Volk’s eyes narrowed as he stood among the rubble, towering over the remains of the collapsed buildings.

His muscled frame cast a long shadow across the cracked pavement.

He scanned the sky, his keen senses immediately spotting the helicopters approaching on the horizon.

The loud whup-whup-whup of the choppers’ blades grew louder, and with it came a sense of anticipation.

Suddenly, a familiar ding echoed in his mind, and a system screen flashed before his eyes.

Ding!

| Mission: Murder all the Ranked Pillars within an hour.

| Ranked Pillars: 0/25.

| Reward: Travel to Orzaroth.

| Failure: The host will no longer be able to use Nuclear Devastation attacks in Grum-Gar form.

| Mission Status: Ongoing. |

Volk’s heart skipped a beat.

No more Nuclear Devastation Strike?

He clenched his fist, with reality slowly sinking into him.

That attack was his most powerful weapon, the one that had turned the tide in battle against the Warlock. But worse than losing the attack, it meant something deeper—it meant his chance of seeing Solluha’r, his wife, would be lost.

A scowl formed across his rough features, and his yellowed tusks glinted in the dying sunlight.

The thought of being cut off from Orzaroth, from Solluha’r, was unacceptable.

A slow, calculating smile spread across his face, revealing his sharpened teeth. “I won’t let that happen,” Volk growled, his voice deep and guttural.

His glowing eyes flickered as he turned to face the Horde of orcs that stood behind him.

“Into the city!”

Volk bellowed. His voice boomed through the desolate streets like thunder, and the orcs behind him stirred, their massive shields clinking against their armor as they prepared to move.

“We can’t afford to be out here in the open. If those flying insects rain down fire from above, we’ll be crushed.”

The orcs grunted in agreement, some snarling, eager for the bloodshed to come.

Volk raised his hand, motioning them forward, and the Horde began to move.

The ground shook beneath their feet as they made their way into the part of the city where buildings still stood intact, tall and looming, their windows shattered but their walls mostly undamaged.

The sound of their march echoed in the ruins, a rhythmic thud-thud-thud as their boots hit the pavement.

Volk kept his eyes on the sky, watching as the helicopters circled like vultures.

He could feel it in his gut—those weren’t just soldiers.

Something else was coming.

Something eerie.

The ranked Pillars.

He could sense their presence even before the system mission had appeared. The Pillars were near.

As they entered the deeper part of the city, Volk’s instincts flared.

The buildings here were perfect for cover, but also for an ambush. He knew it, and so did his Horde.

The tension in the air was thick, the orcs moving cautiously now, shields raised, ready for anything.

Their heavy breathing mixed with the distant whir of the choppers, creating an eerie symphony of impending conflict.

And then it came.

Fwoosh!

A blur of movement, too fast to track with the naked eye, cut through the air.

One of the orcs stumbled as his shield was struck with blinding speed.

CLANG!

The impact rang out like a bell, reverberating off the surrounding buildings.

Volk’s head snapped toward the source of the attack, but before he could process what he’d seen, another strike hit.

BANG!

Another shield, this time from the right. The attack was relentless.

The orcs tried to defend, but the speed of the enemy was overwhelming.

They were under attack from all sides, but their enemies were invisible, mere shadows darting between the buildings.

“Hold the line!”

Volk roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. His Horde responded immediately, shifting into defensive formation, shields interlocking like the scales of a dragon.

Their hulking forms created a near-impenetrable wall, but the attacks kept coming, faster and faster, like a deadly rainstorm.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Every blow was blocked, but the sheer force of the strikes was pushing them back, step by step.

Volk’s mind began to think of something else.

These weren’t ordinary soldiers. No human could move that fast. His instincts screamed at him to think quickly.

This had to be the Pillars. He needed to act before his Horde was overwhelmed.

With a sharp grunt, Volk raised his massive hand. “Set the trap!”

The orcs, well-trained and battle-hardened, moved swiftly despite their size.

They began positioning themselves, spreading out along the narrow streets and alleyways, using the intact buildings as natural choke points.

Volk’s plan was simple—lure the attackers into a false sense of superiority and then crush them with brute force.

He’d seen this work in countless battles before, and it would work again.

But these attackers were different.

As the last orc took his position, a moment of silence fell.

The attacks stopped.

Volk’s eyes darted around the area, searching for any sign of movement.

For a moment, everything was still. The air was thick with tension, every orc bracing for the next wave.

And then, it happened.

SWISH!

The first attack came from above, straight down from the rooftop of a nearby building.

A glowing blade sliced through the air, aimed directly at one of the larger orcs in the rear formation.

The orc raised his shield, but the speed of the strike was too fast.

CLANG!

The shield held, but barely.

The orc stumbled back, his arm shaking from the impact.

Volk’s eyes widened. These weren’t normal attacks. They were coordinated, precise, and deadly.

Before Volk could issue another order, three more figures appeared, darting between the buildings, their movements so quick they were almost a blur.

These were no ordinary warriors.

These were Pillars that the system speaks of!

How is he gonna kill them if they were these damn fast?

BAM!

A second orc was hit, his shield knocked aside by an unseen force.

The orcs tried to close in on the attackers, but the speed and agility of the Pillars made it impossible.

They slipped through the gaps in the defenses like smoke, striking and retreating before the orcs could retaliate.

Volk growled in frustration. “Trap them! Close in!”

But the trap was useless.

The Pillars moved too fast, too unpredictably.

Every time an orc swung his axe or slammed his shield, the Pillars were already gone, a blur of motion disappearing into the shadows.

The Horde was growing desperate.

Even Volk could feel it—the frustration, the anger. His plan was failing.

One of the Pillars, a figure in a sleek, dark uniform with a glowing sword in each hand, stood atop a nearby building, looking down on Volk with a smirk.

“You think you can trap us?” the Pillar sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. “We are the ranked Pillars. Your brute force means nothing.”

Volk’s teeth ground together, his blood boiling. He had never faced opponents like this before, not even Zenveil.

These were foes that couldn’t be overwhelmed by sheer strength alone.

They required something more.

But Volk was not about to give up. Not now.

Not when he was so close to completing his mission, to seeing Solluha’r again.

With a roar that shook the very foundations of the city, Volk charged forward, his massive axe raised high.

He would crush them.

He would rip these Pillars apart with his bare hands if he had to.

But as he swung his axe, aiming for the figure atop the building, the Pillar vanished in a blur of motion, reappearing behind him in the blink of an eye.

“Too slow,” the Pillar taunted, his sword flashing as he slashed at Volk’s back.

Volk spun around, his massive fist swinging out to meet the Pillar, but once again, the attacker was gone, slipping through his grasp like water.

The battle was turning into a game of cat and mouse, and Volk hated it. But he wasn’t going to lose.

Not here.

Not now.

“Come at me, cowards!” Volk roared, his voice echoing through the city. “Face me head-on, or are you too weak?”

The Pillars paused, their movements slowing as they considered Volk’s challenge.

For a moment, it seemed like they would accept. But then, in a flash, they vanished again, leaving Volk and his Horde standing in the ruins of the city, their trap useless.

And for the first time in a long while, Volk felt doubt creeping into his mind.

How to kill them?

Did the system miscalculated?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep