章 21: I'll Beat The Demons
"So, Jennifer, was it? What exactly are you doing here?" Uta asked, tilting his head curiously.
Jennifer, the crimson-skinned Orc Lord, sneered. "I came to multiply my loyal orcs and bring this kingdom to its knees! Total annihilation awaits!"
"Wow, that sounds... dramatic," Uta replied. "You sure you want to spill all your plans like that?"
"It doesn't matter!" Jennifer roared, her voice rising in manic laughter. "Because you're going to die here!"
Jennifer charged, her massive arm swinging toward Uta with incredible speed and power.
"Let's see how you handle THIS!"
Blow after blow rained down on Uta. The forest floor trembled under Jennifer's relentless assault, her monstrous fists cracking the ground with every strike.
"Feel the wrath of an Orc Lord! Turn to mincemeat!" she bellowed.
"Geez, you're pretty rough," Uta muttered, dusting off his clothes as if he wasn't being pummeled.
Jennifer's onslaught continued until—
"GAHHHH!" she screamed, recoiling in horror. Her arms, from the elbows down, had vanished.
"What... WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?" Jennifer cried, staring at the stumps where her hands had been.
"Turned them to dust," Uta said, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his face. "Should've been obvious, really."
Jennifer shrieked in agony, her grotesque face contorting as she stumbled back.
"I can dust your whole body, but I figured I'd ask some questions first," Uta said, leaning casually against a tree. Then, without warning, he delivered a sharp kick to Jennifer's stomach.
"GUH!" Jennifer dropped to her knees, the force of Uta's seemingly light strike knocking the air out of her.
"Let's chat. If you lie, you'll get the full dust treatment. Sound good?"
"I-I'LL TALK!" Jennifer stammered, her crimson skin paling.
"You said you're a mazoku—a demon, right? Are there more of your kind in this kingdom?"
Jennifer hesitated before blurting out, "Yes! This kingdom has allied with the northern nation of Leonir. They're supplying weapons and food to their armies! We can't allow them to strengthen our enemies!"
"So, attacking the kingdom is your way of weakening Leonir?" Uta asked.
"Y-Yes!" Jennifer replied, nodding frantically. "My mission was to breed orcs here, destabilize this land, and reduce its power!"
"Logical," Uta mused. "But are there other demons infiltrating this place?"
"I… I don't know!" Jennifer shouted, panic creeping into her voice.
Uta narrowed his eyes. "That sounds like a lie."
"I SWEAR IT'S THE TRUTH!" Jennifer cried. "We demons don't share intel to avoid compromising each other if one of us is caught!"
"Fair enough," Uta said with a shrug. "Not very helpful, though."
He pondered for a moment. "So, your plan was to breed orcs, huh? Guess I should wrap this up then."
Before he could act, Jennifer shrieked, "NOW'S MY CHANCE!"
Jennifer lunged, raising her severed arms toward Uta. From the stumps where her hands had been, a torrent of smaller orcs began spilling out, charging at Uta in droves.
"BEHOLD MY TRUE POWER!" Jennifer bellowed. "As an Orc Lord, I can summon unlimited orcs as long as I have mana! YOU'RE FINISHED!"
The wave of orcs surged toward Uta like a flood.
"Gross," he muttered, sidestepping as the first orc lunged at him. He touched it lightly, and it crumbled to dust.
The next orc fell the same way. And the next. And the next.
Within seconds, the entire horde was reduced to ash.
"Bleh," Uta said, spitting. "Some of the dust got in my mouth."
Jennifer stared in horror. "W-WHAT DID YOU DO!?"
"Same thing I did to the rest of your buddies," Uta said, brushing himself off. "Honestly, this is getting boring."
With a sudden motion, Uta grabbed Jennifer's face.
"NO! WAIT!" she screamed, her voice muffled against his hand.
"Any last words?" Uta asked. "Wait, no, I probably wouldn't remember them anyway."
"NOOOOOOOO—!"
Jennifer's body disintegrated, leaving behind a faint puff of ash that quickly scattered in the breeze.
"Well, that's that," Uta said, stomping on the remaining dust for good measure. "Demons, huh? Not as tough as I thought. Guess Tatsuya and the others could handle them too."
He glanced toward the orc's victims—the three women Jennifer had abducted. All three had fainted from the ordeal.
"Awkward," Uta muttered. "Well, guess I'll just teleport us all back."
Placing a hand on one of the women, he warped them all back to the village.
"The Village Ablaze"
"Back!" Uta called out as they arrived in the village square. He looked around for any sign of the innkeeper. "So, how's that beef stew—wait, what?"
The village was in ruins. Buildings lay in smoldering piles of ash and charcoal, thin trails of smoke wafting into the night sky. The acrid stench of burning wood filled the air.
"Uh… did I miss something?" Uta asked aloud, scratching his head.
A voice echoed behind him. "We've been waiting for you, heretic."
Turning, Uta barely had time to react as a blade plunged into his skull.
The strike was followed by an explosion of searing heat. Flames engulfed his body, painting the night red.
"Burn, blasphemer," the figure intoned, their voice cold and filled with righteous fury. "May the divine fire of Flare cleanse your soul."
The flames roared higher, swallowing Uta whole.
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