Chapter 83: Cast Him Back

  The battle wasn’t over.

  The Res Orc Seal still stood, its charred crimson skin pulsing, healing even after Marcus’ strongest hit. The cavern trembled beneath their feet as the air thickened, the unstable portal behind it crackling with energy.

  Marcus clenched his fists, his gauntlets still humming with an unknown power.

  "Stem," he muttered under his breath. "What the hell is going on? That hit should've ended it!"

  Stem’s voice came through, sharp and uncertain.

  "Marcus. Your gauntlets—no, their composition—they're reacting to something… beyond the portal."

  Marcus’ brow furrowed. “Beyond?”

  "I have operated under the assumption that your gauntlets were simply crafted from an unknown metal, but… that may not be the case. They might be something far greater."

  Marcus tensed as the Res Orc Seal let out a deep, rumbling growl, its glowing eyes locking onto him.

  Stem continued, his tone now filled with urgency.

  "Marcus. Instruct your team to do everything in their power to keep that thing near the portal—do not let it escape!"

  Marcus didn’t hesitate.

  "Arixa! Thalron! Vira! Keep it near the portal!"

  Arixa wiped sweat from her brow, her muscles burning from exhaustion. “Damn thing’s not going anywhere if I can help it!”

  Thalron gave a sharp nod, adjusting his stance. “We’ll hold it. But you better have a plan.”

  Vira—breathing heavily, her mana drained—gritted her teeth. "Make it quick, Marcus."

  Marcus didn’t respond. He ran forward, grabbing Vira’s grimoire from where she had set it down earlier.

  “What the hell are you doing!?” she barked.

  Marcus ignored her, holding the grimoire in one hand while reaching out with the other, pressing his gauntleted palm against the portal’s unstable surface.

  The second he made contact—

  A pulse of raw energy surged through him.

  His vision shattered, replaced by a flood of incomprehensible data, equations, and symbols—languages he didn’t understand but somehow felt the meaning of.

  His senses stretched, expanding outward into something larger than himself, something beyond the physical world.

  Stem’s voice echoed in his mind.

  "Brace yourself, Marcus. This is going to feel… weird."

  While Marcus and Stem interfaced with the portal, the rest of the team fought tooth and nail to keep the Res Orc Seal contained. The cavern shuddered under the weight of the battle, the unstable energy from the portal twisting reality itself.

  Vira gritted her teeth, sweat dripping down her face as her mana exhaustion clawed at her body. She could barely feel the connection to her magic, her reservoir nearly empty.

  But she wasn’t helpless.

  Her mind worked furiously. She still had access to her body’s raw energy, her experience, her tactical knowledge.

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  She forced the remaining scraps of mana in her core to ignite, but instead of channeling a proper spell—she let instinct take over.

  A whip of pure flame lashed out from her fingertips, its erratic energy barely controlled. It wrapped around the beast’s arm, the searing heat burning through flesh and Ki alike.

  The Res Orc Seal snarled, its unnatural body adapting, dark Ki hardening its flesh against the flame. It whipped its arm to the side, flinging Vira into the air like a ragdoll.

  She slammed against the cavern wall, pain exploding through her ribs.

  Her vision blurred.

  The Res Orc Seal turned toward her, its soulless, burning eyes locking on to the weakest target.

  It lunged—

  A clawed hand swung—

  Vira barely had time to react.

  But Thalron was faster.

  The half-elf, half-dwarf spellblade intercepted with flawless precision. His arcane rapier flashed, its tip glowing with what little mana he had left.

  The beast’s claw came down like a falling boulder—but Thalron’s footwork was impeccable.

  A step. A pivot.

  A well-placed parry.

  The impact sent a shockwave through the cavern, but Thalron redirected the force rather than absorbing it.

  His mind raced— His mana was nearly gone. His spells were fading. He couldn’t rely on magic anymore.

  So he fell back on skill.

  He ducked under the beast’s swing, his blade slicing precisely across the already weakened points of its body—targeting joints, tendons, and fractured Ki armor.

  The Res Orc Seal howled, staggering back.

  But it wasn’t done.

  It countered with a massive backhand swing, a move far too fast and fluid for something its size.

  Thalron barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side.

  His breathing was ragged, his muscles burned—but he couldn’t stop now.

  That’s when he noticed Arixa.

  Arixa had been the team’s anchor.

  She held the line, absorbed the brunt of the beast’s rage, using her Unyielding Rage to stand tall despite the damage.

  But something was wrong.

  Her body felt slow.

  Her anger, her battle instincts—they felt distant, dulled—like she was moving through thick water.

  Her vision swam, her movements sluggish as she tried to swing her warhammer.

  Her Ki flickered, refusing to ignite properly.

  Thalron’s keen eyes analyzed the shift immediately.

  He pieced it together in a second—

  "The damn thing is suppressing her aggression through Ki!"

  Arixa was one of the strongest warriors he knew, but her strength relied heavily on her Ki reinforcement.

  And the Res Orc Seal knew it.

  The longer she used Ki, the deeper the beast’s unnatural aura entangled with her.

  Thalron darted toward her, grabbing her shoulder roughly.

  “Arixa!” he snapped. “Stop using Ki! It’s messing with your head!”

  Arixa staggered, her breath ragged, her vision unfocused—

  Then something clicked.

  She stopped channeling Ki.

  Instantly, the fog lifted.

  Her heart pounded, her blood boiled with clarity.

  She grinned.

  “You son of a—”

  The Res Orc Seal swung down, trying to crush them both.

  Arixa dropped low, letting it pass overhead.

  Then, with her full raw strength, she swung her warhammer upward, catching the beast under its jaw.

  BOOM.

  The impact sent a shockwave through the cavern, sending the beast staggering back toward the portal.

  Vira, still aching, forced herself to stand.

  She saw the opening—the monster was reeling.

  Her mana reserves were practically gone, but she had one last trick.

  Using the cavern’s natural terrain, she kicked a pile of loose rock into the air, imbuing them with the last remnants of her fire magic.

  The stones ignited mid-air, turning into a hailstorm of searing hot projectiles.

  They struck true.

  The Res Orc Seal bellowed in frustration, its body twisting in rage.

  Thalron, meanwhile, saw an even greater opportunity.

  He flicked his wrist, drawing a dagger from his belt, one lined with runes.

  Arixa caught on immediately.

  She swung her warhammer again, forcing the beast to expose its side.

  In that instant, Thalron threw the dagger—

  It embedded deep into the monster’s exposed flesh.

  A second later—

  The runes on the dagger activated, freezing a portion of its body solid.

  The Res Orc Seal froze mid-motion, trying to break free of the frostlock.

  That was all they needed.

  Inside Marcus’ mind, Stem processed the final calculations.

  "I HAVE IT," he declared.

  Marcus yanked his hand away from the portal, his vision refocusing.

  “The portal’s pulling it in!”

  The Res Orc Seal’s body lurched backward, the gravity reversing as the portal consumed its essence.

  It howled, its claws digging into the ground, fighting against the pull of its own prison.

  Marcus turned and threw Vira’s grimoire back to her.

  She caught it in midair.

  She didn’t hesitate.

  Her fingers flipped through the pages, finding exactly what she needed.

  She thrust her hands forward—

  “Incinerate!”

  A colossal wave of fire erupted, engulfing the beast’s lower half, forcing it further into the portal’s grasp.

  Thalron and Arixa followed suit.

  Thalron appeared in a flash, stabbing into its exposed weak point, twisting the rapier deeper.

  Arixa let out a feral scream, her hammer swinging one last time—

  CRASH.

  Her final earth-shattering blow smashed into its skull.

  The portal snapped shut.

  The Res Orc Seal was gone.

  Silence.

  Then—

  Arixa let out a breathless laugh.

  "That… was insane."

  Thalron collapsed onto one knee, panting.

  Vira just shook her head, muttering, "I need a drink."

  Marcus stared at his gauntlets.

  Something was happening, something bigger than just them.

  Before he could dwell on it—

  A chime rang through the cavern.

  Dungeon Cleared.

  A treasure chest materialized in the center of the cavern.

  Marcus exhaled.

  “Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s see what we just won.”