“BANG!” The sword of the Orc General was blasted skyward, momentarily unbalancing the massive creature before he quickly regained his footing.

 

“Oi, ya good?” In an instant, a Goblin dressed in unremarkable clothing materialized before Gabiru.

 

Gabiru’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, his mouth hanging open in utter astonishment. “The leader of the village?”

 

“Huh?” The Goblin - Gobta - replied with a confused expression.

 

“Let us finish this swiftly,” A deep, resounding voice penetrated Gobta’s mind. “You’ve got it, Ranga-san!”

 

“Hmph, just two more morsels for the feast,” growled the Orc General, settling into an aggressive combat stance.

 

“Ha! You consider us your prey?” Ranga scoffed, but the lack of mirth in his eyes was palpable. “Witness the might of Tempest, swine!”

 

With a soul-shaking howl, the heavens darkened as menacing storm clouds converged overhead. Soldiers on both sides couldn’t help but cast uneasy glances towards the ominous meteorological formation.

 

“Death Storm!” Ranga bellowed. Cyclones burst forth from the sky, striking the ground with relentless, destructive force.

 

Screams of agony pierced the air as Orcs were lifted off the ground, spiraling uncontrollably into the heavens.

 

 

———

 

 

“Alright team, showtime,” I declared, rolling my neck to loosen the muscles, as we faced down an undulating sea of Orcs.

 

“Yes!”

 

“Arrogant of you to think you can take us all down.” snorted an Orc, as it swung its enormous sword downward, producing a resonating ‘clang’.

 

“You know that water’s an excellent conductor for electricity, right?” I smirked.

 

Baffled expressions spread like wildfire among the Orcs, who traded puzzled looks, utterly confused by my statement.

 

With a flourish, I invoked my ‘Water Manipulation’ skill. Geysers erupted from the earth, drenching the Orcs from head to toe.

 

My increased magicule storage and optimized control radius, thanks to Source, allowed me to douse the entire Orc army simultaneously.

 

Waterlogged and disoriented, they were sitting ducks. Arcs of electricity sprang from my fingertips as I activated the ‘Electric Shock’ skill, crackling through the air at lightning speeds.

 

Each bolt zapped from one Orc to another, leaving behind only charred husks.

 

In mere moments, a field of scorched Orc corpses surrounded me.

 

“Glad to see that combo worked!” I laughed aloud, unperturbed by the gruesome spectacle before me.

 

I shot into the air, using ‘Float’ to remain airborne while slightly dropping downwards. “Let’s see, where’s that Orc Lord?” I muttered, scanning the horizon.

 

“If I’m not wrong, Rimuru found it near the end of the battle, so it should be somewhere far away.” Using Wind Propulsion, I made my way to the outskirts of the battlefield.

 

“I need that Starved skill if I ever want my Predator’s Eyes to evolve into a Unique skill itself…” I grumbled.

 

And then, there it was—its distinctive red, bulbous eye glaring ominously from its forehead. Flanked by twin Orc Generals, the massive creature could only be the Orc Lord.

 

“Gotcha,” I whispered, accelerating through the air like a human missile.

 

 

———

 

 

“Hungry…” The Orc Lord growled, eyeing his two Generals with glee. “No, I cannot.” He stopped himself from reaching for them.

 

“I must stay in contro…” The Orc Lord’s eyes lost their light once more, “Hungry…”

 

The tormenting cycle repeated itself, switching between the personalities of the benevolent Orc King and Geld, the treacherous Orc Lord.

 

Suddenly, potential prey appeared in his line of sight, flying at breakneck speeds, trailed by two spectral canines galloping on the ground below.

 

“Hungry…” The word escaped Geld’s lips as he unsheathed his blade.

 

 

———

 

 

Catapulting toward him with astonishing speed, a combination of Wind Propulsion and Negate Air Resistance rendered me a human bullet.

 

“Take this!” I collided with him, releasing a concentrated burst of Nihility Energy from the palm of my hand. Yes, Nihility Energy and not Nihilicules; I’d determined that Nihilicules wouldn’t be able to end this fast enough.

 

I was weaker than the Orc Lord, but I was also really desperate to get his “Starved” skill, since the efficiency of Predator's Eyes was abysmal; evident in the difference in the rate of growth when comparing me to Rimuru.

The energy made contact, silent yet forceful, and sent the Orc Lord tumbling back.

 

He skidded across the ground, each point of contact emitting a guttural ‘thud’ before finally coming to rest.

 

Blood spurted from his mouth as he clutched his chest—right where my attack had connected.

 

My attack had imprinted a pitch-black palm onto his chest, which was gradually diffusing into the Orc’s body.

 

This was a trick I’d learned while experimenting with Nihility Energy; it’s akin to ‘programming’ the energy to execute specific tasks, not unlike what Magicules are capable of.

 

The downside? The manipulation of such energy demanded an immense level of concentration and computational power, graciously provided by Source.

 

It also drained my reservoir of Nihility Energy at an accelerated rate. But the gamble was worth it.

 

But it paid off. Nihility Energy has the effects to repulsing Magicules, so what would happen if it seeped into a targets body, diffusing into every part of it?

 

It was like watching a dam burst. Floods of magicules erupted violently from the Orc Lord, each particle retreating as though terrified of the encroaching darkness.

 

The Orc’s once-vibrant aura withered as the magicules fled his corporeal form, causing his skin to lose its original luster.

 

In a desperate move, the Orc Lord swiped at one of his own Generals and unceremoniously devoured him.

 

His body was instantly broken down into a torrent of magicules, refueling the Orc Lord in a pitiful attempt at survival.

 

“Attack him, now!” I bellowed to my allies, propelling myself at blinding speed towards another Orc General and executing him on the spot.

 

But the Orc Lord’s plight continued. His magicules, once obedient, now rebelled against him—it was the first instance of such defiance since he'd been given his name.

 

His eyes narrowed, focusing on the alien energy coursing through him. It was as if tendrils of dread were wriggling through his very being, morphing erratically from solid to gaseous states, and insidiously invading every crevice within him—expelling any remaining magicules it encountered.

 

“I… am GELD, the ORC LORD!” With a guttural roar that shook the heavens, Geld forced himself to rise, locking eyes with me.

 

A cauldron of unadulterated rage boiled within his irises. He took a step forward, but in a tragic twist, his legs faltered and gave way, sending him tumbling to the ground with an earth-shaking ‘boom’.