The orc king rose with difficulty, still dazed.

  “Human… what have you done?” he growled as he regained his balance.

  “I’m going to smash your damn face in, you bastard. I hope you’re ready,” Velt spat, still burning with rage over the words the king had spoken earlier.

  The orc king answered with a snarl and charged at him without hesitation, trying to crush him with his fists.

  “You’re just a damn nuisance. Leave now and I’ll spare your life,” he roared as he attacked.

  “I don’t give a shit about what you say,” Velt replied coldly. “Right now, I only want to kill you.”

  He dodged the blows with precise movements until, in a moment of carelessness, he caught the king’s forearm and drove a knee straight into his stomach.

  “Ugh… damn you!” the orc spat.

  Before he could react, Velt slammed his head into him, followed by a brutal punch to the face, sending him several steps backward.

  “Strange human… I’ll kill you,” the king growled as he stood up. “Come help your king!”

  No one answered.

  “What are you doing?” he roared, furious, as he looked around.

  Then he saw it.

  The elves were surrounding the orcs. Arrows blinded eyes and pierced throats; figures emerged from the trees to finish them off with spears, then vanished back into the forest.

  “What… what is happening…?” the king murmured in disbelief as he watched his warriors fall one after another.

  “Looks like this will be one on one,” Velt said, appearing beside him and striking him again.

  Tired of taking punishment, the king ran to his throne and grabbed an enormous wooden club.

  “I’ll kill you, damn you!” he roared.

  This idiot hasn’t even realized that I’m an orc now… Velt thought.

  “As mentioned before, orcs are not known for their intelligence,” Cero commented.

  “Yeah, I know… but this is just ridiculous,” Velt replied.

  The club came down violently. Velt barely dodged it.

  I need to be careful… my bones still aren’t fully healed.

  “Cero, what condition are my bones in?” he asked without taking his eyes off the king.

  “They are at 60% of optimal capacity. Direct impacts are not recommended,” Cero answered.

  “Understood.”

  Velt launched himself forward.

  Each clash echoed with a heavy sound. The king attacked with the club, and Velt responded with precise punches, exploiting every opening.

  “Stop running, coward!” the king roared in frustration.

  “Fine,” Velt replied calmly.

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  In an instant, he reverted to his human form, slid beneath the king, and before he could react, shifted back into his orc form and threw a devastating hook straight to his jaw.

  A dry crack echoed.

  The king collapsed to the ground.

  “I hope I broke it,” Velt muttered.

  But the king rose again with growls and several sickening cracks, forcing his jaw back into place.

  “This son of a bitch is tough…” Velt said.

  “You’re not human… you’re something else. You’re a monster,” the king spat.

  “Took you long enough to notice, idiot,” Velt replied disdainfully.

  “I’ll kill you, monster!” the king roared, charging in fury.

  Velt dodged and positioned himself behind him.

  “Who are you calling a monster, you piece of shit pig?” he shouted before smashing him in the head.

  A crunch rang through the air.

  “I hope that sound wasn’t mine…” Velt muttered, looking at his hand.

  “All bones are intact. The sound corresponds to the orc king’s skull,” Cero reported.

  “Great… you scared me there,” Velt replied with a crooked smile.

  The king lay on the ground, bleeding, trying to crawl away.

  “Help! Help me!” he cried between sobs.

  Then he felt a crushing weight on his leg.

  When he looked up, his terror became reality: Velt was stepping on him.

  “Repeat what you said you were going to do to the elf chief’s daughter,” Velt said in an icy voice.

  “I-it was a joke! I didn’t mean it!” the king shrieked desperately.

  Velt lifted his foot… and brought it down with all his weight onto the orc’s knee.

  The scream was immediate.

  “Forgive me! I’ll give you all the women you want! Just let me live!” he begged, crying.

  Velt watched him crawl like a poorly crushed cockroach.

  “That’s enough,” he murmured.

  His body expanded again, turning into a violet mass that enveloped the king.

  “No… please! Let me go!” he pleaded.

  There was no answer.

  The mass consumed him slowly until nothing remained.

  Then Velt’s body returned to its human form.

  “I suppose that’s it…” he murmured.

  He looked around: orc corpses covered the ground. Some elves were celebrating; others cried in relief and vengeance fulfilled.

  “Velt!”

  Before he could react, he was pushed to the ground. Rurhy fell on top of him, hugging him tightly. Without hesitation, she kissed him.

  When they separated, tears began to flow.

  “We did it…” she said with a trembling voice. “Thank you… thank you so much.”

  She buried her face in Velt’s chest.

  He held her tightly to calm her, but Rurhy didn’t stop crying. And Velt knew that this time, there was no need to stop those tears.

  Several hours passed. Velt and Rurhy were still holding each other, while some elves began removing the orc corpses.

  “Hey… you’re pretty busy, but I need you to see something,” Ky said as he approached.

  Velt looked at Rurhy, sleeping peacefully in his arms. Carefully, he adjusted her position and called over a nearby elf to watch her. Then he stood up and followed Ky to a nearby hut.

  “What did you want me to see?” he asked.

  “This,” Ky replied, opening the door.

  Inside, Velt was met with a sight that turned his stomach: several young girls of different races were chained up, just like the women they had seen outside.

  “What is this…?” Velt murmured in disgust.

  “They were probably waiting for them to grow up to force them to reproduce,” Ky said bitterly.

  “I feel like throwing up…” Velt whispered.

  He observed the girls closely. Many were neglected, weak, and far too thin, as if they hadn’t eaten in days.

  “Ky, help me get them out of here,” Velt ordered.

  “Of course,” he replied without hesitation.

  Velt approached one of the girls, but she backed away in fear.

  “It’s okay… you’re safe now. You don’t have to be afraid anymore,” Velt said gently.

  The girl hesitated for a moment, then finally took his hand.

  “It’s all over. No one will hurt you again,” he added as he broke the chain holding her. “Ky, how are you doing?”

  He turned his head… and froze.

  Ky was hugging one of the girls, crying uncontrollably. She was clinging to him as well.

  “Karshen…” Ky murmured through sobs.

  “Brother…” the girl replied, holding him tightly as she cried.

  I suppose it’s best to leave them alone… Velt thought.

  He carefully gathered the other girls and guided them outside.

  Outside, several elven women hurried to tend to them. Velt looked up and observed the village reduced to ashes, wrapped in a strange, almost peaceful silence.

  Then a voice broke the calm.

  “Attention. DNA analysis complete. Superior DNA acquired: Orc King form obtained,” Cero reported.

  “But… I already had orc DNA,” Velt said, confused.

  “The DNA of a common orc and that of an orc king are not equivalent. It can be considered an evolution,” Cero explained.

  “I see…” Velt murmured. “We’ll test that new form later.”

  He returned to where Rurhy was, still asleep under the care of an elf.

  “I’ve got it. Thank you very much,” Velt said.

  The elf nodded and left to help the girls.

  Velt sat down and gently rested Rurhy’s head on his shoulder. He watched the elves clean up the remains of the battle, smiling in relief.

  For the first time in a long while, the silence didn’t feel heavy.