Benimaru awoke the next morning groggy and unaware of where he was. It was certainly later than he usually woke up, though not by much. His right arm was thrown over his eyes to keep out the sunlight and his left arm felt to be stuck under something. Even more curious was that he wasn't sleeping on the bed completely and his legs were dangling off the edge.

It took a few minutes of him trying to recall the previous night before his face flushed a bit when he realized that the weight on his left arm was Katsumi. Surprisingly, she had slept through the rest of the night after waking up that once. Despite having started tossing and turning a few times after, she settled back after Benimaru would pull her closer and gently kiss her forehead.

"Why do you tease me like this, Katsumi," Benimaru whispered to the sleeping girl. She nuzzled her head against his chest, which was acting as her pillow, but otherwise made no indication that she had heard him in the slightest. Benimaru sighed before giving up and staring up at the ceiling, continuing to lay there with Katsumi so that she could have her rest. It didn't take long before the red-haired kijin fell back asleep listening to the even breaths of the blue-haired girl next to him.

The second time Benimaru awoke that day wasn't as pleasant as the first. He felt someone staring at him, which caused him to toss his head in discomfort while sleeping before finally deciding that he couldn't ignore it. As soon as he opened his eyes, he regretted it since his eyes met the disapproving blue ones of Souei. He flinched, glancing over slightly to see that Katsumi was still sleeping before quickly gesturing to Souei that he would see him outside. Knowing that Katsumi needed the sleep, Souei reluctantly shuffled to the door, though he didn't leave as he kept his eye on Benimaru.

Gently, Benimaru sat up, trying his best not to move Katsumi too much, before slipped his right arm under her knees and lifting her slightly off the bed. She was sleeping soundly, thankfully, but Benimaru wanted to make sure she was comfortable before he left to face hell from her cousin. He swiftly pulled back the blankets on the bed and knelt on the mattress, shifting her so that she was centered on the bed and her whole body was resting comfortably. Carefully, Benimaru slipped his arms out from under her, tucked the blanket over her and began to retreat, the bed moving slightly as he shifted his weight off.

As he got off the bed, Katsumi's eyes opened, her sunset eye seeming to pierce through him and she rolled slightly so she was facing Benimaru, albeit she was clearly only half awake and heavily disoriented. Benimaru didn't spare Souei a glance as he quickly placed a gentle hand on her head, stroking her hair to lull her back to sleep. Clearly comfortable and sleepy, she closed her eyes.

"What time is it?" she mumbled quietly, curling into a fetus position and pulling the blankets over her face as she yawned.

"Too early for you to wake up, Katsumi," Benimaru replied gently. "I'll be right back. Just go back to sleep."

"Does the blackbird need to go catch the early worm?" she mumbled, already beginning to fall asleep. It had been a while since she had slept properly and she wasn't about to let this chance escape.

"More like I need to escape a lion coming after me." Benimaru didn't want to glance back, but he knew Souei was still glaring at him. He could feel it. Katsumi clearly didn't hear it as her breathing had indicated she was already asleep.

Knowing that he still had to talk to Souei, Benimaru decided that since he had already walked into the lion's den, he might as well try to get away with as much as he could before he died. And so, while knowing that Souei was still there watching his every move like a hawk, he leaned over and kissed Katsumi on the forehead to the left side of her sharp, white horn.

Before Souei could react, Benimaru quickly raced out the door past the blue-haired male and disappeared down the street.

~~~

Katsumi awoke not too long after, though she was still alone when she sat up from the bed. She stretched her arms up in the air, yawning widely as she did. It was the first night in weeks that she had been able to sleep without nightmares. She could've sworn that Benimaru had fallen asleep next to her, but perhaps he had left after she had knocked out last night since she couldn't recall anything after passing out tucked to his side.

For the first time since the attack on the ogre village, she didn't have nightmares last night and was able to get a full nights sleep. When she felt the nightmare coming, she would feel a warmth starting from her forehead, which seemed to chase away the nightmare. The said warmth would come back to protect her in her dreams each time the nightmare tried to make an appearance. Actually, the more she thought about it, the more the warmth reminded her of Benimaru's energy. The thought made her blush and wonder if he had stayed with her all night. Deciding that it was useless to ponder on it any more, she stretched her arms up one more time before climbing out of bed.

Stumbling slightly over her feet, Katsumi traversed her room to where her claymore was left leaning against the wall. Carefully yet swiftly, she strapped it to her back and stepped out of her little home and clipped on the flower clip Benimaru had given her years ago. As she emerged, she thought that perhaps she had slept longer than she thought she had because the sun was definitely high in the sky. The rest of the village was well awake and already working, which made Katsumi feel ever so slightly guilty that she had slept in.

"Katsumi," she heard, causing her to spin around. Standing nearby was Rigur in his red bandanna and his wolf nearby. The hobgoblin smiled nicely at her as she greeted him with a yawn. "Nice to see you before the sun set."

"Oh, shush," she retorted as she tilted her head side to side to work out the last little kinks. Once she was satisfied, she shot Rigur a grin, causing the hobgoblin to blush faintly at her bright expression. The two of them didn't talk all that much through the village, but they still would consider themselves friends. For Rigur, he would've loved to spend more time with the blue-haired kijin, but he was ever so slightly frightened of the two protective males that seemed to always be close by.

"Hey, Katsumi," Rigur started as the two of them began walking toward the field where the rest of the villagers had said Benimaru and Souei were. According to them, the two of them were sparring with enough power to take down the forest. Katsumi could only sigh when she heard and figured she should go try to calm them down even if she wasn't sure why they were sparring so fiercely.

"Hm?" she hummed in reply.

"Do you want to go hunting with the Goblin Riders one day?" Katsumi glanced over slightly at the Hobgoblin who grinned in response.

"I don't have a wolf though. I probably won't be able to keep up," she said as she shrugged. It would be cool to have a wolf companion, but there was a higher goblin population to wolf population already. Plus, she was plenty strong and had figured that the goblins would be safer with a wolf companion.

"I can let you ride with me on my Tempest Wolf," Rigur offered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. The idea of her riding on his wolf with him made him blush, but he tried his best to suppress it.

"Really?" She smiled, albeit clearly a bit surprised at his offer. "Then -"

"What are you two talking about?" Benimaru interrupted as he and Souei walked up to the two of them. Souei had been rather enjoying giving Benimaru as best of a beating as he could, but when the two of them saw Rigur walking up with Katsumi, they quickly formed a temporary truce. Discreetly, Benimaru shot Rigur a glare over Katsumi's head as he leaned his elbow on her shoulder. He had been suspicious of Rigur since he seemed to always be looking for a chance to talk to Katsumi. It was even more suspicious now that he was blushing and clearly refused to meet Benimaru's eyes directly. Souei caught on, and his eyes flicked between Benimaru and Rigur.

"What's a guppy like you doing so far from home?" Benimaru teased as he wrapped Katsumi in a headlock. She struggled with giggling, wriggling around until she surrendered by tapping on his forearm. He let go slightly, but still kept his arm slung around Katsumi and ever so slightly pulled her a step or two away from Rigur. The hobgoblin wanted to complain, but he didn't have the nerve, especially considering that Kijin were two evolutions above his own and significantly stronger. He'd never win a fight if they started one, which was considerably likely since the two males probably had figured out his intentions of approaching Katsumi.

"I think it's concerning that I don't even consider being called a guppy an insult," Katsumi deadpanned as she punched Benimaru in the side.

"Why would you be offended? And why is that concerning?" Benimaru asked rhetorically to her. She rolled her eyes and answered regardless.

"You called me an eel before, Benimaru. You don't believe that I've forgotten it that easily, right?" Benimaru grinned, causing her to glare and send another punch his way. "I will get you back for that."

"Oh I'm so scared," Benimaru mocked, bursting into laughter as Kasumi's jaw dropped as his blatant disrespect before she crossed her arms and let out a huff as she turned her head away from Benimaru. Rigur stood off to the side, clearly a bit saddened by how close and intimate Benimaru and Katsumi were, even if they were 'just friends.' Clearly, Benimaru had made his feelings for Katsumi obvious, but Rigur wasn't exactly about to give up just like that either.

Souei watched the reactions of the three before him and immediately narrowed his eyes as he began to understand what was going on. As he had figured out before hand, Benimaru had strong feelings for his cousin. Now, it seemed like she had unknowingly charmed the hobgoblin as well. However, if her body language was a basis to determine her feelings, Souei believed that she actually had affections for their red-haired friend, even if she was oblivious to it herself. He wanted to smack his head as he realized the headache this would cause.

"I should get going," Rigur said, inching away from the kijin. Clearly, the two males had noticed by now and despite normally being confident, he didn't have the strength to try to fight them to win Katsumi right now. "If you ever want to take up on my offer, just find us before we leave for the hunt in the afternoon."

"Ah, yes! Thank you, Rigur," she replied with a wide smile, brushing off Benimaru's hand as he ruffled her hair. Rigur blushed at her smile that was directly at him, but turned away to hide his blush. Benimaru huffed and gave a suspicious look at Rigur. What had he offered? Rigur, avoiding Benimaru's gaze, quickly made his escape before the two male kijin could stop him.

"What did he offer, Katsumi?" Souei asked as he walked up and flicked Benimaru's arm. He flinched at the sharp, quick pain and retracted his hand from Katsumi's shoulder knowing that now wasn't the time to get on Souei's nerves about chasing Katsumi. After all, that was his precious cousin and honorary sister.

"Ah, he asked me if I wanted to go hunting with the goblin riders," she explained simply. The boys blinked. Perhaps they were getting the wrong feeling from Rigur?

"But you don't have a wolf," Benimaru said, a bit confused. Yes, Kijin were fast, but there was no way for her to keep up with the wolves if they were hunting.

"That's what I said, but Rigur offered me to ride with him on his wolf." At this, Benimaru and Souei's expression darkened. Perhaps they had been spot on with their interpretation of his body language. He definitely had feelings for Katsumi and they both were thankful that the blue-haired girl was extremely dense when it came to these things and hadn't realized it.

As Benimaru went off grumbling to himself, thinking about various ways to keep Katsumi and Rigur apart, Souei's mind trailed off elsewhere. Of course, even back in their ogre village, Katsumi had charmed many people unknowingly, but he and Benimaru had always managed to keep them away from their innocent Little Blue. Now, she was more mature and he couldn't stop her if she wanted to love someone. Souei glanced at Benimaru, then at the way back to the village where Rigur had left, and then at Katsumi. Perhaps, of all the possible suitors that didn't fit Souei's high standard for his cousin's lover, Benimaru had to the most suitable choice of unsuitable suitors. Of course, there was no one Souei considered suitable, but Benimaru definitely was the closest.

Souei sighed as Katsumi glanced between the two, clearly confused as to why they were suddenly acting like this. Maybe he should beat his standards into Benimaru and make him the only one suitable for Katsumi.

~~~

Once again, Katsumi shot up from her bed, her breathing harsh and uneven as she tried to calm herself from her nightmare. This nightmare hadn't been any different from the last, yet it has been so much worse at the same time. Her cheeks were wet from tears and her blue hair was ruffled and unkempt. Katsumi slid off the bed, her stance unstable as she tried to force herself to even her breaths. Her kimono was unevenly tied, the sash crooked and her attire loose enough to reveal a bit of her cleavage. However, she was in state to fix herself up as she stumbled out the door and down the path. There was only one place right now that she could think of. There was only one person that she could think of heading to at the moment and that person was Benimaru.

In the dead of night, the entire village was silent and it was only lit by the pathways between the wooden huts that Myrd had been designing. The process of upgrading the houses was slow and many goblins and other residents had to move houses often, but the result of the wooden abode was worth the hassle. The kijin's homes had been upgraded already, and they had happily settled into their own little wooden houses.

Katsumi found her way to Benimaru's house and knocked on the door, her stance swaying slightly as her vision blurred from another wave of tears. The fear and guilt from the dream still hadn't subsided and it was making it hard for her to even think about anything at the moment. When no one answered the door, she knocked again, but a bit louder.

"Benimaru," she called, her voice wavering and unsteady. No one answered yet again, but she was desperate, so she knocked one more time and called out even louder. When no one came to the door for the third time, she let out a sob, trying to think of what to do next. Clearly, Benimaru wasn't in his house, but the question is, where could he be? It was way past midnight and there wasn't any reason for him to not be home at the moment.

Desperate to find someone before she collapsed crying in the middle of the village, Katsumi headed to her cousin's house which wasn't far. She would've wanted to talk to Shuna, but the Princess didn't fully understand her situation. Despite being slightly younger than the pink-haired kijin, Katsumi didn't feel it necessary to burden her over her own matters. So the next best option would be Souei, who fully knew all the details as to what happened.

As she made her way down the street with tears blurring her vision, she was glad to see that Souei's house was lit, albeit dimly. There was no reason why he should've been up considering the time of night it was, but she was glad that he was for whatever reason. Quickly making her way up the stairs, she knocked loudly on the door.

"Souei, are you awake?" she called out, her voice shaking slightly. Souei had been up, talking to Benimaru who had left not too long ago. He wasn't sure where he had gone, but after their discussion, Benimaru had glanced at the moon outside and said that he needed to do something before disappearing. He was just about to head back to bed before he heard his cousin's desperate call outside and he quickly traversed his house and opened the door. To his surprise, Katsumi stood there, hiccuping as she tried to swallow her cries. Not quite knowing what happened, he quickly wrapped Katsumi in a hug and pulled her towards a seat.

"Cousin, what happened?" he asked. His usual stoic way of speaking had become softer and worry was detectable.

"Just... nightmares," Katsumi said as she tried to calm herself down. "I always wake up with nightmares around this time."

Souei couldn't help but think to how Benimaru had left not too long ago after checking the time. He had looked worried when he left. Perhaps he was going to check up on Katsumi? The idea of it made Souei feel a bit more comfortable with Benimaru being at the top of his list of possible suitors of the unsuitable. Benimaru was proving himself without Souei even having to force it out of him.

"Do you need water?" Souei asked quietly as her hiccups continued. She nodded and he released her to grab her some. When he returned, he handed her the water, but gasped when she lifted her head from her lap to accept it. "Katsumi, what happened?!"

Katsumi looked at him confused, but Souei was beyond shocked. Over her sunset eye, it appeared that she had scratched herself in her sleep. He was surprised she didn't feel it, but there were three, red streaks vertically from above her eyebrow to the top of her cheekbone. As he looked closer, he realized that her eye had been scratched too and it clearly wasn't focusing on anything. He winced at the sight. Had she made herself blind in her eye?

"What happened?" she asked him as she sipped on the water, clearly not knowing that she had somehow hurt herself in her sleep.

"You scratched over your eye, Katsumi. Doesn't it hurt?" She gingerly raised a hand and dabbed around her sunset eye, wincing as she touched the angry gash. Until now, she hadn't realized that she not only felt a throbbing pain, but she couldn't see from that eye. It was just a mist of gray.

"I-In my dream, if I couldn't see them with this eye, they didn't die," she said as she lowered her hand and wrapped it around the glass of water. Even though the water wasn't warm by any means, it felt almost hot to her considering that her body temperature was significantly lower. "I must've done it in my sleep."

"Katsumi..." Souei trailed off, not knowing what to say. Had she been dreaming of her parents' death all this time? He felt a pang of sadness knowing that he hadn't been there to help her through it. As Katsumi shook her hair to cover her sunset eye, the door to Souei's house burst open and a frantic red-haired kijin came storming in.

"Souei! Katsumi is -" he cut himself off as he barged into the main living area where Katsumi and Souei were sitting. "Katsumi!"

He was about to head over, but Souei quickly stopped him. Benimaru stopped, albeit confused. Just earlier, Souei had lectured him on the standards Benimaru had to meet before he was allowed to court his cousin. It gave him a bit of hope, but now Souei was stopping him from trying to see if she was okay?

"Benimaru, can you go call Rimuru-sama?" Souei asked seriously. Benimaru noticed how serious Souei looked, so he figured it was an injury or something, but wasn't quite sure what.

"Why do we need to call Rimuru-sama?" Benimaru asked, though he knew that Souei wouldn't ask him to wake up Rimuru at such an ungodly hour for a trivial matter.

"Katsumi hurt herself in her sleep, probably by accident," Souei explained briefly.

"What?!" Benimaru almost yelled. He glanced over at Katsumi, noticing how she wouldn't meet his eyes. "How bad is it?"

"She might have blinded herself." Benimaru winced. "She scratched her sunset eye while she was dreaming that her parents wouldn't die if she couldn't see them. That's why we need Rimuru-sama." Benimaru nodded, understanding how severe the situation was and quickly bolted down the street, heading to Rimuru. Souei went back by Katsumi, squatting down in front of her so that she couldn't hide her injury.

"I'm sorry, cousin," she said as tears welled up in her eyes again. "I didn't mean to hurt myself. I wouldn't ever think about it." His heart broke at the sight of her. She had been through a lot and even had to escape on her own. She was so mature at times that it was hard to forget that she was only about 16 years of age.

"Don't worry. I trust you, Little Blue." He pulled the empty water glass from her hands and went to refill it. They just had to wait until Rimuru got here. In the meantime, Souei had Katsumi fix her kimono up. The last thing he wanted was anyone to see his precious cousin in such a revealing state. It didn't take long for Rimuru to show up with Benimaru not far behind. They entered Souei's house and approached Katsumi who lifted her head slightly to greet Rimuru, but kept her eye shielded by her hair.

"Rimuru-sama, I'm sorry..." she said as she bowed her head slightly.

"Don't worry about it, Katsumi," Rimuru said. He was more worried about her eye at the moment. "Can you show me your eye?"

Katsumi hesitated for a second, glancing at her cousin and then to Benimaru before moving her hair from her eye. Benimaru felt a pang in his heart at how angry the marks on her face looked. Even the healer family couldn't force a physical wound to heal. They could only ensure that the wound doesn't get infected and the ogre that got injured didn't get sick on top of being injuried. Now, Katsumi was sat in front of Rimuru with wounds so severe that it could blind her for good if Rimuru couldn't heal it.

Rimuru, in his slime form, took some time to examine the wound before assuring the three kijin that the injury could be fully healed and her eyesight would be fine. He quickly created a potion from within him and handed it over to the blue-haired girl, telling her to drink it. She obeyed without a single complaint and soon the wound was visibly healed.

"How's your eyesight?" Rimuru asked as she blinked her eye a few times.

"A little blurry still, but it will get better I think." Katsumi stood up and bowed to Rimuru. "Thank you for healing my injuries, Rimuru-sama."

"You're welcome," Rimuru said with a smile. "You should go rest now. Your eye will still need a bit of time to heal, but it should be healed soon." Katsumi nodded and Rimuru said his goodbyes before heading back to his own house to rest.

As Rimuru disappeared down the street, Souei and Benimaru glanced at each other before at Katsumi who was swaying lightly on her feet. Clearly, she was exhausted again after crying so much and then from having an injury as severe as she did. It may not have looked it, but she almost blinded herself and it worried the two male kijin to death. They wanted her to rest, but they couldn't leave her alone either.

"Take her to your place, Benimaru," Souei said after a moment of silence.

"Are you sure?" Benimaru asked, a bit surprised. Sure, it was nice to know that Souei trusted him enough to allow him to care for his cousin, but it was still a shock seeing how Souei had been lecturing Benimaru about maintaining a wholesome distance from Katsumi not even two hours ago.

"What option do we have when she clearly needs you by her side?" Souei asked with a sigh. It was clear that Katsumi was seeking Benimaru, even going so far as to lean against him as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. Benimaru nodded.

"You can trust me, Souei," he replied in all seriousness.

Souei focused his gaze on Benimaru, seemingly to examine his expression for any hint of a lie before nodding and turning away. Benimaru took that as permission to get Katsumi back to sleep, so he gently wrapped his arms around her and guided her toward the door.

"C'mon, Katsumi. We need to get you to bed," Benimaru said gently as he ushered her toward his house. She was stumbling over her own feet as she walked, but she stubbornly shook her head at his words.

"I don't want to sleep."

"You need to, Katsumi. Your body needs rest to heal."

"Being plagued by nightmares isn't resting." Benimaru sighed as she childishly and defiantly turned her head away from him.

"I'll keep your nightmares away, I promise." Katsumi turned to look at him at his words, her expression filled with amusement. He held out his pinky for her and she laughed a bit, hooking her own with his.

"Cause a small raven is so terrifying," she said with a smile despite her exhaustion. Her words were similar to the ones she had said two nights ago, but she had to admit that Benimaru somehow had managed to keep her nightmares away the entire night so she fully believed that he could do the same again.

"Hey, don't complain, you mackerel." She snickered at his scolding tone, only to be silenced when he flicked her cheek. She puffed them in return.

"I'll be intruding on you again then," Katsumi said as she yawned.

"You're always welcome," he said with a chuckle. Benimaru had to admit to himself that she was absolutely adorable.

"You shouldn't say that," she said as she flopped down on his bed after entering the room. He, on the other hand, simply sat on the edge beside her. "I'll literally stay here forever. Your bed is so much more comfortable."

"You shouldn't say that either, you dumb fish," he said, a faint blush at the idea of it. He wouldn't really mind if she wanted to stay with him forever. That is, unless she continues to friendzone him, knowingly or not. If she stayed with him for forever and still was oblivious to his feelings, he might end up acting on them and scare her which was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Sure, sure," she waved off. Katsumi, now having energy for some reason despite crying basically to the point of dehydration, rolled on the bed, shuffling herself around like a worm while keeping her arms plastered to her side.

"You're going to rip my sheets, Katsumi," Benimaru complained as her sharp horn got caught on a small section of blanket. It luckily didn't tear through, but it was close. She grinned sheepishly and finally used her arms to prop herself up and lay properly on the left side of the bed with her head on the pillow. She then patted the space beside her, gesturing for Benimaru to lay down. He did so, though he tried not to think too hard about the fact that he was laying next to his childhood friend and crush.

"Hey, can you give me your arm?" Katsumi asked as she rolled to face him. He didn't even glance at her as he stuck his arm out. Before he could ask her why she wanted his arm, she shuffled so that his arm was under her neck and she was comfortably laying on his bicep. He blushed heavily at her actions and used his right hand to cover his lower face and hide his blush from her.

"Why do you do this?" he asked, referring to why she always did things that made his heart race. He could only hope she couldn't hear it at the moment.

"It's comfortable," she said, clearly not understanding his meaning. He sighed, dropping his hand from his face. Katsumi was way too oblivious.

"Nevermind. I really hope that you don't just sleep anywhere with anyone like this. They'd all get the wrong idea."

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she lifted her head slightly and poked his side. He flinched and turned to face her so that his left side was protected by the bed and his right side was protected by his arm. After all these years, he was still horribly ticklish at his sides and she clearly knew it. "The only person I'd willingly sleep next to is you."

"Now I'm going to get the wrong idea," he complained, albeit he couldn't hold back a small smile. She tilted her head slightly in confusion, but didn't say anything as he turned to lay on his back again and pulled Katsumi so that her head lay on his shoulder and he gently brushed her hair with his hand. "Go to sleep, Katsumi. I promised I'll keep your nightmares away."

Katsumi smiled and hummed in response as she closed her eyes. Right before she fell into deep slumber, she felt that familiar warmth on her forehead.

~~~

A few days later, Rimuru had called the kijin and the goblin riders to prepare to head to the marshlands in the early evening. It had been a week since Souei had gone to talk to the lizardmen and so they were now on their way to sigh the treaty and fight the Orc army. Of the seven kijin in the village, only Shuna and Kurobe stayed behind. Shuna had wanted to come but the idea was heavily opposed by Benimaru since she wasn't well trained in large battles and wars despite her strong powers.

"Katsumi, do you need a ride?" Rigur asked as he caught up to Katsumi on his wolf. They were headed to the meeting spot at the side of the village. "My wolf is strong enough to carry two people, so you can ride with me to the marshland."

"I'm sure she thanks you for that offer, but she'll be riding with me," Benimaru quickly cut in as he pulled Katsumi a bit further from Rigur before she could answer. She glanced up slightly at Benimaru, but he didn't spare her a glance as he smiled stiffly at Rigur. Rigur returned the same smile.

"I thought none of the kijin had a wolf. Surely there isn't a wolf other than Ranga that can carry three of us."

"No need to worry, Rigur. I'm borrowing a wolf from another goblin and he assured me that his wolf is strong enough to carry at least two with ease." The two of them were smiling, but their smiles hinted at a bit of a rivalry that Katsumi, who happened to be caught in the middle of it at the moment, couldn't decipher.

"What are you two going off about?" Shion asked as she arrived on top of her own wolf. Behind her, another wolf without a rider trailed behind. "Katsumi will be borrowing a wolf as well. There are enough Tempest Wolves that the village won't be in danger if there's one more wolf coming with us." Katsumi smiled and ran up to the wolf, to which the wolf licked her and allowed her to cuddle with it. Benimaru on the other hand was feeling a bit empty handed since she left him for the wolf.

In the past few days, it had become a regular thing for Katsumi to stay with Benimaru at night, usually because her nightmares stayed away when she slept next to the red-haired kijin. Benimaru on the other hand knew that he shouldn't be indulging himself like so, but he couldn't help it. Even he had to admit that he slept better with Katsumi next to him. Souei was wary at first, but eventually gave in and admitted that he had no reason at the moment to try to oppose Benimaru from courting Katsumi. Benimaru was extremely happy that day, but knew that he wouldn't really try to get her to fall for him until after the battle.

With the wolf issue settled, Rimuru, Ranga, Benimaru, Katsumi, Shion, Hakurou and the goblin riders headed off toward the marshland. The goblin riders were directly behind Rimuru with the accompanying kijin flanking them. Souei had used his [Shadow Movement] skill to travel to the marshland first and keep an eye on the situation. Rigurd and the others were left to watch the village and evacuate immediately if they were to lose to the Orc Lord.

Rimuru-sama, a moment? He asked through the [Thought Communication].

What's up, Souei? Rimuru responded.

I have come across two groups currently engaged in battle. One of them is a personal guard to the Lizardman chieftain. They appear to be fighting high-ranking Orcs. What action shall I take? As Souei reported their findings to Rimuru, the guard had fallen, knocked down by the orc. The army behind was cheering.

Well, I mean... We have to help them, don't we? Rimuru asked him. Can you win?

A simple task, Souei replied without skipping a beat.

Do it. We'll be there soon. Rimuru replied. He sure was confident in his skills.

Understood.

"Assume battle formation. We're going to meet Souei!" Rimuru called to the wolf-mounted army he commanded.

"Sir!" the goblins replied, raising an arm to show that they would follow his orders. The kijin in the back simply looked at each other and nodded. They would finally get the revenge they had been waiting for.

It didn't take long for Rimuru to arrive at the scene of carnage. There wasn't a single living Orc left in the vicinity, courtesy of Souei.

"Er, what?" Gobta said in confusion as he stared at the piles of dead orc corpses stretching endlessly in front of him. "It's already over?"

"He should've left some for us..." Benimaru complained next to Katsumi. She unsheathed her claymore and poked a nearby orc corpse with it, as if to ensure that it was dead. When the corpse didn't move or make a sound she sighed and sheathed her sword. She was disappointed that she couldn't even stab the damn pig.

Rimuru said nothing, though mentally he was praising Souei's skills. He approached the blue-haired kijin, who was holding the chieftain's daughter in his lap.

"She is gravely injured," Souei reported to Rimuru. They had to save the lizardman guard since they were on the way to form a treaty. The female moved slightly, her head rolling a bit as she groaned in pain.

Rimuru quickly had the lizardman drink a healing potion, assuring her that it was okay to drink. It only took a couple seconds after Rimuru had finished pouring the potion into her mouth for the Lizardman guard to bolt up from Souei's arms. He didn't move from his position on his knees.

"M-My wound... I thought it was fatal," she said as she observed herself. She glanced to the side, noticing Souei, and then up at Rimuru. "Wh-Who are you?"

"I'm Rimuru Tempest." Rimuru introduced. The lizardman gasped before bowing down low to the ground. Souei remained unmoving, watching the lizardman like a hawk. He had helped saved her, but if she posed a risk in any way to Rimuru or the other Kijin, he wouldn't hesitate. Not that he expected it of her, though.

"I must ask a favor of you!" she said as her head was almost touching the ground. "Please save my father, the Lizardman chieftain, and my brother Gabiru!"

"You're Gabiru's sister?" Rimuru asked.

"I am," she confirmed.

"What happened?" Rimuru asked. Souei stood up quietly and made his way to stand next to the other kijin who were standing nearby silently. As he made his way over, Katsumi pouted at him and quietly complained that he didn't leave any fun for them. Benimaru joined in as well, albeit both of them were joking. Souei simply rolled his eyes and ignored his two childhood friends.

"My brother led a rebellion and imprisoned the chieftain," the lizardman guard explained quickly, bringing the attention back to her. "I believe he intends to repel the Orc army on his own, but he has underestimated the Orc Lord. If we take no action, the Lizardmen will surely be exterminated. My father helped me escape during a lapse in the guard's attention. I am aware that this is a selfish request after we broke our promise to wait for you, but I implore mercy from you who serve such a powerful majin! Please... Please!"

Shion approached the lizardman with a gentle hand and helped her up.

"Well said, indeed!" Shion said with a smile. "That you recognize our leader Rimuru-sama's greatness means you have potential!"

"Oi, Shion," Rimuru said, trying to stop the purple Kijin, Any time she heard someone praise Rimuru while asking for help, she seemed to just accept it.

"I'm certain the Lizardmen can be saved, just as you hoped!" Shion declared to the guard. The guard quickly thanked Shion, though Rimuru had yet to say anything. Rimuru sighed.

"What choice do we have? We'll be fighting the Orc Lord, either way," Rimuru said in resign. "So, um... You're the chieftain's daughter, you say?"

"Y-Yes!" She got down on one knee in front of Rimuru. "I am at your command."

"Then I'll acknowledge you as a representative of the chieftain. Do you object to forging an alliance right here and now?"

"No, not at all!" she replied quickly.

"Then it's settled. The alliance is complete."

"Souei, can you use [Shadow Movement] to get the chieftain and the other prisoners from here?" Rimuru asked addressing the kijin who now stood by the tree to avoid the incessant childish complaints of Katsumi and Benimaru.

"Of course," Souei replied. Rimuru nodded.

"I'm ordering the rescue of the Lizardman chieftain."

"Understood." He bowed and quickly disappeared.

"Thank you very much," the lizardman guard bowed her head, tears in her eyes. Rimuru smiled down at her slightly before he addressed the rest of the group.

"The rest of us will continue our march!"

~~~

The sounds of battle cries and clashing swords rung through the air as the Lizardmen fought for their lives on the battle against the Orcs. A low chant from the orcs throughout the marshland sent shivers down their spine.

"Trample all! Trample all! Trample all!"

Gabiru stood at the top of a hill with his three personal guards around him, the trident in his hand. After he had overthrown his father, he had quickly called the lizardmen out to war.

"Mere Orcs are no match for us Lizardmen!" Gabiru announced proudly "Right! Withdraw for now!"

Our plan was to toy with them and have the goblins finish them up, but it looks like we won't even need the goblins' help, Gabiru thought as he watched his forces take out the orcs. He turned to walk away, but was stopped by a cry of fear from one of his guards. Turning around, he saw the gruesome sight of the Orcs eating their own fallen comrades.

"What's happening?" Gabiru voiced out in shock. "The Orcs... are eating other Orcs?"

The lizardmen who witnessed this horrifying feast began to back up in fear, circling themselves together. It was to no avail as one of the orcs grabbed a lizardman by his leg, dragging him into the hoard as the lizardman screamed out for help. The other Lizardmen could only watch in horror and stumble back as one of their own was eaten alive.

"Retreat! Now!" Gabiru quickly ordered his army. It was too late though, as the Orcs had surrounded them entirely. The group of Lizardmen inched closer together as the orcs closed in on them. After eating the lizardman, the orcs now were faster. The lizardmen's advantage in the marsh was their webbed feet and scales, allowing them to easily traverse the terrain. Once the orcs devoured a lizardman, they too would gain those features to allow them easy travels.

The orcs were closing in closer and closer to the group of Lizardmen. Only at this time did Gabiru realize the true force of what he was fighting against. The orcs that devoured anything in their path the satiate their unending hunger, gaining the power of everything they ate.

One of the orcs rushed forwards, the speed significantly faster than before the orcs had devoured the lizardman. He raised his axe towards Gabiru, who quickly blocked it with his trident.

"Maintain close formation!" He commanded his troops as he pushed the orc back. "Keep the goblins in the center! Leave no space between you! Shield the goblins while breaking through the orcs' formation!"

Gabiru, who had recruited the goblins to fight in this war, was starting to regret his decision. Had it just been the Lizardmen, they could've escaped perhaps. As a leader, he couldn't just abandon his army, whether they were goblin or lizardmen. He'd have to stand his ground to defend the goblins. The orcs advanced from all around, closing in on the lizardmen.

"Do not fear!" Gabiru commanded as the orcs continued their low chant. "SHow them the strength upon which we Lizardmen pride ourselves on!"

The troops yelled out in agreement, but were silenced by a thudding footstep of an orc larger than all the others. The aura was stronger than all the other orcs, intimidating the entire lizardmen army. The orcs all stopped as the larger one stepped forwards. A loose ring of empty space formed between the cornered lizardmen army and the orcs.

"Wh-What an intimidating aura..." Gabiru muttered as he stared at the orc in front of him. His grip on his trident tightened as he twirled it around, reading it for battle.

"You, Orc!" he called out. "You are the Orc Lord, correct?"

The orc stared back in silence.

"I am Gabiru, chieftain of the Lizardmen!" Gabiru announced. "Face me one-on-one to settle this-" Gabiru was interrupted as the Orc spoke in a low, drawling tone.

"I am not the Lord. I am an Orc General. I am far inferior to the great Orc Lord."

"You're not the Orc Lord?" Gabiru took a step back in slight fear. The orc general had so much power already that it was already a long stretch for Gabiru to defeat him alone. But if this was considered inferior, one had to wonder how strong the Orc Lord was.

"You wish to fight one-on-one?" The Orc general prompted as he took a few steps closer to Gabiru. "Interesting. I accept."

Gabiru readied himself to fight. The other orcs backed up, creating a large open space for the general and Gabiru to fight in. However, they still completely surrounded the group of lizardmen and goblins.

Gabiru tried to fight his hardest, an admirable thing for him since he was fighting to protect his army of lizardmen and goblins alike. But it was a very one sided battle as the Orc general very easily overpowered Gabiru. His loyal guards attempted to join the fight, only to be stopped by Gabiru. He would be handling this one-on-one battle. He made a strong attempt, but wasn't able to defeat the general. Gabiru was knocked back, his weapon laying to the side.

"Lizards are best suited to crawling on the ground." The orc general taunted as he stood over Gabiru.

"Now die!" The orc general swung his axe down and Gabiru hung his head. However, the Orc general's blade was deflected by a small figure. Out of nowhere, Gobta leaped in front of Gabiru.

"Y-You're the true leader of that village!" Gabiru said in surprise. Gobta couldn't say anything but stare at Gabiru as if asking if he really was that idiotic.

"Have you come to save us?!" Gabiru asked Gobta, still fully believing he was the goblin leader.

"That's Gobta, captain of the Goblin riders." Ranga introduced as he stepped up beside Gabiru who still sat in the puddle.

"The Direwolf!"

"My name is Ranga." he introduced, looking down at Gabiru. "I've come to help you on my master Rimuru-sama's orders."

"How did you get here?" Gabiru asked in shock. They were completely surrounded by Orcs.

"[Shadow Movement]. Are you incapable of learning?" Ranga asked exasperated.

"Rimuru, you say?" The orc general brought the attention back onto him. "I don't know who any of you are, but if you stand in my way, I will show no-"

The orc lord was interrupted as a dome of purple flames exploded behind him. Soon, explosions scattered through the Orc ranks, completely clearing out tens of thousands of Orcs within a minute. The orc general stared back in shock as his army was quickly dwindled down.

"Oh, looks like it's started." Gobta said casually. The orc general growled.

"The great magic of the Lizardmen?" the Orc general muttered as he turned to face Gobta and Ranga again. "I must end this quickly and end whoever is using great magic!"

"So, um... Gabiru, was it?" Gobta called. "We should assume a defensive formation."

"I understand, but..." Gabiru held his trident out towards the Orc general, only to be interrupted as another explosion sounded from behind the orc army.

"What are those flames?" Gabiru asked in shock.

"No need to worry. They're on our side..." Gobta reassured. Gabiru could only watch on in shock as orc after orc were consumed by the dome of flames. "... I think."

On the other side of the battlefield stood Benimaru, Katsumi, Shion and Hakurou. The dust from the explosion cleared to reveal the three to the orcs.

"This is why I told you to move." Benimaru said simply to the remaining Orcs.

"Wh-Who are you?!"

"You don't remember us? That's harsh. You devoured our village, remember?" The four Kijin stood calmly among the masses of the orcs. Behind them lay a clear path, clearly showing that they simply had cut down whoever was in their way. Benimaru smirked at the orcs.

"Those horns... Are you ogres?!"

"Are we, now?" Benimaru asked vaguely in reply. "That might not be quite true anymore." He held a black flame in the palm of his hand, his sword laying limply in his other.

"It is time," Hakurou threatened, ever so slightly unsheathing his blade.

"We must thank Rimuru-sama for giving us this oppportunity," Shion said, slinging her sword over her shoulder. It hit the ground with a clang.

"We've been waiting to meet you again," Katsumi said with a scary smile. Her sword was drawn and held in an offensive stance while water began to draw toward her.

"I'll say it once more," Benimaru threatened while holding the black flame higher in front of him and looking at the orcs with a dark expression. "Move out of the way, pigs... unless you want to be wiped out without a trace."

The orcs stumbled back slightly, but didn't retreat. Benimaru smirked, hoping that they would remain so he could exact his revenge. He swiftly launched the black orb of fire into the center of the orcs. Within a few seconds, an explosion sounded and a dome of fire emerged, incinerating the orcs.

While Benimaru and the other Kijin were easily tearing through the orc numbers, the lizardmen still were cornered, though the situation had changed now that Ranga and the Goblin Riders had arrived.

"It appears you've come to assist the lizards," the orc general concluded. "But you waste your time. Goblins and dogs, the arrival of worhtless monsters such as yourselves will not sway our superiority in the least!"

"Worthless?!" Gobta echoed in anger. He was overshadowed by Ranga who stepped up.

"We will show you, then," Ranga growled out angrily as a red aura began to form around the wolf. Black clouds began to cover the dark sky, covering the moon and turning everything even darker. From the clouds, large tornadoes of wind began spiraling downwards, only stopping when there were at least 10 vortexes of wind touching the ground, swirling angrily. Lightning flashed dangerously between the tornadoes. The ogres in the vicinity all got swept up into the wind, their armor worthless against the harsh gales. It wasn't long before the winds tore apart the orcs. This was Ranga's wide-ranged attack, [Death Storm].

The orc general resisted as long as he could on the ground as the rest of his army was swept away and torn into pieces by the strong winds. However, Ranga wasn't about to let him walk. A strike of lightning landed right on top of the orc, completely vaporizing the orc general.

Ranga howled loudly, his entire form sparking with lightning as a second horn grew on the star on his forehead. Ranga had officially evolved into a Tempest Star Wolf.

"Do you see now, Orcs?!" Ranga growled out into the empty field. "This is a mere fraction of the power of the one you mocked as being worthless!"

From the back, Domes of black fire continued exploding as Benimaru happily wiped away the pigs. The other three kijin were equally enjoying their time at tearing down the orc army

"This is our brand new beginning..." Benimaru said, staring straight into his own flames as the pigs burned to ashes in front of him.

"We will be the start," Katsumi started to say, cutting herself off to summon a large tsunami to surround and sweep up a large portion of the orc army. Watery tendrils snaked from the huge wall of water and wrapped around all the orcs trapped within the raging waves, allowing Katsumi to form her ice-tipped blades and shoot them simultaneously into the masses and pierce through orc after orc. Within the seconds that all this took place, the entire section of the orc army that had been singled out by her water was dead.

Hakurou ran through a hoard of orcs seamlessly, his sword movements so fast they were unnoticeable to the naked eye. As he exited the hoard, they all fell, their heads severed and blood gushing out of the gaping wound.

"Of Rimuru-sama's many glorious victories in war..." Hakurou said while staring at his handiwork. The spray of blood somehow managed to completely avoid his white clothing.

"This will be the first, you see!" Shion announced to the crowd of orcs in front of her with a bright smile. The orcs tensed, and then charged forwards. Shion raised her blade above her head, both hands gripping the handle. With a strong swing, she broke a rift through the ground, the orc army being taken out by the shockwave of her attack. The result was a giant chasm through the ground, as if the earth itself had torn in two.

~~~

Souei found his way to the entrance of the Lizardmen's home. There they found hoards of orc soldiers battling the lizardmen. Without a second of hesitation, he launched himself straight into the hoard and tore through the orc army. The lizardman guard from earlier ran in, preparing to see the worst, only to be met with piles of dead orcs with severed arms and heads, the slices clean through even the bone. Souei calmly stood at the center of the massacre, not seeming fazed at all by the corpses. The lizardman guard could only stand in complete shock with her jaw open. Souei reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small pouch of healing potion and thrusted it towards the female guard without glancing over.

"Use this," he said without even explaining what it was. She held her hands out and he quickly dropped it into her open palms before quickly moving on along the path.

Accompanied by the female lizardman, Souei made his way to the cells where the chieftain was being held. He easily opened the door despite not having a key and stepped to the side, allowing the female lizardman to wrap her father in a hug.

"You truly came for us, Souei-dono!" The chieftain said thankfully. He gave the chieftain a small nod but said nothing else.

"We should leave and regroup with Rimuru-sama," Souei said after a few more moments of allowing the chieftain and his daughter to reunite. They didn't have much time to be sitting here and calmly rejoicing. There was a war going on outside. With Souei leading at the front, the rest of the lizardmen trailed behind. The chieftain was being supported by his daughter.

"But why?" The chieftain asked randomly as they walked. Souei didn't even glance back as he answered.

"The alliance was formed," Souei explained simply.

"And how did..." the chieftain trailed off confused.

"I was acknowledged as your representative," his daughter supplied. "Reinforcements are coming. It is not yet time to give up, Father!"

A loud laugh in front of them brought everyone's attention to an orc general who blocked their path. Without saying a word, the orc general raised his axe and laughed again as he made a move to swing it downwards.

"Souei-dono!" the chieftain yelled in alarm.

"No need to worry," Souei said cooly. He had barely moved, but it was enough to completely wrap the general in thread. "I've already rendered him immobile."

"You can see this, can't you, puppet master of the Orcs?" Souei stared calmly at the orc general, who strained to move, but was completely unable to.

"You will be next," Souei threatened. "Destroying the Ogres' village and making enemies of the Kijin will be your greatest regrets."

With the tug of a thread in front of him, Souei was able to dice the orc general into small pieces, completely shocking the lizardmen behind while Souei only stared blankly at the chunks of pig that fell to the ground. There was no doubt to any of the Lizardmen now; they were lucky to not have truly angered him when he first arrived as an envoy of Rimuru. He had just taken out an orc general without so much as a single step towards the enemy...

~~~

Rimuru flew above in the sky, bat wings keeping him up as he scanned the ever decreasing army of orcs. He knew the kijin were powerful, but it was a spectacle to see how easily they were wiping through the army. Their anger was justified, however, and Rimuru wasn't about to stop them anytime soon.

The thing that especially caught his eye was how Katsumi and Benimaru worked together to take down the army. The two of them had told Rimuru ahead of time that their powers worked best when they were near each other. Benimaru, who's temperature ran high, could potentially overheat himself if he used too many of his magicules and abilities. Katsumi, who's temperature ran low, could potentially freeze herself if she used too many of her magicules and abilities. As a joke, Rimuru had told them they should hold hands while they fought so they could regulate their temperatures. As he expected, Benimaru turned bright red at the idea. Katsumi on the other hand remained innocently oblivious and praised the idea, making it harder for Rimuru to hold in his laugh. However, it was a great idea and the two of them decided to follow through with it, hence them wiping out the army left and right without restraint.

It wasn't long before Rimuru spotted the Orc Lord, making his way towards the marshland with a long line of orcs following. The Orc Lord was identifiable via a large red gem in the center of his forehead.

Rimuru stared for a bit before putting on Shizu's mask.

"Orc Lord... I'm going to put an end to you"

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Hey!

Thank you for waiting for this chapter!! I changed the beginning part of it a few times because I was having trouble trying to describe the scenes I wanted. I hope y'all like it <3

As always, let me know what you think of this chapter. Stay safe and healthy!
ThePurpleDragon