Chapter 10
982 Words
Kane stared intently at his opponent for a long moment before speaking in a low, gravelly voice, "Old man, you're next."
The orc shaman burst into laughter, as if hearing the greatest joke of his life. When he finished, he gazed at Kane with snake-like eyes. "Ignorant human, do you think a few special tricks can make you a match for a second-tier high-ranking transcendent?"
"Let's find out," Kane said, raising his longsword and charging.
Several sword slashes appeared before the shaman, but he calmly tapped his staff on the ground, summoning a black, circular barrier that enveloped him. Kane flashed to the shaman's left, striking at his head with his claws, but both the sword slashes and claws were repelled by the barrier.
"Heh, not bad. This power and source energy... you'll make an excellent test subject."
Kane said nothing, instead putting more force into his attacks on the barrier.
"Bang, bang, bang."
Countless sword slashes and claw strikes repeatedly hit the barrier, causing a c***k to appear on its black surface.
"Very good, just a bit more and you can break my dark shield," the shaman encouraged, as if he weren't the one inside the barrier.
Just as Kane was about to break through, he suddenly retreated and launched three sword slashes at the weakening barrier.
"Boom!"
The barrier shattered, sending out a wave of intense energy in all directions. Kane crossed his arms over his chest, shielding himself from the blast.
"I'm increasingly impressed, human. I didn't expect you to sense the fluctuations in my dark shield."
The shaman leisurely walked toward Kane, eyes filled with greed, as if he had already won. Kane remained silent, acknowledging the shaman's formidable strength, far beyond the goblin champion. Even with his werewolf bloodline, Kane knew he was outmatched.
But the shaman seemed more interested in toying with him than killing him outright, like a cat with a mouse. This could be an opportunity. If he could lull the shaman into a false sense of security, perhaps he could land a decisive blow.
The shaman circled Kane, observing his body closely. "Your sensitivity is excellent, your strength is impressive, and... your source energy seems to have mutated."
After completing his inspection, the shaman clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Your potential surpasses that of the lizardmen in my orc kingdom. If we were at the same level, I would not be your match. What a pity..."
The shaman sighed heavily, as if lamenting Kane's fate, or perhaps mocking his helplessness.
"Enough with the chatter," Kane interrupted, lunging at the shaman from an unexpected angle. As expected, the shaman easily dodged.
The shaman smirked. "I almost forgot, I need to test your resistance."
As he spoke, a sinister black energy emanated from his staff, surrounded by skeletal phantoms. He tapped his staff again, sending the energy hurtling toward Kane.
Kane released three sword slashes, but they were absorbed into the black energy like stones sinking into water.
"What?!"
Kane barely had time to react before he was engulfed by the black energy, which exploded around him.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion echoed across the battlefield, and thick smoke billowed from the crater where Kane had stood. The shaman walked to the edge of the crater, smiling as he saw Kane kneeling inside.
"Good resilience. Time for the final step."
As the black energy enveloped him, Kane felt a lethal suffocation. Pain like knives slicing through him spread to every part of his body. Struggling to breathe, he knelt, choking on the smoke but unable to focus on anything but the agony.
He heard footsteps approaching and realized the shaman was coming closer. This was his chance. Kane hoped he had deceived the shaman.
The shaman reached down, removing Kane's helmet, revealing his white-furred face. The shaman's eyes flashed with surprise before he resumed his calm demeanor.
"Praise be to Kair, the war god. You finally answered the prayers of your loyal follower, Agala, and let me capture a mutated human in this small place."
"Ha ha ha, once my research is complete, those decadent nobles in the empire will regret everything."
As the shaman's clawed hand reached for Kane's head, Kane summoned his remaining source energy into his claws and struck the shaman's abdomen. Green orc blood dripped to the ground.
The shaman staggered back a step, clutching his abdomen. He had avoided the worst of the strike but was clearly injured.
"D*mn human, you still have some strength left. I was careless, but you won't get another chance."
Raising his staff, he prepared to crush Kane's skull. He had intended to keep Kane's body intact, but now he was furious.
Before the shaman could act, a thirty-man squad burst from the forest. Each soldier was shrouded in a silvery light, their equipment even more advanced than the soldiers of Regent's domain. Their armor bore magical runes.
The squad's leader, a middle-aged man, glared at the battlefield littered with human remains. "Foolish orc, how dare you invade human lands and s*******r my kin?"
"I, Horst Gerard, will see you and your kind eradicated."
Kane, struggling with pain, looked toward the man, as did the immobilized Marcus and Catherine.
"Horst Gerard? Isn't he supposed to be in his knight's domain? Why is he here?"
Kane quickly donned his helmet again and called out, "Uncle Horst?"
The middle-aged man turned to Kane. "Kane? I knew it was you. Hang on, I'll get you out of there."
With that, he led five men toward the shaman, while the rest dealt with the remaining goblins.
Though surprised, the shaman Agala turned to face the approaching humans. Energy far surpassing what he had used against Kane surged from his body, forming skeletal phantoms.
As Agala tapped his staff, the phantoms merged into the bodies of the dead goblins, including the goblin champion. The corpses rose again, attacking the human squad.
- Writer
