Zaryusu Shasha gripped Frost Pain tightly in his right hand. His black-scaled head rose slightly as his slit-pupiled eyes stared toward the unnaturally silent remains of the Dragon Tusk Tribe.
Even though several days had passed, he could still smell the blood in the air, still hear the shrieks and dying cries of his kin.
Behind him, more than a hundred Lizardman warriors lay low against the muddy ground, holding their breath, waiting in silence. Their task was simple but critical: ensure that the human didn't escape. Trap him. Corner him.
"Zaryusu," one of the warriors whispered, his gaze drifting toward Frost Pain, "when do we move?"
As the sacred treasure of the tribe, every Lizardman's dream was to wield that weapon someday. And it was precisely because Zaryusu bore it that warriors from all three major tribes had chosen to follow his lead.
"Wait," Zaryusu replied, his voice calm but firm after a moment's pause.
Their position wasn't part of the main offensive. They were the hidden blade, the failsafe in case things went sideways. The joint army of the three tribes numbered close to five hundred. While not their full strength, it was still a considerable force… to deal with one human.
Some might call it overkill.
But not Zaryusu. Not those who knew what this human had done.
He had obliterated two entire tribes.
You could never be too cautious against a foe like that. If the human managed to escape again, the true disaster would begin. This wasn't paranoia, it was survival. Even if the enemy was just one person.
At the front lines near the Dragon Tusk camp, more than three hundred Lizardmen advanced cautiously under the leadership of the three tribal chiefs. Their formation was tight, but their pace was measured. With every few steps, the accompanying shamans paused to cast detection magic, scouring for any hidden wards or traps.
After all, the human they faced was a magic caster.
And no one had the faintest idea what kind of horrors he might have prepared.
Yet… nothing.
The closer they got to the ruins of Dragon Tusk, the more unsettling it became. No traps. No resistance. No movement.
By the time they were within a hundred meters of the camp, the tension had grown thick enough to cut with a claw.
One of the chiefs, Shasuryu Shasha, raised a scaled arm, halting the army's advance.
"Your turn, Chief Kyuku Zuzu," he muttered.
"Leave it to me," came a muffled voice from beneath a cloak of straw.
Then, clear and sharp, Crusch Lulu spoke, her voice echoing beneath her makeshift covering.
"Tier Three Summoning Magic: Beast of the Wetlands - Snap Grasp."
A deep hum pulsed across the battlefield as a glowing blue magic circle spread out across the muddy ground. From its center rose a massive crab, at least five meters tall, with armored claws thick enough to snap a tree in half.
Its towering bulk brought an odd sense of reassurance to the warriors. Crusch, directing it with practiced gestures, sent the summoned beast scuttling forward toward the ruins of Dragon Tusk, claws snapping, ready to crash straight through.
This wasn't just a probe.
This was a declaration.
The tribal chiefs were using their own Tier Three summon to both test the human's defenses and flaunt their strength. Truth be told, Shasuryu and the others hadn't even known that Crusch Lulu, the new chief of the Red-Eyed Tribe, could wield magic of this level. That had been quite the surprise.
But her presence gave them confidence.
After all, they were facing a human. A single, arrogant human.
The giant crab scuttled forward, closing the final distance toward the gate.
Then, without warning--
Whoosh!
A streak of white light burst from within the ruins of Dragon Tusk.
No one even had time to react before the beam collided with the crab.
BOOM!
One of the crab's massive claws lifted to strike back, but before it could connect--
Crack!
The claw split clean in half in midair and slammed into the wet earth, sending up a spray of mud.
The crab screamed in pain, a high-pitched, gurgling screech. It tried to swing with its other claw, but the white blur danced out of range, impossibly fast.
And then--flames.
A red blaze flared, and a flaming blade slammed down onto the crab's armored head.
Crack!
The shell shattered.
A foul-smelling, yellow-brown liquid sprayed from the wound as the summoned creature's body crumbled into light and vanished.
The battlefield went dead silent.
Crusch Lulu stumbled back a step. Even covered in straw, Shasuryu could tell she was rattled.
All eyes turned to the source of the white light.
Descending from above was a being clad entirely in silver armor. Even its wings were sheathed in metal. It held a flaming sword, and its presence exuded power.
"A… an angel?" Kyuku Zuzu asked in a trembling voice.
The oppressive pressure was undeniable.
"W-What the hell is that?" Shasuryu muttered, gripping his sword tighter, a sense of disbelief in his eyes.
He was no summoner, but even he knew this wasn't normal. Tier Three summons shouldn't differ this much in power. This wasn't just a stronger crab. It was something on an entirely different level.
"Could it be…" he began, voice trailing into fear.
"It's Tier Three magic," Crusch Lulu confirmed from behind her straw veil.
Shasuryu let out a breath.
"But the difference in strength…"
"Summoned creatures reflect the power of the caster," Crusch said, her voice tight. "According to what the Dragon Tusk and Small Fang Tribes reported… the human can summon two of these."
"A specialist summoner…" Kyuku Zuzu added with a grimace. "This… is actually good news."
Shasuryu blinked. "Good?"
"It means the angels are likely his main combat force," Crusch explained. "If we can take him down, the summons should vanish. The problem is getting that chance…"
The summoned angel had already proven how deadly it was. Flight-capable, heavily armored, devastatingly strong.
Now they understood why the Dragon Tusk and Fang Tribes had been wiped out.
Unless they overwhelmed the human with sheer numbers or eliminated him before he could act, they had no hope.
"He's coming," Shasuryu warned.
From the ruined gates of Dragon Tusk, three figures emerged.
At the front walked a slender figure in flowing white robes. A human. His steps were slow, unhurried.
For many of the Lizardmen, it was the first time they'd ever seen a human in the flesh. Compared to their broad, muscular bodies, the man looked weak. Fragile, even.
And yet…
Behind him came a Lizardman and a large wolf-like beast. Most surprising of all, the beast carried an unconscious Lizardman slung across its back.
Murmurs rippled through the warriors.
"Who is that guy?" someone whispered. "A traitor?"
Shasuryu's expression darkened. A Lizardman siding with a human was worse than an enemy. It was treason.
The robed human 'Lyle', stopped just outside the ruined gates and swept his gaze across the sea of Lizardmen.
Black scales. Raised weapons. Hatred burning in their eyes.
He arched a brow.
"Where's the one carrying Frost Pain?" he asked aloud, eyes narrowing slightly.
Then, to everyone's surprise, one of the Lizardmen broke formation and marched forward.
"Why?!" Crusch Lulu's voice rang out, raw and emotional. "Why are you doing this?!"
Her straw-covered form trembled. "The Lizardmen have never wronged your kind! The Small Fang Tribe already paid the price for their actions! Why drag the rest of us into it?"
The sudden outburst stunned both sides into stillness.
"Crusch…" Shasuryu growled lowly. His hand twitched toward his weapon, but in the end, he didn't speak.
Even covered in straw, there was no mistaking her. The White Lizardman, Crusch Lulu.
Lyle raised his head to the sky.
"Nice weather today, don't you think?" he said.
He opened his arms, letting the sleeves of his loose priest's robe flutter.
"Might rain later though."
Then his smile faded.
"As for why I'm doing this? No real reason."
He looked back down at the army before him. His voice was calm.
"If you really want an answer, it's for myself. And for this world."
He lowered his arms and looked at them all, the silent tension thick enough to choke on.
"You don't have to understand," he said.
"There are only two outcomes. Either you all die here, or you succeed in forcing me back."
He didn't add the rest aloud.
That he wouldn't even use the full extent of his power.
That he had other reasons for keeping secrets.
No, Lyle thought, revealing too much would ruin everything. In a world filled with strange powers and unknown forces, the greatest weapon was always the one you never showed.