Two-headed Ogres
These new ogres were more than two metres tall. They were dwarves given the ogre standard, but they had tattooed bodies and barbaric runes with unknown purposes.
“Ogre shamans!” The black-robed wizard exclaimed to herself. Shamans were the ogres who held bloodlines, ones who would awaken abilities similar to magic with age. They were the decision makers of ogre tribes. It was surprising that they lay in wait here.
The black-robed wizard suddenly had a premonition of a great catastrophe.
“Roar...” The ogre shamans gave the black-robed wizard no time to think. The tattoos and runes on their bodies shone layer by layer amidst their roars, their innate abilities as bloodline holders allowing them to cast such spells without learning or memorising anything. However, they still had the support and usage of the Weave.
Magical power gathered together, and numerous huge fireballs glowed orange as they tore apart the wizard’s frail armour. The wizard was burnt to ashes along with the horse she rode.
“Lena!” Siegfried’s eyes turned red, and he turned back despite having broken out of the siege, charging straight for the shamans.
While he might cold and selfish, Siegfried still prioritised his true friend and lover. The death of Lena immediately made him hot-headed, filled with the desire and impulse for revenge.
*Clang!* A silver-white longsword was smashed mid-air by a large black claw hammer, producing a dull and loud sound.
The terrifying recoil allowed Siegfried to somehow regain his composure and take a proper look at his opponent. This was a two-headed ogre who was over four metres tall, its skin a frightening blood-red with scales on it. One of its two fierce-looking heads was larger than the other, disgusting saliva dripping from the canine teeth. The thing rode a deformed earth lizard with a similar number of heads, although one of those was just a huge tumour with vague features.
*Roar...* The two-headed ogre exclaimed, brandishing a giant, black claw hammer that had come out of nowhere, charging towards Siegfried.
The horrifying strength from its astounding physique caused Siegfried to retreat. While his warhorse was fierce, it was no match for the ogreish beast. It was already spewing white froth, evidently unable to continue.
After the appearance of the two-headed ogre, the rest of the shamans and ordinary ogres seemed to have found a pillar to rely on, and began to pursue and kill the other mercenaries.
With the help of the shamans, the casualties of the mercenaries were immense. Only a few successfully broke out, and none of them dared take a look back and fled.
“There’s even the two-headed ogre commander and ogre shamans!” Leylin exclaimed, eyes constantly flickering as he called up their stats.
[Name Unknown. Race: Ogre (Mutated) Gender: Male. Strength: 16, Agility: 7, Vitality: 15, Spirit: 6. Description: Two-headed ogres are mutants that occasionally appear in ogre tribes. Their two brains often leave them stuck between being wise or confused. Of course, there are exceptions where the intelligence of the ogres evolves. After evolution, the two-headed ogres are more powerful than ordinary ones. They, who have advanced in their wisdom, usually become the commanders of the ogre tribes.]
[Name Unknown. Race: Ogre (Shaman). Gender: Male. Strength: 5, Agility: 4, Vitality: 9, Spirit: 10. Feats: 1. Regeneration. Ogres have extraordinary regeneration abilities, and even if the head is detached, they can still survive for a long period of time. 2. Bloodline Holder: The ogres who have activated the bloodline of primordial spellcasters possess abilities similar to magic. However, the type of spells and number of times spells can be cast depends on how far the bloodline has been awakened.]
‘Pretty good stats. If I can devour all of them, things will be more perfect...’ The Devilblood Dagger silently appeared in Leylin’s hands. The devilish head hummed, as if speaking to its thirst for flesh and blood.
“Now!” When Leylin stepped out of stealth, the dagger had already pierced the throat of an ordinary ogre.
Terrifying devouring force exploded, causing the other party to instantly turn into a withered corpse. A hot stream of energy flowed into his hands from the dagger and rose along his arm, followed by a prompt from the A.I. Chip.
[Beep! Host has gone through a one-time amplification from the Devilblood Dagger. Strength +0.1, Vitality +0.05.]
‘As expected of the ogres, they have very dense life energy!’ Leylin sighed in praise, feet still moving. It was like a death god had begun to dance, the dagger glinting with blood.
Afterwards, he jumped onto a masterless warhorse, riding away in a cloud of dust. The mercenaries had no idea what was happening beside them, nor did the simple-minded ogres. All they saw was a vile human jumping out and killing a number of their people.
*Roar!* Amidst the furious roars, an ogre shaman brought a few elite ogre warriors and gave chase.
The two-headed ogre who was their commander was still contending with Siegfried. He was a high-ranked human warrior and not so easily defeated, and it could only let out a few cries that nobody could understand. A few ogres quickened their movements.
A handsome brown horse sped through the path, followed by a few boosted ogres. This strange group of a human and his pursuers soon covered a long distance.
There was a limit to the duration of a strength buff. Just as the shaman began to despair, it was was delighted to see that the human in front of it had stopped.
“Just one ogre shaman? What a disappointment.” Leylin reined in the warhorse, seeing the little team that had pursued him while looking disappointed.
However, the simple-minded ogres did not care for what kind of expression Leylin had on his face. In reality, if not for the lead of the two-headed ogre, they might not even know how to set up the simplest traps. Hence, after seeing their foe, all of them charged forward.
Tattoos lit up on the shaman’s body, turning into countless small fireballs.
Flight of the Dragon! The rays from a spell flashed at Leylin’s side, and immediately after he elegantly soared from the back of the horse rapidly.
This advanced version of Fly allowed wizards to change directions quickly, and for those with great control like Leylin it only served to make them stronger.
*Rumble!* The warhorse that had been struck by the flames didn’t even have the time to produce a miserable cry before it turned into a pile of ash. Leylin’s figure, on the other hand, was like an eagle as he swooped down from the sky.
*Roar!* Leylin easily dodged a few fireballs, and a blood red light glimmered as he pierced through an ogre’s throat.
With these quick attacks, the enraged shaman’s spells had been emptied, and it had turned into someone even weaker than a normal ogre.
“Even if you can use magic, you’re too simple-minded to use it well.” A crimson tornado blew past, and the ogres that now had no defence became prime targets for the airborne Leylin. After a few pass-bys, the ogres collapsed one by one. At the end, the bloody dagger struck the shaman’s forehead.
[Beep! Host has gone through a one-time amplification from the Devilblood Dagger! Vitality +0.2. Agility +0.1. Strength +0.2.] The A.I. Chip’s voice sounded.
Ogres had strong muscles and flesh, and were comparable to middle-ranked warriors. They weren’t easily found in such great numbers. However, Leylin’s spirit state stayed constant, which was a pity.
After hitting the threshold that of 10 points, the Devilblood Dagger had become much less effective. If not, the once-Sovereign King of Gluttony, Beelzebub, could use just the Devilblood Dagger to establish a terrifying army that would get stronger the more it fought. He’d be able to take over the prime material plane.
‘Since I’ve confirmed his location...’ Leylin thought about it, and then flung dust behind.
“Dust of Disappearance! Spell of Invisibility!” Once the spells were cast, his body grew transparent and slowly disappeared into thin air.
As a wizard, Leylin naturally had considered using a flying spell and passing through this region, but he’d then abandoned this thought. The ogre-infested region was vast, and it was impossible for him to identify Beelzebub’s location. There were also limitations when it came to flying spells. If the place he landed was where Beelzebub moved about, or if he caught the attention of ogres and was attacked with magic or crossbow attacks... Leylin was not willing to take on the consequences.
As he was right now, it was impossible for him to win against the two-headed ogre commander, much less the joint attack from numerous huge ogres.
Now though, with a general understanding of where the ogres were located and with their attention focused on the human merchant organisations as well as the mercenaries, Leylin was confident in being able to sneak back.
After all, an opportunity to see so many ogres was rare. Leylin also wanted to raise his abilities all the way to 10 points.
With the help of an invisibility spell, Leylin successfully returned to the battlefield, the ordinary ogres unable to discover him at all. Unless a shaman had awakened a detection spell and used it at the right time, he was safe.
The battle was already reaching its end. Many mercenary bodies were strewn everywhere, turning into the ogres’ rations. Only the central battlefield still had sounds of a fight.