At Corvinus's laughter, a colossal magical formation emerged, centered on the mage tower. All the magical energy and evil beings in the surrounding area were sacrificed.
The air was sucked dry, the ground heaved upward, and every wicked creature within a few miles turned to ash.
Even Orion felt the pull of the sacrificial ritual. He flickered out of sight and quickly escaped its boundaries.
The sacrificial ritual proceeded swiftly. Once it could absorb no further offerings, a mysterious figure in a black cloak and brandishing a scythe appeared in midair.
"Esteemed Nero, welcome to the Radiant Continent!"
Corvinus's voice brimmed with reverence. The stranger before him, named Nero, was the one who had agreed to guide him.
Nero lowered his gaze, looking down at Corvinus in silence. After a moment, Nero turned his head to Orion.
"Esteemed Nero, he is the enemy—the one who kept me from extracting the world essence for you."
Nero still did not speak aloud, but as soon as Corvinus finished, Nero's gaze toward Orion grew icy, filled with killing intent.
"Pathetic giant. Do you think you're worthy of contending with me for the world essence?"
Though Nero's lips never moved, his voice rang out clearly.
"Is this reaper-like figure an Arch Lord?"
"No, not an Arch Lord. It's only at the peak of the Legendary level!"
Orion frowned, wary of the being summoned before him.
Though it was indeed a peak Legendary entity, its aura gave Orion the impression of facing an Arch Lord.
There was no time to dwell on it further—the reaper was already charging at him, scythe in tow.
"What's there to fear? Giants never back down!"
Orion had slain Arch Lords before; he would not fear this mysterious reaper. While he felt some apprehension, he refused to retreat.
Clang, clang, clang!
Metal crashed against metal—such was the impact of their force—and the weapons vibrated and collided.
Orion and the reaper named Nero met in a head-on clash with no immediate victor.
"This is just an avatar!"
"An avatar of a Arch Lord!"
After colliding, Orion sensed something amiss about Nero.
The scythe-wielding powerhouse was not the true body; he was purely an avatar. Furthermore, Orion could vaguely detect a presence in Nero similar to Leonidas and Arthas.
"Good insight—you've managed to sense that this is only my avatar!"
A raspy, emotionless voice spoke by Orion's ear. It was Nero.
"You're at the peak of the Legendary level, and there's Titan blood in your veins. I must admit I underestimated you before. Now I'm giving you a chance—leave this place, and I'll forgive your offense."
Though Nero's words were devoid of emotion, his tone was lofty and condescending.
"Hahaha! You already know I have Titan blood, yet you think I'd just walk away? Ridiculous!"
Orion laughed aloud.
Although Nero's avatar was only at the peak of the Legendary tier, its true power was that of an Arch Lord. This was why Nero treated Orion with such contempt.
With a ringing crash, Orion and Nero collided again, both knocked back in opposite directions.
Orion realized that at his current strength, he couldn't easily overpower Nero, meaning this foe had to be formidable even among Arch Lords.
"Not bad. You're a peak Legendary, and you can withstand my attacks, so you're clearly able to fight above your rank."
"But you're still unworthy of contending with me for the world essence."
Nero hefted his scythe once more, charging at Orion. In response, Orion moved his palm, producing a cluster of Legendary-level life essence, which he sacrificed directly to the [Titan Emblem].
In less than the space of a single breath, Orion felt a mysterious power surge through him. The blood and life force within his body, along with his transcendent power, roiled fiercely.
"WAAAGH!"
Facing this mysterious reaper, Orion knew he could no longer hold back. With a thunderous boom, the flames on his trident flared as though drenched in oil, blazing intensely.
Enveloped in flame, Orion activated Instant Impact and lunged at Nero.
Crack, crack, crack!
With the bolstered might of his Gigantic Form, Orion's strength skyrocketed. The trident in his hands pushed forward without pause, splitting Nero's oncoming scythe bit by bit.
Then the trident pierced Nero's body, and streaks of flame burst from within. Nero's form ignited instantly!
A loud crackling filled the air as Nero's avatar was defeated in a single blow.
"Is he dead?"
Orion hovered in midair, watching Nero's burning avatar plummet to the ground.
"Hahaha… Did you really think my attack would end here?
"What a foolish notion!"
Suddenly, Nero's voice echoed by Orion's ear again. Without stopping to think, Orion stabbed backward with his trident.
Yet there was nothing behind him.
"You're finished!
"Accept the spiritual contamination of the Mortis clan, hahaha…"
A heartbeat later, Orion staggered. A searing pain tore through his head, and the world began to spin.
Thud!
His transcendent power went haywire, and Orion plummeted straight to the ground.
Within his consciousness, a pitch-black reaper dragging a scythe raced toward the depths of Orion's mind, laughing all the while. As it advanced, it emitted waves of mysterious mist, dispersing into eerie runes that hid themselves throughout his consciousness.
"Hehehe, whoever is corrupted by the Mortis clan—no matter their race—becomes our slave, forever enslaved to us…"
"The Radiant Continent's world essence is mine, and the world you inhabit shall also belong to the Mortis clan."
"It's all ours…"
The reaper sprinted onward, screeching and releasing more spiritual contamination. However, upon entering Orion's innermost consciousness, it spotted two brilliant flashes of blades and an extraordinarily massive heart.
"What is tha—"
Before it could even complete the sentence, the reaper was annihilated by those dazzling blade flashes.
Outside, Orion ceased his convulsions. The ferocious and agonized expression on his face gradually receded. He opened his eyes and fixed a cold gaze on Corvinus in the distance, who wanted to approach yet did not dare.
"Esteemed Nero, is that you? Have you already claimed the giant's body and soul?"
Corvinus ventured hesitantly, but Orion gave no reply.
In the next moment, Orion was behind Corvinus, driving his trident through Corvinus's skull.
Having disposed of Corvinus, and gathered up the spiritual crystals, Orion carefully examined his own state.
"So this is spiritual contamination?"
"Is this power what destroyed the Radiant Continent?"
"It corrupts the mind and consciousness directly… what a bizarre ability!"
Orion felt fortunate that the two blade flashes bestowed by the commander had saved him. Otherwise, his victory would not have come so easily.