Blitz and Otto had been monitoring the Orc Tribe for the past two days.

They had also rescued fifty of the Kobold warriors that had stayed behind to buy some time for their people to escape.

Otto took them back to Grimjaw Mountain where they then reunited with their tribe.

Since his vassals could share their senses with Leone, the young man was also able to observe the Orc Tribe through their eyes.

After careful consideration, he decided to personally go to the scene to better assess the situation.

Ulric, Jason, and Brann decided to come with him, acting as Leone’s backup.

They were confident that they could give their Great Chieftain enough time to escape should there be a clash between them and the Orcs.

When they arrived at the scene, Blitz brought them to a place where they could watch the Orcs without getting discovered.

"Good job, Blitz," Leone said. "You picked a good spot."

*Squeak!*

Blitz nodded and crawled on top of Leone’s shoulder while the young man narrowed his eyes to look at the Orcs that had taken over the nest of the Kobolds.

"Daedalus, can you do a scan to assess how strong they are?" Leone asked.

"I already did," Daedalus replied. "All the Orcs you can see in that camp are Rank 3 Orc Warriors and Rank 3 Orc Archers. I’m also sensing several powerful presences inside the Kobold nest. Though, unless I can get a clearer view, I can only guess that they are at least Rank 4 and above."

This piece of information was enough to make Leone frown. Orcs were stronger than ordinary humans, with the Gray-Skinned Orcs being known for their savage personalities.

If a tribe of Orcs that numbered over a thousand lived in Grimjaw Forest, it was only a matter of time before they made contact with the Aslan Tribe.

In order to prevent any accidents, the Stormhorn Tribe and the Bloodtusk Tribe had already migrated inside the fortress.

Leone had already built their homes after their warriors worked hard to dig spacious caverns that would serve as the locations of their new homes.

With his people safe and sound, Leone decided to handle this matter before the representatives of the Darkmane Tribe arrived at Grimjaw Mountain.

"So... how do we start a dialogue with them?" Leone asked Daedalus. "Any ideas?"

The grimoire hovered beside Leone as it pondered their next move.

Suddenly, Hassan moved from the young man’s shadow and took human form.

"How about we kidnap one of them?" Hassan proposed. "Why don’t we interrogate them first and have them ask their leader to come talk to the Young Master? Orcs only recognize the strong, so roughing one up will be the fastest method to handle this matter."

"I guess that’s the best option for now." Daedalus agreed.

It had thought of a few methods to make contact with the Orcs, but none of them were safe.

If these Orcs were High Orcs, then they might listen to reason. However, they were the savage kind of Orcs, so a little roughness was right up their alley.

"Very well." Leone nodded. "Hassan, can you capture one of them?"

"Easily," Hassan replied.

He then transformed into a black mist and snuck into the Orc camp. It didn’t take long for Hassan to spot a target, and immediately went to neutralize the pitiful Orc.

When the Orc finally regained its senses, it found itself surrounded by Leone and his vassals while it was tied to a tree.

"Thuld-humak!" the Orc roared. "Drok nar! Drok nar vakh!"

Daedalus floated beside Leone as it translated the Orc language, allowing Ulric, Jason, Blitz, and Otto to understand it.

"It said, ’Humans! I will kill all of you!’" Daedalus translated.

Since Leone could understand the Orc with his skill, he decided to talk to it.

"Hello, Mr. Orc," Leone said. "I want to talk to your leader. Can you call him for me?"

The Orc was surprised because Leone spoke in perfect Orcish. It then looked at the young man and asked a question.

"Uruk tu? Narghul grok vakh rothar?"

Leone blinked once, then twice while Daedalus chuckled by his side. Of course, the grimoire didn’t forget to translate the Orc’s language so that the others could understand it as well.

"Are you an Orc? Why do you look ugly?" Daedalus translated.

Everyone smirked in response, but made no move to get in the way of their chieftain’s conversation with their prisoner.

"I’m not an Orc, but I want to talk to your leader," Leone stated. "Is that possible? We don’t want to fight you."

The Orc snorted and looked at Leone in disdain.

"Uruk nar vakthar thuldrak." The Orc growled. "Brakka. Vakhgor."

"Orcs do not speak with weaklings. Fight first, then talk," Daedalus said.

"That can be arranged." Ulric cracked his knuckles.

A few minutes later...

"Grah! Narvakh Gorvak! Vakhgor grakh! Vakhgor grakh!" the Orc said after getting smacked repeatedly by Ulric.

(Translation: "Yes! I’ll call the Chieftain! Talking is good! Talking is good!")

Ulric nodded. "Talking with Orcs is simpler than I imagined."

The corner of Leone’s lips twitched. Frankly, he felt like he was a decent conversationalist, but this kind of talking was outside his specialization.

They then freed the Orc and let it return back to its tribe.

It hurriedly entered the cave and headed straight to its chieftain. Leone and his people waited patiently for several minutes before Daedalus suddenly gave them a warning.

"It’s coming. A very strong Orc is coming!" Daedalus warned.

As if waiting for that moment, an Orc at least three and a half meters tall stepped out of the cave.

The Orc Ulric had beaten up aggrievedly pointed in the direction where Leone and the others were hiding, which prompted the Orc Champion to glare in their direction.

The Orc was wearing black armor, holding an axe in each hand.

Daedalus immediately appraised the monster to assess its strength. Yet, after getting the results, it only said one thing to Leone and his vassals.

"Run!" Daedalus shouted.

At the same time, the Orc Champion stomped its foot on the ground and propelled itself forward like a cannon ball.

The grimoire didn’t have enough time to tell them that it was a Rank 5 Orc Champion.

A monster whose combined stats was over five thousand!

Ulric immediately grabbed hold of Leone and threw him backward.

A second later, he raised his axe to clash against the axe of the Orc Champion.

Sparks flew as both weapons clashed against each other. Though, due to the difference in strength, that single exchange was enough to make Ulric stagger.

The Orc Champion then raised its foot and kicked the barbarian’s chest, sending Ulric flying, only stopping after he crashed through several trees.

"Run, Master!" Jason shouted as he transformed into his White Wolf Sovereign form.

Blitz also moved to support Jason to attack the Orc Champion together. However, its lightning bolts didn’t do much damage against the monster before it.

Using his speed, Jason moved behind the Orc Champion in an attempt to sever its head.

Yet, without even looking at him, the Orc did a backhand blow, which sent Jason crashing toward dozens of trees until he, too, came to a complete stop, coughing up blood and collapsing on the ground unconscious.

The Orc Champion then locked its gaze toward Leone before smiling evilly.

A suffocating pressure immediately descended upon the young man, making even the leaves and branches tremble violently as if the forest itself feared its wrath.

Leone felt his instincts scream in warning, while the Orc Champion slowly opened its mouth, revealing rows of jagged yellow fangs.

"You are my prey," the Orc Champion said in perfect human language before raising both of its axes.

It then charged at Leone with its weapon raised high.

Suddenly, a defiant screech reverberated throughout the surroundings as Astravor descended from the heavens with its claws poised to strike!