Bang!
A Pig-headed Scout fell from the void.
Everyone looked over.
He was wearing a black bodysuit suitable for moving in complex terrain, and was very lean overall.
He was currently in a state of bewilderment, completely unaware of what had happened.
The second before, he saw his companions torn apart and burned to ashes by flames and fierce winds descending from the sky, instantly wiped out!
Unable to comprehend this situation, the Pig-headed Scout turned and fled without hesitation.
He had to warn his companions, tell them that there was a monster in the Jura Forest!
Perhaps it was the guardian god who had disappeared before?
Or a sealed demon that had been released?
Whatever the truth, the Pig-headed Scout hoped to reunite with the main force.
What was the result?
After only a few steps, he was entangled and swallowed by a special force.
The moment he recovered from his dizziness, he had already been transferred from the sea of trees to the entrance of a monster village.
After a brief hesitation, the experienced Pig-headed Scout immediately stood up and ran frantically towards the forest.
But in taking this action, he made a mistake.
Leaving his back to the enemy.
Seeing the Pig-headed Scout flee, Benimaru and Shion were the first to rush forward.
Ranga, who followed closely, used a skill called 'Shadow Blink' and jumped directly out of the shadows under a tree near the village entrance.
"Still trying to escape?!"
Shion, facing the hog race that had once destroyed her village, directly launched an attack.
A flash of a blade, and the sharp edge cut open the Pig-headed Scout's shoulder.
Blood splattered, and a cry of pain was heard.
The Pig-headed Scout rolled to the ground in a sorry state, and the gritting-toothed Shion wanted to press the attack.
"Shion."
Chen Hai called out.
Hearing this voice, Shion's movements slowed down.
"He's still useful."
Benimaru bypassed Shion, raised the samurai sword in his right hand, and plunged it fiercely into the ground.
The sharp blade pierced through the Pig-headed Scout's palm, pinning him to the ground.
Only after this guy calmed down and dared not resist did Benimaru put away his weapon.
Seeing this, Ranga, who had been blocking the way, returned to the scene with the recently escaped Pig-headed Scout in his mouth, throwing him back in front of everyone.
"Even if you kill me, it's useless!"
The Pig-headed Scout, with a bleeding shoulder and a pierced palm, still had some backbone.
Seeing that he couldn't escape, he adopted an attitude of 'fate decides life and death'.
"How exactly were you sent here?"
Looking at the hog race in front of her, Izawa Shizue was very curious.
There was no need to hide this question, because the Pig-headed Scout didn't know either.
"Who knows? After seeing them burned by flames and shredded by wind blades, I wanted to escape, and the next moment I was teleported here."
Upon hearing this, the 570 people present looked at Chen Hai again.
No one had felt any magic fluctuations just now.
This proved that Chen Hai's remote strike and remote teleportation had nothing to do with magic.
"These are not important! This guy is part of the hog race troop that attacked us! Kill him! Kill him!"
Seeing the enemy, Gabiru shouted.
Because he was so loud, the Lizardman Princess, who had also been saved here, gave Gabiru a chop to the neck.
"You're so noisy, brother. This isn't something we can decide."
"We have indeed received kindness from everyone, especially Lord Chen Hai, but an enemy is an enemy! They shouldn't be given a chance to breathe!"
Hearing this, Chen Hai gave Hakurou a look.
Kurobe nodded, about to knock out the noisy Gabiru, who immediately realized something, covered his mouth directly, and indicated that he would not continue to babble.
After quieting down, Izawa Shizue couldn't help but ask, "How did Mr. Chen Hai do that?"
"It's nothing more than dominating a part of this forest. As long as it's within the range, I can manipulate some things."
"I've never heard of such a skill..."
Domain Domination.
It's too exaggerated.
Among the powerful enemies Izawa Shizue had fought against, there was never a holder of such a terrifying skill.
"If you can manipulate everything within the area, not just space, but even time?"
Regarding this topic, Shuna began to brainstorm.
Chen Hai showed some interest when he heard her say that.
He only dominated space and had no description related to 'time.'
The System responded at this moment: "Currently, it can only dominate space and does not have the effect of 'space-time manipulation,' but the Host can copy corresponding entries for enhancement later, which is not a problem."
Chen Hai then looked at Shuna, "You have to keep it a secret for now."
"Y-yes, you're right."
Shuna also reacted.
Under normal circumstances, keeping the detailed information of abilities and skills secret can prevent enemies from quickly finding countermeasures.
"Let's get back to the main topic."
Chen Hai's gaze turned to the injured Pig-headed Scout, "What are your plans next?"
"Hahaha! This! I don't mind telling you! Once we've thoroughly investigated the condition of this forest, our great leader will bring two hundred thousand Pig-Headed Soldiers to conquer everything here! Including you!"
As soon as he said this, Shion glared fiercely at the Pig-headed Scout, "I don't want to hear your hog race's final fantasy; I need other information."
"Who would tell you! Just wait for your future demise!"
The Pig-headed Scout completely gave up, not afraid of death at all, and began to speak wildly.
After hearing this, Chen Hai's heart was not stirred.
He already knew the situation of the Jura Great Forest.
The reason he left the Pig-headed Scout alive was simply to ask about the specific movements of the army, not the current state of the forest.
"The future's demise is full of uncertainties. Now, let me show you true demise."
"?"
As the Pig-headed Scout felt puzzled and confused, Chen Hai raised his right hand and gently waved it.
As Chen Hai's gesture fell, several islands suddenly appeared in various parts of the Jura Forest.
"What is that?!"
"Flying islands?"
Shuna and Shion saw a very strange scene.
Izawa Shizue quickly realized that these anomalies also came from Chen Hai's 'domination.'
As she thought, these islands were not naturally formed, but were enveloped by the dominated power, lifted from the ground, and flown into the sky.
"There are people on them!"
Souei noticed this fact.
"My... companions!?"
The Pig-headed Scout was stunned again.
At this moment, each strangely floating island had a hog race vanguard standing on it. Their numbers exceeded a thousand, scattered in various corners to carry out reconnaissance missions.
Initially, the hog race warriors were still immersed in the exploration of the unknown, completely unaware of the impending turning point of their fate.
And so—
When those islands slowly rose, carrying them off the ground and floating into the air, fear and doubt made them uneasy.
For the hog race, flying should have been an unattainable dream, but now, this dream became the beginning of their nightmare.
"This is just the beginning."
Chen Hai's voice was calm, almost cruel.
The next moment, his open palm suddenly clenched.
Boom—!
The floating islands instantly erupted with suffocating energy fluctuations.
Ten of the islands suddenly burst into scarlet flames.
Terrifying tongues of fire, like living things, wrapped around the edges of the islands, swallowing the hog race's shrieks.
The flames were not ordinary burning, but exploded outwards from inside the islands. Magma-like lava spewed from the cracks, turning into fire dragons that plummeted to the ground.
The hog race warriors engulfed in flames didn't even have time to scream before they were evaporated into ash by the high temperature!
Another area of islands was suddenly torn apart by strong winds.
Countless transparent wind blades rained down like a storm.
These wind blades were as fine as hair, yet sharp enough to cut through steel.
The Pig-Headed Soldiers on the islands didn't even have time to react before their bodies were cut into countless fragments, blood and bones turning into a scarlet rain curtain in the air.
Among them, the dozen or so islands closest to the Goblin Village suddenly began to rotate at high speed, their distances constantly shrinking.
When they finally collided, the entire space seemed to be distorted!
The Pig-Headed Soldiers on the surface of the islands were pulled by an irresistible force, embedded inside the sphere like crushed ants.
Immediately after, the sphere formed by the islands suddenly expanded, then exploded with a roar like a burning planet.
The remains and debris of countless hog race warriors, enveloped by a scorching shockwave, plowed the ground within a hundred meters into scorched earth.
"This... impossible!"
As the hot airflow swept from the sky towards the village, the previously captured Pig-headed Scout's eyes widened, and his body trembled.
Disheveled, he forgot about the bleeding shoulder wound and the pierced hand. The only thing clear was—fear.
"Vanguard... could it be... completely wiped out?!"
The moment the Pig-headed Scout uttered these words, his face turned pale, his expression was sorrowful, and even his breathing became difficult.
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
Before he finished speaking, the Pig-headed Scout spat out a large mouthful of bloody saliva, struggling to look up at Chen Hai.
"Who exactly... are you?!"
"He is our savior."
Before Chen Hai could answer.
Shuna was the first to explain.
"He is Master."
Ranga looked down at the struggling Pig-headed Scout on the ground.
Rigurd on one side made a gesture of flexing his muscles, "The one who changed our future!"
In less than ten seconds.
Chen Hai had located and eliminated all the hog race vanguard troops lurking in the Jura Forest. This power had exceeded many people's imaginations.
Only then did they fully understand that Chen Hai was not 'a strong person who bestows names on others,' but 'an absolute overlord capable of ruling a region.'
No... is it just 'a region'?!
Shion and the other Ogre looked at each other, believing that Chen Hai's dominated domain would not be limited to this forest.
And the Treant Treyni, who came to make a request... she also witnessed everything that had just happened.
Clearly, the power Chen Hai displayed was many times stronger than she had imagined.
Demon Lord?
Or an even higher existence?
Treyni didn't know.
Because before Chen Hai appeared, Treyni, who knew this forest like the back of her hand, had no information about Chen Hai.
It was as if he had appeared out of thin air.
Treyni thought of a possibility—
'Stranger' or 'Summoner'.
From this, Treyni was certain that Chen Hai had a great connection with the vanished Storm Dragon!
"The skills you possess are too strong, aren't they?"
As a 'Transmigrator companion,' Izawa Shizue, after arriving in this world, only gained power after Ifrit possessed her.
However, the abilities Chen Hai possessed were several levels stronger than Izawa Shizue's.
"This is our 'small perk' as Transmigrators."
"This is not just a 'small perk.' You are a true 'Dominator'."
Seeing the two whispering, Shuna quickly drew closer, "What are you two talking about?"
"If it's related to future battles, please be sure to tell us!"
Shion also immediately moved closer to Chen Hai.
Facing the situation of three women surrounding him, Chen Hai responded with a smile, "We'll talk about it when we have time."
Preferably after he transfers his house to the Goblin Village.
Then they could talk slowly on a soft bed.
Or perhaps, they could meet frankly and chat amicably in a warm large bath.
"How should we deal with this guy, Lord Chen Hai?"
Benimaru glanced at the Pig-headed Scout, whose spirit was close to collapse.
This guy, having witnessed over a thousand companions being instantly killed within ten seconds, had become disoriented and lost his reason.
"Let's lock him up for now. He might be useful."
"Alright."
Benimaru nodded and had Kurobe and Ranga send the Pig-headed Scout to the underground dungeon.
As he watched them leave, Izawa Shizue recalled their previous conversation, "Mr. Chen Hai, regarding the 'two hundred thousand warriors' mentioned by that Pig-headed Scout, if the enemy invades the forest completely, should we... eliminate all of them?"
As soon as these words were spoken, someone responded.
It was Shion.
"Of course, the hog race destroyed our villages and annihilated our people. Now they plan to invade this forest. If that's the case, why should we show mercy to these cruel and greedy monsters?"
Shion, who harbored hatred for the hog race, wasn't one for forgiveness.
In the original plot, because the Demon Lord took the stance of 'hoping everyone would get along,' he bore all the sins after devouring the Hog King and turned the surviving hog race into his subordinates.
So, how should things be arranged now?
Chen Hai was not some heinous existence.
Among the two hundred thousand hog race, there were also elderly, weak, and sick individuals; not all of them were burdened with sin.
However... Chen Hai also had no reason to spare them.
To put it coldly, two hundred thousand hog race were all experience points;
To put it gently, led by the Hog King, they were pursuing an illusory dream.
"I hope there can be other solutions."
The hero who had saved others;
The world-renowned 'Ruler of Exploding Flames';
Izawa Shizue, who knew how terrible war was, did not wish for battle.
However, Chen Hai also had his own thoughts.
"The hog race must pay a price, and as for that price... it depends on the specific situation after the war begins."
Chen Hai's words served to appease Shion and Izawa Shizue.
At the same time—
He began to chat with the system.
"System, I am a Transmigrator. Can I also be affected by the settings of this world?"
[Does the Host mean...?]
"You know perfectly well, so don't beat around the bush with your questions."
[Indeed, this system understands the Host's thoughts, but it doesn't understand everything at all times. As long as the Host subconsciously wishes for this system to be silent, then this system will only obtain partial information outside of the Host; other senses are cut off.]
"You certainly have a good sense of self-awareness... Never mind that, let's get back to the main topic. What about my thoughts just now?"
[Are you referring to... using the 'hog race army' to complete 'Demon Lord evolution,' right?]
"Yes, having an extra 'Demon Lord' entry isn't bad. I just don't know if it will become an entry, an inherent skill, a race, an identity, or something else."
[This system thinks it's worth a try. Half of the two hundred thousand hog race army might be enough to kill.]
"In the original plot, didn't the Demon Lord only use twenty thousand of the Falmuth Kingdom's invading army? The number I need to eliminate is too large, isn't it? It's directly five times more."
[More is steadier. Don't humans have a saying? I remember it's called 'the more, the merrier.']
"Those are the lives of the hog race."
[They are experience points, you know.]
The system's remarks were sometimes quite ruthless... although Chen Hai, who planned to use the hog race to obtain the 'Demon Lord' entry, wasn't in a position to say so.
But this was indeed a good opportunity.
[Excluding the elderly, weak, sick, and children among the hog race, those warriors who followed their leader and invaded other regions should be enough to complete 'Demon Lord evolution.' This way, you won't have any psychological burden, right?]
"Sort of...? How to put it, I don't have any intention of becoming Bone King yet."
From being human internally to being non-human internally... in this regard, the Demon Lord indeed did well.
But Chen Hai was Chen Hai; he wouldn't imitate anyone and intended to follow his own rhythm.
Afterward, Chen Hai ended his conversation with the system.
Due to 'Thought Acceleration,' only less than a second had passed in reality.
And at this moment—
A figure rushed to Chen Hai's front.
"Please let us also become your subordinates! Follow in your footsteps!"
And this figure was the Lizardman Princess.