From the journey alone, Sōei had already realized something.
Aside from Nekomata, who naturally excelled in agile movement, and Kishigake-Kozō, whose unique ability allowed him to bypass terrain entirely, the others were not speed-type monsters at all.
And yet—even so—they had still managed, each in their own way, to keep up with his full-power burst.
That alone left Sōei shaken.
Especially the cat-eared girl.
In terms of pure speed, she had utterly crushed him—so thoroughly that Sōei felt his face burn with embarrassment at the memory of his earlier arrogance.
Ren Kuroda had reprimanded Nekomata, Tearai-Oni, and the others for burning through nearly thirty percent of their demonic energy before the battle had even begun.
But only Sōei knew the truth.
He himself had lost at least fifty percent.
From that fact alone, he finally understood—whatever their actual combat styles might be, the raw density of the magicules within Ren Kuroda's followers was already beyond him.
Just like Shion, who—after being named by Ren—possessed not only terrifying physical strength, but also the highest magicule reserves among the six Oni.
And Sōei could clearly sense it now.
The five monsters before him carried magicule levels that were not much weaker than Shion's at all.
Once they entered the Jura Great Forest, Ren and the others didn't even need Sōei to explain where the battlefield was.
They could feel it.
The overwhelming, oppressive mass of magicules blanketing the sky above the forest told them everything.
For the monsters living in the Jura Forest, these past few days had been nothing short of a catastrophe.
Pigmen. Oni. Goblins. Lizardfolk. Dryads. Dwarves.And countless upper-ranked Majin.
Across multiple races, over two hundred and fifty thousand combatants had been dragged into an all-out, apocalyptic war.
The battlefield lay in the swamp region of the Lizardfolk territory.
Although Mimura Rimu's faction possessed superior individual combat power, the sheer disparity in numbers forced them into a brutal, exhausting struggle.
According to Demon Lord Kurayman's design, the birth of the Pig Demon Lord had already completed half his plan.
The next step was simple—
Absolute control over the Jura Forest.
"Ahhh… so that thing really is a slime, huh?"said Tia, her face hidden behind a sorrowful clown mask.
While coordinating attacks with Kuroto, the Pig Demon Lord, against Mimura Rimu, she maintained communication with Kurayman through a crystal orb.
"That magicule volume… that strength… it's terrifying.If I had to fight him one-on-one, I might actually lose."
At that moment, Mimura Rimu had just been cleaved cleanly in half by Kuroto's massive cleaver—only to immediately counter by devouring Tia's spell using "Predator".
The battle was vicious.
Rimu had considered clashing "Predator" head-on against Kuroto's unique skill, "Starved One".
Unfortunately, according to the Great Sage's analysis, with Tia interfering from the side, the one most likely to be devoured… would be him.
And so Rimu fought as if walking on a razor's edge.
His physical resistance rendered him immune to most attacks.Magic could be decomposed and absorbed through "Predator".
But if Kuroto ever managed to catch him with "Chaos Feast"—
It would become a forced, inescapable death match.
Ranga, Benimaru, Shion—each of them was powerful.
But even they had limits.
Large-scale magic consumed magicules relentlessly, and reserves were running dry.
The goblins and lizardfolk—once the most numerous—had already suffered catastrophic losses over the past few days.
Rimu wanted to call for a temporary ceasefire.
But the enemy had no intention of granting it.
This battle would decide everything.
Watching goblins fall one after another…Seeing the dryads collapse from exhaustion…
Rimu clenched his teeth and looked at the Pig Demon Lord.
Finally, he made his decision.
He would gamble—with "Predator".
"Analysis complete," the Great Sage reported calmly.
"Based on the magicule volume of the Pig Demon Lord identified as Kuroto, the success rate of devouring the target using "Predator" is 60 percent.
"Incorporating environmental variables and current status… recalculating.
"Revised success probability: 30 percent.
"Success rate is below 50 percent.Use of "Predator" is not recommended."
The moment Rimu resolved to risk his life, the warning came.
But this time—
He couldn't listen.
"Thirty percent is still a chance," Rimu replied.
"If I succeed… the battlefield flips instantly."
If things continued like this—
Treyni would die.Gobta would die.Benimaru.Shion.
They would all die.
Rather than watch everyone fall in front of him, Rimu chose to stake everything.
Just as he reverted fully to his slime form and prepared to unleash "Predator"—
A sudden disturbance erupted at the rear of the Pigmen formation.
A brilliant azure blade-arc exploded outward from behind them.
The crescent-shaped slash expanded as it flew, impossibly vast, impossibly bright—even amidst a battlefield of over two hundred thousand.
The massive moon-blade tore across the land, cleaving the earth itself—
And everything caught within its path was sliced cleanly apart.
"Yo. Looks like we made it just in time."
Dust billowed.
And from within it—
Six figures slowly emerged.
At their center stood a young man, a sword casually resting on his shoulder.
Ren Kuroda.
The shockwave seized everyone's attention.
Rimu's activation of "Predator" came to a dead halt.
"What… happened on the Pigmen side?"
"Answer," the Great Sage replied instantly.
"Massive magicule reaction detected.
"Individual identified as Ren Kuroda, accompanied by five entities exceeding Special-A class magicule levels."
At the same moment, Sōei emerged beside Rimu via Shadow Movement.
"Lord Rimu. I have followed your orders and brought the reinforcement you requested—Ren Kuroda.
"He has also brought five subordinates.All of them are extraordinarily powerful."
Watching Pigmen collapse in swathes like harvested wheat, Rimu finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Good work, Sōei.You arrived even faster than I expected."
Sōei's expression turned strange.
Ironically, the petty rivalry and reckless sprinting on the road—
Had ended up being the correct choice after all.
"Oi—seriously?"snapped Footman, wearing a mask of rage.
Dodging the Dwarf King's blade, he glanced toward Ren's group.
"We were this close to winning! And now more reinforcements show up?!"
Ren Kuroda's arrival—and the effortless way his group slaughtered Pigmen—naturally drew the attention of both Footman and Tia.
Even far away—
Demon Lord Kurayman saw them clearly through the crystal orb.
"Tch.These insects just keep crawling in."
His gaze hardened.
"Tia. Send my Majin to eliminate those newcomers immediately.
"You two finish off that annoying slime.I don't intend to waste any more time."
Under normal circumstances, cutting down nearly a thousand Pigmen with a single slash should have shattered their morale.
But these Pigmen didn't hesitate.
They charged.
Under the influence of "Starved One", reason no longer existed.Their minds held only one thought—
Eat. Fill the hunger.
Fearlessness made them relentless.
But it could not bridge the gulf in power.
Facing the oncoming swarm, Ren Kuroda stopped holding back.
His body shifted—
Entering Half-Demon Form.
His demonic energy erupted.
Magicules flooded outward, thick and crushing, transforming into a tangible pressure that rolled across the battlefield.
""Intimidation" — Activate."
The aura surged like a tidal wave.
Pigmen mid-charge froze—
Then the first collapsed, eyes rolled back.
Then the second.
The third.
The fourth.
Their ferocity came from "Starved One".
But "Intimidation" ignored willpower entirely.
Its success depended solely on raw individual strength.
No matter how numerous they were…No matter how unified…
Each Pigman was only D+ class.
Ren Kuroda—in Half-Demon Form—
Stood at A+, with combat output approaching S-.
The gap wasn't a chasm.
It was annihilation.
Failure was impossible.
When the pressure finally lifted—
The ground around Ren was carpeted with fallen Pigmen.
At least fifty thousand lay unconscious.
They weren't dead.
But the sight alone—
Stunned everyone present into silence.
Especially Rimu's faction.
They had fought for two full days…Paid in blood and lives…
And only just reached that number.
For a moment—
They genuinely wondered if they were dreaming.
..
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