THE SECOND GEM HOLDER

Aildrin pulled his sword hand, but the grip was tight. Then the Demon Berserker changed his target and charged at him.

Sword Dance! Aildrin turned into a fiery trail and attacked both of them.

The two demons were at a loss on where to attack. And they helplessly fell into a defensive mode.

But it did not last.

"Give me space!" Broken Spirit said. Then Abandoned Hope vanished.

Blood Cyclone! The Demon Berserker spun with his ax, and a red circular sword wave shot out of his weapon. At such a close distance, Aildrin could only parry, but the force sent him tumbling on the ground.

There was a deep gash in Aildrin's shoulder. He gritted his teeth, and then his necklace glowed.

Warmth surged from his chest towards the rest of his body. It closed the wound and restored his strength. Then the heat burst out and formed into a ruby aura that coated him.

Soul of Blades!

In a blur, Aildrin disappeared from his position. The invisible demon was clear as the day in front of him. But he feigned a dash towards Broken Spirit and suddenly changed course when he neared the unsuspecting assassin.

In one sweep, Abandoned Hope's head rolled on the ground.

Aildrin loomed over the lifeless head and absorbed it with his hand. Then his fiery eyes landed on the Berserker.

"You're next!" Aildrin said before disappearing in a blur.

Blood Bath! The Berserker roared, and his entire body turned red as if he had just came out from a pool of blood. He then parried Aildrin's onslaught.

Broken Spirit's ax vibrated. Despite the increase in his strength, he could not contend against Aildrin, who unleashed a barrage of slashes. Each strike pushed him back.

The demon roared. He then pulled his weapon out and executed a diagonal slash. But Aildrin met it with an upward slash.

The Berserker's hand holding the ax flew out, and so did his head.

[You have reached Level 85!]

Aildrin did not mind the notification. He no longer cared for his level. With his current strength, he was confident he could take on those whose level was higher than his. Little did he know, he was the highest-leveled rookie in Wargrounds' History.

The Black Orcs and Eidolons scampered away from him. It must be his imposing aura.

Aildrin then charged, sweeping everyone and bringing death with his slash.

"What's that?" said an Orc. A figure covered in red charged towards their formation. He immediately got his answer.

Aildrin appeared in front of Armada's formation, and in his hand were many heads of Black Orcs. He dropped them and then disappeared in a blur.

...

"Who's that?" Brutus said. He squinted his eyes.

A figure covered in blue electricity stood on the highest part of the ruined walls. No one could get near him because of his crackling aura.

"My Lord, he's the least of our concern. Someone's slaughtering a huge number of our armies!" Black Myth said. "He has even killed the two assassins we've sent in."

"Hm. I'm needed there," Brutus said. He then stood from his throne. A white circle enveloped him, and the two orcs beside him. They then vanished.

...

"Dragon, come!" Papa Bear said. He had finally reached the highest part of the wall—a broken tower.

Beneath Papa Bear were Black Orcs and Eidolons. They could not get near him. And even their archers' arrows could not penetrate the blue electricity around him.

Papa Bear unfurled the scroll. It glowed, and in just a few seconds, the dragon in the sky stirred. It gazed at him, amused.

The Orc licked his lips. "Papa Bear's riding a dragon! I'm riding a dragon!"

Then someone tackled him from his position. It was Aildrin.

A fireball hit where they previously stood, and it exploded upon contact. The violent force sent everyone flying out of the wall.

"No!" Papa Bear flailed while in the air. "My Dragon!"

"Dang! Focus first on how we'll land!" Aildrin said. The surrounding aura had already dissipated, and he quickly felt the drop in energy.

Papa Bear grabbed Aildrin and hugged him tightly. "Hold tight! This is gonna be fun!"

The Black Orcs scattered when they saw Papa Bear falling towards their area. However, the impact of the fall reached those who were slow to react. It sent them flying out of the area.

Aildrin closed his eyes when they were about to reach the ground. He braced himself for the impact. Then a numbing explosion bombarded his ears. But when he opened his eyes, they were unscathed.

Papa Bear landed on the ground feet first. His legs would have cracked if they were not made from diamonds. He grinned. "Papa Bear is strong, right? I break skulls with diamonds!"

"Darmir! The diamond has chosen him! He has a gemstone!" Sars finally spoke.

Things finally made sense. "No wonder why he's so sturdy despite his low level!" Aildrin thought.

But there were other pressing matters. With the wall on their back, Black Orcs surrounded them, and a fire golem was heading their way. And so was Hellbring.

Ogni saw everything. And he knew about Papa Bear's godly physical resistance. But what he feared the most was Bertran's weakness—magic! And Hellbring was the biggest threat. "To the wall! Quick! Bring that dragon down!"

"Human, I'm done waiting! What's your answer?" Hellbring said. He landed in front of Aildrin and Papa Bear, squashing the orcs beneath. And he cut the charging golem from behind into half with a whip of its tail.

"Skulls!" Papa Bear said. He then charged towards the dragon.

Hellbring roared. The force sent Papa Bear and Aildrin crashing to the wall.

Then a flashing light blossomed out of the space in front of Hellbring. The dragon screeched with its eyes closed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but let's have a switch." It was Brutus. And snuggled in his hands were the two demons who pretended to be orcs. They were unconscious. He then dropped them on the ground.

And he vanished along with Aildrin and Papa Bear.