"Boom!!"
Unlike the earlier battle where Souka dominated, this time, the Orc Disaster suppressed both girls!
Swish!
With a single slash, Shion severed the ochre ravenous dragon emanating from the Orc Disaster, forcing her and Souka to retreat repeatedly.
There was no other choice... the nature of this thing was peculiar, capable of devouring others' magicules with frightening power.
If it made contact, even the two girls would be at a disadvantage.
"Damn it!"
Frustrating, too frustrating!
In terms of pure combat ability, Shion and Souka didn't fear the Orc Disaster, who merely possessed a vast amount of magicules.
But the Orc Disaster's recovery was absurdly overpowered.
Even if his head was severed, he could regenerate in an instant.
Unless they could crush him in one go, the girls faced an endless war of attrition.
Worse, the Orc Disaster could continue devouring the remaining orcs in the process, further boosting his magicule cap.
"Shion and Souka are on the back foot," Rimuru said, glancing at Damien. "Are you stepping in?"
"Almost time," Damien replied.
He wasn't worried about the girls' safety.
Shion hadn't yet unleashed her true form, nor had Souka used her Dragon Lord transformation.
Only by fully unleashing their power would the girls reveal their true forms.
Even then, they might not be able to kill the Orc Disaster outright.
But defeating and sealing him? That was within reach.
"Hey, Damien, are you serious?" Rimuru's expression shifted. "If you make a move, this entire canyon will be flattened, won't it?"
"You…" Damien sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Do you really think I'm that reckless?"
"Uh…"
Rimuru couldn't shake the image of Damien holding the cosmos in his hand, ready to crush it at any moment.
Compared to that power, the battle between the Orc Disaster and the girls was child's play.
"A mere Orc Disaster," Damien said. "Someone like him doesn't warrant my direct intervention."
"Huh?"
"Pone…"
With a crisp catchphrase, Damien's little bundle of warmth... a starry-eyed girl in a green kimono... appeared behind Shion and Souka.
"Who's this…?"
"Lady Ogerpon?!"
Seeing Ogerpon, Shion immediately ignored the Orc Disaster, joyfully rushing to her side. "Is nee-sama finally making her move?!"
"Mm."
Ogerpon nodded. "Because I received Damien's orders."
"My lord's orders?" Souka overheard, flashing to Ogerpon's side. "May I ask, are you also one of Lord Damien's vassals?"
Yes, vassals!
Unlike others who were merely named, Souka had been formally granted special status as Damien's vassal.
This showed Damien's high expectations for the girl's future.
He had no intention of letting her become a ninja like Souei, as in the original story.
For a girl who could inherit his Dragon Lord factor, Damien wanted to give her far greater treatment.
"Hey there, new little sister!" Ogerpon greeted Souka with a wave, then stepped forward under the latter's astonished gaze, positioning herself in front of the two girls.
In an instant, the towering Orc Demon Lord and the petite Ogerpon formed a stark contrast.
"This…"
Rimuru was concerned. "Is this really okay?"
"Relax, Ogerpon's plenty strong," Damien assured.
"Even if you say that…"
To Rimuru, Ogerpon looked like a middle schooler.
Pitting her against the five-meter-tall Orc Disaster seemed worrying.
"Hm?"
On the other side, Gelmud felt profound humiliation. "Are you sending her to die?"
"Pone?"
Being underestimated made Ogerpon a bit miffed.
She conjured a thorny vine staff in her hand, its emerald glow illuminating the surrounding wetlands, revitalizing the ravaged earth.
"Such immense life force…"
It was Souka's first time seeing Ogerpon, unaware of the girl's strength.
But Shion was Ogerpon's biggest fan.
"Go for it, Ogerpon!"
"Crush him!"
"Onee-sama is awesome!"
"To see nee-sama in action... it's too good to be true!"
"Ogerpon-nee is so cute…"
"…"
Despite the serious battlefield, the atmosphere felt like a fan meet-and-greet, devoid of tension or oppression.
"Enough!!!"
The Oni's blatant disregard infuriated Gelmud.
His gaze toward Ogerpon brimmed with killing intent!
"Weaklings like you should grovel at my feet!"
"I! Am a Demon Lord!!"
"Surpassing Clayman, surpassing all monsters... a true Demon Lord!!!"
Roaring, Gelmud unleashed most of his stored magical power, forming a viscous brown domain around him.
In the next moment, a grotesque crimson-brown ravenous dragon, woven from the flesh of orcs and lizardmen on the ground, soared under Gelmud's control!
"Die, Oni!"
"I, Gelmud, will ascend to the Demon Lord's throne by treading over your flesh!"
"I'll become the strongest Demon Lord in this world!!"
Roaring, Gelmud drove the dragon, seemingly capable of devouring all, toward Ogerpon and the Oni.
Yet, facing this grandiose assault, the Oni didn't even consider moving.
Only Souka quietly gathered her strength, preparing to meet Gelmud's strongest blow.
"This guy talks too much."
Ogerpon tightened her grip on her thorny vine staff and, without using any flashy magic or techniques, delivered a simple, unadorned swing forward.
No dazzling special effects.
No earth-shaking momentum.
But when the thorny vine staff fell, the hundred-meter-long ravenous dragon and the massive Orc Demon Lord Gelmud were torn to shreds by that slender hand!
Thud!
The staff struck the ground.
Ripples spread across the wetlands, starting from Ogerpon.
Boom~~~
An invisible force, ignoring the orcs and lizardmen in the wetlands, surged toward the towering cliff ahead.
Splash~~
The next moment, as the Orc Demon Lord's broken body hit the ground, the mist over the entire wetland dissipated instantly.
At the same time, a shocking sight met Souka's eyes.
To the west of the forest wetland, the once-standing cliff had vanished.
In its place was a flat passage, thousands of meters wide.
***
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