HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

(TL Note: Idk why I'm thinking angry birds, I must be going insane…)

In the heart of the great forest, Theresa sprinted tirelessly through the trees on her short legs. Occasionally, she wielded a blade forged from Blood Embrace essence, dispatching demonic creatures that dared to block her path.

"Ah! Just where is this Ogre Tribe village?" she muttered.

Having ascended to a high branch for a vantage point, Theresa scanned the surroundings but could find no trace of the Ogre Tribe's settlement. The forest was vast and sprawling; even the most colossal events would barely register beyond their immediate vicinity. An army hundreds of thousands strong could move undetected within its depths—a fact that underscored both the scale of the woods and the stealth capabilities of those who traversed them.

As for why Theresa had ventured out in search of the Ogre Tribe—it stemmed from a recently accepted bounty mission: to protect the very same clan from annihilation.

[Bounty Mission: Protecting the Ogre Tribe]

Mission Details: The advanced demonic beings known as the Ogre Tribe, residing in the Great Jura Forest, face imminent destruction at the hands of the Orc King's hordes—the legions of orcs.

Mission Objective: Ensure the survival of at least 100 members of the Ogre Tribe.

Mission Rewards: 30 Crystals, Luna Kindred Fragment x1

-

In the Great Jura Forest, the Ogre Tribe numbered over three hundred souls. Ensuring that at least a hundred survived would be considered mission accomplished.

To Theresa, however, saving them was no issue; after all, these were merely members of the Orc Tribe—no match for her capabilities even if they numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

The true challenge lay in locating their position—a task that had stumped Theresa thus far.

Just then, a thunderous roar resonated above her head as an enormous shadow cast itself across the sky.

"Inky, you've arrived," she exclaimed with delight upon seeing the giant black dragon hovering overhead. Her face broke into a smile as she swiftly flew onto its back.

"My lady."

"Find the village where the Ogre Tribe is being trampled by the Orcs." The black dragon moved with incredible speed, making it far easier to search from above than trying to locate the Ogres on foot through the dense forest below.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for Theresa standing atop the black dragon to see... an endless sea of pig heads.

The armor adorning these humanoid swine... was even more impressive than any she had witnessed among human soldiers in her homeland. Every single one stood fully armed and clad in gleaming plate mail—a type that encased their bodies from head to toe with barely an inch exposed.

Yet there was a monotonous uniformity about them; as if they possessed only one class of soldier—each boar-man equipped identically, wielding the same weapon: an axe-like instrument without exception.

For demonic creatures—especially low-tier ones like the Orc Tribe—it was utterly inconceivable to possess such an abundance of high-quality equipment.

However, these orcs differed significantly from the hundreds of thousands that Rimuru would later face with his own minions.

Here, there seemed to be only a few tens of thousand at most.

Moreover, orchestrating their strategy appeared to be a high-ranking demon—a mastermind behind the scenes.

-

"We seem to have arrived rather late..." Theresa mused, gazing down at the Ogre Tribe village engulfed in flames. Numerous orc warriors were still employing fire attacks with relentless efficiency.

The ogres likely hadn't yet comprehended why an assault had come so suddenly upon them.

As high-ranking demonic creatures, members of the Ogre Tribe rarely faced any creature daring enough to provoke them—let alone the lowly Orc Tribe.

As chaos engulfed the Ogre Tribe amidst raging flames—causing even casualties among their ranks—the Orc Tribe army began its assault under the command of a masked demonic figure.

"It's our turn now, Inky," Theresa said, her voice carrying a mix of anticipation and gravity. With the Oath of Judah slung across her back and the Blood Embrace transformed into a crimson short sword in hand, she gazed down at the scene below.

So many pigs... Today shall be a day for them to truly relax! she thought grimly.

One might pity the plight of the Orc Tribe, but Theresa had no qualms about that. It was simply survival of the fittest—a law of nature she neither questioned nor challenged.

If you find little piglets so adorable, she mused, then why eat pork? Why still fry it or stew it when given the chance?

-

"Merely Orcs," the black dragon scoffed. "No matter how many there are, they're still but ants."

Theresa couldn't help but caution him, "Still, you should be wary. These orcs have the aura of the Orc Diaster around them! No matter the extent of their injuries, all it takes is a bite of food for them to instantly recover.

"In fact, they even consume the remains of their own kind." She felt compelled to remind the black dragon of this threat.

"What?! The Orc Diaster again? Has another Orc King emerged among the Orc Tribe?" The black dragon was taken aback by this revelation. At its peak, the Orc Diaster had been equivalent to a powerful Demon Lord—an existence that could not be underestimated even by a giant like himself.

"Indeed, though the current Orc Diaster has yet to reach the level of a full-fledged Demon Lord." It seemed the black dragon was already acquainted with the concept of the Orc Diaster; Theresa saw no need to elaborate further.

As she observed the vast army of the Orc Tribe closing in on the entrance of the Ogre Tribe village below, Theresa swiftly cast aside the cross slung across her back.

"Go forth! Oath of Judah!" she commanded.

As Theresa hurled her two-meter-wide cross towards the Orc Tribe village entrance, it instantly grew to over ten meters in size before crashing down with devastating force. Several pig-headed orcs were crushed upon impact, their bodies splattering across the ground.

Yet these creatures behaved much like zombies—indifferent to death itself. As they observed their fallen kin, only those nearest paused to feast on the corpses; the rest continued their relentless advance without hesitation.

"We won't let you pass," Theresa declared firmly. "Oath of Judah, unleash your full power!"

Centered around the Oath of Judah, a shimmering halo expanded outward, encompassing an area hundreds of meters wide. Within this radiant circle, all members of the Orc Tribe found themselves trapped, utterly immobile.

In that instant, the cross unfurled its true form, revealing countless golden spears of light within. These luminous projectiles launched forth with pinpoint precision, impaling every immobilized orc within range from above. The orcs toppled one after another, falling lifeless to the ground in waves.

The Oath of Judah functioned as a semi-automatic weapon—a far more convenient choice compared to conventional firearms. Theresa's sole role was to activate it; once unleashed, the Oath handled the rest autonomously.

-

However, the range of just a hundred meters was insufficient to deter these pig-headed creatures. Cleverly, they shifted their position, aiming to bypass Theresa's line of fire.

Just then, another Oath of Judah descended from above.

Theresa possessed two spare Oaths of Judah at her disposal.

Having fired both Oaths, she couldn't be bothered to retrieve them. Instead, she transformed the Blood Embrace in her hand into an enormous Axe of the Fallen and leaped off the black dragon's head, swinging it downwards with all her might.

"Entomb!"

The massive blood-red axe crashed down under Theresa's forceful swing. The earth trembled violently several times as the pig-headed beings below were reduced to nothing but shattered flesh. A colossal crater formed—a pit dozens of feet wide and tens deep—wherever the axe struck.

Now free of Theresa's weight, the black dragon drew a deep breath before exhaling a blast of dragonfire directly onto the remaining pig-headed horde below.

In an instant, swathes of the enemy were obliterated, cleared away like autumn leaves swept by a gale.