Chapter 954: Madness is the price of greatness

"This is bad! Dusk Continent has another hidden demigod!"

High in the sky, the remaining three dragon phantoms reeled in shock as they felt the aura of this unknown powerhouse.

In contrast, the deputy commander and the spectral Arthas looked relieved, letting out a collective sigh.

Alexander ascending to the demigod level meant the crisis on Dusk Continent could be resolved without having to deploy the commander’s Blade-Sworn. Those were the Champions Alliance’s ultimate trump cards; the less they had to play their hand, the better.

Plus, this was Alexander’s true form, radiating a dense power of Law. His strength was on a completely different level than their own demigod phantoms.

"Kill the phantom fighting Pollard first!"

"Pollard is sandbagging, just messing around. Kill his opponent and force him to make a choice!"

The Deputy Commander and Arthas sent the same psychic message to Alexander simultaneously. To be honest, they were seething, and the source of their frustration was Pollard.

When Pollard first sensed that the dragons had deployed six demigod phantoms, his commitment to his alliance with the Champions Alliance had immediately wavered. As a demigod, he was naturally cautious. He didn’t flee, nor did he immediately turn traitor. Instead, he chose to drag out his fight with his dragon opponent, waiting for a situation where the winner was clear.

Because of this, every time the Deputy Commander or Arthas were about to finish off their own opponents, Pollard would pull his punches, allowing his phantom counterpart to intervene and rescue them. His behavior was infuriating, but given the delicate 3v3 balance, they couldn’t afford to call him out. Doing so would likely turn the fight into a 2v4.

Tssssss!

It was the sound of the spirit sword tearing through the void at a velocity that defied physics.

"Alexander’s Edge!"

The Sword of Alexander chose its target and, with unstoppable killing intent, plunged into the battle between Pollard and the dragon demigod. The two, who had been in a tacit agreement to sandbag, were both stunned by his sudden arrival.

That momentary hesitation was all Alexander needed.

"KILL!"

By the time the dragon phantom reacted, it was already locked down. With no hope of escape, it could only channel all of its power of Law in a desperate attempt to block Alexander’s fatal strike.

The attack was beautiful. It was swift.

The sword energy flared, a river of starlight, a rainbow of destruction. The blade-light sliced through the void, illuminating the entire sky, its sheer power a testament to its wielder’s will.

It was a killing blow, a strike of pure intent that was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

When the light faded, the dragon demigod phantom was gone.

ZING!

With another resonant hum, the Sword of Alexander shot towards its next target: the phantom currently entangled with Arthas.

Faced with such a decisive and murderous weapon, the two remaining dragon phantoms lost all will to fight. Using a special technique, they ripped open a portal in the void and fled the battlefield.

"Gentlemen, the enemy has retreated! We shall continue this another day!" Seeing the dragons flee, the allied Pollard felt a pang of guilt and fear. To avoid being held accountable by the Deputy Commander and Arthas, he also turned and vanished.

"Cowardly fence-sitter," Alexander muttered disdainfully, his human form reappearing beside the Deputy Commander and Arthas.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, noticing both of them were staring at him.

"I thought that you and Leonidas, at best, might find the catalyst for your ascension and fall into a slumber," the Deputy Commander said, his mage’s curiosity getting the better of him. "I never imagined you would ascend directly to the demigod level, and in such an unorthodox fashion. It’s unthinkable."

"I can feel it," Arthas added, his eyes wide with inspiration. "You and I both walk the path of the Sword’s Law. But you... you are somehow vastly different. Can you explain?"

"Let’s put it this way," Alexander began. "You are on the path to mastering the Sword’s Law. I am the Sword’s Law. My path is the sword’s path."

Arthas understood. Though they were both men of the sword, their paths had diverged. Like branches on a tree, they were now heading in different directions, destined to see different futures.

"Honestly, the inspiration came to me after I saw Hulk’s mirror avatar," Alexander admitted. "His avatar is special, almost indistinguishable from the real him. It got me thinking... if my spirit sword avatar already possesses its own Law, why can’t I make it like his mirror avatar?"

He gazed in the direction of Dusk Continent, where Leonidas’s and Orion’s auras were still absent. "I kept thinking about it, and eventually, I found my own path to becoming a demigod."

"You’re insane," Arthas said, his voice full of concern for his old friend. "To risk your true form on the battlefield like that... it’s too reckless. If you had failed to ascend, I would have lost a friend, and the Champions Alliance would have lost a core member."

"Sometimes, when you’ve lived a long time, you lose the clarity that the young ones have," Alexander replied, turning to look Arthas in the eye, his gaze firm and resolute. He quoted a phrase Demon Makareth was fond of saying. "Madness is the price of greatness, isn’t it?"

The Deputy Commander interrupted their intense stare-down. "What’s their status?"

The war had reached a lull. After that clash, it was unlikely either side’s top-tier fighters would make a move for a while. He looked towards Dusk Continent, concerned about Leonidas and Orion.

"Leonidas has fallen into a slumber," Arthas reported. "It happened very suddenly. He must have found his catalyst."

Leonidas hadn’t sent any messages, but Arthas had agents stationed at his base of operations. They had used a secret art to inform him of what happened at Giant Beast Mountain.

"Then that just leaves Hulk," the Deputy Commander said grimly. "He’s not at arch lord peak yet. It’s no surprise he’s struggling against a demigod phantom. Let’s head back. We need to be there in case the enemy escapes the Slaughter Space."

The Deputy Commander and Arthas nodded, and the three of them returned to Dusk Continent.

Truthfully, Arthas had a different feeling about Orion. He trusted him. But with Orion still missing, he couldn’t be sure what was happening.