Chapter 849: The Great Battle of Mountain Beasts (28)
Taking advantage of the momentary pause, the Troll King summoned the ancient magic of his people, his eyes glowing a fiery red as he slammed his foot into the ground. From the earth erupted jagged stones, rising into deadly spikes aimed at the Orc King’s torso. With a grunt, the Orc King roared a counter-spell, slamming the hilt of his cleaver into the ground. Dark energy pulsed outward, shattering the stone spikes into dust just as they neared him. He surged forward, using the cover of the dust to disappear from the Troll King’s line of sight.
Emerging from the cloud, the Orc King’s cleaver came down in a sudden vertical strike, aimed at the Troll King’s shoulder. But the Troll King was ready; he stepped aside at the last second, letting the cleaver smash into the ground beside him, sending chunks of earth flying. Before the Orc King could recover, the Troll King raised his massive leg and delivered a brutal kick to his opponent’s chest. The Orc King was thrown back, skidding across the battlefield as he barely held onto his cleaver.
The Troll King followed swiftly, charging forward with his spiked club swinging down in a series of hammering blows, each aimed to pin the Orc King to the ground. But the Orc King, though on his back foot, expertly deflected the strikes, raising his cleaver at sharp angles to absorb the impact, his powerful arms trembling with the effort of holding back the Troll King’s relentless assault.
In a sudden maneuver, the Orc King pivoted to the side, creating an opening just wide enough to roll away from the crushing blows. He sprang to his feet, and in one fluid motion, he brought his cleaver around in a wide horizontal arc aimed at the Troll King’s knees, hoping to destabilize him. The Troll King saw the low swing and jumped, lifting his massive frame high enough to avoid the blade, then came crashing down with a powerful stomp that sent a shockwave through the ground, nearly knocking the Orc King off his feet.
Capitalizing on the Orc King’s stumble, the Troll King advanced, using his superior height and reach to batter his opponent with his club, which he swung with the ferocity of a battering ram. The Orc King dodged the first few blows, then saw an opening; he stepped in close, pressing himself almost beneath the Troll King’s towering frame, too close for the club to reach effectively. Using his cleaver as leverage, the Orc King thrust upward, aiming to drive the blade into the Troll King’s exposed side. But the Troll King, realizing the threat, reacted with lightning speed. He dropped his club, grabbed the Orc King’s wrists in a vice-like grip, and threw him several meters across the field, his sheer strength nearly wrenching the cleaver from the Orc King’s grasp.
The Orc King hit the ground hard, but rolled with the impact, coming up to his feet with a feral grin. Ignoring the aches in his body, he readied his cleaver once more, watching as the Troll King retrieved his club, both kings locking eyes once more. They knew the stakes, and neither would allow themselves to falter. Both warriors stood ready, their muscles coiled, preparing for the next deadly exchange.
The Troll King, angered by the Orc King’s resilience, began chanting in a guttural voice, summoning a storm of icy shards that coalesced above him. With a mighty gesture, he hurled the shards toward the Orc King, each one a deadly missile. The Orc King, eyes wide, chanted a counter-spell that created a wall of dark flame, melting the shards on impact, turning them to steam.
As the battle continued, a blood-red aura began to envelop the Orc King, swirling around him like a storm. His eyes glowed with primal fury as he tapped into an ancient rage, a forbidden power that turned his muscles harder and his mind sharper. Across from him, the Troll King dug his feet into the ground, channeling his own strength into the earth. The ground beneath him trembled and split, rocks and jagged spikes rising up to armor him as he readied his next assault.
The Orc King took a deep breath, then launched himself forward, his cleaver blazing through the air with red energy. He swung downward with a mighty roar, the blade slicing through rock and soil. But the Troll King responded instantly, raising a wall of earth between them. The cleaver smashed through it, but in that split second, the Troll King ducked low and surged forward, his metal-spiked club swinging toward the Orc King’s ribs.
The Orc King twisted just in time, the club grazing his side but not enough to knock him off balance. He countered by bringing his cleaver around in a horizontal slash, aiming to disembowel the Troll King. The Troll King leaned back, narrowly avoiding the edge, and as he did, he stomped his foot into the ground. An earthen pillar shot up beneath the Orc King, hitting him square in the chest and staggering him backward.
Seizing the opening, the Troll King drove forward, bringing his spiked club down in a brutal overhead swing. But the Orc King’s blood-red aura pulsed brighter, and he rolled to the side, dodging the crushing blow by inches. He came up on one knee, immediately slashing upward with his cleaver, and the blade met the Troll King’s club with a deafening clang. Sparks flew as they struggled, both kings pouring every ounce of their strength into the clash.
The Troll King’s grip tightened, and he forced the Orc King’s blade back, gaining ground inch by inch. But the Orc King, eyes blazing, snarled and twisted his body, using the Troll King’s momentum to redirect the club past him. In a smooth, ruthless motion, he stepped forward, ramming his shoulder into the Troll King’s chest, pushing him off balance.
As the Troll King stumbled back, the Orc King swung his cleaver in a deadly arc toward his opponent’s throat. At the last second, the Troll King drove his hand into the ground, summoning a wall of hardened earth that blocked the cleaver’s path. Using the barrier as leverage, the Troll King leapt over it and brought his club down hard, aiming to crush the Orc King’s shoulder.
The Orc King raised his cleaver in a diagonal block, intercepting the club just in time. But the force of the blow sent him skidding back, his feet digging furrows in the ground. The Troll King pressed his advantage, hurling chunks of earth with his free hand, forcing the Orc King to dodge and weave as stones pelted him from all directions.
The Orc King growled, the red aura around him intensifying. He clenched his fist, and the aura condensed around his body, forming a protective shield that absorbed the incoming rocks. Then he charged forward, cleaver held high, the aura trailing behind him like a fiery comet. He brought his blade down in a diagonal slash, but the Troll King ducked, pivoting on one foot to sidestep the blow. He used the momentum to swing his club low, aiming for the Orc King’s knees.
The Orc King jumped, narrowly avoiding the club as it whooshed past. As he landed, he stomped the ground, unleashing a shockwave that destabilized the earth beneath the Troll King. The Troll King staggered but recovered quickly, using his earth magic to stabilize his footing. He then raised both arms, and the ground split open beneath the Orc King, trying to swallow him whole.
But the Orc King reacted instantly, leaping into the air just as the earth collapsed beneath him. With a battle cry, he came crashing down, cleaver first, aiming for the Troll King’s head. The Troll King crossed his club overhead in a defensive block, catching the blade inches from his face. They were locked in a deadly standoff, their muscles straining, faces mere inches apart as they glared into each other’s eyes.
Snarling, the Orc King twisted his wrist, pulling his cleaver back and slashing sideways. The Troll King leaned back, but not before the blade grazed his shoulder, drawing blood. Enraged, the Troll King released a burst of raw magical energy, sending a shockwave of earth that forced the Orc King back. But before the Troll King could capitalize, the Orc King charged back in, feinting high before bringing his cleaver low in a brutal upward slash aimed at the Troll King’s gut.
The Troll King, seeing through the feint, stepped aside and drove his club forward, aiming for the Orc King’s chest. The Orc King, however, twisted his body just enough to avoid the direct hit, instead letting the club glance off his armor as he spun around to deliver a vicious elbow to the Troll King’s face.
Reeling from the impact, the Troll King staggered back, blood trickling from his nose. He raised his hand, summoning sharp stones from the earth and flinging them at the Orc King in rapid succession. The Orc King’s red aura deflected most, but a few struck his armor, denting it. Growling, the Orc King swung his cleaver in a wide arc, forcing the Troll King to retreat or risk being sliced in half.
