"In the name of Chaos Mother, forgive this ignorant child!"
Blazewalker removed his black hood, revealing an old face that bore a striking resemblance to Flame Fosset.
The other Chaos cultists, seeing this, dropped their illusions, revealing their true faces.
"What the hell? Isn't that the Earth Mage from the Mage Guild? How did he change his panel name?"
"That's weird, the old guy I got my quest from is one of them!"
The players were stunned, unable to believe what they were seeing. Many of these Chaos cultists were actually members of the Pondenorlin City and Purple Thunder Fortress Mage Guild.
What was even more shocking was that the weakest among them was at the Lord-Class peak, with Blazewalker possessing the power of a Saint Lord-Class.
Mage-type NPCs were known for their overwhelming output, and with enough chant time, their damage far exceeded that of warriors like swordsmen or knights.
"Such a strange casting method, the incantations are split into multiple words, and with the right gestures, they release magic much faster than regular NPC mages," Orson thought to himself, his eyes narrowing.
Most of these cultists had Lord-Class stats, but their magical effects were comparable to Domain Lord strength. Not only that, Flame Fosset and the others, being Chaos cultists, possessed the Chaos Fusion talent, allowing them to combine different elemental magics for effects far greater than their parts.
At this point, Orson couldn't help but feel a growing anticipation for the awakening of the Chaos Overlord class at SSS-tier.
With the Titan's Magic Eye already in his hands, only the Dragon King's Horn was left. He had been waiting for this divine item.
"Forgive you? Who's going to forgive you?"
Orson smiled coldly.
"What do you mean by that?"
Flame Fosset furrowed his brows deeply, his wrinkled face showing a mix of caution and wariness.
Compared to the unreliable Flame Fosset, Blazewalker gave Orson the impression of being far more cautious and calculating.
When Orson didn't get the response he wanted, he coldly counted, "Five, four, three…"
"Awakened · Judgment…"
Orson's voice was like a whisper from hell, and Blazewalker's temples broke out in cold sweat.
His older brother never mentioned that adventurers who needed the help of the Chaos cultists could be even more terrifying than the Dragon King himself!
"Stop!"
Blazewalker's face changed, and he hurriedly shouted for them to halt.
Orson flashed a satisfied smile. The fact that these people had come to assist on the orders of their leader Flame Fosset meant that they couldn't take the initiative to attack—at most, they could only defend themselves.
This meant that Orson had the upper hand, and he could do as he pleased with them.
"You have successfully intimidated the Chaos cultists with your overwhelming force!"
"You have gained command over the Chaos cultists!"
A prompt echoed in Orson's ears, and his smile widened as he gained command over the NPCs.
"Huh? What's going on? A bunch of level 70-80 NPCs just joined our army!"
"Whoa, Chaos Magic followers? Just hearing that name is a bit intimidating!"
Over twenty Chaos cultists had joined, and the guild's combat strength surged by a significant amount.
Blank and the others were stunned, their faces full of confusion, "How is this even possible?"
"Don't you understand what charisma is? Well, I guess having a big fist is also part of a man's charm. Orson, you're amazing..."
Money Traveler tried to speak but was immediately silenced by a deadly look from Orson.
Bradley, eager to blurt out his usual catchphrase, was stopped when he saw Orson's glare.
Bradley scratched his head awkwardly, "Heh, Orson sure knows how to make a mess. That bird food line is a bit rude, though."
Orson cursed inwardly, realizing that his reputation had been damaged because of the traitor in the crowd—someone was always stoking the flames behind his back.
Blazewalker raised his staff dramatically, his voice full of anger.
"I declare war on the Dragon Empire in the name of the great Chaos Sorcerer! To destroy the secret realms of our ancestors, to avenge the slaughter of my cultists!!"
"For the revenge of our fallen comrades!"
"Kill the lizard dragons, for we shall bring light back to the world!"
A group of Chaos cultists roared, their eyes bloodshot with fury. They had waited thousands of years for this moment, driven by their eternal hatred for the Dragon Empire and its allied human empire!
"That old fool is playing a long game." Orson murmured to himself.
Noticing the black hair and eyes of these cultists, so similar to US players, he realized they didn't look like typical NPCs from a Western fantasy setting.
He had always wondered about the discrepancies in the Infinite Dimensions world across different regions. Though the game world followed a typical "swords and magic" theme, each region had its own unique traits.
For instance, in the UJ region, players could choose special professions like Ghost Warrior or Ninja, while in Maple Nation, there was a Steampunk vibe, and the NR region merged Greek mythology with its own.
Normally, the region would reflect the local culture, enhancing immersion for players and encouraging them to spend money and grind to get stronger.
However, the US region, despite having the largest player base, rarely incorporated any distinctive US elements.
This fact puzzled Orson greatly.
If Infinite Dimensions were just a game, it would be easier to understand, but considering that it was a world created by gods, it seemed inevitable that it would eventually merge with reality in Hardcore Mode.
It appeared that this world, created by the gods, was designed as a factory for human-shaped weapons. Treating US players/participants differently from the others made it seem like a failed "game design."
As he thought about the Chaos cultists and their similar features to US people, Orson couldn't shake the feeling that there were many more unanswered questions about the Infinite Dimensions world.
"What happened in the Infinite Dimensions world of the previous era?"
Orson's thoughts grew darker as he connected the dots about BlazeKing, whose influence was so vast, it could manipulate the flow of the game in this current era.
His two Super God-grade Soul Seals and the still-missing Heavenly Spirit's Heart were all gifts sent from across time and space.
Such unexplainable, supernatural methods were far beyond what even a Heavenly-tier trialist could achieve.
Could it be... that BlazeKing was more than just a title?
Suddenly, a loud battle cry snapped Orson from his thoughts. Over twenty Chaos cultists mounted rare beasts and flew into the fray, joining forces with Drunken Dream and the others.
Bynabert shouted, "For the great Light God, we will cleanse the heretics!"
Over forty NPC Dragon Knights tightened their reins and charged straight toward Blazewalker and his group, seeing them as the greatest threat.
"Void—Chaos—Sea of Mist!"
Blazewalker's staff hung before him, and several Chaos Sigils glowed beneath his feet, summoning black mist to swirl around them.
ShatteredCrown cursed, "What the hell is this guy doing? Is he attacking his own team?"
The mist engulfed Drunken Dream, ShatteredCrown, and others, causing their forms to flicker and become ethereal, while granting them high physical and magical resistance.
"Dragon Knight Battle Tactic · Solar Blaze Dragon!"
Bynabert shouted, thrusting his dragon spear into the air. A beam of fiery red light illuminated the sky as his Dragon Knights followed suit, using their exclusive tactics in a coordinated effort to break through the Sea of Mist.
Boom!
Boom!
Clang!
...
A storm of destruction erupted in the air, waves of energy and magic colliding.
"For the US players!" Orson muttered under his breath, his words barely audible but echoing through the hearts of many players.
"Kill them!"
Drunken Dream's voice was full of murderous intent, as Denoka unleashed his Space Reversal, redirecting the massive dragon breaths aimed at them.
Flame Fosset, sitting atop his Prismatic Raven, couldn't help but look at him with new respect.
Screech!
The Prismatic Raven let out a horrible screech, spreading its colorful wings and releasing more than a dozen feathers. These feathers, faster than any sword, tore through the air, and one of them hit a Wind Dragon that had failed to dodge. The dragon's scales disintegrated, and its wings vanished into thin air.
"Critical hit—100,000!"
"Body Severed!"
"Battle state cannot be repaired!"
"Bleeding—30,000!"
"Bleeding…"
ShatteredCrown stared in disbelief, his mouth wide open. Six different debuffs appeared on the Wind Dragon, making it impossible to recover despite having Body Domination.
"Focus fire!" Drunken Dream commanded, his voice cold.
In an instant, over ten dragon breaths were unleashed upon the Wind Dragon, its health rapidly plummeting, and it was struggling to retaliate.