Chapter 466: Skarbrand (Part II)

"Get back to the Realm of Chaos!"

Sinuoli took a deep breath and lunged down toward Skarbrand's head; as long as it did not receive Khorne's forgiveness, the wounds he had personally inflicted upon it during that betrayal would never heal.

The Greater Daemon's body slammed heavily into the ground; a freefall from a hundred meters was far from enough to crush a body composed of Chaos Energy. Yet, before it could even rise, the stone statue struck its battered cheek with a thunderous roar.

"Hm? Why does it feel like the damage didn't go through?"

In Sinuoli's plan, a Thunder Strike bolstered by momentum should have at least flattened half of Skarbrand's head, if not outright exploded it; who would have thought it would only deform its exposed jawbone.

"Taste this again!"

Not daring to hesitate for a moment, the stone statue raised the divine hammer left behind by Sidemunier with both hands and struck down fiercely after activating the Runes. Skarbrand's head was knocked askew, but it still struggled to climb back up.

Staring at the hammer in his hands, the stone statue frowned deeply; this treasure had been used by the Ore Shaper at the dawn of the world to forge precious raw materials that had long since gone extinct. Every craft has its specialty, and in terms of armor-piercing capability, it was highly advantageous among Artifacts.

"Weren't they all exiled? Why not take off the collar! Is it intentional or accidental?"

Looking down from the head, Sinuoli found the answer: a crude Brass Collar was fastened around Skarbrand's thick neck—brass was the metal the Blood God loved most; his armor and throne were both crafted from brass.

This type of collar was a symbol of the Blood God's servants; his ruthless rage constantly spurred the wearer to offer more trophies to the Skull Throne. As the God of Warriors, he loathed magic, neither using it himself nor granting spells to his subordinates.

To facilitate his daemon army's better resistance against spellcasters, he infused his own divine power into the collar, weakening the effects of magic for the wearer. As the number one on the head-hunting leaderboard, Skarbrand's collar was naturally the supreme version, providing extremely high magic resistance.

"Destroy!"

The Greater Daemon used the "Endless Rage Roar" again, the same one that had caused Master Aoji to lose his combat effectiveness when it rushed out of the lake. Taking this hit "point-blank" in a literal sense, even in his Stone Form, Sinuoli's mind was shaken, and the hammer in his hand slowed by half a beat.

"Your Majesty, do not panic! We are here!"

Skarbrand seized the opportunity to straighten its upper body, just as two Rune Colossi arrived, brandishing hammers and axes dozens of meters long. They had not assisted immediately when the man and the daemon first fought from the balcony to the ground, but seeing the situation turn dire, they strode over.

Among the tens of thousands of troops on the side of Order, including Sinuoli, only a handful knew what it meant when The Exiled announced his eight great titles. Most believed that the Ancestor Chosen Demigod could easily take down this heavily wounded fellow, just like in the increasingly absurd stories being passed around.

In the Old World, "Daemonology" was an absolute taboo. The Four Gods were busy with a myriad of affairs, and without large-scale sacrifices or cult activities, one could not gain their attention at all. At such times, many Chaos followers would turn to pray to their Greater Daemons—powerful Exalted Daemons had the ability to sense the chanting of their true names and were very likely to respond.

"Boom! Boom!"

The Greater Daemon raised its arms, and its twin axes steadily caught the weapons swung down by the Colossi. Before they could exert further downward pressure, the twin axes named Slaughter and Carnage vibrated, and Chaos Energy beyond reason erupted, knocking the giant constructs away. Skarbrand shook its body, dislodging Sinuoli, and leaped up.

"Hoo! Hoo!"

Sinuoli crouched low, retreating from the center of the collision between the three behemoths to adjust his breathing. He had taken shortcuts to pass the two trials of Ku'gath and Kairos before; Amnak of Dragon Crag was indeed an Exalted Lord of Change, but he was far inferior to Skarbrand, which led him to misjudge the gap in strength.

On the battlefield, the sounds of "bang, clang" were incessant. The pilots of the two Rune Colossi grew more alarmed the longer they fought. This Greater Daemon's strength and endurance were not inferior to a Greenskin Idol, but its combat techniques were ten streets ahead.

The previous battle had consumed a significant amount of energy from the Colossi, but this Titan of Blood and Rage, after being tossed around, was not only unwearied but seemed to be growing more courageous with every fight. Even two-on-one, they could only be said to be holding their own.

"This can't go on like this!"

Once Skarbrand's true fire was ignited, it acted like a mindless berserker, using nothing but suicidal, trade-blow-for-blow tactics. Its pair of evil axes, which had sealed Exalted Greater Daemons, were exceptionally vicious, frequently carving large chunks of stone from the Colossi.

For a Daemon of Khorne, being banished in the Mortal World was merely a humiliation of returning to the Brass Citadel through the Gate of the Vanquished, but the Rune Colossi were extremely difficult to maintain; if they were truly destroyed, there would be nowhere to replenish them!

"With that damn collar on, it's almost immune to magic. I'll have to risk it and grind down its power through brute force; if I attract the attention of Old K, there will be more trouble to deal with!"

Sinuoli invoked and dispersed his Authority time and again. That a Bloodthirster would pop out while he was busy fighting Greenskins and rats—even with his butt, he knew it couldn't be a pure coincidence.

After Sinuoli led Skarbrand to collapse the defenses within the Eight Peaks Fortress, the commanders led most of the soldiers into the fortress to pursue the Greenskins, whose morale had collapsed. The battle between a Demigod and behemoths was not something mortals should interfere with, but the slaughter and fighting in the Mortal World seemed to fuel the Bloodthirster's ferocity.

"That's right, my power cannot be applied to it, but I can find a medium!"

Seeing that the Colossus's weapons could only leave shallow wounds after breaking through the crude brass armor, Sinuoli came up with a plan. He expanded the Mortal Bulwark to hide his figure, seized the opportunity to pounce onto the foot of the axe-wielding Colossus, and then climbed rapidly under the enhancement of the Storm Authority.

Soon, Sinuoli stood on the shoulder of the Colossus, his boots helping him stand firm amidst the violent shaking. Only by looking closely from up close did he grasp Skarbrand's combat mastery from its dodging and shifting.

Despite being a dual-wielding berserker, its footwork was agile; it was difficult for the Colossi's attacks to land solidly, and even when they did, they never hit vital points. The rotation of the twin axes displayed a flexibility completely different from their massive size, fluttering like butterflies.

"Now is the time!"

It was slow to describe but fast in reality; the three behemoths fought for another dozen rounds like a revolving lantern. Seeing the giant axe sweep toward the Greater Daemon's ribs, Sinuoli channeled the Storm power to glide to the back of the axe and, spotting his chance, struck it with a Storm Hammer.

"Aaaah!"

Skarbrand let out a miserable howl. Under the force of the external blow, the giant axe did not just leave a small cut as it had expected, but the entire blade sank in.

"It's not over yet!"

Sinuoli knew that the hit on the ribs was not enough. He jumped onto the double-bed-sized axe head and stomped down hard with a Thunder Strike. The immense power caused the axe blade, embedded in Skarbrand's flesh, to press down violently, and the sound of bones shattering was incessant.