As the troll army was decimated, Hirashi advanced into the cave, flanked by Yor and Hattori, followed in turn by Shen, Gabiru, Tokka, Zed, and several members of the Six Great Heroes. As planned, the forces left outside were sufficient to handle the massive enemy army.

  Getting in was easy...

  Of course, this didn't mean the mountain was unguarded. From the information gathered, there were a few hundred trolls and orcs left on guard, but they wouldn't have been the slightest problem for them.

  "Attention! Enemies approaching! What do we do, Lady Hirashi?"

  The former Oni leader asked, unsheathing his katana. A horde of trolls and orcs was advancing toward them, ready for a fight to the death—which they would soon encounter. Hirashi and her group had to rescue the Lizardmen King and subdue the troll champion, then forcing the orcs into submission without killing them. In this situation, they could not afford to discriminate, so anyone who faced them would die without distinction.

  “Kill them all.”

  Hirashi gave the order in a cold tone, and the others did not dare question her choice.

  "Hell Flame!"

  A black flame shot from Shen's hands and engulfed the enemy front line, roasting it to ashes. Unlike the soldiers outside, these ones weren't protected by demonic steel armor. It was understandable; supplying such an army would be difficult and would require decades of preparation—whoever provided the resources couldn't afford to waste them on soldiers who weren't supposed to be fighting in the first place. It was clear that the one behind the Troll King hadn't expected the mountains to be invaded.

  "Shadow Slash!"

  Shadows appeared out of nowhere and began assaulting the various enemies, allowing Gabiru and the members of the Six Heroes to eliminate almost all of the rest of the defense troop.

  "They're so weak..."

  Hirashi muttered, calmly advancing among the dying enemies, as casually as someone stepping out of the house to pick up the newspaper from the mailbox. Compared to her, no one in that room was worth anything. Even compared to the trolls being slaughtered outside, those ones in the inside didn't seem much.

  "You are right, Lady Hirashi."

  "Die, old man!!!!"

  An orc attempted to strike Hattori from behind, but the old Oni dodged the blow and moved aside. He didn't attack, simply sheathing his sword. As soon as he did, the orc fell to the ground, shredded into a thousand pieces and blood.

  "You're improving —you've all improved a lot. I'm pleased."

  "It's all your fault, Lady Hirashi! Heh heh."

  The giant woman nodded. Her face was stoic, but at the same time was proud to see her students at work. Both Hattori and Zed had learned some of her techniques—they were still far from catching up, and probably never would—but they had improved greatly in a short time.

  "Die! Die! None of you inferior beings can come near Lady Hirashi! Die! Dieeee!"

  Yor's white armor was now completely covered in blood. Even her allies stayed away, terrified of her murderous rage. She was clearly trying her hardest to earn the same praise as the others. If it were from Hirashi, it would be like oxygen of the highest quality for the Esoterica.

  "That woman is a monster..."

  Gabiru muttered, surprised by all this unnecessary brutality, but not frightened or disgusted by it. He already knew the winged woman was an unstoppable force, against which not even the Six Great Heroes could do anything. He didn't know if the attraction he felt was normal or not.

  "Yor, calm down."

  Hirashi sighed, continuing to advance towards the enemies calmly.

  "Lady Hirashi! Be careful!"

  Tokka shouted at her, noticing a pair of trolls poised to strike the giantess. The woman simply unsheathed her purple katana, with dozens of eyes on the blade and hilt. But she didn't swing it, continuing forward as if nothing had happened, passing the two attackers, who were extremely confused at having been ignored.

  “Hey! What the hell do you think you're doin-“

  The two trolls split into a hundred pieces. Despite the damage, they didn't regenerate due to the katana's Soul Eraser ability, which erased the soul from reality itself if the weapon's user so desired. The whole thing had happened in less than a few minutes, and no one had seen the giantess swing her sword or anything else.

  "You never cease to amaze, Lady Hirashi."

  "Yes, the teacher is always the best!"

  "Lady Hirashi! You are perfect! You are the worthy Supreme Queen of Assassins!"

  Why is everyone complimenting me? I just killed two trolls in a short time...Is nothing worth noticing.

  After eliminating every enemy on that floor, the group reached some rudimentary stairs, likely dug long ago. One flight led to the upper floors, the other to the prisons on the lower floors.

  "Hattori, Yor...come with me. The rest of you go downstairs and save Gabiru's father."

  With the order given, Hirashi began to climb the stairs, when she was stopped by a question from Zed.

  "Lady Hirashi, are you sure that splitting us up is the wisest choice? It's true that it was the plan, but..."

  “I understand your concerns, Zed. But I doubt there's any danger to you in this part of the mountain. I would never willingly put my students in danger.”

  Hirashi replied coldly.

  “I understand, sensei. What will you do instead?”

  "I..."

  The woman contemplated the question and turned toward the bottom of the stairs, looking down into the dark corridors that awaited her.

  "...I have to take care of someone else."

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  As the battle raged on the upper floors, Lizard Magnus remained locked in his cell, along with the rest of his personal guard. He tried to remain calm, but it wasn't easy with a kingdom in shambles and a missing daughter. He truly hoped that Tokka had managed to reach Gabiru and strike a deal with the city of Almy.

  "What the hell going on upstairs?!"

  “There are shouts and bangs! Is there a party?”

  "Maybe someone screwed up big time?"

  “I don’t know, mate.”

  Lizard pricked up his ears, becoming interested in the discussion of the four trolls on guard.

  My son came to save me?

  "Calm down! I think it's just Yeddu who ate too much! Hahaha!"

  Laplace's laughter echoed throughout the cave, but was interrupted by an explosion in one of the nearby rooms. Lizard witnessed for the first time a crack in the jester's confidence, as he was clearly on high alert. Laplace remained seated at the table at the side of the room with his legs propped up on it, but it was merely a mask to show restraint to everyone present—especially the one he had tormented until that moment.

  "Okay...That was a big one! Someone go see what's going on out there!"

  Two trolls promptly left the room, but the bangs didn't stop – in fact, they intensified, followed by some screams.

  "What the fuck is going on?!"

  The jester muttered, rising to his feet and dropping the mocking facade he'd always maintained until then. Whatever was happening, it wasn't part of the plan.

  "It's the wind that changes course."

  Lizard's words irritated Laplace considerably, who clicked his tongue and began pacing in circles, trying to figure out what was happening. At that moment, footsteps were heard near the doorless entrance to the room. The jester whirled around and snapped his fingers, prompting the two remaining trolls to prepare for battle.

  "Mh?"

  One of the released colossi returned, not saying a word and walking with its head down, almost as if asleep. The explosions had stopped, suggesting that the situation had been resolved somehow.

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  "What is it? Spit it out!"

  Laplace asked in an annoyed tone, taking a step forward toward his subordinate. It was only then that he noticed shadowy threads holding the colossus up like a puppet. He was about to move closer and check, when...

  “Huh?!”

  ...The troll fell lifeless to the ground, cut in half by Shen's fiery blade.

  "What the fuck!?”

  “An Oni?”

  “Don't just stand there! Attack, you idiots!"

  Laplace's command was completely useless, as one of the two trolls at his side was struck by a blast of black flame launched by the redhead, while the other, unable to even draw his weapon, was trapped by shadow threads generated by Zed. The ninja wasted no time and promptly tightened his grip around the poor troll's body, setting him on fire and ending his life.

  "How you got here?! There should be plenty of guards!"

  “We killed everyone.”

  "Everyone?!"

  “That's right: everyone! And now it's your turn!”

  The Oni leader replied annoyed. He had recognized Laplace as one of those who had attacked their village. He had been the one who had dealt the final blow to his father; he would finally have a chance to settle the score.

  Shen lunged at Laplace, swinging his katana. The jester leaped back and dodged the blow, also dodging Zed's shuriken. His agility was disarming, so much so that the two oni immediately went on the defensive after their attacks failed. Even Lizard Magnus could barely track Laplace's movements—proving once again that he had always been right not to engage him directly.

  "Be careful, Zed. This one is powerful..."

  “It was not a case of luck that he defeated your father.”

  "You wanted to avenge your village, huh? You think attacking Yeddu's base was a good idea?"

  Laplace taunted them, laughing heartily under his mask.

  “No! This place will become your grave!”

  "Surrender! You're on your own now!"

  Gabiru roared, entering followed by the two Senshi brothers and Tokka.

  "My son? Tokka? Tiberio!? Laplace lied about your death, then?"

  At the sight of them, Lizard stood up and approached the bars, surprised and happy to see his children safe and sound. He was also heartened to know that his dearest friend and brother were still alive.

  "Father!"

  "Your Majesty!"

  Tiberio approached the bars and attempted to open the cell, while Drusus and Khan lunged at Laplace. The two heroes swung their swords, but the jester dodged as if he were a snake. Shen and Zed attempted to surprise him with fiery attacks, but Laplace simply dodged them with a few somersaults.

  “Stand still and get hit!”

  "I'm not stupid! Better get out of the way; Yeddu will take care of you!"

  Marbles flew out of the jester's sleeves and exploded, creating a cloud of black smoke.

  "Damn you! Where are you?!"

  Shen's cries were in vain. When the smoke cleared, the jester was no longer visible.

  "He ran away!"

  "It doesn't matter, Captain Shen. Let's free the Lizardman King as ordered."

  "You're right, Zed..."

  The Oni leader nodded and sighed to calm himself. Shem would have preferred to end Laplace's life right then and there to avenge his deceased father, but that wasn't the purpose of the mission he'd been assigned. He'd already sworn loyalty to Almodea and declared he was no longer interested in revenge; he couldn't go back on his word now.

  He had to take another deep breath and – subsequently – he approached the bars of the cell, raised his katana and shredded the weak wooden door with a single swing.

  "Father!"

  Tears began to roll down Tokka's cheeks as she reunited with Lizard, who hugged her and held her close, as if he were holding a precious treasure in his hands.

  "My children, are you well? Have you allied yourselves with the Oni?"

  "Yes, they are in the service of Lady Almodea."

  "I understand..."

  He wasn't surprised. His plan had worked, and the alliance between the Lizardmen Kingdom and the city of Almy had been sealed. Of course, he didn't know the terms, but given their circumstances, it would have been a big deal to save their lives. Lizard approached Shen and Zed, bowed slightly, and lowered his head in respect.

  "Thank you for everything. We are in your debt!"

  "You have Lady Almodea to thank for this. She's the one who ordered your—"

  "I will thank her duly! I am ready to meet with her and discuss a possible reward, or offer of gratitude."

  With that, Lizard turned to Tiberio and hugged him tightly. He had to hold back tears. He truly believed he had lost his dearest friend and supporter. He wasn't sure he wanted to continue reigning, knowing he was partly responsible for such a tragedy.

  "I thought you were dead! Glad to see you're alive, old friend!"

  "I died, but Lord Almodeus resurrected me..."

  "What?!"

  Zed stepped between the two, dividing them.

  "You'll talk about it later, but now we have to get out of here. Lady Almodea's orders."

  Lizard nodded and had his personal guard, weakened by prolonged captivity, help him escort him. They were finally free, but they couldn't celebrate yet. There was one last thing to do before leaving that hellish place.

  "Hey, you!"

  A group of orcs entered the room, led by a burly man. He took the lead, his expression serious and stern. He was armed with a sword and light armor and seemed ready to fight to the death. He immediately spotted Shen, recognizing him as the leader of the invading force.

  "I see you've arrived..."

  Shen stepped forward and ignited his sword with an aura of demonic fire, ready for battle.

  "Bring it on! I-"

  "We surrender."

  The orc, to everyone's surprise, threw down his weapons and bowed, followed closely by all his subordinates. There was no hesitation or fear, only surrender. Shen could immediately tell the other was serious.

  "What? Are you serious?"

  The Oni sheathed his sword, still stunned by the events. It was then that Lizard coughed, trying to get his attention.

  "This is Gherd, the son of the Orc King. It's thanks to him that Tokka was able to escape and come to form an alliance."

  "Exactly. I am Gherd, the prince of my race."

  The orc declared wistfully, as if the title weighed on his conscience. It was certainly no honor for him to be the leader of a dying tribe that had helped commit mass genocide against innocents. They were orcs, but not monsters.

  “You are the prince of the Oni, right? I recognized you. We saw each other briefly during the attack on your village. May I speak to you before you leave?”

  "An audience from prince to prince? Okay, speak then! I don't have time to waste."

  Lizard's eyes widened at that arrogance. It was clear that, despite the Gherd's humility, Shen was still furious with him. Who could blame him? His village had been destroyed. That he wanted to kill his interlocutor was obvious from how clearly the redhead's murderous intent was palpable.

  "I know you hate us, but please help us out!"

  “Why on earth would I do that?”

  “I beg you! I am ready to offer my head if it will help obtain forgiveness for the rest of my people!”

  Gherd shrank even further before Shen. The orc prince lowered his head, as if expecting to be unceremoniously decapitated. However, that did not happen—the katana swung, but it stuck in the ground beside Gherd's head. No one moved—only the sweat on the bowed orc's brow dared to do anything other than stand there with his heart in his throat.

  "Get up!"

  Shen's stern, anger-filled voice made Gherd raise his head, staring at him in surprise. Did he want to humiliate him? Did he want to insult him, or did he want to challenge him to a duel to earn an honorable kill? He had no idea, but he was ready to die if asked.

  "Lady Almodea ordered me not to kill you, and so it shall be! My mistress is giving you the opportunity to submit to her. Don't waste our time and get up! We have to get out of here!"

  The orc stood up and nodded. He wanted to argue, to immediately resolve the situation that weighed on his heart, but he couldn't. He had received an order from someone to whom he owed everything; he wouldn't disobey it.

  "Okay, let us at least escort you out! There's a side exit not far from here. There shouldn't be any guards now!"

  With that, Gherd turned and began leading them down a narrow corridor. Tension was high: after all, the Oni didn't trust the orcs at all, but for now they would have to swallow their hatred and keep pace. Almodea had ordered it, and Shen wouldn't disobey him.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Laplace ran breathlessly through the forest, trying to put as much ground as possible between himself and the trolls' base.

  Those were the Oni from Almy City! I'd been spying a bit, but now it's clear they're allies of Almodeus! I need to get more information! In the meantime, I'll let the Doom Troll handle it. He's a level 65 monster—a couple of evolved Oni won't be a problem for him!

  He ran for several dozen minutes. He stopped under a tree and leaned against it, not so much to catch his breath, but to be able to turn around and observe the troll mountain, the site of a battle he had fortunately escaped.

  “Is that a fucking flying ship?! Who the fuck are we up against?!”

  The vessel in the sky hadn't noticed him, and now he looked like a tiny fly in the distance: that's how far Laplace had traveled in a few minutes. He'd managed to escape with relative ease, avoiding the undead and the cannon fire that was tearing the troll army to pieces. Laplace's thoughts returned to his colleague, still inside the embattled base.

  Gerud stayed inside working on his stupid experiments. Maybe I should try contacting him...huh?

  At that moment, the jester noticed something at his feet. It looked like a spring-loaded box with a lever on the side. He looked at it and picked it up, confused and intrigued at the same time. It was an object he had never seen before, but he liked the design.

  And where did this come from? It wasn't there before. It's not like-

  He couldn't finish his thought before the box opened, revealing a small, smiling jack-in-the-box clown holding a large sign. "Boom!" was written on it. Sure enough...the box exploded in Laplace's face, hurling him against the tree he'd been leaning against earlier.

  "Oh-Oh-Oh! What a bang!"

  "Is anyone there? Show yourself!"

  Laplace stood up angrily and began looking around. Although he heard a voice, he saw no one. Could it be that he was invisible? He should have seen it anyway, thanks to his improved eyesight.

  "Come out, you coward!"

  "You're insulting me, friend!"

  This time the voice was followed by footsteps, and Laplace was able to identify a figure in the distance. It was a clown dressed in red with a jester's hat. The enemy's pale face was fixed in a perpetual, toothless grin, and it was quite disturbing.

  -Laplace immediately understood that this guy was strong - really strong.

  "And who are you?!"

  "Let me introduce myself! I am Shaco, the clown of madness and jester of chaos!"

  Laughter began to echo out of nowhere, but Laplace ignored it. It was a classic bard's trick, easily performed by anyone; amateurish stuff.

  "What do you want from me?"

  "You've been giving my boss trouble, so I have to kill you! But..."

  Shaco gave a short laugh, pulling a knife from somewhere and pointing it at him.

  "I admit it's a shame! I've been watching you a lot, and you're talented!"

  Did he watch me? I didn't even notice.

  It was a big problem. If the enemy had someone as exceptional as Shaco in their employ—one capable of evading detection even by Laplace—then they were indeed up against someone truly dangerous.

  "Will it be a clash between jesters, then?"

  Laplace didn't get an immediate response, as his opponent began laughing like a maniac. It was clear that Shaco wasn't taking the situation seriously, nor did he view Laplace as dangerous. This irritated the jester quite a bit, but he remained calm and refrained from attacking his seemingly distracted opponent.

  I mustn't get fooled! This guy is good... I've never heard of a demon jester named Shaco. How could he have escaped the sight of the president? This Almodeus really has dangerous beings at his disposal.

  That the president of the Four Jesters organization hadn't already gotten his hands on someone like Shaco proved something was amiss. Laplace had to be careful with his next move.

  "Ahahahaha! You're hilarious, boy! Can I know your name?"

  "Laplace..."

  "Like the math demon? I understand now! Anyway, I'm not just a jester! I'm also a clown!"

  "Clown and jester together?"

  "Exactly!"

  “Ultimately we aim to make people laugh, but Enlighten me – where’s the difference?”

  Shaco vanished abruptly at that question, astonishing Laplace. No trick, no distraction—he simply vanished. He doubted he'd used teleportation magic; those instantaneous moments were particularly rare. Could the Shaco he'd been speaking to until now have been nothing more than an illusion? Beautifully done, if that were the case.

  "Do you want to know the difference?"

  The clown's voice echoed through the forest—it was as if he were everywhere. Explosions went off near Laplace, creating a huge face of Shaco made of sparks in the sky. Boxes suddenly appeared out of nowhere, shooting out confetti, streamers, balloons, and countless other things that the masked jester had never seen before.

  “All right, jester! I'll tell you! The difference is…”

  Laplace could only watch as the fireworks display unfolded before him. The image of streamers and sparkles in Shaco's sky had opened its mouth, protruding a tongue made of multi-colored balloons. Walking above them was the clown himself, who smiled at him and began gesticulating as if he were a circus announcer.

  "...PRESENTATION!"