THE MARTIAL KING - Season 9 Episode 5

In the perspective of the ogres, it seemed to be the case that humans were not much different from grazing animals like cattle or sheep. One of the only disparities between both species would be that human meat tasted a little tenderer, albeit it was troublesome to continue consuming them. Humans took aggravatingly longer to reproduce more of their kind, and it was more taxing to cultivate them compared to unassuming cattle herds.

Because of this, the ogres would not normally slaughter humans for simple meals or for no reason at all. Rather, they were reserved for special occasions. The ogres kept the humans alive until it was appropriate to slaughter a portion of them during grand festivals and celebratory feasts.

Apart from their grand occasions and extensive banquets, the ogres had also begun killing humans for their sacrificial rites which happened every now and then. It was a complete anxiety-ridden, fearful, and traumatic experience for the human beings on the pasture, as they dreaded the days wherein they would be murdered for the ogres’ pleasure. Every time they held such events, a dozen or so people had been butchered for the sake of their rites.

From time to time, there were indeed some humans who would rise to stubbornly resist against the imposing ogres. However, that kind of resistance proved to be futile on every occasion and had always resulted to absolutely nothing. It had always despairingly concluded in the same way even if their defiance stemmed from the need to live.

No matter how much they had fought and no matter how desperate the humans had been, they could not change their fate—ending up in the hands of the ogres one way or another. Additionally, those who fought harder and struggled more to resist their impending doom typically died a more miserable and pathetic death, as their rebellious behaviors only angered the ogres more.
Lying on the bed, Zen’s posture reflected his composure and his eyes looked calm as the tranquil waves of the sea.

In the eyes of the ogres, however, Zen merely appeared to be a sheep that could bite, not at all a threat to be concerned over.

What they were not aware of was that Zen considered them as ants despite their impressive heights and enormous builds.

As the group of ogres advanced towards him, the boy named Craig looked apprehensively with a stick held tightly in his sweaty palm. The boy appeared to be nervous as he made a visible gulp and slightly shivered. ‘What is this piece of wood going to do against them?’ the young man thought as he gripped the twig closer to his trembling body. Just like the others who had attempted before, Craig initially possessed a sense of courage to resist. It seemed inherent for human beings to be defiant in the face of great threats, with the need to stand up for themselves and to survive.

However, Craig knew deep inside that he did not have the strength to defeat his enemy.

The exact moment the ogres arrived within arms’ reach of the cowering boy, Zen’s eyes immediately flashed. Within a blink of an eye, his soul whooshed out of his body and wreaked havoc among the group. The soul of the man had transformed into a mighty weapon that looked like a machete as it swept across the cluster of ogres as fast as an eagle soaring through the wind.

Without the ogres even having recognized the fact that they were being attacked, the amorphous machete had already entered into the minds of the ogres. Just as quick as Zen’s soul had passed into their minds, the ogres’ souls instantaneously shattered into pieces.

“Lub-dub! Lub-dub!”

The bodies of the ogres visibly reacted to the intrusion, as they violently jerked the moment their minds had been tampered with and promptly destroyed.

After a second had passed, the previously brawny bodies of the ogres stiffened momentarily before collapsing and falling down hard on the ground. There was no apparent change in Zen’s stoic expression as he obliterated the ogres within a span of mere seconds.

With an apathetic look on his face, he raised his head and fixed his gaze on the astonished leader of the group who numbly stood in the distance. Breathing out deeply, Zen closed his eyes in concentration.

In contrast to Zen’s calm and indifferent behavior, Craig, who was previously terrified of the large ogres before Zen had attacked, appeared to be dumbstruck at what he had just witnessed.

The boy was formerly positioned close to Zen when the ogres approached. Upon sighting the six or seven ogres getting nearer and nearer to where they had stood, a brief moment of hopelessness washed over him and he was prepared to die in their hands. ‘I would rather fight the ogres until my last breath than be eaten by them, ‘ he had thought in despondency as he had closed his eyes tightly with his knees almost buckling from nervousness and terror.

However, it turned out that he did not need to die by their hands when the soul of the young man charged ostentatiously and zipped between the ogres.

What he just saw was completely beyond him and it left him with a gaping mouth and eyes the size of saucers. The boy barely had any time to react before all of the ogres attacking them plummeted to the ground like fallen dominoes.

Staggering behind the man in shock, his hand flew up to his mouth and he gasped; what Zen had just executed could only be done by a God! Looking at the man who couldn’t move on the bed with fascination, the young boy was definitely certain that he was a God sent by the heavens above. This was due to the fact that Craig had never seen such a feat achieved by a mere mortal before.
The boy felt his chest fill with undulated excitement and exhilaration at his realization; it was an absolute honor to stand by the side of a God. Moreover, he could not help but feel relieved at the fact that a powerful deity had protected him from being in the clutches of the ogres.

With mild exasperation, Zen did not know that Craig would be this thrilled because of him. Not minding the eager looks the boy was sending his way, he furrowed his eyebrows and intensely focused on expelling the troublesome force of space from his body. At the very least, he needed to be able to move his body properly.

According to what Mist had told him, the continent where he was currently in was also a mainland and it was significantly larger than the entirety of the Central Region. If it was to be compared with the others, it could be considered as on par with the continent wherein the four divine kingdoms were situated in.

Pondering by himself, Zen deduced that there were also some ogre masters in this continent. With a newfound determination, he reflected that before the powerful ones managed to get him, he had to recover to his strongest and most powerful state.

The head of the pack who had given the orders for some of the ogres to attack stood not far away and blinked at the immobile man with shock, clearly astounded by the stunt Zen had just pulled. The feeling of being threatened had never washed over him before and it was definitely the first time the ogre had felt daunted. Just like a human had never undergone fear or trepidation when faced with sheep, he had never felt threatened by a human before.

However, witnessing a sheep that could kill a group of humans with simply a look, any man would be petrified. As his legs were seemingly stuck on the ground refusing to move, the head of the group of ogres undoubtedly felt the same.