Chapter 967: Fear and Excitement

“Humans are so damn cunning,” Aldous muttered to himself, watching the distant duel. “They’re always scheming over what the other one has. Too smart for their own good. Being smart is the root of all trouble. Ogres have it right. Eat ’til you’re full, take a nap. Simple.”

He kept grumbling. The fact that Torin and King Harold couldn’t manage to seriously injure each other was delaying him from completing his own mission.

Go on, hit each other, he thought. Beat each other half to death. That’ll make my job a hell of a lot easier.

The battle between the Legendary-level lords was a strange affair. With the non-essential members on both sides holding back and going through the motions, the front line was a stalemate.

But for the war below the Legendary level, it was a total rout for the Northern Coalition. The root cause was the intervention of Lorelia and the abyssal dragon.

The dragon, Xalathar, was playing a defensive role, remaining hidden in its mist and not actively seeking out Legendary-level opponents. Its mission was to protect Lorelia, so it had no intention of joining that tier of combat. Because of this, with no major threats to distract her, the cave spider armies under Lorelia’s command were an absolute catastrophe for the enemy.

In the past, the spiders were mindless cannon fodder, a zerg rush that died in droves. But this time, they were not only using swarming tactics to gang up on targets, but they also knew when to make tactical retreats, avoiding head-on confrontations they couldn’t win.

They were using advanced strategies: overwhelming encirclements, flanking maneuvers, cutting off support lines. For their enemies, the disciplined nightmare that the cave spider armies had become was something ripped from a fever dream.

“She’s a monster,” Delilah whispered, her eyes wide as she watched Lorelia bounce up and down on the abyssal dragon’s head, letting out gleeful shouts of “Got ’em!”, “Oh yeah!”, and “They’re surrounded!”

Each cheer marked another victory for the spiders on the battlefield. Delilah had no idea what Orion had taught her privately, but the intelligence and strategic acumen Lorelia now displayed was beyond anything she could have imagined.

Looks like the victory in this war will definitely go to our Five-Race Alliance, she concluded, her assessment of the battle’s trajectory now firm.

“Kill the enemy! I will fight to the last!” On the front lines, Rolan swung his trident relentlessly, cutting down the satyrs and werewolves that charged their lines.

He steered clear of the Alpha-level threats. Whenever one appeared, Ursa, Tarn, Gort, or one of the other veterans would intercept it.

Ursa was especially deadly. Her dark fiend mount was not only incredibly agile, but also ignored a certain degree of physical damage. Relying on the fiend, Ursa had already personally brought down three of the Northern Coalition’s Alphas.

“Steelblade! Rolan! Watch and learn! This is war!” Ursa roared, smashing an enemy’s head to pulp with her spiked club. “No hesitation! You give death to any enemy that appears before you, and you do it as fast as you can!”

She was teaching the two younglings with the cruelest, most effective facts on the ground.

ROAR!

Spurred on by her presence, Steelblade roared and swung his trident, his face flushing crimson with a surge of blood and life force.

But Ursa shook his head. A surge like that was a sign of bravery, and it brought a temporary burst of strength. But after it faded, it left only profound weakness and exhaustion. In a battle like this, losing control of your stamina had only one outcome. Death.

Ursa quietly waited for the moment her son’s strength would give out. She wanted Steelblade to feel that powerlessness, that terror, for himself. Only then would he learn how to survive.

“Another big one’s coming. I’ve got this one,” Gort bellowed nearby. He swung his greataxe, cleaving a half-dragon in two. Kicking the corpse aside, he lumbered toward an approaching Alpha-level dire wolf. Ursa and Tarn had already gotten their kills. By their rules, it was his turn to claim some battle achievements.

Emerald Dream Realm, the Kasenna Sea.

Facing two arch lord dragons, Orion had separated from the giant-horned whale. Letting the whale tie one of them up wouldn’t be a problem. As long as Orion could quickly kill his own target, Kori wouldn’t have to worry about being double-teamed.

After all, the whale was still digesting the arch lord dragon beast he’d swallowed earlier. Though its body was mangled, its body of faith was still thrashing around inside.

Orion activated Instant Impact, appearing beside the red dragon and thrusting with his trident. But the dragon was prepared. It vanished in a flicker of movement, teleporting behind him.

Searing heat flared at his back as the red dragon, Adras, unleashed a torrent of dragonfire. As a red dragon, it was a master of fire magic, and its flames burned hotter than any other. Adras was confident that a direct hit would leave its enemy dead or dying.

But it was disappointed. The enemy’s form wavered and vanished again. A moment later, Adras itself teleported away.

Orion reappeared, retracting his trident. His attack had missed, but he wasn’t surprised. He stared at the red dragon in the distance with a flicker of excitement.

Not bad. This dragon was not only a master of fire, but also proficient in teleportation. An enemy like this could even go a few rounds with an arch lord like Leonidas.

To end the fight quickly, Orion raised his trident high and unleashed Eightfold Spear Barrage. A dense web of spider spears materialized in the space around them, designed to restrict Adras’s movement.

“You are the giant,” the dragon’s voice boomed, startling Orion. He was certain this was their first meeting.

“You know me?”

Adras shook its massive head, its eyes grave. “An elder spoke of you. A giant who killed his demigod phantom in another realm.”

Understanding dawned on Orion. The elder Adras spoke of had to be the brass dragon, Latychrenber.

“I see fear in your eyes,” Orion said, a slow grin spreading across his face. “And something else… excitement.”

“So, you want to test your strength against me?”