The bathhouse had become a major hit in Oden. Every single person in the entire town was eager to use it, so much so that the bathhouse was constantly filled, and handling it became an issue. As a result, Raze immediately moved to build a second one, which was completed in just a little over a day, with the workers working full time to ensure it was built quickly.

The incentive of the bathhouse was enough motivation to push the people of Oden to work, and that was without even adding their salary and other benefits they received from the contracts they signed.

Basically, every adult in the town of Oden had signed the contract, including adventurers and people from different organizations as well. The benefits were simply too much to be overlooked.

That being said, there were still groups that refused to accept it, those who had close ties to the rich, worthy, and powerful of Oden, who couldn't risk throwing away their connections to those above for benefits they didn't know would last.

They saw what others were gaining and hungered for it, but they couldn't bring themselves to leave, trying in their limited minds to weigh the risks of it all.

Regardless of that, the houses that were destroyed in Oden were already being rebuilt, and not just rebuilt, but constructed with the best care possible.

Trees were cut down from the forest, and with the guidance of the workers from Ribest, the people of Oden were able to produce the perfect types of wood, well cut, well preserved, everything ideal for building.

Blocks were being made as well for the rebuilding, and as the houses took different shapes, they came out far better than they were before, so much better that those whose houses hadn't been destroyed found themselves wishing they had been, just to receive this kind of rebuild.

But Raze had promised that there would be a complete rebuild of Oden over time, and that everybody would enjoy the benefits of what he was bringing.

Inside one of the tents, Raze was standing around a table with Robert and Elaine, looking at a large blueprint for a project that he had drafted out. Robert was a bit stunned, considering the technicalities of the building that Raze had asked of them. It was supposed to take the place of the manor that previously belonged to the Viscount.

"Young Master," Robert said, "I don't think we have done anything even remotely similar to this," he explained.

"I know," Raze replied. "That is why I have detailed everything that needs to be done. This is like the first time you all built for me. As long as you do everything according to what I have written down, it should go fine."

He was about to explain more when one of the men from outside walked into the tent.

"Young Master," he called out, "a letter just arrived for you," he said, bringing a black envelope to Raze.

Raze took the envelope, and after the man left, he opened it and read the contents. It was from Magus Alice, informing him that she was officially done creating a cure for abominations. As he read it, a smile formed on his face. He was stunned by how fast she had been able to do it, and they didn't even need his help for the final part, which meant the eyes wouldn't be on him concerning the issue.

"What could it be that's making you smile?" Elaine asked.

"Oh, nothing really," Raze said. "Just Magus Alice telling me that she has found a cure for abominations."

Elaine's eyes widened slightly after she heard that, shocked, as if she hadn't expected it. She knew they were working toward it, especially Raze, but she never really thought they would find a cure, and that fast, to add. There was a stunned look on her face, but she quickly removed it and calmed herself.

"So what do they plan to do with it now that she has made it?" Elaine asked.

"Probably distribute it around the kingdom. The incident of the abominations has been one of the largest plagues the kingdom has faced in a while," Raze replied. "I'm sure the Queen was under a lot of pressure. This should really be a victory that she deserves," Raze said, sounding like he cared, but in all honesty, he couldn't be bothered.

[..... ]

The purple smoke poured into the chief's body like a living thing.

It seeped through his nose, his mouth, his ears, crawling into him as if it had been waiting for this moment. His body stiffened instantly. Veins bulged across his neck and arms, glowing faintly beneath his skin as he let out a low, guttural groan.

Then the screaming started.

The chief's back arched violently as bones cracked and shifted. His spine twisted unnaturally, vertebrae grinding as his frame expanded. Muscles swelled in grotesque waves, tearing through skin that darkened rapidly, turning into a deep, unnatural purple. His jaw extended forward with a sickening snap, fangs growing longer and sharper as saliva dripped onto the floor.

His arms thickened, veins pulsing like ropes as his hands grew massive, fingers elongating and ending in black, jagged claws. His height surged, wood splintering beneath his feet as he shot past eight feet, then nine, finally stopping just shy of ten.

A terrifying pressure flooded the room.

It wasn't just power. It was madness. Rage rolled off him in suffocating waves, pressing down on everyone present like a physical weight. The air vibrated as if reality itself was recoiling from his presence.

Raze and Fey didn't move.

Not because they couldn't, but because they were watching.

"…So that's it," Raze muttered, eyes narrowed as he took in the transformed chief.

The monster that had once been the ogre chief roared, the sound so loud it sent shockwaves. Without a single word, it raised its massive arm and slammed it into the ground.

Boom.

The entire house exploded outward. Walls collapsed, pillars snapped, and the floor cratered as a shockwave tore through everything in its path. The structure that had stood for decades began collapsing in on itself, reduced to rubble in seconds.

The monster didn't care.

It turned its bloodshot eyes and locked onto Raze.

And then it charged.

The ground cracked beneath each step as it rushed forward, moving far faster than its size suggested. Raze's eyes sharpened as he swung his bat up, energy flowing through his arms.

The bat hummed as he met the first blow head on.

The impact sent a violent tremor through his body, the force so heavy it felt like a mountain crashing into him. Raze slid backward, boots carving deep trenches into the floor as he barely managed to redirect the strike.

The monster followed up instantly, swinging again and again, each blow carrying enough force to flatten a building.

Raze parried, deflected, redirected. Even so, he was being pushed back relentlessly, thrown through broken walls and debris with each failed redirection.

He slammed into a half collapsed pillar, rolled, and barely raised his bat in time to block another strike that sent him skidding across the ground.

"Tch," Raze clicked his tongue as he flipped back to his feet. "This guy's lost his damn mind."

The monster roared again and lunged, smashing its fist down where Raze had been standing a second earlier. Raze twisted away, the shockwave tossing him into the air before he landed hard and slid across the rubble.

Still, no broken bones. No serious injuries.

Just pressure.

Pure, overwhelming brute force.

Before the monster could continue its assault, lightning exploded through the air.

A blade of condensed lightning formed in Fey's hand as he stepped forward, his expression calm, eyes glowing faintly with electric light.

"That's enough," Fey said.

He slashed.

A crescent wave of lightning tore across the battlefield, slamming into the monster's side and detonating on impact. The force sent it staggering, smoke and sparks exploding from its body as scorched flesh hissed.

The monster snarled and turned, eyes burning as it charged toward Fey instead.

It didn't make it far.

Fey raised his hand, and multiple lightning swords formed in the air around him, each one crackling violently before launching forward like spears. They slammed into the monster repeatedly, shoulder, chest, legs, each impact bursting with thunderous force.

The creature pushed through it.

It roared and forced its way forward, muscles bulging as it tore through the lightning with sheer strength, dragging its burning body toward Fey.

Fey clicked his tongue softly.

"So stubborn."

He slammed his foot into the ground.

Lightning erupted outward in a massive wave, engulfing the monster completely. The ground melted beneath the electric surge, cracks glowing as arcs of lightning danced violently around the creature.

The monster screamed.

Still, it tried to move.

Fey lifted his hand again, fingers snapping shut.

A massive lightning blade descended from above, crashing down onto the monster's.,,,hahs.

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