28th day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 3:30 AM

  After the defeat of the lizardmen heroes, the trolls were the only power left standing against Almodeus. True to be told, the lizardmen's kingdom had not yet fallen, but they no longer had the strength to declare battle. The acting King, Abiru Gabiru Magnus, awaited the promised support from the trolls, but little did he know that the troops he had long awaited, just spotted by sentries, were not coming to his aid.

  The young prince feared the trolls might attempt a stab in the back, but he had repeatedly told himself that those troops were coming to help them and that betrayal would be futile. To defeat Almodeus and the orcs, they had to ally; it was the only option.

  Three hundred and fifty trolls in black armor marched in a compact formation across the swamp, with nothing in front of them capable of stopping them. The sun was high, but the clouds of death completely obscured it, almost as if to suggest that the approaching black-clad troop wasn't truly allies. However, Gabiru refused to believe it or give that silly worry any weight: the troll troops were his only hope not only to save face as King, but also to prevent the fall of the glorious Lizardmen Kingdom.

  -Unfortunately, his hopes were misplaced...

  "Welcome! I am Abiru Gabiru Magnus! Acting King of the Lizardmen! I hope you enjoy our welcome, glorious troll army!"

  He uttered, advancing toward the enemy commander, a gigantic troll in full pitch-black armor, armed with a shield and crimson saber. The colossus's red eyes inspired anything but sympathy, but Gabiru ignored the negative feelings. After all, those before him were their saviors, or so he believed.

  His aura is terrifying! Could he be the Troll King himself?

  The young prince guessed that, from the aura of power emanating from the black-clad colossus, he was none other than Yeddu, the feared ruler of the trolls. Rumor had it that he had seized the throne by force, killing and devouring the previous king. That was not a smart move, since had created two factions within the Troll Kingdom: the mountain trolls, led by Yeddu himself; and the more numerous ice trolls, less powerful than their cousins- but still of the same species and immune to the cold. A clash ensued and the ice troll tribe was forced to retreat into the depths of the mountains, eager to exact revenge on those who had killed their king.

  "You must be the famous Yeddu, I presume! I hope we'll work together well, Your Majesty!"

  Gabiru held out her hand, and his heart began to race with joy. Finally, the vision he'd been dreaming of since Vennominon brought him the news of an army arriving to support him was coming true. He was going to be a hero!

  He had lost much, Gabiru couldn't deny it—but now he could make up for all his past mistakes. He could prove himself worthy of the throne; he could already imagine the praise his father and the elders would heap upon him once he was officially named King. Everyone would hail him as the best of his tribe, the one who had set aside his pride to save them. No one would ever doubt his leadership, strength, and wisdom again!

  "Ahahahaha! You're funny, little lizard!"

  The prince's dreams of glory were shattered when he heard the troll's response, which was anything but flattering. The mocking laughter made the prince's heart skip a beat, his hand still raised, waiting for a shake—though he began to doubt it would ever come.

  I'm still talking to a troll; I can't expect him to have even a shred of decency.

  Trying to contain his irritation, Gabiru smiled and let the insult fall upon him. After all, he was conversing with creatures of limited intelligence; he couldn't expect anything less from them. The important thing was that they were there to help, not to talk as friends. He decided to continue listening to the colossus, hoping he wouldn't ruin the negotiations.

  "I am not the King, but one of the Fearsome Five, his most trusted generals!"

  The troll thundered, banging his large fist on his chest before officially introducing himself.

  “My name is Kuro Kishi! But I'm also called the Wizard Slayer.”

  "Ah! Forgive me for my mistake, Master Kuro! From your great power you seemed as glorious as a king!"

  "Trust me little guy, the King is on a whole other level!"

  Gabiru's heart caught in his throat at that news, spoken in such a serious tone. The troll before him was terrifying; he was certain he could even defeat the Six Great Heroes alone, and now it was dawning on him—was his lord even superior? Gabiru knew trolls were the most powerful species in the forest, but he hadn't expected such a disparity in strength.

  How powerful is Yeddu? It must be a monster!

  Gabiru shook his head, trying to stop thinking about things that weren't appropriate at the moment. Now he had to prove himself steadfast before the allied general. If the other sensed insecurity or weakness, he would surely try to take command of the operation, trying to pass a secondary role to the lizardmen. He couldn't allow that, otherwise he would undermine the integrity of the kingdom once the conflict was over.

  “I understand... Anyway, thanks for coming to support us! We—”

  More laughter from General Kuro interrupted Gabiru. He tried to remain calm, despite the utter disrespect his ally was showing him. He was the prince and deputy king of the lizardmen, yet he was being treated worse than a slave. If they hadn't been in deep trouble, the pact between their two kingdoms would likely have already been broken.

  "Anything funny, Master Kuro?"

  He asked, gritting his teeth.

  "You really didn't get it, did you?"

  "Hm? What do you mean?"

  "We're not here to help you, but to eliminate you all! The great Yeddu has no use for you..."

  Those words confirmed Gabiru's fears: they had been deceived.

  "W-Wait!"

  He stammered, trying to calm the situation. Perhaps all could be resolved, perhaps there had been a misunderstanding, or perhaps the agreements could be renegotiated. The last thing the lizardmen needed was a battle against a more powerful enemy right in front of the royal palace.

  "There must have been a mistake! Lord Vennominon will be able to tell you everything! We are your allies! We can help you!"

  "Oh yes, you will help us! You will be a great food supply!"

  "What?!"

  "This is how we trolls use our allies!"

  Kuro drew his saber and attempted to strike the prince, who narrowly dodged the blow.

  It's fast, but not fast enough.

  After putting distance between himself and his opponent, Gabiru drew his enchanting trident. It was all clear to him now; this had to be a plan from that snake Vennominon. A snakeman helping a lizardman? Pure utopia! Deceived by trolls and a snake, what a shame...

  "Soldiers! Take up position!"

  Gabiru roared. Despite their numerical advantage—three thousand of them against three hundred and fifty enemies—the lizardmen were cornered. They were ill-equipped to defeat such a powerful, regenerative and seemingly demonic foe. He had underestimated the enemy and the allies even; he had been foolish, reckless, blind to deception: all for fear of losing his throne.

  -He had once again put his aspirations ahead of his duty. Gabiru deserved to die there in that swampy land.

  “Advance! Attack!”

  The soldiers, though hesitant, obeyed their lord's order and charged toward the trolls. A worse choice could not have been made. Despite their numerical advantage, after a few minutes it was clear to everyone that this wasn't a battle, but a one-sided massacre. It was like watching flies crash into a wall—in fact, it was even worse!

  The dead soldiers were devoured instantly, with an alarming voracity- to say the least. It almost seemed as if the trolls were under the influence of a powerful enchantment that instilled in them an endless hunger. Gabiru was losing soldiers with every passing minute. First they were struck down and then torn to pieces by those hungry monsters in front of everyone without a shred of damnable decency. For the enemies, this wasn't a war, but a banquet.

  I'm losing too many of them! It's all my fault! I have to do something...

  The prince gripped his father's trident in his hands and took a deep breath, then advanced steadily toward Kuro. All his mistakes had brought him to this point, so he might as well do the only thing he knew how to do: waste time.

  "Kuro! I challenge you to a duel!"

  "Hmm? Ohhh! I understand what you want to do! You want to challenge me so you can buy your soldiers time to retreat! I respect you, you know? I've decided to indulge you, microbe!

  Kuro declared, snapping his sturdy fingers.

  “You’ll be a great snack, little prince! Boys, get ready!”

  The troll soldiers formed a circle around the two, leaving Gabiru alone to face his adversary. It was a trap; he couldn't escape—not that they would have allowed him to do so anyway, but now he couldn't even try. He had only one chance to survive: fight and win. The only silver lining in the situation was that his soldiers had remained outside the enemy's encirclement. Essentially, they could escape once he was dead.

  "Prince...you will die here!!!"

  Kuro lunged at him with unparalleled fury, but he missed its target, as Gabiru parried the attack with her own trident. There was a quick exchange of blows between the two, making it appear they were evenly matched, but it was only a facade. The troll had already won, as Gabiru had no way to end his opponent's life due to his regenerative ability.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  -It was all a poor charade.

  The prince understood this immediately, and so he simply parried the blows, looking for an opening. His only real hope was to wound Kuro enough that his regenerative ability would take hours to get him back on his feet.

  What a fool I was. When I heard my father agreed, I went blind and I—

  It was then that a thought flashed through his mind, something he couldn't keep inside or ignore. The prince stopped and stopped dodging, appealing to his opponent.

  "Can I ask you a question? Before we continue..."

  "Ask away, but hurry! You're my meal!"

  "Is my father - His Majesty Lizard Magnus - your prisoner?"

  "Prisoner?"

  The troll began to laugh heartily, amused by the possibility that had presented itself to him. It would break the prince not only physically, but also spiritually.

  "No, he's dead! Devoured by our King!"

  Gabiru's heart skipped a beat. Was his father dead? Impossible. It had to be a lie, but why lying in that moment? Just to tease him? No, it had to be the truth, but he couldn't accept it. Had Lizard really died in a way so unworthy of the best of the lizardmen?

  "My father...is no longer with us?"

  Gabiru gripped the trident with both hands, refusing to wipe the tears that were falling down his face.

  "Oh? Are you crying? What a pussy!"

  "Come on, you bastard! Vortex Dash! "

  To the troll general's surprise, Gabiru charged at him at incredible speed, wielding his trident and moving with the aid of the wind.

  This was due to Vortex Dash, a move enabled by Tyrant Trident, which allowed him to control the wind to power himself up. Although Gabiru knew that even then he wouldn't be able to kill the Kuro due to their species' famed regenerative ability, he nevertheless decided to launch a desperate attack, hoping to pierce the enemy's armor and wound the general severely enough to buy his soldiers time to escape.

  Unfortunately, the plan didn't go as planned. The troll's armor took the blow, and the whole thing ended in nothing.

  "That whole scene was for nothing! You're pathetic! Die!!!"

  The general roared, charging forward again.

  "Shit!"

  Out of the corner of his eye, Gabiru watched his soldiers in the rear, watching the battle with despairing expressions. He was taking a beating and making a terrible impression on his subjects. It was a fitting punishment for his actions; after all, he had treated them like pawns up until that point.

  I must buy time! The throne is no longer important! Now I must save my subjects!

  Unfortunately, despite his best will, the poor prince couldn't hold out for long. Skilled as he was, the troll's strength was far superior to his. Gabiru's chances of winning were virtually nonexistent—he would surely lose.

  "Is that all?"

  The troll mocked him after knocking him down with a simple kick. A second well-placed blow sent the prince flying out of the encirclement. Gabiru was on the ground, covered in mud and reduced to a beaten dog in front of the subjects he'd so desperately wanted to impress not long before. There was no greater humiliation.

  "You were funny, but now it's lunchtime! I'm so hungry!"

  Kuro raised his saber, ready to deliver the final blow to the defeated prince.

  "Run away..."

  Gabiru said in a faint voice, hoping he'd bought enough time and that his sacrifice had saved at least one life. It was time to prove he had what it takes to be a king, even if his end had come.

  “It's the end for you, little lizard!”

  When the troll lowered his arm, there was a clang of metal. The force was devastating, enough to crack the ground beneath their feet. His strength had been amplified by several Battle Arts and skills. Not even one of his soldiers would have escaped unscathed from that devastating blow.

  -He had hit something, but not the prince.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “Huh? What?”

  Kuro couldn't believe what he was seeing. One of his most powerful blows had been easily blocked by a black, humanoid-shaped shadow armed with two swords. How it had managed to block such a powerful attack was unknown to the general.

  A magical defense? How can it work on a physical attack of this level?!

  He knew magic was capable of extraordinary things, but even a Diamond-rank adventurer would have struggled to parry that enhanced attack. What if it were against a powerful spellcaster? It would have been a real problem if this mysterious someone could use incendiary magic, their trolls' weakness.

  "Who dares interrupt my duel?! Show yourself!"

  He shouted, drawing back his saber. For some reason, Kuro felt unsure.

  Get a grip, damn it! I'm one of the best generals, I can't be scared by a fucking shadow!

  As he watched the shadow fade, he began to look around. No matter how skilled a wizard, every spell had a range of effect—and Kuro knew this well; he'd faced plenty of wizards in the past, both human and demi-human. He'd always emerged victorious, and it wasn't for nothing that he was nicknamed "Wizard Slayer".

  "Sorry to disturb you, but we have orders not to allow anyone of the lizardmen to die after we arrive..."

  The general looked up—to see who had spoken—and noticed an Oni dressed in ninja-like attire, followed by a female lizardman in light armor. The two were advancing confidently toward them, as if they weren't facing an army of heavily armed trolls.

  "And who the hell are you?!"

  "Just emissaries. I'm Zed and she's Tokka. We're here—"

  "Bullshit! You can't be a messenger with an aura like that!"

  Kuro took a step back. Against an Oni capable of using fire, he was at a serious disadvantage. If it had truly been this mysterious Zed who had blocked his earlier attack with that strange shadow, then defeating him would be no walk in the park.

  There was, however, a silver lining to the situation. The Oni was, by necessity, one of the survivors they had been searching for for weeks; it was obvious he was so strong. If Kuro could eliminate him, he could devour him and increase his power exponentially. Compared to the other generals of the "Fearsome Five", he was superior only to Zog- who also was on a mission. With such a prey, he would be able to quickly rise through the ranks and, perhaps, aspire to second place, right next his glorious King.

  "Brother! Are you okay?"

  The lizard woman ignored the troll's accusations and lunged at Gabiru, helping him to his feet. Kuro clicked his tongue at this behavior. He was the strongest, yet he was being ignored as if he weren't even there.

  One wrong move and I could suffer serious damage...

  If the Oni hadn't been present, he would have attacked immediately. It was difficult to restrain himself due to the Ruthless Devourer skill clouding his judgment. That cursed ability his King had instilled in almost all of his subjects made him a slave to eternal hunger, but the more he devoured, the stronger he became. With that, Kuro decided to listen to his instincts and let the two lizards do their thing, who had meanwhile begun to converse with each other.

  "S-Sister? But...how? I thought you were killed with Dad!"

  "Killed? What the hell are you talking about?! Dad's alive, but he's still a prisoner of the trolls!"

  "R-Really? Dad...is he alive?"

  More tears, this time of happiness, welled up in Gabiru's eyes. His father was alive and would probably punish him for his arrogance, but he didn't care. He was too happy in that moment.

  "Now rest, brother. Drink this and let Sir Zed take care of everything."

  Tokka pulled a small green potion—presumably a healing substance—from her shoulder bag and gave it to her brother, while Zed positioned himself between them and Kuro. Despite their size difference, the ninja stood tall and stoic, as if he were the stronger one. This obviously didn't please the person on the other end, who promptly shouted in fury.

  "Do you really think you can beat me?! You may be an Oni, so you're skilled with fire, but that's not enough! I have the power given to me by my King!"

  "I'm not here to fight. As I said before, I'm just a messenger..."

  "Hmm? Are you serious?!"

  Zed's curt, stoic response surprised the general. It was strange to him that someone would act so boldly in front of a large army like his. He was getting quite irritated. He felt his stomach rumbling irritably— he wanted to bite that Oni's head off.

  "And what message do you want to convey, Oni?"

  "My mistress offers you the option of surrendering without bloodshed. In exchange, your lives will be spared. This applies to you and all the trolls and orcs who accept it."

  At those words, Kuro burst into a hearty laugh. They would never submit to someone who wasn't even there or whom they didn't know. Why bow to someone who might very well be weaker than them? The response was more than predictable.

  "Are you stupid?! We will not submit! Not now, not ever!"

  "If that's your answer- “

  “Enough with this nonsense!”

  Tired of waiting any longer, Kuro raised his saber. He was ready to strike Zed full force, hoping to be fast enough to kill him in one swing, but he stopped short when he saw purple clouds blocking the sun and settling above them.

  Huh? What the hell is this thing?!

  Without warning, purple lightning began raining down on the troll army, killing them like there was no tomorrow. They looked like ordinary lightning bolts, but once they struck their target, nothing remained—not even ash.

  "W-What? How?!"

  The general's eyes widened in surprise. He had no idea what was happening; he had never seen anything like that. The only certainty he had was that the casualties among his ranks visibly increased with each clap of thunder. Even the armor forged from black steel, a powerful demonic material, seemed powerless against that devastating force.

  "I see is already started."

  Zed commented, with the calm of someone asking what the weather is like.

  "Huh? So it's your doing?! You can use such high-level magic?!"

  "No, it wasn't me. I've said many times that I'm not here to fight."

  "B-But then who-?!"

  " I'm not involved in this, but she's another story..."

  The troll shifted his gaze to where the Oni was pointing and saw a woman clad in full white steel armor, wielding a heavy battle axe, and with two black wings on her back. She looked like a normal female of some winged race, yet her aura was terrifying. Even Kuro's hunger subsided for a few seconds at that absurd power.

  And who is this?! When did she get here?! How does she have all this power?!

  "Welcome, Yor..."

  Zed greeted her, giving her a short bow. The woman responded with a wave of her hand, then glanced briefly at Kuro.

  "Did they accept?"

  "No, they refused..."

  "How ungrateful! How dare they refuse a request from Lady Almodea?! Sister of Supreme Hirashi?!"

  Yor seemed to suddenly bristle at the news that the trolls had refused to submit. She clutched her axe in her right hand and advanced briskly toward the enemy general, as if to challenge him. Kuro felt a shiver run down his spine as she approached him. He wasn't sure he could defeat her, but he had to try.

  His skill was forcing him to think positively. If he could kill her, it wouldn't matter how much damage or casualties he took—by absorbing her strength, he would surpass anyone. He might not be able to beat the King, because the skill shared part of the absorbed energy with him, but Kuro was fine with second place.

  -At that moment, he just wanted to satisfy that damned hunger that was weighing on his existence.

  "Are you the one who can generate this magic? Better! I'll devour you and then—"

  He didn't have time to finish his sentence when the woman swung her weapon. However, the blow wasn't aimed at Kuro. A beam of energy passed the troll general and crashed into his rear, creating an explosion that obliterated the entire army. After that blow, not even the dust remained, nor the body of the soldiers...nothing.

  -There was nothing left.

  "I-Impossible!"

  Left alone, Kuro turned to Yor. Although he hadn't taken any damage from that devastating attack, he was shaking like a leaf. His opponent's power was beyond his wildest imagination. It's true that trolls weren't naturally intelligent, but not even a genius could have predicted that turn of events.

  I only have one chance! I have to hit her while I can!

  This was Kuro's only thought: to attack Yor before she killed him. It was obvious even to a monster as swayed by his own skill that, in a prolonged fight, the winged woman would surely prevail.

  The general raised his arm and prepared the most powerful blow he could launch: the All-Shatter. It was his strongest technique and consisted of a dozen skills, including Battle Arts and abilities activated simultaneously to channel as much force as possible into the attacking arm and the weapon used. He activated Strong Bicep to strenuously strengthen the muscles of his right arm, Destroy Fortress to increase the physical damage of his weapon, Bend Arcane to destroy any magical protections or shields, and so on.

  That blow could only have been dodged; parrying it would have been impossible.

  “Stop this, bitch! All-Shatter!”

  Kuro swung his arm at breakneck speed and aimed for Yor's left shoulder. The blow connected, the ground shook under the impact, and the sword shattered under the pressure—Kuro's own muscles cracked under the strain and immediately began to regenerate from the immense force he had exerted...

  “Huh? This...is i-impossible.”

  ...And yet Yor remained motionless and unscathed. The woman hadn't suffered any apparent harm, and her armor didn't even appear to be damaged—in fact, it wasn't even chipped. It was almost as if Kuro's blow had never happened. But the weapon had broken, which meant the attack had connected, so how could Yor be completely unharmed?

  "W-Who the hell are you?! H-How did you-"

  The general stammered, a mixture of shock and pain at the enormous burden his body was burdened with, but he was silenced again by a slash from Yor. This time, the blow was aimed squarely at him. With a clean and precise cut, Kuro was completely obliterated—nothing remained of him: not his armor, not his corpse. It looked as if someone had run an eraser over him, erasing him from reality itself.

  This was the end of one of the "Fearsome Five", the Wizard Slayer- Slain by a too-strong opponent, but driven to that fate by the skill that controlled him like a puppet. It was no excuse for his terrible actions, as the skill in question heightened the wielder's desire to the point of insatiable hunger.

  -Kuro Kishi: He lived hungry, he died hungry.