NOVPUB
Chapter 326: 326
The battlefield roared with the sounds of combat as the ogre general’s rally cry echoed in the ears of his troops. His warhammer, ablaze with the spectral flames of his inner power, swung through the air like a burning comet. Behind him, the ogre warriors surged forward, their eyes glowing with the same yellow fire as their leader. The third-stage demons that had been tearing through the ogre ranks now found themselves on the defensive, their initial advantage slipping away under the relentless assault.
The goblins on the wall, now with little choice but to follow orders, shifted their focus to support. The goblin mages hurled spells of protection and enhancement down onto the ogres, their magic blending with the fierce strength of the warriors on the field. Below them, the shadow-cloaked goblin assassins flickered in and out of existence, carving a path of chaos through the demons’ ranks.
The third-stage demons fought back, their sheer size and strength still formidable. Their claws tore into ogres, while their dark energy attempted to corrupt the land beneath them. Yet, for every ogre that fell, two more seemed to rise, the fury of their general driving them forward. They fought like creatures possessed, but not by Phanthom’s direct hand; they were driven by their own burning ambition—amplified and stoked to new heights by the demon watching from above.
Phanthom’s eyes gleamed with interest, savoring the spectacle unfolding below. The general and his men fought not just for survival but for something deeper—glory, recognition, and power. Phanthom haven’t altered their desires; he had simply lit the flames that already smoldered within them. Now, those flames burned uncontrollably. This was the stage he had created, a perfect battleground for ambition to take center stage, with both demons and ogres locked in a deadly dance of violence.
"Magnificent," Phanthom whispered to himself, watching as the ogre general swung his hammer, sending one of the third-stage demons crashing into the ground with a sickening thud. Blood splattered across the battlefield, but the general paid it no mind. His mind was elsewhere, lost in the fiery vision Phanthom had conjured. He saw the grand colosseum, the emperor, and the endless adulation of his people.
With every blow, the ogre army pushed further into the demon ranks. The third-stage demons, though formidable, found themselves outmatched by the ogres’ newfound strength and ferocity. One demon after another fell beneath the warhammers and axes of the ogres. Their bodies littered the ground, staining it with dark blood, but the ogres marched on, unstoppable.
It wasn’t long before the balance of power shifted dramatically in favor of the ogres. The battlefield, once dominated by the chaos of the demons, now began to tilt toward the forces of the general. The goblin assassins darted through the shadows, cutting down demon after demon, while the ogre warriors crushed their enemies with raw strength.
Then, the air shifted.
A dark shadow loomed over the battlefield, and the ground trembled beneath an overwhelming presence. It wasn’t another wave of third-stage demons. It was something far worse. Phanthom’s eyes narrowed in anticipation.
From the depths of the demon horde, a massive figure emerged. Its wings unfurled, casting a dark shadow over the field. Its body was made of jagged stone, covered in cracks where molten lava pulsed like veins of fire. A fourth-stage gargoyle demon had entered the fray.
The ogre general, locked in his fiery delusion, saw this creature not as a threat, but as the ultimate challenge. His eyes burned brighter, and the phantom behind him blazed even fiercer. This was what he had been waiting for—the ultimate test of his strength and will.
The gargoyle demon roared, shaking the earth with its voice, and launched itself into the air. It crashed down in front of the general with the force of a boulder, sending a shockwave that threw both ogres and demons off balance. The creature’s wings spread wide as its molten eyes locked onto the general.
"Come!" the general roared, brandishing his warhammer. "I will show you the strength of an ogre!"
The fourth-stage gargoyle demon towered over the ogre general, its wings flexing wide as molten veins coursed beneath its cracked stone skin. The demon’s eyes burned with malevolent intelligence, assessing its opponent, calculating every movement.
The ogre general snarled, gripping his warhammer tighter, the weapon pulsing with the fury of his burning aura. His own fiery power, enhanced by his fourth-stage transformation, rippled through his body, making the air around him shimmer with heat. The battlefield was littered with the bodies of fallen ogres and demons, and the air stank of blood, sulfur, and ash.
With a powerful swing, the general charged forward. His "Flamebreaker Hammer" glowed brightly as he brought it down with immense force, aiming for the gargoyle’s chest. The ground cracked beneath his feet, leaving scorched imprints with each step.
But the demon was quick. Instead of meeting the attack head-on, it feinted left, allowing the ogre to overcommit. At the last moment, the gargoyle twisted its massive body and countered with a lightning-fast swipe of its molten claws, aiming for the general’s exposed flank.
The claws ripped into the ogre’s side, carving through flesh and armor alike. Blood sprayed from the wound, sizzling as it hit the demon’s molten skin. The general roared in pain but didn’t slow his assault. He pivoted mid-motion, using the momentum from the strike to swing his hammer in a wide arc, aiming for the gargoyle’s legs.
The warhammer struck with a sickening crack, smashing into the gargoyle’s stone limb. Chips of rock flew in all directions as the demon stumbled back, momentarily off-balance. But the gargoyle, not minding that
did not let the damage slow it. Instead, it launched itself into the air, wings flapping with a powerful gust that sent the general skidding back across the scorched earth.
Hovering above, the gargoyle let loose a guttural laugh, the sound echoing like grinding stones. Its molten eyes locked onto the general as it unleashed "Infernal Sear"—a stream of molten lava from its gaping maw. The lava splashed across the battlefield, turning the ground into bubbling pools of molten rock, cutting off the ogre’s path of retreat.
The general dove to the side, barely avoiding the cascade of fire, but some of the molten lava splashed across his arm. His skin bubbled and hissed as the heat burned deep, but the ogre’s battle instincts kicked in. With a roar, he slammed his warhammer into the ground, activating "Flamebreaker Shield"—a barrier of raw fire that erupted from the earth, surrounding him in a protective inferno.
The molten stream hit the barrier and evaporated into a cloud of steam, but the gargoyle was already in motion, swooping down low to follow up its attack. Its claws, glowing with demonic energy, tore through the smoke, aiming for the general’s head. The ogre barely raised his hammer in time to block the attack, but the force of the blow drove him to one knee.
The gargoyle pressed its advantage. It landed with a thunderous crash, sending shockwaves through the ground, and followed up with a flurry of rapid strikes, claws slashing at the general from multiple angles. Each blow was precise, aimed to exploit any gaps in the ogre’s defense.
The ogre general gritted his teeth, blocking and parrying as best he could, but the demon’s speed and ferocity were overwhelming. Its claws raked across his armor, tearing through metal and flesh alike. Blood flowed freely from the general’s wounds, but each time he took a hit, the flames of his "Ogre’s Wrath" burned hotter. His anger fueled his power.
With a roar of defiance, the general activated "Titan’s Fury," his warhammer glowing with an intense orange light. He swung the massive weapon in a wide arc, and this time, the gargoyle could not avoid the blow. The hammer connected with the demon’s chest, the impact sending a shockwave through its body, causing cracks to spread across its stone skin.
But the gargoyle did not flinch. Instead, it smirked, It had been waiting for this.
As the general’s hammer rebounded, the gargoyle caught it mid-swing, using its stone claws to grip the weapon. The molten energy from the demon’s body surged into the warhammer, corrupting it with demonic fire. The general’s eyes widened as his own weapon began to heat up, glowing an unnatural red. The handle burned his hands, forcing him to release it.
In a swift motion, the gargoyle yanked the warhammer from the general’s grasp and tossed it aside, sending it flying across the battlefield. Now disarmed, the ogre was vulnerable.
The gargoyle struck. With a powerful backhand, it sent the general flying through the air. The ogre slammed into a jagged outcrop of rock, the impact cracking stone and ribs alike. He gasped for breath, blood trickling from his mouth. The pain was overwhelming, but he could not afford to give in.
The gargoyle advanced, its molten claws dripping with lava as it prepared to finish the job. But the general wasn’t done yet.
