Chapter 684: One Against Two
If it had been just the Red Dragon, Ghuush had full confidence in swiftly killing the beast after expending his Divine Essence Source, then retreating to defend his besieged Divine Realm. But with the addition of a Mid-Level Divine Deity, the scales of victory tipped decisively in favor of the Red Dragon.
Kai Xiusu or Dumason alone? Ghuush could defeat either with ease. But if they joined forces, their combined power would be enough to match Ghuush’s Avatar.
The Orcish Deity’s window of opportunity was closing fast.
Crack—
Ghuush hurled his Spear. It struck the Stone Giant Shield of Dumason with a thunderous impact, sending shards of ore flying in all directions—but the weapon failed to pierce through.
At that moment, Kai Xiusu seized the opening. With a sudden lunge from the side, he unleashed a torrential FireFlood from his maw, instantly engulfing the Divine-Force Spear and consuming it in a blaze of divine energy.
Ghuush could only channel Divine Power through his weapons. Snarling in fury, he yanked back the blood-stained Spear, stepping back half a pace. Now, he stood facing both the Dragon and the Stone Dwarf, a grim expression twisting his features.
His face was distorted with rage, his single eye blazing with a flood of wrath, his voice thunderous and echoing across the battlefield littered with wreckage:
"Dwarf! I never thought you, who claim justice, would ally with a brutal, greedy Red Dragon. Just months ago, this very beast slaughtered your people, seized your city. And now you fight side by side with him? How can you bear the title ‘Guardian Deity of the Shield Dwarves’?!"
Ghuush’s goal was clear—sow discord, shatter the fragile alliance between the Red Dragon and the Dwarves.
Dumason remained silent. He stood motionless, his stone-like face unreadable, his expression shifting as if lost in deep reflection.
Finally, he stepped forward, driving his massive Great Shield into the ground with a deafening Boom. The earth cracked and collapsed beneath the impact, and a thick layer of unbreakable rock armor formed over the Rock Dwarf’s body.
Earthy yellow Divine Light spread outward, forming a hemispherical Divine Domain. It strained against Ghuush’s Crimson Divine Domain, carving out a small, hard-won pocket of territory.
Kai Xiusu stared at the Ogres in the distance, his lips curling into a mocking smile. His sarcasm dripped like poison:
"If the Dwarves still held Aivendeldan, then yes—my conflict with them would be irreconcilable. But now? Aivendeldan has been renamed Dragonfly Capital. The Empire of Ashen and the Dwarves have settled their misunderstandings. We have no reason to fight. But we do have a common enemy—one you, old green-skinned fool, represent far more than I ever could. Your threat to the Dwarves is greater than mine. Even if they had to go all out to aid me—a past enemy—they’d still have to stop your Ogres from expanding in the Material Realm. Don’t you agree, my temporary allies—Dumason, Prince?"
Kai Xiusu smiled directly at Dumason, the very Deity he’d fought only months ago. He laid out the stakes plainly.
In truth, Kai Xiusu had sensed a familiar presence months prior. He’d suspected Dumason hadn’t truly left the Prime Material Plane—but had buried his Divine Essence Source beneath the earth. The Guardian Deity of the Shield Dwarves remained here, bound by a mission: to block the Orcish invasion.
This was Kai Xiusu’s unshakable confidence. He knew that when an Orcish Deity descended, the Dwarf Deities would not stand idle. They’d act.
Dumason said nothing. He simply stared at the Orcish Deity, his expression unwavering—his resolve absolute.
He understood. The ideal outcome? Mutual destruction between the Ogres and the Red Dragon. The Dragon dead, Ghuush crippled. But even the Dwarves saw: Kai Xiusu hadn’t yet reached the strength to drag the Ogres down with him.
So they could only support the weaker side, maintaining balance. Preventing the Ogres from expanding uncontrollably—lest the War and Strength realms grow too strong under Ghuush’s dominion.
Dumason wasn’t foolish enough to trust the Red Dragon as an ally. But in this dire situation, he had no choice. He would endure the temporary alliance, uniting with the Dragon to counter Ghuush and halt the Ogres’ relentless expansion.
Ghuush seethed, raising his Spear and roaring:
"Dumason! You’re nothing but a coward! One day, your people will be slaughtered to the last by that Red Dragon!"
Kai Xiusu shot back, unyielding:
"How predictable. If you had your way, the entire Dwarf race would be wiped out. But you’re not blind, are you, Prince Dumason? The expansion of Ogres across Feiansuo Continent ends here!"
The Red Dragon lifted its head, letting out a deafening roar that shook the heavens. A tidal wave of flames poured from its maw, flooding the sky and turning half of it crimson.
Ghuush’s face darkened. His hands—clutching Spear and Battle Axe—trembled slightly.
"Fine. Excellent. Is this your strength? But you don’t know… Deities are not equal. You’ll feel the true weight of Powerful Divine Power!"
The Orcish Deity’s Divine Domain surged once more. Crimson Divine Light enveloped sky and earth, wild and frenzied.
Kai Xiusu’s Ancestral Dragon Aura and Dumason’s Divine Power could only endure the crushing pressure of Ghuush’s Aura of Intimidation—like a small boat tossed in a storm.
Swish—
Ghuush’s arm bulged with muscle, veins standing out like cords. The bloodied Spear, charged with a cone of divine force capable of piercing anything, tore through the air.
With one hand, he gripped the Spear, his stature towering, and charged toward the Dwarf.
Dumason slammed his Stone Giant Shield forward. The Spear struck with a thunderous Crack, splintering stone and sending ore flying—but this time, the shield broke. The spear’s tip pierced through the rock and mineral veins, its tip smeared with Dwarf and Spirit Deity blood, wrapped in Crimson Divine Light. Any object infused with “Dwarf Essence” would be torn apart.
"Dumason! I’ll destroy this Avatar just as I destroyed your brother. Then I’ll kill your True Form!" Ghuush roared, going all out.
The Spear continued its deadly path—aimed straight for the Dwarf’s heart-spine. After centuries of war with the Dwarves, Ghuush knew their weak points by heart.
And indeed, there was a chasm between Powerful Divine Power and Mid-Level Divine Power. In this battle of Avatars, Ghuush’s might could effortlessly crush and destroy Dumason’s Divine Power.
Hearing this, even Dumason’s stoic face flared with fury. In an instant, he channeled all his Divine Power. Mountains of rock erupted from the ground, forming a wall before Ghuush.
But the Orcish Deity was unstoppable. In a single breath, he shattered each mountain with his spear.
Just as the bloodied Spear neared Dumason’s chest—about to pierce his heart—another roar split the sky.
"Roar—!"
The Red Dragon descended from above, wings spreading wide, unleashing a torrent of primordial flames that roared toward Ghuush’s head.
Ghuush had expected it. With a swift motion, he raised his left hand, blocking the fire with his Battle Axe. But the churning flames still scoured his body, searing through his Crimson Divine Light and charring his skin.
Meanwhile, his right hand pressed forward, driving the Spear toward the Dwarf’s chest. The killing intent radiating from the spear’s divine power was so intense it seemed to silence all life around.
Dumason’s eyes hardened. No longer retreating, he channeled every ounce of his Divine Power. The yellowish light around him thickened, and with a mighty swing, he brought his molten hammer down—toward the Ogre.
The ground split open. Molten geysers erupted in a chain reaction, blasting toward Ghuush in a barrage of fire.
At the same time, Kai Xiusu plummeted from the sky, his chest glowing like the sun. The Dragon Crystal embedded there flared, trailing fire as he shot toward Ghuush’s back.
"Just you two?" Ghuush’s single eye flashed with a deep, blood-red light. Instantly, his entire body radiated an overwhelming Aura of Intimidation. Crimson Divine Realm spread across a hundred-mile radius.
"Dare to oppose me?!" The voice was like a volcano erupting at the end of the world.
Caught in the storm of Divine Power, both Dumason and Kai Xiusu froze. In their eyes, the ancient battlefield of ten thousand years past reappeared.
Dumason, who had lived through that war, saw with his own eyes as his brother was pierced by Ghuush’s spear, golden Divine Blood spraying across the sky.
This was the true power of a Powerful Divine Level—its Aura of Intimidation could induce panic and confusion even in a Mid-Level Divine True God.
Ghuush’s expression grew even more terrifying, his single eye now bloodshot, wild with frenzy.
With his left hand, he swung the Battle Axe at the descending Red Dragon. With his right, he drove the Spear toward the Rock Dwarf.
Just as the axe neared the Dragon’s head, Kai Xiusu broke free from the Divine Pressure. He twisted his body, barely dodging the blade.
Spines—!
The crimson-tinged axe cut through scales, tore through flesh, and sank deep into the Dragon’s shoulder.
Roar!!
Scales shattered and flew. Scalding Dragon Blood sprayed in all directions. The Dragon shrieked in agony, its body wracked by pain.
The wound was deep—bone was nearly exposed. If it had deviated another few meters to the right, the wing would have been severed. Even for an Ancestral Dragon with incredible regenerative power, this was a grievous injury.
But in that pain, Kai Xiusu’s ancestral bloodline—frenzied, euphoric, and bloodthirsty—flared to life. His golden vertical pupils were veiled in a faint crimson glow, then burst with two towering flames.
With the axe still embedded in his shoulder, Kai Xiusu charged forward, claws slashing wildly at Ghuush’s back. He roared incoherently:
"I’ll kill you!"
The claws bore the raw strength of Primordial Chaos and Order, tearing through Ghuush’s Divine Aura Shield.
Faced with the berserk Dragon, Ghuush dared not hesitate. He wrenched the axe free—Dragon Blood arcing into the air—and swung it once more, aiming for the Dragon’s head.
But then—Dumason snapped back from the vision of his brother’s death. Enraged, he swung his molten hammer with all his might, channeling Primordial Divine Power. The very air around him trembled. Even Divine Blood spilled from his mouth.
"Boom!"
Unprepared, the hammer struck Ghuush’s head.
Earthy yellow Divine Light exploded outward, forming a massive force field. A shockwave of sand and dust tore through the land for thousands of meters. Molten geysers erupted from the earth in a cascade.
The blow landed squarely on Ghuush’s head. His Crimson Divine Light rippled violently, then cracked.
But the assault wasn’t over.
Kai Xiusu’s claw slashed through the air, shattering the already-cracked Divine Aura Shield—this time, completely.
With a thunderous crack, Ghuush was thrown sideways. His fangs were broken, Divine Blood spraying into the sky. His appearance was disheveled, grotesque.
The Blood Spear tumbled from his hand, spinning through the air before embedding deep into the ground far away.
Had this been a mortal—or even a Semi-God—such a blow would have ended them instantly. Their heads would have been crushed to pulp.
But Ghuush’s Avatar was forged by Powerful Divine Power, its flesh hardened to an unimaginable degree. The strike had only left him with minor wounds.
"You’re asking for death!! Red Dragon! You’ve crossed the line! I’ll drag your spiritual soul back to Nishak Kingdom and torture you for a million years!" Ghuush screamed, his Divine Blood igniting with fury. He swung the Battle Axe again, unleashing a hundred crimson blades of light in an instant.
But Dumason summoned his Stone Giant Shield once more, shielding Kai Xiusu. And Kai Xiusu, meanwhile, poured every ounce of chaotic, wild energy into the Dragon Crystal in his chest.
The crystal blazed with dazzling fire. Temperatures soared. Red and orange light pulsed in a dazzling dance.
Luminous particles burst forth, fiery threads weaving together, vibrating intensely. A radiant crown-like corona formed around the crystal.
The sky itself shimmered with heat, shifting and pulsing—like a storm of light. A powerful ripple spread outward, trembling across the land.
(End of Chapter)
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