A wave of ice-blue mist spread through the air, freezing the expressions of the Imperial soldiers guarding the lord's estate.
Then came the chaotic fire—rolling across their bodies, devouring flesh and bone. One by one, the NPCs were incinerated into ash, their final screams drenched in despair.
Bradley blinked, then let out a long breath. "Finally... a chance to rest."
Ignis flapped up to Orson's head, chirping excitedly as it pecked messily at his hair.
"Chirp! Chirp-chirp!"
Orson smiled and reached up, stroking the bird's fluffy crown. Ignis squinted contentedly, enjoying the attention.
After nearly eight hours of nonstop carnage, the phoenix had only reached level 29—much slower than Orson had expected.
He pulled up the battle log and quickly figured out why: Ignis's tier was too high. It didn't get any bonus XP from killing NPCs or beasts far below its class. And since most of the fights were done by the raid team, most of the XP had been split with Bradley and the others.
[Bloodfire Undying Phoenix]
Divine Bloodline: Phoenix of the Fire Rebirth Lineage
Affiliation: Beast of Trialbearer Orgod
Active Skills: Locked
Passive Skills: Undying Rebirth, Infernal Detonation
Even without its "Undying" buff, Ignis's base HP was already nearing 200 million, roughly on par with a high-tier dragon lord. Not exactly overpowered—at least not yet.
But its growth curve… that was terrifying. At just level 29, it was already nipping at Orson's heels in attack power. By level 80 or 90, it would easily break six digits—potentially outdamaging even dragon kings or demi-god supremes.
And with Undying Rebirth increasing stats with each death, plus Infernal Detonation scaling off HP and ATK…
That kind of destructive power? Orson didn't even want to imagine it.
It would rival a fully-channeled Forbidden Curse.
It could go off eight times a day.
Meanwhile, Berenice was hiding under Bradley's armpit, clutching his spatial pouch like a squirrel hoarding nuts.
"Don't come any closer! You're not laying a finger on the Dragon Queen's treasure!"
"You're so adorable—how could I ever rob you of your hard-earned loot?" Orson gave her a gentle smile, knocking on her eggshell with mock affection. "You've been such a good egg today. Took down the city's entire defense grid and hauled in all this loot. I don't even know how to reward you."
"Artifact? Divine item?!"
Berenice immediately popped her head out, eyes gleaming. "Show me! The Dragon Queen demands to inspect it personally!"
"It's rarer than any Artifact. A one-of-a-kind treasure, understand?" Orson sighed dramatically. "But alas, she pretends she doesn't even know me. What should I do?"
That was all it took—Berenice zipped to his shoulder, bouncing up and down. "Show me! Show me!"
Orson gave Bradley a subtle glance.
Bradley didn't miss a beat. His hand darted out and snatched the spatial pouch clean.
Berenice was so focused on the treasure, she didn't even notice. Bradley quickly dumped the loot into the guild vault, stuffing it like mad.
"Be good. Once we're done plucking the Archangel's feathers, I'll show you my… big treasure," Orson said with a wicked grin.
Bradley's face twisted. Ruby's cheeks flushed as she glanced at Orson, lowering her voice.
She raised an eyebrow, voice dripping with innuendo.
Orson froze, face burning. He smacked her gently on the head. "Behave, Deputy Commander."
"Aye aye, sir! But if you won't show me, I'll find a way to peek anyway," Ruby giggled, saluting before giving him a devilish grin.
I've been molested by a rogue.
Bradley: "Talk is cheap. If you've got the guts, look me in the eye and say it."
Ruby: "I always do. I'm the flower of the battlefield! Whether I watch now or later, it's happening—deal with it. SVIP early access, baby."
Orson: "What the hell…"
Bradley rolled his eyes and shoved the rogue aside.
"Not bad, fatty. Took you long enough to get through the gates," Madman strolled in with his crew, coordinating player rest and resupply, then assigning guards to the Bloodstone Pass.
He picked up a scrap of broken mech and whistled. "Damn, you totaled this many machines? Hope you're ready to kiss Nightshade's ass."
Bradley's blood pressure spiked. He glared daggers at Slaughter Spree, the loose cannon who nearly got them all wiped.
"Heh, yeah, my bad," Slaughter Spree grinned awkwardly.
Blank frowned slightly. "What happened?"
"What happened? He didn't listen—"
"Stop right there!" Slaughter Spree cut him off before he could finish. He turned to Blank and whispered, "Calm down. I own three spas in BG City. You're now a lifetime diamond-tier member."
Bradley's face did a 180. He grinned and clasped hands with him. "How could I stay mad at a brother who's bathed in blood with me?"
"Blood brothers forever, my guy!"
The two hugged, all smiles.
Orson massaged his temples, feeling a migraine coming on.
Great. His "right arm" had been bought off.
"What's the situation now?" he asked, dragging the focus back.
Bradley: "The lord of Riftrock City was persuaded by Duke Kassadin. There are still tons of imperial reinforcements on the way from nearby towns and forts."
Wild Gale: "Inside the estate, the Golden Dragon Guard are no joke. Only about sixty of them, but many are level 90 Domain Masters. There are also several church bishops—real pain to deal with. We tried multiple assaults but couldn't break through."
Ignis had built up eight stacks of the Undying buff. That alone showed just how brutal the fight had been.
They couldn't even trigger Infernal Detonation, and yet the team had still held their ground against that many high-level enemies.
That was no small feat.
He smiled warmly, then casually tossed 100,000 gold into the raid group as a bonus.
Whether they were Godslayer or not—bribe first, ask questions later.
"Blank, take out the priests. I'll handle the rest."
Orson's voice rang out.
Blank gave him a cold look and whispered, "I'm only being civil because others are watching. Don't push it."
Orson chuckled. "A man's pride comes from the woman who guards his back. You have to protect me—for our glorious future."
Blank ground her teeth, furious. She was used to ordering others around, not being someone's backup. But even with all her protests, her body always obeyed when Orson was around.
With a flicker of shadow, she vanished into the estate.
Minutes later, her voice came through comms:
"Three Red-Robed Archbishops neutralized."
"Duke Soros. Lord Bryan.
Please do not move. Your estate was infested with filth.
I'm here to save you."
Orson raised the War Supreme Staff, and Wild Gale and Bradley immediately retreated a kilometer. They knew exactly what was coming.
The Chaos Hexagram flared to life. A black infernal flame shot toward the center of the estate.
Dragon Curse Transformation!
Awakening: Judgment Flame!
A massive death-star-like sphere hovered in the sky, eclipsing the moonlight. The domed roof crumbled, nearby buildings collapsed.
The two thousand NPCs holed up inside screamed as their bodies were pulled into the orbit of the burning sphere.
Only Lord-Class NPCs with Body Domination-type abilities could resist being dragged in.
The leaders of various guilds—Magical Fiancée included—stood frozen, limbs cold with dread.
A million-HP NPC… erased in seconds.
Only now did they realize the terrifying truth.
If the Triple Crown Winner had gone all-out during the Battle of the Chaos Hills…
They wouldn't have gotten a single point of contribution.
Orson kicked open the half-destroyed gates of the estate, smiling like a friendly neighbor.
"I'm here to save you two."