You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

The orc squad was searching for food in the desolate swamp.

They have cat or dog ears on their heads, are extremely agile, and move with almost no unusual noise, making them perfect hunters. Even in muddy swamps, they move with ease.

In this day and age, not to mention the superior races that rely on elves for survival and do not need food at all, even for races like the orcs, who have a tradition of hunting and no farming culture, finding food is not so simple.

After all, it's a world where black and gray blizzards can strike at any moment, making it incredibly difficult for flesh-and-blood beings to survive without magic. In the wild, plant fruits and animals are practically nonexistent... and there aren't even many edible insects.

At times like these, swamps and coastlines become highly sought-after spots, as few races typically pay attention to them. Hidden beneath the silt and decaying plant roots, in the damp sea sand, are often some not-so-delicious but highly nutritious snacks.

There is a certain danger in operating along the coastline, which is the territory of marine species. This race, which is like mermaids, is very troublesome and in some ways even more terrifying "predators" than orcs. Once captured, they will be taken back to be Starfury... Orcs, who generally dislike water, would never go to their territory unless they had no other choice.

Another advantage of the swamp is safety, because orcs are even agile enough to find footholds and escape routes in the mud, effectively avoiding hostile races such as demons and elves.

That's how nature works. It's not about the survival of the fittest, but the survival of the fittest. As long as you find the right niche, you can survive even without magic.

(Conversely, the dragon spirits, due to their extreme belligerence, have irreversibly declined despite their individual strength.)

This is why orcs are in a better situation than humans.

The sad thing about humans is that before Iori appeared, they couldn't find a stable ecological niche and could only live as large rats...

The orc squad's harvest wasn't great today. None of the plants they tried to plant survived, and they didn't catch any fish in the pond either, only some plant roots and stems.

Looks like we'll have to move again.

"At least we could grow some berries before, but it's getting harder and harder now. If this continues..."

"The tribe is getting bigger and bigger; maybe it's time to fight the wild cats next door."

How many will die this time?

"...Hopefully, I can keep it below 30%, then I should be able to survive."

Just as they were about to give up and turn back home, their heightened senses helped them discover something amiss.

"who is it?!"

"There are enemies here?!"

Although they encountered enemies, they did not panic. First of all, their opponents were humanoid races, and not the [Skywing Race]. Judging from their height and build, they were probably forest elves or vampires. Although these two would be difficult to deal with, magic was difficult to cast in multiple incantations. As long as one of them could launch a surprise attack, their physical advantage would be enough to end the battle instantly!

Fortunately, we have a 'Blood Bad' individual here—the three of them exchanged glances.

The orcs surrounded them, and just as they were about to swarm them, something incredible happened.

"Be quiet."

hum!

A blinding light burst forth from the void, transforming into seven ornate longswords woven from silver threads that struck the ground in front of each orc with deadly precision. Their speed and accuracy instilled an instinctive sense of threat in the beasts.

"Well--!"

"Be careful."

"What kind of hell magic is this?!"

The three orcs leaped up as if avoiding snakes and scorpions, nimbly jumping onto the tree, but still surrounding the person and observing him warily.

"Nice to meet you, gentlemen of the canine beastmen race."

Unexpectedly, the other party spoke in the Orc language.

"I am not your enemy, but a messenger of the gods. Killing me will not do you any good. Let's get along better."

"God...which god?"

"Human gods!"

The messenger smirked, removed his hood, and, to the astonishment of the orcs, said in orcish, "I bring you instructions from my master, the god!"

The orcs, of course, refused to believe it: "Nonsense! I've never heard of that!"

"It's true, believe it or not."

The messenger laughed, "Anyway, I won't be the one to bear the consequences."

"This……"

"I have only one message to convey:"

You are not allowed to wage war against the surrounding tribes again, otherwise your settlements will be cursed. If you don't want to die, you'd better behave yourselves for now.

"What did you say?!!"

The three orcs simultaneously contorted their expressions into a ferocious grin.

Are you teaching us how to do things?

"Hey, hey, hey, that's terrifying! Don't make that face."

The messenger chuckled: "Don't worry about how much damage you'll suffer—because you don't have the strength to wage war anymore anyway."

The other tribe will also receive a warning, so you don't need to worry about being attacked first.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Although I don't know what race you are, you're actually disguising yourself as a human... But our tribe's affairs are none of your business!"

"I've said it, believe it or not—as long as you're prepared to bear the consequences."

The messenger paused, as if remembering something: "In the past, there were some tribes that didn't believe in our advice and even launched an attack on us. As a result... Oh, right, that tribe seemed to be the Blacktail Cat Clan."

"—!"

The orcs collectively bristled, staring at each other in disbelief, and the atmosphere suddenly became eerie.

"Blacktail...it seems he really did suddenly seal off his own valley..."

"They were willing to give up their former territory and forcibly end the war with the White Claw Clan. Could it be... But how is that possible? That's a large tribe with several thousand people..."

"My lord's decree has been delivered; what follows is none of my concern."

After speaking, the mysterious messenger turned around leisurely, intending to leave.

"Wait a moment!"

An orc shouted, "How can we believe this without any explanation? If we don't start a war now, everyone will starve to death. If we fight, half of us will survive!"

You tell us to behave ourselves, but how are we supposed to survive? Hey!

"..."

The messenger paused, turned slightly to look back, and his chilling gaze made the orc's blood seem to freeze, and his hands stopped moving.

"How are you going to survive? That's really... none of my business."

The messenger's lips twitched slightly, but he held back in the end, only saying coldly, "You never wanted to listen to us, and now I have nothing to say."

"?"

The orcs were puzzled, but the messenger had completely lost patience and turned to leave, afraid that he would be blinded by hatred.

—He had relatives who died in the orcs' hunt and had long since become their food.

Rick, the leader of the Apostles and also a "King," decreed that they were not allowed to launch attacks on foreign races or provoke wars at will. The Apostles were all resolute individuals, specially selected mature and stable people who were generally able to restrain their hatred.

But as the saying goes, "a sharp blade can ignite a murderous intent"... When they possess the power of revenge, it becomes very difficult to suppress these thoughts.

However, he couldn't do it!

This is preparation for the duel between the "God of Man" and the "God of War," all for a more prosperous and flourishing tomorrow for mankind. Bearing this responsibility, how can one let selfish desires control one's mind?

When he became an apostle, he swore that his soul would be dedicated to the future!

"That charlatan...we can't let him go!"

One of the orcs possessed a skill called "Blood Destruction," which allowed him to unleash unimaginable physical abilities in an instant. Suddenly, his eyes flashed with ferocity as he lunged at the messenger.

"Whether it's true or false, stay here and hand over your information!"

Just as the orcs were about to pounce on the messenger, the man suddenly raised his hand, releasing a light even brighter than before.

hum!

The light was so bright that it made one think, "If there really is a sun, this is probably what it looks like."

Of course, this was just a temporary illusion; the light was insignificant compared to the sun.

However, even so, it was enough to subdue an orc!

"what!"

Although they had prepared for the sunlight, the orcs did not expect it to be so intense, and were almost blinded by it.

He quickly closed his eyes, and the next moment he felt an invisible force acting on him, enveloping his entire body in tangible heat—

"Damn it... Ugh, ahhh!"

Seeing the Bloodbath individuals easily burned to ashes, all the orcs abandoned their plans to continue fighting and turned to flee the area.

Orcs have never been a brave race, driven by a reverence for power in order to survive.

……

The messenger watched the orcs leave with a cold eye, then nodded slightly.

Now they can't disbelieve me, right?

"Although some physical force was used, it shouldn't be considered a violation of the rules; it was merely a self-defense counterattack."

On the back of his right hand, there is a white sun pattern encircling a circle.

That was the blessing that Iori bestowed upon this person. Not only him, but all the "Apostles" have similar blessings, and the blessings bestowed by Iori are different according to each person's talents and compatibility.

He possesses considerable talent and a burning rage against all injustice, yet he also has the rationality to control his anger. Therefore, Iori endowed him with a faint divine quality related to the realm of "judgment" from the [Sun].

Just like the relationship between Ra and the Egyptian gods, Iori is now the chief god of these twenty-two apostles, and they can barely drive divine power with their bodies of the Third Law. If they are properly developed in the future, they may be able to rise to the level of subordinate gods—of course, this is only a theoretical possibility.

But to be honest, the humans in this world are the elite after multiple rounds of elimination, and the apostles are even more so. Although someone like Rick is rare and hard to come by, his quality is quite considerable, and Iori is quite optimistic about him.

Their potential surpasses that of the Death Girls!

"The orc race doesn't have a unified country, and we have to notify each tribe individually, which is really troublesome... But in this way, this continent can be quiet for the time being."

Then--"

The level of interest in [war] will drop to its lowest point ever!

This was done to weaken the power of the God of War, Artesius, but it wasn't Iori who ordered them to do it.

Iori merely sent the apostles to collect human survivors; it was Riku's plan to spread the news and create panic among the various races.

Just as the Winged Race would challenge Iori for the sake of the main god, they would also do their utmost for the main god, even if it was something Iori neither needed nor expected.

But Iori didn't say anything to stop them; she just quietly watched over them.

As a god, he can accept worship, but how to serve the gods has always been a matter of human wishful thinking, and is not something he should interfere with.

……

【Ding! 】

[CGs have been collected]

The God of Mankind

Type: Art style.

quality:……

grade:……

Rewards Overview:

Art style value +50;

Divine Revenge

Inflict more damage on the aliens—the enemies of humanity.

The more humans a person kills, the more they are considered an "enemy of humanity," and their stats increase significantly when fighting against them.

The more aliens you kill, the greater the effect, up to a maximum of double.

Divine Protection

The guardian of all mankind, increases attack power and weakens enemy damage, the amplification attribute can be doubled up to the size of the human group.

The effect will persist as long as there are individuals in the world who fit the definition of "human".