"A thing you call the grace of ancestors and a Power Animal—is this the extent of your limit?"
As the Sixth Apostle looked at the Power Animals surrounding him, he was counting only the Salamander of the warrior who was the Leader of the Elite Ten and the King Cobra possessed by Bookworm. How much more clearly could he state that he did not see the others as enemies?
The Sixth Apostle was arrogant; he insulted those he was in a struggle with, but who could blame him for that? He ruled the entire battlefield with the two entities standing beside him, emerging from within his body.
He felt invincible with his first summon, which died while striving to become a Dragon, and the sword warrior who managed to repel and even heavily wound all the Power Animals that set foot on the ground.
The sword warrior had appeared when the Elite Ten members called their Power Animals for help. Those who did not care much about him in the first moments would regret it later. Even if his display was low compared to the first summon creature fighting meters high from the ground, his effect was not less than its.
He looked like the humans you could find anywhere on the World of the Six Civilizations; there was no difference from the others until he drew his sword, which was sharp on one side and flat on the other, but what happened after told the others what they were facing.
The Sword Warrior did not resemble other warriors using swords on the World of the Six Civilizations. His sword came out of its scabbard only when he was going to attack, and this event occurred so fast that those in his target could only understand what happened thanks to the cuts on their bodies.
"Perhaps you have other tricks under your hand. Come on, what are you waiting for? Show them to me too!"
The Sixth Apostle was supporting the superiority he established on the battlefield psychologically as well. Even Bookworm, attacking with his golden sands and Power Animal, was incapable of responding to these words. They had the Golden Cobra along with the Salamander, but entities that could normally destroy a whole army were ineffective against the Sixth Apostle's giant winged snake.
Hope for victory was very little; perhaps they were being humiliated, but it must be said that they were managing the situation. None of them were heavily wounded; no surprise attack had come from the Sixth Apostle following the power animals they drove to the front lines, until the changes in the neighboring region became visible.
"You fool, what are you doing again?"
When the darkness of the sky left its place to a curtain of crimson twilight, the Sixth Apostle began to mutter to himself. Then he leaped next to the two entities he summoned and placed his hands on their backs.
Until then, the Elite Ten and Bookworm thought they could not cope with the enemy before them but would manage. They could not have known what a disaster the Sixth Apostle's move would bring for them.
It did not take long for them to learn; as the Salamander vanished at the end of fifty breaths, they realized the true power of the snake with small wings. The King Cobra opened its mouth wide and began to spew poison; when there was no obstruction from the Fire Element, it was the most suitable time to use this skill.
The creature summoned by the Sixth Apostle retreated, drawing itself to a safe zone. Everyone else did the same along with it; only Bookworm could stand comfortably within the poison cloud.
The orc group breathed a sigh of relief; the Leader of the Elite Ten was unconscious, the remaining members were helpless, and Bookworm possessed only enough power to protect himself. The King Cobra's breath would give everyone enough time to recover—or perhaps only they thought it would be so.
Ultimately, the poisonous gas cloud was based on the Air Element, and a violent wind would be enough to disperse it. For the orcs who misunderstood the retreat of the snake with small wings, the result would be painful; no one liked being hit with their own weapon.
The Sword Warrior and the snake that was killed on the path to becoming a dragon and turned into a spirit directed the purple poisonous gas cloud toward where the Elite Ten were with the wind current they created at the same time. Even though Bookworm was in the same area, there was no situation that would affect him, but he knew what would happen if his subordinates were exposed to his poison.
"King Cobra, either we will defeat this enemy or we will both die here. I am no longer afraid; show me your true power!"
When the footsteps of death began to be heard, the reign of other fears lifted from a person. While Bookworm was afraid of moving his Power Animal to the second level, he now ordered it to show all its power.
The golden scales of the snake, the likes of which had not been seen on the World of the Six Civilizations until today, began to shine. The part surrounding its head was like a sun; in the only dark region within the Golden City, it was glowing in a manner befitting the name of its location.
Bookworm retreated, riding the golden sands; even he did not know what would happen. For the first time, he did not have to restrain his Power Animal; in fact, he had to ask it to reveal all its power.
The poisonous cloud would surround everyone within a few breaths, but the King Cobra was doing nothing; the Elite Ten members were ready to use their skills that carried them to the very top among billions of orcs. No matter what, they had no intention of dying without fighting, but first, they waited for Bookworm's move.
The wait did not last long, nor could it; the moment the purple-colored poisonous cloud covered the King Cobra's body, an explosion occurred. The poisonous cloud first rose toward the sky, capped like a mushroom, and then disappeared by gathering at a single point on the earth.
The point drawing the entire poisonous cloud in like a vortex was much smaller than the King Cobra's old dimensions; it even looked small compared to normal orc dimensions. Bookworm understood what happened; even if the others were not aware, he knew the Power Animal had moved to the Second Level.
"What a disgrace is this? How many more people are needed for just one enemy?"
The Elite Ten members looked at the point where the voice came from as the poison cloud dispersed; the Sixth Apostle was also examining the results of the unexpected development. A weak silhouette was appearing; its height was as much as a normal human, but its green skin was clear despite the purple poison particles around it.
"Fall back, you pack of incompetents. And they call themselves Elite; you cannot even be the disgraces of the Orc race!"
When the shapeshifting King Cobra spoke once more, everyone saw its new body, but the result was something to be surprised at even if you saw it with your own eyes. The Elite Ten members turned to Bookworm, who came next to them, and then looked at the King Cobra again; there was not the slightest difference between them.
From head to toe; from the clothes to the structure of its body, from its face to its voice, everything was the same. Only their attitudes could not match, and the King Cobra, looking like Bookworm's twin, had taken its target from the orcs and placed it upon the Sixth Apostle.
"I am tired of seeing your bright hair and shining teeth too. Let's finish this business as soon as possible; an army I need to lead is waiting for me!"
Even Bookworm was in astonishment; perhaps he guessed the nature of the Power Animal was difficult, or perhaps his hesitation in moving it to the Second Level was because of this, but now even he could not recognize the person before him.
The Sixth Apostle was not in the indifferent attitudes he had at the beginning of the struggle; it was hard to say whether this was due to the course of the battle or because the darkness in the neighboring region was seized by the Seventh Apostle, but he did not leave the arrogant challenge unanswered.
The Sword Warrior darted forward; after one large step, he made his move to draw his sword from its scabbard, but this time the sharp energy shattering everything in its path did not emerge. He would not understand what happened until he looked at the hilt of his sword; golden glimmers had managed to lock his sword to its hilt.
"I suppose this is your only trick. You release the energy accumulating inside the scabbard with a quick draw, am I wrong? None of the fools behind me might have seen this, but nothing escapes my eyes. Now get lost from my sight!"
The King Cobra swung its right hand forward; the golden dust rising from the ground grabbed the Sword Warrior by his two legs and lifted him into the air, then tore his torso in two in a way that would never reunite and tossed them in different directions.
"Is it your turn next, or this highly developed snake? Make your choice immediately!"