Chapter 346: Apex Predator
Chapter 346
Apex predator
Among the warlords leading factions in the Great Forest, a considerable number were one-armed. They were those who could make the judgment to “sacrifice an arm” at the critical moment.
“Kuaaah!”
The orc captain had now also earned the “Wise Survivor” achievement. But the crisis wasn’t over yet.
Between the camouflage leaves, the white lion’s staring eyes locked onto the orc captain. Directly below was a mouth gaping open, baring four fangs.
Chomp!
The orc captain, neck bitten, couldn’t even scream. His neck muscles were as thick as an average human’s leg, but one of the fangs had pierced his windpipe.
As the orc captain collapsed, blood spurting from his neck, screams erupted from all sides.
“Captain!”
“The captain is dead!”
“Shut up! From now on, I’m the captain!”
But the second-in-command, burning with ambition, stepped forward immediately, so the morale-decrease effect was minimal. Since they followed the logic of the strongest surviving absolutely, a capable second-in-command ensured swift succession of the chain of command.
“Stupa! Kill those mounted snake bastards! Then I’ll let you eat the old chief’s wife and children!”
The underground troll, delighted by the new leader’s reward promise, charged.
The former chief’s mate was pregnant and always tasted the hunt first, so she was well-nourished. The underground troll’s mouth watered with anticipation of a rare delicacy hard to come by.
“Javelins ready! Javelins from position!”
At Eugene’s shout, the knights drew throwing javelins.
Grooooo-!
The underground troll had already approached too close for a horse-powered throw. But the knights rode Mightbred Chargers.
The Shadow Legion’s treasure. These bloodlines, aiming for the legendary World Charger, were not merely strong. They could perform high-level combat support that other horses couldn’t achieve.
“Hasta!”
The riders shouted the command word, showed the javelin beside the horse’s head, then pulled the reins backward.
The Mightbred Chargers reared up, shifting their weight backward. The knights, bodies tilted diagonally rearward, put maximum tension on their javelin arms. Then, adding the rearing horse’s force to the thrust, they threw forward.
Shhhhiiiik!
The threatening sound of air splitting made the underground troll flinch, but it was too late to dodge. A moment later, a pain-filled wail shook the Dark Forest.
“What’s so tough about that?”
“Is that really a troll?”
It delivered a considerable wound but didn’t end its life. Still, two javelins that pierced the underground troll’s knees and thighs halted its approach.
“Subspecies. And another subspecies. The world is wide and species are diverse.”
Eugene threw his javelin. The preceding throws had been setup for the most powerful strike.
Shiiiiiiiing!
The javelin pierced the underground troll’s collarbone and grazed its heart. It tried to pull the javelin out while coughing blood, but the harder it pulled, the thicker the blood flowing from its mouth.
Tremble tremble.
After repeating the cycle of pulling and coughing blood several times…
“Gueaaaah…”
With a brief last will, it collapsed.
Puuuuu!
And the Britannia knight order arrived.
“They’re desert orcs! They’re no pushovers, be careful!”
A knight who had operated in Samur shouted.
“This is a forest.”
“Forest orc or desert orc! Either way, it means troublesome variants!”
The trivial exchange was buried in the charge war cry.
“For Britannia!”
“Yaaaaah!”
Eugene, preparing a flanking charge with his retainers, thought.
‘Each nation’s charge cry is different.’
The cries of thousands might seem identical, but they were subtly distinguishable. Roman, Varcia, Gord, Samur, Midgard – each had its own resonance.
Of those, Eugene liked Britannia’s cry the best.
“The ground is shaking! The ground is shaking!”
“Iron masses are coming!”
The orc warriors, who had faced even beastkin without flinching, were frightened and began to flee.
Those who had lived only in the Great Forest had no experience fighting heavily armored knights. They mistakenly believed the approaching knights were equivalent to Eugene’s group who had just crushed them.
Even if they had fought back, the result would have been annihilation, but striking the backs of fleeing enemies was far easier.
Crack!
Eugene struck the underground troll’s neck to confirm the kill.
“No prisoners. Any orc with an intact neck above – stab or cut, finish them properly.”
Dismounting from Might, Eugene approached the druids.
“Thank you for your help. I’m Albi, the one responsible for Camp Whiskey. You’re not Lantzheim knights?”
The druid chief, reverting from his white lion transformation, spoke.
“We came from Britannia.”
“…Yes?”
Even Albi, called the wisest warrior, couldn’t help but be flustered at this moment.
*
The current elf king Ostir was no brilliant ruler, but neither was he a coward. He knew that remaining safely in the capital Elenost was the lowest of the low.
“Any movement from the dryad village?”
“None. They’re indifferent to anything outside their own village, so they won’t know what’s happening out here. Unless the invaders send someone to make contact.”
“We must absolutely block it! Contact must never be established!”
“Understood.”
Ostir had long expected Valda’s visit would come someday. But he had imagined it as a secret pilgrimage under moonlight. He had considered which direction she might enter from, but never the scale of her party.
He never imagined she would come married to a human king, accompanied by his army.
The forest was in unprecedented danger. Eugene and Valda were touring the outer regions, winning over villages. Ostir also had to demonstrate something as king.
“God Paelon. I’ve arrived with 200 warriors in response to your summons.”
“Thank you, Lord Paelon. You came at just the right time. Under normal circumstances, we would have met sharing flower wine at the festival, but with the situation as it is, I’m afraid.”
“This forest is our last remaining home. United under the king’s name, what enemy could we fail to defeat?”
Ostir patted the Fire Tribe chief’s shoulder with satisfaction. The elf warriors he had summoned were gathering from all over.
“Lord Tarion. How many years has it been since the last forest worm subjugation? What kept you so busy?”
“Working hard to keep the forest managed so not a single goblin could slip through to Elenost.”
“I promise. The one we’ll catch this time is big, so you won’t miss it.”
Outside nations claimed authority by touting their descent from the ancient kingdom. Therefore, they also inherited the five-rank peerage system used at the time.
But the elves had no reason to follow that method and developed their own unique governing structure.
Living in a dangerous environment meant the gathering of strength was crucial, and with that came centralization, building powerful royal authority.
By the Third Era, they had developed a unique system of appointing officials and generals centered on the king and court. Having local chieftains was something they couldn’t help.
“Your Majesty. The centauresses have announced they will refuse to join.”
“Hmph! Cowards.”
Most elves responded to the king’s call, but the smaller forces they cooperated with showed passive reactions. The opponents being dragons, this was unsurprising.
“It doesn’t matter. They’re only good for bullying goblins and orcs. They’re useless against a true enemy.”
“Forgive my boldness, Your Majesty. The threat we now face is unlike anything since we settled the forest. We should rightfully join hands with the outer villages as well.”
“Damn it.”
Ostir covered his face.
‘If only it weren’t for that damn dragon, by now…’
In the past, Ostir had maintained the attitude that outer villages who “consorted with humans” were shameful.
But as his reign continued and experience accumulated, and thanks to Royal Tutor Lasrandir’s persistent teaching, his thinking changed.
-Lasrandir. Is there even now a way for me to take in the outer villages?
-You cannot imagine how long I’ve waited to hear that.
The trade bases were too valuable to neglect out of pride, as his father and grandfather had done.
But this kind of realization always came too late. With the dragon rampaging through the forest and monsters running wild, he had to fix this situation first before attempting anything.
“Don’t they know how the Rhine Alliance or whatever thinks of me? If I order a mobilization now, they’ll look at me like a tyrant.”
“Their thoughts don’t matter. We just need them to search and fight. We’re short a warrior, aren’t we? If you explain properly, they’ll understand the need for cooperation.”
“Rejected. They’ve gone their own way for too long. Even if we band together now, we’d only interfere with each other.”
Ostir judged that until the dragon was defeated, he had to handle things with only those who followed him.
-Your Majesty. The neutral villages belonging to the Rhine Alliance should be considered under the influence of an external army.
-If their armies mix, who knows what side effects might occur. At some point, chieftains might appear who refuse Your Majesty’s orders…
Elves were the most stubborn race in the world. As if everyone carried a huge lock in their hearts.
But that lock opened simply before the key called bloodline. Right now, Valda was a being as contagious as an epidemic from Ostir’s perspective.
He could easily imagine the chieftains and elite warriors he had carefully cultivated turning to the princess’s gaze and voice one by one.
-That’s an overreaction.
-Respectfully but frustratingly, Lasrandir. This time I’m right.
The powerful existence called a dragon was indeed a great crisis of Ostir’s reign.
“If we can’t prevent her from coming anyway…”
But on the other hand, it could also be an opportunity.
‘The one who defeated the dragon and saved the Great Forest.’
Claiming this title and confronting boldly was one method. He couldn’t hand over a throne inherited through generations while watching helplessly.
While Ostir prepared to march, the wives brought by the chieftains requested an audience.
“I’m still afraid.”
“Please look after my husband.”
Worried about their husbands going to fight a terrifying monster.
“The kings of Elenost have repelled countless threats until now. I too led an army and defeated a sandworm.”
“I don’t mean to contradict Your Majesty, but… the opponent is a terrifying dragon.”
“Surpassing that fear is what’s important. Sometimes the fear an enemy inspires is a more troublesome fight than the enemy itself.”
With a retainer’s help donning armor, Ostir received the Aether sword and fastened it at his waist.
“I am not afraid. I will drive out the dragon and bring peace to the forest.”
He lightly pulled the sword hilt. The brilliant blade emerging from the scabbard bestowed greater courage.
‘I am the king.’
Thus, the dragon subjugation force led by Ostir departed, seeing off by the elves.
*
In the vast Great Forest, countless bosses existed. The loss of an orc warrior captain would go unnoticed.
The dragon’s appearance had collapsed the forest’s order, but simultaneously created many opportunities. Powerful monsters fought for better hunting grounds or tribal unification.
In this dense forest, the underground troll triplet brothers cooking a meal were well-known strongmen in the area.
“Ughhhh. The smell of fat burning is unbearable.”
A bugbear, quartered, roasted over a large bonfire.
“Make the fire stronger!”
“Stronger? Then it’ll burn.”
“Bugbeers are like that.”
The eldest, adding more firewood, spoke.
“If you roast it normally when it’s all fat, it shrinks completely.”
Ssssss.
The snow-white meat legs yellowed and hardened in the fire pit.
“If you sear the outside like this, the juices don’t leak out and it cooks from inside.”
“Ooooh! As expected of big brother!”
Pleased by his brothers’ praise, the eldest gritted his teeth toward the Dark Forest.
“But where’s that damn youngest?! Working under orcs! The shameless fool.”
The eldest grumbled. Actually, there had been four brothers, but the youngest, who had mental problems, left for the Dark Forest.
“He likes being led by someone smarter.”
“I’m smart! I can roast meat well and lead just fine, what’s the problem?”
The eldest pounded his chest.
“That orc boss can count using only fingers.”
“…Impressive.”
The eldest deflated at the second brother’s words.
It was unprecedented for four underground trolls to be born from one mother. Though the mother died when her abdomen tore during childbirth, the brothers survived on her meat and lucky catches.
Once they became adults, four underground trolls traveling together had nothing to fear. The eldest felt like a king, living large.
That was why the youngest leaving was heartbreaking. The three brothers still combined for great power, but there was a significant difference from when there were four.
Boom!
This happened when ettins appeared, drooling over their carefully prepared food. Ettins rivaled mountain ogres and were not to be trifled with even by the underground troll brothers.
If all four brothers had been present, they could have surrounded and attacked from all sides, but three-sided encirclement was the limit. This alone couldn’t guarantee victory.
“Half. Of the food. Hand it over. Then. I’ll. Go.”
“Half! Give it! Half! Give it!”
The left head, responsible for intellect, spoke, and the right head, responsible for emotion, shouted along.
The ettin’s body control was fully exercised by the right head. Simple and violent, it had fewer stray thoughts and quick judgment, making it naturally suited for physical work.
The left head, lacking body control, concentrated all nerves and neurons on cognitive function. As a result, it possessed wisdom surpassing most humans and even wielded shamanic magic – an extraordinary feat.
Thanks to this, it was mentioned as one of the few monsters that could contend with ogres, rated the strongest among medium monsters.
“Delicious parts. You. Take. I. Like. Brains. You. Don’t. Hate heads?”
The ettin’s left head didn’t simply try to take the meat but mentioned preference differences, attempting negotiation.
“Brains! Stink! Bad!”
“Quiet. Do it. I’m. Talking.”
“Quiet. Will do.”
Interestingly, the right head with 100% body control was obedient to the left head. In a way, it was rational.
An ettin that was both strong and smart survived better than one that was strong and stupid. Ettins that ignored the left head’s words in the survival competition had all gone extinct.
“What else do you need besides heads?”
The underground troll eldest seemed inclined toward reaching an agreement. If he could protect the delicious parts and avoid a fight…
But today luck didn’t seem to favor them. Another uninvited guest arrived at this location.
Krrrrr-.
A basilisk revealed itself from the flank of the standoff between underground trolls and the ettin. A fat, short-legged quadrupedal lizard flicked its tongue repeatedly.
The rich smell of fat from roasting the bugbear had drawn nearby predators here.
Most had given up upon seeing the underground troll brothers, but the basilisk, classified as a large-monster gatekeeper, had nothing to fear.
“Damn it.”
The eldest contorted his face. This was all due to the habit from their four-brother days of “Who dares defy us?!” Acting tough. They should have cooked more cautiously.
Suddenly, a three-way brawl among the area’s hooligans was formed.
Ssssss-!
Hssss-!
Though appearing dignified, the basilisk also had no desire to fight. In the wild, even a small wound could lead to death, and both the underground troll brothers and the ettin were formidable opponents.
“What are you doing?”
“C-c-can’t let the meat burn.”
While everyone engaged in a staring contest, the third brother timidly flipped the meat.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle.
A standoff filled only with heavy breathing and drooling sounds.
The basilisk moved first. Unlike the underground trolls or ettin, it was merely a beast without intelligence. It couldn’t resist the temptation of the sizzling fat.
“Kill! Lizard! Kill! Lizard!”
The ettin’s right head threatened, tapping its huge club against its palm.
Thud.
The advancing basilisk stopped.
“Hahahaha!”
At the retreating basilisk, the ettin’s right head was delighted. Having one’s strength acknowledged by an enemy was an intense pleasure that even suppressed appetite.
But the basilisk hadn’t retreated because of the ettin’s threat. The giant lizard’s gaze slowly began to rise.
Behind the ettin.
Higher than the ettin’s heads.
“Uh…”
“Uwaah…”
“Haa…”
The underground troll triplet brothers were the same.
GRRRRRHHHHHHHHH………
A terrifying growl never heard before in their lives.
The ettin’s heads subtly glanced at each other.
“Kill!”
“Kuaaaah-!”
The ettin swung its huge club in a sudden turn. But the attack cut only air, and what entered the ettin’s eyes was a massive foot.
Crash!
The ettin’s body was driven into the ground as if buried.
“Kuek-!”
“Waek-!”
One of the two heads vomited stomach acid, the other blood. The ettin thrashed desperately, but the giant theropod’s foot didn’t budge.
The dragon, revealing its form between the trees, looked down on everyone with arrogance.
*
The heart of the forest was a treasure containing condensed fragments of nature’s memories. Having consumed it, Homi could absorb the struggle memories that insects, birds of prey, and fierce beasts had refined since ancient times into her martial arts.
In contrast, the dragon had been granted an authority incomparable to the heart of the forest.
Mother Nature’s evolutionary information, collected from countless creatures. It contained that essence within its body.
“Monster!”
The ettin, sensing inescapable death, screamed.
The dragon’s hide was pale gray, remarkably covered in countless interlocking hexagonal patterns. Nature’s most formidable armor protected her.
The gaping maw plucked the ettin’s heads like grapes.
Squelch.
Puuuuuush!
The left head vanished, and blood gushed from the neck stump like a fountain.
“Hiiiii-! Heeeeeeek-!”
The right head streamed tears and snot.
The clever brother who always knew the answers was gone, leaving it alone. Overwhelmed by the fear that it would soon meet the same fate, it couldn’t gather its wits.
“Brother. Maybe we should run now…”
Following the second brother’s whisper, the underground troll triplet brothers carefully backed away.
“…”
“…”
“…”
But the three could only walk a short distance before stopping. Burning vertical pupils were glaring at them.
‘If we move now, we die.’
That thought pierced the three brothers’ brains.
Grrrr-.
But the basilisk, being merely a beast, saw its chance and tried to flee. The dragon gave chase with a roar that tore through the air.
Freed from the crushing foot, the ettin looked at the dragon’s retreating back with joy. In the hope of survival, as it tried to rise, a massive object dropped from above.
It was the dragon’s tail. Bones fused and fused again, transformed into a hammer-like appendage, the dragon’s tail struck the ettin’s heads.
Crunch!
The ettin’s skull shattered, and brain matter and blood splattered everywhere.
Thump.
The two legs that had shot upward from the impact fell lifelessly to the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each time the giant theropod predator ran, the ground shook. How had such a noisy creature approached silently? The troll brothers were driving themselves crazy with curiosity.
Krrrrr-.
The basilisk gave up fleeing and turned. Judging from the footsteps growing ever closer from behind, it realized it would be caught at this rate.
The basilisk launched a body tackle using its low center of gravity. Since the enemy walked on two legs, aiming for the shins or knees could overcome the size difference. Even if it couldn’t win, damaging mobility would buy time to escape.
But in tactical thinking, the dragon was far superior. Its cunning vertical pupils spotted the ground covered with leaves and dirt.
Whoosh!
A mound of earth exploded toward the charging basilisk. With vision pressed close to the ground, everything was obscured in an instant.
When vision recovered, the basilisk looked at the empty space ahead and flinched.
GRRRHHH….
The dragon’s breath came from the side. The basilisk had been the one tackled.
After rolling about twice, the basilisk struggled upright. But the dragon was already at its rear.
Swish!
Swish!
The dragon’s foreclaw slashed twice, and the basilisk collapsed. Severed hind leg tendons and shredded muscle gushed blood.
Unlike fairy tale dragons, real dragons had no wings. Instead, they wielded perfectly developed forelegs and hands with dexterity.
The dying basilisk squeezed out its final strength, unleashing a petrification curse.
“Br-brother.”
“It’s work…ing?”
“Huh?”
The underground troll brothers cheered at the dragon turning dark gray, but quickly fell silent.
The spreading gray wave subsided, and the dragon shook its head as if nothing had happened.
Skin hardening was also an authority the dragon possessed. Due to its alien mechanism, it only needed a few seconds to dispel.
Kuuuuuuu-!
The overturned basilisk screamed. The dragon’s claws were savaging its exposed belly. That was the price for daring to challenge the king of kings.
“Run!”
“…!”
The underground troll eldest didn’t miss the final opportunity. In place of their hurried flight, only the charred bugbear meat remained.
*
“We too are willing to join. The forest is now filled with chaos, and what we need is strength and order.”
“Thank you, Chief Albi.”
“Just call me Albi, Your Majesty.”
The Eugene party, returning to Camp Whiskey, was welcomed by the druids.
“With the king leading the army and the princess uniting the forest’s residents, could anything be better?”
The druids were the forest’s widest-ranging scouts. They therefore possessed maps perfectly suited to Eugene’s needs.
“So the dragon really existed.”
“Unfortunately, yes. Spotted here, and here. This is the cause of the forest’s monsters going on rampages, straying from their territories.”
Albi’s fingers pointed to various locations on the map. Fortuitously, they were far from the outer villages.
“If it maintains this path, the dragon will sweep through the elf villages?”
“That’s why Ostir could mobilize his army so easily. If they don’t band together, who knows how many villages will be destroyed.”
For Ostir, this was a mix of fortune and misfortune in many ways. Eugene tapped the map with his index finger, lost in thought.
‘What do I do with this?’
1. Secure more neutral villages, grow the army, and establish additional supply lines.
2. Use this opening to visit the dryad village and rebuild the alliance. Borrow their wisdom in communicating with the forest.
3. Advance immediately, hoping Ostir’s army engages the dragon in battle. Then aim to reap the spoils of their conflict.
A king was always at a crossroads of choice. Countless lives’ outcomes were determined by that choice.
All eyes in the council tent converged on the pondering Eugene.
His beloved wife, loyal subordinates, dependable friends, and everyone else who comprised his life.
Whatever judgment he made, they would remain with the king until the end.