"Calmandes."

"Or you may call me the flame that destroys everything!"

Kassen was still lost in illusions, and the ogres seemed to have realized how to please their king.

They impaled corpses collected from the battlefield, friends and foes alike, on long spears and set them ablaze like torches, inserting them into the dry, cracked earth of the camp.

No one commanded them to do so.

But all of them made almost the same choice.

It was as if it were a collective unconscious act.

Or perhaps guided by some greater will...

After completing this ritual-like act, they quickly felt an inner joy.

Pain no longer seemed to be pain.

It was a medal bestowed by the gods.

An endless stream of power surged from the burning corpses, which they would use to continue fighting.

A voice in the depths told them—

The more they killed, the stronger they would become!

The aged High Priest likewise looked up at the king seated upon a throne of bones, and a moment of perplexity made him feel as if he saw the "Gluttonous King" who devoured everything sitting there.

That indomitable power and majesty were so similar to the deity in legends! It was as if that great being had descended to the mortal realm!

"Praise our king!"

The High Priest, trembling, knelt on the ground, offering a heartfelt prayer, even if it was a beautiful misunderstanding.

Under the High Priest's leadership, a group of ogre priests also prostrated themselves on the ground.

At that moment, they too felt an indomitable power coursing through them, seemingly inexhaustible!

Not far away, Kassen Skullcrusher, who was receiving the worship of his kin, also realized the gradual transformation occurring within him.

His fat seemed thicker, and his skin tough as dragon hide, impervious to blade and spear much like a real fortress!

The entire tribe fell into a frenzied celebration of blood and slaughter.

But nobody noticed that the bustling cauldron had cooled down, no longer bubbling.

And within those roaring flames, an ominous air was spreading...

...

Inexorable malice spread in the darkness.

At this moment, neither the spectators in the arena of Demon City nor Xino Dragon on the battlefield were aware of this.

It wasn't their fault.

After all, Chaos isn't something you can detect at first glance, especially from such a great distance.

Faced with the ogres' relentless assault, even though Xino clenched his teeth in unwillingness, he had to issue the order to retreat.

This didn't mean he admitted defeat.

It was a temporary maneuver.

The ogres cleverly didn't pursue them.

Looking at the increasingly distant battlefield, Xino on his horse sighed a breath of relief.

However, when he saw his bedraggled subordinates, his heart that had just relaxed couldn't help but tighten up again.

Nearly a hundred casualties...

This was probably the most catastrophic loss since the establishment of "Hell's Flames"!

Worse yet, aside from the common warriors' deaths, a precious silver-ranked Centurion had fallen on the battlefield!

He didn't even know how to explain it to his brother.

"Damn it!"

Xino spat fiercely on the ground, his chest burning with towering hatred and rage, wishing nothing more than to tear those ogres to pieces and throw their remains into a fire!

Usually, siege battles during duels aren't so intense, and it's rare for troops to fight to the death for the sake of nobility's honor.

The reason why nobles on both sides don't meet on the battlefield is precisely because of this.

By an unwritten understanding, attackers don't pursue retreating defenders, and defenders are permitted to surrender when they cannot hold any longer.

What broke Xino, however, was that the ogre army before him seemed to be on drugs, one after another, charging at him with a death wish.

Nearly a hundred of his brothers had fallen on his side, while the enemy's casualties were conservatively tenfold, perhaps starting at twentyfold!

Yet those bastards refused to surrender.

When fighting humans, he had never seen these cannon fodder so brave, so why were they fighting with such ferocity in their internal conflict?!

The more Xino thought about it, the angrier he got, especially when he thought about the audience in Demon City's arena watching everything, his rage was uncontrollable.

He could guess with his toes that there must be a wave of boos in the stands right now.

The only solace was that his opponent had essentially thrown in the towel in the siege.

Although he couldn't see the situation at Black Wind Castle, he could also guess with his toes that a thousand goblins wouldn't be able to take down that heavily guarded fortress.

Forget a thousand, not even ten million would be enough!

The exhausted troops withdrew near the transport portal, and as Xino was about to arrange a watch, he discovered a skeleton soldier had made its way nearby.

Xino initially paid it no mind, considering it a monster from the labyrinth. Just as he was about to eliminate it with a casual swing, he heard the skeleton soldier surprisingly articulate human speech.

"Don't attack! I mean no harm!"

Although the game authorities had announced a ban on player involvement in in-game CG scenes, there were still those who wanted to skirt the edge of the rules.

Such was the case for this player, with the ID name [Supreme Daddy].

Although it was forbidden to interfere during the plot cutscenes, it was presumably not a big deal during this clearly ongoing intermission!

Looking at the talking skeleton before him, Xino's face showed surprise, but the axe in his hand did not lower as he demanded in a stern voice.

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