Fierce Battle

George fixed his gaze on the orc not far off. Raising his pistol, he pulled the trigger as he commanded, "Kill this greenskin!" Bang! A bullet carved with explosive runes erupted from the barrel, striking Jushan squarely in the chest. That bullet had been issued to George by the imperial Ministry of Magic. Even a division commander like him could draw only three, each packing firepower comparable to a fifth-circle spell. Boom! With a tremendous blast, the bullet detonated deep inside the orc's body, instantly tearing through thick muscle and tough hide to leave a gaping hole in his chest. A heart pounded violently, lungs heaved, a stomach was scorched black, and intestines spilled out of the body... In a heartbeat, virtually all of the orc's internal organs were bared to the open air. Any ordinary creature suffering injuries of that scale would have perished on the spot, or at the very least collapsed, drawing its dying breaths. Yet Jushan's vitality was tenacious to an absurd degree. His flesh squirmed like maggots, growing in fibrous strands that knit the wound shut at visible speed. The orc was drenched in blood, battered and covered in wounds, still entangled in the electrified nets. "Waaaagh!" Standing atop a hillock formed from the corpses of his kin, eyes bloodshot and blazing red, Jushan bellowed toward the heavens, forming an utterly gruesome spectacle. And as he roared, the carcasses of the green-skinned orcs beneath his feet began to squirm, transforming into threads of green fungal hyphae that crawled up from his heels and melded into his body, becoming part of his flesh. A potent, savage pressure rolled outward—a force field condensed from the collective wills of countless fallen green-skinned orcs! Seeing this sudden, violent metamorphosis, George knew things had taken a turn for the worse. Words the Starfallen had once uttered flashed through his mind: "This boss is entering phase two!" Bang! Bang, bang! He fired wildly at the orc, shouting at the top of his lungs, "All-out attack! Everyone, at all costs—focus fire on this damned green-skinned orc!" "Kill it!" "Damned beast! For the Empire!" In an instant, more than a dozen light and heavy machine guns swiveled toward the orc. Muzzles flared with blinding flashes as a hail of bullets poured down upon Jushan's frame like a tempest. Yet while the bullets struck home and blossomed inside him, brutally tearing skin and sinew, the flesh around the wounds squirmed, swiftly filling the gaps and sprouting fresh hide. Far from inflicting lethal damage, the machine-gun fire was digested, absorbed, and integrated by the orc's nonsensical physiology, and a metallic sheen gradually spread across Jushan's claws and fangs. Whoosh— Several rockets trailed white smoke and flames as they streaked toward Jushan from different directions. But the force field was so powerful that half of them detonated in midair, while the remainder merely scorched his skin black. Immediately after, more than a dozen hand grenades lobbed from the trenches exploded in rapid succession. Dirt and gravel erupted into the sky and razor-sharp shrapnel sprayed everywhere, yet still failed to inflict meaningful harm on the orc. "Die! You damned greenskin! Give me back my brother's life!" An ogre heavy-shield trooper roared and stood up, shouldering a rocket launcher. He aimed directly at the orc's head and pulled the trigger, firing an armor-piercing round capable of punching through solid rock. The shell trailed dense smoke as it hurtled toward the orc's head with terrifying speed. Boom! With a thunderous crash, the pointed hardened-steel warhead punched through the orc's forehead, its rigid casing and immense kinetic energy shattering the skull. An instant later, the shell detonated internally, generating a high-velocity metal jet that blew away more than half of the orc's head, splattering brain matter across the ground. "Yes! As expected of the new gear from the Military Department—plenty of kick!" Gazing at the smoking, half-destroyed head, the ogre was overjoyed, feeling his brother avenged at last. "Long live the Empire!" "These green-skinned bugs can't take a hit!" "I'm ripping that bastard's claws off as a souvenir to hang on my wall..." At once, the imperial soldiers cheered in unison, celebrating the collective kill of the orc chieftain. Even George breathed a silent sigh of relief. Yet George sensed something was wrong. An inexplicable chill crept into his heart, and he quickly realized what he had overlooked! No! The orc chieftain was dead, yet that chaotic, raging force field hadn't dissipated! It still weighed down upon the chest of every Imperial. Which meant... George spun around abruptly, looking toward the orc chieftain who had lost half his head. Wet, squelching sounds issued from the nearby pile of orc corpses. The long-dead greenskins twitched faintly, dense clouds of spores spilling from their mouths and noses. The mangled remains merged and entwined, gradually coalescing into twisted lumps of flesh and slithering vines that surged toward Jushan from every direction. Then came an even more horrifying sight—a brand-new head sprouted from the stump of the orc's neck. Its mucus-slick, freshly formed eyes stared at George from afar, twisting into a grotesque, sinister grin. "You... can't kill... me..." "Damn it, he's not dead! Quick! Don't let up—keep focusing fire!" George shouted frantically. "Cassius above, what kind of thing is this?! How is this possible?!" "Disgusting monster! Destroy it!" "Dammit, I'm burning this thing to ash!" Boom! Rat-tat-tat-tat— In an instant, cannons roared, and bullets, grenades, and shells rained down upon the orc without reserve. The relentless chain of detonations shaved several feet off the ground where he stood. Imperial soldiers raised flamethrowers, spewing blazing dragons of fire toward the orc. Ravenous flames rampaged and fuel washed over him, charring his flesh to cinder. Yet Jushan's regenerative ability was utterly terrifying. With tens of thousands of orc corpses serving as raw materials, bolstered by the mighty orcish force field, he was practically immortal and indestructible on this chaotic battlefield. Entwined with spores and hyphae, Jushan had grown to over six meters tall. His defined muscles bulged in slabs, veins twisting like tree roots, while his claws and fangs glinted with the cold luster of metal. Nourished by tens of thousands of fallen orcs and baptized by imperial gunfire, this orc had evolved into a savage, terrifying machine of war. "Waaaagh!" With another roar, the immense orcish force field expanded outward. Instantly, the incoming bullets and shells lost momentum, falling clattering from the air as though someone had hit a pause button. "Hahahahaha! Imperials! If you can't kill me, I'm gonna smash you flat!" Firing as he retreated, George shouted, "Discharge maximum voltage! We must pin him down!" The nets wrapped around the orc flared with blinding electric glare, crackling with fizzing pops as arcs of lightning danced across his body, scorching fresh black marks into his hide. Immediately, another dozen metal spheres launched from the trenches and deployed in midair, casting dense, overlapping nets over the orc to form an inescapable web. Through years of warfare, the Empire's officers and soldiers had refined a complete set of tactics for dealing with colossal monsters, and they now brought it to bear against Jushan. Jushan bared his thick tusks in a savage grin. "Imperials, you think this junk can hold me?" The orc strained against his bonds. Muscles swelled along his arms and veins bulged as he unleashed unimaginable brute strength, grabbing the tangled nets and tearing them outward. Riiip— With a sharp sound like tearing silk, the capture nets woven of spider silk were ripped apart by raw force! Immediately, Jushan swung his warhammer, popping out a massive semicircular steel blade from the hammer head to slice cleanly through the enclosing nets. Jushan looked at George in the distance, tilting his newly grown head with an amused gleam in his eyes, though an uncontainable fury simmered in his voice: "Just now... was it you who wanted to kill me?" The immense orcish force field bore down heavily. Cold sweat beaded on George's forehead, his heart hammered, his breath quickened, and the hands gripping his blade and gun trembled slightly. Yet George knew that at a moment like this, above all else, he could not show fear or back down! The moment he shrank back, his honor, his status, his power—everything he had clawed so hard to obtain—would vanish in an instant. George was the backbone of this army. If he showed even a sliver of fear, it would spread like wildfire through every soldier's heart until the entire force collapsed! Steeling his resolve, George looked down without flinching and locked eyes with the orc. He leveled his pistol at the brute's head. "I gave that order. "Orc, you are pests that threaten the Empire. His Majesty Cassius personally commanded that every last one of you—be exterminated!" Bang! The trigger snapped, and an explosive bullet flew from the chamber, aimed straight for the orc's head. Yet Jushan's reflexes were far faster than George anticipated. Bringing his warhammer before him, he blocked the bullet, causing it to detonate harmlessly in the air. Raising his warhammer high, the orc leaped violently into the air, bellowing with laughter, "Good! That's what I was thinking too! You Imperials—all of ya gotta die!" So fast! Seeing the orc leap seven or eight meters into the air in a flash, George's heart skipped a beat. The brute was far more agile than he looked. His movements were nimble, not at all like a six-meter-tall colossus, but like an accomplished fighter. Yet George tightened his muscles, dragon blood coursing through his veins. Prepared well in advance, he sprang backward, firing his pistol in midair at the leaping orc coming down to cleave him. Boom— Jushan crashed down like a meteor, his warhammer carving a massive crater into the earth, shaking the ground and sending rubble and soil flying. George had already dodged clear, firing his final explosive bullet through the smoke. Bang! Yet on the battlefield, the orc's instincts were razor-sharp; with a slight tilt of his head, he avoided the bullet aimed between his brows. Boom! Boom! Boom! Jushan swung his weapon with all his might, the warhammer raining down like a tempest to crater the earth again and again, each strike missing George by a hair's breadth. "This guy is a tireless beast..." George discarded the pistol that had expended all three special rounds, gripping his longsword with both hands as he fought desperately to parry and dodge the orc's onslaught. Yet even a grazing clash jolted George's hands numb, nearly knocking the sword from his grip. "Lord George, we'll back you up!" Several ogres raised tower shields and gripped massive battleaxes, charging forward aggressively. "Hahahaha, you again?!" Jushan merely barked a wild laugh and leaped high once more, crashing down with unstoppable momentum and terrifying kinetic force. Boom! The tower shield was smashed through, fragments spraying everywhere, and the ogre behind it was hammered deep into the earth, crushed into a mangled corpse. Jushan swung his warhammer and gave chase toward George—the officer remained his primary quarry. Swinging his warhammer, he shouted, "Weak! Too weak! Imperials aren't all that! Can't even give me a good fight! Tell your Emperor—that big lizard—to come play with me!" "Shut your mouth!" George would stop at nothing to climb the ranks, but toward the Emperor who looked down upon all creation from above the clouds, he had always harbored profound reverence and adoration. That was the Emperor who had granted him a second life, the savior who had elevated him from a lowly serf to a high-and-mighty noble—how could he permit an orc to defile His name?! At those words, uncontainable fury erupted in George's golden pupils. The dragon blood inside him boiled, and a majestic draconic roar ripped from his throat. "Roar—!" "Damned greenskin bastard! How dare you insult His Majesty! I'll have your life!" Yet in his fury, George froze in place, failing to open up enough distance—leaving him wide open for the orc to charge in and crush him flat. Jushan's eyes lit up, and he cackled with glee, "Hahaha! I can see it—you've lost your cool! Keep that up and you'll lose your life!" Whoosh— The warhammer tore through the air. Blazing flames defied reason as they flared from the steel pipes behind the hammerhead, hurtling with horrific kinetic energy toward the imperial officer. Jushan's face flushed with exhilaration, trembling with excitement. Soon, he would see this arrogant Imperial flattened into mincemeat, and the soldiers scattering like sheep. Then he would tear off the medal on the officer's chest; that shiny golden trinket looked rather nice, Jushan thought. Is this where it ends...? George looked up at the orc descending upon him. In an instant, scenes from the past flooded his mind: the misery of his days as a serf, the tension when reporting a spy, the thrill of receiving commendations, the rush of earning merits on the battlefield... Suddenly, George felt bulges swell along his back, as though something was about to burst forth. Dragon blood coursed rapidly through him, his heart pumping it throughout his body—a familiar sensation. Facing the incoming warhammer, George envisioned the magnificent silhouette of the red dragon, the Emperor radiating supreme majesty, pale-golden eyes gazing down upon him... "His Majesty Cassius..." George murmured, eyes growing fanatical as any lingering dread of death evaporated. "Die!" Jushan roared as he smashed downward. Riiip— With a sharp tearing sound, the bulges on George's back burst open. Two draconic wings coated in crimson scales unfurled behind him, beating and snapping outward in an instant, launching George straight into the air!