The sky had turned purple.
The clouds spun slowly, engulfed by a spiral of heat and ancient magic. An odor of ash and blood floated in the air. Below, the trees groaned, their twisted branches as if attempting to escape an inevitable fate.
Lior, standing at the center of his telluric fortifications, breathed slowly.
> [Telluric Condition Level 3 – Active analysis in progress…]
Every vibration in the earth conveyed information to him: the heat of the enemy's footsteps, the exact weight of his staff, the breath of the wind swirling around his flesh melted by magic. He even sensed the slow beating of a heart that no longer quite beat like that of a human.
— It's not just a simple monster… he murmured.
Zurr'Gha was no longer moving.
He stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the battlefield. He was calm. Too calm. His ember-like gaze fixed on Lior, and something strange happened.
Memories. No… not his own.
A magical wave crossed the air, and without understanding how, Lior was swept into a vision.
---
Flashback:
267 years ago.
A ogre child cries in the ruins of a village.
His hands are covered in blood. Villagers beat him, chase him, call him a demon. He has killed no one. It is the human soldiers who massacred his tribe, burned their lands… and now they accuse him.
The boy falls to his knees, starving. He cries. He prays.
And something answers him.
A voice from the wind. An ancient pact. A sacrifice.
> "Offer your flesh, burn your life, and become the shaman even the gods will fear."
Zurr'Gha howled, and the flames engulfed him. His body grew. His spirit shattered.
But he survived.
---
Back to the present.
Lior stepped back slightly, sweat dripping down his forehead.
— You showed me that on purpose?… You're not just a monster. You're a tragedy.
The Ogre Shaman slowly raised his staff. A gust of wind preceded him, sharp, cutting like a guillotine.
> [Skill activated: Storm of Bloody Ashes.]
The ground began to bleed. Incandescent particles rose, melting everything in their path. Even Lior's stone walls crackled, cracking under the pressure.
Lior planted his hand in the earth.
— Not fast enough.
A stone cage sprang up around him. Then a second. Then ten.
> [Telluric Formation: Gravitational Inversion Dome.]
Under his feet, the ground tilted. He used Elemental Mastery to literally turn the plain upside down, crushing it like inverted origami. The peaks became walls. The walls became traps. The battlefield was no longer a plain but a moving labyrinth, controlled by a blind person.
Zurr'Gha entered the first trench.
And Lior awaited him.
— Welcome to my web, old demon.
He stomped his foot.
A trap activated.
Dozens of stone spears shot from the walls. But the Shaman smiled.
> [Passive Skill: Immunity to Predictability.]
The wind exploded around him. Each spear was shattered before even touching him. His staff traced an incandescent circle in the air, and the walls melted.
Lior stepped back.
> [Loss of 15% of telluric formations.]
Moji, hidden in his miniature fortress, trembled. He raised a small arm, creating a wave of mana that reinforced one of the walls just in time to absorb an attack.
Lior smiled.
— You're already starting to understand how to help me… Well done.
But Zurr'Gha did not stop. He advanced. And with each step, a part of the ground became unusable.
Lior grimaced. He touched the ground.
> [Telluric Condition: overload permitted.]
He injected all his mana.
— Berserk mode… activated.
The ground screamed.
Stone dragons burst from the earth, howling. Mineral chains wrapped around the shaman's legs. A massive jaw formed beneath his feet, ready to crush him.
Zurr'Gha roared in turn.> [Unique ability activated: Breath of the Ancients.]
A blast of primal fire ravaged the plain.
Moji screamed without a word. His body fragmented, but he activated his regeneration effect, blocking part of the onslaught.
Lior was thrown several meters away.
He got up, bleeding, burned, but alive.
Zurr'Gha fell to his knees.
Not dead.
But… cracked. A piece of his tribal mask had broken.
And Lior, gasping, reached out his hand.
— You're tough. I like that.
> [You have unlocked a hidden skill: Epic Resistance – Level 1.]
> [Moji has evolved into: Guardian Golem – Promotion Rank.]
The small stone glowed. Its arms grew larger. Its back widened. A new rune shone on its forehead.
And Zurr'Gha, for the first time, hesitated.
— That look… he murmured. You are like me. Willing to do anything to survive.
Lior smiled.
— No. I'm willing to do anything to destroy those who have made this world a hell.
And he struck the ground one last time.