"WHAT THE HELL?! WHERE DID THESE ORCS COME FROM?!"
Groans and shouts of surprise came all over the area. Their Stronghold was supposed to be impenetrable! They would be immediately alerted if anyone tried to forcefully enter into their territory.
But the Stronghold made neither a peep nor a screech. They didn't even know a raid was happening until it was already too late. And now, there were currently thousands upon thousands of Orcs now swarming their quarters. Despite being trained for all kinds of scenarios, the Ersatz guards were caught with their hands completely tied together. Some were even caught in their sleeping attire!
The Shadow Orcs moved past these blumbering guards, their shadows flitting past them and reaching the critical areas that no one should ever enter.
"You bastards! You can't enter—"
One of the guards rushed towards the Orcs, only to see them pushing an inconspicuous brick on the wall, causing a secret room to open up.
"How did you?!"
That wasn't the only 'secret' room being opened up. The mortal Shadow Orcs had one simple job. Use the chaos of the initial siege to open up all the entrances and exits in the Stronghold.
And with their deft lockpicking skills and the added advantage of surprise, the Shadow Orcs were able to quickly turn the well-guarded Stronghold into a sponge. Full of holes.
They lowered drawbridges. They opened doors. They unlocked secret tunnels.
They methodically made quick work of the Stronghold according to their plans. They didn't spend hours surveying the Stronghold for nothing.
And not only that, but some of them took this chance to lower their opponents numbers. They attacked prone Ersatz guards, assassinating them in their sleep. At the very least, they disrupted their ability to fight by stealing everything in their weapon racks.
With thousands of Orcs running around, it was total mayhem for the Stronghold.
But of course, it didn't take long before the Ersatz guards regained their composure.
"Kill them! They're just mortals!"
Hearing this, the thousands of Shadow Orcs began to retreat. They turned into shadows, retreating into the recesses and cracks on the walls.
"You won't get away with attacking Ersatz so easily," shouted one of the guards.
He reached forward, grasping the shadow in his hands. Then, he yanked the Orc out of the tenebrous realm and into the open ground.
The Shadow Orc skidded back, crashing into the wall behind him.
"What did you think would happen?! You're just mortals fighting against Maugnetics!"
The guard raised his sword. But just as he was about to bring it down onto the helpless Orc, a shadow appeared behind him.
Then, a vertical light glimmered in the guards' neck.
A second later, his head slid off his shoulders. His body slumped onto the ground, revealing another Shadow Orc behind him. An Orc who bore a violet crest on his chest. A High Penumbra!
Back in the open quarters of the Stronghold, the Ersatz guards started their counter-attack. Their 1st stage cultivators chased after the Shadow Orcs.
The mortal Shadow Orcs tried their best to fight back. But Aubility Power was too much to overcome.
They had to overwhelm each 1st stage cultivator with twenty Shadow Orcs at the very least just so that they wouldn't get massacred. They surrounded them with shadows, sporadically attacking and retreating from random sides. But their attacks were completely useless against these Maugnetics.
The Ersatz guards were starting to gain momentum.
And it was at that moment that a different shadow slithered through the tenebrous shroud of mortal Orcs. It was darker. More dense. The 1st stage guard smiled, parrying the Shadow Orcs' shadow tendrils with only his hand.
But a new shadow tentacle emerged. The guard offhandedly parried, only to find his hand cut off from his elbow.
"Wha—"
His head plopped off his shoulder. The Shadow Orcs rejoiced and made way for the newcomer. An Orc with a violet crest.
And it wasn't just him. Hundreds more emerged from the darkness, assassinating the 1st stage guards.
The High Penumbra members finally showed themselves!
All three hundred members dispersed into the crowd.
And suddenly, the tides of battle swung back onto the Orcs side.
Even though the High Penumbras had yet to awaken their Divas, their innate power was still able to hold their own against 1st stage Ersatz Maugnetics. Their moves were ever so slightly imbued with Aubility Power, allowing them to hurt the Maugnetic guards.
They turned into untouchable shadows. Striking from all sides. Coming from nowhere. Using their numbers to their advantage.
But it was at that moment that new Ersatz guards suddenly jumped down from the walls into the open court.
These guards were in the 2nd stage of Body Formation. Stronger. Their armors heftier. Stationed in the walls as a deterrent to invaders. But since the Orcs didn't have to scale the walls, their jobs were moot and was delayed in entering the skirmishes.
It was only now that they could join the fight.
"Kill these invaders!"
Above these new guards was a 2-dimensional figure of a golem. Their Divas. Some were made out of water, some air, and some Earthly minerals. But the general design and theme of these golems remained the same: animation-like.
Despite the banality of it all, these Divas emanated the same genuine shockwave of power.
The shadows shivered. The mortal Orcs retreated. This was a battle they couldn't fight.
Finally, one of the 2nd stage guards charged towards the High Penumbras.
He slashed his sword onto the High Orc, who turned into a shadow before the attack hit. This was an unfair fight.
The guard pursued the shadow. He was relentless. His confidence was borne from the fact that he had a Diva, and his opponent did not.
The High Penumbra Orc was outmatched. Without a Diva to fight with, his attacks and defenses were like paper against steel.
The chase ended when the Orc was cornered against a wall. The guard swung his sword.
But at the very last moment, his weapon felt great resistance.
A new Orc appeared in between them. His knife clanged against the guard's sword.
This Orc faced his opponent with an equal ferocity. Their weapons clashed, creating a shockwave as their powers engaged with each other.
The guard's eyes widened. His Aubility Power was rebuffed!
He looked up, finally seeing the tenebrous figure above his new opponent.
A shadowy physique. A Diva.
Before the 2nd stage guard could even take it all in, the Elite Orc pushed the knife and stabbed it towards the guard's neck.
The guard frowned, unnerved at seeing a demi-human wield a Diva.
But he defended. The Wind Golem Diva above him moved, creating a breeze that shielded his body from the attack.
The Orc thrust his knife into the wind wall… and pierced through the Aubility Power shield like it was nothing.
The guard's eyes widened with panic. How could his 2nd stage defense be defeated by a 1st stage demi-human?!
Unfortunately for him, he would never get to hear the answer to his question.
The knife struck his throat, killing him instantly.
And suddenly, the Ersatz guards felt a cold chill on their backs. They witnessed an abomination. Orcs wielded their Divas, assassinating their men left and right.