The Record of Orc Civilization

Chapter 462: The Instinct of the Extinguished

Swa watched the back of the young Asura named Diru as he stepped out of Goku’s private quarters. The youth’s gait was stiff—not from the exhaustion of standing for hours, but because he had just been forced to drain his entire memory. Swa had shown no mercy; he had interrogated every inch of Diru’s report, forcing the captain to recall whether the scent he smelled was the brimstone of Demon skin or the sulfuric residue of a fire spell.

Even so, Swa felt no guilt. The information Diru brought made his heart race. Lines of anxiety were etched clearly across his face, clashing with the logic that struggled to reject the bitter reality before his eyes.

"This is impossible. It’s too soon. Didn’t Ez say we still had a year? It hasn’t even been six months!" Swa clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Ez said we had at least less than a year. He never guaranteed it would take a full year for the Demons to strike. Shouldn’t you have realized this when you saw inside that traitor’s head?" Goku said. His voice was calm, but his gaze could not hide the same underlying dread.

At this moment, they were alone. Without subordinates present, they were free to speak with absolute honesty. As first-generation Asuras, they had weathered countless storms. Goku, in particular, remembered vividly how the Orc tribes were once slaughtered like pests by passing human mages who simply had the spare time to exterminate them.

"But we aren’t ready! The number of Asuras is still too small, and Moku hasn’t finished his cultivation. Add to that the signs of rebellion from the Hobgoblins and other monster races... We are in the worst possible position, Goku! We won’t be able to withstand a Demon onslaught!"

"The enemy will not wait for you to be ready, Swa. We’ve known that sooner or later, every Demon would become our foe." Goku shook his head slowly, and Swa caught a faint, thin smile on the commander’s face.

"You can still smile?" Swa was aghast. "Do you think we stand a chance against the Demons without Moku?"

Goku fell silent for a moment before answering, "If Lucifer were leading that army, then we might as well wash our necks and wait to fight together in The One’s Heaven. However, if Furfur is the one leading the enemy host..." Goku let the sentence hang, then looked at Swa sharply. "What do you think is the reason the battlefield Diru found was left unguarded by a single soldier?"

Swa went quiet, his mind racing. "There are many possibilities, but based on the data, there are only two primary probabilities." Swa held up two fingers.

"First: the war there took too high a toll and triggered dangerous mana radiation capable of mutating Mana Species. It is highly likely both sides withdrew temporarily until the radiation subsided before returning to collect their fallen. However, this is the least likely, as Demons rarely care for the lives of their weaker kin."

Swa folded one finger, leaving only his index finger raised.

"The second possibility—the most logical one: a duel occurred there between 9th Constellation mages. Judging by the mana residue and the remaining light spectrum—if Diru’s report is accurate—then one of them must have been Stent Gaht, the strongest human."

"And who do you think Stent Gaht’s opponent was?" Goku asked.

Swa paused. "I cannot be certain. Information on Level 9 Demons is scarce. However, of the five Demon Lords invading this continent, Lucifer was the one positioned closest to that battlefield."

"Which means Lucifer is currently pinned down in a duel with Stent Gaht. He won’t be able to lead the army personally. Therefore, the one leading the Demon army attacking us right now is Furfur, the Demon Volcano!" Goku concluded.

"Whoa, slow down, Goku. I didn’t say that. I’m not certain myself," Swa cut in quickly.

Goku shook his head firmly. "No, I am certain it is Furfur."

"How can you be so sure?" Swa asked, full of anxiety. To him, drawing a conclusion without accurate data was a fatal error.

Goku only smiled before asking back, "Swa, why do you think Moku chose me to lead the Old Battlefield instead of Mige? You know yourself that deep thinking and strategy are not my strengths."

Swa gaped, not understanding the direction of the conversation.

"I don’t know... maybe because you’re older?" Swa guessed randomly.

Goku nodded. "You’re right."

"Huh?"

"Long before Moku was born, long before the Asura race existed in this world, I witnessed the horror of our race nearly going extinct. Hunted and slaughtered like vermin, hiding in the dirt like rats. At that time, I was the leader of a tribe that didn’t even number a dozen. What do you think allowed our race to survive until Moku was born into this world?"

Swa remained speechless.

"Instinct!" Goku answered firmly.

"To those who rely on their heads, like Mige and Boku, this might sound ridiculous. But don’t you feel the same thing, Swa? Do you really think you can analyze that much information accurately, without a single mistake, just because you’re a ’genius’ like Ez?"

Swa was stunned. The words struck him right in his blind spot. Goku was right. Swa was not a pure thinker. Before Laya’s death, Swa was even too lazy to choose a meal, leaving every decision to his brother. He had survived until today not because he had grown into a genius, but because there was something in the depths of his heart that always whispered the truth.

All this time, Swa thought it was the result of data processing. But information was never a hundred percent accurate. What, then, made him always so sure of his conclusions?

"Instinct..." Swa whispered softly.

"Yes, instinct. And do you know what my instinct is telling me right now, Swa?"

"What?"

"That my time is coming soon, and I will shortly return to The One’s Heaven."

"What?! Goku, what are you talking about!" Swa began to panic.

Goku ignored the panic. With eyes glinting with absolute resolve, he gave his final order. "Swa, I am charging you to evacuate Progenitor City immediately. Withdraw all our forces from there and gather everyone at Capital. After that, you and Mige must prepare Capital for total defensive war. Finish what must be finished. Wilwatikta cannot fight if there are still disgusting parasites gnawing at us from within."

"Goku! What are you actually planning to do?!"

"Earlier you asked if we could fight the Demon army without Moku. Now I have the answer. Swa, listen well. Although Wilwatikta is not yet fully prepared, you need not worry. I may not be able to defeat Furfur... but I can hold him off until Wilwatikta is ready!"