Chapter 757: Are You Brain-Dead?
The oppressive aura of the Abyss filled the air. Rodney stood at the forefront of his army, hands clasped behind his back, watching Leon and his companions.
Leon approached slowly, his gaze quietly fixed on Rodney.
The suffocating tension continued to build. Anderson had already activated the Arcane Wheel, and the others were readying their spells. Waves of magic rippled outward, spreading like a gust of wind.
Just as the battle was about to erupt again, Rodney—standing at the head of the army—suddenly spoke.
"Be careful. Dark Elves aren’t exactly trustworthy. Someone in their tribe wants you dead. Cohen’s been colluding with them, and there’s a plot aimed at you."
Leon smiled. "You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll handle it myself."
Rodney paused, then waved a hand behind him. The army, previously in tight formation, parted to open a path.
Leon led his group through the center of the army, everyone keeping a wary eye on the surrounding Ashen Orcs.
As they brushed past the Ashen Orc warhost, just as they were about to go their separate ways, Leon suddenly looked back at Rodney. "If your goal is that gate, let me give you a piece of advice: don’t touch it. That thing isn’t something you can handle."
Rodney’s brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
In no time, Leon and his group disappeared from sight. Rodney pondered for a moment, then waved his large hand: "Move forward!"
It didn’t take Rodney long to find the location of the Stone Gate.
Yet Rodney felt no joy at all. Staring at the massive stone door before him, a chill crept over his heart.
Rodney stood before the Stone Gate for a long time, now certain—this was the very door foretold in the tribal prophecy.
But no matter what, Rodney couldn’t bring himself to reach out and push it open.
Just as Rodney kept hesitating, hand half-extended, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
"What do you think you’re doing? Are you blind? Who dares block the Black Dragon Warlord!"
Rodney’s brow furrowed again as he turned to look. The elite guards at the entrance were shoved aside by a group of burly Ashen Orcs. A towering orc, clad in a black cloak and marked by a scar running across his face, strode inside.
At the sight of this newcomer, Rodney’s expression soured.
"Black Dragon Warlord, are you trying to start a fight?"
The Black Dragon Warlord’s face was cold as he scanned the room, demanding loudly, "Where’s Cohen? Why don’t I see Cohen?"
Rodney remained silent.
The Black Dragon Warlord sneered instantly. "I heard Cohen was killed. At first, I thought it was just a rumor. Turns out it’s true. Rodney, I always thought you were worthless, but I didn’t expect you to be this useless—couldn’t even stop it. The overseer’s dead, so I guess this is the end for you as Flame Dragon Warlord."
Rodney replied stiffly, face cold, "Cohen colluded with the Dark Elves, making enemies for us out of thin air. His death was well deserved. Even if he’d survived, I’d report this to the Elder Council once we returned and have them punish Cohen."
The Black Dragon Warlord flew into a rage, voice rising as he pointed at Rodney’s nose and roared.
"Rodney, don’t think I don’t know anything. You’re the one colluding with the Dark Elves. Cohen found out your secret, so you killed him to shut him up!
You think I don’t know what’s going on? There were only a handful of them—why didn’t you stop them? You just let them walk away?
Cohen was the tribe’s true warrior—never compromised in the face of enemies. Don’t you understand how important the prophecy is? At such a critical moment, you let the Dark Elves learn this secret. Do you realize how much damage this will bring to the tribe?
Rodney, I think your brain is already fried!
Still, for the sake of the tribe, you’ve done a lot over the years. I’ll pretend none of this happened. Head back to the tribe and report to the Elder Council yourself. That way, their punishment will be lighter."
With that, the Black Dragon Warlord waved his hand, putting on an air of generosity.
Rodney gave a bitter smile and shook his head. With the Black Dragon Warlord showing up now, he knew exactly what the man was after.
The tribe’s prophecy had been circulating for years; countless people dreamed of finding the door it spoke of. Now that Rodney had found it, the Black Dragon Warlord appeared instantly—clearly tipped off by someone in the army. He was here to steal the credit.
Rodney had known his previous actions would be used against him, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly—or at the hands of the Black Dragon Warlord.
But now, Rodney’s obsession with the gate had faded. Leon’s words echoed in his mind, and after standing before the door for so long, he sensed it wasn’t as simple as it seemed. A chilling aura seeped out, and the sense of danger only grew stronger.
Rodney sighed. "Black Dragon Warlord, I know you’re after the gate too…"
The Black Dragon Warlord bristled, shouting, "Rodney, I’m helping you!"
Rodney waved him off. "Fine. You can take the credit this time. But let me give you a word of advice—don’t mess with it. This thing isn’t something we should touch."
The Black Dragon Warlord looked impatient. "Fine, fine, I get it. I won’t touch it. Just hurry up and get back to the tribe."
Rodney felt helpless. The Black Dragon Warlord couldn’t even be bothered to keep up appearances anymore—he just wanted to claim the gate. One look at him and you could tell his promise was pure lip service.
Unfortunately, now that Rodney had been caught out, the Black Dragon Warlord had all the excuses he needed to force Rodney out—especially before he could explain himself to the Elder Council. The gate was simply too important; the entire tribe had been searching for it for years.
Rodney led his men away, and the Black Dragon Warlord immediately grew anxious.
[Irrelevant passage: skip. This is a system prompt for the web novel platform.]
"You, stand guard outside. Don’t let anyone in. Keep an eye on Rodney—there’s no way that guy’s giving up the credit so easily!"
The Black Dragon Warlord’s elite guards kept watch outside, with more troops spreading out to guard against anything that might appear nearby.
Besides, the Black Dragon Warlord figured if he could plant spies in Rodney’s army, Rodney surely had spies in his. At a time like this, trust was out of the question.
Excited and tense, the Black Dragon Warlord strode right up to the massive Stone Gate and pressed his hand against it without hesitation. But before he could push, something unexpected happened.
In an instant, all the carvings on the Stone Gate seemed to come alive. Ancient creatures slowly raised their heads, and endless black smoke spewed from their mouths.
A torrent of black smoke poured into the Black Dragon Warlord’s mouth, with clouds of it writhing like living things, forcing their way into his eyes, nostrils, and ears.
The Black Dragon Warlord screamed in terror, his soul wracked with agony he couldn’t suppress. His body was no longer under his control; slowly, he floated into the air as endless black smoke wrapped around him. In an instant, even his screams were swallowed up.
The black mist gathered into a rolling sphere. After a few minutes, no more smoke poured from the massive Stone Gate; all of it began to collapse toward the center. In seconds, every wisp of smoke surged into the Black Dragon Warlord’s mouth.
Eyes closed, the Black Dragon Warlord drifted slowly back down. After a long moment, his eyes snapped open—now pitch black, radiating pure evil and coldness.
He flexed his hand, and a sinister smile crept across his lips. Soon he was grinning wickedly, as if something had delighted him, chuckling to himself with chilling glee.
His gaze and aura were nothing like the old Black Dragon Warlord. But, unfortunately, no one was there to witness it…
Meanwhile, Leon had already returned to the Dark Elf tribe.
At a side gate of the tribe—rarely used, since there was little of value outside—Jairus had been waiting here every day lately.
"Who knows if that damned outsider is dead yet. Hopefully he died out there. It’s been days with no sign—he must be dead. And that disaster Elsa, she’d better be dead too. Every curse in the tribe is her fault. And that shameful outsider, how dare he humiliate me! Letting those filthy Ashen Orcs kill you is too easy…"
Jairus cursed under his breath, eyes fixed on the narrow path outside the tribe.
Suddenly, Jairus spotted something and quickly cast Eagle Eye. He saw Leon and his group approaching along the path.
"Damn it! I knew those filthy Ashen Orcs were useless—they really didn’t kill that bastard!"
Jairus stomped his feet in anger. After a while, he gritted his teeth and rushed down from the watchtower.
Soon, Leon reached the outskirts of the tribe. Only then did Jairus spot Beta trailing behind. Instantly, Jairus’s eyes lit up.
He’d been worrying about what to do—if that damned outsider really brought back the Life Sigil Relic Spirit, it’d be trouble. But now, Leon had brought an Ashen Orc with him. Perfect—he’s asking for death!
With this thought, Jairus smiled, suddenly leaping from the roadside and pointing at Leon, shouting righteously.
"Well, well! I always knew you damned outsider were up to no good. And now you’ve really teamed up with the Ashen Orcs! Let’s see you talk your way out of this. I knew you were their spy, and all the trouble in the tribe is your conspiracy—isn’t it? What’s your scheme now?"
Leon glanced at Jairus coolly. "Are you brain-dead?"