Moon IIa of the Gomia 5VG system, United Human Planets territory. A barren rock with barely breathable atmosphere. Home to a black site of the Excelsior Group, one of the UHP’s foremost military R&D corporations.

Or it was, until many of its top researchers and management disappeared in a mysterious accident. As the story goes.

And now their blacksite was the staging ground for a massive invasion force.

Jhena let out a sigh. She had hoped they would disband after that, but she knew better in her heart of hearts.

A massive fleet arrived over the small world, a grand coalition of all the species of the galaxy. Angular Ar’on line cruisers, the amorphous curves of the Silmud flotilla, sleek and efficient UHP Navy battleships, the swarm carriers of the Thrucax, the fearsome super-dreadnoughts of the Qhungrul. There was even a contingent from the mysterious machine hive known as the Echo.

The full might of the galaxy, assembled.

“You all right?”

Colonel Dagurx walked up next to her, joining her at the observation window of the UHNS Vindicator, flagship of the United Human Navy. Jhena shrugged.

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Colonel Dagurx just stood in silence for a moment.

“So what level are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“What level are you?”

“...seriously?”

“Oh come on, Jhena, you know I play games. And you killed a dragon by yourself on day one! You can’t blame me for being curious!”

“...I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?!”

“I haven’t checked.”

“Seriously?! You’re not even a little curious?!”

Jhena sighed.

“Do you remember Private Tussasaac?”

“Nordill, right? Yeah, I remember him.”

“Always with the math, that one. Thought the key to nanobot control was extremely precise calculation, defining every aspect of the construct. Maximize efficiency, eliminate waste.”

Jhena paused for a second. Colonel Dagurx glanced at her as she stared out the window.

“And then a bullet burst his brain while he was calculating the optimal angle for his shield.”

Jhena turned to glare straight at the Colonel.

“Numbers, stats. They’re all a distraction, Colonel. I know what my body can do, I can feel it as it improves. And I trust my nanobots to report their capabilities to me much more than some strange system we know nothing about. I don’t need a report developed by the enemy telling me what to do.”

Jhena turned back to the window, and said no more. Colonel Dagurx’s antenna fell to his head as his chitin turned blue. He whispered to himself.

“...is that truly the reason, Jhena?”

Just then, the window lit up. A thousand ships opened fire upon the planet. Heavy Ar’on plasma cannons. The Silmud’s megalasers. Guided missiles from the UHP. The Qhungrul’s psi-devastators that ruined a hundred worlds. Simple, unassisted metal rods dropped by the Echo, striking their targets through nothing more than extraordinary calculations and perfect timing. Missiles, shells, lasers, every orbital projectile conceivable filled the void, raining down upon the former Excelsior facility.

“I’ll admit, this puts a smile on my face.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

“Orbital bombardment has commenced. Assault teams, please prepare to disembark.”

“That’s our cue. Let’s get going.”

Jhena let out a sigh as Colonel Dagurx turned to head towards the hanger.

Here goes nothing.

Jhena let out a sigh. She was leaning against the wall of the command center, arms crossed once more. The flight down had been anticlimactically uneventful. And watching the holographic projection of the battlefield, she understood why.

These invaders were horrifically unprepared for modern conflict.

No layered air defenses. No long range air defense of any kind, much less orbital countermeasures. The invaders hadn’t even attempted to contest the landing, nor to bombard them with any sort of strategic artillery now that they had landed.

Well, that was a tad harsh.

It was hard to fight back when you got vaporized from orbit.

The invaders had no defenses prepared whatsoever for the bombardment. What the scouts encountered were scattered and shell-shocked survivors. They were halfway to the portal before they encountered any sort of organized resistance.

Well, organized yes. But resistance was a strong word for what she saw in the feed.

The invaders’ reinforcements drew up archaic battle lines. Orcs with sticks and swords forming a shield wall, dark elves forming a line of archers behind them. Massive monsters guarded the flanks as a kind of cavalry while flying monsters just hung over the group. The whole army advanced in a static formation.

And then all hell broke loose.

Ground artillery, bombs dropped from atmospheric craft, and orbital bombardment combined and tore their formations apart.

Mechanized brigades pierced through the lines of scattered survivors.

UHP tanks covered the flanks of Ar’on Liberation Army war-walkers, their railguns and plasma cannons laying down the hurt. They were screened and followed by the infantry. Organic sapients of every sort rushed forward, their power armor deflecting arrows and blades, their shields stopping magic bolts. Their railguns and laser cannons tore through metal and flesh, their beamsabers and alloy blades piercing through whatever remained.

Echo warframes mopped up the survivors with their callous, mechanical efficiency as the Silmud floated overhead, combining their minds into an impenetrable shield that deflected even the grandest of spells.

And the weapons were only the half of it.

Every piece moved as one, every individual aware of the whole, the entire battlefield visible from every helmet’s built-in display.

Squads split into fireteams and advanced in concert, one laying down covering fire as the other maneuvered.

Individual soldiers called down death from battleships in orbit, armored walkers called out targets for artillery miles away.

Flying machines overhead warned soldiers on the verge of being surrounded.

Generals safe in their command centers knew everything happening in exacting detail.

Millenia of warfare coalesced into a symphony of destruction.

Lines of orcs and undead were shattered, isolated, surrounded, and destroyed.

Mages and archers came under suppressive fire, failing to return even a single shot.

Commanders and generals were hunted, slain by snipers and drones.

Cavalry charges by mammoths and spiders were stopped dead by anti-armor munitions and air strikes.

And overhead, the Vindicator moved into the atmosphere, its heavy batteries laying down fire support. Swarms of fighters sped through the air, missiles, lasers, and railguns combining to take down flying monsters far beyond their own range.

Hardly a quarter of an hour passed and the enemy was routed.

Jhena let out a sigh.

Why was she even here?

“Sir, energy readings coming from the portal! Readings are off the charts!”

“Another wave, huh? Put in a request for another orbital strike.”

“Contact emerging! Huh?”

“What is it, lieutenant?”

“Sir, we’re only reading…one contact.”

Out of the portal stepped a fifteen-foot giant. He had blue skin, rippling muscles, and a massive head. He wore a pair of shorts and an unbuttoned, sleeveless vest He rested a club on his shoulders that looked more like a tree trunk.

“So this is what the other world looks like, huh? Seems you got some neat toys.”

He slammed his club on the ground, sending tremors through it.

“But now you face Delakur, The Ogre General of the Dark Lord’s army! Not one of you weaklings will get past me!”

A blast of plasma struck the Delakur on the face. He wiped his face and growled.

A war-walker approached him, flanked by two UHP tanks. Infantry in power armor rushed forward.

Delakur lifted his club high, then let out a shout as he slammed it on the ground.

“Earthquake Hammer!”

Cracks appeared in the ground, stretch out in a cone from Delakur’s clubs. The infantry stumbled and the war-walker swayed. The tanks opened fire.

Their kinetic penetrators slammed into the ogre.

He didn’t even flinch.

Delakur crouched down and leapt high into the air, leaving a crater on the ground. He flew in an arc towards the war-walker, bringing his club down on top of it.

And the walker’s torso exploded.

Delakur landed with a crash and grabbed one of the walker’s legs, lobbing it at the tank to his left. The leg pierced straight through the tank’s armor and the entire vehicle exploded. Delakur turned and pounced towards the second tank, flattening it entirely with his club.

A missile slammed into the ogre and exploded. He turned and looked toward the sky. An Echo sapient gunship flew through the sky, launching more missiles. Delakur picked up the remains of the tank underneath him and tossed it into the air, pulling back his club with both hands.

“Mighty Swing!”

The tank wreck blast through the sound barrier, soaring towards and through the gunship, leaving behind an explosion in the air.

Delakur then turned his attention to the remaining soldiers.

And then felt something pierce into his brain.

He spun around with a snarl. A massive, black armor suit descended from the sky, black cape billowing in the air.

“Say your prayers, peon, for you stand before a High Arbiter of the Hierarchy! Kneel before my power!”

The High Arbiter lifted his hand, his whole suit glowing blue. Delakur cried out as the Qhungrul assaulted his mind. He grit his teeth and slowly lifted his club…

And slammed it into his own forehead.

He let out a roar and lobbed his club at the flying suit. The Qhungrul grunted and moved out of the way. As he did Delakur flew through the air, straight towards him. The High Arbiter sighed and held up his hand, a blue sphere surrounding him.

“Foolish! Your mere brawn is nothing before my psionic might…”

And then Delakur smashed straight through the sphere, crushing the High Arbiter’s helmet in his palm and pulling him towards the ground.

Delakur slammed the Arbiter, forming a crater with his body. He then pounded the Qhungrul with his fists until the suit was nothing but scrap.

A tiny, furry body tried to slip away in the chaos.

And Delakur grabbed it in his hand.

“Y-You fool! That suit merely contained my…”

Delakur clenched his fist and crushed the High Arbiter.

“What was that? I didn’t hear you! Sorry, but mind attacks send me into a blind rage. It’s an ogre thing.”

Delakur looked around for his next target, but the field was empty. He could make out more troops far off in the distance, rapidly falling back from the portal. He sighed and shrugged.

“Well that’s boring. How the heck did weaklings like that wipe out an entire…”

And then the sky lit up.

Delakur vanished under a hail of orbital fire, as the fleet bombarded the portal once more.

The entire coalition held their breath as the dust cleared.

And then their jaws dropped.

Delakur stood, his clothes singed, but otherwise unharmed.

And in his hand was a twenty-foot metal rod, one of the Echo’s orbital kinetic projectiles.

“Huh, that’s neat. Let me try…”

He grinned as he glanced at the largest target he could see. He tossed the rod into the air, and pulled back his club.

“World-Breaker Swing!”

The retreating soldiers heard something like a clap of thunder, only much, much louder. A shooting star tore through the air.

And tore straight through the Vindicator's shields.

The pride of the UHP Navy began to explode and fall from the sky.

Silence reigned in the command center. No one dared to speak. Finally, General Xir Shel of the Ar’on Liberation Army opened his mouth.

“Sound the retre…”

“I’ll go.”

Jhena pushed off against the wall, walking into the room. Colonel Dagurx placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Jhena…”

“What? This is what you brought me for, isn’t it?”

“Well…yes…but…that guy. That guy just took out a battleship. With a stick.”

Jhena shrugged.

“If it breathes, then it dies.”

“You do too, you know.”

“If that happens, it happens.”

“Jhena…”

Colonel Dagurx turned blue as Jhena walked out of the command center.

A half-hour later Jhena landed in front of the Ogre General, who was sitting on the husk of a tank.

“Oh? You’ve come to face me alone? You’re either brave…or stupid.”

Jhena shrugged.

“I guess we’ll find out.”

Delakur grinned, and stood up, hoisting his club onto his shoulder.

“I guess we will.”

Delakur took of, charging towards Jhena, his every step sending tremors through the ground. Jhena leapt back and hovered in the air, firing a barrage of missiles at the ogre. Delakur ignored the explosions as he leapt into the air.

“Get down here and fight!”

Jhena disengaged her thrusters, dropping towards the ground as Delakur soared over her. She slammed her hands together, a beam cannon forming over them. She fired a massive beam into the ogre’s back.

“Hah! That tickles!”

The two combatants landed at a distance. Jhena immediately pushed off the ground and engaged her thrusters, charging straight at Delakur. Delakur leisurely turned around, eyes widening in surprise.

“You’re approaching me? Willingly?”

Jhena spread her arms, a metal blade extending from her right while a beam saber covered her left. Delakur swung his club in a wide arc. Jhena flipped over it, blades striking Delakur’s wrist. A slight scratch appeared on him, closing within a second. Jhena landed on his elbow and pushed off, flying up in front of the ogre’s face. She spun in the air, pulling her left leg back. A blade extended from her toes as a thruster appeared on her heel and engaged.

Delakur’s head turned to the side, blood flying through the air as Jhena’s leg passed him in a blue arc.

Jhena then ignited thrusters on her hands and feet to fly away from the ogre as a wild swing passed her by.

Delakur wiped his hand across his face, cleaning the blood from his mouth.

“Heh, that actually hurt, you little runt! Guess your world has some fighters after all.”

Jhena twirled in the air to face Delakur as she landed, blades and thrusters receding. She brought her hands together and landed in a one-knee crouch. A giant barrel formed on her shoulder and began to glow.

Delakur grinned as Jhena fired the proton accelerator cannon.

Back in the command center, everyone present held their breath.

“She…she’s doing it. She’s beating him.”

Colonel Dagurx shook his head.

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?! She’s tearing him to shreds, and he can’t land a hit on her!”

“But none of her hits have stuck. He’s already healed from whatever damage she can deal. Eclipse, on the other hand, might be tough, but even she can’t tank a battleship-destroying weapon. The moment she makes a single mistake, she’s dead.”

Everyone turned grim as they watched the fight.

“What…what can we do…”

Colonel Dagurx fixed his eyes on Jhena.

“Believe. She’ll find a way."

"She always does.”

Half an hour later and Jhena panted as she leapt to the side, the ogre's club cratering her original position. Delakur grabbed the club with both hands and swung it to the side. Jhena swung her hand out, a glowing whip lashing out and wrapping around a nearby boulder. She grunted as she pulled herself out of the way of the club, rolling across the ground.

Delakur grinned at her, resting his club on his shoulder once more.

“You fought well, little person, but looks like you’re running out of gas. It’s inevitable, really. I’ve been fighting for over a century! I’m over level 300 now! You can barely scratch me with your biggest attacks, I doubt you’re even three digits yet!”

Jhena just shrugged.

“Don’t know. Don’t care. You just going to keep blabbing, or are we going to finish this?”

“About that, why don’t you join us?”

Jhena froze.

“What?”

“Dark Lord always appreciates talent, and you seem like the strongest person here. You’d make a decent sparring partner with some practice. What do you say? Maybe you’ll even rule a chunk of the place when we’re done.”

“I refuse.”

“Really?”

“I don’t like following orders. Not anymore.”

“Ah, I get that. A shame though, it’s been fun. Tell me your name, I want to remember you.”

“...call me Eclipse.”

Delakur nodded.

“Eclipse huh. You were a worthy foe..”

Delakur leapt off the ground, rushing towards Jhena with his club raised.

“But it ends now!”

Jhena pressed a button on her wrist.

“Yes, it does.”

And Delakur spat blood from his mouth.

The ogre fell to his knees, clutching at his chest.

“What…what is this?”

“Death.”

Delakur’s eyes widened for a second, then he started to chuckle, coughing up blood with every breath.

“I underestimated…you…well done…but don’t…relax…yet...”

Delakur fell on his back.

“I’m…the weakest…of…the…generals….”

You have slain Level 327 Delakur!

Earned…

Jhena waved her hand once again. Slain was all she needed to know.

She let out a sigh and plopped onto the ground.

Stupid ogre’s matter was somehow tougher than normal. Took the nanobots she injected into him forever to start breaking him down and replicating. She was barely able to form a weapon in time.

She took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

If he truly was the weakest…then this fight had only gotten started.