Chapter 247

The First Confederation War, or as it is otherwise known, the Greenskin War, has sparked many debates among scholars and warriors alike.

Among these discussions, one theory suggests that the Romania Kingdom—later to become the Romania Empire—used this war to showcase its national power to other lands, while simultaneously allowing other nations to demonstrate their own might. This so-called “show of strength” was seen by some as the true purpose of the conflict.

Another claim states that several nations united to form a coalition against the ceaselessly evolving goblins, issuing a dire warning about their growing threat.

A further argument posits that after showcasing just how powerful the goblins had become—later dubbed ogres—a public consensus was formed demanding their complete eradication.

And then there’s the less popular theory: that a god orchestrated the war merely to reveal their divine power, summoning countless beings into battle for this purpose.

While the last theory lacks credibility, one fact remains universally acknowledged:

The black rock giant, Talos, sent down by the gods to combat the ogres.

It was said that his overwhelming power transcended human comprehension.

And those who witnessed this marvel believed that nothing was impossible for the Goddess of Life, who could create and command such a being.

—

KWAANG!!!

Between the ogre and the Knight King… no, right in front of the ogre, something dark plummeted from above.

The shockwave from the impact of the black rock greatsword caused both the ogre and the Knight King to stumble backward. Following the sword came another massive entity, falling silently, without even a sound.

This towering figure, crafted entirely from black rock, stood silently before the ogre. It was Talos, guardian deity of the Underworld, saying nothing.

“That… Could this be the aid spoken of by the Goddess of Life?!”

The Knight King could only marvel at the sight of Talos standing proudly before him.

A giant rivaling the size of the ogre, clad head-to-toe in unyielding black armor. His very posture radiated an unwavering will.

“GRRRRR…”

The ogre bristled at Talos’ presence, sensing a formidable threat.

Talos, gripping the embedded greatsword, lifted it off the ground and slung it over his shoulder, fixing his gaze on the ogre.

Unsatisfied with Talos’ crimson stare, the ogre growled deeply before lunging forward.

KWAANG!!

Without hesitation, the ogre delivered a punch aimed straight for Talos’ head. The force of the blow reverberated outward in a deafening roar. It was a strike far beyond the capabilities of any ordinary creature.

Yet Talos remained completely unmoved.

He simply stared at the ogre, as if asking, “Is that all you’ve got?”

The ogre’s fist, which had previously been unscathed after striking the scales of a drake, now lay battered and bleeding.

In a single blow, Talos’ skull had shattered the skin covering the ogre’s hand.

“GRRRR…”

Reforming his damaged fist, the ogre charged again, unleashing a flurry of punches.

Each blow carried enough destructive force to shatter boulders and snap mighty trees. Filled with malice, these relentless strikes rained down upon Talos.

But Talos stood motionless, unfazed by the barrage.

As if mocking the ineffectiveness of such feeble attacks, he simply absorbed the blows without resistance.

“By the heavens…”

Witnesses could only watch in stunned silence. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, yet Talos absorbed them all effortlessly.

Even creatures far stronger would have been reduced to minced meat under such assault. But Talos stood firm, accepting each blow without defense.

Their eyes wide with disbelief, they could do nothing but stare.

“This… Is this the power of a being crafted directly by the gods themselves?”

It was awe-inspiring.

The terrifying might of the ogre’s attacks. And Talos, who remained completely unaffected despite absorbing every blow.

“KRAAAAAAA!!!”

After a brief moment, the ogre let out a ferocious roar and retreated.

His fists, once formidable weapons, were now mangled beyond recognition, losing their original shape.

With broken bones and torn muscles, the ogre struggled to clench his hands properly.

Hanging limp at his sides, his shredded hands dripped blood as he glared hatefully at Talos.

And Talos?

“…”

Silently, he clenched his fist.

—

“Hmm… Isn’t this fight a bit too one-sided?”

“But even so, isn’t this demonstration enough to show the ogre’s strength?”

When I saw the Knight King in danger, I tossed Talos right into the fray. Hmm… Was this really okay?

“Still, even the lizardmen couldn’t stop that ogre.”

“Yeah, there’s a weight class difference. With strength and agility surpassing even giants, Talos is basically a superior version.”

“Yeah. Those humans were flying around like garbage.”

“Sagarmatha, please refrain from using such language.”

Even though we’re gods looking down on other creatures, we should still avoid using bad words, right?

“Still, this level of strength was somewhat unexpected. That combination of strength, agility, and intelligence makes for quite a troublesome monster.”

“Hmm. While we’ve seen monsters with this level of power before, most were closer to beasts.”

Monsters with the bodies of monsters but near-human intelligence are truly problematic.

Traps don’t work, luring them doesn’t work, they cleverly avoid dangerous situations, and they ruthlessly exploit weaknesses. Other humans would find it difficult to withstand such adversaries.

If this ogre acted that way, humans likely wouldn’t have dared to confront it.

Fortunately, the Greenskin Kingdom existed as a sort of nest, preventing the ogre from fleeing.

“Why didn’t it flee? Mother?”

“Flee? Are you talking about the ogre?”

“Yes. Facing such an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, wouldn’t it make sense to escape quickly?”

At Yggdrasil’s question, I nodded slightly.

“Because if it fled, all the goblins and orcs would be wiped out. So it can’t run.”

“But aren’t goblins and orcs just weak subordinates from the ogre’s perspective? Abandoning them wouldn’t cause much of a problem, would it?”

At Yggdrasil’s question, I shook my head.

“Yeah. Supply issues.”

And the answer to that question came from Sagarmatha.

“Supply?”

“Yeah. Supply.”

Sagarmatha looked at me with an expression akin to seeking praise, much like when she was younger. Smiling faintly, I patted her head.

“That’s right. Correct answer. Supply is the issue.”

“Supply… You mean food problems? Without the goblins and orcs, the ogre could hunt freely, right?”

“No, it’s a matter of magical power.”

I began explaining carefully to Yggdrasil, who still didn’t fully understand.

“You know that goblins need large amounts of magical power to evolve, right?”

“Yes, they share the group’s magical power, and when enough accumulates, one individual evolves.”

“Not only for evolution, but maintaining their physical forms also requires magical power. If all the magical power is drained, they can’t sustain their bodies.”

We’ve conducted direct experiments on this—it’s certain.

Magical power is necessary not only for goblin evolution but also for maintaining their physical forms.

“The more they evolve, the more magical power is needed to sustain their bodies. This is separate from food needs.”

If food alone were required, the ogre wouldn’t need to maintain such a large group. With its strength and agility, it could easily hunt other creatures and survive alone.

However, the ogre didn’t do that. Instead, it ruled as king over a vast horde of goblins.

“The ogre needs the numerous goblins to maintain its own existence.”

Thinking about it in terms of population mechanics from a traditional real-time strategy game might help understanding.

Imagine each goblin counts as 1 population, but also adds 2 to the maximum population limit.

So when 20 goblins gather, they occupy 20 population but increase the limit by 40, creating a surplus of 20. Using this surplus, one goblin can evolve into a hobgoblin.

The evolved hobgoblin might take up roughly 20 population but add 5 to the maximum limit.

The same applies to orcs and ogres.

For higher-level greenskins, if they lack sufficient subordinates, they cannot replenish the magical power needed for survival and will eventually wither away.

“If they don’t have enough subordinates to replenish the necessary magical power, they’ll dry up and die.”

“Hmm… I don’t fully understand, but I get the gist.”

Having accepted this explanation, Yggdrasil looked down at the battle below.

The moment Talos, with his clenched fist, delivered a single devastating blow, obliterating the ogre’s head.

She witnessed the collapse of the Greenskin Kingdom in a single strike.