As the dust finally settled, a hush fell over the forest, deep and still, as if holding its breath.

The two women, still trembling, gazed ahead, eyes wide and unblinking.

There, looming from the crater, was a massive figure, unlike anything they had ever seen.

The creature’s skin was a rugged, deep green, muscles bulging and rippling beneath his flesh like corded steel.

He towered above them, each limb thick and powerful, his chest bare but for the scars criss crossing his torso, marking countless battles.

His face was fierce and angular, with a broad nose and tusks jutting from his lower jaw, teeth glinting like ivory under the pale light.

Dark, fiery eyes smoldered beneath his thick brow, gazing down at them with an intensity that made their blood run cold.

Frozen in place, the women could only stare, breaths shallow, chests heaving.

The figure’s presence alone felt like an unspoken threat, the sheer weight of it pressing down on them as they remained still, hearts pounding in their chests like a war drum.

Every instinct screamed at them to run, yet they couldn’t tear their eyes away.

A snap from behind them broke their trance.

Turning, they spotted the man with long blonde curls, his face contorted in a fury so sharp it seemed to burn.

His hounds, large and menacing, stood by his side, each beast with hackles raised, lips curled back to expose glistening fangs, as though they could sense their master’s rage.

His eyes darted between the crater and the two women, and his mouth twisted into a sneer.

“Who the hell interrupted my Servus and Sarvas hunt?” he spat, his voice a low, venomous snarl that cut through the still air.

The hounds barked and snarled with each curse word, fangs gleaming as they mirrored his anger. “Who dares interfere with my domain? This forest is mine!”

The man took a step forward, his face contorted with fury, but then he stopped.

His sneer faded as his gaze lifted to the crater, where the enormous figure had fully emerged, shadowing them all.

The blonde’s expression shifted, eyes widening, mouth dropping open, the sheer shock freezing him in place.

“Kabam…!” he muttered, the word escaping his lips in a whisper of disbelief. “What the…? An Orc?” The surprise turned quickly to horror, and his voice rose, laced with genuine panic.

“What is an Orc doing here, in the Foramina Kingdom? Aren’t they supposed to be in the Canyon of Blood and Valley of Orcs?”

His voice trembled, his mind struggling to grasp the situation, to make sense of this impossible sight.

The massive Orc looked down at him, barely acknowledging his confusion with a disdainful snort.

Every muscle in the Orc’s frame was taut, coiled as if ready to unleash fury with the slightest provocation.

It was clear he was no ordinary creature; he radiated a primal force, as if he were a living weapon forged in the heart of battle itself.

His mere presence seemed to bend the very air around him, thickening it, as if the forest itself was bowing to his might.

The blonde’s shock morphed into something darker, a flicker of madness sparking in his gaze.

His lips twisted into a savage grin, and he straightened, eyes gleaming with a deadly resolve.

“There’s an Orc here,” he muttered, the words filled with a quiet, almost reverent fury.

The tone in his voice shifted, deepening, each word dripping with the promise of violence.

“Servus… Sarvas…” he said, rolling the names of his hounds with a low growl, his hand gesturing toward the towering figure. “Prepare yourselves. We’re going to fight.”

The hounds snapped to attention, their fierce barks echoing through the forest, each of them lowering into a predatory stance.

The two women, watching this deadly escalation, felt terror creep through their veins like ice, knowing they were about to witness a battle between creatures they couldn’t hope to understand.

…

With a cruel smirk, the blonde man raised his hand, commanding his hounds. “Servus! Sarvas! Make him regret ever stepping into my forest.”

The two massive hounds shot forward, muscles rippling beneath their shaggy fur, fangs bared like glistening daggers.

The air buzzed with the power of their vicious intent, and their heavy paws thundered against the ground, sending shivers up through the earth as they closed in on the massive Orc.

Each leap they took was accompanied by a ferocious growl, their eyes burning with unrestrained bloodlust.

They closed the distance within seconds, lunging for his back, aiming for any exposed skin, eager to sink their fangs into their prey.

Servus leapt first, jaws snapping down like a bear trap onto the Orc’s shoulder.

Sarvas lunged at his legs, aiming to bring the giant down by tearing through his hamstring.

Their claws raked across his dense skin, leaving no visible mark, as if they were nothing more than paper scratching against stone.

Servus tightened his bite, grinding down harder, trying to tear flesh and muscle.

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The strength behind his jaws would have crushed a normal man’s bones into dust. But this Orc’s skin was unyielding, a fortress that defied all logic.

“Rrrrrrrgh! Grrrawwwr!”

The hounds snarled in frustration, bloodthirsty eyes wide with disbelief as their strongest attacks barely even dented the Orc’s skin.

They clawed and bit, with more and more force, their barks growing more frantic.

Yet, the Orc didn’t even flinch.

His focus remained elsewhere, as if these beasts, with their bloodlust and desperation, were mere insects.

The blonde man’s grin faltered, his expression shifting from confidence to a twisted sort of confusion.

His eyes went wide, and his voice came out in a disbelieving murmur.

“What…? They aren’t even… not even a scratch?”

The hounds’ eyes turned round, comically large with shock, their fierce expressions giving way to a confused, almost innocent surprise.

Their fangs, so deadly and sharp, had met nothing but an immovable mountain of flesh.

For the first time, the powerful beasts hesitated, glancing back at their master with big, bewildered eyes, whining in confusion.

The man clenched his fists, rage bubbling beneath the surface. “How dare he…” he hissed, a glint of desperation now edging his gaze. “Fine, if you want to play that way, brute, I’ll show you real power.”

From the folds of his coat, he retrieved a small, crinkled scroll, tinged with the faint glow of arcane runes.

He handled it carefully, muttering to himself,

“This scroll… bought it for a fortune. Tier five wizard’s magic sealed in here… I’m that a low level brute creature like this Ogre would stand no chance!”

His voice trembled slightly, as if even he was a little awestruck by the raw power it held.

Unfurling the scroll, he began to chant in a low, sonorous tone, each word carrying a weight that reverberated in the air.

The forest around him responded instantly, the very trees bending slightly as if they, too, felt the presence of an ancient magic awakening.

The sky darkened, clouds rolling overhead as a powerful force gathered.

The air grew thick, charged with the sizzling energy of the spell, and sparks began to leap from the scroll in crackling tendrils of red and gold.

The ground beneath them trembled, vibrating with the spell’s intensity as if the earth itself was being torn open.

A deep rumble echoed through the forest, sending smaller creatures scurrying for cover as a wild gale whipped through the trees, bending them like reeds.

Tendrils of lightning cracked and sizzled around the scroll, striking at random, hissing with raw, arcane fury.

In one swift motion, he released the magic, and a blinding column of fire and lightning surged forth, spiraling in on itself like a tornado made of molten energy.

It crackled and boomed, shaking the air with an ear-splitting roar.

The pillar of magic spiraled up, twisting in an intricate dance, feeding off the raw energy in the air until it was a towering inferno of magical wrath.

The magic surged toward the Orc, smashing down with the force of an avalanche, aiming to obliterate everything in its path.

KABAM!

The explosion rocked the forest, sending waves of energy rippling outward.

The impact cratered the ground, leaving a smoking, smoldering circle where the Orc stood.

Smoke billowed from the center of the blast, and the blonde man squinted through the haze, eagerly awaiting the sight of his fallen foe.

But as the smoke cleared, a deep and heavy silence fell over them.

The blonde man’s confident smirk faded, replaced with a horrified stare. His hounds’ ears drooped, their eyes wide with utter disbelief.

There, standing in the middle of the blast zone, was the Orc-completely unharmed.

Not a scratch marred his skin.

He stood still, shoulders relaxed, as if nothing of note had occurred.

Slowly, he turned his head, dark eyes narrowing with an irritated glint as he looked over his shoulder.

His heavy brow furrowed, his gaze boring into them with a simmering anger, as though they were nothing more than a minor nuisance.

“Hmmm?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep