Chapter 25
Ska’dur floated near an unconscious Torg with his heart racing in his chest. He didn’t expect the Laegur Beam Cannon Yara told him about to be so lethal. Had he been just a bit slower, he would’ve been a goner.
Ska’dur wanted to check on Torg when a commotion in the distance drew his attention.
Many from the Solar Flare Legion exclaimed in shock and horror at their leader's condition. The commanders flew out, shouting anxiously, “Lord Igneo!”
Ska’dur glanced at Torg. Even though he still had enough energy to wipe out Torg’s remaining health, he retreated, leaving Torg behind.
The reason was simple.
Killing Torg would result in an all-out war with the Elemental Nation.
Besides Torg, there were still three others with similar strength who ruled over the Elemental Nation, not to mention their developed armies with centuries of experience. The Innate Nation simply couldn’t face a united Elemental Nation. They were currently too weak to handle the consequences.
At the same time, Markus flew out from the Skynet, nodding to Ska’dur as he passed, “Good job. Leave the rest to me.”
Markus came to a halt a safe distance from Torg, where a dozen commanders from the Solar Flare Legion hovered, their expressions grim.
“He’s still alive,” one said with relief.
“Not for long,” another analyzed. “When he runs out of mana, his Inferno Blaze Embodiment will deactivate, and he’ll die from blood loss with so many organs missing.”
While the commanders discussed, the rest of the Solar Flare Legion flew over and encircled Torg, defending him from any potential threats. They listened to their commander’s conversation, a sense of despair gripping them.
All of them shared the same thought.
If Torg died, there wouldn’t be a strong enough deterrence to hold Monster King Tyranus at bay. Among the other three rulers, one focused on defense, and another on support. Without Torg’s attack power, Tyranus could run amok within their territories, causing untold amounts of damage.
One of the commanders, a middle-aged man, suddenly called out, “Squads twenty through twenty-five, approach and use Life Sacrifice on Lord Igneo.”
Life Sacrifice was a skill that originated from the Sin Dimension. It could transfer health from one person to another, albeit at a highly inefficient ratio.
At the commander’s order, dozens of soldiers neared and activated Life Sacrifice, motes of flickering light flying out from their bodies and sinking into Torg’s head. The commanders relaxed when they saw Torg’s energy body start regenerating.
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By the time Torg’s torso had regrown, the five squads who supplied him health were on the verge of collapsing, their skin unnaturally pale.
The middle-aged commander waved his hand, “Enough. Squads twenty-six through thirty, take their place and continue.”
Halfway through the healing process, Torg’s Inferno Blaze Embodiment deactivated, and his body returned to flesh and blood. At that point, he was only missing parts of his limbs, so his life wasn’t in any danger. After another minute, Torg was back to normal.
Moments later, Torg’s eyelids fluttered before snapping open.
Confused, he looked around.
It wasn’t until he spotted the Skynet in the distance that he sobered up.
Turning to his trusted subordinates, he inquired, “What happened?”
“Sir,” the middle-aged man explained, “a beam of mana moving at the speed of light and capable of breaking apart space passed through your body, leaving you with only your head. We used Life Sacrifice to heal you up. As for the origin of the attack, it came from the ramparts behind that giant array.”
Torg looked towards the Skynet, struggling to process that he had nearly died. Earlier, Ska’dur had blocked his vision and gave him no time to react. He saw a flashing light, and then that was it.
An attack that broke apart space wasn’t concerning. He and many others could do it too. What mattered was the beam’s speed and attack range. More importantly, how could the Innate Dimension have someone capable of using an attack that neared the pinnacle of the Grandsky Realm when they had just entered it a year ago?
Torg temporarily put the matter aside and inspected his status, where he saw something that caused his face to turn pale white and shivers to run down his spine.
His mana gauge was empty.
Putting on an act of confidence, he scanned the horizon, searching some something as a memory surfaced.
Centuries ago, when Elaine went missing, Torg fought his way into the Conceptual Dimension and was on the verge of victory when Tyranus appeared at the crucial moment, killing the leaders of the Conceptual Dimension when they were on their last stand.
On that day, Torg learned that Tyranus specialized in assassinations.
Furthermore, being a transcendent grade monster gave Tyranus unprecedented freedom, allowing it to traverse the Grandsky Realm as it pleased. Unlike monsters of lower grades, it didn’t fight to the death when spotting humans, orcs, demons, elves, or dwarves. It could retreat when the situation turned disadvantageous.
Since then, Tyranus had already made several attempts on Torg’s life, attacking when Torg least expected it.
That was why he found himself afraid.
Without mana, he was akin to a tiger without fangs or teeth.
He was defenseless.
It didn’t matter that the Solar Flame Legion surrounded him, or that he was in the hinterlands of the Elemental Nation. Tyranus could be here, right now, watching him, weighing its options.
No.
He needed to leave.
But first, he turned to Markus, who waited in the distance. Considering briefly, he started, “You said you wanted to ally with the Elemental Nation?”
Markus nodded. “That is our intention.”
“Fine. You’ve proven yourselves,” Torg thought of many things as he continued, “I’ll send a delegate to negotiate the exact details of our alliance tomorrow.”
Without discussing further, Torg flew off, accompanied by his legion.
Torg was thankful the Solar Flare Legion setup a series of teleportation arrays along their way over here, and returning to the safety of the Fourgleam barrier would take a few minutes at most. He’d stay inside until he recovered his mana, and considering his mana pool, it’d take almost a week.
As for the Innate Nation, he would stay true to his word.
The armies of the Elemental Nation were weary after fighting Tyranus’s forces for so long, and with the Sin Dimension harassing them constantly, they had no room to breathe. Torg planned to discuss with his peers and have the Innate Nation share their burden and even the playing field.