Volk’s grip tightened on the Axe of Dissection, his breathing steady, with his muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike.

The dark glint of Urza’lin’s eyes had faded, replaced with raw fear as she realized her imminent doom.

The Dark Elven Witch stood frozen, her lips parted in shock as Volk loomed over her, his axe poised to decapitate her in one clean, brutal stroke.

But then, a desperate voice cut through the tension.

“Wait, Volk! DON’T KILL HER!” Grounad’s voice rang out, filled with urgency and panic. “If you do, everyone under her will be killed too!”

Volk’s body froze, the blade of his axe hovering just inches above Urza’lin’s slender neck.

His chest heaved with exertion, and for a split second, his thoughts warred between revenge and reason.

Urza’lin, still cowering, blinked rapidly, her confusion mirrored by the Orcs behind Volk.

Urza’lin slowly began to understand the situation.

Her breathing was heavy, and her pale face contorted in shock.

She had been so sure of her superiority, so confident in her control. But now? The tides had turned, and she was staring death in the face. “What…what are you doing?” she stammered, her voice laced with both fear and confusion.

Volk’s gaze flickered to Grounad, confusion furrowing his brow. “Why?” he growled, his voice a low rumble. “Why shouldn’t I end her now?”

Before Grounad could respond, Urza’lin, sensing her chance, began speaking rapidly, her tone shifting to one of a cruel confidence, though her body still trembled with fear. “Ah, of course, you don’t understand… that’s why you fear us,” she sneered.

“The Dark Elven Witches. We are far superior to the likes of you, strange Orc!” Her voice grew louder, more taunting. “You think you can just kill me and be done? You’re mistaken, Orc!”

She raised her head, a dark grin spreading across her face as she realized she had an opportunity to turn this moment in her favor.

“We Dark Elven Witches are not like the lower-level witches you’re accustomed to. We are bound to those we control. If I die, every single one of the Orcs and Elves I command will die with me! You’ll be signing the death warrant of your entire clan. Your wives, your comrades—they will fall, one by one, their lives forfeit the moment my life ends.”

Volk’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing.

He didn’t flinch under her words, though they hit him like a punch to the gut.

Solluha’r… his people.

He couldn’t risk their lives.

Urza’lin, seeing the hesitation in Volk’s face, pressed her advantage.

“You don’t have a choice, Orc. Surrender now, or see your loved ones perish. My power is absolute! The Dreadmaw Clan, the Elves, everyone here—they are nothing but my slaves. They were born to serve me, to follow my every command. You are no different.”

Her voice grew more venomous as she continued.

“Look at you. Strong, yes. Defiant, yes. But that won’t change your fate. You will be enslaved, like the rest. You think yourself powerful with that axe and strange skin?

However, you cannot defy my magic. I will make you kneel before me, strange Orc!”

Volk’s face remained impassive, though his heart was pumping blood so fast.

He turned toward Grounad, his voice tight.

“What do we do?” He could hear Urza’lin’s taunts, but he refused to let them break him. His thoughts were on Solluha’r, on his people—he couldn’t fail them.

Grounad’s face was pale, his eyes wide with terror. “You… you can’t kill her. But if you knock her unconscious, the bond should weaken enough for us to escape her control.”

Volk grunted in acknowledgment.

He lifted the Axe of Dissection, adjusting his grip on the handle.

The killing edge gleamed in the low light, but he flipped it in his hands, preparing to strike Urza’lin with the blunt side.

One well-placed blow to the head, and she’d be out cold.

But as he prepared to strike, a blur of movement caught his attention.

The massive black wolf that had been standing guard at Urza’lin’s side lunged at him with terrifying speed, its jaws snapping shut around Volk’s arm with the force of a vice.

Volk snarled in pain, trying to shake the creature off, but the wolf’s grip was unrelenting. Its fangs sank deeper, and it growled menacingly, blood dripping from its jaws.

“Damn beast!”

Volk roared, his muscles bulging as he tried to wrench the wolf off him.

Just as he was about to crush its head with his free hand, something else happened.

Black vines, thick and pulsating with dark energy, shot up from the ground behind the wolf.

They wrapped around the beast, yanking it back and forcing it to release Volk’s arm.

Volk glanced up in time to see Urza’lin standing several paces away, her face twisted in fury. “Damn you, Orc!” she screamed, her voice shrill with rage. “I will make you my eternal slave! And I’ll make sure you watch as I drain the life from your precious Elven witch!”

She spat on the ground, venomous words pouring from her mouth.

“You and your clan are nothing! Mere pawns to me. Born to serve! Born to die! I am Urza’lin, the greatest of the Dark Elven Witches. You will bow before me, or I will see every last one of your kin suffer in agony.”

Urza’lin’s power surged, her eyes glowing with dark magic. She began chanting, her hands weaving intricate spells in the air as the black roots surrounding them writhed and pulsed with greater intensity.

“I will show you my true power!” she screeched, her voice reaching a fever pitch. “I will break you, Orc!”

But something was wrong.

Volk watched, his eyes narrowing as Urza’lin’s face shifted from fury to confusion.

Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin.net

The magic swirling around her hands flickered, then sputtered.

The black roots that had been poised to strike suddenly faltered, retreating back into the earth.

“What… what’s happening?” Urza’lin muttered, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

She looked down at her hands, which were still raised in the air, but her magic was no longer responding.

Volk was surprised, too.

What was happening?

Normally, the Elves and Orcs under her control should have been moving, but then he saw dark green liquid pouring from their bodies, and he realized what was happening.

Boldly, he smiled and took a step forward, his grip tightening on the Axe of Dissection. His heart pounded, but a cold determination settled over him. “What’s the matter, Witch?” Vokn growled, his voice low and dangerous. “You don’t look so powerful now.”

Urza’lin’s eyes widened in shock as she frantically tried to summon her magic again. “No… no, this isn’t possible. I control them. I control all of them!”

But the Orcs and Elves that had been under her command were no longer responding to her.

They stood still, their faces blank, their bodies no longer moving at her will.

“What’s going on?” Urza’lin whispered, her voice filled with dread. She turned in a slow circle, looking at the battlefield in disbelief. “Why is my control not working? Why aren’t they obeying me?”

Volk smiled grimly, taking another step forward. “Your time is up, Witch.”

Urza’lin’s eyes flickered with desperation, and for the first time since the battle began, true fear settled in her gaze.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep