Chapter 162: Clash of the Three Heroes - Part 1

An ordinary mage's Fireball spell couldn't compare to Duke's exaggerated version, which could fly over two or three hundred meters without dissipating.

This level of control, which should only belong to the highest-ranking mages, was surprisingly found in Duke, a mere Sky-level intermediate mage. Assisted by the system sprites, Duke's mastery over the elements reached a shocking level.

His aim was as precise as a divine archer, hitting wherever he pointed.

Controlling dozens of magic circles simultaneously, he surpassed the Morning Star magic in terms of multiple casting.

Even if the orc attackers no longer charged blindly like targets, even if they started to move unpredictably to dodge the incoming fireballs, the relentless barrage of fireballs still hit without fail. If a fireball failed to hit the orc in front, it would often hit the one behind due to distractions or other factors.

Sometimes it seemed as if Duke would launch a fireball, and the orcs foolishly offered their lives as the fireball exploded.

The orc's attack line had spread over 200 meters in width, yet not a single one could approach within 150 meters of Duke.

At that distance, which seemed like just a small point to the human eye, it was difficult to hit Duke with even the most powerful ranged weapons like throwing axes or crossbow bolts.

The steam around Duke, caused by the high temperature, gave his figure a strange, distorted appearance from afar.

Only the heavens knew whether Duke had deployed wind shield protection spells or not.

However, Daniel was sure that Duke had at least the most basic protective arrow spell. Whether it was layered ten times or dozens of times, Daniel couldn't tell. The elemental concentration around Duke's body was so high it seemed tangible.

It could be said that Duke alone covered almost half the battlefield, effectively suppressing the orcs' near-omnidirectional assault.

This was no longer just a display of skill, but a magical art.

A mage is firepower – Duke exemplified this perfectly.

Daniel, standing behind Duke, was left in awe, filled with admiration and reverence. Even though he knew he could never reach the level of a Sky mage, he couldn't help but yearn for it.

Would his master surely surpass the Guardian Medivh's level?

After witnessing this scene, Daniel felt that dying for Duke would be worth it.

What should have been a one-sided slaughter was disrupted by the appearance of a massive red figure.

In 'history', the Horde's next Warchief – Orgrim Doomhammer!

Duke's facial muscles near his eyes twitched.

He had known that Orgrim possessed an exaggerated elemental resistance, especially to fire. Now, it was clear that Orgrim had unleashed his full potential.

Roaring incoherently, Orgrim's muscles swelled as if inflated. Perhaps to counter Duke's fireballs, Orgrim charged through the stream that flowed into Mirror Lake.

Orgrim's state was obviously abnormal.

The term 'giant strides' couldn't even describe his frenzied state.

Holding the Doomhammer, which weighed at least two or three hundred pounds, Orgrim's charge seemed like flying, with each step covering more than five meters.

To humans, that was the distance of a triple jump. But for the over two-and-a-half-meter-tall Orgrim, it was just considered 'rushing'.

What was more terrifying were the anomalies at his feet.

Duke saw the rolling steam.

Damn, are you an electric iron?

Duke had long given up on using fire spells against Orgrim.

With a wave of his hand, thirty-six magical hands appeared in the void twenty meters around Orgrim, six hands per group, casting Arcane Barrage!

Two seconds later, Duke was stunned once again!

Ineffective! Completely ineffective!

The surging arcane energy, highly compressed, struck Orgrim's body—or rather, a spot less than twenty centimeters from his body—before being dispersed by an even more powerful and mysterious force. This move, which had repeatedly sent Orgrim flying in their previous encounter, was now utterly ineffective!

Damn it, are you sure you're not called Orgrim *Paladin? The same trick can't be used twice?

With every step, the earth-shaking Orgrim closed in on Duke within a few breaths, entering a range of one hundred meters around him.

Duke furrowed his brow, clasped his hands together, and the elements in the air shifted once again.

"Ha!" With a light shout, the stream beneath Duke's feet froze instantly, and the chilling cold spread through the flowing water, freezing the entire stream in an instant. Countless ice spikes stretched out like a porcupine along the water's surface, their sharp tips capable of piercing any mortal body.

Frost Wave

This was Duke's self-created magic, adapted from Darsson's Chilling Chamber. Although not fully perfected, Duke was confident it could at least slow Orgrim down for a moment.

Duke succeeded.

Despite Orgrim's body radiating intense heat, he was clearly uncomfortable with these ice spikes that possessed physical attack properties. The heat constantly melted the incoming spikes, but each spike struck him first, creating thumb-sized bloody holes.

"Roar!" Faced with more and more ice spikes, Orgrim became surrounded.

At this moment, another orcish hero arrived—Kilrogg *Deadeye.

As the chieftain of one of the seven largest orcish tribes, Kilrogg's strength was top-notch. If not for his age and declining physical condition, Duke would have bet that this elder orc's fighting prowess was on par with that of the Blackhand.

In front of Duke, Kilrogg displayed agility comparable to that of a night elf.

Yes, agility!

If Orgrim had just resembled an enraged lion, then Kilrogg at this moment was like a nimble cheetah. He actually stepped on the blunt surface of the ice spikes produced by Duke's Frost Wave, seemingly flying towards Duke.

Multiple simultaneous spells cast!

This was not a spell cast delegated to the system sprite, but Duke's genuine multitasking casting. Its power was far beyond that of the system sprite's magic.

Blizzard and Wide-Area Ice Spike, Duke demonstrated his astonishing magical circuitry to the world for the first time!

Even with Kilrogg's agility, he could not avoid this all-encompassing wide-area magical attack, and for a moment, his figure came to a standstill.

Kilrogg was so frantic that he cried out in distress.

The orcs behind him still wanted to rush forward but were suppressed by the magical hands and circles controlled by the system sprite. (To be continued.)