Liberda was in chaos.
Three ogres were rampaging through the land.
The city walls crumbled like flimsy wooden fences, and humans were crushed like ants beneath their feet.
Even the lord’s army sent to defend the realm was utterly annihilated.
Fear gripped the entire kingdom.
King Elliot of Liberda, desperate to turn the tide, deployed his most powerful ace.
Eto.
He was one of the knights prophesied to lead the next generation of the Ten Strong, alongside Jose.
Eto, commanding the Thornbramble Knights and four additional orders, along with their soldiers, set out toward Einhorn—the last place the three ogres had been seen.
And there, he found his target.
They were asleep.
Lying sprawled out, the three ogres napped as if on a leisurely picnic.
Eto took a steady breath as he observed them.
“…”
Calm by nature, Eto showed no sign of agitation.
“The ogres are sleeping.”
The other knights grimaced.
Countless lives had been lost to Donchichi and the two ogres.
An entire city had been razed, its citizens slaughtered, and the army wiped out.
Every street echoed with grief and wails.
Yet these monstrous beasts lay there, peacefully napping, as if nothing had happened.
Their serene state only fueled the knights’ fury.
Eto raised a hand to halt them.
“Hold your positions for now.”
“Sir Eto, we should strike and kill them while they sleep!”
“They’re already awake.”
Before he finished speaking, one ogre lifted its upper body, blinking drowsily as it looked around.
“Uh…”
The ogre rubbed its eyes and muttered.
“Again?”
Eto didn’t rush in. Instead, he quietly summoned a mana method. Sensing the energy, the ogre flinched.
“I’m napping now. Feeling sleepy. Fight later.”
It sounded almost foolish.
The soldiers behind began whispering among themselves.
“Is that really the ogre?”
“Sounds like a bad rumor.”
“Could such a dumb brute really have destroyed a city?”
“Donchichi’s the one sleeping, right? That one’s just a subordinate.”
The ogre sat idly, barely paying attention, and began rummaging the ground.
Then it picked up a rock and threw it.
The soldiers who had been chatting moments before were crushed by the stone.
Four died instantly, unable even to scream.
The attack was so sudden that no one had time to react.
Everyone froze in place.
The ogre pointed at a group of knights who had stiffened.
“That’s my spot.”
With that, the surrounding soldiers shouted.
“Hey, move aside!”
“Stop staring and give up your place.”
“Do you want to get hit by a rock?”
The ogre rose to its full, massive height, casting a long shadow.
Then it turned to Eto, whose face was flushed red with anger.
“Don’t cause trouble.”
With those words, the ogre settled into the spot the knights had vacated.
It closed its eyes and swayed gently, basking in the warm sunlight.
“Is this enough?”
Just as the ogre was about to drift back to sleep, Eto approached.
“A gift.”
The ogre tilted its head and reached out.
Eto handed over a cylindrical object, too small for the ogre’s large hand to grasp properly.
A fuse at the end was burning.
A small note was attached:
“Explosive. Handle with care. Light and throw immediately.”
No sooner had the ogre read the note than the bomb exploded.
“Graaah!”
The ogre shouted, rubbing its eyes. The other two ogres, awakened by the blast, sprang to their feet.
“Donchichi, are you okay?”
“My eyes hurt. Can’t see.”
“Poor Donchichi.”
“Darkness ahead. That’s the future.”
Eto drew his sword. Fortunately, the ogre he had just struck was Donchichi, one of the Ten Strong.
“Now! Don’t give them an opening!”
Eto rallied his troops.
The ogres’ bodies were incredibly tough. Being temporarily blinded by a bomb might not slow them down for long.
Eto charged directly at Donchichi.
“These humans are strong.”
“Safe battle, safe slaughter.”
“Sleepy battle, no good.”
Ignoring the two ogres babbling nonsense, Eto unsheathed his blade. It was sharp enough to slice through even the ogres’ tough hides in a single strike.
As he plunged into the enemy, Donchichi’s bloodshot eye snapped open through the thick blood pooling on his face.
“Very angry!”
Donchichi swung a massive fist.
A tremendous gust of wind slammed into Eto.
His spine chilled. Even a graze would mean instant death.
It felt like walking a tightrope over a bottomless chasm.
His instincts screamed to flee, but his will pushed him forward. The two forces clashed in discord.
But Eto was a trained knight.
He suppressed the urge to retreat and advanced.
By a hair’s breadth, the fist missed, scattering Eto’s hair.
That opening was all he needed. Eto slashed at Donchichi’s neck.
Blood spurted.
But something was wrong. Eto sensed it immediately and dodged away.
Donchichi clutched his neck, screaming wildly.
“My neck hurts! Too much blood!”
The ogre’s thick hide was cut by the blade, but it protected the blood vessels enough to prevent a fatal wound.
It made no sense that he could scream like that with a sliced neck.
“A monster.”
Eto stepped back, spinning his sword once.
Blood splattered the ground.
The ogre’s blood smelled fishy.
Looking around, Eto saw soldiers surrounding the ogres, blocking their escape.
Like dwarves battling giants, the knights clung to the ogres’ bodies, locked in fierce combat.
They tried to restrain them with nets and chains, but the ogres cleverly dodged.
Eto had a grim realization.
Today, they could not kill Donchichi.
Even if they fought with all their might, they might only be able to drive him off.
Catching and killing Donchichi outright would be nearly impossible.
He adjusted his plan.
He summoned three trusted knights.
“Help me!”
“Yes, sir!”
When facing an enemy like Donchichi, it was better to rely on a small, elite group than to throw in too many troops.
“I don’t think we can kill him today.”
“What?”
“He’s one of the Ten Strong.”
“Understood.”
“So here’s the new plan. While the three of us hold Donchichi back with minimal forces, the rest will kill the other two ogres.”
“Yes!”
The three knights, well accustomed to Eto’s calm demeanor, immediately followed his orders.
Eto turned and shouted.
“Kill both of them! We’ll hold Donchichi!”
All other troops were locked in brutal combat with the two ogres.
Suddenly, a soldier was flung through the air, blood spraying.
Eto forced himself to look away.
Now was the time to focus on the battle.
“Hold Donchichi.”
As mentioned, Donchichi was a clever ogre. He quickly caught on to Eto and the three knights’ plan and roared.
“Humans, cowards! Weaklings, despised!”
“Are only ogres like you?”
Eto muttered under his breath, then stood before Donchichi, sword raised.
The three knights flanked him, covering all sides.
Donchichi spun in place, glaring alternately at the four.
It was almost playful.
“Humans, cowards. Humans, cowards.”
He taunted, distracting the knights momentarily.
“What’s that idiot doing…?”
One knight muttered, then was suddenly struck by Donchichi’s attack, tumbling to the ground.
He barely absorbed the blow but blood dripped from his mouth.
“Don’t let your guard down! He’s cunning!”
Eto shouted.
Donchichi grinned, plunged his hand into the dirt, and flung a handful of soil into the air.
The ogres’ large hands could dig up massive amounts of earth.
Suddenly, visibility blurred.
“Block it! Attack!”
Eto yelled.
But Donchichi’s goal wasn’t to fight.
He slipped past Eto and the knights, rushing to rescue the other two ogres.
Donchichi was not only smart but also deeply loyal to his kin.
Though driven wild by dark magic, his sense of camaraderie remained intact.
“My friends! I will protect you!”
“Very touching!”
“Loyalty! Loyalty!”
The three ogres united as one.
Eto remained composed.
He and the three knights pressed forward, striving to stop Donchichi.
Though the task was difficult and exhausting, he did not despair.
He simply continued his mission with steady resolve.
“Sir Eto, can we really stop him?”
From the moment he faced Donchichi, Eto had sensed that completely stopping him was unlikely.
A full frontal assault might have a chance, but Donchichi’s intelligence meant he would avoid disadvantageous fights, instead alternating between retreat and attack to ravage Liberda.
“No, we can’t.”
“Then…?”
“The king will call for aid. We just have to hold out until then.”
“Aid…?”
Eto looked up.
Aside from the Empire, only one nation housed the Ten Strong and commanded knights of similar caliber.
“Briol will come.”
Liberda sent out a call for support.
But there was a problem.
The Empire had declared Liberda an enemy state, accusing it of unlawfully harboring Donchichi, the Emperor’s vassal.
They warned that any nation aiding Liberda would be treated the same way.
It was a clear threat.
The Empire was already mobilizing its armies, as if ready to launch a war at any moment.
But Briol came up with a plan.
“I’ve stayed in Briol long enough. It’s time to leave.”
It was Moyongchan.
Though he was staying in the royal palace, he was merely a guest and had no direct ties to Briol.
If Moyongchan took the lead, the empire would have no legitimate reason to confront Briol.
Moyongchan accepted Fiore’s request.
After all, his reason for coming west was to fight against evil.
“We need to move quickly. More people will die if we delay.”
Without hesitation, Moyongchan began packing.
Yuri felt a pang of regret. Deep down, he wanted to accompany him, but with so much uncertainty ahead, he had to stay in Briol.
Instead, he assigned trusted allies to support Moyongchan.
“Simon, Guiness. I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to us.”
“We’ll make sure Moyongchan’s mission goes smoothly.”
Both seemed eager to join him. Under Moyongchan’s guidance, their skills had improved greatly.
“Take care out there.”
“Return safely.”
“Will do.”
Together, Moyongchan, Simon, and Guiness set off for Liberta.
Reports from Liberta were grim.
Though they had captured the two ogres who came with the enemy, the most dangerous Donchichi was still on the loose, wreaking havoc across the land through hit-and-run attacks.
All they could do was hope Moyongchan would arrive in time.
Meanwhile, the empire’s army began to mobilize.
By the time Moyongchan reached Liberta, imperial forces were already advancing.
Every nation was on high alert.
The Holy Kingdom centered around Briol, Bursen, and Liberta’s alliance was now fully activated.
It seemed inevitable that the empire and the entire continent were on the brink of a war that would decide their fate.
Yuri steeled himself for what was to come.
But then, something unexpected happened.
When Yuri heard the news, he cursed under his breath.
“Damn it…”
Since returning to the past, Yuri had never faced a major failure. He had achieved most of his goals, and preparations against the empire were progressing smoothly.
But this was different.
Completely unforeseen.
“Why? How? For what reason?”
The continent was thrown into shock.
The throne of the Holy Kingdom had passed to a new monarch—and that monarch immediately launched an attack on Bursen.
And the new king was not Larson.
It was Sibylla.
She had become the ruler of the Holy Kingdom.