Lord Of Beasts

Elara realised something very important.

’I don’t have to defeat every Orc.’

Her crimson eyes remained locked on the throne where the Orc Boss was sitting.

’If the Boss dies... the Gate will begin to collapse.’

That was all she needed.

She had been fighting the berserk army that kept recovering when she should have been cutting off its head. A slow breath escaped her lips as she gathered every remaining drop of mana she possessed.

’More.’

’More.’

’More.’

Crimson mana surged violently around her body until the air itself began trembling beneath the pressure. Even the berserk Orcs charging toward her instinctively slowed, sensing the overwhelming power gathering before them.

The Orc Boss suddenly stood up.

For the first time, a deep fear appeared in its eyes.

Elara slowly raised both hands, gathering all that mana into a destructive ball.

"Giant Crimson Flash!"

Her hands shot forward, and the world turned red.

A colossal beam of condensed crimson mana erupted from her outstretched hands.

It wasn’t merely a beam.

It was annihilation.

BOOOOOOM!!

Everything standing before it ceased to exist.

The front ranks of charging Orcs were swallowed instantly, their bodies vanishing beneath the overwhelming torrent of mana without even leaving ashes behind. Meanwhile, the Orc Boss desperately slammed its staff into the ground.

Layer after layer of magical barriers erupted before it, ancient runes glowing brilliantly as every ounce of its mana poured into defence.

One barrier.

Two.

Five.

Ten.

The crimson beam tore through every single one without slowing as the barriers shattered like fragile glass. The Orc Mage’s eyes widened as the destructive beam consumed it completely.

There was no time to scream out in pain; it was annihilated in an instant.

Elara’s Giant Crimson Flash didn’t stop there.

It continued onward straight through the fortress and through the mountain behind it.

Then another.

And another.

When the attack finally dissipated, a massive scar had been carved clean through the mountain range itself, leaving a smoking tunnel stretching farther than Elara could even see.

Only drifting dust remained.

Elara stared at the devastation as a tense silence settled throughout the throne room.

"I’m really powerful."

Even she couldn’t hide the amazement in her voice.

This wasn’t the strength of an ordinary A Rank; that much was clear. Even Liora’s famed barriers, the strongest defensive abilities she’d personally witnessed, she doubted they could have withstood an attack like that.

The realisation left her almost speechless.

Then her legs gave out.

Thud.

She collapsed onto one knee before falling onto the rough stone floor entirely.

"...Ugh..."

Every muscle in her body felt heavy.

Her mana reserves were practically empty, and even lifting her arm felt exhausting.

’I overdid it...’

Her breathing became uneven as she forced herself to sit upright.

’But I should be able to recover-’

Suddenly, several surviving Orcs emerged from the sides of the throne hall. They were alive only because they hadn’t been standing in the path of her attack.

’Shit!’

She instinctively tried to stand, but her body refused.

’Maybe that attack wasn’t such a good idea.’

If they attacked now, she wouldn’t have enough mana left to stop them.

But instead, the giant Orcs lowered their weapons.

One after another...

They knelt?

Every single surviving Orc dropped to one knee before her. Deep, rumbling voices echoed throughout the ruined throne hall as they spoke in what seemed to be their own language.

To Elara, it sounded like nothing more than intimidating growls.

’What are they even saying?’

"They are submitting to the one who killed their king."

The Blood Demon’s familiar, hoarse voice echoed inside her mind.

"They serve only the strongest among them. Their ruler is almost always a great sorcerer, and when that ruler falls... they serve whoever defeated them."

The Blood Demon laughed softly.

It hadn’t spoken much lately.

In fact, its presence had grown quieter with every passing day.

But this time, it simply couldn’t help itself.

"Orcs are creatures obsessed with battle," it continued. "But they also honour strength above all else and respect those powerful enough to defeat them."

Elara frowned.

’They’re still just monsters.’

The Blood Demon laughed harder this time.

"Who’s the real monster?"

It paused.

"The people defending their homeland from an invader or the one who entered their world, slaughtered them, and executed their leader?"

The question struck her harder than any weapon could have.

Her expression froze.

Everything she knew about Gates suddenly felt... wrong.

She opened her mouth.

"I..."

But before she could ask another question, the Blood Demon’s presence faded once more, retreating into the depths of her consciousness.

Silence returned.

Elara slowly looked around.

Only moments ago, she had felt proud and victorious after clearing an incredibly dangerous Gate alone. Now, those emotions had been replaced by something close to guilt.

A strange weight settled inside her chest.

Surrounding her, dozens of towering Orcs remained kneeling, almost as if waiting for her to take over as their leader.

’I...’

’I don’t know what to think anymore.’

But as odd as it all was, she was grateful things had turned out this way; otherwise, she would have had to rely on the Blood Demon or would have ended up as Orc food.

’I really should be more careful.’

That subconscious reliance on the seemingly invincible entity within her was only going to hold her back. But now, while surrounded by giant monsters, it didn’t seem like the best place to dwell on it.

She slowly pushed herself back onto her feet.

Her mana had already begun recovering, though every movement still felt exhausting. Then, without another word, she started walking back toward the Gate, while remaining alert.

’Gate Takeovers were more convenient. At least then I’d be forced back outside as soon as the Gate was cleared.’

The journey back was strangely peaceful, and the surviving Orcs weren’t pursuing her.

If anything, they were retreating.

Entire groups moved deeper into their world, away from the Gate itself. Perhaps they feared whatever other humans might emerge through it. Or perhaps they were searching for somewhere else to rebuild.

Either way, nothing stood in her way.

Eventually, her mana recovered enough for her to fly, and just before exiting through the gate, she rose into the sky. Hovering high above the battlefield, she looked back.

The once-proud fortress was gone. Mountains in the distance had been reduced to shattered stone. A gigantic tunnel stretched through the mountain range where her attack had carved its path.

And worst of all, hundreds of mutilated bodies littered the landscape below.

’This is their home... And I just came here and did this.’

The thought lingered.

Then she turned away and flew through the Gate...