"Rumble~"
More and more Insect Monsters were gathering in the distance.
Rin hesitated.
Even if they were anime characters, the Ogre clan was known for being loyal and straightforward. Helping them would only bring benefits, not trouble.
But letting Ogerpon dive into a fight this chaotic...
Suddenly, Rin felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down.
Ogerpon's eyes were full of fighting spirit.
"You want to fight?"
She nodded. Rin could see the sense of recognition in her gaze as she looked at the Ogres.
"Kindred spirit?"
"I see."
After evolving within the Cardinal World, Ogerpon had become part of the Elemental Spirit Race.
Rin suspected this race was closely related to the Ogre tribe, perhaps a homologous offshoot.
For the usually solitary Ogerpon, meeting others with a similar aura stirred something inside her.
She wanted to help them.
"Alright."
Rin quickly formed a plan. "Don't get drawn into prolonged combat. Lead them out of the encirclement. I'll cover you from the rear."
"Pon!"
Ogerpon nodded firmly and leapt from the tree.
Meanwhile, the Ogre unit encircled by Insect Monsters was in dire straits.
"Damn it!"
"These disgusting insects are being led by something!"
The red-haired Benimaru slashed a centipede-type monster in half, then immediately retreated to rejoin his companions.
"That thing's underground. We can't force it out."
The blue-skinned ogre, agile and sharp, darted between their wounded, blocking blows and plugging gaps in the defense line.
Their 40-man team was down to 28.
Twelve had already died.
For an Ogre village of around 300, losing twelve prime warriors was a devastating blow.
Even though the Ogre clan was entirely combat-capable, only about 200 could reach true B-rank strength.
Children and elders could only manage C+ rank at best.
Of course, rank was just rank.
Magicules represented a monster's overall life level.
But a high magicule count didn't necessarily mean stronger combat ability.
Take Ogerpon for example.
With over 8000 magicules, she was technically mid-to-late B-rank.
Among the Ogres present, Benimaru, Souei, and Shion probably had only a thousand or two less than her.
But the gap in combat power?
Massive.
This 40-man Ogre unit, with an average B-rank evaluation, would get wiped out in a direct fight against Ogerpon.
That was how wide the skill gap was.
Ogerpon had at least 30 spells derived from Pokémon abilities.
Melee, ranged, defense, recovery, support, transformation...
And that didn't even include her innate Unique Skill, Destroyer.
If she went all out and dropped a Seed Bomb, the Ogres would have no choice but to dodge.
If they got hit, they'd either die or be crippled.
Any monster with a Unique Skill had the potential to reach Special A-rank.
A Unique Skill was essentially a Demon Lord seed.
"Haa... Haa..."
The purple-haired, one-horned female ogre—Shion—swung her giant cleaver and cut down a beetle-like Insect Monster, shielding the pink-haired princess, Shuna.
"Are you alright?"
Shuna quickly conjured fire magic, releasing a massive fireball.
"Big brother, I have enough magicules left to cast one more big illusion."
As the village's shamaness, Shuna was one of the few Ogres capable of casting spells.
She was positioned in the rear, protected by the others as she provided support and healing.
"There's too many."
Shion gritted her teeth. "These bugs keep coming. We kill one wave and another follows!"
"We can't hold out much longer…"
Benimaru was frustrated. He knew that with their current numbers, they couldn't break through the insect nest.
Their best bet was to retreat, report back, and return with reinforcements to wipe out this pest nest.
"Watch out!!"
Suddenly, Shion yanked Shuna to her side.
A mosquito-like monster, grotesque and thin, had managed to sneak through their defenses and rush toward Shuna.
If Shion hadn't reacted instantly, the stinger would've pierced straight through her chest.
"Die, bastard!!"
Without hesitation, Shion swung her cleaver with full force, cutting the giant mosquito in half.
"Ah!!"
But she hadn't expected there were more.
Just as she finished the swing, still catching her breath, a mantis-like Insect Monster struck.
With her guard down, several Ogres were injured, and the mantis lunged at the two girls.
"Damn it!"
Seeing Shuna in danger again, Shion didn't hesitate. She pulled the girl into her arms.
Puff!
A blade flashed through the air, slicing deep into flesh and grazing her spine.
"Ghh—!"
Shion felt a searing pain.
She tried to lift her sword, but the injury ran deep. Her body went numb, the greatsword slipping from her hands.
"Heal, heal—!"
"I-I'll heal you right away!"
Shuna desperately pressed her hands over Shion's wound, pale green healing magic glowing faintly from her palms.
But the mantis-type Insect Monster was already closing in. Its sickle-like forelimbs gleamed with a deadly green sheen, and neither Benimaru nor the others had time to reach them before those blades came down.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"
The insect's blades filled Shuna's vision. She couldn't dodge. She had no time to cast anything else.
All she could do was shove her best friend aside with all her remaining strength.
At the very least... one of them could live.
"No!!"
Shion, lying half-prone on the ground, could only watch as the attack closed in.
She could only watch as Shuna prepared to die for her.
Overwhelming disbelief gripped the Ogre girl.
She wanted to move. To fight. To scream.
But her body wouldn't respond.
Is this it...?
Shuna could already feel death's cold breath on her skin.
She wasn't afraid to die.
But the thought of leaving her brother... of leaving Shion behind... of all of them falling here like this.
It tore her apart.
She shut her eyes.
And then.
Pop!
The pain never came.
Instead, there was a sharp, crisp sound. Clear. Strange. Beautiful, even.
Like a nightingale's cry echoing in the dark.
(To be continued.)