Sizzle, sizzle!
The ancient giant-horned whale's sharp, pointed bone spines kept scraping across Orion's body. For a moment, draconic scales shimmered on Orion's skin, only to be quickly sliced open. Huge wounds appeared everywhere on his body—some even pierced right through.
Yet, against such a formidable foe, Orion refused to surrender.
"WAAAGH!"
All the pressure, all the blood, and all the hope converged onto the trident in Orion's hands. Gripping it tightly, he turned himself into a living arrow, continually charging through the ancient giant-horned whale's body.
This was Orion's final onslaught.
While Orion pushed forward, the ancient giant-horned whale repeatedly invoked its bone sword cage, attempting to halt his advance. Especially when it realized Orion was aiming for its head, it understood that this wasn't a mere desperate struggle, but a true fight to the death.
For Orion, breaking free had been straightforward in its logic: either he would perish mid-charge, or he would leap across a gap in power and slay this Arch Lord-level broodmother counterpart before him.
Life or death?
Sometimes in life, you just have to roll the dice, don't you?
…
Titanion Realm, Blackstone City.
This time, there weren't many dark creatures attacking Blackstone City. Though several Alpha-level dark creatures did show up, Rendall and the thunderhawk took them down. As usual, Lilith stood atop the city wall, directing the larger battlefield.
Now that Lumi had descended onto the underworld, Lorelia no longer had to send troops there nonstop. She instead dispatched large numbers of small spiders to the wall in support of the fight.
Beyond the city, bloodline warriors from the Stoneheart Horde rode their contracted cave spiders side by side with Rendall, ferociously slaughtering the dark creatures.
Long ago, when the Stoneheart Horde warriors couldn't find suitable mounts, they would contract certain cave spiders that showed promising potential. Those contracted cave spiders would no longer receive Lorelia's care; instead, the bloodline warrior who signed the pact would handle their upkeep.
As time passed and the population of various tribes grew, so did the number of people contracting cave spiders.
Now, Rendall's Hunting Party includes a cave spider army of well over ten thousand. Not only does this spider force excel at hunting, but in certain unique terrains, their combat power multiplies.
Observing the cave spider army ruthlessly cutting down dark creatures outside the city, Lilith's face gradually lit with a smile. Dark creatures could no longer be called a threat; instead, they'd become a resource to strengthen the horde.
Lilith once again brushed her abdomen, where the pulse she felt seemed more active than usual.
…
Underworld, near the cross-realm teleportation array.
Lumi stood atop an arrow tower, gazing out at the teleportation platform. Suddenly, she glanced down at the structure beneath her feet as if sensing something. For an instant, it felt as though the arrow tower itself pulsated with life, carrying a familiar presence.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but Lumi sensed a slight shift in her contract with Orion—only for it to vanish just as quickly.
"Was that him?"
Lumi murmured, still unsure. But she didn't leave her post. She had promised Orion she would safeguard this place. Lumi was simple, and sometimes simplicity means unwavering conviction.
…
Valkorath Realm, Bone City.
After a brilliant flash of light, Arthas emerged from his death domain. More precisely, the death domain had been shattered. Appearing alongside him was the slime molds broodmother, both severely injured.
Arthas, however, looked the worse for wear. His longsword was snapped in half, its flames extinguished long ago. His left arm and right leg were both missing, leaving him little more than a skeletal figure propped on the city wall.
Yet, in this form, Arthas radiated an even stronger regal majesty, standing there like a war banner, guiding his followers and his soldiers.
"I, the Skeleton King, am undying!"
His voice was steady and low, echoing in the broodmother's ears.
The slime molds broodmother was in a critical state. Though her slime molds layer kept sending power surging into her body, some wounds simply couldn't be healed by the layer alone.
Her upper torso boasted countless sword gouges, each one still blazing with flame. Neither the broodmother's might nor the slime molds layer could extinguish those fires.
"No one is truly immortal!"
"Aaaaargh…"
The broodmother let out a cry of pain and rage. At once, the slime molds layer rose like a colossal wave, overwhelming Bone City. Arthas let out a furious roar as well, raising his broken sword high.
In Bone City, a tide of undead poured from the undead towers, while countless bones crawled from the mass graves. Clashing mercilessly, the undead tide and the slime molds wave crashed against each other. Terribly wounded, Arthas and the broodmother clashed once more, with no victory decided, no outcome certain.
…
Meanwhile, near Soraya City.
Despite all his injuries and the risk to his life, Orion launched a final assault but never reached the ancient giant-horned whale's head. Sensing mortal danger, the whale had thrown everything into one last ultimate move.
Deep Sea Detonation!
Compressing its power ceaselessly, the ancient giant-horned whale gathered every shred of its strength around Orion's position. Orion's body was enclosed in an unimaginably dense energy field.
Just before the detonation, the whale's form rose high into the air.
In midflight, an enormous deep-blue orb suddenly flared. After just a short flicker and expansion, it released a light a hundred times brighter than the sun—an intensely hot, blinding radiance. Nearby fungal creatures that turned to stare curiously were struck blind on the spot.
Then came a thunderous boom that resounded across the land. Dazzling glare, a deafening explosion, and a mushroom cloud like a nuclear blast—it was followed by hurricane winds, tsunamis, and blankets of ash.
Everything nearby was swept away, utterly obliterated. Even the sky rippled with the force of the blast, forming a vast, outward-expanding ring.
It was an utterly cataclysmic Deep Sea Detonation from the ancient giant-horned whale, an upper arch lord level broodmother counterpart.
As for Orion, his body, returned to its normal size, fell from the sky like a piece of charred coal.
…
Soraya City remained locked in combat.
At the sight of that distant blue glow, the lich Vexis took note. Though the intense light did not blind her, it made her deeply uncomfortable.
Even from this far away, the suicidal strike of an arch lord still carried unimaginable force.
After the roar of the explosion and the tremors that followed, Soraya appeared on the city wall as well.
"What happened?"
"An Arch Lord level battle."
"Who won?"
"I don't know."
"But I can't sense Orion's presence anymore!"