Watching the High Shaman fly out of the warehouse, trace a parabola through the air, and then crash heavily into the ground, General Love could hardly believe his eyes.
That withered figure lying flat in the muddy soil, his face etched with terror—was that truly His Excellency the High Shaman?
But this was a peak Legend, a powerhouse who even possessed the miraculous power bestowed by the Female Magician’s group…
How could he be so utterly pathetic?
“Mr. Green, I knew you’d be fine.”
The Princess nearby didn’t notice the Orc general’s internal confusion. She was simply overjoyed that the person she valued was unscathed, rushing straight toward him in her excitement.
However, despite her heart being full of worry, the moment the words reached her lips, Theresa stubbornly swapped them for a slightly teasing tone.
This Princess really is…
A tsundere?
What era is this? That kind of character trope is long outdated.
“Is that so? Well, I was quite worried about your safety, Your Highness.”
Green reached out and firmly ruffled Theresa’s hair, which emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance.
In truth, Green was telling a small lie.
He wasn’t worried about Princess Theresa’s safety at all—because he had long since made perfect preparations.
Before the mission even began, Green had planted a protective ward on the Princess. The moment Theresa encountered a life-threatening danger, he would sense it and immediately enter his “Chosen One” state.
Still, being able to avoid wasting a precious “Chosen One” transformation was something worth celebrating in itself.
“I-I see.” For some reason, facing Green’s sincere eyes, the Princess’s heart skipped a beat. She found herself unable to look away from his face, which seemed to glow under the moonlight.
“Anyway, I’m just happy that you… uh, and Mr. Andy of course, are both fine.”
At this, Green and Theresa shared a smile, looking at each other as if the surrounding General Love or even the Orc High Shaman were beneath their notice, not worth a second of their time.
“Damn it…”
The High Shaman struggled to rise from the mud, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. Though he had guessed things would end badly the moment he sensed the “Holy Light of Justice” within that unknown powerhouse, he was still shaken.
Seeing the absolute defense line he had spent years building—the Chaos power he had obtained from the Circus at the cost of betraying his ideals and sacrificing his best friend—being so easily dismantled, a wave of desolation washed over his heart.
“But, I do not regret it.”
The High Shaman quickly adjusted his emotions, his lips beginning to murmur an ancient, rhythmic incantation.
Buzz! Buzz!
The ground, which had already been vibrating, began to shake even more violently.
Swish—swish—swish—!
The signal towers hidden throughout the defense line simultaneously erupted with an eerie, pitch-black aura, as if endless Chaos power was surging up from deep underground.
A massive monster was about to truly break through the earth.
“The Great Serpent Seal?!”
General Love’s eyes widened in disbelief. As a former close friend of the High Shaman, he knew exactly what this violent tremor signified.
An Ancient Evil, sealed by the Orc Kingdom’s ancestors through the sacrifice of countless heroic warriors, its control passed down through generations of High Shamans. This was the Orc Kingdom’s ultimate trump card, the reason it had stood tall on the continent for centuries… and it was being released by the friend he once trusted?!
“You’re insane!” General Love couldn’t help but interrogate the High Shaman. “High Shaman, for your personal ambition, are you—are you going to gamble away the very future of the Orc Kingdom?”
“Love? You’re still alive.” Only now did the High Shaman notice the “friend” who, according to his original plan, should have died long ago under Theresa’s imperial sword.
However, facing the friend he had once fought alongside—the one with whom he had sworn a youthful oath to protect their motherland at any cost—there wasn’t a trace of emotion in the High Shaman’s eyes.
“Whatever. Since we’ve been friends for so many years, I suppose letting you die a little later is fine.”
The High Shaman ignored Love, focusing instead on loosening the restraints on the Ancient Evil beneath the ground—a creature so powerful even a peak Legend couldn’t resist it, a force capable of fighting a war of national extinction.
“To deal with that dangerous individual, the Chaos power in my body alone is far from enough. But if I add an Ancient Evil…?”
Recalling the Female Magician’s original explanation, the High Shaman’s heart raced.
A Demi-god!
Even though he was already one of the most powerful beings in the Material Realm, the High Shaman had never stopped trying to climb to an even deeper level.
“That human is indeed strong, but in the end, he is still within the realm of mortals. He just happens to possess the specific Holy Light of the God of Justice at a peak Legend level, which counters the Chaos power I currently hold.”
The High Shaman narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the handsome human youth before him who held a parchment scroll and was dressed casually, looking more like a passing traveler than a mysterious powerhouse.
“I see. The Female Magician specifically insisted I be here in person… it wasn’t for a mere Love, but for this man, wasn’t it?”
Though Love was his friend, the High Shaman had stopped caring about him years ago. Specifically, after Love had rejected the Female Magician’s invitation.
“How foolish, to reject such miraculous power for the sake of nebulous ‘honor’?”
Glancing at Love, who had remained stagnant as a Legendary professional for years despite consuming vast resources, the High Shaman’s eyes filled with contempt.
“Trash like this, who lost his utility long ago, really should have been eliminated sooner.”
The High Shaman muttered to himself, his gaze toward Love becoming increasingly hostile.
“You simply know too much, the Second Prince of the Human Empire is pushing hard, and then there’s the Female Magician’s plan for the future of the Empire and the Kingdom… Love, oh Love, you’ve long been rendered obsolete by the times.”
As if showing mercy to a dying man, the High Shaman uncharacteristically wasted time explaining to the former friend he despised. “Look at me, then look at yourself. In the face of this absolute power… Love, do you not regret it?”
Regret?
Love froze, finding his former friend utterly unrecognizable.
It wasn’t like this before.
During the Battle of the Forest, before they had wiped out the Eighth Legion… back then, he wasn’t even the High Shaman, just an apprentice.
Back then, he was always shouting about reforming the Orc Kingdom’s backward “combat awareness” and discarding obsolete, decaying tactics.
But… but…
“But the you from back then would never have made this choice!”
General Love closed his eyes in agony. “Releasing the seal placed by generations of High Shamans? Do you—do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“Of course I know.” The High Shaman felt the Chaos power, which had been easily dissolved by the mysterious human earlier, now recovering at hundreds of times its previous concentration. His mood grew more euphoric.
“As expected of an Ancient Evil. This concentration of Chaos power is indeed extraordinary. The Female Magician was right; compared to the petty squabbles of mortal kingdoms, I should stand on a higher plane and view everything with a broader perspective.”
Friends? Honor? Comrades? Motherland?
“Things that only add meaningless shackles and hinder my pursuit of absolute power… they should all be thrown into the trash!”
BOOM!!!
Under Love’s despairing gaze, the already loosened seal deep underground shattered completely.
A massive black shadow, large enough to blot out everything in the sky above the defense line, surged straight from the depths toward the heavens.
The moonlight, the stars, and even the light from the magic-tech equipment were swallowed by the darkness.
“Oooooh! This—is this the power of a Demi-god?!” The High Shaman examined his body once more, discovering with joy that his physique, which had only just recently regained its youthful vigor, had weirdly advanced further—returning him to his absolute prime.
Those glorious years he had nearly forgotten were now perfectly restored. The vitality he thought had been lost to time was now rushing through his veins.
“This… what is this?!” Theresa took a sharp step back. “How did that Orc High Shaman suddenly… suddenly become so young?!”
“…” Green didn’t answer, he just deeply memorized the High Shaman’s “transformation process” from start to finish.
“Your Highness, perhaps your father wasn’t actually deceived.”
Rejuvenation was real.
But… what was the price?
Outside the Orc Defense Line, Imperial Army Encampment.
“Colonel Renn!” A cavalry scout leaped off his horse, covered in dust.
“What is it? Still no way to contact those inside the line?”
By the campfire, the frontline commander responsible for the feint attack on the Orc line, Colonel Renn, looked agitated. As a Chief of Staff, he shouldn’t be this emotional.
But…
Why do I have this ominous premonition?
Sizzle—
As Colonel Renn paced back and forth, a rustling sound reached his ears. As a quasi-Legendary powerhouse, his perception was naturally extraordinary; he immediately realized where the sound was coming from.
Underground?!
This is…
“What the hell is that?!”
BOOM!!!
Not far away, the very defense line Colonel Renn was supposed to attack…
Suddenly collapsed in on itself.
“What is happening?”
But before Renn could take a closer look, his entire body stiffened. It felt as if he were being watched by some terrifying existence; any move would mean certain doom.
Drip.
Without anyone noticing, two figures had appeared by the campfire.
“Oh, that High Shaman actually broke the seal.”
A glamorous woman watched the Orc defense line, now surrounded by a pitch-black mist, with great interest.
“It’s not surprising. Even though you gave him the Chaos Seed, Magician, a mere peak Legend is nothing in front of that ‘Chosen One’.”
Another shorter, plump man holding a puppet answered dismissively.
“True. Though His Excellency the High Shaman probably never guessed that when you designed those signal towers for him, you left a backdoor. Hehe, you really are wicked, Puppeteer.”
The Female Magician giggled, then turned a playful gaze toward Colonel Renn.
“What do you think?”
She tilted her head slightly at Renn, asking as naturally as if they were old friends who had known each other for years.
This woman… is dangerous!
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.