NOVPUB
Chapter 391: 391
He decided to speak with the general one last time. After all, it was Gurnak himself who bore the Empire’s punishment. There was no need to drag these determined warriors to their deaths alongside him.
Gurnak descended slowly, the air shimmering around him, a subtle distortion of gravity betraying his power. He landed lightly before the Ogre general, the impact barely disturbing the churned earth. The Rune Ogres surrounding their leader stood firm, clad in dark, rune-etched plate armor that gleamed dully in the firelight. Each carried a weapon similarly adorned with glowing runes, pulsing with contained power. These were the elite of the Empire, their loyalty bought not with coin but with the promise of battle and the enhancement of their already formidable strength. The general himself, a mountain of muscle and bone encased in intricately carved armor, met Gurnak’s gaze without flinching. He held a massive, Spear shaped like a halberd, the runes carved along its length blazing with a cold blue light.
"General," Gurnak began, his voice resonating with power, "I thank you for your... steadfastness." He paused, searching for the right word. "It is clear you are bound by the same oaths as I, though our paths have diverged. Yet you remain."
The general grunted, a sound that held a hint of respect. He gestured with his axe towards the encroaching horde of demons, their screeches and howls growing louder with each passing moment. "They come. Duty."
Gurnak nodded grimly. "Indeed. But this is not merely a fight. This is a... reckoning. The Empire has forsaken me, branded me as a failure, a scapegoat. They believe I deserve this fate." He swept his hand across the ruined city, the gesture encompassing the devastation. "They believe we deserve this fate. But I will not let their judgment be the final word."
He looked directly into the general’s eyes, his own burning with an almost feverish intensity. "You and your warriors have shown me more honor than the Emperor himself. You have chosen to stand with me, despite the... circumstances." He knew these ogres held him in high regard, respecting his power and his past service to the Empire. He wasn’t dragging them to their deaths; they were choosing this path alongside him.
The roars of the demons were almost upon them now. Gurnak could see their grotesque forms surging through the breach, a tide of claws, teeth, and malice. He had to be quick.
"This battle is lost," Gurnak continued, his voice low and urgent. "We cannot win here. But we can choose how we fall. We can die here, overwhelmed by this horde, or we can make them pay for every inch of ground they take. We can make them remember this day, remember the defiance of the Rune Ogres and the... failure."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "I offer you a chance to etch your names into legend. Not as mere soldiers, but as heroes who stood against the darkness itself. Will you stand with me, General, and make this a battle they will never forget?" He extended a hand towards the Ogre general, a gesture of respect and a call to arms. The fate of the remaining Rune Ogres, and perhaps a small measure of Gurnak’s own redemption, hung in the balance.
He paused, letting his words sink in. "I offer you a chance to etch your names into legend. Not as mere soldiers, but as heroes who stood against the darkness itself." He looked at the general, then at the assembled ogres. "My tower provides me with near-unlimited energy. I can enhance you, grant you power beyond your current limits."
"I can make you... Gravity Knights."
The general and his men nodded as turned his attention to them. He began by subtly manipulating the gravitational field around the warriors. First, he reduced the effective weight of the ogre’s armor. The immense plates, normally a burden even to an ogre, felt as light as a second skin, allowing for previously impossible agility. The ogres felt a surge of newfound speed and maneuverability. Then, Gurnak subtly altered the direction of gravity’s pull, creating a constant downward force centered on the ogre’s feet. This provided an incredible sense of stability and grounding, allowing them to maintain balance even under extreme duress or when delivering powerful blows. It was as if invisible anchors rooted them to the earth.
Next, Gurnak focused on enhancing the ogres’ offensive capabilities. He conjured small, localized gravity wells around their weapons. As the ogres swung their massive hammers, these wells amplified the force of each blow, increasing its impact exponentially. The weapons became instruments of devastating power, capable of shattering stone and bone with ease. The ogres felt their hammers become extensions of their own will, guided by the subtle tugs and pulls of Gurnak’s magic.
Finally, Gurnak wove a protective layer of compressed gravity around the ogres. This acted as an invisible armor, deflecting blows and dampening the impact of incoming attacks. The ogres experienced a strange pressure against their skin—a comforting weight that offered unparalleled protection. This gravitational shield was not a static barrier; it shifted and flowed, reacting dynamically to incoming threats, making it incredibly difficult to breach.
The transformation was complete. The ogres, now dubbed Gravity Knights, stood taller, imbued with enhanced speed, stability, power, and protection. They moved with a newfound grace and purpose, living embodiments of Gurnak’s mastery over gravity.
Gurnak turned to the general and asked, "Will you stand with me and make this a battle they will never forget?"
The general said nothing. Instead, a broad grin spread across his face. He turned to his men, a roar rumbling deep in his chest. "With me!"
He leaped forward, his eyes widening in surprise as he effortlessly cleared the ruined city walls, landing lightly on the other side. His men, similarly empowered, followed close behind. Their enhanced agility allowed them to traverse the rubble with astonishing ease.
Gurnak smiled, a grim satisfaction settling over him. He looked to the sky and offered a slight bow. He knew they were watching. The Emperor, the Imperial mages, all of them observed, documented, and learned. They dissected his methods, analyzing the transformation of the Rune Ogres into Gravity Knights, absorbing every detail of his unique application of gravity magic.
Once, he would have been among them—a detached observer, safe in the shadow of the Empire, scribbling notes and formulating theories. But his... indiscretions had changed everything. Now, it was another goblin mage’s turn to sit comfortably while he, Gurnak, stood in the fray.
But if he was to be cast out, he would give them a show. He knew his innovations would be meticulously recorded and inevitably integrated into the Empire’s war machine. The Gravity Knights, his utilization of the world’s passive gravitational forces—everything he had created—would serve their ambitions.
Yet, they would also serve his vengeance.
Gurnak ascended into the sky, his mage tower humming with barely contained power behind him. He wasn’t finished. He would make the Empire rue the day they cast him aside, leaving him vulnerable.
A mocking laugh escaped his lips. His imagination wandered for a moment. The ogre general was only at the fifth stage of power, his men at the fourth. Glancing at the army of demons surging toward them, he wondered how many such stages the Demon Queen commanded.
Vorenza, meanwhile, was laughing heavily at the abyss, taken aback by the sudden influx of souls numbering in the millions. Among them, only a few caught her interest—those of the priests and the Alpha.
For the rest, Vorenza was in such high spirits that her army experienced a rain of souls. In a short span of time, her forces grew in power, with cannon fodder suddenly ascending to the third stage.
Gazing at the city, Vorenza knew it was hers. The hologram in front of her zoomed in, displaying the Ogre general and his men. She shook her head at their desperate efforts, but her mood had been unusually light of late.
An order was issued, and her army swiftly complied. A detachment composed of two fifth-stage demons and 100 fourth-stage demons was dispatched to confront the general. Meanwhile, the first- and second-stage demons were ordered to stay clear, focusing instead on expanding the abyss’s claim over the conquered land.
The hologram shifted to show the floating Gurnak. He noticed the surveillance and locked eyes with Vorenza, who offered a radiant smile as he moved closer to the display.
"The soul of a sixth-stage mage will make a delightful dessert," she mused before vanishing from the room. Moments later, she reappeared before the abyss portal, walking through it undisturbed by the flood of demons pouring forth.
Vorenza’s presence was immediately felt, but all attention was soon drawn to the battlefield. Two armies were preparing to clash. The Ogre general and his enhanced men tore through the demon forces with brutal efficiency, suffering no losses of their own.
Gravity played a pivotal role in their advantage. The first- and second-stage demons struggled, losing traction with the ground and floating helplessly, making them easy targets for the Ogres’ weapons. At times, the Ogres increased the gravitational pull, rendering their enemies immobile and sealing their fate.
