabiru anded, raising his arm to halt them.

  The trio gasped, their eyes welling with emotion.

  The pale green-scaled Lizardman ched his fists. "That’s our leader… Gabiru!"

  The dark green Lizardman nodded fiercely. "Gabiru!"

  The blue-scaled Lizardman’s voice trembled with emotion. "Gabiru!"

  Then, as if carried by the very winds of fate, the t began.

  "Gabiru! Gabiru! Gabiru!"

  Lizardmen and goblins alike took up the cry, their voices eg through the battlefield, fueling their leader’s spirit.

  With renewed determination, Gabiru surged forward, his speed blurring as he closed the distahe eneral unleashed his spectral eaters once more.

  Gabiru struck first, sshing through oh a precise sweep of his spear. He narrowly dodged the sed before finding himself ih of the third.

  It struck him hard.

  The impact sent him skidding back, his kting the ground. He coughed, spit flying from his mouth.

  "Gabiru!" his subordinates cried out in arm.

  "This is nothing!" Gabiru growled, f himself upright.

  Without hesitation, he unched himself fain, a blur of motion as he weaved through the battlefield.

  The eneral’s eaters came once more, but this time, Gabiru was faster. He twisted through their grasp, slig one in half before finally breaking through their defenses.

  He lunged forward, spear fshing in a swift, precise strike.

  The eneral reacted on instinct, swinging his massive axe to ter, but he hit nothing.

  Gabiru was gone.

  "What?!" the eneral barked, his eyes darting across the battlefield. Where..?

  A thunderous cry from above drew his attention.

  Gabiru desded like a falling star, his three-pronged spear gleaming as it led his dest.

  G! BOOM!

  The eneral barely mao raise his massive shield in time. The impact was colossal, a shockwave of wind and water erupted outward, sending waves crashing through the battlefield.

  Gabiru's desperate strike had been blocked. The eneral retaliated instantly, swinging his massive axe toward the airborne Lizardman. With no room to dodge, Gabiru raised his arms in a st-ditch effort to block.

  CRASH!

  The sheer force of the impact sent him hurtling toward the ground. He smmed into the marsh with a heavy thud, his spear torn from his grip and cttering away. Water and debris shot into the air as silence fell over the battlefield.

  His three loyal subordinates gasped in horror.

  "Sir Gabiru!" they cried out in despair.

  Their leader… had lost.

  Gabiru groaned, barely able to move as he struggled to lift himself onto his khe eneral strode toward him, each step reverberating through the marsh. T over the defeated Lizardman, he sneered.

  "Pathetic," the general growled. "A lizard, crawling in the dirt, just as it should be." He raised his axe high above his head, its bde gleaming ominously. "Say goodbye!"

  "Noooo!" Gabiru's subordinates screamed, powerless to intervene.

  Gabiru ched his teeth and braced for the end.

  G!

  But the final blow never came.

  Slowly, Gabiru opened his eyes. Standing in front of him was a short figure, barely reag his waist. A goblin? No… the aura emanating from this one was different. More powerful. A Hobgoblin.

  Gabiru squinted in reition. "You… you're the true leader of that weird goblin vilge."

  "Huh?" The hobgoblin turned back with a bewildered expression. "Did he take too many whacks to the head?"

  Gabiru blinked. "Wait… did you e here to save us?" His voice carried a mix of awe and disbelief.

  "That's Gobta," a deep, rumbling voiterjected. "Captain of the Goblin Riders."

  Gabiru turoward the new speaker, a massive wolf with a deep blue coat, a single horn on its forehead, and a star-shaped marking on its fur.

  His eyes widened in reition. "You're that direwolf!"

  The beast exhaled sharply. "My name is Ranga. My master, Rimuru, seo assist you."

  Gabiru's mind raced. "But how did you get here so quickly?"

  Ranga scoffed. "Shadow Movement! Try to pay attention!"

  The eneral, unfazed by the sudden interruptio out a deep chuckle. "Rimuru? Never heard of him." His eyes gleamed with menace as he raised his on once more. "I don’t know who you newers are, but if you get in my way, I'll show you no mercy..."

  Far behind him, a massive transparent dome shimmered ience.

  The eneral hesitated, momentarily distracted. Then, in the blink of an eye..

  BOOM!

  The dome detonated.

  A wave of bck fire erupted outward, engulfing dozens of Or an instant.

  And then..

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  More explosions ignited across the battlefield as additional domes materialized within the Orks, iiire swaths of soldiers in mere moments.

  As the acrid st of burnt flesh filled the battlefield, three figures emerged from the thick smoke, their footsteps steady as they walked past the charred remains of fallen orcs.

  "This is why I told you to move," one of them remarked coldly.

  An orc warrior, trembling with fear, mao stammer, "Who… who are you? What do you want?"

  As the figures stepped into the moonlight, their forms became clear. No longer mere ogres, the three before them had evolved into Kijins, their presence radiating an overwhelming sense of power.

  At the ter stood a tall, red-haired Kijin with two bck horns protruding from his head. He was a regal red and gold robe, fastened by an ornate csp. His eyes remained closed, yet his imposing aura sent a chill through the orcs. This was Benimaru.

  To his left was a striking female Kijin with long, vender-colored hair, dressed in a form-fitting purple battle suit. A single bck horn adorned her head, and at her side rested an enormous bde, its edge gleaming uhe moonlight. This was Shion.

  To his right stood an older Kijin with white, spiky hair, a light-colored outfit with a green scarf draped over his shoulders. His sharp, focused gaze reflected the experience of a seasoned warrior. Hakurou.

  "You’ve fotten us already?" Benimaru asked with disdain, his tone ced with quiet fury. "How rude. After you went and devoured our entire vilge."

  An orc soldier hesitantly spoke up, eyes widening as realization dawned. "Those horns… Are you… Ogres?"

  "Us?" Benimaru's lips curled into a smirk, his crimson eyes opening just enough to reveal a glint of amusement. "No. Perhaps that’s why you fail to remember us."

  He raised his palm, where a swirling mass of dark energy flickered ominously, surrounded by bck fmes that pulsed with malice.

  "The time has e," Hakurou decred, his grip tightening around his staff, ready to draw the bde hidden within.

  "Yes," Shion agreed, a grin f on her lips as she hoisted her massive sword onto her shoulder with ease. "And we should thank Lord Rimuru fiving us this opportunity."

  Benimaru's expression darkened as he lifted his hand higher, the ominous light growing in iy. "I’ll say this once more. You best move out of our way. Unless, of course, you’d rather die an agonizih."

  Without waiting for a response, he swung his arm forward.

  The dark light shot toward the orc soldiers, trailing bck fmes in its wake. One by ohe orcs scrambled to evade, first the closest, then the , and another, until one unfortunate soul failed to move in time.

  In an instant, a massive transparent sphere enveloped them, trapping them within.

  Then, with a deafening roar, the sphere detonated in a cataclysmic explosion of bck fire, ing everything inside.

  Floating in the night sky with bat-like wings spread wide, was a figure with silver-blue hair. Wearing a dark, high-colred outfit with a fluffy scarf ed around their neck. His expression is calm and posed, with his gaze directed downward. A katana is sheathed at his side. "Amazing."

  The sky darkened and massive tornadoes slowly formed from within the clouds as it lowered to the ground.

  Rimuru's eyes widened. 'What the whaaat!!"

  Before him was a stormy sky filled with dark, swirling clouds and multiple t torhe very air is chaotic, with the torwisting violently as they stretch from the sky to the ground. The clouds are heavy and ominous, illuminated by fshes of bck lightning that cast an eerie glow over the se. The sheer number of tornadoes and the turbulent sky create a sense of overwhelmiru and natural fury.

  Thousands of orcs were swept up into the raging storm, their bodies torn apart and obliterated in an instant.

  "Are those... tornadoes?" Rimuru wondered, watg the devastation unfold.

  <>Ahis is the wide-raack of the individual, Ranga. [Death Storm]<>

  "Oh. Sweet." Rimuru nodded in satisfa, his eyes refleg the chaos before him.

  Within the rgest tornado, a certain eneral struggled desperately, his body flung in every dire as he fought to stay scious. "C-Curse you..." he growled, his voice barely audible over the r winds.

  Then, a massive bolt of bck lightning, six feet wide, surged downward like a vengeful god’s judgment, swallowing him whole. His body disied in an instant, reduced to nothing, not even ash remaining.

  Otlefield below, a figure emerged from the shadows of the storm. His fur, now darker and c with crag energy, marked his evolutia, now a Tempest Star Wolf, raised his head high and decred, "Do you see now, filthy orcs? This is but a fra of the power wielded by the one you dared to sider inferior."

  Before him, a massive, sm crater stretched across the battlefield, steam rising from its scorched earth.

  Gobta, standing nearby, swallowed hard. He hesitated before nervously pointing out, "Uhm, Ranga… there’s no oo hear you."

  Ranga huffed, his tail flig. "Exactly."

  High above the battlefield, Rimuru hovered in the sky, surveying the destru left in the wake of the Kiji out a low whistle.

  "Damn… remind me o piss Shion off."

  But before he could dwell ohought, a sudden shift itlefield caught his eye.

  Without warning, aire se of the orc army simply vanished, ed by a searing wall of purple fmes that ignited in a perfect, unbroken lihe inferned with an unnatural iy, its heat so overwhelming that thousands of orcs were reduced to nothing in an instant, leaving behind only scorched earth.

  From within the bzing hellscape, a figure emerged, pletely untouched by the raging fire. The fmes licked at his form as though caressing him, embrag him rather than burning.

  The man had long vender hair that flowed in the flickering light, and a single horn adorned his forehead. His regal purple and silver robe, fastened with an ornate sash, gave him an air of nobility, an undeniable presence of power.

  Rimuru blinked in surprise. "Whoa! Who’s that guy?"

  SaberGlory