Chapter 30: Denier
A whole month has passed since Ashborne added the Dwarf brothers to his Legion.
It was a month filled with a bit of slow life, compared to the first 4 overly-eventful months of Ashborne's new life.
However, that didn't mean that he hadn't done anything in that time.
While he enjoyed his time with his daughter and his Legion, he was also preparing for his next steps.
Throughout the month, his Legionaries could be seen constantly scouting out every corner of the Great Forest of Jura.
The Ogre-Bat pairs had been very useful in information gathering.
Ashborne's orders had been very precise, specifying particular locations to be put under constant watch, such as the Ogre Village and the Lizardmen Swamp, while also specifying which locations to avoid, such as the Kuja Mountains, where the Tengu Clan resided.
The scouting had bore great fruit as well.
Ashborne had been able to maintain constant awareness of the situation of Jura.
The Orc's Movements.
The Goblin villages' panic.
The Ogres' skepticism.
Of course, all this was only possible due to Ashborne's prior knowledge of the future. However, that didn't discredit the hard work put in by the Legionaries.
Evading the eyes of the Wise Ogres of the Ogre village, along with thousands of Orcs and Lizardmen, was an impressive feat, especially when done by beings who were mere Goblins a month ago.
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The time has come.
The Orcs have started their movements, led by the Orc Lord and his Generals.
My Legionaries even saw Gelmud with the Orcs occasionally.
I ordered them to not go too close to Gelmud though, because he might be able to sense my Legionaries, being a Greater Majin.
But that wasn't as much of a problem as Clayman.
Clayman, one of the Ten Great Demon Lords. The Mastermind behind the Orc Incident.
He would surely sense and get rid of my Legionaries if they ventured too close to his vassal, Gelmud.
In the original story, Clayman sought to create a new Demon Lord as his puppet, in the form of the Orc Disaster.
I was already aware that many things could be different in this timeline, simply because Veldora hadn't disappeared.
Even though the human nations might have been in the dark, I don't think that a Demon Lord like Clayman hasn't sensed the truth.
Anyways, getting to the point, I'm about to do a few things that will change the future massively, due to the Butterfly Effect.
I've decided that I won't be letting the Ogre village be massacred.
Their potential Military might, along with their knowledge is far too valuable to be wasted at this point.
Just 6 of them proved to be invaluable to Rimuru's ascension to the top of the world in the original timeline.
I wonder how much 300 of them could achieve.
While I already have a hundred Ogres in my Legion, the difference is quite vast.
The ogres in my Legion can essentially be called newborns, compared to the Ogres of the Ogre Village.
As a mercenary group, the ogres have been honing their arts for centuries, perfecting their techniques and developing new ones.
Additionally, there had also been one special encounter in their past, with an otherworlder.
That has led to their techniques and weapons possessing elements from another world.
To sum it up, I have to get them in my Legion no matter what.
It wouldn't have been easy, but I will have the perfect opportunity soon.
The Orc Invasion.
If their movements are similar to the original story, which they seem to be from the reports, they will soon attack the Ogre Village, which is the biggest obstacle for them.
The Orcs themselves are not a problem, the issue is the person accompanying them.
The Orc Lord and his Generals would be trouble too, but nothing compared to 'him'.
I was pretty confident in being able to counter him though, even though I might not be able to fully defeat or kill him.
Well, no matter. Nothing will come out of inaction.
I won't be a coward, this world doesn't allow that after all.
'Survival of the Fittest'
That was the absolute law.
This would also be the first time the whole legion would be fighting. I will be showing the full might of the Legion this time.
I've prepared them all for this the past month.
Even though I don't have any professional techniques and weapon arts to teach them, I can teach them to utilize their skills extremely well.
I have raised their strength the best I can, setting up mock battles between the Legionaries.
I also personally trained and practiced with Coatl, Charys, and Garmr, who were my strongest Legionaries...
Now I can confidently say that I my Legion can comfortably destroy whole nations like Blumund on their own, even without my interference.
Of course, they stood no chance against Dwargon and Lubelius for example, but that wouldn't even change with me in the picture.
I and the Legionaries would have to transcend our current limits to reach that realm.
There existed a power barrier in this world.
Bound by the world's laws, a person who doesn't possess an Ultimate Skill, cannot win against a person with one.
It was an absolute rule, with only a few exceptions.
Therefore, it is obvious that I have to attain that power as soon as possible.
Thankfully, I at least possess the power right below Ultimate Skills, that is, Unique Skills.
And I possess multiple; [Necromancer], [Great Sage], [Archiver], [Degenerate], and now, [Denier].
[Denier], which I attained through Shinsha, was surprisingly overpowered. It had 5 sub-skills, 4 of which I already possessed:
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1. [Though Acceleration]
2. [Analysis]
3. [All of Creation]
4. [Multi-layered Barrier]
5. [Magic Jamming]
6. [Denial]: Allows for the Nullification of analyzed attacks toward the user. Any type of attack can be nullified if analyzed.
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This was only the original form of the skill. Using [Degenerate], I tweaked it a little to make it better.
Now,
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[Denier]:
1. [Multilayered Barrier]
2. ]Overwrite] : A combination of [Denial] and [Magic Domination].
----
[Thought Acceleration] and [Analysis] were integrated into [Great Sage], and [Magic Jamming] was discarded due to the possession of the superior [Magic Domination].
After all the changes, the skill was left with only 2 sub-skills but was still extremely powerful.
The [Overwrite] sub-skill, allowed me to overwrite all phenomena using the manipulation of magicules.
Once I had analyzed an attack and the phenomenon behind it, I could automatically nullify it using [Multilayered Barrier].
The skill is also very precious to me for another reason. Just like [Dark-Flame Thunder], it signifies my connection with a loved one.
It is the manifestation of our bonds.
Also, the skill perfectly suits Shinsha. Due to her extremely powerful Analysis, she will be safe from most types of harm. Of course, Magna and Ranga would be there, but still, you can never be too careful.
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It was night time. The sky was illuminated by a full moon, with no clouds in the way.
However, the Soul Realm was filled with artificial light.
"My Lord, the Orc Army, led by the Orc Lord himself, has neared the Ogre village," Rigur reported. He was kneeling down in front of Ashborne, inside the Soul Realm.
"We have some time. Prepare the Legion. Assemble everybody and get them ready for battle. You too Rigur, I expect you to lead the Legionaries well" Ashborne replied.
Rigur had been appointed the temporary commander for this battle. Magna, Garmr and Coatl still held higher command than him, but they were more of the Solo type. All 3 of them had extremely destructive fighting styles. Magna's flames and Coatl's lightning would just straight up fry everyone on the battlefield.
So Rigur had been given the responsibility to lead.
"Yes my Lord!! I shall give my very best, and so shall everyone else!!" Rigur said filled with vigor and enthusiasm, eager to prove himself to his beloved Lord.
I was confident in his performance, since he was undoubtedly the most powerful in Legion, except for the outliers like Coatl, Garmr, Magna and Ranga.
Now I just have to wait. Wait for the perfect opportunity to interfere with the battle.
I could just go and intercept the Orc Army right now and prevent the clash between the Ogres and Orcs entirely, but I wasn't going to do that. After all, the Ogres wouldn't feel a sense of gratitude and debt towards me if I did that.
I need to play my cards right. Some may call me heartless, but it's just means to an end.
It wouldn't make much of a moral difference anyway, since I can just revive those who die.
.....
What is this thought process?
This stream of thinking is wrong.
I can't start forgetting the value of life.
This is a dangerous power I possess. I have to remain myself, can't let it take me over.
Power corrupts, I know that. But I can't let it affect me too much.
I have to keep my relations strong. If I'm left alone too long, I don't know what I'll become.
Thankfully, I have my Shinsha and my Legion now. They're my connections, they keep me grounded.
As long as I have them, I'll be fine for the most part.
And on the other hand, my ambition drives me forward. I have to become the strongest after all.
All obstacles in my way have to be removed in one way or another, whether it be peaceful or violent.
If it can be done peacefully, well and good, I don't have any drive to make others suffer, but if violence is the only option... Well, I'm always eager for a good fight.
It's a good balance.
*SIGH*
Anyway, my decision still stands. I've made up my mind, and I don't intend to change it now.
Hesitation will only lead to a worse situation.
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AN: So, the chappie is here. We're gonna see the Legion in action soon, so stay tuned!!
Don't forget to give me your precious POWER STONES!!
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