-0-
Three days of hard marching had brought the Ogres to the edge of the goblin settlement, and what they saw stopped them in their tracks.
A wall. Massive, gleaming, impossible.
It rose thirty feet into the air, encircling what must have been a hundred square miles of territory. The surface caught the afternoon sunlight and reflected it in prismatic patterns—diamonds, the prince realized with shock. The entire inner structure was made of diamond, covered with a seamless layer of smooth stone.
"By the ancestors," the purple-haired warrior breathed. "This is..."
"The work of Lord Thanatos," the dryad said quietly, having regained consciousness on the second day of their journey. "He created this in less than five minutes. The diamonds come from his own body—a manifestation of his Diamond Scales ability transmuted into architecture."
The old swordmaster's hand trembled slightly on his blade. "The magicules required for such a construction... even a Demon Lord would struggle."
"He's not a Demon Lord," the princess said softly, staring at the wall with a mixture of awe and fear. "He's something else entirely."
The prince squared his shoulders. "Come. Lord Thanatos sent us here. We should announce ourselves properly."
They approached the main gate, which stood open but was clearly guarded. As they drew closer, figures emerged from within—goblins, dozens of them, but not the weak creatures the Ogres had expected. These goblins were evolved, named, their bodies more refined and their equipment well-crafted.
At their head walked a small blue slime, bouncing with surprising dignity.
Behind him came a massive direwolf with storm-colored fur, and several goblin warriors who moved with the confidence of trained soldiers.
The goblins immediately formed a defensive line, weapons raised. The direwolf growled, its hackles rising. Clearly, they were expecting a fight—three hundred ogres appearing at your doorstep would alarm anyone.
But the prince simply walked forward, his sister beside him, and dropped to one knee. Behind them, all three hundred Ogres followed suit, prostrating themselves before the slime and his forces.
The goblins looked confused. The direwolf stopped growling, tilting its head in puzzlement.
"We come in peace," the prince said, his head bowed. "We have been sent here by Lord Thanatos, Sovereign of the Jura Forest. He saved our lives and instructed us to seek shelter at this settlement under the management of Rimuru Tempest."
Rimuru jiggled forward, his gelatinous body rippling with what might have been surprise. "Lord Thanatos sent you? Wait, did he actually call himself 'Lord Thanatos' or did you just—"
"He declared himself Lord of the Jura Forest," the princess confirmed, still kneeling. "After he destroyed an army of Orcs that was slaughtering our people."
"Destroyed an army..." Rimuru's voice trailed off. "Great Sage, what's the probability that this is a trap?"
[Analyzing... Emotional states of Ogres indicate genuine respect and fear toward 'Lord Thanatos.' No hostile intent detected. Probability of deception: 0.03%. Recommendation: Accept and question further.]
Rimuru sighed, which was an odd sound coming from a slime. "Everyone, stand down. Ogres, please rise. You're clearly exhausted. Let's talk somewhere more comfortable."
The defensive line relaxed, though the goblins still eyed the Ogres warily. Three hundred armed warriors were three hundred armed warriors, regardless of how politely they bowed.
As they walked toward the village center, the prince couldn't help but notice the construction happening everywhere. New buildings, wider roads, what looked like the foundation for a much larger structure at the village's heart.
"You're expanding," the princess observed.
"Lord Thanatos's orders," Rimuru said, and there was something complicated in his tone. "He wants infrastructure, organization, and preparation for eventual conflict. We've been working non-stop since he left."
"He doesn't stay here?" the old swordmaster asked.
"He's... busy." Rimuru led them into a large meeting hall. "Hunting, growing stronger, doing whatever Catastrophe-class monsters do in their spare time. I manage things here under his authority."
Once everyone was settled—the Ogre leadership inside, the others being shown to temporary housing by the goblins—Rimuru formed a pseudopod and rubbed it across where his forehead would be if he had one.
"Great Sage, can I contact Thanatos through our pact?"
[Affirmative. The Servant-Master Pact allows for basic mental communication across moderate distances. Current distance to Master: 103 kilometers. Communication possible but may be delayed.]
"Do it."
Rimuru focused, sending a mental pulse through the bond. "Hey, Thanatos? We have a situation here. Three hundred Ogres just showed up saying you sent them. Care to explain?"
The response came several seconds later, distant but clear. "The Ogres. Right. Their village got destroyed—collateral damage from eliminating an Orc horde. Provide them with housing and resources. They're skilled warriors. Use them."
"Use them? Just like that?"
"They swore loyalty. I claimed the forest. They're mine now, which means they're your problem to manage. Handle it, Rimuru."
The connection cut off abruptly.
Rimuru turned his attention back to the Ogres, specifically the red-haired prince who sat with his pink-haired sister, watching him with cautious respect.
"Well," Rimuru said slowly, "it seems you're going to be staying with us for a while."
One hundred miles to the east, an Orc general was having the worst day of her life.
Which was saying something, considering she'd clawed her way to this position through sheer determination in an army that barely acknowledged females as anything more than breeding stock.
The blue-haired Orc stood at the rear of her battalion, watching as the vanguard was systematically annihilated. Not by another army. Not by traps or tactics.
By one being.
She'd heard the reports. A monster with blood wings and crimson eyes, moving through the Orc forces like death incarnate. Entire battalions vanished. Generals fell without landing a single blow.
Now it was her turn.
"Fall back!" she roared, her twin axes gripped tight. "Retreat formation! Move!"
Her soldiers—the few hundred she'd managed to keep alive through guerrilla tactics and careful positioning—began to pull back in an organized fashion.
Then they exploded.
Not from outside attacks. From inside. Their blood detonated within their bodies, tearing them apart from the inside out. Dozens fell in seconds, then hundreds. The retreat became a massacre, and she could only watch in horror as soldiers under her command simply... burst.
Within thirty seconds, she was alone.
Standing in a field of corpses, her axes raised, her body trembling with a mixture of rage and terror.
"How do you want to die?"
The voice came from behind her. She spun, finding herself face to face with him.
Thanatos.
He stood there, human-looking except for those eyes—crimson, infinite, utterly devoid of mercy. His wings were retracted, his posture relaxed. He wasn't even holding a weapon.
He didn't need one.
The pressure radiating from him was suffocating. The female Orc's knees buckled, her body screaming at her to run, to submit, to accept death quietly.
But she'd spent her entire life refusing to submit.
With a roar that was more defiance than strategy, she charged, axes swinging.
Darkness.
Kaneki looked down at the unconscious Orc at his feet. She'd lasted longer than the others—nearly three seconds before he'd casually knocked her out with a blood tentacle. But what interested him more was that she'd charged at all.
Most Orcs just stood there, paralyzed by fear or the hunger curse. This one had fought.
It reminded him of Touka. The way she'd never backed down, even when facing impossible odds.
[Master, status update: You have eliminated 8,742 Orcs over the past three days. This represents approximately 60% of the total Orc army. Remaining forces are scattered and disorganized.]
"And I'm bored out of my mind," Kaneki muttered, kneeling beside the unconscious Orc. "Great Sage, analyze her."
[Target: Female Orc General. Age: 17. Unique Characteristics: High tactical intelligence, above-average magicule capacity for her race, strong survival instinct. Potential Assessment: Moderate to High. Note: Unlike other Orcs, this individual's personality remains intact despite the hunger curse—suggesting strong mental fortitude.]
Kaneki tilted his head, studying her. Blue hair, which was unusual for Orcs. A fighter's build. And despite the curse driving her kind mad with hunger, she'd maintained enough control to lead a battalion with actual tactics.
"What if I removed the curse?" he wondered aloud.
[Theoretical possibility exists. The hunger curse is a magicule-based affliction. Your blood magic, combined with Apex Predator's corruption removal capabilities, could potentially purge it. However, success rate is unknown. No recorded instances of curse removal on this scale.]
"Then let's try something new."
Kaneki raised his hand, and blood began to flow from the corpses around them. Hundreds of dead Orcs, their blood rising like crimson rivers to converge above the unconscious female. The blood compressed, condensed, refined itself into a single drop of pure black liquid that vibrated with concentrated death energy.
Then Kaneki added his own blood.
The drop glowed red, the two types of blood mixing and creating something new. He pressed it against the female Orc's chest, and it sank into her skin like water into sand.
Her eyes snapped open. She screamed.
Her body convulsed, thrashing on the ground as the hybrid blood coursed through her veins. Black sludge began to pour from her mouth—the physical manifestation of the hunger curse being violently expelled.
[Evolution in progress. New race classification detected: Blood Orc. Estimated completion time: 47 seconds.]
"Blood Orc?" Kaneki watched with clinical interest as her body began to change. Her skin tone shifted, becoming less corpse-gray and more naturally pale. Her musculature refined, becoming leaner but clearly stronger. Her features sharpened, becoming almost... human.
[Blood Orc: A hybrid race combining Orc resilience with ghoul predatory abilities. Possesses a lesser version of Predator skill. Curse immunity: Active. Notable: This is a completely new species created by Master's interference.]
The transformation was nearly complete. But something felt incomplete.
"She needs a name," Kaneki said quietly, thinking of the real Touka back in Tokyo. The girl who'd never given up, who'd fought for what she believed in, who'd tried to save him even when he didn't deserve it.
He placed his hand on the evolving Orc's forehead. "I name you Touka."
Power surged through the connection. His magicules flooded into her, completing the evolution and binding her to him in a way far deeper than simple naming usually allowed.
Her body arched one final time, then went still.
When she opened her eyes, they were no longer the dull yellow of an Orc. They were intelligent, aware, and a striking blue that matched her hair.
Her body had transformed completely. Gone was the hulking, pig-faced Orc. In her place stood a woman—tall, athletic, with blue hair that fell past her shoulders and a figure that would make most humans jealous. But most striking were the crystalline red and blue wings that erupted from her back—an Ukaku kagune, identical to the one Touka Kirishima had wielded in Tokyo.
[Evolution Complete: Touka - Blood Orc Progenitor]
[Acquired Unique Skill: Blood Necromancy]
[Status: Loyal to Master Thanatos (Ken Kaneki)]
Kaneki blinked. "Blood Necromancy? That's new."
[Confirmed. The combination of your blood magic, death energy from recent battles, and the subject's natural affinity has created a unique ability. Subject can now resurrect and control corpses through blood manipulation.]
Touka pushed herself to her feet, moving with a grace that would have been impossible minutes ago. She looked at her hands, at her transformed body, at the kagune wings extending from her back.
Then she dropped to one knee, her head bowed.
"Master Ken," she said, her voice no longer the guttural growl of an Orc but clear and feminine. "I am yours to command."
Kaneki froze. "What did you just call me?"
"Master Ken. That is your true name, is it not?" She looked up at him with those blue eyes, and there was something eerily familiar in her expression. "I can feel it through our blood connection. Your memories, your pain, your purpose."
[Notice: The naming process appears to have transferred fragments of Master's memories regarding the original Touka Kirishima. This has influenced the subject's personality and knowledge base. Additionally, the blood connection has granted her access to Master's true identity.]
Kaneki rubbed his face. Of course. Of course his first successful subordinate would know his real name and have memories of the person he'd named her after.
"Fine," he said. "But in public, you call me Lord Thanatos. Understand?"
"Yes, Master Ken."
"...Close enough." He looked at the scattered corpses around them, then at her. "You have Blood Necromancy. Use it. Resurrect your former battalion and any other Orcs you can find. Remove the hunger curse from them using your blood. Then hunt down the remaining Orc forces and either convert them or destroy them."
"Your will be done." Touka stood, her kagune flexing experimentally. "And what of the Orc Lord himself?"
"Leave him to me. Focus on the scattered forces. You have forty-eight hours."
"Understood." She bowed again, deeper this time. "Thank you, Master Ken. For giving me a new life. I won't fail you."
"Good." Kaneki's wings erupted from his back. "We're connected through blood now. I'll be able to track your progress. Don't disappoint me."
He started to lift off, then paused and looked back at her.
"Welcome to ghoulhood, Touka."
Then he shot into the sky, leaving her alone among the dead.
Kaneki flew in silence, his mind churning.
"Great Sage, did I really accidentally transfer Touka's memories during the naming?"
[Affirmative. The intensity of Master's emotional connection to the name 'Touka Kirishima' caused fragments of associated memories to transfer during the naming process. This influenced the subject's final form and personality structure. However, she is not a copy of the original—merely influenced by Master's memories of her.]
"So I created a new person based on someone I cared about." Kaneki's expression was unreadable. "That's not problematic at all."
[Master, we are approaching our destination. The former Ogre village has undergone significant changes.]
Kaneki looked down and saw it—the valley where he'd destroyed the Orc army three days ago. But it had transformed.
The massive chasm he'd created with Death's Scythe now pulsed with dark energy. The death miasma had condensed, solidified, and merged with the ambient magicules to create something new.
A dungeon entrance. Swirling black energy marked the portal, and Kaneki's Universal Sense detected an enormous concentration of monsters within. Powerful ones.
[Analysis complete. This is an S-Class dungeon, newly formed and unrecorded by the World System. Classification: Death Dungeon. Estimated monster count: 2,000+. Average threat level: Disaster-Class. Boss monster: Unknown, but projected to be Catastrophe-Class minimum.]
"This is why you had me abandon the Orc hunt," Kaneki said. "The dungeon."
Some few hours ago, Great Sage had detected a new threat. Kaneki's creation of Touka was also because of this. While she handled the Orc Army, he would check out the Dungeon.
[Affirmative. This dungeon formed as a direct result of Master's death energy from the scythe attack. If left unchecked, it will overflow within 72 hours. The resulting monster stampede would devastate the Jura Forest, potentially causing more damage than the entire Orc army combined.]
Kaneki landed at the dungeon entrance, staring at the swirling portal. This was his fault, in a way. His power had created this threat.
Which meant it was his responsibility to deal with it.
"At least this should be more interesting than killing mindless Orcs."
Back at the battlefield, Touka stood among the corpses of her former battalion. She raised her hands, and her blood magic activated.
Crimson energy flowed from her body, specifically her Kagune, seeping into the dead Orcs. Her Blood Necromancy skill guided the process, carefully removing the hunger curse while reanimating the corpses.
One by one, the Orcs began to rise. Their eyes glowed with red light, their bodies restored and enhanced by her blood. They weren't mindless zombies—they retained their intelligence, their skills, but were now bound to her will.
"Brothers and sisters," Touka said, her voice carrying across the reformed battalion. "We have been given a second chance by Lord Thanatos, Sovereign of the Jura Forest. Our mission is clear: destroy all enemies to his authority, even if they were once our brethren. The hunger curse ends today."
She raised her fist. "For Lord Thanatos!"
"FOR LORD THANATOS!" the resurrected Orcs roared back, their voices carrying across the battlefield.
At the dungeon entrance, Kaneki sneezed.
"Probably Rimuru cursing me for dumping three hundred Ogres on him," he muttered, wiping his nose.
He stepped forward, his body passing through the swirling black portal. The death energy recognized him, welcoming its creator home.
As the dungeon swallowed him, Kaneki's last thought was simple:
"Let's see what kind of monsters death creates."
And what kind of skills he could get.
The portal sealed behind him, and the real challenge began.