But his charge, after rushing into the gaping maw formed by the sand waves, was like falling into a swamp. The massive sand waves kept collapsing into loose yellow sand, while new waves surged in from behind, one after another.
The Unicorn Demon Overlord, standing dozens of meters tall, was slowly buried by the yellow sand. Its struggles and roars were futile—the rolling sand waves drowned it completely. Only black smoke seeped continuously from the sand, while the massive sand mound twisted and shifted shape like a lump of churning mud.
The other two Unicorn Demon Overlords, eyes bloodshot, strode forward in an attempt to rescue their companion buried beneath the endless yellow sand.
Bilbo, shrouded in a layer of shadow, appeared silently in front of the two Unicorn Demon Overlords.
Black shadows spread outward from Bilbo, instantly covering a distance of over a hundred meters. The moment the two Unicorn Demon Overlords stepped into the shadowed area, the strange darkness seemed to awaken like a slumbering beast.
The vast shadow resembled an enormous, invisible tentacled monster casting its silhouette over the ground. Shadow tentacles wrapped tightly around the two Unicorn Demon Overlords.
In an instant, the two Unicorn Demon Overlords were frozen in place, roaring in fury. Their limbs and bodies were bound as if by chains, able only to struggle within a small area.
Bilbo stood quietly on the ground, his body like a pitch-black shadow. Faint chanting drifted from him, as if someone were murmuring in your ear while you slept, or as if distant praise was floating in from far away.
As Bilbo chanted, the shadows binding one of the Unicorn Demon Overlords rapidly expanded, the tentacle-like darkness swelling and growing at an alarming rate.
Within seconds, one of the Unicorn Demon Overlords was completely engulfed by shadow, its form now resembling Bilbo—transformed into a pitch-black silhouette.
Immediately, the agonized and terrified screams of the Unicorn Demon Overlord rang out as its limbs began to tremble and twist.
It was as if a giant were forcibly bending its limbs.
Crack...
With a loud snap, one of the Unicorn Demon's arms was wrenched off, then twisted rapidly. Even shrouded in shadow, it was clear to all—the arm had been twisted into a rope.
Next, the Unicorn Demon Overlord's other arm and both legs were twisted into ropes, all in time with Bilbo's murmured chanting.
A series of wet, tearing sounds echoed as bones and muscles were ripped apart. The Unicorn Demon Overlord's limbs, now mangled and bloodied, were torn off by the shadow enveloping it, falling to the ground as the thick stench of sulfur and blood spread like a tide.
Limbless, the Unicorn Demon Overlord screamed in terror. The pitch-black shadow covering it suddenly twisted, and with a grinding, tooth-like crunch, its head was forcibly snapped off...
Meanwhile, the yellow sand controlled by Sterlin gradually settled. The sand mound, once rolling like a small mountain, flattened, and the Unicorn Demon Overlord swallowed within had vanished, leaving only a faint trace of its presence.
The last Unicorn Demon Overlord, still bound by shadows, had lost all demonic ferocity and brutality. Like a frightened pet, it begged for mercy, spitting out broken Abyssal tongue in terror.
But Sterlin's yellow sand had already engulfed it. After a dozen seconds, the last Unicorn Demon Overlord was buried beneath the earth, consumed by endless sand.
Sterlin turned around, a swirl of yellow sand lifting him back into the ranks of the group.
Everyone's faces grew grim.
On the other side, Bilbo remained cloaked in shadow, drifting back like a walking shadow. The silent, brutal slaughter had cast a strange mood over the group.
Morgan quietly glanced at Sterlin and Bilbo, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He then looked worriedly at Leon, whose expression remained calm.
This is a big problem. Sterlin not only possesses a mass of Endless Sand, but has also completely fused his magic with it—making the Endless Sand his perfect magical weapon.
He buries all enemies beneath the earth. Legend says his greatest skill is the Earth's Burial Song. Even foes stronger than him, once covered by yellow sand, are dragged deep underground and crushed to pieces by the earth's immense pressure.
Many victims aren't killed by being buried deep underground, but are instead shattered by the crushing force of Endless Sand—their bodies only interred afterward.
Sterlin is rumored to be Felton's uncle, but in truth, Felton may be his son—the forbidden fruit of their taboo relationship.
Archmage Leon killed Felton; Sterlin certainly won't let that go easily. This move was likely a demonstration meant for Archmage Leon...
Sterlin is manageable—after all, he's best at drawn-out battles, and the longer the fight, the stronger he gets.
But Bilbo is a real problem. Damn, at first I thought he was just putting on a show. For ages, he’s always shrouded himself in shadow, never letting anyone see his face.
Who could have guessed he’d go this far—he’s trained himself into a shadow body, half of him fused with darkness, half his form already gone. If he ever runs out of mana, he’s dead for sure...
But with this, his shadow magic is at least thirty to forty percent stronger. For certain spells, the power can even jump a full rank.
Damn, one person casting Shadow Bind can actually trap two Unicorn Demon Overlords. Sure, Unicorn Demons are bottom-tier among overlords, their bloodline near the bottom among demons.
Still, they’re overlords, and Bilbo managed to bind two all by himself.
While holding two Unicorn Demon Overlords, he still had the strength to cast a Shadow Hymn and rip one of them to pieces.
Damn it, that guy’s a total twisted lunatic. Why not just snap the demon’s head off quickly—instead, he has to torture them bit by bit.
I always knew everyone from the Shadow Tower was a twisted freak.
At least Sterlin can restrain himself a little, but Bilbo? He fears no one—in the group, he even dares to openly show killing intent toward Archmage Leon.
Damn, those Shadow Tower sewer rats, assassins among mages—they’re just downright creepy.
No, I need to find a chance to warn Archmage Leon, make sure he’s prepared...
Never fight a drawn-out battle with Sterlin—he’ll wear you down. And Bilbo, it’s said he’s already killed six Heavenly Mages of his own rank, not counting those of other races...
Morgan quietly moved closer to Leon, planning to find a moment during the next advance to fill Leon in—so he’d know just how terrifying these opponents really were.
The group moved forward again, led by two peak third-level Sky Rank experts. Their pace was swift—unless they ran into a Sky Rank Level 2 Demon Overlord, neither Kros nor Crompton would intervene.
Twenty Sky Rank experts—facing an army of tens of thousands of Abyssal creatures, they could turn them all to ash with ease...
Hundreds of kilometers—this group of Sky Rank experts took three days to reach the foot of the Sacred Mountain. After wiping out another wave of Abyssal creatures, the Blazeforge Orc Sacred Mountain, the heart of the Blazeforge Realm, finally opened its gates to all.
They called it a mountain, but standing at its base, you couldn’t tell how massive it truly was. The ridges stretched for dozens of kilometers, and the closer to the center, the taller the peaks grew.
The central peak pierced the thick black clouds overhead, and black smoke shrouded the entire Sacred Mountain. Abyssal magic formed those clouds, swirling into a massive vortex atop the mountain.
Demon roars echoed from afar; the heavy, pungent stench of sulfur filled the air.
Legend has it this is the most magically abundant and pristine place in the Blazeforge Plane. But now, at a glance, all vegetation has vanished, the earth is scorched black, and the riverbeds run not with sweet water, but with molten lava...
Seeing this, the Blazeforge Orcs' eyes turned red; even Kros's face darkened, battle qi flickering on his skin as if about to erupt.
Leon frowned at the sight of the Sacred Mountain, growing increasingly certain this plan would not be easy to complete.
Just from the outside, it was clear the Sacred Mountain had completely changed. Those thick black clouds in the sky, the black smoke rising from some peaks—this scene made it obvious: the mountain had become Abyssal...
Any Abyssal creature or demon could now survive here indefinitely; the environment was becoming truly Abyssal.
If this continues, the Blazeforge Realm will be connected to the Abyss. There won’t be any need for planar roads or Abyssal Gates—by then, Blazeforge Realm will simply be a part of the Abyss, and its total assimilation will be inevitable.
And now, a major problem was staring them in the face…
Leon stood at the rear of the group, frowning, while nearby, some of the orc warriors could no longer hold back—their eyes red as they stepped into the Sacred Mountain’s domain.
It was as if they’d pierced an invisible barrier—once inside the Sacred Mountain, the sulfur stench grew stronger and Abyssal power saturated the air.
As everyone stepped into the Sacred Mountain, Leon quietly summoned his magic, raising a shield of runic wards.
The surroundings were eerily silent, as if lifeless. No living creature could be seen, and only Leon suddenly raised a shield of runic wards.
On the orc side, Bronze Orc leader Stell sneered, raising his arm that looked as if it was coated in metal.
"Fragile humans—a Title Archmage, yet you dared to come here. You don’t even know how you’ll die. Maybe you’ll drop dead any moment now."
There’s nothing alive here. Yet you waste your magic to raise a runic shield, like a smiling field mouse. Go home before you embarrass yourself."
Stell’s eyes glinted coldly as he taunted Leon.
That damned human must not leave here alive. He’s just a Title Archmage, not even Sky Rank, yet he killed one of our Bronze Orc tribe’s newly advanced Sky Rank warriors.
We Bronze Orcs are the strongest defenders among the Blazeforge Orcs. Especially after advancing to Sky Rank—even if we can’t defeat an opponent, they absolutely can’t kill us.
That damned human must have some special magical weapon targeting Bronze Orcs. If he leaves here alive and advances to Sky Rank, it’ll be the end for us Bronze Orcs. Not even the earth can protect us.
Now that we’re here, as soon as he leaves the group, I’ll find a chance to catch up and kill him—tear apart his filthy soul and fragile body.
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Suddenly, Stell spoke up to mock Leon. Previously, no one had paid attention to Leon’s actions, but now, everyone noticed. The orc warriors laughed boisterously.
"Ha! Humans really are the most cowardly race. There’s nothing here, and yet you raise a shield?"
"Don’t joke, maybe that’s just a mage’s habit. I just saw a little bug fly by—maybe it’s poisonous…"
"That’s true—a fragile human body, maybe a little bug could poison him to death…"
The orc warriors joined Stell in mocking Leon, while on the human side, Sterlin, Bilbo, and Dubois Charles also sneered. Dubois Charles scolded Leon with irritation.
"Matthew Merlin, you’re not the only mage here. You’re a Title Archmage, but you’re only here because you’re the strongest in the Merlin Family."
Everyone’s contributing—you Merlin Family mages can’t just sit by. But here, you’re the only one who isn’t Sky Rank. Can you stop embarrassing the human mages?
Honestly, mages’ wisdom is ruined by guys like you…
Leon ignored them, instead watching the Sacred Mountain, his magic array gear constantly scanning the area for changes.
Kros and Crompton also ignored the noisy crowd, their eyes locked on the Sacred Mountain.
Morgan was about to say something when, with a sudden glance, he silently raised his fusion shield, channeling magic to his skin in preparation for any mishap.
Raphael’s lips curled into a cold smile as he too released his strongest fusion shield. Even Dida La glanced silently at Leon and quietly raised his own shield.
In an instant, half the humans had raised their shields—the strongest fusion shields of the Sky Rank warriors.
Magic shield, elemental shield, runic shield—at low Sky Rank, this triple-layered defense is every mage’s trump card for survival.
The humans’ actions prompted even louder mocking from the orcs. Stell looked at them as if at a group of fools, then strode forward, showing off his bronze-coated skin.
"Cowardly fools, you’re laughable. If you’re so afraid of dying, go home—this isn’t a place for children’s games."
Only the bravest orcs can step onto the Sacred Mountain. You lot aren’t qualified—never mind slaying an ancient god-demon, even a slightly stronger demon lord would make you wet your pants…
Stell strode toward the Sacred Mountain, chest held high, not using a bit of battle qi.
Nearby, several Sky Rank human mages hostile to Leon glared at him, cold malice swirling around him.
Dubois Charles, Sterlin, and Bilbo stood nearby, sneering at Leon.
Sterlin’s voice was hoarse, like sand scraping against itself, unpleasant to the ear.
"Foolish coward, if you’re so afraid of dying, just go home and stop disgracing the human mages."
Bilbo’s voice was cold and mechanical, drifting as if from afar, completely emotionless and indistinguishable as male or female.
"Cowards like this are better off dead."