Chapter 50: Chapter 41: The Offline Master of Billions of Flesh_2

That was why, in the country across the ocean from his previous life, there were even absurd incidents of one- or four-year-old children accidentally shooting themselves or even their parents.

But Witches were more terrifying than these gun-wielding children!

A Witch could use Magic from the moment she was born, even before she could speak...

It was far simpler than firing a gun. Often, a single chaotic thought was all it took for their Magic to destroy everything around them, following their whims...

So it was difficult to determine whether their tragic childhoods were truly their own fault...

A Witch who grew up in such circumstances was bound to have a warped mind. Every last one of them was a psycho, even crazier than a Mad Witch. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Barbara’s situation was a bit better than that of a typical Witch. Her powers were weaker; it was said she could only summon snakes and didn’t have much destructive power.

Unfortunately, she was born into a noble family—and one rife with power struggles. Her mother was murdered by the patriarch’s first wife when she was six, and she herself was nearly killed. Fortunately, at the critical moment, she had an explosive burst of power and summoned a powerful Demon Snake, which swallowed the assassin whole and allowed her to escape with her life.

After that, she wandered the world alone. By the age of sixteen, she had grown into a full-fledged Witch and was on the verge of breaking through to the level of Great Witch.

And so, she returned for revenge...

Isaac didn’t know the specifics of what she did upon her return. He only knew that Barbara Cook had replaced her father to become a Baron sworn to the Solomon Clan!

Caesar was the one who had told Isaac her story.

’A Witch who might be a Great Witch...’

HISS~

Sensing Isaac’s gaze, a Cyan Snake suddenly emerged from Barbara’s shoulder. Its vertical pupils stared coldly at Isaac as its forked tongue flickered.

SHRRIIIP—

As if sensing the Cyan Snake’s provocative aura, Harmon, who had been dormant inside Isaac for three days, instantly awoke. To everyone’s astonishment, it burst from the nape of Isaac’s neck, menacingly flexing its five sharp claws!

But Harmon hadn’t forgotten the reason it had awoken. After its stretch, Harmon’s five claws splayed open, palm facing the Cyan Snake. In the center of that palm, a crimson eye snapped open!

The sight instantly startled everyone into a defensive posture.

They couldn’t help it; the scene was simply too bizarre. Their reactions were purely instinctual. Even Gaia, seated at the head of the table, couldn’t stop his hand from moving toward the longsword at his side.

"Harmon, calm down. They’re friends." Though Isaac was also extremely curious about this eye of Harmon’s, he knew now wasn’t the time to examine it. He just gave the simple command.

Harmon tilted its palm, moving the eye up its arm until it was level with Isaac’s face. The bloodshot, crimson orb was filled with confusion.

In Harmon’s limited understanding, the Cyan Snake’s action was a provocation—a declaration of war!

It didn’t understand why its master said they weren’t enemies.

But while it didn’t understand its master’s reasoning, that didn’t stop it from obeying Isaac’s command. It closed its eye and retreated back inside Isaac’s body.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief, but the way they looked at Isaac had subtly changed.

Regardless of whether they were stronger or weaker than Isaac, their gazes now held a hint of apprehension.

This was humanity’s innate awe of the Mysterious!

After Harmon returned to Isaac’s body, Barbara reached out a small, delicate hand and gently tapped the Cyan Snake on her shoulder, prompting it to retreat as well.

Only then did she look at Isaac and say apologetically, "My apologies, Young Master Isaac. Riven is a bit too sensitive to danger. I’m sorry to have startled you."

Isaac casually pulled out a chair and sat, replying nonchalantly, "It’s fine. I understand. Harmon is the same way."

It was a common issue with high-intelligence Magic Pets. They provided a great sense of security against danger, but they could be a handful on a day-to-day basis.

Isaac, whose Magic Pet was especially grotesque in appearance, knew this feeling all too well.

After all, unlike the Cyan Snake’s silent appearance, Harmon’s entrances were usually accompanied by heart-stopping sound effects and a terrifying aura.

’And it seems those two aspects have even been enhanced a little by my strengthened Mysterious Attribute...’

’Such a... hassle.’

At this thought, Isaac shook his head. He didn’t have any good solutions, and Harmon didn’t know how to control it either.

THUMP.

Once everyone was seated, Gaia gripped his sheathed longsword with both hands and thumped its pommel on the floor, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Alright, that’s enough idle chatter. Let’s get down to business, Caesar," Gaia said calmly.

After Gaia finished, Caesar immediately began passing out files to everyone at the table. "This is all the intelligence we’ve gathered on the Black Orcs," he said as he distributed them. "According to our reports, the Black Orcs have amassed a force of about fifteen thousand!"

Caesar’s expression was grim. This was nearly three times their own troop strength.

The Solomon Knight Order numbered around three thousand. The forces brought by the four Barons totaled about fifteen hundred. Adding in the troops from the various Lords, the fortress currently had a total strength of only about five thousand soldiers.

What’s more, there was no significant gap in the quality of their soldiers, meaning he had no choice but to take this threat very seriously.

Barry, who had the most experience fighting Black Orcs, frowned deeply. He asked the same question Gaia had asked previously: "Have they crowned a King?"

Black Orcs with a King were a completely different beast from those without. It wasn’t just that a King could rally more Black Orcs. More importantly, a King’s very existence would enhance the ordinary Black Orcs, making them far more powerful and their fighting spirit much more tenacious.

In short, they were extremely difficult to deal with.

"No." Caesar shook his head, but his expression didn’t relax in the slightest. "They have a new High Priest," he said grimly.

At his words, everyone in the room frowned.

Even Isaac, who knew little about Black Orcs, understood the significance of a High Priest to their people...

To put it simply, a High Priest was the equivalent of a human Legendary Mage. More specifically, a Mad Witch.

A Mad Witch completely dominated by an Outer God, at that.

With the aid of a High Priest, the power the Black Orcs could unleash was in no way inferior to that of a clan ruled by a King.

More importantly, a High Priest was a powerful Caster. His presence would diminish, or even completely negate, the magical advantage held by Solomon Fortress.

Barry took a sharp breath in and let it out slowly. In the end, it was the old veteran who recovered first. He quickly glanced at the report in his hands and asked, "Have you notified the Truth Association and the Bright Church?"

The Truth Association and the Bright Church were the two organizations on the continent most vehemently opposed to the lackeys of the Outer Gods. Once they got word, they would descend on the situation like rabid dogs.

So, while the current situation was dire, it would still be manageable with aid from those two organizations.

However, to Barry’s disappointment, Caesar shook his head.

"Unfortunately, we did notify them, but they can’t come. A High Priest hasn’t just appeared here—they’ve appeared on almost every border of the human kingdoms."

Caesar’s words landed like a hammer blow, striking everyone dumb. They sat in silence as the atmosphere in the room grew heavy and oppressive.

"Hm? That doesn’t add up." Isaac, however, seemed largely unaffected. He frowned slightly and said, "From what I understand, the Black Orc High Priests serve three Outer Gods."

As he spoke, Isaac tugged at the brim of his hat.

"They are the Master of Billions of Flesh, the Master of a Thousand Stars, and the Black Orc God. From what I know, the Master of Billions of Flesh has fallen into a slumber and refuses all external contact. Can the Master of a Thousand Stars and the Black Orc God sustain so many High Priests on their own?"

Isaac’s question left Caesar stunned. ’How am I supposed to know that?’

’Of those three, the only one I even recognize is the Black Orc God...’

He decisively turned his gaze to Cheryl. As expected, when it came to this sort of thing, she was as reliable as ever.

"On their own, They certainly could not sustain so many High Priests," Cheryl confirmed. "Otherwise, the powerful entities of our world would be able to locate Them, and Their losses would be even greater. However, how are you so certain that... that particular Existence cannot be contacted?"

Cheryl wasn’t Isaac; she didn’t dare speak the divine name of the Master of Billions of Flesh aloud.

"Simple," Isaac said. "I tried to contact It before I came. It didn’t answer."

"???"