The elves and vampires approached the orc settlement, which seemed close to a city in size, but their wooden gates were closed and reinforced with iron bars, and a large force stood on the walls with crossbows.
Zell stepped forward, eyes narrowing and watching the area, constantly trying to check for monsters, enemies, or anything that could ambush them.
He noticed the elves and vampires were doing the same, but couldn't rest easy due to the constantly changing.
'The Divines are going to try their hardest to destroy me. It won't be long before that cuckold sends an archangel or something like a seraphim after me, and I might struggle to protect everyone...'
'Then the fucking demons are trying to widen the gap constantly. If a demon king gets through, I can beat them physically, but my magic is still too unskilled.'
'God forbid a Demon Emperor breaks the taboo.'
What worried him most wasn't his death or defeat but the fate of his friends and lovers. That's why he had no choice but to become brutal.
If he killed the enemy himself, all his troops would benefit all the women close to him, grow stronger from dual cultivating with him and gain power from each monster killed.
Yet it wasn't enough...
'I just hope they don't become disillusioned with me and my brutal ways.'
Zell's mind flashed with images of Anya, Tessa and Alice, who were more human and kinder than his other women; he didn't want them to see his dirty parts but knew that hiding this was not the way forward.
His thoughts were cut short when a tall brown orc stepped forward, wearing chainmail armour and standing close to two metres tall.
"I am Grug'Vol. Why do you bring so many to our gates, demon!"
From the start, the orc didn't look at Esmera, Chris or the elves. He looked at Zell with a sense of anticipation and fear in his eyes.
"Hmmm? I wanted to seek peace, or at least a joint struggle against the humans who have just invaded the area."
But Zell saw in the background a group of humans in golden knight gear and several women who seemed like villagers or weak players being handed over to the orcs and taken into a large building.
'It seems they are already partnered.'
Instantly, Zell's aura changed as he placed a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, tapping a certain code to prepare for imminent battle.
Because the moment he said those words, the orc facing them and those on the wall changed from merely wary to aggressive.
"It saddens me, human. But Grug'Vol has made a deal with those humans..."
"What deal?"
Zell just wanted to be sure before he killed them all. Although he doesn't mind slaughtering them, he prefers to stay on good terms with Esmera and Chris, who might hate him if he destroyed this village.
"Our tribe is to kill any elf or ally of the elves and not fight the humans. In return! Those humans will send us good women willing to marry our warriors in exchange! For the prosperity of Grug'Vol's tribe!"
"I see."
"Are you prepared to honour their deal?" Zell's eyes narrowed, the crimson glow of his orbs smouldering with flames as he hated the thought of people being used like bargaining tools.
"Grug'Vol cannot ignore the deal; if we betray them, we will be attacked by their army!"
'So they are working together, huh? It makes sense since the humans want Esmera's village, and the orcs want more land and women to prosper after losing most of their race.'
"I understand..."
Zell clenched his fist, feeling his blood boil as his anger grew; the orcs were helplessly used as pawns in this scheme, yet they didn't know if their future would be happy or sad.
'No, there is only ruin.'
Just as Zell considered giving them a way to escape the deal, a chance to live without being controlled, he didn't mind if the marriage was consensual between them and the elves, but Grug was too hasty.
"And unless you wish to fight, you should leave!"
Grug'Vol bellowed loudly, ordering the archers on the wall to raise their bows and aim them at Zell and his companions, causing Chris and Esmera. To tense up considerably, glaring at the orcs hatefully.
"To threaten us... die!" Chris unsheathed his blade, wanting to charge the gate, but Zell raised his hand, stopping him and the others.
Instantly, over two hundred arrows impaled the spots just ahead of all the people going to attack, with one piercing the tight male elf, now writhing on the floor in pain.
"Die!? You dare challenge Grug'Vol!!"
Zell sighed as Grug shouted arrogantly, thinking he was safe behind his walls with ranged units.
"Elizabeth, clean them up."
Elizabeth giggled cutely and walked forward elegantly, raising her hands as a crimson ember spread across her palms.
Then, ten vampires stood behind, making the same gesture as the flames grew from small balls to huge spheres of crimson flames.
The orcs raised their bows, but Zell swiped his hand across the air as a powerful storming gale blew across the wall, forcing their arrows to shoot to the left.
"Chris, Esmera. Only fight at range, this battle; let me show you how to crush the enemy."
Zell smiled, taking out his huge black sword and gauntlet before stepping forward, passing Elizabeth; he muttered along the wind. "Shoot."
Elizabeth threw her fireballs elegantly as hundreds of arrows flew through the air; the crimson flames burned through the arrow shafts, causing them to fall to the ground while the orcs screamed in fear as the fire approached.
Zell placed his left hand forward before making a claw shape as a huge burst of fire shot from his hand, more powerful than Elizabeth's, like a cannon going off the flaming wall smashed the orc's wooden gate, sending splinters everywhere as flames covered the entire section.
Orcs were sent flying off the walls, screaming in agony as their flesh melted and bones scorched; Zell raised his right hand, swinging his great sword and unleashing a huge tornado that swallowed up the remaining orcs, ripping them to shreds.
Chris, Esmera and the elves stood agape, seeing Zell's display of power; they knew he was strong but didn't expect him to be so brutal.
"Kill them all." His cold voice echoed as he vanished from sight, now standing atop their wall, cutting the orcs apart with his huge sword.
Elizabeth giggled cutely and ordered her vampires to fly into the sky, transforming into bats and charging through the orc defenders, sucking their blood dry and throwing them into the village below.
Zell landed on the ground elegantly, kicking open the iron-reinforced gates, crushing several orcs beneath his foot; the elves charged forward, engaging the orcs in melee combat. The orcs were stronger than Esmera's elves and outnumbered them.
Nevertheless, each time one was in trouble, Zell's fingers would snap before shooting magic to kill several orcs, even while duelling with Grug in the centre of the wooden wall that began to collapse under their power.
Esmera and Chris stood back, firing arrows from range, hitting dozens of orcs dead; Zell noticed Esmera's arrows were infused with nature mana, forming vines and thorns to stab into orcs, while Chris's arrows seemed to explode with a small amount of mana upon impact.
Zell parried Grug's attacks several times, causing the orc to stagger backwards as his arms throbbed in pain; the orc was powerful but weaker than Zell's current strength, which had grown immensely after absorbing the western village orcs.
'Weak... are creatures below my realm so feeble?'
His eyes looked at Grug'vol with pity, knowing that compared to the angels and divines above him or the demons below, Zell was simply trash.
'I must grow stronger.'
Zell slashed his huge black sword across Grug'vol's chest, sending him tumbling to the floor and flying into the centre of the village with a loud crash, startling the human players standing in the centre of the village in a daze.
Zell raised his right hand, gathering mana as a large tornado appeared from the palm, destroying the wooden buildings and killing dozens of orcs.
He flew elegantly through the air, landing in front of Grug'vol, who crawled on his knees weakly, trying to reach his weapon.
"P-Please... spare Grug'Vol..."
"You would have sold Lusia, Almeria, Esmera and Chris to humans; I cannot allow you to live."
Zell's words caused Grug'Vol to realise what he meant and tremble violently; tears streamed down his face as he remembered killing several elves in the past few days before begging for forgiveness.
"Forgive Grug'Vol!! Grug'Vol didn't know!! Spare Grug'Vol!"
Zell shook his head, gripping his sword tightly, swinging it across the orc's neck, decapitating him instantly; he watched the corpse turn into white light and vanish, leaving loot on the floor.
Zell picked up the items, storing them in his inventory; he looked around the village, noticing the orcs were being killed en masse, with Elizabeth's vampires tearing them apart and the elves supporting them with minor injuries.
"So... Now the humans."
He mused, stepping towards the cowering human players; some were of different races but were all former players.
"Yo, where did you send those women?" Zell asked the player closest to him.
When Zell arrived next to the human players, his figure was terrifying; they trembled, looking at his crimson eyes that glowed ominously as they noticed the corpses of orcs all over the place and Elizabeth's vampires landing elegantly beside Zell, licking their lips seductively.
"W-Who are you!?"
One player yelled out, shaking visibly as his face grew paler, looking at the carnage in the village.
"Come on, I know there must be a champion or two in your camp. Aren't you here specifically to stop me or slaughter my allies?"
"I am Zell."
"!!!"
As Zell's name resounded, the players became more fearful; they recognised Zell's name as the infamous demon player who obliterated a western orc village recently and massacred a guild of nearly five hundred people.
"A-Ah... we just brought the women here because we found them..." One player stammered, pointing towards a large hut north of the village.
Zell clicked his finger, causing Elizabeth's vampires to move forward, opening the door and checking inside; thankfully, they were unharmed, but the inside of the building smelt horribly like someone hadn't bathed for months and rotting food wafted from the room.
"You were saying?" Zell glared at the player hatefully, disgusted that humans who claim to be heroes could treat women so poorly.
"T-That... we had to bring them here; otherwise, they would die!!"
"So you imprisoned them, fed them poorly and forced them to endure the stench?! Then sold them to be orcs comforting wives?" Zell's rage grew as he felt his blood boil; his eyes glowed brightly as mana gathered around him.
"How despicable are you humans? You disgust me..." Zell clenched his fists, remembering the time he was a human player, and calmed down slowly, remembering there were good humans, kind humans and those who would die for others...
'These people aren't human, just living garbage.'
Elizabeth and the vampires dragged the women from the hut, healing their wounds and helping them wash up; Esmera and Chris were leading elves to kill any stray orcs in the village.
Zell took out several tents from his inventory, placing them in the centre of the village as Elizabeth helped the women sit and heal them. Zell approached the human players, grabbing one by the collar.
"W-What!?"
Before the man could speak again, Zell's arm penetrated his chest, grasping his heart given to the other players as it beat for several seconds before he crushed it.
The player collapsed lifelessly, turning into white light.
Zell repeated this process six more times before Elizabeth called to him, gesturing to come over.
He then stored the items dropped by the players and approached Elizabeth and the women, sitting cross-legged.
"Master~ These women need blood; their bodies are frail, and they haven't eaten decent food for weeks." Elizabeth's cute voice caused Zell's heart to feel warm as he nodded, offering his wrist to the vampire queen.
Elizabeth licked his wrist seductively, sinking her fangs into Zell's soft, creamy skin; her throat gulped eagerly several times before releasing and licking the wound until it closed instantly.
Zell stroked Elizabeth's hair gently as she transformed into a cute girl, nuzzling his leg affectionately; the women watched the scene speechlessly as the cute vampire queen acted like a kitten.
"Don't force them to become vampires; we have many tribes they can join. Okay?"
"Mmm... but their bodies might die if they don't."
"I know, just honour their choices."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel