Chapter 293: Tier-2 Lord—The Fallen Lukas
Just as the worlds of Demon Slayer and Claymore were beginning to collide,
Orochimaru had already reached the heart of the Dragonkin race's territory, located in the lowermost and most central region of Sky City.
Previously,
this place was desolate—scattered monsters from the Dark Gallery and Stone Giant Tower roamed freely, including magical armor and stone giants.
But once the Dragonkin developed intelligence, all those creatures were expelled.
Only the Dragonkin remained—along with their ornate palaces.
BOOM!
A raging inferno engulfed the Skeleton Sea in an instant.
Countless skeletons were incinerated by the intense heat, while thick, river-like flames flooded outward.
"Damn it…"
Orochimaru, his necromancer robes tattered, pulled himself out of the blaze.
His eyes were cold, filled with both fury and heartache. Malice radiated from him uncontrollably.
He hadn't expected that
the [Dragon Head Statues] near the Dragonkin Hall could spew such high-temperature magical fire.
The summoned Skeleton Sea might provide him with undead units,
but most of them were low-grade skeletons and corpses.
The ones burned just now, however, included his carefully cultivated elite undead—each raised through costly materials and thousands of Reward Points.
The greatest loss was a commander-tier undead serpent,
meant to be a companion and pseudo-clone of his Necrocurse Serpent class.
It had been turned to ash in the fire.
Undead inherently feared flame. This was a devastating blow.
"Well done."
Tsunade and the others clenched their fists, smiles creeping to their lips.
If Orochimaru managed to conquer another lord-tier zone, the Fire Empire truly might unify the ninja world.
Thankfully, there was still hope.
"Never thought you cared that much about that snake, Itachi."
In the plaza of Dark City,
two cloaked figures stood. The taller one glanced at his silent companion.
Uchiha Itachi was quiet for a long time before sighing.
"Orochimaru once lost to the gaze of my eyes, which could glimpse fate."
"Though hailed as a Sannin, his ambition outweighed his capacity."
But the Reincarnation Game had shattered destiny. His eyes could no longer peer into the future.
Sasuke was no longer under his control—
and neither was Orochimaru, who had defied fate with the power of the game, becoming a man even Itachi could not fully see through.
"Kisame, after we clear this area, I'll need some time to rest."
During this time,
he and Kisame had served the Akatsuki diligently, even learning more about their ally group—[Dawn].
But with Orochimaru ever looming, never letting go of his desire to destroy Konoha,
It was time to return home,
to burn what remained of his life as a sinner and protect Konoha and the Will of Fire.
Meanwhile, in the Dragonkin Hall,
countless Dragonkin knelt reverently before their leader.
Unlike ordinary Dragonkin, the chieftain's body was massive—his frame muscular, his skin covered in fine blue scales.
Around his neck hung a gem-like crystal—pure, condensed magic from the Sea of Sky.
That pure magic source gave him immense power.
"Despicable intruder. You dare enter the Dragonkin's domain? You'll die here!"
The Dragonkin Chieftain's throat rumbled like thunder.
Using the magical crystal embedded in his chest,
he could control all the dragon-head statues nearby—each forged from corrupted soil and baked by Dragonkin over many years.
They held immense magical force.
But—
This intruder was stronger than expected. The statues had failed to kill Orochimaru.
"Very well, I'll twist your neck off myself and hang your corpse beneath the Dragonkin's banner!"
In his hands, Lukas gripped a lightning-charged iron trident.
In a corner—
A thumb-sized undead spider watched everything within the hall.
[Fallen Lord Lukas (Lv. 22)]: Core corruption source of Dragonkin Tower. Wields immense lightning power. Holds the Dragonkin's corrupted artifact.
"An ant."
Lukas glanced sideways—
a blast of violent lightning vaporized the undead spider instantly.
"What a pain. Lightning and fire… both nemeses of necromancers."
Hidden in the shadows, Orochimaru licked his lips.
Through the spider's view and lingering death aura,
he realized his luck was bad.
This would be a tough fight.
Orochimaru didn't head straight for the hall—instead, he detoured to a Dragonkin camp.
BOOM BOOM BOOM—
Moments later, massive explosions of corpses rocked the area. Dense necrotic energy surged skyward.
The camp responsible for crafting the dragon-head statues was annihilated by Orochimaru's Skeleton Sea army. Hundreds of Lv.19 skeletons self-destructed with nuclear-level force.
As the ground quaked—
The enraged Lukas stormed in.
"Vile intruder! You slaughtered my kin! Your sin is unforgivable! Lightning shall cleanse it!"
Multiple lightning beams shot from his corrupted trident—aimed at the hidden Orochimaru.
Rocks exploded.
Despite his aura-shielding robes, Orochimaru barely dodged.
He sneered,
"So this cloak can't fool a Dragonkin. Is it their sense of smell? Or something else?"
The purple-grade [Cloak of Concealment] fully suppressed his aura—
Even his heavy necromancer stench. It had let him dance between Konoha and the Navy undetected.
But the Dragonkin Chieftain could see through it.
A true Tier-2 lord?
"Die!"
Lukas let out a shrill draconic roar.
His blue scales burst with electricity, releasing lightning arcs that filled the battlefield in a circular blast, spanning hundreds of meters.
All of Orochimaru's skeletons vaporized on the spot.
"Not good."
Orochimaru's brow furrowed.
He raised his staff, and two elite skeletons exploded—
forming a massive Bone Shield.
Necro Bone Shield.
Those elite skeletons had been worth 5,000 points each—now gone.
But if he hadn't blocked the lightning ring, the follow-up strikes could have killed him outright.
No time for hesitation or regret.
"Is that all you've got, intruder?"
Lukas looked down at the struggling figure beneath his trident.
His eyes were filled with cruelty and mockery.
Sky Tower had been created by Apostle Tyrant King Baryon from the Demon Realm to block contact between Arad and Heaven.
Its guardians were brutal executioners by design.
Now, further corrupted by Baryon's madness,
They were even more bloodthirsty and savage.
Yet Orochimaru—despite losing two elite skeletons—suddenly grinned,
licking the air like a serpent. "As I thought… intelligence and strength are determined by race."
"Dragonkin… still laughably stupid."
Waves of necrotic aura radiated from him.
Suddenly—
The ground trembled. The previously destroyed Dragonkin camp released a thick death aura—
Spreading across the battlefield like black steam.
"Was destroying the camp just a tantrum?"
Orochimaru's hoarse voice whispered through the fog. "That kind of foolishness is why you're going to die."
As a researcher of life—
Failure was natural.
He would never lose control over it. He hadn't attacked the camp out of rage,
but to lay a trap—
a Necromantic Ritual Array.
A purple-grade formation that gathered necrotic energy to greatly enhance his base stats and undead abilities.
Necrocurse Serpent!
His skin inflated like a balloon and burst.
A mountain-sized undead serpent coiled within the formation, its scales etched with dense runes.
Its aura alone paralyzed the weak Dragonkin.
"This is your trump card, invader?"
Even Lukas was stunned.
The trident trembled slightly in his grasp.
To his senses,
Orochimaru barely reached Tier-2 in strength—
But his essence was still Tier-1. His life-force felt light, insubstantial.
Cotton compared to steel.
And cotton needed massive compression to reach the same hardness.
So Lukas had felt confident—until now.
With the ritual's boost,
Orochimaru's "cotton" now had the weight of steel.
Amid the ruins,
Lightning coiled around Lukas as he activated his Tier-2 skill [Lightning Ring]—
waves of scorching, paralyzing electricity surged like divine judgment.
He leapt high,
trident aimed at the serpent's hissing head.
Necrotic Breath.
Cold and death seeped from Orochimaru's golden eyes.
He swung his massive head, slamming Lukas into the ground—
Then opened his maw and spewed black, rotting mist into the crater.
Lukas's body began to dissolve—
like flesh submerged in acid.
Scales that once shattered swords warped and twisted—
melting into foul-smelling pus.
"Orochimaru's going to solo a Tier-2 lord?!"
Outside the battle,
Every viewer watching the livestream stared in disbelief.
They were shocked by Orochimaru's power—and the sheer horror of the necromancer class.
After all,
All prior lord-tier bosses had required five top-tier players, working together through repeated failures, to bring down.
But Orochimaru—
Was on the verge of doing it alone.
His claim to the title "Strongest Player," long unrecognized,
was finally gaining acceptance.
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