When I emerged from the portal with the ogres and trolls, I was greeted by a group of bipedal cats the size of humans dressed in full-plated armor, their weapons ready for any mishap that might occur.
"Are you Jionni?" The lead bipedal cat wearing more decorated full-plated armor approached me with a stiff walk, eyeing the terrifying bodyguards I had brought with me.
"Yes. I am Jionni. Catalina told you of me, perhaps?" The bipedal cat nodded and I smiled. "Well then, let's not waste any time. Time is precious in a time of war."
"Right away, sir." The bipedal cat bowed slightly, his weapons still at the ready, in case we were backstabbers, but that cautiousness was unwarranted. Granted, I know why they were doing so, so I can respect their decision.
I looked behind me to see the trolls and the five ogres following me with submissive gazes. My strength was one of the reasons why they would follow me without any complaints.
Traversing through the town, which I would admit is better than the Monster Town back in my Dungeon, I scanned the area for any kind of living being, human, demi-human, or monster.
There were none, and just seeing what situation they were in was enough evidence for me. They probably evacuated the none-fighters, and most of the fighters were at the front-line, defending the Dungeon with their very lives, while the rest were protecting the evacuees in case some enemies got past the line.
The time spent walking was silent, the only sounds audible being our footsteps as we marched down the desolate road. A few minutes of walking later, I could hear cries, yells, and shrieks.
'We must be getting close.' My deduction was right, as the more we walked, the louder the sounds got, their footsteps now being overpowered by the rumbling of the earth and the loud screeches of pain, anguish, bloodthirst, and death.
"Jion! You're finally here!" Not long after, we finally arrived near a gate. Dozens of bipedal cats and other species, humans, demi-humans, and monsters alike, all stood ready, awaiting their turn when they would be sent to the warzone where they would defend their home with their lives.
Catalina, being the catwoman who gave me my nickname, rushed towards me without a care in the world, her cat tail swishing in the air as she hugged me with her body.
"Lina, it's good to see you. I've brought some of my men to help with the invasion." Catalina stopped with her hug and let me go, only to come face-to-face with five mean-looking ogres and a dozen trolls. Her jaw dropped as she saw the 17 figures I had brought, before beaming into a bright smile as she glomped me once more.
"Thank you so much, Jion! I didn't think you would bring ogres and trolls!" Catalina let go of me once again as she stared at the five colorful ogres. "An ogre alone is worth a company of human soldiers, and you brought five of them! Let's not forget the trolls, who were said to be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. That reminds me, why didn't you let them defend your Dungeon when you were being invaded?"
"Well, to put it in simple terms, my primates respawn when they die, but they do not." I said, and she nodded in understanding.
"I'm doing the same. As of now, there're still no casualties my side, since those who have fallen will respawn once the invasion is over." I looked at the various sentient beings all waiting to be called to battle. Catalina noticed my action and smiled. "I'm not sending them out there, except for the felines."
"Those bipedal cats the size of a human are called felines?" I asked, and she nodded, her cat ears twitching as her tail swished to and fro, subtly wrapping around my legs.
"Yes, anyway, I won't be sending my residents out on the frontline. They'll be inside this wall, ready in case the invaders breach the gate." I hummed, and she clung to me once more, a happy grin forming on her face. "Also, Drake is out there, so I'm sure there won't be anything to worry about."
"… GGEZ…" I chuckled once I heard the bomb that Drake was out there wreaking havoc and unconsciously muttered out game lingo. "I feel sorry for the invaders now."
"They're invaders wanting to take my head. As far as I'm concerned, they won't be gaining any sympathy from me." Catalina scoffed as she let go of me again and turned around, her feet bringing her closer to the gate. "Come on, I'll show you how the warzone looks like."
"Lucky me." I chuckled and followed the catwoman, her residents once more parting to grant her an unobstructed path towards her destination. Behind her, I followed, and behind me, the ogres and trolls followed.
Heading towards the stairs that led directly to the top of the wall, I commanded the ogres and trolls to stay at the bottom, next to the gate. They accepted and promptly stood on alert near the giant closed gate.
Following Catalina upwards, the sounds of combat gradually grew larger and larger. At the top, I was greeted by a sight that would literally make the raid on my Dungeon look like a fucking tea party in contrast to this kind of destruction.
Trees burned beyond recognition, corpses lining the ground like puppets without strings, a river of red staining the ground, its smell reminiscent of iron, and the destruction of land like it was clay molested by a toddler in an adult's body.
"Holy shit…" My jaw dropped at the sight of destruction. Catalina scowled at the scene, her tail standing straight up and puffed out.
"I know, right? Those Human Movement Federation assholes are going too far now, targeting Dungeons all over the country." Catalina growled out the words as she clutched at the parapets, fully glaring at the destroyed landscape.
"Wait, they are behind this? Then we're situated in the same country. Huh, small world…" I muttered absentmindedly, while Catalina gave me a smile.
"Yes, it seems that we are closer than we thought." Catalina sighed and let go of the parapets, her eyes on mine. "Anyway, you know what this means, right? What the Human Movement cult actions mean for the Dungeon Masters all around the country?"
"… Well… All I could think of was an all-out war against the Dungeon Masters and the rulers of the country." Catalina nodded and I realized the dire situation that would happen if I didn't get my Dungeon up to speed. I couldn't rely on Drake forever. "Shit… this is bad…"
"I know, right?" Sighing once again, Catalina tapped my shoulder with a tiny grin. "After all this is over, I need to relieve some stress. Up for one night, big boy?"
"Yes, yes, but first, I want to bash me some human cultists." I quickly made Drakhan's Shadow tangible and grabbed the [Bloodweep War Hammer] from my inventory, along with the skillbook that was left gathering dust inside. 'I forgot to use the [Infamous Rock Warrior Hammer Arts] because of all that happened, but now is a good time as any.'
Learned skill: [Infamous Rock Warrior Hammer Arts]
[Infamous Rock Warrior Hammer Arts] – An ancient hammer-wielding technique used by humans, demi-humans, and monsters alike. While wielding a hammer, you gain 35% damage reduction. Passively increases STR, VIT, and END by 10%.
'Fucking finally, a percentage stat gain. They better not nerf me again, or I will go fucking ballistic and sic Drake on them.' Grumbling at the memory of getting nerfed because of "reasons", I saw Catalina looking at me with her eyes wide open.
"Jion… What the fuck was that!?" Catalina rushed towards me as she inspected my body like an overly-worried lover, not that it would be that far from the truth. I don't know why I'm still hesitating to move our relationship to the next level, but it's probably just me being shy. I'll get over it eventually.
"You know what a skillbook is?" She shook her head, and I facepalmed. 'Of course, she doesn't have a System, so skillbooks are a foreign concept to her.'
"Well, it doesn't matter. Just know that it's something like a boost for me. I can't explain it either." She perked her ears when she heard me say boost, but I quickly shut her down before she could ask. "Also, can you please keep that secret? Only Domino and Drake know about it."
"… Okay, but I still want an explanation."
"In private." I smirked, and she smirked back. Heading back down, I saw the ogres and trolls looking at me with wide eyes. "Alright boys, it's time we caused some mayhem."
The ogres and trolls quickly got over my look and roared as Catalina, from atop the wall, ordered her men to open the gate, granting us passage towards the warzone.
The first to go forward were the trolls, then followed by the five colorful ogres, then me. Raising the hood up and masking my face with the attached mask, I used my mana reserves to coat myself in fire, tornadoes of flame licking my surroundings as I walked the destroyed earth.
At the thought of serving well-deserved karma upon the cultists, I grinned madly, my inner psycho resurfacing as the Bloodweep Hammer rested on my shoulder.
And with my adrenaline soaring high, I roared.
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