Boom!
In mid-air, a violent collision erupted as frost and snow slammed into blazing flames. At that moment, the heavens and earth seemed split in two by streaks of crimson and azure light. Two diametrically opposed domain powers ground against one another, frantically attempting to erode the other's influence.
Puchi.
Despite the blessing of his domain, the gap in raw strength between Steve and a Fifth-Order powerhouse remained. In the terrifying clash, Steve's right fist and half of his forearm were instantly vaporized by the incinerating heat of Burning Void's aura.
"Hahaha! A pathetic bug trying to stop a juggernaut!" Burning Void laughed wildly, certain his strike had been decisive.
However, in the next heartbeat, Steve smiled back.
Buzz!
A flash of golden light erupted. The right hand that had just vanished regrew in the blink of an eye; even the intricate frost patterns on the skin were restored to perfection.
Bang!
Capitalizing on Burning Void's momentary shock, Steve drove his newly reformed fist heavily into the powerhouse's face.
"You didn't use that artifact to tank the hit directly... you waited for me to pierce your guard just to restore it as a distraction..." Burning Void hissed, having been sent reeling dozens of meters. Though the physical damage was negligible, the tactical humiliation was extreme.
He stabilized himself, deciding not to waste further energy tangling with Steve. He knew all too well that fighting a monster capable of infinite resurrections was a fool's errand.
"Hmph! Let's see how many of them you can protect!"
Burning Void's figure blurred as he traced a wide arc through the sky, attempting to bypass Steve and strike the zombie divisions in the rear that were still resupplying.
"You think you're going somewhere?" Steve gave a cold laugh. With a powerful flap of his Ice Wings, he blinked across the distance, cutting off Burning Void's path. He swept his Ice Sword outward, conjuring a localized blizzard. "I told you—if you want to interrupt them, you have to go through me."
"You persistent nuisance!" Burning Void was exasperated. He was being held in place, pinned down by a fighter he technically outclassed but could not kill.
High above, ice and fire continued their struggle. While Steve relied on the Totem of Undying to stall his opponent, the sheer foundation of a Fifth-Order warrior was not easily bridged by a Fourth-Order. Bit by bit, Burning Void's domineering Flame Domain devoured the frost; the snow and ice were melting at an accelerating rate.
Yet, Steve remained unfazed. A faint, icy smile played on his lips. He wasn't just buying time for Randy and the others to recover. He was waiting for his true trump card to make its debut.
The Iron Golem was on the cusp of the Fifth-Order. Once Steve combined his own frost abilities with the Golem's innate power, he would wield a Fifth-Order Frost Domain. Combined with the Golem's physical prowess, he would possess a double-layered Fifth-Order overlap. When that happened, he would finally face these two on equal footing.
Swish!
Cold energy condensed in Steve's palm as a crystal-clear blade formed. He lashed out at Burning Void with renewed ferocity, but his mind was already focused on the distance.
Behind him, over a hundred Fourth-Order super zombies had finished their resupply. Like a tide of unstoppable berserkers, they howled and charged back into the fray, reinforcing the defensive line.
On the other flank, Zeus' battlefield had transformed into a purple lightning cage. Amidst the thunderous explosions, the golden glow of shattering Totems was constant. These two Fifth-Order powerhouses fought like tireless machines, outputting staggering amounts of energy.
Suddenly, Steve froze mid-swing. Deep within his soul, he sensed a massive, heavy aura approaching at high speed.
"Finally... it's here."
Steve snapped the Ice Sword in his hand and, without hesitation, retreated. He pulled back instantly, landing behind Randy and the main force. This sudden shift immediately alerted Zeus and Burning Void. As the most anomalous individual in the Undead Legion, Steve was always their primary concern.
"Randy, hold the line for a moment," Steve said calmly over the communication link, his voice carrying the confidence of a man who had already won. "The big guy is here."
Hearing this, a fanatical light erupted in Randy's eyes. He laughed boisterously. "Good! I'll play with these two a little longer!"
Boom!
Randy stopped holding back, leading the fresh Undead Legion in a reckless, sacrificial charge toward Burning Void.
Meanwhile, on the horizon, ten of the largest super zombies appeared, clutching massive alloy chains as they flew toward the front. Suspended beneath those chains was a terrifying giant—fifty meters tall, its body pitch-black and crisscrossed with cracks filled with flowing lava. They moved like a dark meteor streaking across the sky.
"What is that...?" Zeus and Burning Void both sensed the approaching presence. They shook off the surrounding zombies and converged, their expressions turning solemn.
"A monster with a highly irregular aura," Zeus muttered, frowning. The pressure was as heavy as a mountain. Though it hadn't fully reached the Fifth-Order, the sense of oppression was suffocating.
"Peak Fourth-Order? No... it's still climbing. Is it going to break through right here on the battlefield?!" Burning Void shouted, alarmed.
Then, they remembered Steve's retreat. Their heads snapped toward Steve's previous position, only to see the zombie body he had been inhabiting slump forward, its strings seemingly cut.
"What? Is he dead?"
But the body soon staggered back up. The deep blue light in its eyes had faded into a dull, ordinary glow. Most importantly, the Frost Domain that had been suppressing the area vanished the moment Steve "died."
"The domain is gone!"
"No... the soul is gone. The person controlling that body has moved. Where is he?!"
The two powerhouses looked at each other, a sense of dread rising in their chests. They didn't know that Steve's consciousness had already traversed the distance via their soul link, descending into the rapidly approaching Iron Golem.
Inside the Golem's core, Steve exhaled. As his consciousness took hold, a sensation of weight and power unlike anything he had ever felt flooded his soul.
Is this the power of a Half-Step Fifth-Order?
He could feel the source crystal in his chest spinning frantically. The last few crates of specialized material blocks were being consumed by his new form all at once.
"Just one more step... Break!"
As the final block was absorbed, the source crystal reached its critical mass.
Bang!
A muffled explosion resonated from within the Iron Golem. The vast, oceanic energy within the crystal burst forth, shattering the barrier between the Fourth and Fifth Orders.
Rumble!
A terrifying shockwave of pressure centered on the Golem, sweeping across the battlefield and announcing the arrival of a new sovereign.