Chapter 329 — Shadows of the Overlord
The Hollow was restless. Even with preparations underway, even with Thalren's promise of aid, unease hung in the air like a storm about to break.
Kael had tasked Zerathis and Varik with one thing—slip into the orc encampment, uncover what they could, and return alive. He trusted no two men more for a mission like this.
The Scouts
The forest swallowed them in silence as Zerathis and Varik crept closer to the sprawling mass of fires ahead. From the treeline, they could see it—an ocean of tents, crude banners painted with blood, and orc war drums pounding deep into the night.
"Gods above," Varik muttered under his breath, his usually steady voice carrying a note of awe. "There must be more than we thought… at least one hundred thousand."
Zerathis narrowed his eyes, studying the movements of the enemy. Squads of orcs drilled with frightening discipline, unlike the savage raiding parties they were used to fighting. War-beasts, larger than horses, were being shackled and fed. Siege engines of bone and wood were under construction.
And at the heart of it all, in a circle of firelight, stood something that made both men's blood run cold.
The Overlord.
He was titanic—easily three times the height of a normal orc, his muscles like stone, his green skin scarred with ancient runes that pulsed with mana. His tusks curled upward, his eyes burned red, and in his hand rested a jagged cleaver that radiated an aura of pure malice. Around him, shamans chanted, feeding his presence with power.
Varik's throat tightened. "That's… not just a monster. That's a walking calamity."
Zerathis's hand flexed around the hilt of his blade. His voice was low, grim. "Twice as strong as any legendary beast we've faced. No army could kill him—not without losing everything first."
They exchanged a look. Both knew what their report meant.
"Come," Zerathis finally said. "Kael must hear this."
Kael's Preparations
Back in the Hollow, Kael stood alone in the training yard, sweat dripping down his brow. His magisteel blade glowed faintly as he channeled black fire into the edge, then pulled it back, forcing himself to focus on control rather than raw destruction.
Selina's lesson echoed in his mind: Names have power. Refined power is stronger than chaos.
He swung, unleashing a streak of black fire that seared across the training ground. "Draconoir's Breath," he whispered, naming the strike, watching as the flame condensed into a sharper, deadlier arc.
Again and again, he drilled—shadow and fire intertwining, blade and magic becoming one. Yet his thoughts wandered back to the voice he had heard in meditation. The promise of more. The temptation of unlocking the full dragon power still caged within him.
Umbra slithered out of the shadows at his feet, the great wolf's eyes gleaming gold. You're torn, the beast rumbled.
Kael nodded silently. "If I take that power, I might save us. But at what cost? What would it make me?"
Before Umbra could answer, Zerathis and Varik returned. Their armor was dusted with ash, their faces pale.
"Speak," Kael demanded.
Zerathis bowed his head. "The horde is more numerous than expected. The Overlord… he is unlike anything we've seen. Twice as powerful as a legendary monster. Perhaps more."
A silence hung heavy in the room. Kael closed his eyes, his jaw tightening.
"Then it's as I feared," he said finally. "There is no army that can stop him."
He looked up, his voice steeled. "Which means it falls to me. Get our people ready to evacuate. Get Thalren's aid prepared. Do whatever you must to protect them. But when the time comes…" His hand clenched the hilt of his blade. "…I will face the Overlord myself."
Zerathis met his gaze, unflinching. "Then I stand with you. If this monster must fall, we will make him kneel."
Kael gave a thin, grim smile. "No. You stand with the Hollow. That's my command."
For a moment, the weight of his words seemed unbearable. Yet he carried it anyway. Because that's what leaders did.
And as the fires of the orc horde burned in the distance, Kael knew the time for hesitation was over.