Chapter 793

Chapter 793: Neltharion’s Power

After eating and drinking their fill, the two first went to the Dwarven District to borrow two practice swords, then strolled outside the city. By the time they reached the depths of Elwynn Forest, the sun was already reddish.

Greed spread his cloak under a nearby tree and placed his belongings on it. Jesse eyed the hammer hanging at Greed’s waist, now covered in dents.

"Your hammer seems in poor shape," Jesse remarked.

Greed touched the hammer and said, "I agree. That axe always held up well—looks like ordinary stonework but carries the Earthen’s power. This hammer came from Aerie Peak’s finest smith, yet barely withstands Deathwing’s flames. But it’ll endure. After all, it was my father’s."

Jesse nodded and raised his sword. "Shall we begin?"

"Right," Greed lifted his blade.

Having practiced swordsmanship many times under Greed’s instruction, Jesse initiated the attack.

The borrowed practice swords felt increasingly light. Accustomed to Azuresong Mageblade’s balance and rhythm, Jesse moved swiftly through their exchanges. Suddenly he executed a cunning feint, thrusting unexpectedly. Greed’s eyes widened as he retreated to parry, steel clashing sharply.

"Actual combat is always the best teacher," Greed said, meeting Jesse’s gaze over crossed blades. "You’ve improved faster these years than any sword-drilling dwarf at Aerie Peak."

"Still not your equal," Jesse countered. "You’re holding back."

Greed snorted. "Want my full strength? Afraid to sail to Kalimdor? Hoping I’ll cripple you for an excuse to delay?"

The taunt ignited Jesse’s temper.

"Try me then, Greed of Thunderfist!"

Greed discarded his practice sword and reached backward. The warhammer beside the tree streaked through the air in a blinding arc of lightning, landing in his grip. The glare faded, leaving the woods dimmer to Jesse’s dazzled eyes.

"You left your magic wand in Grim Batol, Jesse. Beating you won’t feel honorable," the dwarf grunted.

"Losing to me would shame you more?" Jesse shot back.

Greed chuckled until Jesse unsheathed Azuresong Mageblade. The blade’s faint blue glow erased the dwarf’s smile.

"Forgot the Blue Dragon fixed that cursed thing. Now I’ve no reservations. Rules?"

"No face hits."

"Agreed."

Greed roared in Kalimdori. Jesse’s scalp prickled before white lightning hammered down, thunder cracking as the bolt slammed him spellless.

*Since when could he call lightning?!*

Stunned, Jesse saw Greed’s electrified warhammer hurtling through a debris cloud. He barely raised a Dark Protection shield. The impact flashed kaleidoscopic colors before deflecting the hammer, energy shrapnel stinging Jesse’s chest.

Before the hammer landed, Greed leaped and caught it mid-air. Thunder gathered anew around the weapon as he took aim—

*Attacking during paralysis?*

Fear spells would never work on this berserker. No time wasted. "Duke, Hedu Niloing Mos!"

Shadowy chains from Azuresong Mageblade coiled around Greed’s neck and arms, their magic-enhanced forms almost tangible. Greed yelped, tumbling down—only to erupt in lightning that shredded the curse’s grip. He rose, panting.

"Damn… Curse of Weakness." Greed blinked. "Never felt one this potent."

"Others cursed you before?" Jesse gathered dark energy between his hands.

"Friendship price, Greed—Shadow Protection Potion, ten silver. My pack’s full!"

"Better tell me ‘well-water’ in elvish," Greed wheezed, bracing on his knees. "I’ll write Vereesa for a bottle to save your hide."

He finished speaking, threw off his shirt, and suddenly transformed into a gray stone monster. This creature was far larger than Jesse had imagined, likely over two meters tall.

It looked like a colossal statue in Ironforge that was clearly out of proportion with dwarves, but unlike those statues that were heavily armored, Greed stood completely bare-chested, his well-defined muscles resembling rock formations jutting out from a cliff.

The incoming Shadow Bolt was crushed as he reached out and smashed it with his hand. Greed let out a loud roar and charged forward, and Jesse saw a dazzling light glow from the Neltharion necklace around Greed’s neck.

Was he really going to kill him?

However, this was not Jesse’s first time facing a fierce giant charging directly at him.

As Greed’s fist came crashing toward his chest, it suddenly struck a cloud of black mist. Greed paused, turned his head, and saw a shadow wrapped in blue light quickly pulling back several meters behind him.

“What… is this?”

Greed hesitated, mumbling in a grating voice like iron scraping on stone, but on the other side, Jesse had already completed his chant. A sharp pain surged, causing the giant to grit his teeth as purple patterns spread over his rocky skin.

The Curse of Agony had taken effect. Jesse didn’t want to use such a spell against Greed, but if he wanted his opponent to truly surrender or achieve a clear win, he couldn’t keep holding back.

“This is not the Blink Spell, Jesse.”

“It’s definitely not.”

“So, you can’t escape…”

“What?”

As soon as Jesse finished his sentence, Greed let out a fierce yell and charged forward! A charge, huh?

Jesse planned to use Shadowstep to create some distance, but suddenly felt the ground beneath him shake, nearly losing his balance.

Looking down, he saw pieces of soil and stone turning into creepy hands that grabbed his ankles. He tried to use Shadowstep again, but the huge magical cost delayed his reaction.

While trying to connect with the dark energy to let the shadows pull him away, the stone hands firmly held him in place, leaving him stuck and unable to move.

What the hell was this? Did this place have a grounding effect, or had Greed learned some earth element magic?

“I wanted to wait until we got to Kalimdor to surprise you, but I can’t hide it anymore, Jesse Seso!”

Greed shouted proudly as he charged closer, raising his fist to aim at Jesse’s chest again, but was slowed down by another shadow chain that grabbed his arm.

“More of this annoying…”

He cursed in Language Dwarven while struggling to break free from the shadow bindings, but after he freed one arm, another chain locked his leg.

Since the choking curse couldn’t hold Greed’s neck, he tried to bind whatever he could, but Greed’s strength was beyond Jesse’s expectations; a spell that could easily stop a succubus or Felhound was torn apart by this dwarf with just a flick of his arm.

Still, several shadow chains were enough to hold him for a bit. Jesse, feeling helpless against the strange earth element magic, simply tossed the three Soul Shards from his pocket onto the ground.

He raised both hands and shouted, “Do you give up, Greed?”

“Give up what, you damned warlock… Bring out all your tricks! If you can’t kill me, I’ll smash your little face!”

Hearing his odd words, Jesse couldn’t help but smirk; this guy really thought of himself as a rock. “Sawyer, Avarus…”

“Wait.”

Upon hearing the chant, Greed’s expression changed instantly. Even with his stiff statue-like face, it was clear he was scared.

“You’re not serious, are you, Jesse? Wait, I’m not playing around.” He quickly dropped his stone appearance and lifted his short arms, waving his hands to say, “No, don’t cast it.”

The Soul Shards began to flicker, and the sky turned dark as shadows crisscrossed above, looking like they were forming black snakes.

Jesse took a breath. He was a bit unsure if he had enough magic left to cast the Hand of Gul’dan again.

Dealing with a tough foe like Greed was exhausting, especially without Molofeel nearby for help or a Soul Link to share the load. One hit could be bad, so he stayed highly focused. This boosted his shadow magic power but also drained his energy faster.

“Can’t I just give up? No need to waste Soul Shards; losing to you isn’t a big shame!” Greed stood up and brushed his backside. “Anyway, don’t drop that meteor on me…”

Jesse pressed his lips together, lowered his hands, and the hands made of soil and stone vanished, leaving only a patch of fresh dirt at his feet.

“What was that earth element…?”

“Earthbind, how about that? Pretty cool, right?” Greed said.

“When did you learn this?” Jesse asked.

“Of course, during my time at Aerie Peak.” Greed held the golden necklace from the Red Dragon Queen and said, “You can’t imagine how strong this thing is, Jesse; it’s not just a simple trinket!”

Jesse nodded; he knew it wasn’t ordinary.

Greed might not have realized it, but his giant form was much bigger than in Grim Batol. For a moment, Jesse thought he was fighting an absurdly huge and scary Vrykul from Northrend.

He had never seen a real Vrykul in this world, but even if he did, they wouldn’t look as terrifying.