Chapter 162 Sugita Group ⑤
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Note: A rare bit of title clickbait¹. Not a single member of the Sugita Group actually shows up.)
I closed the distance on the War-Ogre and swung a low-line slash, but he parried it effortlessly. I immediately transitioned into hit-and-away tactics to keep my distance and avoid a follow-up.
”Fast. But there’s no weight behind it,” the War-Ogre said.
I instinctively hissed through my teeth. To call that strike “light”… this guy was on another level. I had a feeling that even if I unraveled my blade into its whip-form², I wouldn’t land a dent.
”Fine then… try this on for size!” I shouted.
I sheathed the whip-sword and pulled a spare from my Item Box. I used it for dual-wielding usually – a heavy tungsten greatsword. This time, I shifted into a high guard and brought the hammer down.
A violent, metallic crash echoed through the clearing, like steel striking solid granite. The War-Ogre had caught the edge of my blade with his club.
”Now that’s more like it! The best impact yet… but you’re still swinging like a child!” he roared.
It wasn’t quite my all, but he deflected the strike with terrifying ease. I was still light-headed from the blood loss, but even so – to swat that back? The man had the strength of a god.
”My turn!” the War-Ogre yelled.
He brought the club whistling down toward my skull. I caught it with the greatsword, but the weight was staggering. My arm buckled. I clamped both hands onto the hilt, straining to keep the stone from crushing me.
”You actually stopped my swing? I’ve never seen anyone pull that off!”
”Glad… to be the first,” I managed to grit out.
”A shame, really. You’re just too light!”
He began to overpower me. Even with my feet planted, the sheer force sent me sliding backward through the dirt. And then, with a sharp grunt, the bastard flicked my blade aside. My guard vanished. Like a lead-off batter, the War-Ogre wound up and took a full, murderous swing.
”Crap-!”
I didn’t get my guard up in time. The club caught me square in the stomach. I was launched like a bullet, my ribs screaming as I slammed into a massive tree. Before I could even gasp for air, the club came hurtling through the brush toward my head.
* * *
”A-Ah… no… Natsumi-san…”
The sight of the carnage forced me to my knees. My heart shattered.
”I thought he’d be a challenge, but is this really it?” the Orc sneered, his mouth curling into a jagged grin.
He was certain of his victory. It was only natural. The stone club he had thrown scored a direct hit. Even Natsumi-san couldn’t survive that velocity; he must have been crushed instantly.
The man I loved was gone. The shock threatened to pull me under, but then I felt Leki and Mihiro watching. I was the only thing left between them and these monsters. I could see the Orcs’ eyes roaming over them – they would be used as playthings and discarded. I forced myself to stand, stepping between the Orc leader and the others.
”The male is dead,” the Orc said. “You belong to us now.”
”I understand,” I replied, my voice trembling but firm. “But please, let those two go. I will be your plaything. I will be enough. If you let them leave, I swear I will serve you with everything I am. But if you refuse… I will die here with them.”
The Orc paused, weighing the offer. Finally, he gave a slow, begrudging nod.
”Fine. You’ll do. Hey, listen up! Nobody touches the other females! This one is mine!”
The surviving Orcs grunted and backed away. It was enough. To save Leki and Mihiro, this was the only path.
”Mama!” Leki cried out.
”Leki, I’m so sorry. Stay with Mihiro-san and-“
”Papa is alive,” Leki interrupted.
”What…?”
A sharp crack split the air, followed by the thunderous boom of falling timber. A blur of movement cut through the wreckage. It was him. Natsumi-san was standing there.
”Hey Mama, I didn’t smell a drop of Papa’s blood,” Leki said quietly.
It finally registered. The air was thick with the stench of Orc gore, but Natsumi-san was clean.
”Lil-san, you really lost your cool there,” Mihiro said with a weary smile. It seemed I was the only one who had panicked. Those two had known the truth all along.
”You… you’re still standing?” the Orc stammered.
”It was a close one,” Natsumi-san said, his voice dropping an octave. “And Lil, sorry for the scare. But we’ll talk about that later. You’re getting a punishment for that little stunt you just pulled.”
”My love… yes! Yes, please!”
The relief was so overwhelming it made my head spin. I wanted to cry, to laugh – the thought of his punishment made me ache with a frantic, desperate joy.
”And you, War-Ogre,” Natsumi-san said, turning back to the Orc. “I owe you an apology.”
”For what?”
”I wasn’t taking you seriously. I was being arrogant. But that ends now. I’m going to show you what happens when I stop playing around. ‘Kneel.’”
The command didn’t just hang in the air; it crushed it. Not just the Orcs, but Leki, Mihiro, and I all found our legs giving way. We dropped to our knees as if the very gravity of the world had shifted to serve him.
I couldn’t help it. The sheer, overwhelming dominance in his voice… it left me soaking wet.
* * *
Everyone was on the ground. I hadn’t even targeted my allies, but the skill was too potent to filter.
God, that was a narrow miss. The second I saw that club coming, I saw my life flash before my eyes. Dying again? I thought. But in that heartbeat before impact, I remembered the skill I’d swiped just the other day: ‘Aias’³.
It saved my life. I was disgusted with myself – getting so rattled that I almost forgot my own toolkit. If I’d stayed calm, I could have ended Sugita and his goons without breaking a sweat.
I had ‘Royal Authority’ active now. I had ‘Time Compression.’ I even had the forbidden sorcery Mihiro warned me about – the magic of the Seven Deadly Sins.
’Royal Authority’ might have failed if Sugita’s level was higher than mine, but there were a dozen other ways to win. I was just too hot-headed for my own good.
”W-What… what is this…?” the War-Ogre gasped, struggling against the invisible weight. He was glaring at me with a mix of raw hatred and pure confusion. I’ll give him credit – most of the other Orcs were already face-down in the dirt, but he was still trying to look me in the eye.
Setting aside Lil’s heavy breathing for a moment, I looked him dead in the eye.
”I gave you an order,” I said.
”An order…?”
”Exactly. It’s a Unique Skill. And since you’re so fond of power, try this on for size. ‘Pride’s Radiance’⁴.”
I pointed a hand toward the clustered Orcs. A blinding lances of light erupted from my palm like a surgical laser. The Orcs caught in the beam didn’t even have time to scream; they were simply erased from existence. A massive explosion followed, carving a colossal, glowing cross of light into the darkened sky.
It looked exactly like an Apostle⁵ death from that old anime.
The War-Ogre was trembling now – actually shaking. Good. If he realized that could have been him, he should be terrified.
”That’s enough,” I said, deactivating the skill.
The pressure lifted instantly. The War-Ogre scrambled to his feet, gasping for air, looking like a man who’d just escaped the gallows. Lil, on the other hand… she looked like she was in the middle of a fever dream.
”You… you were hiding that the whole time?”
”Not hiding it. Just forgot I had it. A lot’s been going on,” I said casually. “But look, I’m still not at a hundred percent. I’ve lost a lot of blood. Want to keep going? This is your best shot. Tell you what – if I lose, you can take Leki and Mihiro too. They’re yours.”
”Natsumi! Are you insane?!” Mihiro shouted.
Leki just patted their hand. “It’s okay. Papa won’t lose.”
”But Leki-“
”I know Papa. He gets stronger when we aren’t looking. He won’t lose.”
It was a little embarrassing that the kid was the only one with any confidence in me. Even Lil had been ready to sell herself into slavery five minutes ago.
”A tempting offer,” the War-Ogre grunted.
”One more thing,” I added. “I won’t use ‘Royal Authority’ or ‘Pride’s Radiance.’ I won’t use any offensive Unique Skills at all. Just me and my blade. That’s a hell of a bargain, isn’t it?”
He was an Orc. High-quality bait like that? He couldn’t resist.
”Fine. But don’t come crying to me when I’m standing over your corpse!”
He took the hook.
”Besides,” he added, a manic glint returning to his eyes, “fighting someone this strong… it gets my blood pumping more than any female could!”
A total battle junkie. I guess that’s the only way you get a skill like his.
”Is that so? Then come and get some,” I said, beckoning him with a flick of my finger.
”RAAAAAAGH!”
He charged, the ground shaking under his weight. He swung the club with enough force to level a building, and-
I caught it. One-handed.
He strained, the muscles in his arms bulging as he tried to crush me, but I didn’t move an inch.
”How?! I was pushing you around just minutes ago!”
”Yeah, because of your skill, ‘Warmonger’⁶,”
”How do you know that?!”
Simple. I’d Appraised him the second he threw that club. ‘Warmonger’ quintuples stats during combat – against a War-Ogre, that’s a massive multiplier. That’s why he’d overpowered me before.
But that advantage was gone. While Lil was panicking, I’d scanned my new skills. One stood out: ‘Skill Trace’⁷. It’s a Pride-category cheat. I can copy any skill, even Unique ones. I can only hold one at a time, but in a world of light novel tropes, a copy-paste ability is essentially a god-mode toggle.
”Damn you! Move!” he screamed, but he couldn’t budge me.
”Are we done? My turn.”
I grabbed the club he was holding and lifted. I hoisted the entire War-Ogre into the air with one hand and hurled him like a shot put.
He screamed as he shattered through a massive oak, his momentum carrying him through three more trees before he finally came to a stop fifty meters away in a cloud of splinters and dust.
I walked over to where he lay. Even after that, he was still conscious. Orcs are nothing if not durable. But he was finished; his legs wouldn’t support him. I rested the tip of my sword against his throat.
”I give… I give,” he wheezed, raising a hand. Even with a blade at his neck, he was grinning. “That… was the most fun I’ve had in years.”
—
Summary:
Natsumi initially struggles against a powerful War-Ogre Orc due to blood loss and a lack of focus. Lil, believing Natsumi is dead, attempts to sacrifice herself to save Leki and Mihiro. However, Natsumi reveals he used ‘Aias’ to survive and proceeds to dominate the Orcs with his ‘Overlord’ skills, ultimately defeating the War-Ogre by tracing its own strength-multiplying skill.
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Trivia:
- Natsumi is currently recovering from massive blood loss from previous battles.
- Leki can identify Natsumi’s status by scent rather than sight.
- Natsumi’s ‘Royal Authority’ is level-dependent and would not have worked on his previous human enemies (Sugita) if they were higher level.
- The ‘Aias’ skill was stolen recently and saved Natsumi’s life in the blink of an eye.
- ‘Skill Trace’ has a limitation: it can only hold one copied skill at a time
—
Character Insight:
Natsumi shows growth by realizing his own tendency toward ‘hot-headedness’ and choosing to use his tactical ‘Cheat’ skills (Appraisal and Skill Trace) rather than relying solely on brute force. Lil’s reaction reveals her deep trauma and self-sacrificial nature, which Natsumi intends to ‘punish’—furthering the master/slave dynamic.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author explicitly references the 1995 anime ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ with Gendo Ikari’s pose and the cross-shaped light explosions associated with Angels/Apostles. The ‘Title Fraud’ note is a common web novel meta-joke where the chapter title doesn’t match the content.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Sugita – Sugita Kazu. The leader of the Sugita gang and the primary bully of Natsumi Sasaki. His grandfather is the Superintendent General and his father is a Police Superintendent, so the two of them covered up all his crimes. Because of this, he does whatever he wants wherever he goes. He has a lean build, sharp features, and a calculating gaze. Possesses the ‘Steal’ (窃盗) skill and uses it to brainwash women.
• Natsumi – The protagonist. Height 168 to 171 cm, weight 57 to 59 kg. He has a baby face, but he hides his eyes with his bangs. He was bullied by the Sugita gang just because his name sounded like a girl’s name.
• Mihiro – Post-gender swap of Yuki Chihiro: Height 160 cm, B-W-H: 82-55-80. Futanari. Short haired black hair, handsome.
• Leki – Lil’s daughter. Height: 140 cm, B-W-H: 70, 54, 69. She looks more like a Siberian Husky puppy than a wolf. Honestly, she just looks like a stuffed toy, recently transformed into a human form. Now use great axe as weapon.
• Lil – One of the heroines. Height 166 cm, B-W-H: 90-56-90. She is a top-tier beauty with long indigo hair down to her waist, a large scar on her abdomen and sharp golden eyes. She has wolf ears and a tail.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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