Chapter 213: Gather Them All
In the heart of the Ogres’ Nation, within the stark, brutalist hall of the royal castle, King Chad sat on his throne. His immense, muscular frame seemed to shrink under the weight of his crown. His expression was heavy, a thick mixture of anxiety and calculated self-preservation. The impending war with Eldoria was a tangible pressure.
"My King!" The Advisor rushed forward, his breath ragged. "The troops are ready. They await your command."
Chad remained silent. His brother’s parting instruction: ’wait for me, don’t do anything rash—’ felt useless now.
That was yesterday, a lifetime ago. He let out a deep, rattling sigh. ’We have no control over this issue anymore. Kings have to make difficult decisions in hard times,’ he rationalized, conveniently forgetting that his own corruption had created the crisis. His priority was survival, not the fate of his race.
He finally looked up at the Advisor. "Get them lined up... At the military ground."
"Um... Ok, my King." The advisor, confused by the sudden change from defensive mobilization to a mere parade formation, nodded and turned to leave. He froze mid-step.
Standing in the doorway, radiating an unnatural cold, were Shadow Eyes and Xanor.
"What’s your decision, my King?" Shadow Eyes asked, her voice like silk drawn over ice, her smile not reaching the chilling crimson of her eyes.
Chad stared at the two beings—the Succubus and Wolf—hesitating only for a moment. Then, he gave a slow, self-serving nod.
"Ok... I agreed."
"What?" The Advisor whirled back to Chad, his shock and disbelief tearing through his professional composure.
"My... My King?! You are abandoning your own people?"
"The God Wolf is after my head," Chad explained, his voice low and fearful. "I know him. He won’t wipe out our race; the Immortal Council won’t let him. And since they can’t go against him, they’ll suggest he kill the ones involved. He will surely kill me."
"But... but giving our soldiers to... to them??" The Advisor gestured wildly at the two conspirators. "How will that help us?"
"The Wendigos might have a way to strengthen us all," Chad said, trying to convince himself as much as the Advisor.
"Then, we’ll come back and deal with God Wolf when we’re stronger." He slowly rose to his feet, a huge, fear-driven Ogre abandoning his responsibility.
"Are you guys going to make the soldiers stronger?" The Advisor demanded, turning to Shadow Eyes and Xanor, a desperate defiance in his eyes.
WHOOSH!
It was a flicker of motion too fast for the eye to track. Xanor materialized directly in front of the Advisor, the distance closed with impossible speed. A dark, ornate bloody dagger was now held loosely in his hand.
The King gasped, stumbling back. "You?! What did you do?!!"
The Advisor’s huge body dropped with a sickening thud onto the stone floor, a crimson fountain momentarily flowing from a neat slice across his neck. He was dead before he hit the ground.
"He asked too many questions," Xanor said, his tone utterly calm, devoid of remorse or excitement. "I had to shut him up."
"Ok! But do you have to kill him?!" Chad yelled, his voice laced with terror and outrage.
Xanor frowned, spinning the bloody dagger with practiced ease. "Someone is still asking questions."
Seeing the subtle threat, Chad quickly shook his head. "No. No... I only have one." He took a ragged exhale, forcing his fear down.
"What will you do to my soldiers?"
"Take us to them, and see for yourselves," Shadow Eyes commanded, her gaze fixed on the King.
"Fine... Come with me." Chad was defeated. He paused, looking down at his loyal Advisor’s body. "What about...?"
Shadow Eyes sighed in profound annoyance at the logistics of disposal. She snapped her fingers. The Advisor’s body, and the pooling blood, instantly shattered into fine dust, which was then swept away by an invisible current and vanished.
"Done. No one will know now, right?" she asked, her patience clearly spent.
"Um... Ok." Chad was terrified, but he maintained a veneer of kingship, leading the two dark figures out to the massive military training ground.
_
The training ground was a vast, packed earth field where three hundred thousand soldiers—the entirety of the Ogre’s standing army—stood rigidly in formation.
On the official National Strength Ranking Board, the Ogre Nation recently fell to the bottom tier. Their historical ranking of top eight had been eclipsed. They were now the weakest nation, surpassed by the Beastify Nation, which had experienced a sudden, violent surge in power and technology.
"These are your total soldiers?" Shadow Eyes asked, her voice tight with a deep, insulting frown. The number was pathetic.
"Hahaha! And you wanted to fight the God Wolf with these numbers?" Xanor burst out laughing, turning to Chad with contemptuous amusement.
"The strongest among them is only a peak stage Heavenly Rank warrior! With one howl from Josephine, they’ll all lose their minds and kill each other."
"What are you talking about?" Chad asked, the confusion on his face genuine.
Shadow Eyes took a decisive step forward, planting herself before the army.
"Josephine, the God Wolf’s spouse, has a skill that can turn anyone weaker than her into mindless puppets," she explained, looking at Chad over her shoulder:
"She is a one-woman army. In a simpler form, even if you had one million soldiers, who were all below the Divine Rank, you would still lose before her."
Her voice turned dangerously cold. "She will turn your fighters into her mindless puppets who will only listen to her orders."
"You speak like you have experienced it," Chad observed, staring at her back, his mind processing the sheer horror of the threat.
"Of course," Xanor answered simply. "We have experienced it."
"Ok. So what now?" Chad asked, the last vestiges of his royal pride fading. "These are my soldiers—"
"—How many Ogres are in your nation?" Shadow Eyes cut him off, her gaze fixed not on him, but on the silent, unaware army.
"Umm... A million plus, why?" Chad asked, surprised by the sudden census query.
"Send words out," Shadow Eyes commanded, her voice ringing with absolute authority.
"All able men and women should gather here. Any kid from 17, and any elderly below 60, should also gather. I want all of them here before 7 PM today."
She looked at Chad, her crimson eyes burning with a terrifying ambition. "We will be back. Make sure they are ready before then."
Without another word, Shadow Eyes vanished.
Chad blinked and turned to Xanor, only to find he was gone as well. He was left alone with his three hundred thousand soldiers and a nightmare command.
"I don’t have a choice," he whispered to himself, staring at the vast formation of troops he had just signed away.