Chapter 8
"The skill Starving One allows the orcs to eat anything and everything, it's similar to your Predator though the success rate isn't constant, but with so many orcs eating the success rate goes up."
"So their goal isn't to destroy, it's to gain strength through consuming their enemies." Izuku sighed.
After the meeting, he had set up the squads and laid out the plan that had the highest chance if bringing them victory. His group of six were on their way to the Lizardman Marshlands. They knew their roles well and he was aware that a certain vampire wanted to be on the front lines.
"This battle is going to be large in scale with more enemies than you've ever faced and the tactics I would use you for won't exactly work here." Izuku explained.
"What about the Orc Lord? I can—"
"The Orc Lord is mine, but if I require backup you'll be the first one I call." He said.
Izuku wasn't sure how he was going to take on something that could evolve into a demon lord, but he had Great Sage go through multiple possibilities. There was no way to know what he was going to face, but he needed to be careful. Heroes didn't kill, well not the heroes he had admired, but now he understood that he couldn't be the hero he originally wanted to be; he had to be a different kind of hero. There was no other choice, not with so many lives on the line.
Lizardmen Wetlands – Nighttime
Izuku flew overhead with bat wings on his back. His gaze on the battle below him. The lizardmen and the goblins they'd recruited were being overwhelmed, but not as much as he'd predicted. Even so it was bad.
'Alright everyone!' he exclaimed using Telepathic Communication. 'It's time to fight for your survival and the survival of that which is precious to you!' He pointed down. "Attack!"
The order was given and then hell descended upon the orc army as they were taken by surprise. Nobody had seen or sensed the new forces surrounding them. They quickly found that their weaker links were being taken out, no the proper word was slaughtered, they were being slaughtered without mercy.
Benimarus skill, Hell Flare had a range of 100 meters which allowed for multiple kills at once. The flames were black like his own strangely enough. Shions sheer destructive capabilities with her new weapon, Hercules' Edge was enough to make him a bit jealous. A single swing took down everything that was 10 meters in front of her. Hakurous skill with his blade and speed made him untouchable which gave him ample time to cut his enemies into tiny pieces. Gobuta and his goblin riders were doing great as well. Rangas Death Storm worked wonders as well.
Then there was Shalltear, she was showing off her strength as a floor guardian of Nazarick. She'd used the skill, Summon Household to spread out across the battlefield to disrupt enemy forces. This saved the lives of many Lizardmen granted she couldn't care less about their lives, in truth she would've been fine with letting them die, but she'd caught on that saving them would please him. She had donned her armor and struck down any and all who attacked her, it was worse for anyone she targeted herself. She was performing her role perfectly.
"Now, where are you, Orc Lord?" he flew forward. "You're definitely going to stand out so finding you shouldn't be—there you are!" he stopped. The Orc Lord took notice of him almost instantly, but showed no interest. "Shizues mask makes me seem like a normal human, he'll underestimate me, good." He grabbed his sword. "I need a pair of gauntlets."
"I'm hungry, bring me something to eat!" the Orc Lord exclaimed.
"Starving One is really getting to him, Great Sage is there anything else wrong with him?"
'The Orc Lords intelligence has been significantly diminished due to the attainment of multiple skills of different elements.' She explained.
"So, is it possible that he's—"
The sudden sight of something crashing into the ground caught his attention, but it also put him on guard. If this was a new foe then he would have to be ready to fight. Prepared or not.
The smoke cleared to reveal a man in a stitched up plague doctors mask, a white top hat, and a white coat. Izuku expected his Danger Sense to go off, but it didn't. Was this guy not a threat in the least bit?
"What the hell do you all think you're doing?!" he exclaimed gaining everyones attention. "Ruining the perfect plan I set up, are you kidding me?!"
Izuku narrowed his eyes, took his mask off, and floated down in front of him. His gaze causing the newcomer to take a step back. He didn't know why but he was scared of this little girl, boy? He was a powerful majin yet this kid made him sweat profusely.
"Your plan, were you responsible for the massacre of the ogres and the birth of the Orc Lord?" he asked. "Is this all your fault?"
"I—I don't have to—"
"Yes or no."
"Yes."
"Then you must Gelmud."
"Y—Yes, I—"
Izukus fist rammed into the mans stomach causing him to double over in pain, coughing as he backed away only for Izuku to grab him and throw him right at Benimarus feet. Needless to say, his allies found the exchange amusing. But now that the kijin were looking at the cause of their suffering they were more than ready to take revenge.
The Orc Lord and Izuku were now staring at each other. Neither moving an inch. Izuku could see that the large orc was confused, but hunger was overtaking that confusion. Izuku glanced to the orc to the left, he was glaring at basically everyone.
"I'm hungry."
"I know, but I can't allow you or your army to eat anyone else." Izuku stated. "I can't allow you to leave here alive either, in truth I'd rather not kill you, but we both know you won't stop trying consume everything in your path."
"I…can not stop…I won't stop." The Orc Lord said before taking a single step forward. "I will eat!" he dashed forward with surprising speed and went straight past Izuku.
"Shit, look out!"
The kijin jumped back and the Orc Lord grabbed Gelmud, saving him from death.
"Good, n—now hurry up and eat them so you can transform into a demon lord!" this caught everyones attention. "That's the whole reason I named you and had you do all this, to become a demon lord!" now it made sense since the Orc Lord was a demonic being. "Better yet, eat that Lizardman!" He pointed to Gabiru. Instead the Orc Lord did something else, he tore Gelmud in half with his bare hands before eating his corpse. With that done he began to transform.
"Everyone, get back." Izuku ordered. "His aura is corrosive!" They moved just in time and he flew into the air, but got in front of the Orc Lord. "He's really evolving." In truth instinct had told him that the aura was going to be Corrosive.
'Affirmative, individual Geld is commencing evolution into a Demon Lord.' A new voice said.
'Great Sage?'
'Negative, that was the Voice of the World to fulfill Gelds request.' She stated. 'Warning, individual Geld has successfully evolved into Orc Disaster.'
"Don't interfere unless absolutely necessary, understand?" he looked to his comrades. Though they were hesitant to just sit back and let their master fight a demon lord on his own, but they had faith in him nonetheless and he had faith in himself. He threw his mask to Shion and gave her a thumbs up.
The two leaders locked eyes, Geld now had his intelligence back and was more than ready to fight this boy. They both dashed forward, their blades clashing with Gelds being melted as Izukus blade was on fire.
"Dance of the Dead!"
"Ice Wall!"
The wall of ice blocked the orbs. Izuku ran forward with 80% of One for All activated. He took the opening and cut the Orc Disasters right arm off, the wound was on fire, but he wasn't done yet.
"Black Lightning Whip!"
The combination of Black Lightning and Black Whip created a whip that crackled with lightning. Izuku sent it forward, it snapped at his foe who seemed to take the hits only for his wounds to heal seconds later when he proceeded to eat his remaining arm. Self-Regeneration, it was going to be hard to get around. He tore off the rest of his cauterized arm and it regrew.
"Chaos Eater!"
Six monstrous heads made of red and crimson energy sprouted from his aura and launched themselves at the teen. Izuku dashed forward with speed nearly impossible to follow.
"Ice Sniper!"
A long yet thin shard of ice was shot forth and went through the Orc Disasters left eye while another went through his chest. The large orc didn't seem phased by this. Izuku continued to dodge as he got closer.
"Dance of the Dead!"
To this Izuku smirked and put his free hand forward, his hand swirling around, blocking the attack.
"Full Cowl 90%!" in that moment his disappeared from everyones sight; seconds later there was a good portion of the Orc Disasters left half missing. The slime was now behind him and proceeded to kick him to the right. This sent away with great speed, but Izuku got in front of him and kicked him upward. "Flare Circle!"
A single pillar of fire shot upward, but that's when he saw that it had no effect. His enemy now had Heat Resistance much like himself. The Orc Disaster landed, now healed. He dashed forward and the two engaged in close quarters combat. Every time their fists clashed it created a shockwave bigger than the last until their allies actually backed away.
'I didn't think he would be any good at hand to hand combat!' he silently exclaimed. 'He's actually keeping up with me at 90%!' he smirked. 'Even so, it won't change the outcome of this fight, I have no choice but to win!' he dodged a strike that was meant to crush him. "Black Spikes!" the orc was pierced by multiple black spikes that were coming from Izukus right hand.
The Orc Disaster took this chance to grab Izuku with his free hand and lift him up. The spikes dispersing. Now he was showing signs of fatigue, keeping up with 90% had taken a lot out of him, he could heal his wounds but not regain his stamina.
"I will admit that you're strong, but it wasn't enough." He began to corrode Izuku but the teen was completely calm. "Now, I shall eat you!"
"No, I'm the one who'll be eating you!" Izuku stated. "Predator!" his body changed shape as he reverted to his slime form, his body expanding and wrapping around the Orc Disaster. The corrosion damaged Izuku, but his own regeneration skill made sure that the damage was rectified.
"It's over." Benimaru said. "Just like how he said it would be."
"He knew everything that would happen, it explains why he was so casual about assigning our roles." She smiled at the realization.
"Yeah…"
"I plan on wearing him down over the course of the battle which should last about.. 16 minutes, and then I'll defeat him with Predator."
"Hmm, it would seem that everything has gone according to his plan." Hakurou said. "From Gelmud showing up and being consumed, the Orc Lords evolution, and the battle." The old man couldn't help but smirk.
"Were you truly worried?" Shalltear asked. 'It would seem he matches Lord Ainz in battle strategy, our chances of losing this fight were nonexistent.' She had been told about her defeat by Ainzs hands. Ainz had known everything about her and had planned everything accordingly, so her defeat was all but guaranteed. Even so she didn't look at him with fear afterwards. Yet after watching Izuku fight and now watching him consume his foe, she felt her body tremble a bit. 'Ahh, if I'm not careful I'll have an accident on the battlefield.'
It took a little while for Izuku to finish consuming the Orc Disaster and the sun was coming up when he was done. But, the battle was won, and Izuku Tempest had just grown in power. Even so, this wasn't fully over just yet.
2 Months Later – Great Jura Forest – Midoriya
15,000 that's how many orcs were left in the entire species. The famine had already hit their race hard and the battle had decreased that number by quite a bit. Gelds memories had showed him the desperation the orcs had been going through, and the true reason he had become the Orc Lord. The majin Gelmud had manipulated them all after that, and these reasons were why Izuku had chosen to encourage a kind of forgiveness. Not to mention they'd been under the harsh influence of Starving One.
Using this as a starting point he had managed to make an alliance between all the races who had attended. Even the goblins that Gabiru had brought in during his successful attempt at overthrowing his father. The Lizardman and his followers were exiled, but Izuku had taken them in anyway.
It was only at the end of the meeting was he given the grand title, Master of the Great Jura Forest which also meant Chancellor. Treyni had declared this and the official start of the Jura Forest Alliance. Everyone bowed to him after that. He had gone on to name the orcs and the goblins who had wanted to serve under him.
Now, their once small village was growing even larger now that more buildings were being built, fields were being made much larger for growing food, a proper military force was being planned out, and various other tasks.
Finally the most recent event had been King Gazel and his Pegasus squad coming to personally investigate the one who had killed the Orc Lord. The King had challenged him to a duel in order to judge him. Izuku had learned that the man was king for a reason and likely could've taken on the Orc Lord, and maybe the Orc Disaster evolution. As it turned out they had the same sword master, Hakurou.
After pleasantries and information exchanging, Gazel had made the proposal of an alliance.
"That's what you had planned on suggesting, right?"
"Y—Yes, but I didn't think that you would want one." Izuku said. "But, an alliance could do us both good since this village…no this city is abundant with resources, and I planned on making it a heart of trade." He explained. "I want my people to prosper and to do that we'll need more value than we already have, trade is one of the best ways."
"You've planned this out?"
"Kind of."
After that they'd been officially recognized as Nation/Country of Monsters. The terms were simple: In times of danger, both nations will send assistance, and they would share technological advances with each other. A contract had been signed the next day and the name of the capital city was made.
"We'll call it…Midoriya." He said. "It was my last name when I was human." He stated with a smile. 'It's also my moms last name.' he stated using Thought Communication.
As far as they were concerned, Inko Midoriya was a wise, saintly woman. Shalltear saw her as someone to be shown great respect as she had given birth to a Supreme Being, even if she was human.
Now, two months later the city was finally finished and it was beautiful. Halflings, Kobolds, Amans, Elves, Dwarves, and even some Beastmen were coming to the capital city for various reasons. Trade, sightseeing, the unique foods, and even looking for a fresh start. The laws were made very clear and very obvious; they would be enforced without hesitation. Threats from outside were quickly dealt with before they could truly become threats. There were even those who wished to join the military force to protect the only safe haven for monsters.
At the moment Izuku was at one of the food stalls that had been built.
"My god…this is amazing!" Someone exclaimed.
They were eating pizza, one of Izukus favorite foods. It was easy to make and tasted amazing as evident by how much money they'd made. Other Japanese dishes and sweets were popular as well. The former minister, Vesta enjoys cinnamon buns especially.
"For two extra gold you'll get an entire pie, which is a round 12 inch slice that can be cut up and shared with your friend, you can even choose three toppings." Needless to say they ran out in minutes and had to go back into the kitchen to make more.
"Lord Izuku." The assistant chef called. "Thank you for covering for me." The goblin bowed to him.
"No problem." The slime said. "Food is an amazing thing that can bring people together you know." He smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go see with a certain vampire."
He left and flew away. Shalltear wasn't in trouble by any means, in fact he was more concerned about her growth. He landed where their soldiers trained and sparred with each other. Shalltear and Shion were waiting for him. The vampire had an umbrella that shielded her from the sun, granted she didn't exactly need it.
"Sorry to suddenly call you out here, but I needed to check on your growth." He said.
"Growth?"
"Yes and to do that I've developed a new skill to gauge the strength of individuals."
"You want to compare the two of us, right?" Shion asked witch confidence that she was stronger.
"I'm pretty sure I already know what the result will be." she said with a smirk that made Shion want to punch her.
"Data Soul." His eye became yellow and his sclera became red. A screen appeared over Shalltears head, only he could see it.
Shalltear Bloodfallen
Race: True Vampire
Level: 115
HP: 18,900
MP: 67,700
Physical Attk: 12,800
Magical Attk: 28,400
Physical Def: 14,500
Magical Def: 14,900
Resist: 10,500
Special: 13,000
Total: 179,100
Izuku had a wide smile on his face, it was that of excitement and joy. He couldn't help himself, so he did the only thing he could think of. He pulled them both into a hug. The two girls didn't hesitate to hold him close.
"Shalltear, you broke through the original Yggdrasil limitations!" Izuku stated. "You're level 115 now, it's unprecedented." He said before using the skill on Shion.
Shion
Race: Kijin
Level: 90
HP: 28,900
MP: 12,700
Physical Attk: 69,800
Magical Attk: 23,400
Physical Def: 20,500
Magical Def: 19,900
Resist: 13,500
Special: 19,000
Total: 207,700
"Shion, you're level 90, but your total stats are higher." He stated. "You're evolution must've increased your base stats but not your level; the battle with the orcs brought you up to level 90 which made you stronger."
Shion smirked, this made Shalltear want to punch her in the throat. Now they knew who was stronger, but Shalltears skills gave her a significant advantage. Izuku hadn't planned on using it on himself, but now he couldn't help himself.
Izuku Tempest
Race: Slime
Level: 126
HP: 48,900
MP: 90,700
Physical Attk: 66,800
Magical Attk: 83,400
Physical Def: 30,500
Magical Def: 24,900
Resist: 45,500
Special: 80,000
Total: 470,700
'Oh…' he hadn't expected such high numbers to be honest. 'Now I have a second way to gauge a persons strength, but having Great Sage gauge strength by magicule amount is a lot easier.' He silently noted. 'Data Soul isn't as useful as I thought.'
'Correction, Data Soul would be best used to gauge the strength of the Nazarick residents and inhabitants of the New World.' Great Sage chimed in. 'From what Shalltear has told you, it can be hypothesized that the magic of that world is similar to this one, but the magicules in the atmosphere have taken on detrimental properties; possibly stunting the growth of magic.' She explained. 'However, the tier system would be best implemented here, but more information is needed.'
'We'd have to get a magic caster from that world to explain things.' Izuku said. 'Do I have any super tier skills?'
'Myself and Gluttony.' The latter was the evolved form of Predator, created by combining it with Starved. The latter being the skill he obtained from the Orc Disaster. 'I'm definitely stronger than Ainz now, but his skills and gear put him at an obvious advantage. If I had my skills and gear from when I was Tabula then I'd be able to really put the hurt on him. 'But, I gave him my gear…'
His eyes widened as a realization hit him.
"Rubedo." He said letting go of the women.
That name actually made Shalltear nervous.
"What about her?" the vampire asked. "You created her to be the strongest entity in Nazarick."
"Yes and I also gave her my black box."
"Black Box?"
"A World Class item that I got before I joined Nazarick, it has a back up of all my god class armor, weapons, and another world class item; Grimoire of the Almighty." He sighed. "Well, I made it so she would keep it secret from everyone, that Grimoire is the most dangerous item in Nazarick." Now he was agitated.
"How dangerous?" Shion asked, her master was revealing some interesting things.
"It's the only one in existence, every skill in Yggdrasil is inside of it and the user can learn any skill regardless of race or class; getting it was a miracle on its own." He stated. "I hate to say this, but I didn't trust anyone else with the box, not even Albedo or Nigredo." He groaned. "Rubedo is loyal to Nazarick, but infinitely loyal to me in the end."
"Wait, but this would mean that if you told her to do so, she would wipe out all of Nazarick without hesitation!"
"Yes she would, but I wouldn't ever order her to do that." He said hoping to reassure Shalltear that he didn't want to destroy Nazarick if they encountered them in the future.
Hours Later – Administrative Building – Nighttime
Despite what he told Shalltear, he would make plans just in case they needed to defend themselves. Invading was a horrible idea as going inside was a death trap quite literally. The traps were deadly, the cannon fodder could be dispatched albeit carefully, but it was the actual npcs that were the most dangerous. The guardians, the pleiades, certain others were deadly in their own right, and Victim was the perfect suicide bomber.
"They would likely send undead first in order to probe our defenses in order to get an idea of what our strength is, after that they would most likely send a large force along with one or two of the floor guardians to finish us off." He had already considered intimidation tactics. "The dark elf twins, Cocytus, and Demiurge are the main ones to watch out for; especially since Demiurge can summon demons and his Command Mantra skill could easily turn the tide if a battle." He sighed as him mind went to what he knew about the other guardians.
"I'll have to go to Vesta and have him and Kaijin research creating magical items to boost our military forces." He sighed. "I have to be logical about this but at the same time I want to hold out hope that Ainz…Satoru still retains at least some if his humanity otherwise…"
He didn't want to think about what would happen if they fought, he didn't want to fight his friend, and he sure as hell didn't want to have to kill him.
Chapter 8 End
AN: The stats and levels are more based on what information I could find, and what I could guess.