The clash echoed through the land like thunder.
Gabiru's trident met the Orc General's massive axe in a burst of sparks, the shockwave ripping through the ground beneath them. For a brief instant, their weapons locked—steel against steel, will against will—before the disparity in raw power made itself known.
Gabiru was sent flying.
His body spun violently through the air, scales scraping against torn bark as he crashed through branches before finally twisting midair and driving his trident downward.
"Vortex Crash!"
The weapon screamed as wind gathered around its prongs, condensing into a roaring spiral. Gabiru hurled the attack forward, the compressed vortex tearing through the battlefield toward the Orc General.
But the orc merely laughed.
With a single step forward, the Orc General swung his axe in a wide arc. The weapon spun with terrifying force, generating a vortex of its own—larger, denser, and far more violent. The two spirals collided, wind howling like a beast caught between worlds.
Gabiru's attack was swallowed whole.
The backlash threw him backward once more, his feet skidding across the ground as he barely managed to stay upright.
"Chaos Eater!" the Orc General roared.
From behind the orc, shadows twisted unnaturally. Three massive, serpent-like entities erupted forth, their bodies formed of writhing darkness and hunger. Their maws opened wide as they lunged toward Gabiru.
Gabiru leapt back instinctively, the fangs snapping shut mere inches from his throat.
"You're trying to eat me?" Gabiru shouted, breath sharp.
The Orc General's laughter shook the air. "Do you think you can keep running forever?"
Behind Gabiru, the Lizardmen raised their weapons.
"Let us help, Lord Gabiru!"
Their voices rang with loyalty and desperation.
Gabiru lifted a hand sharply. "Stay out of this! I'll fight it one-on-one!"
The Lizardmen roared his name in response, their faith in him unshaken.
Gabiru surged forward again, trident flashing. "This is nothing!"
He sliced through one of the serpents, dispersing it into shadow—but the moment of triumph was fleeting.
The Orc General moved.
One swing.
That was all it took.
The axe struck with overwhelming force, the shockwave lifting Gabiru off his feet and slamming him into the ground like a broken doll. His vision swam as pain coursed through his body.
"Lizards are best suited crawling on the ground," the Orc General sneered, looming over him.
The axe rose high.
"Now die."
The weapon descended—
And was stopped.
A smaller figure appeared in a blur, parrying the strike with perfect timing. The impact sent a shockwave outward, but the axe was diverted.
Gabiru's eyes widened.
"Y-you're… the true leader of that village! Have you come to save us!?"
The goblin standing before him grinned. "That's Gobta, captain of the Goblin Riders."
A massive shadow stepped forward, white fur bristling as crimson eyes glowed.
"The Direwolf!" Gabiru gasped.
"My name is Ranga," the wolf said calmly. "I have come to help you—on my master Arceus' orders."
"How did you even get here?" Gabiru asked, disbelief thick in his voice.
"Shadow Movement," Ranga replied flatly. "Are you incapable of learning?"
The Orc General burst into laughter.
"Arceus? I don't know who any of you are, but if you stand in my way, I will show no—"
His words were erased by destruction.
Black flames erupted behind him, massive explosions consuming rows of orcs in an instant. Screams were snuffed out as bodies were reduced to ash.
"So, um… Gabiru, was it?" Gobta said, scratching his head. "Let's assume a defensive formation."
"I understand, but… who cast those flames?" Gabiru whispered.
"Relax," Gobta said. "They're from our side."
From the smoke emerged three figures.
Benimaru stood at the center, a small black flame dancing above his palm. Hakuro rested his hand on his sword, eyes sharp and unreadable. Shion cracked her neck, her massive greatsword resting casually against her shoulder.
"It is time," Benimaru said, smiling. "We must thank Great Arceus for this opportunity."
"I'll say it once more," he continued, voice cold. "Move out of the way, you pigs… unless you wish to be erased without a trace."
He flicked his wrist.
The flame exploded outward, a sea of black fire devouring the orcs.
High above, Arceus watched, standing effortlessly upon the air.
"Hmph," he smirked.
Below, the Orc General snarled. "You waste your time! Goblins and dogs—worthless monsters! Your presence changes nothing!"
Ranga's eyes blazed.
"We will show you," he growled.
Dark clouds spiraled inward as the world itself seemed to answer him. Cyclones formed, towering and violent, black lightning tearing through them.
The storm descended.
Orcs were lifted screaming into the air, bodies torn apart by wind and lightning alike.
"Curse you!" the Orc General roared, resisting with all his might—
Until lightning struck him directly.
His form disintegrated, erased from existence.
Ranga howled.
Light engulfed his body—white and violet intertwining—as his form expanded. Horns emerged from his head, his presence becoming overwhelmingly vast.
When the howl ended, silence followed.
"Do you see now, Orcs?" Ranga shouted. "This is but a fraction of the power of the one you mocked!"
Benimaru's flames continued to consume the battlefield.
Hakuro moved like a phantom, his blade leaving nothing but falling bodies.
Shion swung her greatsword once—one shockwave was enough to annihilate dozens.
Above them all, Arceus observed.
Their numbers are dwindling, he noted calmly.
Elsewhere, within the Lizardmen's cave, Souei guided the chief and his daughter forward.
Accepting the alliance was the correct choice, the chief thought.
Their path was blocked by a massive orc—
Only for silver threads to wrap around it instantly.
"You see this, don't you?" Souei said quietly. "Puppet master of the orcs. You are next."
With a single pull, the threads tightened.
The orc fell apart.
Far away, Gelmud screamed as he crushed a glass orb beneath his heel.
"Useless fools!" he snarled. "If this continues, everything will collapse!"
He took to the sky.
Back on the battlefield, Arceus' gaze locked onto a figure among the orcs.
"I found you, Orc Lord," he said softly. "Judgment awaits."
Gelmud landed before Geld, rage blazing in his eyes.
"How dare you interfere with my plans!" he screamed.
Red flames surged toward Gabiru's group.
"Gelmud!" Gabiru cried.
"Become nourishment for the future Demon Lord!" Gelmud roared. "Deathmarch Dance!"
Multiple orbs of flame formed—
And stopped.
Arceus stood before Gabiru.
"So you are the mastermind," he said.
With a snap of his fingers, Gabiru's fallen followers were healed instantly.
"Thank you!" Gabiru shouted.
"Don't move," Arceus said, eyes glowing blue.
An invisible force crushed Gelmud in place.
"You are nothing," Arceus said coldly. "And yet you flaunt power over the weak."
Blood spilled from Gelmud's body as he screamed.
"Can you feel it?" Arceus asked softly. "My heartbeat."
Gelmud begged.
Then—
A blade flashed.
Geld decapitated him.
The orc crouched and devoured the corpse.
Power surged.
The earth trembled.
The legend was born.
The Orc Disaster had awakened.