‘Do we really need to go this far? Don’t you think that we have already killed enough monsters to sell them the hero act?’ Solus was confused since that level of violence wasn’t part of the original plan.
‘Respectively, yes we do and no, it’s not enough. Sorry for keeping you guys in the dark but I couldn’t tell Morok everything or his reaction wouldn’t be genuine.’ Lith replied. ‘Feel free to take a peek at my mind if you think I’m going overboard.’
Solus’ reply came in the form of a skillful parry that locked one of the hammers and created an opening that nearly cost Morok his arm.
‘I trust you. Do you want me to also take out the Fury or the Sage Staff?’
‘That’s mean of you, Solus. Quylla invited us to her marriage, not to Morok’s funeral.’ He replied with a smirk.
Their conversation was light, but all that the Tyrant could see was a cruel grin on the Abomination’s face. With each exchange, Morok was losing ground and letting Lith dictate the rhythm of the fight.
They both used body casting to unleash spells against each other but while the Abomination cast tier four and five spells, Morok was stuck at tier three. Their Domination was on par and from so up close there was no space for dodging spells.
Morok had to use elemental blasts from his eyes non-stop to make up for the difference in tier between their spells which was quickly draining his stamina and mana core.
“You monster!” He said, half following the script and half speaking from the heart. “How many lives have you destroyed? How many people have you killed to become so strong?”
“Enough.” Despite the chaos of battle, the crowned demon’s voice was low and calm.
His simple answer more terrifying than any threat his enemies could imagine.
The Tyrant was using every trick, feint, and footwork technique he had mastered over his 28 years of age, six of which spent as a Ranger, yet he was losing.
Morok was going all-out and squeezing out his energy reserves until the last drop just to not be cut down.
‘Sure, I’ve Awakened much later than him but I’m older and I have allegedly been in much more fights than Lith. He’s not even 20 yet he is this close to whooping my ass. What kind of life has he had to become this strong?’
Double Edge swept both Grimnir away with a diagonal slash to the left while War crossed its path in an X, cutting the Tyrant from the right shoulder to the left hip.
Blood spurted out as the shock from the deep wound made him fall onto his knees.
“You shouldn’t have come, kid. All you have done is give these creatures false hope and make me stronger.” Lith grabbed the helpless Morok by the throat, sucking what little was left of his strength with Abomination Touch.
The black slate of the Void turned into small scales, mimicking those of the Tyrant, and each one of the seven white eyes turned to a different elemental color.
‘Stop it!’ Morok begged via the mind link. ‘If you use even a bit more of your strength, I’ll have no believable way to win!’
‘I beg to differ.’ A silvery blur appeared near the Abomination, punching him so fast that he didn’t have the time to react.
At the same time, another hand twisted Lith’s wrist, breaking the hold over the Tyrant and freeing him.
“Son of Glemos or not, you almost died for us and that means something. Ryla!” The Hati Queen was coursing with golden lightning while an orange armor protected her from the demon’s deadly touch.
The high priestess shared what of her bloodline ability she had left with Morok and his allies, tripling their might and turning the tides of the battle in two out of three hot spots.
“Br’ey!” Following Syrah’s order, the orc shaman released the world energy stored in her crystal, flooding the bodies of the members of the senate and Morok’s with new power.
The effect of her technique was akin to Invigoration, healing physical wounds and restoring the lost mana. Also, by holding her focus on a few people, Br’ey could feed them with world energy to replace their mana.
It allowed her targets to cast spells non-stop and not suffer from the effects of mana abuse.
‘Now I understand!’ Solus said as the Fomor, the Hati, and the orc shaman worked with the Tyrant to take down their common enemy. ‘You didn’t want to just paint Morok as a hero.
‘You wanted him to come out of Glemos’ shadow and ensure that the monsters won’t listen to him just because Glemos is his father but because they consider Morok one of them.’
‘That’s partly correct.’ Lith grunted in effort.
Now it was his turn to be forced to go all-out to not be beaten into a pulp.
The Hati Queen’s group was already his match earlier and now that the Tyrant had joined them, Morok’s martial techniques and the power of his eyes made up for the predictability of the monsters’ attacks.
‘I needed the Queen to see that she wasn’t just going to exchange one master for another. That Morok really cares for them and he’s willing to put his life on the line instead of just running away when things get tough.
‘Everything Syrah sees and feels, the warg do as well. In turn, the warg and Hati in the backlines can share it with the other monsters and affect the morale of the entire army.’
As they spoke, Solus noticed how thanks to the influx of the shaman’s crystal, Morok was circulating his mana through his body. From there it moved to his scales where it was amplified and then it was channelled into his eyes.
‘Is it me or is he getting heavier?’ Lith asked after noticing that the Tyrant’s blows were getting harder to deflect.
‘You are correct.’ Solus replied. ‘He’s gaining mass as the vortexes in his body get compressed. The rate is nothing like yours when you were a Wyrmling but it’s still weird because Tyrants are supposed to be humanoids that don’t grow in size.’
“You, with the shining wings! Stop wasting your energy.” Morok yelled, while inwardly cursing at Lith for moving the fight deep among the monsters’ ranks so that each clash and missed spell caused more casualties.
“Demons can redirect and corrupt your energy, but so can I. Give me everything you’ve got, now!”
“But…” Ryla couldn’t bring herself to turn the power of her eyes on the descendant of Glemos, no matter if he himself was giving her the order.
“I said now!” Double Edge had just swept Grimnir away and opened a deep wound in his chest.
Syrah lay on the ground again with her chest pierced by War again while the Hands of Menadion were slowly overpowering Br’ey’s wave of world energy, taking away the monsters’ endless strength and weakening their elemental magic.
The Fomor saw the strain on the orc shaman’s face and knew it was only a matter of time before Br’ey’s strength gave out.
