Orek used his foot to flick his blade—still held in his shattered hand—into the air, catching it with his intact arm. Even in his direst moments, the God of War never let go of his weapon. He held the blade diagonally, ready to continue.
Losing one arm meant nothing to Orek. He didn't need to adjust to a new center of gravity; he had experienced it all before. Severed arms, broken legs, shattered bones, torn muscles—Orek knew exactly how to fight in every state of ruin.
"The power of experience... the 'me' right now is no different from the 'me' at my peak!" Orek glared at the one-armed Cassius. He was wheezing due to his crushed ribs.
"Did your experience tell you that it's best to keep your mouth shut after losing your ribcage?!"
Cassius's voice arrived alongside a fist that moved like a cannonball. Gale-force winds and sparks of fire trailed behind it. Cassius was undefeated. His original death had only occurred because, under the effect of Ignore Pain, he hadn't realized how grave his wounds were until it was too late. On Mount Harrogath, only two Barbarians remained truly undefeated.
The other was Bul-Kathos.
The fist slammed onto the edge of the God of War's blade. The knuckles split open against the steel, but the blade didn't carve through Cassius's arm. Instead, the fist clamped onto the blade, using the sheer force of the impact to smash the sword—and the fist—into Orek's face.
BOOM!
Orek was sent flying. For the first time in his existence, the God of War lost his grip on his blade. The sword was wedged firmly into Cassius's split knuckles. Blood dripped down the steel.
"God of War, your 'experience' never included someone attacking you like this! Experience only makes you rigid!"
Cassius strode forward, the blade still stuck in his hand.
"I've long thought about how to fight after losing my weapon. This is just the first time I've had the chance to test the theory!"
Orek struggled to his feet, shaking his head. The height difference meant the punch had landed squarely on his jaw, causing a massive concussion.
"Your precious experience is ancient history, God of War!"
Cassius let out a piercing cry, charging forward. With every step, a spray of blood erupted from his severed arm, but he was indifferent. With Ignore Pain fully active, combat was his entire world. Injury, death, weakness—these were just obstacles to be ignored.
"Your courage will only lead to death!"
Orek curled his body, protecting his chest behind his broad back. Lowering his center of gravity, he became a ball of muscle and fur, appearing before Cassius in an instant.
At that moment, a Hellspawn finally scaled the high walls. The beat of war drums echoed. The melee had truly begun.
"Shut your mouth, old man!"
Cassius's roar drowned out the drums. A fist carrying a wedged legendary weapon buried itself in Orek's chest. As Orek lunged low, Cassius had used superior technique to take an even lower position. Orek's frame was simply too massive.
A perfect uppercut.
His single arm sank deep into Orek's body, bursting out through the God of War's back. But the protruding fist was empty; the blade was gone.
"Young man... I never told you... but you should have known. My weapon can only be used by me."
Orek's voice was slow, made ragged by the blood welling up from his internal organs. A head, still attached to half a shoulder, flew high into the air before thumping onto the ground.
"Orek... I'm still alive!" Cassius's head croaked with difficulty.
This body had reached its limit. Both were still alive, at least for the moment. But both had lost the strength to continue.
"I know. But we died on some day in the past a long time ago."
Orek hung the Blade of the God of War back on his belt. With a frown, he gently pushed aside Cassius's upright, headless torso. With a wet pop, the arm was pulled free from Orek's massive frame.
Broken bones, a shredded heart, and ruined lungs spilled out of the wound. Orek's expression didn't flicker, as if the injury belonged to someone else.
"I'm not dead! I am Cassius! The Immortal Cassius!" the torso continued to mutter.
Orek shook his head, his brow furrowed. Cassius's incessant mumbling gave him a headache. Cassius truly believed he was alive until the very second of his soul's departure. Once a Barbarian turned Ignore Pain into their core power, it was as if their brain had burned out.
"Immortal Cassius... you win this time," Orek said, his voice weak. His massive body toppled to the ground with a heavy thud. He stopped breathing.
The flesh on his frame began to peel away, and Orek's spirit manifested before the crowd. Orek was out. His part in this battle was over.
"I am immortal! Undefeated! I have seized the future!"
Cassius's voice grew louder, but his body also stopped breathing. The flesh melted away, and Cassius appeared as a spirit. He remained lying on the ground.
"Old man, go protect our kin! This is the command of the strongest leader of the Great Bear Tribe!" Cassius roared with pride.
He had every right to be proud. He had defeated Orek, the God of War. At this moment, he was the greatest Chieftain in the history of the Great Bear.
Then, Cassius was suddenly picked up by the scruff of his neck by Koth.
"God of War, every clansman is worth cherishing. Whether they are warriors or the weak who cannot fight," Koth said. He had been the Chieftain before Cassius, but he had never placed much importance on the title. If the tribe hadn't lacked other options, he would have preferred to be a simple herder, arm-wrestling bulls in his spare time. Koth wasn't brilliant, but he wasn't a fool either. "Honest" and "straightforward" were the words that defined his life.
"I will take Jessica away from here if she becomes unable to fight," Orek said flatly. It was perhaps his only concession. "But if that fool Luke wants to marry a daughter of the Great Bear, he'd better bring back enough trophies!"
Orek turned and left, his heart heavy. The clash of ideologies had been settled.
"Cassius, what do we do according to tradition?" Koth asked dully, still holding Cassius.
Cassius exhaled slowly, his eyes darting around. "In my time, if a Barbarian from another tribe wanted to marry one of our women, he had to wrestle the strongest man in the tribe. If he won, he passed."
Koth frowned. "But right now, Jessica is the only living Barbarian of the Great Bear."
"Then count the ancestors too! If he can't prove he can protect our people better than we can, tell him to get lost!" Cassius flailed his arms. He kicked Koth's shins a few times—being held like a kitten was humiliating, and he wanted Koth to let go.
"Oh. I see." Koth rubbed his forehead and walked thoughtfully toward the departing vanguard.
It was time for the scouts to set out.
Olongus was already losing patience. Clad in the Might of the Earth, wielding the Blade of the Tribes and the Fury of the Vanished Peak, he was fully geared. He was itching to deliver a finishing blow to Baal—either a Boulder Toss from his Ancient Spear or a somewhat less practiced Earthquake!
(End of Chapter)
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