Chapter 380: Luke Finds One Last Hope! [GT Bonus - ]

His gaze moved across the surrounding commanders before settling on the vast Orc army beyond them.

Fighting eight Peak B-Rank opponents was already dangerous enough, but with another hundred B-Rank warriors and millions of lower-ranked enemies present, his chances of surviving a prolonged battle were frighteningly low.

’Nyx, Caelith, is there really no way to get through that barrier?’

While waiting for their response, Luke also called upon the System to display his current cultivation progress, hoping that the Blood Essence he had accumulated over the past month might offer some possibility he had overlooked.

A familiar screen immediately appeared before his eyes.

[ETERNAL TITAN ZERO — CULTIVATION STATUS]

Body Reconstruction Progress: 2.30%

Blood Essence Accumulated: \~46,000 / 2,000,000 D-Rank Equivalents

Remaining Requirement: 97.70%

"..."

Luke stared at the numbers for several seconds, feeling increasingly annoyed.

Although he had spent more than a month hunting Orcs, most of the outposts he had destroyed contained relatively few D-Rank warriors, while C-Rank and B-Rank enemies were even rarer.

As a result, his cultivation progress remained disappointingly low.

’At this rate, I can’t even properly control more than two clones at the same time.’

He sighed inwardly, realizing that the new body he had been working so hard to construct wasn’t going to help him escape his current predicament.

At that moment, Nyx finally spoke.

"Unfortunately, Luke, we don’t see any reliable way for you to escape through that barrier right now, so you’ll have to fight your way through this situation."

"..."

Luke slowly looked toward the surrounding Orcs.

’Fight? Against all of them?’

For a moment, he genuinely wondered whose face he had seen first after waking up that morning, because his luck had apparently reached an entirely new level of misfortune.

However, while Luke was still trying to figure out what to do, an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed inside Uzgor’s mind.

’Do it.’

The order came from Vradok, who was observing the battlefield from outside the dome.

Uzgor immediately straightened his posture.

’Finally.’

A faint smile appeared on his face as he stepped forward, attracting Luke’s attention.

The other seven commanders also became quieter, while several nearby Orcs began retreating to create more space around the Thunder Titan.

Luke noticed their movements and immediately became suspicious.

’What are they doing now?’

Uzgor raised his staff toward the sky, and a strange crimson glow slowly appeared along its surface.

At first, the light was faint, barely visible beneath the daylight, but as the Orc began channeling his energy into the staff, the ancient markings covering it gradually awakened.

VMMMMMM...

A low vibration spread through the clearing.

Luke looked upward.

The markings moving across the crimson dome had begun changing direction, and several of them were slowly gathering above his position.

’Something’s coming!’

Before he could determine what kind of technique Uzgor was preparing, the Orc began chanting in a deep, unfamiliar language.

"?zh’vhor?m... Kth?zz’?rr... Zhaakh’vrenn!"

The words sounded strange even to Luke, their harsh syllables carrying a peculiar resonance that seemed to linger in the air long after they were spoken.

As the final syllable escaped Uzgor’s mouth, the crimson markings above the outpost suddenly stopped moving.

For a brief instant, the portion of the dome directly overhead became completely still.

Then five dark crimson circles appeared across its inner surface.

OHHHHMMMM!

The circles flared, and the surrounding air trembled as a tremendous amount of energy gathered within them.

Luke’s expression changed.

’Chains?’

FWHIIIIP! FWHIIIIP! FWHIIIIP!

Five thick, dark crimson chains suddenly burst out from the glowing circles, each moving with such speed that the distance between the dome and Luke was crossed before he could even react.

Their links dragged strange red trails through the air, while the violent force of their descent caused sharp whipping sounds to echo across the clearing.

WHOOSH! SKRRRSH! KRRRANG!

"WHAT—?!"

Luke barely managed to raise his head before the first chain struck his right arm.

KRRRANG!

The links coiled around his armored wrist and forearm, tightening instantly with enough force to make the black plates of Valzareth creak.

Before he could pull his arm free, another chain wrapped around his left wrist, followed by two more that shot downward and secured themselves around both legs.

CLANK! KRRRKKK! CLANK!

"UGH!"

Luke tried to move, but the fifth chain had already arrived.

FWHIIIIP!

It curved through the air and wrapped directly around his neck, its dark crimson links grinding against his armor before tightening violently.

KRRRRAAAK!

All five chains suddenly pulled in different directions.

His arms were dragged outward, his legs were forced apart, and the chain around his neck stretched backward, leaving his fifty-foot Titan body suspended in a strained position as though he were a prisoner being displayed before the entire Orc army.

The enormous force nearly lifted his feet from the ground, while the earth beneath him fractured as he struggled to maintain his footing.

"UGGHHH!"

Luke immediately tried pulling his arms inward, causing the muscles beneath his armor to bulge as he exerted the strength of his Thunder Titan body.

However, the chains barely moved.

Instead, their links contracted even further, crushing the armor around his wrists, ankles, and neck before pressing directly against his Titan flesh.

KRRRRK! CLANK!

Cracks began spreading across those sections of Valzareth, while the pressure from the chains continued increasing.

Luke gritted his teeth and attempted another forceful movement.

Yet before he could properly resist, an intense pain suddenly erupted inside his head.

"AAAAARGH!"

His entire body jerked against the restraints.

The pain was different from an ordinary physical injury, since even though the chains were tightening around his limbs, the sensation seemed to penetrate directly into his mind.

It was as though something was squeezing his consciousness from within, making his thoughts scatter whenever he attempted to concentrate.

’W-What... is this?!’

His vision blurred for an instant, and the sound of the surrounding Orc army became strangely distant.

Although he was still standing inside his Titan body, the pain was interfering with his ability to think, making even the simple act of focusing on an ability increasingly difficult.

Meanwhile, Uzgor slowly lowered his staff and smiled with satisfaction.

"Good. We’ve finally captured the puppet."

The other commanders examined the restrained Titan, several of them visibly relaxing now that the first stage of their plan had succeeded.

After all, these crimson chains were being supplied directly by the ancestral dome formation, making them far stronger than an ordinary binding technique.

According to Uzgor’s understanding, even B-Rank warriors would have great difficulty breaking free, since the chains required strength approaching A-Rank to overcome.

And the giant trapped before them was nowhere near that level.

"So that’s it? He’s already captured?"

Vargut, the one-eyed Orc whose scarred body revealed a long history of battles, sounded genuinely disappointed.

He had been hoping to test the Hero’s unusual abilities personally, yet the fight appeared to have ended before he could even swing his weapon.

"How boring. I thought he would put up more resistance after destroying so many of our outposts."

Several of the commanders smiled at his complaint, while the surrounding Orcs began celebrating the apparent success of their trap.

However, Luke could barely hear their voices.

"AAARGHH!"

Another wave of pain assaulted his mind, causing his body to convulse against the chains as dark crimson energy pulsed through the links.

He tried concentrating on his Thunder Titan’s power, but the moment he gathered his thoughts, the pain intensified and scattered them again.

’Shit! I can’t... concentrate!’

His breathing became increasingly strained as he struggled against the restraints, while the pressure around his neck made every movement even more uncomfortable.

"Luke! Come to your senses!"

Nyx’s voice suddenly rang out inside his consciousness, followed by Caelith’s worried shout.

"Luke, you need to resist it! Those chains are interfering with your mind!"

The other Titan spirits also called out to him, trying to break through the growing confusion.

Unfortunately, Luke had never properly trained himself to withstand such persistent mental pain, and the continuous assault was rapidly overwhelming his ability to think clearly.

’Uggh... I... I have to...’

His eyes became bloodshot as he struggled to keep them open, while another painful contraction caused his body to jerk violently.

’AAAAH! Damn it! I have to do something about these chains!’

He attempted to pull his arms free once again, but the chains immediately tightened, sending another crushing wave of pain through his head.

For an instant, Luke nearly lost consciousness.

However, just as his thoughts were beginning to fade, the image of a familiar Titan suddenly appeared within his mind.

’Sevaroth...’

Luke’s breathing caught.

He remembered how Sevaroth had previously broken through powerful seals, and although these chains were different, their purpose was ultimately the same.

They were restraints, maintained through the power of a formation.

’That’s right... Sevaroth broke those seals!’

A trace of hope finally appeared in his bloodshot eyes.

Even though the pain made it difficult to concentrate, Luke desperately clung to that thought, recalling the sealing abilities he had obtained and searching for something capable of dealing with the chains.

The crimson links pulsed again, sending another wave of pain through his body.

"UGGHH!"

Luke clenched his teeth, forced his scattered thoughts together, and finally opened his mouth.

"KIKI!"