The power of devoured comrades shall be used by me!
The power of devoured prey shall belong to me!
Ravaging everything!
Ravaging everything!
...The boundless Hoghead Army continued to advance.
Their eyes gleamed with a murky light.
Everything before them was food.
When a comrade fell, the surrounding Hogheads immediately swarmed over.
That was delicious food; that was the source of power.
Crunch! Crunch!
The sound of chewing flesh blanketed the surroundings, making one's skin crawl.
Endless hunger forced them to keep moving forward.
Due to hunger, the combat power of the Hoghead Army actually surged higher and higher.
After nearly a month of devouring, the Hogheads, who were originally only D-rank, had grown into a terrifying army.
Almost all of the two hundred thousand soldiers had C+ strength, and some had even reached B- or even B-rank.
One must know that back then, an ordinary Ogre was only B-rank.
At that time, there were only three hundred of them, yet they were already a top-tier tribe in the forest.
But as for the Hogheads, there were now at least three or four thousand at that level, and the number was rapidly increasing; it was simply appalling.
Not only that, many individuals among them had successfully evolved into Pig-Headed Generals, reaching the A- rank in strength.
At this moment, the Hoghead Army was rampaging through the forest, invincible and unstoppable.
Mare moved silently through the shadows of the Hoghead Army, absorbing the experience points gained along the way for free.
He liked this mission very much.
Watching the monsters being devoured bit by bit by the Hogheads, hearing the shrill screams coming from them.
That feeling, that atmosphere.
It was truly wonderful beyond words.
Ahead of the army was a wide wetland; before long, they would be able to eat delicious food again... Nighttime, somewhere in the forest.
"Where is this...?"
Gabiru woke up from unconsciousness to see his familiar subordinates before him.
"Lord Gabiru, you're finally awake!"
One subordinate said excitedly.
Events from before flashed through his mind, and Gabiru sprang to his feet with a kip-up.
"That's right... the Slime!"
At this point, Gabiru's subordinates began to boil with righteous indignation.
"Dammit! That person actually disguised themselves as a Slime to ambush Lord Gabiru; how despicable!"
"Exactly! Otherwise, how could Lord Gabiru have lost!"
"So treacherous!"
"..."
Gabiru: "Eh?"
As if they were telling the truth, Gabiru was influenced by his subordinates and seemed to accept this version of facts.
"Well, after all, it was my own carelessness."
"What magnanimity!"
"As expected of Lord Gabiru!"
"Oh my, Gabiru is so cool!"
"Hehe, I'm just... who are you!"
Mid-sentence, Gabiru pointed at a clown-like man who had blended into the crowd.
"Ah, my name is Laplace. I am an envoy of Lord Gelmud, sent specifically to warn you."
Laplace, wearing a clown mask, gave an exaggerated bow.
Laplace: The Wonder Clown, Vice President of the Neutral Clowns, and the big brother of Clayman The Marionette Master.
Upon hearing the name of Lord Gelmud, who had named him, Gabiru became somewhat excited.
"So you are an envoy of Lord Gelmud. I wonder what message Lord Gelmud asked you to bring?"
"Oh dear, oh dear, things have become complicated now."
Laplace gave a strange, clown-like laugh.
"This time, the Hoghead Army is led by a Pig-Headed Emperor."
"Pig-Headed Emperor?!"
"Although the Lizardmen chief is a remarkable person, he is old after all. To be honest, this matter might be a bit beyond your father's capabilities."
Gabiru understood the meaning contained in Laplace's words.
"I originally planned to inherit the position of chief after repelling the Hogheads, but now it seems there's no time left!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Gabiru immediately mounted his crawling lizard. "Excellency Laplace, I'm afraid I don't have time for pleasantries now, I..."
"It's fine, it's fine. You're heading back to the wetlands, right? Hurry back, don't mind me."
"Many thanks!"
With that, Gabiru led his subordinates to return in triumph, and even stopped by the Goblin villages to bring seven or eight thousand Goblin warriors back with him.
Watching Gabiru's departing back, the corners of Laplace's mouth curled up slightly.
"Heh, what an easily fooled idiot."
"The matters here are mostly settled. I heard that fellow Clayman is preparing to stir up a war."
"That guy is being too reckless; I'd better go and advise him."
After saying that, Laplace turned and vanished into the darkness... On the other side, Souei arrived at the wetlands via spatial movement.
After activating Magic Perception, he quickly found his target.
After a few teleports, he burst into the great hall of the Lizardmen Tribe.
Under the pressure of Souei's powerful aura, the talks went very smoothly.
Because of the Lizardmen's racial traits, they held a massive advantage in the wetlands.
Both sides agreed that when the Hoghead Army reached the wetlands, the Lizardmen would break through from inside the Hoghead Army while Rimuru's reinforcements would cut in from the outside.
Because everyone was well aware of the Pig-Headed Emperor's traits, there could not be a single casualty before the final battle.
This would effectively prevent the Hogheads from evolving the racial traits of the Lizardmen; otherwise, the geographical advantage of the wetlands would cease to exist.
After everything was settled, Souei returned to Goblin Town and informed Rimuru of the matter.
Having received an affirmative response, and after two days of preparation.
Rimuru brought the fifty Wolf Riders led by Gobta, as well as the hundred members of the Ogre Race led by Benimaru and Shiro.
The group rushed toward the wetlands in the center of the forest.
As for Souei, due to his speed, he had already headed to the battlefield ahead of time with his subordinates.
At this time, the vanguard of the Hogheads had already arrived at the wetlands and begun attacking the labyrinth-like caves beneath them.
The Lizardman Chief, experienced and seasoned, used the interconnected maze of caves to engage in guerrilla warfare with the Hoghead Army.
They completely wiped out the Hogheads' vanguard with zero casualties!
Until four days later.
Gabiru's arrival brought a turning point to the Hogheads' situation in the war.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"