Chapter 63: Chapter 53: The Black Orc God’s Betrayal?

However, was that really the case?

After a brief moment of stunned silence, everyone gradually came back to their senses. They frowned slightly as they watched the blood mist continuously push forward.

Although the Rat Tide had successfully woven its way into the Black Orc army, it wasn’t causing any real damage. Isaac had Enhanced their claws and teeth many times, but the Black Orcs had also undergone Demonization; a bite couldn’t even break through their defenses.

The blood mist appeared to be advancing for two reasons. First, the Black Orcs’ attacks weren’t airtight, so there were always gaps for the Rat Tide to seep through. Second, the Black Orc army itself was also steadily pushing forward.

Watching the Black Orc army rapidly bearing down on the fortress, Caesar frowned. "Why not use the Gale Demon Wolves? Even Non-Rank ones firing Wind Blades in massive numbers would be more effective than this Rat Tide." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Isaac gave a noncommittal nod. Normally, that would be true.

"That’s true, but these rats aren’t so simple," Harmon said, casually picking up a rat from the ground to show the group.

"Huh? Is this... a Balrog Ratman?" Barry, the one with the most experience fighting Black Orcs, was the first to react, speaking with a hint of confusion after a moment’s pause.

"Correct. As expected of Baron Barry," Isaac said with a smiling nod. "To be precise, though, they should be called Balrog Rats. They’re the original form of the Balrog Rat People. While the size difference is enormous, their physical structure confirms they’re one and the same race."

Isaac’s words left everyone scratching their heads. It sounded impressive, but what was the point?

A normal Balrog Ratman would have no qualms about killing its own kind. Furthermore, the Black Orcs across the field didn’t just include Balrog Rat People; they had all undergone Demonization, meaning they’d care even less.

"The same race?" Cheryl, however, froze. She glanced back toward the training grounds where the sacrificial ritual had been held, then turned to stare at Isaac in shock. ’This guy can’t be planning to...’

"It seems Cheryl has figured it out." Isaac gave a faint smile, first casting an Arcane Shield on himself before taking a few steps forward to survey the battlefield.

On the battlefield, the Black Orcs’ advance continued completely unopposed. In the time it took to exchange a few sentences, they had already closed half the distance!

And that was only because they were advancing cautiously, wary of arrows that might fly from the fortress at any moment. Otherwise, at Knight Level speeds, they would have covered such a short distance in the blink of an eye.

By now, the Black Orcs were completely enveloped in the blood mist. Isaac nodded in satisfaction, then pulled up his hood and began a loud chant from atop the fortress wall. Behind him, Harmon splayed his fingers, his knuckles cracking as a haze of purple-black Evil Energy emanated from him.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK~"

Perched on Isaac’s left shoulder, Shushu also let out an excited squeak. Gray Death Magic Power converged, forming a miniature Magic Array on its shoulder, and a pale bone claw—only slightly smaller than Harmon himself—emerged from within!

Under Shushu’s control, the pale bone claw mimicked Harmon by splaying its fingers, releasing a haze of gray Death Magic Power.

Unlike Harmon, however, Shushu’s simple mind couldn’t perform such a complex operation. It was merely imitating Harmon’s posture, doing nothing more than releasing Death Magic Power.

The Evil Energy coiling around Harmon, meanwhile, was emitting subtle magical fluctuations. These fluctuations quickly swept across the entire battlefield and, under Isaac’s control, created a bizarre reaction with the blood mist from the Rat Tide. In an instant, the blood mist turned into a gray fog!

Faced with this sudden change, the High Priest commanding the Black Orc army felt his heart skip a beat as a sense of foreboding washed over him. He hastily ordered the Black Orcs to halt and prepared to raise an Evil Energy Barrier to interrupt Isaac’s Casting.

Unfortunately for him, he was a step slower than Isaac. Ignorant of the true nature of the Rat Tide, he had missed the optimal moment to stop the ritual!

Atop the fortress wall, a maniacal expression slowly spread across Isaac’s face. He brandished a White Bone Staff, dancing wildly on the parapet with two menacing claws floating behind him, all while muttering an incantation.

A barbaric, primordial aura began to suffuse the entire battlefield. Suddenly, everyone’s heart skipped a beat. Whether on the side of the Black Orcs or the fortress, all eyes simultaneously turned toward the sky...

Thick, black clouds had gathered overhead at some unknown point. A massive, blurry face emerged from within them, its pair of Profound eyes gazing dispassionately at the dancing Isaac on the fortress wall. A wisp of Divine Thought silently descended, manifesting in Isaac’s mind.

[High Priest of the Balrog Rat People, for what reason do you initiate this Summoning?]

"Oh, supreme Black Orc God! Your devout..." Isaac was just about to go through the formal motions when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the "Ritual Fault Tolerance" meter. It hadn’t budged.

’From the start until now, the Ritual Fault Tolerance has been at its maximum value of one thousand, without any change. Does that mean this kind of non-transactional ritual can’t be reverse-engineered or countered?’

’After a moment’s thought, Isaac understood. It was actually normal for it not to change. This type of Summoning Class ritual was usually initiated by Believers. As a God, if you wanted to take something from your Believers, you didn’t need to be sneaky about it.’

Having figured this out, Isaac couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. He immediately stood up straight and, under the horrified gazes of Gaia and the others, said casually, "Just kill them."

The indifferent eyes above the clouds stared silently at Isaac. A moment later, the fault tolerance meter dropped by two hundred percent. Then, the gaze shifted to the Black Orcs on the battlefield.