"You have obtained [Tiamat Chaos Cauldron!]."
"Quality: Godly Relic (Damaged)"
Orson's expression changed instantly. Just from the name, he could tell that this item was incredibly important.
Tiamat Chaos Cauldron!?
He immediately thought back to the Chaos Magic talent tree, remembering the image of the Mother of Chaos sitting on a lotus pedestal, an invisible shadow. Was this cauldron once Tiamat's?
But what shocked Orson the most was that this cauldron, which had withstood the full force of the Forbidden Curse, wasn't just some ancient The divine item. It was a Godly Relic—an equippable weapon.
Orson's heart raced. He suddenly recalled the first day Hardcore Mode had been activated in his past life.
That day, reality and the virtual world had overlapped. Both worlds fused in a way that couldn't be described. All the players' souls had left their bodies, falling into a brief coma. Across the sea, sky, and land, gigantic stone tablets, thousands of meters tall, appeared in various locations. These stones recorded the epic war between the Galactic Gods and the Heaven Demon.
From these stone tablets, the trial takers learned about the millennia-long war. The weapons used by the Galactic Gods were called: Godly Relics!
"This… This is huge!" Orson's heart thudded in his chest.
The Tiamat Chaos Cauldron! appeared to be something tied to Chaos Magic, and in the dungeon Titan Council, it could potentially grant The divine item, provided you were lucky enough.
"Move aside."
Orson was about to inspect the Chaos Cauldron!'s effects when the Archangel, having escaped from Flame Fosset and Glacier's combined assault, rapidly flew toward him like a gust of wind.
"Give it back! This belongs to me! Give it back!"
The Archangel shouted angrily, its body bathed in holy light, shining like a brilliant meteor.
But the once-pure, flawless eyes were now filled with malice, and its face twisted in a grotesque manner, displaying an unsettling, savage expression. Its brows alternated between fierce determination and furious greed.
The Crimson Lizard King glared at the Archangel, opening its massive mouth as dark, infernal flames erupted from within.
Death Dragon's Breath!
Critical Hit - 1.6 Million!
Critical Hit - 1.6 Million!
…
The Crimson Lizard King's dragon breath was massively enhanced, dealing 80,000 base damage per second, with a 10x multiplier for dragon breath damage. Every attack triggered a 100% critical hit.
The passive Molten Destruction effect had changed to Death's Spread, increasing true damage from 1% to 2% and lasting 3 seconds.
True Damage - 20 Million!
True Damage - 20 Million!
…
The Archangel was scorched by black flames, its once-pure wings now tainted black, but it didn't slow its assault. It swung its sword, sending hundreds of holy light arrows at the Crimson Lizard King.
Critical Hit - 3 Million!
Stunned for 5 Seconds!
The Crimson Lizard King howled in agony as the holy light arrows transformed into white light cages, knocking it from the sky and trapping it.
"Mortal, you dare touch what doesn't belong to you! Come at me!" The Archangel shouted, swiftly closing the distance to Orson.
Orson's eyes narrowed as the shards of the Godly Relic fell into his pocket. Was the Archangel really expecting him to give it back?
No chance!
But the situation was becoming dire. The life-sharing bond between him and the Crimson Lizard King was about to break, and with his low HP, a single blow from the Archangel would likely end him.
Just then, the Magic Eye Mirror of Folding emitted a radiant glow, and a spatial net appeared in front of Orson.
The Celestial Thunder Wrath from the Dragon King's Forbidden Curse was finally dissipating.
Velorith: "Kill! Kill! Daloré, you coward! That damned human must die!"
Daloré: "A serpent dragon as a Dragon King? Too much for me to handle."
The Purple-Gold Dragon King, Daloré, was known for his caution. With the Forbidden Curse fading, and facing the Crimson Lizard King's "equality for all" laws, Daloré didn't want to risk a drawn-out battle with Orson.
Velorith: "You foolish worm!"
In a flash, Daloré used a sealing spell on Velorith, temporarily locking her away. Then, in an instant, he transformed into a battlefield mover, his claws grabbing a Purple-Gold Dragon Hatchling and two Golden Dragons, swiftly pulling them out of the fray.
"The map lock has been removed. You may freely enter Pondenorlin City."
A prompt rang in Orson's ears, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Veijander! Sacrifice your heart for your brother—charge ahead!"
"Damn that brother of mine…"
Veijander cursed loudly, charging toward the rampaging Archangel from an angle.
"Wow!!!"
Veijander's Rune Sigil Stones gleamed as he let out a thunderous roar, his muscles bulging as he grabbed the Archangel's wings and began to rip them apart!
Crippling Strike - 25 Million!
One of the Archangel's wings was torn off, golden divine blood splattering onto Veijander's face. His ghostly eyes glinted with malevolent energy.
The Archangel Jenonis grunted in pain and stabbed Veijander in the side with his sword.
Crippling Strike - 30 Million!
Veijander's HP plummeted to under 13 Million, but his ferocity remained unchanged.
The first Demon God Dwarf's power was no joke.
Veijander's iron-forged muscles swelled like coiled dragons as he delivered a devastating punch to the Archangel's chest.
Boom!
Earthquake—Jenonis was sent crashing more than ten meters deep into the ground.
"Come on! Let's fight to the death!"
Veijander went wild, beating his chest like a silverback gorilla.
"Well done! I'll reward you with a hundred and eighty divine artifacts for your efforts!" Orson laughed with joy, pulling the Crimson Lizard King back into the Battle Space and stepping into the Mirror of Folding, teleporting several kilometers away.
Orson's eyes snapped open as he activated Celestial Sight to check if the Archangel was chasing after him.
Meanwhile, not long after Veijander's brief moment of triumph, Jenonis, battered and covered in blood, raised a hand and struck downward.
A massive Holy Light Axe appeared out of nowhere, heading straight for Veijander's head.
"Dammit."
Orson's expression darkened. While betraying teammates was a common practice in his world…
A protective instinct surged through him, and he turned back.
"Still messing around with low health, huh?"
Orson frowned and summoned the Chaos Hexagram. With a flick of his fingers, he activated Awakened Skill: Grip of the Underworld!
At a distance of over ten kilometers, the Mirror of Folding locked onto the target.
But Orson knew that a single strike from a demigod was terrifying—no simple skill could block Jenonis' attack.
So, the target was switched to Veijander.
An elemental hand shot from the ground, and Veijander, caught off guard, was flung away by the Grip of the Underworld, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow!
Glacier grabbed the Light and Dark Broadsword, using his unmatched combat experience to charge into the crater.
Flame Fosset, his face grim, summoned three Elemental Wolves to assist in case the Archangel tried to counterattack.
Jenonis: "You… you will all die miserably! Give me back my cauldron!"
Jenonis: "You will be redeemed in the light, at the cost of your lives!"
Jenonis, trapped by the two NPCs, gasped for air, his battle cries growing weaker.
As the one-minute timer on the Archangel's divine form expired, the holy light surrounding Jenonis dissipated, and he returned to his normal form as Grevor.
"If I could, I would bear the pain of the holy light tearing my soul apart… but you must return my disciple, whom I raised with such care."
Flame Fosset, standing at the edge of the pit, wore an uncharacteristic expression of pain and despair.
Grevor's condition was unstable. His Soul Fusion wasn't fully complete yet.
Otherwise, in their current heavily wounded state, a demigod four-winged birdman would have been more than enough to wipe them all out!
Orson, hearing this, quickly crossed back through the Mirror of Folding and returned to the battlefield.
He slowly descended into the pit, a cold smile spreading across his face as he looked down at the battered Grevor.
"Wish to beg your great master? Perhaps I'll spare your life."