Chapter 1020: Ancestral Spirit
Rumor has it that Gorswothy could have broken through to Sky Rank long ago, but he seeks to ascend in an unprecedented way—simultaneously becoming a Sky Rank Sword Saint and a Sky Rank Warlock. If he succeeds, he’ll be invincible, and even those who have just reached Sky Rank would stand no chance against him.
More importantly, this guy has also gained the recognition of the ancestral spirit worshipped by the orcs for ten thousand years. With the ancestral spirit’s power, even the chieftain of the Golden Orc Tribe treats Gorswothy with utmost respect and trust, entrusting his only son to Gorswothy’s tutelage.
Leon recalled the information about this guy and couldn’t help but frown. Gorswothy’s most notorious trait is that, despite not being Sky Rank, he already possesses Sky Rank-level combat power!
To make matters worse, the Blazeforge Battlefield already grants the Blazeforge Orcs some natural advantages, making things even trickier...
Gorswothy hasn’t even made a move yet—just a group of Golden Orcs and the chieftain’s son, Krav, have already left the Cloudspire Tower mages battered and beaten. If Gorswothy personally joins the fray, the Cloudspire Tower’s people would be wiped out in three minutes, tops.
Leon rushed in with his group. The Cloudspire Tower mages were visibly overjoyed, though Star Sage Joey, looking exhausted, still wore a worried expression upon seeing Leon.
"Archmage Merlin, be careful. That’s Gorswothy—the Behemoth among the Golden Orcs. He can unleash power beyond a Title Archmage. At full strength, he’s almost equal to a true Sky Rank, and with the Blazeforge Battlefield’s boost, you must stay alert..."
Joey looked worried but didn’t voice any doubts about Leon’s chances against Gorswothy—he simply offered a cautious reminder.
As Leon and his party arrived, Krav—who had been hunting the Cloudspire Tower mages like prey—immediately lit up with excitement.
"Hahaha, finally the prey has taken the bait! Turns out, not slaughtering these fragile fools right away was a stroke of genius. First, I’ll wipe out this flock of weaklings, then use the newcomers to lure in even more prey. I really am a genius."
Wipe out these fragile humans first, then go teach those other orc tribes a lesson...
Krav shot out from the orc ranks, head thrown back in laughter, as if he’d already slaughtered Leon and the Cloudspire Tower mages.
With Leon’s arrival, the Golden Orcs stopped chasing the Cloudspire Tower mages.
Leon casually handed Joey a dozen bottles of Elixir of Life and Arcane Spring, his gaze cold as he stared down the Golden Orcs.
Joey’s face was etched with worry as he distributed the Elixir of Life and Arcane Spring to the nearby mages. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately stayed silent.
It was obvious these Golden Orcs weren’t trying to finish us off quickly. If Gorswothy went all out, we wouldn’t last long before being wiped out. They keep chasing us but hold back, clearly hoping to draw in other human factions.
Never thought it’d be Merlin and his people who showed up. Sigh, with the Blazeforge Battlefield open this time, our Andalusia Kingdom is likely to suffer heavy losses.
Merlin’s faction is strong, but Gorswothy is the top powerhouse among the Golden Orcs—a Sword Saint and a Warlock, his combat power rivals a First-Rank Sky Mage. Plus, he can draw on the ancestral spirit’s power, making him not only stronger, but nearly inexhaustible.
In the Blazeforge Battlefield, his strength is even greater. Even Lord Dubois Charles of the Black Tower would struggle against Gorswothy here...
Looks like I’ve doomed Merlin and his people. Once the Blazeforge Battlefield closes, the whole campaign will be thrown into chaos—the Blazeforge Orcs might even turn the tide...
Forget it, let’s fight to the death. Mages aren’t cowards—we’ll attack together, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll get out alive...
Joey led the Cloudspire Tower elites, swallowing Elixir of Life and Arcane Spring, his eyes steely as he glared at the Golden Orcs.
"Lord Joey, take your people and heal your wounds, restore your mana. Leave this to me."
Joey stared at Leon in astonishment, just about to reply when Krav burst out laughing from the other side.
"Humans really do talk big. Our tribe’s Kodo Beasts could be blown away by your boasting alone. Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll oblige. Leave those weaklings up front—they’ll make fine bait."
With that, Krav shot out from the orc ranks, surging with mana rivaling a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage. Golden light shimmered across his bronze skin, making his body look cast from pure gold. Dark red flames tinged with gold flickered around him.
In an instant, a wave of destruction spread—an ominous, scorching power seemed to rise from everyone’s hearts. This is the Golden Orcs’ bloodline: part hell, part abyss.
Hell and the Abyss are as hostile to each other as Northend is to its own enemies. To possess both bloodlines is nearly impossible—many Golden Orcs die from the conflict within their veins.
But if they survive, Golden Orcs can wield their blood’s power to cast devastating spells. The summoned flames carry both the destruction and heat of hellfire and the ominous, sulfurous aura of the abyss—truly formidable.
Krav laughed wildly, waving his hand. Several dark red fireballs floating nearby suddenly shot toward Leon. The fireballs, which had been burning quietly, exploded into a frenzy as they flew, swelling from the size of a human head to seven or eight meters across.
Within the dark red flames, streams of golden-red fire flowed, distorting the air around them. The fireballs looked like swirling, twisted vortices.
Leon ignored Krav—never sparing him a glance. His eyes stayed fixed on the expressionless Gorswothy. As Krav attacked, Leon casually flicked his hand, sending several flame runes into the massive fireballs.
Instantly, the terrifying fireballs twisted violently. When they reached within ten meters of Leon, they suddenly exploded, vaporizing all moisture in a radius of dozens of meters. The once damp earth hardened into parched clumps.
An orange flame floated beside Leon, and the scattered fire seemed irresistibly drawn to it, vanishing as it merged into the flame.
Midair, Krav’s expression changed dramatically, and the ever-unflinching Gorswothy finally opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as blades, slicing toward Leon.
Ding ding ding...
In the space between the two, a series of metallic clashes rang out—sharp and jarring, forcing those nearby to stifle groans.
Joey, in the rear, stared at Leon in shock, never having imagined Leon’s power had reached such a level.
High-level mages, once they master their spells, can easily unravel the magic of lower-ranked mages—but it’s rare to see that happen between equals.
Krav is a Level 39 Orc Warlock. That flame may look ordinary, but it contains multiple fire powers—deadly and hard to shake off. Once it touches you, there’s almost no escape; you’ll be burned alive.
Yet Merlin scattered Krav’s spell structure with just a few flame runes—and broke Krav’s control over the spell, too.
There’s only one explanation...
There’s a huge gap between Krav and Merlin!
My god...
Krav was stunned, but in the next instant, a Four-Element Bomb materialized before Leon, appearing right in front of Krav.
The shocked Krav couldn’t even dodge, barely managing to raise a flame shield before the Four-Element Bomb detonated...
The terrifying blast carried immense power. The closer you are to the Four-Element Bomb, the stronger the force—taking a direct hit is like being struck by a top-tier eighth-level single-target spell.
Krav felt as if he’d been slapped by a Golden Behemoth. His flame shield barely resisted, and he was sent flying.
The necklace on his chest, strung with three beast fangs, suddenly glowed gold. A ray of golden light covered his body, shielding him from the devastating blast...
But in an instant, each of the three beast fangs exploded one after another. When all three burst, the golden protective aura around Krav vanished.
The terrifying blast tore at Krav’s body—within a blink, his skin was left bloody and mangled.
Just then, a totem medallion in Krav’s arms lit up. A half-transparent orc ancestral spirit cried out and attached itself to Krav, spreading a desolate aura. Only then was the explosion’s force barely held back.
Still, Krav was sent flying, and the faint halo around his body dimmed even further.
Krav barely had time to catch his breath before another Four-Element Bomb hurtled his way, his face turning pale. His ancestral spirit artifact was destroyed on the spot—if not for the ancestral spirit that had protected and taught him since childhood, he’d have been killed instantly...
But this ancestral spirit wasn’t a totem spirit. Totem spirits are born from centuries of orc worship and devotion, while this one—roughly human-sized—was once a mighty orc, revered after death, whose soul transformed into an ancestral spirit.
Such an ancestral spirit, taking a direct hit from this kind of power, was already gravely wounded. Without proper recovery, it might vanish for good...
Now, facing another attack, Krav panicked. At that moment, Gorswothy, who had been motionless, suddenly appeared before the Four-Element Bomb. His greatsword flashed with golden light as he smashed it down onto the bomb.
Boom...