▪️STRENGTH OF THE ORCS

It’s intriguing how the Dark Dwarves were actually the ones who shared the news about the Orcs’ movements, considering that the Elves were, in fact, the ones residing above the surface, while the Dwarves were the ones dwelling underground.

Thirty thousand troops!

Upon hearing this number, the expressions of the three Elves sitting across from the Dwarves varied amongst one another.

The Dwarven Priest noticed a subtle change in the female Elf known as the Nature’s Saintess. Her delicate, fair complexion paled slightly upon hearing the news, and her pupils constricted, as if she’d been gripped by a profound fear.

On the other hand, the male druid with black hair only widened his eyes, with an expression of astonishment mingled with curiosity and eagerness.

Yet, the most enigmatic response came from Zero, who occupied the central seat.

Her demeanor remained unchanged.

She neither displayed fear nor excitement, unlike the peculiar druid named Li Mu, who couldn’t hide his enthusiasm. Instead, she simply reacted as though she had merely heard an inconsequential news…

“T-Thirty thousand! They’ve mustered thirty thousand troops at once!” Alice’s stated as her voice quivered.

As a warring race where every member is a warrior proficient in combat, the Orcs’ thirty thousand-strong army differed significantly from the “thirty thousand armies” claimed by other races.

Humans, for instance, tend to exaggerate their army sizes during conflicts, inflating ten thousand to a thirty thousand and thirty thousand to a hundred thousand…

It’s a common practice for humanity in general.

Furthermore, many sentient races have armies consisting not only of frontline combatants but also support and logistics personnel, resulting in a much lower number of actual combat-proficient individuals.

Yet, in this regard, the Half-Orcs were an entirely different than thr rest.

As a branch of the full-blooded Orcs, they inherited the characteristic of all Orcs being warriors. It was somewhat akin to Earth’s nomadic tribes, wherein every member was capable of combat.

Moreover, as an Iron-class race, every member of this thirty thousand-strong army possessed the strength of an Iron-rank practitioner.

An army comprised of thirty thousand Iron-ranked warriors might not have been a remarkable feat a thousand years ago when Saigües was brimming with mana and the land was teeming with powerful individuals…

However, now in the present era, where the world’s mana levels had significantly dwindled, breaking through to Silver and Gold ranks had become far more challenging than it was a millennium ago.

Legendary-rank individuals were rare nowadays, and someone who ascend into a demigod had been virtually unheard of for almost a thousand years.

In this situation, a thirty thousand-strong army entirely composed of Iron-ranked practitioners was indeed a formidable force.

Even though the Matriarch had summoned an additional 9,000 exceptionally talented Chosen Ones recently, the number of individuals who had reached the Iron rank was still quite limited…

In fact up to this point, only just over two thousand Chosen Ones had achieved Iron rank.

And as they say, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes…

Thirty thousand well-trained Iron-ranked warriors posed a far greater threat than the disorganized, individually fighting Shadow Army that had attacked Blackrock City which practically had no cognitive intelligence.

Facing such a massive army, even if all the Orc warriors were in the lower Iron ranks…standing against them would still be a daunting task for anyone, including the Black Dragon.

Perhaps Meryer could deal with an Orc tribe consisting of five thousand if given enough time, but he would still be swarmed and beaten to death if he faced a thirty thousand-strong army of young and vigorous Orcs, who are fighting for their faith with high morale…

As for other Gold-ranked practitioners…confronting such a sheer number of enemies would be a perilous undertaking, and they would consider themselves fortunate enough if they even somehow managed to escaped unscathed.

Only a legendary-ranked individual that transcends their mortality could face such a multitude of foes single-handedly.

In any case…

Did the Elves even possess such a legendary figure?

Well in fact, there is one.

Rose, the Crypt Spider Queen, which was subjugated by the Goddess, was one such being.

But currently, she’s merely a fledgling legendary-rank who only attained this strength not too long ago…

Furthermore, her underground origins and Dark attribute made her entirely vulnerable to light and fire. At night, she might fare well, but if forced to battle on the surface during the day, then her strength would dwindle significantly, possibly even regressing a rank below to Gold.

Not to mention that, except for the true gods with dark attributes, most true gods of faith have light attributes, and light attribute is inherently lethal to Dark creatures.

In the impending religious war, outside the underground where Dark elements thrived, Dark creatures like the Crypt Spiders were easy targets that could be swiftly eliminated.

Therefore, aside from serving as mounts for the Chosen Ones, Alice doubted that the Crypt Spiders could contribute significantly to the war effort.

Well, apart from the Spider Queen, there was also the Gold-ranked practitioner, Godwarden Zero.

True, she might only be at the Golden rank, but she enjoyed the Matriarch’s favor and could tap into her divine power to elevate her strength temporarily into the legendary rank.

However, unleashing legendary-rank attacks and facing a thirty-thousand-strong army were entirely different matters.

Could Zero obliterate them all in a single move when confronted with such numbers?

Could she summon the Matriarch’s power limitlessly?

After all, she was merely a Gold-ranked practitioner.

Moreover, could the Orcs have no legendary-level combatants of their own, nor did they lack corresponding defenses against such powerful foes?

While the Orcs were indeed an Iron-rank race, their overall strength paled in comparison to other races, with their population numbering only in the hundreds of thousands…

Because of their insufficient strength, they are forced to stay within the desolate lands known as the Desert of Death.

Although they had officially gained the right to govern over the Elven Forest a thousand years ago during the War of the Gods, the Orcs mostly remained on the forest’s outskirts, fearing nearby human forces and the numerous mid- to high-ranking magical beasts inhabiting the Elven Forest.

Furthermore, most of their kind were only at the Iron rank, with very few managing to break through to Silver, let alone Gold.

Let’s not talk about Legendary-rank Orcs which is practically unheard of…

Such a race might find a niche thanks to the favor of True Gods, but they could never become a dominant force due to their inherent weakness.

However, that didn’t mean the Orcs lacked Silver and Gold-rank powerhouses!

And when Alice say they are weak, it’s in comparison to the Orcs and humans.

The Orc race, like the human race, is one of the strongest forces in Saigües, with humans making up nearly half of all sentient beings worldwide!

While the Orcs are weaker than them, they are still much stronger than the Elves, who are barely surviving now.

Even among the Orcs, there are always some lucky individuals who have had extraordinary experiences or gained the favor of the True Gods, which enabled them to break through to Silver-ranked strength.

And among these exceptional individuals, some have even reached the strength of Gold!

For example, the current Half-Orc king, the mightiest of the Half-Orcs—Lionheart King Imsh—is a lower Golden ranked Berserker.

Moreover the chief shaman of the Orcs is also a lower Gold-rank spellcaster.

In addition to these widely recognized strengths, one must also consider the forces the Orcs could summon.

The gods have agreed that beings at the demigod level and beyond could not intervene in religious wars happening in Saigües…

But what about legendary ranks?

Indeed, the Orcs do not have any legendary-ranked individuals.

But their patron deity, the God of Winter and Hunting, have several Totem Guardians at the legendary-ranks!

The Orcs may not be able to summon a demigod like Volker, but what about legendary and Golden ranked individuals?

Even if the summoning time for Totem Guardians was limited, they were still Totem Guardians, nonetheless!

Not to mention those who enjoy the favor of the True Gods, similar to Zero.

The overall strength of the Elves and Chosen ones is still too weak…

Alice doubted that the Chosen Ones, even with their power to resurrect, could defeat the Orc army without the Matriarch’s direct intervention…

The Orcs are weak compared to their other counterparts.

But the Elves are even weaker than Orcs!

Even the Matriarch, who has just awakened, does not have any notable Divine Servants!

But… if the Matriarch were to intervene, then everything would be revealed.

The worst-case scenario entailed revealing the Matriarch’s true identity, which could immediately draw the attention of other gods, leading to a worldwide reckoning…

Contemplating this, Alice’s mood grew even heavier.

She couldn’t help but to subconsciously looked to her side, but what surprised her was that Zero’s expression still remained calm.

…Huh?

Alice’s heart skipped a beat.

During this meeting with the Dwarves, the Matriarch had issued a divine oracle specifically for her, to let Zero take the leading role.

In fact, ever since Zero was sent to the Chosen City by the Matriarch, this enigmatic figure had subtly assumed a leadership role in the Church of Nature, a position no less significant than Alice’s.

However, unlike Alice, who primarily manages the church’s daily operations and deals with internal affairs in the Elven Forest, Zero on the other hand is the one responsible for any external affairs.

Seeing Zero’s calm expression, Alice couldn’t help but speculate…as to whether the Matriarch already had a plan in place.

After concluding the trade with the Elves and providing them with information about the Orcs’ movements, the Dwarves finally left the Elven Forest and returned underground.

As the Dwarves left, Li Mu also bowed to the two Elven NPCs and departed not too long after, with his excitement visible upon his face.

Only Alice and Zero remained in the conference hall.

Alice hesitated for a moment and asked,

“Zero, you don’t seem surprised or fearful about the news of the Orcs. Do you already have a plan?”

Zero cast a glance at her and replied, “For this upcoming religious war, I will deal with any enemies that has Gold to Legendary strength.”

“You?” Alice couldn’t help but widened her eyes.

She hesitated for a moment and expressed her concern,

“Zero, I know you can tap into the Matriarch’s power, but ultimately, you’re just a single Gold-ranked practitioner. If the Orcs summon more than one legendary Totem Guardian this time—”

“Believe me, I can handle it,” Zero interjected.

Alice was left speechless.

The Saintess tried to opened her mouth but didn’t know how to respond.

Can this person really handle it all on her own?

Even if she didn’t intend to kill the Totem Guardians and simply needed to stall for time until their summoning time expired, they are still legendary beings!

Sure, she could use the Matriarch’s power to defeat the Shadow Dragon, but could she confront several Totem Guardians at the legendary rank by herself?

Where does her confidence come from?

Suddenly appearing out of nowhere, receiving such favor from the Matriarch and exuding such confidence…

Who is she, exactly?

“But… even if you can handle the legendary Totem Guardians, what about the thirty thousand troops…” Alice continued.

“No need to worry,” Zero interrupted again. “The Chosen Ones can handle an army of thirty thousand.”

“The Chosen Ones? Their strength are still too weak. Even with their ability to resurrect… with just only a two thousand Iron-ranked Chosen Ones, they probably can’t face thirty thousand Orcs!”

Alice shook her head.

“If Two thousand Iron ranks can’t handle it…”

Zero looked at her and, for the first time, smiled.

“—Then let’s make it ten thousand.”

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