I could have easily summoned the gateway to the Nightfall Dominion territory while I was airborne, but I knew using it would draw too much attention.
The eerie gates of Nightfall Dominion were not something people could ignore. The bone-chilling cry alone would draw the attention of orcs and humans alike. That's why I had to drag them into my pocket dimension first before pulling them into my territory.
____ Nightfall Dominion ____
While I sent the orc wrangler and his Skarnak to the throne room, I appeared in the torture room where Lord Ravus held his wife in a cold embrace.
[Territory Lord Perk Activated]
[Stats]
Strength: 8 + 3
Speed: 8 + 3
Vitality: 9 + 3
Intelligence: 10 + 3
[Health Points:] 59/90 + 20
[Energy Points:] 17/20
Returning to this world, I felt energized and at home. It was strange that this place felt more familiar and comfortable than Earth.
"Ravus..." I said in a cold voice while stepping out of the rift.
I glanced at the kneeling figure of the former Lord, and my cold face broke into a sinister smile while my eyes revealed a crimson light.
"Wake up." My sinister grin widened. "Your Lord demands it!"
Casually, I strolled up to Lord Ravus's side and placed my hand on his shoulder.
Suddenly, my veins bulged, releasing a bright crimson flash that gathered at my fingertips. The energy poured into Lord Ravus's stone-encased body—cracks raced across the gray shell, leaking red light.
Bang!
The rocky shell exploded, and Lord Ravus's eyes revealed a crimson glow.
Ding!
[Name: Lord Ravus Noctis]
[Race: Vampire / Lesser Thrall]
[Stats]
Strength: 15
Speed: 15
Vitality: 15
Intelligence: 1
[Health Points:] 200 / 200
However, at that moment, we heard a loud bang that made the castle tremble, and my face twisted into an ugly frown. Even without seeing them, I knew where the orc wrangler and his Skarnak were and what they were up to.
It felt like a sixth sense that only existed within this world. It allowed me to monitor the movement of the enemy without even seeing them.
I didn't panic. My gaze simply shifted to Lord Ravus, who let out a low guttural sound, and I casually put both my hands behind me like a grandmaster of martial arts.
"Let's go pay them a visit," I said as the dark rift spiraled into life and we stepped out.
___ Nightfall Dominion: Blood Thorn Garden ____
The rift appeared just in front of the broken wall and we stepped out. The orc wrangler and his mount had just exited the castle through the front door, glancing around frantically while trying to understand where they were.
As soon as they saw us, they froze, and their gaze turned cold.
"Where is this?!" the orc demanded furiously, and I raised an eyebrow in genuine shock.
Back on Earth, I couldn't make sense of anything this beast was saying. But here, I could hear him loud and clear, as if he was speaking English.
"You are in no position to question this God." I shoved aside my surprise and replied.
Sure enough, the orc understood my words loud and clear.
Ding!
[Intruder Information acquired]
[Name: Ûtá]
[Race: Orc / Orc Wrangler]
[Stats]
Strength: 12
Speed: 12
Vitality: 15
Intelligence: 5
[Health Points:] 150 / 150
[Name: Nil]
[Race: Skarnak]
[Stats]
Strength: 15
Speed: 15
Vitality: 15
Intelligence: 1
[Health Points:] 100 / 100
Information on the enemy popped up before my eyes, displaying their stats, leaving me momentarily stunned. While the Skarnak was just as strong as Lord Ravus, the orc wrangler was nearly as strong.
Combined, the duo held a small advantage over us. Instinctively, I glanced over my shoulder, towards the wall where the crimson gem should be located.
If only I had the required experience points for repairs, we could have used the blood thorn formation to increase our advantage.
My eyes narrowed as the orc wrangler reached for the bone dagger hanging around his waist, while his mount spread its wings and stood upright to increase its size and probably intimidate us.
But I wasn't moved.
While we were slightly outclassed, the gap was very little. It was a gap that could be bridged with skill and technique, so I wasn't bothered.
I was not a stranger to violence, and I was confident in my experience.
"Go..." I ordered. "Kill the bird... I'll deal with the orc."
Grrrrrrrrrrr!
As if in response to my words, Lord Ravus growled before lunging forward with malicious intent, causing the ground beneath his feet to shatter.
CAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!
The Skarnak let out a vicious cry and lunged forward as well. In merely a second, both sides rammed into the other with a resounding boom.
The Skarnak clasped its fangs into Lord Ravus's shoulder, while the Lord grabbed it by the neck, sinking his claws into its flesh.
I watched the Skarnak tremble under Lord Ravus's claws. Unlike Lord Ravus, it felt pain and bled like every other living thing.
Lord Ravus will win, I deduced with a satisfied nod.
With one powerful flap of its wing, it dragged the Lord off the ground and into the air. I watched the two struggle as they strayed over the walls and into the deep forest beyond.
I wasn't bothered. In fact, I welcomed this development with open arms. They were gone because I wanted to have an uninterrupted battle with the orc wrangler. I was curious to see what this creature could do.
Tightening my grip on Rai'ki, while he unsheathed his bone dagger, we slowly assumed a fighting stance.
Swoosh!
A strong wind blew, causing my hair to whip against it frantically.
"Come," I said calmly. "Show me what you can do."
Bang!
The orc charged forward with his dagger in hand. With a loud thud, he sprang off the ground with incredible strength, his airborne figure approaching with his dagger raised.
Without hesitation, I threw Rai'ki like a disc before diving to the left. The orc slapped my weapon away with his bone dagger, landed with a loud thud, and quickly followed up with a deadly charge.
'Just like that?' I was stunned.
I expected the orc would need a second or two to recuperate after that deadly dive, but it seemed like such a world only applied to humans.
"Rai'ki!" I growled with an outstretched arm, waiting for the enemy to approach.
In mere seconds, the orc had closed the gap between us and swung down hard with his dagger. Rai'ki flew into my hand just in time to block the attack.
Peng!
I felt the weight of the clash in my knees, but I stood strong. Currently, our strength and speed stats were matched. Or at least, that's what I thought.
Bam!
My eyes widened in shock as I felt the orc's knee drive into my belly.
[-5 HP]
[-1 Bleeding Damage]
[Health Points:] 73/90
I staggered back with a struggling expression while my left hand clutched my belly tight. Even now, the orc didn't hold back and swung his dagger.
Peng!
I mustered as much strength as I could to parry the attack, but my grip had weakened due to the pain I suffered, allowing the enemy to knock Rai'ki out of my hand.
Bam!
Not one to let his enemy recover, the orc lunged forward once again, hoping to finish me off.
"DOOOR!" I roared as two spatial gates opened at once.
One behind me and another behind the orc. With a light leap back, I entered the spatial gate and it closed before the orc could strike me down.
Swish!
Almost instantly, I emerged from the second gate, summoning Rai'ki into my hand as I swung wide and hard.
Puffff!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the orc cried out loud as I sliced open his back in one swing.
My initial target was his spine, but his skin was so thick, I could only leave a shallow cut.
"So strong!" I gasped.
Swoosh!
The orc turned abruptly, swinging his dagger, but I had already anticipated this. In a graceful maneuver, I slid under his attack, slashing open another shallow wound on his thigh and rolled out of the way.
I bounced back to my feet and hopped back a few times to create some distance between us to catch my breath.
This time, the orc didn't chase. Through labored breaths, I watched as he slowly turned to face me—green blood flowing out of his wounds.
My eyes narrowed as I noticed a sinister grin spreading across his ugly face.
Ûtá was enjoying this heated exchange, and I couldn't blame him, because I was also enjoying it too.