Chapter 923: Storm Clouds Gather
Black light flickered as a shroud of darkness swept across the sky, enveloping hundreds of meters. Within this pitch-black veil, Heron's figure darted like a phantom—those outside could hardly glimpse the battle raging inside.
Leon knew this was the work of a rare master of dark magic. Most mages relied on elemental spells, while unique magic required special talents. These non-elemental arts often possessed extraordinary traits—sometimes, they were even stronger than the classics.
Heron's conjured darkness stretched for several hundred meters. Inside this abyss, his combat prowess surged by at least twenty percent!
If nothing unexpected happened, that Ninth-Rank Title Archmage-level Blazeforge Orc Warlock would soon fall to Heron's hand.
Across the battlefield, Difo was no less formidable. Gripping a staff forged from pure frost, his body turned snow-white as he cast, summoning a storm of wind and snow. Blue currents swirled around the falling flakes, razor-sharp blades of ice spinning wildly. Alone, he faced two Eighth-Rank Sword Saints—and looked completely at ease.
But aside from these titans, the rest of the battlefield was far less forgiving.
Among the Blazeforge Orcs, there were powerful figures too—an Eighth-Rank Title Archmage-level warlock fought three Black Tower elites at once.
Meteors, trailing long tails of black smoke, crashed down from the heavens. Their terrifying speed brought an oppressive force, squeezing the air so tightly it could barely move.
Three Seventh-Rank Title Archmage-level Black Tower mages joined forces, but all they could manage was defense—their counterattacks were feeble.
A thirty-ninth rank Blazeforge Orc Shaman rode a massive spectral wolf, its body towering over three meters. Crackling chains of lightning danced around him as he faced a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage from Cloudspire Tower. The lightning chains darted like serpents, relentlessly forcing his foe to keep his distance.
Whenever the Ninth-Rank Title Archmage unleashed a spell, the swirling shield of lightning around the orc shaman would deflect the attack.
All the strongest warriors had emerged, locked in brutal combat. Yet, what truly drew the eye was Leon's legion of alchemical golems and mages.
Eight hundred eighty alchemical golems withstood the charge of the ten-thousand-strong orc army, while the mage legion became a burning cloud, weaving ceaselessly across the battlefield, reaping orc lives one after another.
Reina transformed into her frost dragon form, soaring through the sky. Her evolved life force bestowed her the most primal gift—a dragon’s might!
Her dragon’s might now exceeded the limits of any frost dragon. As Reina flew overhead, its effect on humans and Blazeforge Orcs was mild, but for the wyverns in the sky, it was as if a mountain pressed upon their souls—they dared not approach, their strength waning.
Leon’s fifty legion mages became a cloud of fire in the sky, mercilessly hunting the wyverns—one after another, the wyvern riders fell to their relentless assault.
These two legions forced the orc army back, unable to approach Sunset Fortress. The killing power of the golems and mages was so overwhelming that the orcs had no choice but to retreat.
More orc champions kept arriving, commanding the army, while those besieging Sunset Fortress rushed to reinforce the front.
Yet when it came to numbers, Cloudspire Tower and Black Tower had no shortage of champions either, able to keep pushing the orc elites back.
The rest of the legion battles were even more one-sided, with the enemy unable to mount any real resistance.
Within just a dozen minutes, the Blazeforge Orc army was driven back, their champions falling one by one. Anyone could see their forces were on the verge of collapse.
In battles of this scale, morale is everything. The death of a champion shatters it—and for the massive Blazeforge Orc army, the blow was catastrophic.
With over ten thousand soldiers, casualties mounted at a terrifying pace. The relentless retreat sent the Blazeforge Orcs’ morale into freefall, their fighting spirit crumbling.
On the human side, the coalition was mostly lone champions—few had trained mage legions, and their numbers were sparse.
The loss of a few individuals barely dented their strength. As for the alchemical golem legion—the most devastating force—morale simply didn’t exist.
Even if a golem lost its head, those beside it fought on without hesitation, seizing the moment to maximize their slaughter. That was the true terror of the golems.
In legion warfare, numbers only amplified the golems’ advantage.
Blade golems surged forward like a river of steel, blades whirling. In a single charge, they cut down over two hundred Blazeforge Orc warriors. The orc formation was shredded, and some began to falter—until the tide suddenly turned...
At the rear of the Blazeforge Orc legion, a colossal kodo beast—over ten meters tall even crouched—lugged an altar toward the fray. At its center, a wizened, skeletal orc priest stood, arms raised, chanting with a voice that defied death.
As the priest chanted, the altar atop the kodo beast began to glow with eerie, ancient light. A strange, primordial aura spread outward, infecting the battlefield.
The ancient orcish chant became a mournful song, echoing across the field. Instantly, every Blazeforge Orc threw back their head and howled.
"Roar...!"
The furious howls rose like a tidal wave, shredding the clouds overhead. Sunlight burst through, flooding the battlefield.
Every Blazeforge Orc blazed with fire, their power surging and gathering above the battlefield.
In an instant, the sky changed—winds howled and thunder crackled, conjuring a storm of dark clouds above the battlefield. It felt as if something monstrous was about to break free.
Leon’s face darkened—he knew it was too late to stop what was coming. He’d expected a priest among the Blazeforge Orcs, but never imagined it would be a High Priest!
The thunderclouds twisted into a vortex, revealing a deep void at their heart. From it, a massive black pillar—over ten meters thick—plummeted toward the earth.
Endless lightning struck the pillar, illuminating countless ancient orcish runes carved into its surface.
The pillar burst from the black void, bathed in lightning as it crashed to the ground, shaking the earth. It sank ten meters deep, yet still towered over a hundred meters above the surface.
Only now did everyone see—it was a colossal totem pillar. Ripples spread from its top, visible to the naked eye.
Suddenly, every Blazeforge Orc’s eyes turned blood-red. Their bodies seemed to swell, muscles straining against armor, and their aura surged.
Even those who’d lost morale seemed transformed—now brimming with fighting spirit, their howls thundered skyward.
As the totem pillar’s rippling light spread, some Blazeforge Orcs’ wounds slowly healed. Minor cuts closed visibly, blood stopped flowing, and even the gravely wounded seemed stabilized.
And this was far from over. All the Blazeforge Orcs raised their heads and roared.
Each Blazeforge Orc howled with all their might, calling out ancient names in their own tongue.
The massive kodo beast lay flat on the ground, the priest atop the altar knelt, raising both hands to invoke the ancestors’ honorifics.
The swirling black clouds above didn’t dissipate—instead, they grew larger. Terrifying energy pulsed from the void at the vortex’s center.
The next moment, a pair of giant hands—each ten meters wide—reached out from the void. The hands were almost transparent, constantly emitting black smoke.
As the hands emerged, all the Blazeforge Orcs went mad, with champions launching frenzied attacks on the human coalition. No one could get close—not Joey, Heron, Leon, or Reina...
All were held back by the berserk Blazeforge Orc champions.
Within seconds, the giant hands in the sky tore at the void, as if trying to rip it open even wider...
Rip—!
It was as if the sky itself was torn apart. The center of the swirling black clouds was forcefully ripped open, and a giant emerged, squeezing out and landing on the ground.
A terrifying giant, over 150 meters tall, took the shape of a Blazeforge Orc draped in animal skins. Its body seemed transparent, black smoke constantly billowing from it.
With the appearance of this behemoth, every Blazeforge Orc seemed to have taken a berserk potion—their fighting power surged by at least thirty percent. They became fearless, instantly reversing the tide and halting their retreat, even preparing to counterattack.
The giant let out a roar, its voice sending visible shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. (Irrelevant promotional content skipped.)