The Chief Ogre laughed menacingly at the corpses of his dismembered kin. With a single attack, they had been utterly wiped out and yet he laughed harder, louder… He didn't mourn them; he relished the carnage.
"Excellent! To think that you... the lowest filth in this cave... could wield such power. How? HOW?"
His knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip, his instincts screaming at the sheer pressure of Maddy's magic.
"Did you bargain with the Primordials too? No… if you had, you'd be able to speak with me, to communicate, or even take a new form. No… that's not it."
He leveled his heavy war bat at Maddy, whose body was trembling with a fury she could barely contain.
"You know, worm... you've actually done me a favor. My kin were becoming a burden. I've been contemplating their end for a long time. You just saved me the effort of swinging the bat myself."
Maddy stared at him, her blood running cold.
"He wanted them dead? All of them How can someone be this twisted? To stand over the bodies of your own family and smile..."
The Chief Ogre's voice dropped into a terrifying growl.
"Even after I forced them into a pact with the primordial Satan, they were still pathetic failures. They could barely touch the surface of that magic. You see, worm, power requires talent. It's like handing a legendary blade to a peasant—if the hand is weak, the steel is useless. Those fools were held back by their primitive instincts. They died as they lived: ordinary."
He pulled the Princess upward, bringing her eyes level with his own.
"But with her... the blood of a demigod... I will forge a species that will bring the monster world to its knees. And you think a bottom-feeder like you can take her from me? HA... HA... HA!"
Maddy recoiled, her disgust plain.
"Ugh… behaving like a completely abusive husband. You remind me so clearly of him, the same obsession with having children, willing to use women however you please to satisfy your desires. Classic sick men…"
The Chief Ogre let out another deafening laugh.
"A Chimera worm… a parasite that takes the traits of others. That's why I've hated you more than any creature. You have what I crave most: endless evolution. You can change in ways I can't even imagine. That's why I hunted you, killed you before you could become something else… and yet, you survive. And now… the worm has finally grown a brain."
He dropped the Princess like a sack of unwanted meat, her body hitting the stone. His eyes burned with a sickening, demonic light.
"With her mind shattered, she's useless. And with you here… what a fine day to be alive. As if the primordials themselves are handing me this miracle!"
Maddy stopped listening and drew in another deep breath, her stomach swelling with gathered air.
"I'm done listening to your shit, demon. Your obsession ends here. Air Shot!"
The Air Shot shrieked toward the Chief. But he didn't even flinch. He carefully set his baby down and arranged the Princess's arms to cradle the child against her chest.
"There, my little boy. Behave and watch how your father turns this worm into pulp. After this, I'll teach you how to swing a bat."
He stepped forward, his chest rising as he lunged, heavy feet cracking the stone beneath him.
"You… you're going to be my pet. You'll make my breeding faster, worm! My firstborn demands a brother!"
As the blast reached him, he swung his war bat in a violent arc. The metal whistled through the air, colliding with the magic and shattering the wind blast into harmless mist. Maddy's heart skipped a beat.
"Did he just stop my Air Shot? He really is different from the rest… You want a fight, boy? Then fine—let's fight!"
The Chief Ogre surged forward Maddy courageously lunged to meet him, her jaws snapping at his throat, but he twisted away. She felt the wind of his war bat whistle past her skin, a sound that promised instant death. The Chief roared, swinging the iron club in a punishing arc.
"Too slow, little parasite!"
Maddy felt the pressure of the air crackling around the weapon. She quickly forced a small burst of air from her stomach, the recoil kicking her body just out of reach. The bat slammed into a stone pillar instead, reduced it to fine powder in a single strike. Her heart hammered in her chest as she muttered,
"If that touches me, I'm a home run. YIKES!"
She didn't wait for a second swing and dove straight into the dirt. Her small body tore through the earth, tunneling rapidly toward the Chief's feet for an ambush. Above her, she could hear his heavy footsteps thumping against the cavern floor. He roared like a boastful beast,
"I know where you are, worm!"
As Maddy burst from the ground to sink her teeth into his ankle, he leaped back with a sneer. He caught her mid air with a brutal swing from his war bat. The force was like being hit by a falling mountain, sending her spiraling through the air.
"AHHH! Damn it! We're basically playing golf and I'm the ball!
Maddy smashed through one stone wall, then another, each impact rattling her very soul. She skipped across the ground like a skipping stone until she crashed into a distant chamber. Her Map skill recorded the new areas automatically.
[New Map Acquired: Area 3—]
[New Map Acquired: Area 3—]
[New Map Acquired: Area 3—]
Maddy shouted over the chaos, the system voice clashing with the roar of falling stone and whistling air.
"Stop! You're like a computer that's lagging!"
The Chief Ogre run through the wreckage, his eyes wide with genuine confusion looking how Maddy was still unscratched, while readying himself for another attack.
"What the hell are you eating? That should have turned you into a red smudge!"
Maddy coughed, dragging herself up from the rubble while shaking the dust from her eyes.
"Try eating diamonds instead of worms! Then maybe you'll actually be hard, instead of just hardening your d***!"
She knew she couldn't match a monster of his caliber in a straight fight.
"I can't fight him directly… He's too fast, too strong, too experienced for my current form. I need to do something… THAT'S IT, I'LL BLIND HIM!"