"Ugh... Managing these belligerent brutes is such a hassle..."

  A male ogre sat in a chair in his room, his robust body leaning back. Uhe other heavily muscled ogre, his physique was leaner, more akin to that of a bodybuilder pared to a mere gym-goer.

  His eyes, fixed on a piece of roasted meat oable, glimmered with intelligence—a rarity among his kind, who were mostly driven by their battle instincts.

  "I wonder if our pns have been exposed..."

  He thought about the goblins and smurfs, both signifitly smarter than his kin. If their scheme were to be uncovered, the ogres might never get another ce to rise.

  His superior intellect made him acutely aware that the ogres could not tinue on their current path. Other races were rapidly advang and would soon surpass the ogres’ onmatched strength. He had a foreboding sehat a major crisis loomed on the horizon. To address this, he had incited an internal revolt, overthrowing the previous Ogre King and taking his pce.

  Thud.

  "Why has it been so noisy since earlier?"

  The Ogre King stood up, opehe door, and was rendered speechless by the sight before him.

  Dozens of ogre were piled on top of each other, being dragged effortlessly by a petite figure from another race. She didn’t appear to be struggling in the slightest.

  "What... is going on here?"

  "Are you the Ogre King?" the petite girl asked.

  "Yes, I am. What do you want from me?"

  "Oh? The Ogre King, quite approachable, I see."

  At first gnce, Yverantheia noticed the Ogre King's uniqueness. His gaze and muscur build were much more human-like pared to the re.

  "I want you to submit to me. The goblins and smurfs have already done so. What will your response be?"

  "..."

  Truthfully, after seeing the 'mountain of ogres,' the Ogre King immediately uood that this seemingly frail girl was anything but ordinary. He had been prepared for a bloody battle. Yet, her demand was simply for the ogre to submit?

  Something was off.

  "Speak. What is your real objective?"

  "Didn't I just tell you?"

  As he observed Yverantheia's expressionless face, the Ogre King began to waver.

  '...Am I being overly cautious...?'

  Regardless, he knew for certain that she was dangerous. Staying vigint was the prudent choice.

  "...We ogres have a..."

  "A tradition of challenging the king, right?"

  "Uh... Yes."

  It was easy to deduce. The ogres, being a battle-hardened and strength-tric race, wouldn't easily submit to mere words.

  "Let's not waste time. Let's get started."

  As Yverantheia spoke, her aura shifted dramatically. What had seemed insignifit to the res moments ago now transformed into a sharp, oppressive force.

  The Ogre King, fag Yverantheia at cle, felt the ge more intensely. It was as if the air itself had solidified, making every movement a struggle.

  This feeling was unpreted, even pared to the time when he had single-handedly challehe fre King.

  'This is... exhirating!'

  Despite his superior intelled rationality, at his core, he was still an ogre. Fag a formidable oppo stirred his blood, making him eager for battle, as long as the gap in strength wasn’t insurmountable.

  Moreover, he had fiden his ces. Typical ogre possessed third-level strength, with the stronger ones reag the fourth level. He was a solid fourth-level, even among the high ranks of that level.

  "e! Show me your power!"

  As his words echoed, a tremendous force burst forth, causing a whirlwind that forced the ogres watg from the shadows to close their eyes involuntarily.

  This was merely a probing attack, yet it demonstrated the might of a high-ranking fourth-level Ogre King.

  What shocked the ogres even more was that Yverantheia caught the attack with just one seemingly malnourished hand.

  "o hold back. I might have one hand, but I'm far from helpless."

  "Of course."

  To the ogres, showing respect to a powerful adversary meant fighting with all their might. Holding back was sidered an insult.

  Retrag his outstretched fist, the Ogre King unched a powerful kick towards Yverantheia. She mirrored his move with a kick of her own. Due thter weight, she was sent flying.

  The Ogre King seized the opportunity, leaping forward with both fists aimed at Yverantheia's midse.

  However, he had overlooked ohing: Yverantheia's prowess wasn’t limited to close bat—she could wield magic too.

  A sudden gust of wind diverted the Ogre King’s attack, allowing Yverao reposition herself mid-air and ter with a spinning kick.

  Caught off guard, the Ogre King was sent crashing to the ground, creating a sizable crater.

  "Cough!… Again!"

  Spitting out blood, the Ogre King charged at the now-grounded Yverantheia.

  Smack!

  Their hands met, each exerting foreither willing to yield.

  Despite the apparent disadvantage of having only one hand, Yverantheia held her ground. The Ogre King, with both hands, had the upper hand, yet Yverantheia's resolve didn’t falter.

  In fact, the Ogre King was already preparing his move. His left fist ched, ready to strike.

  "What!?"

  Halfway through his swing, an invisible force stopped his punch mid-air.

  "Is this... magic!?"

  "Correct."

  Through rigorous training and mastery of the skill 'Pseudon Scale,' Yverantheia had developed the ability to mold her magito a tangible arm. Although it cked the dexterity of a real hand, it could block attacks effectively.

  "By the way, there's something else."

  In an instant, the Ogre Ki multiple impacts all over his body.

  This was another application of Yverantheia's magic. If she could form one magical arm, she could create many. She had jured dozens of magical arms to strike simultaneously, their bined forentarily overwhelming the Ogre King, causing him to release his grip.

  Seizing the moment, Yverantheia dashed into the Ogre King’s guard.

  "It’s over."

  Yverantheia's left hand pressed against the Ogre King's chest, her feet firmly pnted, eling all her strength into a single, powerful blow that sent the Ogre King flying, crashing through a wall.

  "...Cough... Well done... I cede."

  Lying in the rubble, the Ogre King admitted his defeat without hesitation.

  "You’re impressive too. Though I’m not a warrior by nature, that fight got my blood pumping."

  Yverantheia raised her hand, and a beam of light shot into the Ogre King's body, beginning to heal his injuries.

  "This..."

  "The battle is over. I do this, right?"

  "...On behalf of the ogres, I swear our fealty to you."

  Yverantheia had proverength, and by the ogre's might-makes-right creed, she had earheir submission.

  Seeing their king kneel before Yverantheia, the res, who had been hiding and watg from afar, returned and uood the oute.

  With a collective sound, they all k, pledging their loyalty and respect to Yverantheia without any dissent.

  ShoujoDirector