A/N: I’m truly sorry for publishing a repeated Chapter. Since it appears I won’t be able to fix it all by the end of the month. I’ve already decided to set all the 15 priv Chapters for only 1 coin next month. I truly apologize for this inconvenience. Don’t worry, your coins are not wasted. At least, only 1 coin, I think hehe.
A devastating snowstorm struck the entire patrol group of Ashen Orc.
Against such a powerful spell, the powerful physique of the Ashen Orc could not withstand the freezing effects.
Tiny ice crystals began emerging from their skin, eventually turning their whole skin into bluish.
They opened their mouth wide, wanting to roar to warn their tribes that an invasion had occurred.
But their vocal chord had already been frozen, unable to produce a noise.
The snowstorm intensified as the magic circle above lit up.
Enzo continued to chant and the snowstorms visibility decreased significantly, concealing the enormous figures inside.
The monster hunters were awestruck.
They were filled with disbelief.
It was actually the first time they saw their Guildmaster, casting such a wide destructive spell.
Enzo’s horse stopped hundred meters away from the snowstorm.
Enzo finally stopped chanting and the snowstorm began to diminish, eventually revealing the five enormous Ashen Orcs inside.
But now... they were frozen solid.
Their skin turned bluish and remnants of snowflakes emerged from time to time, chilling the surrounding area, affecting even the Abyssal mana.
The monster hunters cheered, as Enzo ordered his horse to move forward towards them.
When he passed through them, he gently tapped the frozen Ashen Orcs.
Cracks began to appear from their body, slithering in every part, creating fissures that eventually caused the frozen Ashen Orcs to disintegrate into many pieces.
The monster hunters felt invigorated, intensifying their roar.
Seeing their Guildmaster, continuing his advance, they were compelled to move as well.
However, they were waiting for the voice to order them in unison.
They could not help but be impatient when it remained quiet.
Eventually, the imposing voice echoed.
"Advance! But keep a distance from your Guildmaster."
The monster hunters compelled.
Sometime later, when they finally discover another Ashen Orc, albeit, it was exuding a domineering aura akin to a domain, they finally understood why they had to keep a distance from their Guildmaster.
Their Guildmaster stood before the Ashen Orc, his expression calm as he examined the monster standing several meters away.
Compared to the B-rank Ashen Orcs they had encountered earlier, this one was considerably larger, standing nearly four meters tall. Its body was covered in dark, charcoal-colored skin, with thick muscles layered beneath a naturally hardened hide. Faint crimson lines ran across its shoulders, chest, and arms, resembling molten cracks beneath a slab of blackened stone.
Its head was crowned with two thick, backward-curving tusks that extended from its lower jaw, while a pair of smaller horns protruded from its forehead. Its blood-red eyes stared at Enzo with an intelligence that ordinary monsters rarely possessed.
The most noticeable difference, however, was not its size.
It was the sheer pressure emanating from its body.
An oppressive aura spread across the surrounding ground, causing the grass to bend and the loose soil to tremble beneath its feet. Even without making a move, the Ashen Orc exerted a presence that made the surrounding B-rank monsters appear insignificant.
Its aura was so concentrated that the air around its massive frame seemed to distort.
The Monster Hunters watching from behind finally understood why the domineering voice had ordered them to maintain their distance. This was no ordinary B-rank monster that could be overwhelmed through numbers.
It was an A-rank monster whose very presence commanded the battlefield.
The Ashen Orc wielded an enormous black iron great axe, its broad blade nearly as tall as an ordinary human. Strange crimson veins ran along the weapon’s surface, while the thick handle was wrapped in the hide of some unknown beast. Judging by its proportions, the weapon would have been far too heavy for an ordinary warrior to lift, let alone swing in combat.
Yet the Ashen Orc held it effortlessly in one hand.
It rested the great axe against its shoulder, its enormous frame remaining perfectly still as it studied Enzo.
Compared to the B-rank Ashen Orcs, which relied primarily on their physical strength and brutal fighting instincts, this creature possessed an unmistakable air of superiority. Its movements were controlled, its posture composed, and its gaze carried the confidence of a warrior that had survived countless battles.
It was not merely a larger specimen.
It was a monster that had crossed an entirely different threshold of evolution.
And standing before it, Enzo could feel the pressure of its A-rank existence pressing against him.
Enzo gripped his staff tightly and made the first move.
He chant and cast a magic spell in front of him.
Almost immediately, the surroundings, including the Ashen Orc and his legion behind him, had their whole terrain covered in ice.
It was his most powerful area of effect skill that put the enemies in environmental disadvantage, while putting Enzo and his horse in advantage.
After all, his horse could mobilize around efficiently in the glacial terrain.
The Ashen Orc did not remain idle and instantly released ts accumulated Ashen Mana into the surrounding area, establishing a domain of oppressive pressure.
To his surprise, the glacial terrain remained fully intact despite being exposed by the Ashen Mana.
Enzo’s A-rank passive ability was responsible for the toughness of the ice.
Glacial Authority—hardening the frost constructs, making it hard to destroy with just mere mana, especially from a creature who does not even rely on chanting magic spells.
The Ashen Orc frowned.
He then raised his Abyssal Great Axe and smashed it to the ice below him.
Glacial Spears suddenly began attacking his body, barely leaving a scratch, which he ignored.
But the Ashen Orc was stunned.
His Abyssal Great Axe pierced through the ice and cracks appeared... but the entire glacial terrain was not broken.
Only the ice around him was shattered.
He tilted his head upward and glared at Enzo.
Enzo continued to chant Glacial Spears one after another, bolting at the Ashen Orc, who appeared unbothered at all.
He clucked his tongue in annoyance.
Tsk! How tough!
If even his B-rank Glacial Spears could not pierce through, it would be pointless to further wasting his mana.
He chant another spell, this time, it was A-rank...
With his Authority growing stronger because of his allies’ genuine reliance on him, as well as receiving external support from Seraphina, the Holy Knight felt more confident fighting against Varkhaz.
Judging from Varkhaz’s state, it was clear that he was going all out.
If the Holy Knight failed to respond properly to Varkhaz’s next attack, he would risk having his life annihilated.
As expected, Varkhaz raised his massive greatsword and swung it diagonally at the Holy Knight.
The massive greatsword was accompanied by condensed Hellfire, ready to release a massive crescent of flames if it failed to meet a physical object.
The Holy Knight could not dodge it.
The only way was to parry the massive greatsword.
At the same time, Varkhaz’s expression made it clear that he was truly going all out.
He had consumed a tremendous amount of demonic Mana to unleash the power of his Ashcrown, and clearly, he was betting everything on his current strike, hoping to return to his normal form before completely exhausting his demonic Mana.
The Holy Knight responded immediately.
He gathered his Divine Authority into his sword.
The Authority he had manifested earlier rushed back toward him after he had successfully prevented Varkhaz’s Hellfire from harming the innocent.
The demon hunters glanced at him.
The demons glanced at Varkhaz.
It was the first time they had seen Varkhaz go all out against an enemy.
And it was not against another demon.
A human!
Even his Captains were in disbelief.
Belzura narrowed her eyes, as though she were seeing countless possibilities, each one bringing her closer to the truth.
Vexir frowned as he watched Varkhaz carelessly burn through his demonic Mana just to fight two individuals.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he continued watching Varkhaz, his eyes concealing a deep mockery directed at him.
Varkhaz’s massive greatsword and the Holy Knight’s Divine Blade collided.
Similar to Darius and Ignis’s battle, the demonic Mana and Divine Mana first attempted to cancel each other out before the physical weapons could finally collide.
The resulting shockwave was even more terrifying than before.
Space distorted.
The wetland dried.
Grass and other non-woody plants were blown away by the tremendous collision.
The devastation was immense.
The shallow water surged into a small wave that swept across the marshland.
In fact, their battle could be perceived all the way from Greyfen Village, where the people were defending themselves against the monsters’ invasion.
Even the monsters themselves, especially those equivalent to B-Rank, pulled back the monsters they controlled as they warily waited for the outcome of the battle between demons and humans on the other side.
Although, to them, it didn’t matter who won.
Once the demons decided to fight against them, they would not retreat.
Rhayne noticed the monsters’ reaction after perceiving the auras of demonic Mana and Divine Mana colliding with each other.
She turned around and recalled Lieutenant Garrick’s earlier report that Max had arrived.
Was that his Mana?
Just perceiving the amount of Mana reaching her location alone made her feel despair at the thought of defeating Max.
She had not given up on her goal—to defeat Max and prove to him that she was no longer the helpless, naive girl she had once been.
She vowed to reclaim the dignity she had lost from her humiliation at his hands.
Yet perceiving the extreme Mana reaching her made her feel despair once again...
The surrounding settlements also perceived the terrifying Mana, and some were actually filled with hope.
The Divine Authority reached them.
The Divine Authority that gave them salvation from their suffering caused by the monsters’ brutal assault.
Unfortunately, the Divine Authority was overwhelmed by Varkhaz’s demonic Authority.
The Hellfire swallowed the Divine Mana.
The strength of his massive greatsword forced the Holy Knight down onto one knee until he managed to deflect the massive weapon slightly, preventing it from splitting him in half.
His Divine Blade dropped.
The blade had completely exhausted its Divine Mana.
In fact, the Divine Blade appeared to have become nothing more than a normal blade.
The Holy Knight’s pale complexion was revealed after his hood fell.
He was kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.
If it had not been for Seraphina’s timely spell from her Authority skill, the Holy Knight might have already been swallowed by Varkhaz’s Hellfire.
At the same time, Varkhaz’s state returned to normal.
Despite trying to hide his exhaustion, the rhythm and intensity of his breathing made it obvious that he was worn out from his battle against the Holy Knight.
Seeing the Holy Knight unable to move after completely exhausting his Divine Authority, Varkhaz thought,
One reward claimed.
He turned toward Seraphina and saw that even her Divine Authority had been heavily depleted after supporting the Holy Knight and preventing him from being annihilated by his Hellfire.
Varkhaz narrowed his eyes.
The second reward can be claimed once I’ve subdued the third.
He turned toward Max, who was standing upon the dried ground.
Max’s countenance remained calm despite having his strongest protector defeated by Varkhaz.
Varkhaz was wary at first.
But after a second thought, Max might simply be deceiving him.
Inwardly, he might be panicking.
Varkhaz broke into a smile and asked,
"Bearer of a Divine Authority, I, Varkhaz, will claim your life. Thank you for rewarding yourself to me."
His words were filled with sarcasm, especially in his final sentence.
Max chuckled in response.
"You look like you can barely move."
Varkhaz was taken aback.
If it had been any other demon, he would have been infuriated and struck at Max.
But provocation would not work against him.