Labyrinth: Chapter 42: Battle, Great Conflict

Moonlight spilled through the trees.

Jura Forest.

“Help! Help!!”

A small Lizardman tribe near the wetlands had been thrown into chaos.
They were utterly incapable of resisting the overwhelming force of the 200,000-strong Orc Army.

Boom, boom, boom…

“Crush everything!”
“Devour everything!”


---

“Damn it… are these really just Orcs?!”

Four or five Lizardman warriors struggled to bring down a single pig-headed creature, panting hard.

“This feels like fighting a horde of demons!”
“Where the hell did these pigs even come from?!”

“Someone go get help from the Wetlands’ main tribe!”

As they argued, a volley of flaming arrows rained down on them.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!

The whistle of death.

Those who didn’t dodge in time were torn apart by the impact, collapsing into pools of blood.

“HELP!! PLEASE!!”

The village echoed with the screams of children and female Lizardmen.

“Get to the shelter, now!! Hurry!!”

Less than a hundred Lizardman warriors had formed a defensive wall in front of the cave.

Behind them, the shelter overflowed with terrified women and children.

“Crush… devour… destroy…”

They were completely surrounded.

The Orcs’ eyes were bloodshot, their mouths foaming with saliva.

They moved like corpses… or rabid beasts.

“Damn it… what happened to them? Are these really just the Orc Tribe?!”

“This can’t be normal…”

“Captain… I… I’m scared…”

A young warrior’s knees buckled as he trembled.

“I… I don’t want to die…”

“I want to live…”

Just moments ago, his teammate was cleaved clean in half and devoured right in front of him.
Not even bones remained.

As the pigs drew closer, the squad’s legs trembled in unison.

They were terrified.

This was suicide.

If they fought, they would die.

“What are you all afraid of?! Pull yourselves together!”

The captain raised his spear and stared forward.

“Don’t forget what we’re protecting!”

Everyone turned to glance behind them—
Inside the cave, a dozen children huddled in fear, tears long since dried up.

The captain roared and skewered an approaching Orc with a single strike.

“You bastards…”

“Don’t you dare underestimate the pride of the Lizardmen!”

“I will never abandon my people!”

With an arrow stuck in his shoulder, he snapped the shaft off and turned back to his squad, bellowing:

“WAKE UP!!”

“We are the guard team! These kids are counting on us!”

“Stand up straight!”

“Don’t let these damn pigs trample over our pride!!”

“Captain…”

Their throats tightened.

They were still afraid. But…

“Uh… Captain, your legs are shaking too…”

“Shut up!! Stop pointing that out!”

“Hold the line!”

“HEY, YOU PIGS! You’re only getting past this point over my dead body!”

“CAPTAIN!!”

Their fighting spirit was reignited.

They pounded on their trembling legs.

Grinned through gritted teeth.

“Hell yeah, let’s do this!”

“We may not win, but we’ll sure as hell starve them trying!”

“Feed them to death! I’m not dying today, no way!”

“Survive, everyone!!”


---

On a nearby hill…

“Yoshi~ yoshi~.”

A clown in blue and white stripes with a red nose pranced around gleefully.

“Everything’s going swimmingly~.”

“The plan’s moving along perfectly~ Gelmud-sama~.”

Across from him, a demon wearing a crow-shaped mask stared into a crystal ball.

Inside, a grotesquely massive army of Orcs marched through the forest.

“Crush the Ogres, destroy the Lizardmen. Absorb their strength.”

“Even the Dryads won’t be able to stop my precious child.”

“Yes… my child, the Orc Lord, will soon rule the Jura Forest!”

“Then—he will evolve… into a true Orc Demon King!”

“If you pull this off, Clayman-sama will definitely reward you, Gelmud-sama,” Laplace said, practically giggling.

Gelmud grinned as he stared into the crystal.

“HAHAHA… No one can stop me now.”

“This forest… belongs to me. To Clayman-sama! Hahahahaha!!”

Just as he broke into crazed laughter, something in the crystal flickered.

Gelmud's eyes went wide.

“…Why the hell is that loser here?!”


---

Back at the cave entrance.

The defensive unit was on its last legs.
Their captain, bloodied and half-delirious, struggled to stand.

“Washed clo—!”

Just as an Orc raised its axe for a final swing.

A shadow dove from the hillside.

“Water Vortex Style: Vortex Crash—!!”

With a blast of high-pressure water, the spear pierced the Orc’s chest and launched it into the cliff wall with a deafening boom.

It left a crater.

The Orc crumpled, twitching once before going limp.

The smoke cleared.

The Lizardmen could only gape at the figure standing with his back to them.

“…You are…?”

The captain forced himself to his feet and looked up at the tall figure.

A silver trident gleamed in his hands.

The crest of the Wetland Tribe.

Reinforcements!

“You’ve done well. I’ll take it from here.”

Gabiru patted the captain’s shoulder and stepped forward, shielding them.

“Gabiru-sama is truly here to save us!”

“Gabiru!”
“Gabiru!”

The support troops who followed Gabiru into battle lined up behind him, cheering like overenthusiastic fanboys.

Gabiru grinned.

He’d been sent as support by order of the Alliance Leader, Chishiya-sama.

The main force had headed straight for the Orc Lord.

Honestly, he was a little ticked that he wasn’t part of the main squad.

But those guys were strong.

Especially that red-haired demon… the one he fought before.

So sly.

He was probably the real leader of the Ogre Tribe.

Gabiru smirked with confidence.

I, Lord Gabiru, have already seen through everything!

But that doesn’t matter now!

It’s finally my time to shine!

“HEY, YOU FILTHY PIGS!”

“Let me teach you what happens when you mess with a Lizardman!”

“Vortex Crash!”

Gabiru twirled his trident, launching spiraling torrents of water that ripped through the battlefield.

Ordinary Orcs couldn’t withstand the attack at all.

Their formation collapsed within minutes.

The rescued Lizardmen stared at him with awe.

“So that’s Lord Gabiru… the heir to the Great Wetlands Tribe.”

“The first warrior of the Lizardmen.”

“I never imagined… he’d be the one to save us!”

(To be continued.)