Chapter 44：Underwhelming Victory

With another hack from my sword, a Thornhog's snout exploded due to the Energy Explosion. Enraged, it squealed and charged forward blindly.

I stepped to the side and easily dodged him before stabbing him to his mane. Due to another explosion, the fur covering it was blown away making my sword lodge deeply inside him.

In a stroke of luck, the Thornhog's heart was also struck and with another Energy Explosion inside its body, the huge beast fell down lifelessly.

Now, killing these beasts became this easy for me. Maybe soon I will turn to something like Raiden that could fight those higher in realm. That will most probably happen when I go to the third world and harvest what's waiting for me there.

The Corrupted Barbarians opted to run when they saw their Chieftain fell from the sky and that left us with the remaining wild beasts which kept attacking due to the orders implanted to them by the Dark Beastmasters.

Along with the troops under me, our side was swept clean by us in an overwhelming fashion. The way I organized them to a squad was proven effective. One squad consisting of five barbarians could easily finish one enemy. This isn't a duel or anything so ganging up on one to easily cut off the numbers of the enemy was the most effective strategy here. And with the disappearance of the Corrupted Barbarians, killing the mindless beasts became an easy task.

I looked up at the sky and saw Old Man Reol still hovering above, his eyes scanning the whole battlefield. Maybe he's just overseeing the cleanup or waiting for the unknown variable that could possibly appear.

With this corpse-strewn battlefield, the barbarians of the Heavenly Lightning Tribe were solemn as they finished off the remaining enemies.

Most of them opted not to join the army but they were still dragged to this battle where life and death are just around the corner. One wrong move and they'll get hacked down. Now that the battle was about to end, they could finally relax and go back to their previous peaceful lives. 

"Daisuke, I think it's fine to fall back now."

Avelin commented after clearing those in our area.

I didn't let the two of them get too far away from me. Ophelia could hold her own so it's fine. She's a Saint Realm and someone boosted by the Orb, only those top Saint Realm can best her. She will cast away the slave status now so starting today, she won't just slink away at one corner of my tent.

After I leave this world, I guess I can leave these ragtag groups that will be put under me to these three. I still don't know when I will be able to come back after leaving, there's still a lot of worlds I have to go through. It seems like I need to step at least once in every world or the hero of that world's impending doom will definitely happen.

Just that, the thing that the Principal asked me to determine still eluded me. I have yet to find the source of Psyche Energy that was boosting each hero whenever they get transported. Is it the Earth itself? Then why am I not included in it? Because I'm not a hero?

Gathering my thoughts, I went back with the two girls in tow.

Avelin got enough experience now that she already mastered the use of her Augmented Skill. And during this battle, her luck was proven to be something else, inside the head of one of the Thornhogs she killed, she found a Beast Core. It's something rare even for a beast who had strength equivalent to that of a King Realm, one can find a million beasts of the same kind but none of them will be holding onto a Beast Core. For it to appear from a mere Thornhog, it was really an absurd luck, no, heaven-defying luck.

Erin explained what a Beast Core is and when I also touched it, my Adaptability let me understand what it is. A Beast Core is the amalgamation of a beast race's essence, just from the fact that that certain Thornhog has it in his head, if he didn't die in this battlefield that core will slowly melt and in turn springboard its strength to evolve and become a Berserker Thornhog or even higher.

Avelin, having acquired it is her good fortune, the Beast Core is a precious commodity that could boost a barbarian's cultivation as well as get a unique trait of a Thornhog, most likely it will be their thorns. I just don't know if Avelin will look like a porcupine in the future if she used it. As to what stage she will reach by using that it depends on how well she can absorb it.

With that beast core, she'll soon approach Erin's level but yeah, it's not like Erin was slacking off. During the battle, Erin also reached the limit of her current stage, now that the battle is almost over she'll try and breakthrough to the 5th Stage Augmented Realm.

These two might even exceed Ophelia's realm in the future.

With Avelin's acquisition of that Beast Core, my guess about these girls who were connected to the Orb that I am stumbling to were slowly becoming true. Zerina was already a Great-Class, I can only see her status so I don't know what's happening over there. And Avelin here just got her first stroke of luck after meeting me.

An hour later, the Horns of Victory sounded across the whole tribe.

I saw Old Man Reol flying back atop one of his transformed Pillars to the gathering grounds. Following next, on foot, were those Generals and I was also urged to walk with them by Erin.

This could be called a March of Victory but without the appearance of those Dark Beastmasters and news about Raiden's Raid Party, I couldn't help but feel restless. This kind of victory is really underwhelming considering the ones pulling the strings behind the Corrupted Barbarians didn't even appear.

After giving his speech, Old Man Reol retired to his tent. When he left, the faces of everyone turned solemn. He didn't talk about the victory but of the threat that could be happening towards their Chieftain. Normally one wouldn't relay this kind of news but for these barbarians, the well-being of their Chieftain was what's pulling them together.

But like he promised, everyone who joined the battle be it dead or alive will be compensated while the slaves will be freed of their status gaining new lease in their life.

I brought everyone under me to the area where the former Whiteshade Tribe were placed, there's still a huge area around it that these former slaves could pitch their tents up.

With the number of beast corpses outside, there will be no lack of food and new materials that could be made into weapons, armors or building materials. The weapons of those who have fallen, be it Corrupted or not, were also gathered and will be distributed to everyone.

I left Ophelia and Avelin in charge of organizing them before I followed Erin to the Old Man's tent.

"Don't you need to take a break first?"

Erin asked on our way there. This girl postponed breaking through to the next stage to accompany me to meet her Grandfather first. And I also promised her to help her in her breakthrough just like how I did when Avelin was breaking through to the Augmented Realm.

"That Old Man isn't taking a break, I bet he's still waiting for the news about Raiden, I mean, the Chieftain. Besides, I didn't do a lot during the battle."

That Old Man fought three King Realms by himself and it doesn't look like he got injured from it. He's really a veteran Barbarian who might be the strongest here. That Corrupted King Realm talked about how he was a legend of the past. It's just he got stuck at the pinnacle of King Realm for many years.

We entered his tent and it's like he was expecting me to come, he immediately sent out the others who were reporting to him.

"I knew you'd come. Chieftain also used to come to my tent after every battle he had before."

Old Man Reol had a hint of a smile on his lips. Is he not worried about Raiden?

"Is he really stronger than you or?"

I haven't seen Raiden real prowess. What he showed before was probably just the tip of what he can do. He didn't even use any of his Augmented Skills or Halo. All of that was brute force and his Temporal Acceleration.

"What do you think? Can I defend against that lightning-quick ability he has?"

"You're wiser and older, I bet you picked up something about it."

I'm quite sure he already has an idea about the flaw of his Temporal Acceleration. But he still chose to be under him. Is he really one of those who don't want to see their world go under?

Well, it's good too, his tribe will be left to a good hand whenever he goes back to Earth. It would be devastating if he left it to someone who could easily betray him and come back with all that he built gone into ashes.

"Are you currently testing me, young man?"

"No, not really. I just want a clear view of how strong my allies are. The foreign invaders hadn't appeared but you saw what they can do as well as those who they corrupted."

Now, he didn't just hear it from Erin's report, he even experienced how strong a Corrupted Barbarian is, if not for his years of experience, he would probably have a hard time dealing with the three.

"Indeed. Without my years of experience, I will probably let myself succumb to that enticement. Reaching the Emperor Realm, it's one of my lifelong dreams."

He rapped his table as he once again mulled about the words of that Corrupted King Realm.

"If it's not rude to ask, how long have you been stuck in King Realm?"

"Twenty Years."

Ah. That's already a long time and he's still stuck. He's already at this stage even before I was even born. No wonder he already became somewhat of a legend.

"What are the prerequisites to reach that realm?"

I determined that the Crown and the Four Pillars were what one could get if he successfully reached the 5th Stage.

Thinking about that Crown with 5 Jewels embedded on it, which corresponded to his 5 Halos, will he also need to combine everything into one?

Emperor Realm.

Ah! The name realm was also a hint.

"I need to create my own 'Empire'."

Old Man Reol confirmed my guess as he answered with certainty.

As to what that 'Empire' means, it really concerned his crown and pillars.