~One of the continental nations where the Orc coup took place~
When a second coup occurred in the Republic of Wuhan, the citizens realized something.
The Orcs had no intention of returning power to the people.
[Orcs, do not deceive the people!]
They tried protesting.
[We resist the Orcs' tyranny!]
They've thrown Molotov cocktails.
[The Parliament will not succumb to the bayonet!]
There was even a miracle of agreement between the minions of the dictatorship and the New Party of Democracy.
But------
[As of this hour, the orc warriors will cease their assault on the gate.]
""------!!!""
The orcs responded with a hard line.
Their undemocratic procedures and tyrannical suppression aside, the continental nations largely relied on the orcs for defense.
Gate observation lenses are often stolen, and the only reason they've managed to survive in Greater China, where the rate of dungeon breaks is dozens of times higher than on other continents, is because the orcs have somehow managed to work around it.
Unlike gates, which can be tackled sequentially, dungeon breaks require a large number of monsters to be fought at once.
It's best to take a lot of casualties and attack the gate quickly.
However, corruption has been rampant in Greater China since the country was still a nation.
Whether or not Dungeon Breaks are killing people, stealing a pair of American-made gate observation lenses is worth tens of billions of dollars to the party cadres.
The only reason these contradictory and corrupt nations survive is because they let the orcs in, which means------
"Greater China gave its lifeblood to the orcs a long time ago, no wonder it turned out the way it did."
"Tsk tsk. They don't even bother to fight for themselves, but leave the military to others."
At the sound of Leon's tongue-lashing, Association President Oh Kang-hyuk shook his head in agreement.
"This situation. They must be behind this."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I've been looking into it."
While Greater China was being swallowed up by orc democracy, the nations of the world mobilized their intelligence assets.
"There are beings who are uniting the orcs everywhere, the Black Orcs"
"After all------"
Orc warriors who have fought tirelessly in the Demon Realm, including the Orc High King Murka Balak seem to have united and incited the orc tribes of the world.
"By nature, orcs are not interested in politics. All they seek is power."
That's their greatest strength and their greatest weakness: they know war, but not politics.
"But this move--this move was completely political."
When Mr. Oh was briefed on the details, he was surprised and frightened.
They rallied orcs from all over the country, staged a simultaneous coup, and used the slogan of democracy.
Although the vote didn't go their way, and they quickly staged a second coup, even this seemingly frivolous second coup had a message.
You have no alternative but us.
It was a simple, yet insidious, tactic to make them realize that once and for all.
"It pretends to be democracy, to give citizens a choice, but in reality, it's a trick to make them surrender."
As Mr. Oh organizes the information to report to Leon, he suddenly realizes that the timing of the Black Orcs' appearance is coincidental.
"They appeared half a year ago------"
They appeared not long after Leon had defeated Rakshar.
"Could it be that there are demons behind them?"
At Mr. Oh's reasonable guess, Leon shook his head.
"No. They may recognize the strong, but they're not the kind who would succumb to the demons. All this planning and determination must have come from Murka Balak."
"Murka Balak------"
He'd heard about the Orc High Khan from Leon, but even he found it hard to believe.
Being able to command dull orcs to make thoroughly political moves is not something that can be accomplished by mere charisma.
In other words, Murka Balak had the power to sway the orcs and the cunning to think politically.
"He's a formidable opponent."
"Yes, he is a formidable foe. And he is favored by their gods."
"Favored by their gods?"
"The orcs on Earth don't seem to have a god, but they do in this king's world."
Leon had seen orc warriors on his world who were favored by the orc gods.
The warriors of Helkan.
The shamans of Gokrok.
The hunters of Skunik.
Among them, the entities called Champions possessed the strength of the Holy Knight class.
"Holy Knight class--- you mean?"
Although Oh Kang-hyuk's reaction was astonishing, Leon wasn't surprised; it was a common occurrence in his world.
It was just that the orcs he encountered on Earth were too weak.
"What is the position of your government?"
Leon asked, eager to ascertain the government's intentions. Oh Kang Hyuk was embarrassed and answered cautiously.
"The government is entirely on your side. We view the orcs as potential enemies, and we believe they pose a grave security threat to our unified nation."
"But you Earthlings, unlike us, do not unconditionally hate the orcs."
"------Yes, if we were to launch a preemptive strike in the name of preventive war, the international community would not look the other way. Sanctions and condemnation would follow."
And that's a lot for a country that just reunified.
It would be impossible for War Knights like Lionheart to attack Orc tribes individually.
Leon understands this, which is why he hasn't touched the surviving orcs of this world.
He would not interfere with the rule of their legitimate leaders, even if they were too foolish and unwise for his liking.
"But you will soon see. Orcs, those beasts are not meant to coexist with humans."
With that, Leon turned away.
Foolish fools by nature, they learn by blood.
[37 days after the Orc Coup! Orc Continental Confederation formed! Confederation Leader, Grand Dukan Murka Balak!]
In the chaos of the world, the Orc Continental Confederation was born.
* * * * *
The citizens rebelled as the orcs staged a series of coups and de facto dictatorships.
But no matter what the helpless citizens said, the orc dictators gradually gained control of the country.
In the 21st century, the modern economy is heavily weighted toward the business of obtaining gems from monsters.
The more inland China is, and the more deserted the west, the more it relies on the gate industry for much of its economy, especially in coastal countries with industrial parks.
But the ones who harvest the gems from those gates are the orcs, and without them, the economy can't function.
-Scary. The Chinese Orcs are not in a normal mood right now.
-They have cut off all transactions with relay companies that previously handed over magic stones and items at low prices. They united to not do any business with humans at all.
-A week's strike by the orcs is enough to bring most Chinese republics to their knees.
-How in the world did the orcs identify this economic vulnerability?
The Chinese Republics, who had relied on the orcs for security, economy, and society, could not stand by and let them take over at will.
They turned to the orcs for peaceful negotiations.
The cause of all this, the Black Orcs and Murka Balak, High King of the Orc Continental Confederation, whose overwhelming charisma had brought countless orcs under his sway over the past six months.
"You want to negotiate?"
Murka looked down at the negotiators from his scrap metal chair, escorted by Kran, the highest-ranking Orc shaman, and a group of Black Orcs.
Skulls, beast bones, and primitive weapons, to high-tech mage weapons unseen on Earth, to fragments of frozen giants--- to the faintly brilliant stardust he had recently become accustomed to.
Every element that comprised the chair seemed to symbolize the timeline of a great conqueror.
Murka casually looked down at the negotiators, an arrogant gesture that bordered on impolite in international diplomacy, but none of them could complain.
The aura naturally exuded by the Lionheart King, the Demon Lord, and other beings of a different order of existence was not something a mere mortal could resist.
"Yes, the current disturbances will only cause mischief and division. For true democracy, we must-─"
Boom!
A sneering snort made the speaker flinch.
He was the former People's Chairman of the Tianjin Republic, and Murka also knew his history.
"How ridiculous, coming from a former minion of a warlord dictatorship, to talk about democracy."
"That's---!"
Murka retorted with their logic, then looked down at the former leaders who had been ousted by the coup and the cameras that were broadcasting it all.
"Let me ask you, can you guys attack and dismantle the gate on your own?"
Breach the gate.
The reason the orcs were brought to this continent in the first place.
Lacking the strength to attack the gate on their own, they embraced the orcs.
"Well, to a certain extent------"
"Kran."
"Yes, the Great Khan."
At Murka's words, an old orc shaman arrived with a pad, uncharacteristically for an orc.
He flipped through the modern text with skill, reciting his report.
"Dungeon breaks have increased tenfold since the orcs' strike on the gate. Crap, the Human Hunters' combat capabilities are terrible. Well, that's because we left all the high-level gates to the orcs."
In Greater China, human hunters made a career out of hunting down monsters that had gone wild in the streets.
Gate capture was dangerous and risky, and heavily taxed.
It's much more profitable for them to hunt feral monsters and sell their gems and drops on the black market.
For orcs, mining for gems or dropping items is simply loot. They don't care about the tribal taxes they earn, so any gate they can get their hands on will be taken.
"What a disparity of power. Negotiations are based on equality. Your power is not equal to mine."
"------"
It's a frustrating truth. No one here felt they had the power to challenge Murka and his forces.
"Ha, but the entire industrial base of the country is human! Do orcs know about finance? The manufacturing and processing industries are all human-"
"Workers, you mean. Do you treat them as equals?"
"Ugh------"
It was a fight that was bound to be lost. Orcs and humans are not equal in power on the continent.
"Don't overestimate your labor. I am not in need of you. But you do need me and my men."
Now, are you and I equal?
Simple, clear logic. Murka's question pierced through the bewilderment of the nations of the Middle Lands.
'How can it be--! How can it be an orc!'
'Is this really an orc? Aren't orcs supposed to be stupid?'
'I've been trying to cajole my way back into a position of strength, and it's all for naught!'
You can't negotiate because you're not equal, so you just give in.
"You have failed. You failed and gave the gate to the orcs, who hunted us down with the monsters that came out of it, and you shared the byproducts."
Murka looked at the humans gathered here.
For the past six months, they had come down here in a bargain with the demons to watch the world.
Quietly and surely, Murka had subjugated the orcs across the continent and made himself their king.
"You are full of contradictions. Your society and your systems have no rationality."
Murka's gaze held contempt. It's a piercing gaze that's sincere.
"You talk about fairness, but a few powerful people hold and sway everything. You pretend to have a common goal for the collective, but it's all so disjointed and lacking in rationality."
The purposefulness of the collective is more complex than any of us realize, even for the simplest of creatures.
That's what Murka sees with Earth's humans.
"At least not me. Orcs are different. We don't wallow in contradictory self-absorption and fool ourselves into thinking we're equal, like you."
"What------"
"My rule will be rational. I will not waste resources on irrational prejudice and foolishness like you."
Murka looked over the cameras focused on him.
"The citizens will be protected by the orcs. But the price will not be as cheap as before."
He speaks of the right to rule and the duty of the ruled.
"Fuck off, and take it. Bow your head and swear allegiance. Only submission will keep you alive."
It was not unlike any medieval kingdom.
* * * * *
"Are you okay?"
The pinnacle of the Black Orcs, the Great Chieftain of all Orcs in Greater China, there was only one man who could treat Murka so lightly.
"What do you mean?"
Rigardo, Warlord of the Four Beast Gods, asked the champion of the Three Great Orc Gods.
"That thing must be up to something."
"Of course."
"Besides, doesn't the boss need the labor of the humans? I know he says so, but society doesn't run without labor."
It goes without saying that the orcs are a fighting force, but their numbers do not overwhelm the humans.
There are less than two million orcs spread across the continent in total. On a continent of 500 million people, that's less than a small ethnic minority.
Of course, there are 700,000 orc warriors who are considered to be at least B-class hunters. That's a lot of power, but it's distributed across the continent and under Murka's control.
In other words, if you can target Murka, the head of the Orc Continental Confederation, you might be able to get away with it.
"Rigardo, warlord of the stinking beast gods. Do you think you are my equal?"
"------"
Rigardo smiled bitterly at the question.
It had been hundreds of years since he had fled the barbarian slaughter of Lionheart and joined the orcs.
Somehow, he'd ended up fighting the Demon Lord's legions and even entered the demon realm.
Most of the Beast God's cultists had perished on that brutal battlefield, leaving only Rigardo to speak for the Beast Gods.
"No, the Boss and I are not equal."
Rigardo understood the natural power dynamic.
"So, does that hurt your pride? Does it make you want to twist your stomach and go for my throat?"
"No. I'm willing to increase my strength, but I still don't think I can beat you."
Rigardo was certain. Not even Vulcanus, the monster considered the best vessel of the beast gods, could stand against Lionheart.
Then the only one who could stand against the greatest monster of all time was the orc in front of him.
"Kkhkh, yes. But not those humans."
Murka looked at the former powers, unable to hide their contempt for him until the very end, and they would do anything for their lost power.
"This race naturally does not give in to other races easily. That is why I dared to bring up the word 'negotiation' without understanding the topic."
Knowing their weakness, they ask you to share power with them, using bullshit about justice and equality.
What an illusion.
"The weak are protected within the fences erected by the strong, and they must learn to obey the fence-master."
That is Murka's philosophy of weakness.
It is the right of the ruler and the duty of the ruled.
It's not unlike Lionheart. Therefore──
"There cannot be two suns under the sky. I look forward to the day when I will face the strongest of men."
As the mightiest orc of all time predicted.
"There's no need to be fair against orc beasts. Lord Spinner, begin."
['Peacock Class' ready for action.]
This clash is inevitable.