Orson froze for a moment as the notification ended. Sure enough, a dark shadow loomed in the distance—it had to be the sandstorm orchestrated by the game.
But seriously, what was wrong with this game? He came here to obliterate some NPCs, yet the system insisted on throwing gimmicks at him, calling it an "opportunity to escape." The blatant mockery was almost palpable. With a resigned shrug, Orson rolled his eyes.
"Heretic! Your end is near!"
"For the saintess candidate, we will rid the world of this scourge!"
Orson found himself utterly speechless as a large number of NPCs began hurling insults at him. Fortunately, the rapidly advancing sandstorm soon obscured their vision.
"Cleanse this filth in the name of the Empire's will!"
At the command of Red-robed Archbishop Karquil, more than thirty elite Holy Light Order guards charged toward Orson, braving the storm. Simultaneously, the system triggered a three-minute countdown for him to escape.
Orson shook his head in exasperation. With so many "target dummies" charging at him, it was the perfect chance to test his new gear.
With a casual gesture, he tore open a spatial rift.
A pair of blood-red eyes emerged from the void, followed by a deafening roar. Amid the swirling sands, the Crimson Lizard King unleashed its wrath, its massive maw opening wide to release a devastating Chaos Breath.
Critical Hit: -18,000!
Critical Hit: -18,000!
The deadly breath swept across the battlefield, eliciting shrieks from over a dozen NPCs.
Orson wasn't the only one growing stronger. The Crimson Lizard King had also advanced significantly. At level 45, with Devour Growth (300%) maxed out, its attack power had reached an astonishing 10,000. Even the weakest Holy Light Order guards, boasting HP in the millions, couldn't withstand its ferocity. A single Chaos Breath reduced many of their health bars by a third.
"Protect the archbishop! Take down that monster!" one of the Holy Light archers shouted.
Ten archers armed with serpentine war bows unleashed a barrage of enchanted arrows, filling the air with streaks of light.
"Only kids fight fair. Adults... we cheat." Orson chuckled, mounting the Crimson Lizard King to soar into the sky.
Critical Hit: -3,600!
The arrows struck the Crimson Lizard King, but the damage barely scratched its massive HP pool.
Orson directed the beast to hover above the sandstorm, where most of the enchanted arrows and thrown spears failed to reach due to the storm's turbulence.
"Hmm… let's test a basic attack first."
Taking a deep breath, Orson aimed a Chaos Magic Ball at the ground below.
"What the…? Why is it this big!?"
The Heavenfire Staff in his hands glowed with an eerie crimson light. His usual head-sized Chaos Magic Ball swelled into a terrifying one-meter-wide orb.
This oversized spell was no joke—its sheer size alone could scare off most players before it even hit. Firing at a rapid rate of four casts per second, the massive fireballs descended like meteors.
Critical Hit: -62,000!
One unfortunate Holy Light archer was blasted into the air, while the expanded blast radius caught others even as they tried to dodge. Three of the balls veered off course due to the storm, landing amidst the archers and leaving massive three-meter-wide craters in their wake. The resulting sparks clung to five nearby NPCs.
Orson stared in awe. In his past life, many hardcore-mode mages had sought equipment or relics with magic enlargement effects. He'd only heard rumors of how broken it could be, but actually owning one was a different story entirely.
For years, he'd assumed those grandiose forbidden curse mages were just showing off. After all, the effect didn't directly boost damage. But now he realized the truth: it's not about the stats—it's about who wields it.
If a basic attack could wreak this much havoc, he could hardly wait to see what his skills could do.
"Brahma's Divine Flame!" Orson whispered coldly. A small fireball descended from above, streaking toward the ground.
50% Gigantification Effect Triggered – Triple Size!
Orson's eyes widened in shock. The fireball exploded like a massive firework, shaking the ground. Thirty guards were sent flying over a hundred meters away. The explosion dealt massive burn damage while also crushing anything in its radius.
The ground now bore a massive crater, and the Holy Light Order's once-majestic white horses had been reduced to chunks of unrecognizable meat.
The effect rivaled the Power Domain Staff's Awakening Skill: Multi-Magic Copy, but his gear's trigger rate was a full 30% higher.
"What would happen if I combined this with my 20% skill mutation—Dragon Curse?" Orson mused, his eyes lighting up with anticipation.
At this rate, he felt like he was on the verge of breaking the mage class entirely. Delivering dragon-level devastation as a humanoid? Even a real dragon might have to bow before him.
"That heretic is a spy from the Dark Dragon Empire! He's an evil mage! Kill him!"
The NPCs began using [Magic Dissipation] to dispel the burning effects. Several Lord-class elites glared at Orson, their faces covered in soot.
"Why isn't the archbishop doing anything?" Orson frowned. The situation seemed odd, but he wasn't particularly concerned.
The Chaos Hexagram above him shone brilliantly. His next move would shake the heavens.
"God's Wrath… Descend!"
As Orson spoke, the moonlight dimmed, and the sandstorm's tornadoes came to a halt.
Dragon Curse Mutation Activated – Magic Volume Increased by 5x!
"Doomsday… the Dragon King's punishment has come!"
"This catastrophe will plunge the world into chaos again!"
"Great gods, save your people!"
Below, the NPCs trembled uncontrollably, many falling to their knees as they began praying. Their battle spirit had vanished entirely.
Orson turned stiffly to gaze at the massive object blocking the moonlight. His heart skipped a beat.
"…It's… way too big! And I'm within the blast zone!"
Without hesitation, he activated his Divine Emperor Earrings and had the Crimson Lizard King carry him into a spatial tunnel.
The kilometer-wide asteroid descended slowly—a veritable mountain falling from the sky. Its thunderous impact dwarfed the spectacle of his previous three meteors combined.
The sheer pressure blanketed the battlefield, forcing the NPCs to tremble instinctively. It wasn't just a magical catastrophe—it was the primal fear of calamity itself.
As the dust settled, Red-robed Archbishop Karquil dismounted calmly. A holy glow emanated from his clouded eyes.
"Heretic, you deserve to die," Karquil declared coldly.
Orson chuckled mockingly. "Take a good look at what you've done. You fell for that woman's lies, nailed the ancient teleportation array in place, and let foreign invaders slaughter my people. You're the one who deserves to die."
Karquil's face darkened as he raised a white staff and slammed it into the ground.
"Heaven's Blade, Descend!"
From the heavens, thirty angelic projections descended. Elderly figures with white wings, serene maidens, and men wielding holy bows each merged with an NPC guard, healing their wounds and transforming their appearances.
"Oh, please. If angels were so effective, we wouldn't have demons running rampant," Orson sneered inwardly.
[War Angel Karquil: Level 60]
[One of the Twelve Red-robed Archbishops]