Chapter 43: Ravage

“O-okay!” Anna replied hurriedly, her hands trembling as she prepared her healing divine arts.

It wasn't just the kobolds who were staring wide-eyed; the young priestess was as well.

She knew Gavin’s melee skills were formidable, but she hadn't expected them to be this extraordinary.

In battle, Gavin was like a dancer—dancing on the edge of a blade.

The giant wooden club in the ogre's hands looked thicker and longer than his own body; if he were struck by it, he would surely be crushed into meat paste, and her healing arts would likely have no chance to intervene.

Yet, every time the club was about to make contact, Gavin would step right, leap left, or even perform a full roll on the spot, dodging with ease. He was able to precisely predict the landing point of every attack.

Anna remembered Mr. Gavin once teaching her this technique. He said that when watching an enemy's attack, one shouldn't simply stare at the weapon, but rather watch their waist, their shoulders, and their elbows. Wherever those three went, the weapon in their hands would inevitably follow—though, being supernatural, there would be no surprises without magic involved.

It sounded simple, but looking at that wooden club, which was thicker than her own waist, Anna felt she wouldn't be able to maintain such calm judgment under that kind of threat.

In her view, the wisest choice would be to run as fast and as far away as possible.

*Crack!*

*Augh!*

The ogre let out an even more shrill scream.

Anna's healing divine arts had produced a peculiar side effect when cast upon him.

While the tendons in both feet were healed, the bone in his right leg snapped under the influence of an invisible force, the lower half flipping outward.

"It's fine, see? It's better this way." Gavin agilely jumped beside the broken leg. He delivered a forceful kick to the protruding bone; realizing it wasn't perfectly aligned, he spun around and delivered a tail whip, snapping it straight.

The entire process was clean and efficient, as if he had practiced it countless times.

The magic from the healing divine arts was still in effect, reattaching the ogre's freshly broken leg bone.

"Augh... I'll kill you... Roar... I'll kill you all... Roar..." The ogre lunged up from the ground, slamming his club against the earth and pounding his own chest with his other hand. He felt as if he were about to burst into flames.

Pain and humiliation mixed together, relentlessly battering his brain.

It wasn't that he had never failed, but he had never been this pathetic, and certainly never lost to a kobold.

If word got out, not only would his kin mock him to death, but he wouldn't be able to show his face in the vicinity again; no goblin or kobold would ever fear him.

This time, Hou did not focus his strikes on the kobold at his feet, but instead aimed his gaze at the others.

"Where do you think you're going? Your opponent is right here." Gavin twisted his body and lashed out with his tail, striking the ogre's previously broken leg once more.

No matter how miraculous healing magic was, it could not restore a limb to perfect condition in such a short time. Combined with the ogre's massive body weight, this strike acted as a catalyst, causing a loud *crack* as the leg broke again.

Hou, who had just been about to charge, fell back to the ground with a heavy *thud*.

The kobolds, who had been preparing to scatter upon seeing the tide turn, suddenly halted. They erupted into a chorus of barking laughter, laughing so hard the ogre's face began to twitch.

This time, before Gavin could even move, the ogre dropped his giant club and used both hands to force his leg bone back into place.

He didn't try to stand up again either; instead, he sat on the ground, picked up the club, and began swinging it wildly.

*Weren't you trying to attack my legs?*

*Let's see how you attack me this time!*

"Idiot!" Gavin cursed with a laugh. With a roll, he moved directly behind the ogre, stabbing and poking wildly at his back, some of the strikes aimed directly at his thick neck.

This area was a complete blind spot for the ogre, leaving him unable to defend. After taking several painful hits, he hurriedly scrambled to his feet.

He knew very well which was more fatal: having a neck artery severed or having a leg tendon cut.

This was a slaughter.

An absolute, unmitigated slaughter.

By the end, even someone as pure-hearted and kind as Anna felt a bit of sympathy for the ogre.

He couldn't win the fight.

He couldn't run away.

And he couldn't even die.

There was a priest nearby who would occasionally hit him with a dose of healing.

Healing with strange side effects.

Before long, the ogre was limping, his face was covered in blisters, and his messy hair had been stripped clean.

Finally, he slumped onto the ground, clutching his head, and mumbled hoarsely, "I surrender, I surrender... stop hitting me... I surrender..."

"So you're not completely brainless after all!" Gavin put away his weapon, stretched his body, and voluntarily deactivated his transformation.

"The Lord is amazing! We are willing to follow the Lord to the death, woof!" Goss was the first to scramble to Gavin's side.

"I believe you said those exact same words a few days ago," Gavin said with a half-smile, looking down at the cunning kobold.

"A few days ago was out of necessity, but now I mean it from the bottom of my heart, woof!" Goss patted his scrawny chest in guarantee. "If I am lying even a little, may my soul never be reborn after I die."

"I don't look at oaths; I look at future performance. As long as you work hard, I won't mistreat you," Gavin said, waving his hand. "I'll leave this big guy to you. He's been squeezing you all for so long, he should have some savings. Once you interrogate him, we'll go raid his home. Also, send a few people to the river to help him wash up. I don't know how long it's been since his last bath; the smell is overwhelming."

"You got it!" Upon hearing the task, Goss's eyes lit up with excitement, and he quickly ran toward the ogre.

Perhaps because he now had someone to rely on, his stride had changed. He walked with a typical wide-set gait, head held high, adding a sense of unearned arrogance—much like a fox following a tiger.

Still worried the ogre might suddenly lash out, Gavin shouted his orders from over ten meters away.

Upon hearing that he was being ordered to bathe and being asked to reveal the location of his cave, the ogre's mouth twitched. This was a total stripping of his dignity. Instinctively, he reached for his giant club, but after glancing at the nearby Gavin and then at the human priestess beside him, he shuddered.

He stood up obediently and began walking toward the small river.

In Hou's eyes, the latter was far more terrifying than the former. She wasn't a priest; she was a demon. If he allowed her to keep healing him, he feared he wouldn't be himself anymore.

"Send two people to help him wash," Gavin said, dissatisfied with the intensity of the ogre's bath. That little bit of water wasn't even enough to wet the tops of his feet.

"You two, go help him wash," Goss called out, pointing to two of the sturdier kobolds.

The two kobolds looked at each other and nudged one another, clearly reluctant to take the task.

The ogre's temper was notoriously unstable; they feared that one wrong move would result in them being crushed to death. They didn't believe they possessed Gavin's agility to dodge such an attack.

"You go. Don't worry, I'm watching from behind. I guarantee your life won't be in danger," Gavin said, tossing a horse brush to Goss.

The bath was a pretext; the real goal was to further break the ogre's spirit.

"Fine... alright!" Goss gritted his teeth and, bracing himself, walked forward tremblingly. This was the perfect opportunity to prove his loyalty.

*Scrub.*

The ogre sat obediently in the water, showing no reaction.

*Scrub.*

*Scrub.*

Seeing that the ogre was being incredibly submissive and had completely succumbed to Gavin's overwhelming prestige, Goss suddenly gained spirit. He brandished the horse brush like a precious sword, swinging it wildly back and forth.

(End of Chapter)