I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm
I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm – Chapter 76 Part 2

THUD!

Ruglace landed hard on the ground with a heavy impact- his fist was clenched tightly and trembling.

What he saw while midair nearly made him nauseous; thousands of toadmen were pouring out of the swampy waters surrounding the island and were rushing toward the portal.

How did I not notice they were hiding in the water!?

It seemed so obvious in retrospect- the bubbles, the shells of slain creatures, and the eerie silence enveloping the area, but he realized it far too late; the toads would reach the expanded clearing near the portal in a matter of minutes.

Ruglace turned back to the portal in question, watching soldiers hurriedly carrying baskets and pouches through.

There is not enough time!

To save on fuel, the army had decided to keep the captured creatures on this side of the portal until the pick-up group arrived in the morning. With the giant pile now needing to be moved in such a short time, the Oracle was regretting this decision.

"This doesn't look too good, Ruglace."

He let out an anxious sigh at the voice in his head, "Yeah, this is not going to be fun."

The sounds of shouts and turmoil caused by the approaching swarm were crescendoing, yet the Oracle was left in an awkward position. It would be a bit before the toads reached the clearing, yet there was not enough time to do anything too meaningful to prepare. Ruglace could only stand there, watching the soldiers quickly grab their spears and form lines surrounding the portal. 

"I think you guys should retreat before the toads get there. Leave behind what you can't get through the portal in time- we probably already have enough of everything to start some populations in our world if we're careful."

Ruglace shook his head at the suggestion. "I would agree, but there is no way we can just run away like that so easily."

The creator of the world sighed, "Please don't risk your life for pride. We already brought back a ton of stuff- the heist will be a success even if we can't get all of the pile through in time. You guys did great."

"No- it is not that."

The Oracle leaped off the ground and pointed out into the distance. There were several groups of humans running from the advancing horde and even a few hiding in the tall grass in areas overrun by them.

"Oh shoot- the scouts!"

"Exactly. There is no way I can leave without them," Ruglace nodded at the creator of the world's realization as he landed, "I need to buy enough time for them to sneak back to the portal without getting caught."

"A-alright. Just please retreat when it gets too much. You guys look outnumbered ten... no- twenty to one based on what I saw when you jumped. It'll be hard to stomach throwing away the lives of hundreds of people in an attempt to save a dozen."

"I will keep that in mind."

Just as Ruglace tightened the grip on his stone axe, dozens of scouts shot through the grass at the edge of the clearing- these were the lucky ones who were able to outrun the toads' approach.

The relief on their eyes was evident as they staggered behind the line of spear-wielding soldiers with heavy breaths. Most were uninjured, having ran at Ruglace's shout, yet there were a few who showed some signs of brief battles or struggles.

One of these injured specifically caught his eye; it was a soldier he recognized as being the one to retrieve the first buggy boy and swamp vine seeds. In contrast to his previously smooth face, which somehow remained unscathed despite coming from a northern tribe, his face was now sickly and half-covered by a bumpy, red rash vaguely in the shape of a hand with four fingers.

Is that... poison?

Before he could fully process the sight, the soldier's friend who was supporting him called out.

"Do not let the attackers touch your skin! It has the same effect as rubbing a bright mushroom on yourself!"

The soldiers all looked at themselves, quickly noting which areas were exposed, while some shifted their grips on their spears to get more range as the duo slid to safety behind the line.

Not even a moment later, the first toads leaped through the grass.

""Screeeee!""

Gross...

Ruglace grimaced as he looked at the nearly nude, lumpy creatures charging toward them.

"If they really do have poison on their skin, this will be tough..."

Shlinch!

The nearest toad was pierced midair through the chest by a javelin.

Shlinch! Shlinch! Shlinch!

More javelins followed, each skewering a toad and causing their corpses to rain down onto the clearing. As each one hit the ground, three more leaped out from the grass, taking their place.

Ruglace glanced back at the portal behind him, clicking his tongue.

There are way too many. We can not keep this up for long.

Every time a soldier brought a pouch or basket through the portal, they returned with a bundle of javelins, yet the resupplies were nowhere near fast enough to keep up with how many they were throwing. 

Despite the barrage of javelins, the toads were steadily advancing toward them. It would only be a matter of moments before they'd have to fight hand-to-hand.

He wanted to order a full retreat; the pile of creatures and seeds near the portal was already nearly completely moved through, but when he looked at the line of tall grass, the Oracle could clearly see a few soldiers crouching and waiting for their chance to run over.

We need to make a distraction- there is no choice but to fight.

"Get ready!" Ruglace shouted to his men. "Hold the lines! Fall back when you need to rest!"

Despite the order, the Oracle took a step forward, lifting his axe to his shoulder as a soldier quickly took his place in line. Moments later, the first toad leaped toward him.

"RAAAAAAAH!"

Slice!

Ruglace swung his giant stone weapon with a shout, effortlessly slicing through the lunging creature and staining his clothes with blood.

""RAAAAAAAH!!""

His men joined his cry, spears raised. 

Shlinch! Thud! Slice!

Sounds of battle filled the air as the toads reached the line, but the density of the enemy only seemed to increase despite the growing piles of bodies littering the ground. The soldiers could only find solace in the fact that the enemies were almost pitifully fragile.

""SCREEEEE!""

Their cries were almost painfully loud, but no soldier had the luxury to cover their ears- even a brief moment of hesitation could leave a fatal opening against their poisonous touch.

Without looking back, the Oracle continued savagely swinging his axe into the crowd. Each movement led to multiple toads splitting in half or losing limbs. Ruglace tilted his head as a severed arm flew past his cheek.

This is disgusting.

With a grimace on his face, the Oracle took advantage of a small opening and leaped off the ground.

WOOSH!

His eyes scanned the battlefield; his soldiers seemed to be doing fine so far with not a single toad breaching the front line, yet Ruglace knew their stamina wasn't endless. From this height, the never-ending stream of toads only seemed more daunting.

The creator of the world's orders echoed through his mind as he glanced toward the soldiers hiding in the grass.

There is no way they can sneak through this many enemies. I need to save them myself.

Resolve cloaked the Oracle's face, and he kicked off toward the grass the moment his feet touched the ground. 

Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice! 

He dashed at full speed, cutting through every toad in his path and leaving a line of diced corpses in his trail.

Before he knew it, he reached the first soldier duo on the edge of the clearing.

"Follow behind me!"

By the time he turned around, his carved clearing had already been filled by more toads, forcing him to escort them with his axe, but now needing to match their speed, it took him much longer to fight his way back to the portal.

The two rescued reinforcements quickly joined the line once he returned. Fatigue was clear on the soldiers' faces as they desperately held their positions against the onslaught of lunging toads.

Lucky, there are no casualties yet... but if they keep fighting like this...

The outcome was obvious. 

By this time, he could see glimpses through the battle of hiding soldiers in the grass getting caught and subsequently buried under a pile of toads. After seeing what their touch did to the earlier soldier, it was clear what their fate would be.

Ruglace bit his tongue to focus while he continued slicing toads.

If I charge in to try to save them, the soldiers here might collapse by the time I return.

After a bit more fighting, he had an idea.

Maybe I can buy them enough time to recover a bit?

The Oracle quickly backpedaled closer to the line, facing perpendicular to the enemy's charge. With a deep breath, he stuck his axe out in his right hand toward the creatures and kicked off the ground.

"Screeee!"

Chop! Chop! Chop!

Ruglace dashed at full speed in a circle around the soldiers' lines, effortlessly bisecting every toad that neared. With his speed enhanced by divinity, he was able to complete a lap roughly every 20 seconds, completely wiping the enemies clean every interval.

""RAAAAAH!""

Soldiers stared in awe and shouted cheers as they watched him zoom past them. Toads fell the moment they stepped within his range; their corpses falling into a nearly perfect circle a bit off from the lines and blocking the path of the charging enemies. Soon, the toads were forced to leap over the barricade of their fallen comrades, only to be pierced by javelins thrown from behind the lines, adding to the blockage themselves.

Some of the smarter toads attempted to time their charge until just after Ruglace ran past, but the time was so tight that the soldiers easily dealt with them.

It was a complete slaughter.

Yet Ruglace ran not with a smile, but with a scowl. 

I need to give them a few more minutes to rest, but can the ones hiding even last for that long in this crowd? 

The Oracle glanced toward the grass as he ran, but a loud voice suddenly entered his head.

"RUGLACE! STOP!"

He quickly skid to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust in the process.

"Huh? What-"

"The toads!" the voice cut off his question before he could even answer it, "I am having such deja vu right now-"

Ruglace quickly looked at the toads, his eyes shaking in confusion. 

While many continued to rush toward the soldiers, a ton stood behind the circle of bodies, staring up at the sky with their giant mouths held wide open.

"What are they-"

His question was answered before he finished asking for the second time in a row- a large greenish bubble about the size of a basketball floated out of their open mouths, hovering for a moment before shooting toward the soldiers.

The Oracle shivered.

Those things...!

A completely unknown yet oddly familiar power emanated from the bubbles. He had no idea what they were made of, but he was certain it wasn't something from his world. Even so, the Oracle instinctively sensed something eerie from the bubbles, almost screaming that touching them would be a bad idea.

Luckily, their movement was not overly fast- even the normal soldiers would be able to dodge or block them if they focused.

"DO NOT LET THE BUBBLES TOUCH YOU!"

Ruglace shouted as he sliced one flying toward him- with a bit of power, it exploded into a green mist that diffused into the air.

The bubbles reached the line of soldiers a second later; some thrusted at them with their spears while others stepped out of their path. Sounds of light popping filled the air as green mist pooled and soon vanished at their feet.

Wow... they really are great soldiers.

A small, proud smile grew on the Oracle's face as he saw them counter the odd attack.

For those who were ready and focused, dealing with them was no problem, but this was a battlefield- there was no luxury to purely focus on popping bubbles.

Ruglace had stopped running to deal with the unknown situation- countless toads were charging at the soldiers, and soon enough, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a toad leap at one of the men at the same time that a bubble was about to reach him.

The soldier had to choose- spear the toad or pop the bubble.

And he chose the toad.

Schlinch!

The soldier's spear pierced through the toad as the bubble simultaneously hit his shoulder.

For a second, nothing happened- the soldier looked over his body, smiling, thinking that his clothing blocked the attack, yet before he even had a chance to voice his relief, his face paled and he collapsed on all fours next to the toad he just slayed.

"Bleh!"

Bloody vomit shot from his mouth, adding to the nearly soupy mixture on the blood-soaked ground. The soldier violently trembled, hives broke out on his shoulder where he was hit, which soon climbed up his neck and face.

It did not look good. Nearby soldiers could only glance in pity as they continued fighting- the swarm of toads gave them no time to help.

Ruglace clenched his teeth, cutting down another toad who approached him while he stared at the fallen soldier.

I need to keep running... if I can handle the toads, they can focus on the bubbles!

He quickly resumed his circular dash, slicing apart every toad in his path, but a voice cut in.

"Ruglace, I think you should call a retreat. This is getting too much."

Slice!

Another toad hit the ground.

"There are still people who are stuck! I can save them, I just need more time!"

He sped up his pace, cutting down the toads swarming the soldiers like a scythe mowing down blades of grass.

As he ran, he snatched a javelin stuck in a fallen toad and began using it to pop bubbles while continuing to swing his axe in his other hand.

"See! I can even help with the bubbles!"

Slice! Slice! Pop!

"Ruglace..."

A voice of pity entered his head, but he just dismissed it and continued slicing.

"These disgusting things just keep coming! *Slice* Can they not see the piles of bodies on the ground!?"

His head throbbed. He swung his axe with more vigor.

"When will they give up!?" he practically screamed as he launched the javelin with all of his might- it shot through the approaching toads in a line, skewering several.

"They are trading their lives for your stamina," the voice explained in a calm but stern voice, "Even if you keep killing, the soldiers can not fight forever... you can not fight forever."

Ruglace bit his tongue- he knew the creator of the world was right, yet he kept swinging.

"Please- I can not go back now! These guys are my responsibility! They sacrificed everything to be here! How can I just abandon them and go back!? How can I face their families and tell them I left them behind!?"

"They joined knowing that they may lose their lives for the sake of protecting those they loved. Losing a few soldiers due to an ambush is one thing, but do you really want to lose a few hundred because of your stubbornness?"

The Oracle's eyes wavered; the sight of his soldiers desperately fighting filled his view.

He tightened his grip on his stone axe handle, but then loosened it with a sigh.

"...You are right," the Oracle looked back toward the grass, then turned and shouted to the soldiers, "RETREAT! SLOWLY BACK INTO THE PORTAL! DO NOT SHOW THEM YOUR BACKS!"

Readily, the lines began to move back and shrink- Ruglace looked on conflictedly as the first of those in the back began to disappear into its red hue.

Once they are through, I can try to rescue the rest myself.

Oblivious to Ruglace's intentions, the creator of the world spoke again, "Thank you, Ruglace- you made the right-"

"SCREEE!"

An ear-piercing scream came from the crowd of toads, interrupting the voice. Ruglace's gaze shot in its direction with his heart pounding.

Their Oracle!

It was clear—not only because it was the sole toad to wear clothing, though it was only a simple cloak draped over its body, but mainly due to a familiar power emanating from the creature.

The toads attacking the retreating men suddenly stopped and backed away at the screech, yet Ruglace's gaze remained focused on the new opponent. 

"Is... it holding a stick?"

Ruglace looked in confusion at the wooden pole in its hand that curved into a hook shape at its top.

"A divine weapon!"

His eyes widened at the voice's shout, "Do you mean like what Oracle Rynn fought against!? That stick is one of them?"

"Yes, I think so!" the voice was almost panicked, "I don't know what it does, but it can't be good! Tell them to hurry through the portal!"

Echoing his warning, Ruglace shouted toward the soldiers, "HURRY THROUGH THE PORTAL! THEIR ORACLE IS HERE!"

Their slow retreat instantly turned into a rapid scramble at his words; though messy, it was still somewhat civil despite his worries.

"Scree!"

Another shriek echoed from the cloaked toad, no sooner than he gave this order. The toads between the two Oracles immediately moved out of the way, giving Ruglace a clear view of his foreign counterpart.

Tap.

The Oracle's staff tapped the ground, and a familiar greenish bubble appeared in front of the staff before slowly rising above the toad's head. 

A few seconds passed of silent floating- the crowd fell silent as the human tilted his head.

"... That is it? It is just the same thing as before-"

"Dangit, Ruglace!"

Womp!

The poison ball split into two, both equal to the original's size.

Womp!

They duplicated into four.

Womp!

Four became eight. Ruglace's face paled.

Womp! Womp! Womp!

He could only stand there in awe, watching as a sea of bubbles appeared over the toads.

Womp!

Yet it still continued to grow, doubling every other second.

"Look at what you did! All of this womp'ing is because you jinxed it!"

Ruglace rolled his eyes at the voice's complaints and quickly looked around for anything he could do- his eyes drifting to the ground.

In a hurry, he snatched one of the toad corpses and launched it toward the bubble swarm.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Every bubble that it touched popped into a green mist- Ruglace's eyes sparkled.

"It is not much, but at least I can do something!"

More corpses went flying. While it was nowhere near enough to keep up with the bubble production, it was still better than nothing.

He glanced back toward the portal as he threw them.

They are almost all through!

It was not just the creatures who had been fully transported during the beginning of the fight; only a little over two hundred soldiers remained of the initial one thousand. 

"Scree!"

Of course, there was no way the cloaked toad would let the remaining ones escape.

The bubbles all shot toward the soldiers, enough to assign five bubbles for every target.

Luckily, the soldiers weren't oblivious to what was happening; those furthest from the portal lifted their spears, not willing to give up despite the torrent of death hurling toward them.

Those spears will not be enough!

Popping the bubbles took a decent amount of force; although they flew fairly slow, it was not nearly to the point where countering all of them was possible. 

What should I do!?

The Oracle frantically looked around for anything that could block the bubbles, but only found corpses. 

Screw it!

As fast as he could manage, Ruglace scooped up and chucked the corpses toward the soldiers.

Schlinch! Schlinch! Schlinch!

With nearly perfect aim, the corpses embedded themselves on the ends of the spears. They caught on quick; those who had no chance of running through the portal in time ducked behind the soldiers with the makeshift corpse shields. Sadly, he was only able to throw a few of them before the bubbles reached the soldiers.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

One thousand bubbles slammed into the group, pelting the area with poison.

The whole barrage only lasted a few seconds, yet roughly fifty of the men layed collapsed on the ground and another dozen were vomiting or convulsing by the end of it.

Ruglace tossed down the corpse he used as a shield and turned back to the group; his heart sank at the sight. The only reason there weren't more casualties was because of the densely packed soldiers shielding one another with their own bodies. 

He turned back toward the perpetrator as the soldiers quickly resumed their retreat, dragging those injured with them.

"Get out of there, Ruglace!"

A shout rang in his head, but he stood still, continuing to glare at the cloaked toad with an expression of pure hatred. His killing intent was so thick that it was practically visible. Some of the toads trembled as he gripped his axe, almost daring any of the toads to try anything.

None moved.

Yet even after the last of the living soldiers vanished into the portal, he continued standing.

"What are you doing, Ruglace!? All of the soldiers are out! You need to leave!" the voice was almost desperate. 

"No," his response was flat, "Not all of them are."

WOOSH!

Ruglace kicked off the ground, launching high into the sky and scanning the area. Nearly every hiding soldier had already been caught and killed, yet he quickly locked eyes with the sole one that remained, hiding under a pile of flattened grass.

"Found you!"

THUD!

He landed with full force and made a mad dash toward the soldier, right through the middle of the swarm.

Slice! Slice! Slice!

Not a single toad could touch him; all that stepped within the range of his axe soon hit the ground in two different places.

"SCREE!"

Even so, the call of their Oracle motivated them to continue lunging at the axe-wielder, desperate to even get a single touch on his skin.

Chop!

But every attempt was futile, and he soon arrived at the grass pile, immediately scooping up the hidden soldier and carrying him under his left arm.

"Hold on!"

Once again, his carved path was already filled in by the swarm when he turned back around. Already expecting as much, the Oracle raised his axe with determination in his eyes. 

"RAAAAAAAH!"

He charged back into the seemingly endless crowd; one arm carrying the soldier and the other wildly swinging his axe. The extra baggage forced him to sway and weave his body to dodge the toads who swiped at the soldier.

His progress was much slower than before, yet he was quickly making his way through the swarm.

I just have to keep going! Only another minute and I will get back there!

Of course, nothing was ever so simple.

Womp!

A familiar chilling sound came from the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, Ruglace spotted a hovering green bubble far out of his reach.

Womp!

The bubble split into two.

"He can do it again!?" 

Womp!

Two became four. This time, he didn't have the luxury to throw any corpses. 

He desperately increased his speed.

Womp!

It doubled yet again.

His head throbbed with frustration as the voice spoke once again.

"If it's the same as last time, you have about 14 seconds until he throws it, Ruglace!"

Womp! Womp! Womp!

The time passed quickly; bubbles began covering the setting sun, casting an eerie shadow over the land.

Womp! Womp!

"I am not far! I just need a bit longer!" he grimaced.

"You don't have any longer! You have to go faster!"

"Ugh!"

He stopped weaving and starting pushing through the toads in a straight line; various grazes appeared on areas of exposed skin. While they just itched Ruglace, the soldier he was carrying cried out in pain with every touch. 

Womp!

It was the tenth and final duplication.

"SCREE!"

The bubbles began shooting toward the humans, but the distance meant it would take a few seconds to reach them.

"Oh no."

He wouldn't make it to the portal in time- he would be at least thirty steps short. Ruglace desperately looked around as the bubbles rapidly approached, but there was nothing he could do. Unlike before, the bubbles weren't being spread out among an entire army- they were solely focused on him; blocking or dodging would be impossible. 

The toads around him quickly scattered, but just before the bubbles reached him, the Oracle tossed the soldier he was carrying, sending him flying through the portal.

At the last second, Ruglace raised his giant axe and ducked behind it. His view was purely murky green.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

A barrage of impacts hit the axe as a deafening sound of rapid popping filled the area.

"RAAAH!"

Ruglace held his axe steady despite the weight, but it couldn't possibly block every bubble.

Pop!

The first bubble that hit him felt itchy.

Pop!

The second made his arm break out in hives.

Pop!

The third made his stomach turn.

Pop! Pop!

The fourth and fifth gave him a throbbing headache.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Then came the vomit.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Filled with blood.

Pop!

But just as his body shook.

Pop!

And slid from the axe.

Pop!

The last of the bubbles hit, and he fell on his back.

Throbbing pain overtook his whole body as he shook; his mind was in a haze.

Though as his consciousness started to wane, his blurring view was soon obstructed. With no power to fight back, Ruglace resigned himself to be trampled by the toads, but as he re-opened his eyes, he was greeted by the back of a spear-wielding soldier

Shock was clear on his swollen face as more soldiers surrounded him.

It was not just one or two, rather dozens rushed through the portal, quickly standing guard around him.

He had no strength to talk, but a reassuring smile glanced down at him from one of the men- one whom he rescued on his first rush toward the grass.

"How could we abandon the one who refused to abandon us? We will take it from here- get some rest."

Ruglace's last sensation before losing consciousness was being dragged back to the portal by dozens of hands. 

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