Chapter: The Crimson Clan's New Dawn
In the crimson clan village, beneath the flickering glow of ember-lit torches, Bria cradled her newborn against her warm chest. Her melodic humming drifted through the night air like a gentle lullaby, each note designed to coax the little one into peaceful slumber. The baby's tiny fingers curled around her crimson-tinted skin as she rocked him with the tender devotion only a mother could possess.
Sera's eyes fluttered open to witness something impossible—a translucent screen hovering before him, its ethereal blue light casting shadows across his infant vision. The newborn's mind reeled in confusion, unable to comprehend the mystical interface that materialized from thin air. As his unfocused gaze lingered on the mysterious display, a voice echoed through the depths of his consciousness.
[Ding!]
[Soul transfer is successful. The infant soul has now awakened memory of his celestial past]
[You have been reborn as an ogre. As per the rule of the world Zhou, you have gained a monster core]
[You have been given a name. As per the origin of your family, you have gained a passive legendary lineage skill - Hero S+]
[In the world of Zhou, every being has a skill unique only to them. As a result of that, you have gained the unique skill - Plunderer SS+]
[As a result of your past life, you have gained another unique skill - Azrael, God of Lesser Creatures]
The cascade of notifications ceased as dormant memories began to unfurl within Sera's mind like ancient scrolls being unraveled. Deep within his consciousness, in a realm of absolute whiteness that stretched beyond comprehension, a familiar voice resonated with divine authority.
"So I have been reborn at last. How long did it take? That doesn't matter now—what matters is that I claim my revenge. But wait... where am I?"
The infant Sera's gaze shifted upward to behold a breathtaking sight. A beautiful woman with crimson skin that seemed to glow with inner fire gazed down at him with eyes full of maternal love. Two elegant horns protruded from her forehead like a crown of bone, marking her as one of the ogre-kind. Her embrace enveloped him in warmth and security.
"I see! I have been reborn as one of my many children. The way this woman cradles me with such tenderness... it's unmistakable that she's my birth mother."
As if responding to his thoughts, Bria tightened her protective embrace, her touch pulling Sera from his divine contemplations back to the reality of his infant form.
"What?! Unhand me, woman! You might be my birth mother, and I might appear this feeble, but I am still a go—"
Before Sera could complete his indignant declaration, the voice from the white void interrupted with cold precision.
[Note that the host, Sera ry Crimson, is far from the level of godhood. You will have to level up in this world before you reach the level of a god]
"If that's the case, then I might have undergone a complete rebirth. But that would only mean I might attain a new divinity this time around." His mental voice carried a mixture of frustration and determination.
[That is correct, host. Though a little essence of celestial energy is merged with your soul, you have yet to awaken a divinity]
Upon hearing this confirmation, Sera's thoughts turned to the cascade of messages he had received earlier. A spark of hope ignited within him.
"I hope the status windows we gods use can still be accessed. Status."
[STATUS]
[Name: Sera ry Crimson]
[Race: Ogre]
[Core: F]
[STATS]
[Health Points: 10/10]
[Mana Points: 0/0]
[Spirit Points: 20/20]
[Exp: 0/100]
[ATTRIBUTES]
[Str: 1]
[Agi: 1]
[Sta: 1]
[Cha: 1]
[Int: 1]
[UNIQUE SKILLS]
[Plunderer (SS+) [Passive] - Ability to steal and absorb abilities from defeated enemies. Abilities can also be gained by consuming the core of creatures.]
[Azrael, God of Lesser Creatures (???) - Mysterious divine power]
[REGULAR SKILLS]
[Hero of the Ogre (S+) [Passive] - Legendary status among ogre-kind]
Relief washed over Sera like a cool breeze. At least one familiar element had accompanied him to this mysterious world—a lifeline to his former power.
"I really did start afresh. Oh well, that's no problem. I will rise back up to power, and I will have my revenge." The determination in his mental voice could have cut through steel.
As Sera scrutinized his status, memorizing every detail with the precision of a master strategist, one glaring absence caught his attention—his complete lack of mana. As a former god, mana had been as natural to him as breathing. Now, this vessel seemed utterly void of the energy that had once coursed through his divine being like liquid starlight.
However, the newborn sensed another energy pulsing within him—something foreign yet powerful. Without understanding how to harness this mysterious force, he resolved to train his mana manipulation whenever the opportunity arose.
"I would attempt to gather mana right now, but this vessel is far too weak. It would shatter like glass if I tried to channel external force directly. Instead, I'll absorb the external mana into the vessel to reinforce it rather than drawing it into my core."
The baby nestled in Bria's protective embrace began to emit a faint, otherworldly glow. However, since most monsters were incapable of using mana and relied instead on spirit power, his mother remained oblivious to the fact that her precious child had begun to absorb the ambient energy that flowed through the Zen forest like invisible rivers of power.
Meanwhile, in the deeper reaches of the forest, Venna and Grimjaw had successfully regrouped and were now advancing toward their chief's location. Venna had employed her insidious mind control on two additional hostile ogres who had dared to attack her after she eliminated Brogak. She had left the conquered settlement under their hypnotized command. Grimjaw, in contrast, had ten blue oni trailing behind him like conquered trophies—prisoners of war whose fate hung in the balance.
"Impressive work, Venna. You seized control of an entire settlement single-handedly. I wonder if I could accomplish the same feat." Grimjaw's voice carried a mixture of admiration and competitive hunger.
Venna regarded Grimjaw with barely concealed disgust. The battle-crazed warrior's only desire was to hack and slash his way through every villager in sight, leaving nothing but carnage in his wake. She dismissed his bloodthirsty words with calculated indifference.
"I see you've acquired some living specimens for us." Her eyes began to glow with an eerie light as she fixed her gaze upon the prisoners cowering behind Grimjaw, who instinctively huddled together like frightened sheep.
They continued their march until they reached the area radiating the most intense heat they had encountered during their entire expedition—the scorched battlefield where Sarion and Vorgrim had engaged in their titanic clash.
Before them lay Vorgrim's corpse, his massive form now cold and lifeless. Nearby, Sarion's body appeared equally motionless, but Veryan's desperate calls indicated that their chief might still cling to life by the thinnest of threads.
"Chief! Open your eyes! You still have to watch your boy grow up! My son-in-law can't begin his journey without a father!" Veryan's voice cracked with emotion as he repeatedly struck Sarion's unresponsive form, trying to rouse him from the brink of death.
"Seems the chief is in serious trouble. Isn't this your specialty, witch?" Grimjaw taunted Venna with his characteristic lack of tact.
"I owe the chief just one favor per month. I have already fulfilled that obligation with this expedition. If I save the chief's life now, he will owe me a debt." Venna's smile twisted into something truly perverted, her eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction.
She approached the chief's battered body, which looked as though it had been trampled by a herd of rampaging beasts. Turning to Veryan, she pointed at Sarion with theatrical flair. "I am about to exceed the conditions of our agreement. You will ensure that the chief repays this debt."
Veryan nodded reluctantly, stepping back from Venna. He had never warmed to her presence due to the eerie aura that seemed to emanate from her very being like a miasma of dark magic.
Venna knelt beside the chief's broken form and bit down hard on her thumb, drawing crimson blood that she collected in her mouth. She then leaned forward and pressed her lips against Sarion's in what appeared to be a kiss, but was in fact a ritualistic transfer of her blood into his mouth. Veryan wanted to protest this intimate act, but he remained silent, fearing she might transform him into a frog or some other unfortunate creature.
As Venna transferred her blood, she began chanting in an ancient tongue: "Thenvul Lukgre Omnash Vorthek!"
Immediately following her incantation, dark mists began pouring from Venna's being like smoke from a funeral pyre. The ethereal vapors flowed into Sarion's body, causing it to convulse and writhe as if struck by lightning. In the next breathtaking moment, all of his grievous injuries began to close up like flowers blooming in reverse. His pale, lifeless skin regained its natural warmth and color, and his eyes suddenly snapped open to behold his assembled companions and the ten defeated Yin clan oni.
The prisoners of war had finally accepted their dire situation after witnessing their leader Vorgrim's corpse lying motionless with a gaping hole punched through his chest. As Sarion rose to his feet with Veryan's assistance, the ten oni exchanged meaningful glances and nodded to each other in unspoken agreement.
In a display of submission that would have been unthinkable hours earlier, they dropped to one knee before the warrior who had undoubtedly slain their chief. Sarion observed this gesture without uttering a word, gazing down at them with the natural grace and authority befitting an ogre chief.
One of the ten prisoners, a scarred veteran named Norgan, broke the heavy silence that had settled over the group like a burial shroud. "Sir! We wish to pledge our loyalty to you."
Sarion turned to Veryan, who nodded with obvious pride swelling in his chest like a balloon filled with hot air.
Sarion had never harbored ambitions of dominating the Yin clan—he had only sought peace for his beloved Crimson tribe. Yet here before him knelt ten formidable oni, likely among the finest warriors the Yin had to offer, pledging their absolute loyalty with the desperation of the defeated.
Sarion scratched his head thoughtfully before addressing the ten desperate oni kneeling in the blood-soaked earth before him.
"It seems this situation is unavoidable. I never desired to dominate the Yin clan—I merely wanted peace. But if I am truly to bring you ten under my protection, I will have to incorporate the remainder of your clan as well."
Sarion had dispatched Venna to the Yin settlement as a contingency plan in case he failed to defeat Vorgrim in single combat. He was certain that Venna had systematically crippled the entire settlement's power structure. He felt grateful it had been Venna rather than Grimjaw who had carried out this mission—if he had sent the bloodthirsty warrior, none of the Yin would have survived the encounter.
"I will use you three to facilitate the rehabilitation of the Yin clan. You—what is your name?" Sarion pointed directly at the scarred oni who had spoken.
"Norgan, my chief." The response came with the crisp precision of a seasoned soldier.
Sarion gestured for them to rise as he approached Norgan and placed a heavy hand on the oni's shoulders. "I hereby appoint Norgan as vice chief of the reformed Yin clan. I task you with selecting officials who will oversee your integration into our Crimson tribe."
The blue oni departed immediately to carry out their new orders, moving with the efficiency of warriors who understood the gravity of their situation. Sarion then turned his attention to Venna, his expression growing serious.
"Venna, who did you leave in charge of the Yin settlement upon your departure?"
The female kijin flashed her characteristic perverted grin before answering her chief. "Chief, I used a mind control spell. It should wear off the moment they step foot in the settlement."
Sarion turned away from the others, not wanting to know the gruesome details of her encounter. "I need to extract his core. It will prove invaluable for the newborn."
With methodical precision, Sarion harvested Vorgrim's monster core, which pulsed with an ominous green light tinged with a reddish hue like corrupted emerald. The four victorious warriors turned back toward their village, their mission complete. They had emerged triumphant from their conflict, but deep in his heart, Sarion understood that he had ignited the flames of war. By defeating Vorgrim, he had fundamentally altered the delicate balance of power among the ogre tribes of the vast and mysterious Zen Forest. The consequences of this victory would ripple outward like stones thrown into still water, and only time would reveal whether those ripples would bring peace or chaos to his people.