The Eye of Life
A group of colossal giants appeared on the wasteland, towering dozens of meters in height.
In stark contrast to their massive bodies, each giant had a single, enormous eye on their face, with a diameter of over a meter, resembling a dazzling pearl set in their vast visages.
Alexander, puzzled, asked, "What creatures are these? They look so bizarre."
"They are Cyclops!" Thomas exclaimed in a grave tone.
"Indeed, I'll never forget their appearance in my lifetime," James added with a voice filled with hatred.
The City of Hope had once been a formidable fortress, with towering walls and a moat encircling it. The rapid river acted like a natural barrier, exacting a heavy toll on demons attempting to conquer the Arsen continent.
However, with orcs deceived into serving the demon legions, especially with the addition of Cyclops, the situation changed drastically.
Cyclops, with their enormous size and extraordinary strength, were especially adept at hurling massive boulders. They could launch these stones into the air with their powerful arms, sending them crashing down with a force hundreds of times greater than normal gravity, causing massive destruction to walls and buildings.
The soldiers of the City of Hope, facing Cyclops once again, were filled with anxiety and unease.
However, their spirits lifted at the sight of the beautiful woman floating in the air.
The barbarity and brutality of Cyclops were well-known; their arrival often foretold war and disaster.
At the feet of the Cyclops, there was a large group of goblin wizards. These goblins, small in stature, formed a stark contrast with the towering Cyclops.
A Cyclops casually grabbed a goblin wizard and chewed it in its mouth. Blood spilled from the corners of the Cyclops' mouth in an instant.
However, it wasn't long before the Cyclops spat out the mutilated goblin corpse, grumbling discontentedly, "Ugh! Tastes awful. I'm sick of this sour goblin flesh!"
"I sense humans here. It's been years since I tasted the delicacy of human flesh!" a Cyclops said in a hoarse voice.
"Yes, I can't wait to savor such a delicacy again!" another Cyclops extended its enormous tongue, licking its grotesque face in anticipation.
The Cyclops' voices were loud, allowing Alexander and his men to clearly hear their conversation. This was undoubtedly a great provocation to everyone in the City of Hope.
Thomas glanced at Alexander, angrily saying, "Damn it, don't get too cocky, you brutes. Soon, our lord's lady will make you pay for your wickedness."
"Indeed, our lord's wife is a goddess. She is not only stunningly beautiful but also possesses unmatched power!"
Alexander covertly used his Hawk Eye spell to observe the Cyclops group, seeking to understand more about these creatures.
Despite the distance, this act was noticed by one of the keen-eyed Cyclops. It turned its body, glaring at Alexander with its massive eye, roaring angrily.
"Impudent insects! You dare to spy on me? You must be tired of living!"
In response, the Cyclops pressed its huge eye and shot a blood-red disintegration beam towards Alexander.
"How dare you harm my man! It seems you are the one who is tired of living!"
The moment the Cyclops released the disintegration beam, Laura seemed to have anticipated everything. She moved like an arrow released from a bow, swiftly flying towards the trajectory of the beam, bravely shielding Alexander from the powerful attack.
The disintegration beam instantly dissipated, melting away like snow under the sun in the face of Laura's astonishing power.
The Cyclops was shocked; it never expected its seemingly invincible attack to be neutralized so effortlessly.
"Humph, even if you are strong, you are but one person. Let's attack together and see if she can cope!" the Cyclops bellowed in anger.
"You are seeking your death!" Laura retorted coldly, her beautiful face set in determination. Her dazzling eyes shimmered with indescribable divine power.
"Eye of Life, rotate counterclockwise!" Laura shouted.
Her eyes glowed with holy brilliance. Although the Eye of Life was much smaller than the Cyclops' giant eyeball, the energy it contained far surpassed the giant's imagination.
Under Laura's control, the Eye of Life began to rotate counterclockwise, distorting the space around it.
Under the influence of this life force, the Cyclops' bodies visibly aged. Their strong muscles slackened, skin wrinkled, and bones weakened.
"No! What's happening? How can this be?"
"We are orc lords, second only to the Behemoth clan, with lifespans of at least five hundred thousand years. How can we age so easily?"
"What should we do? I feel like I'm losing control of my body!"
The group of Cyclops panicked, feeling the terror of life rapidly slipping away.
No matter how noble their status among orcs, in the face of Laura's Eye of Life, their once-strong bodies became exceedingly fragile.
As for the goblin wizards, they had no means of resistance. In front of the Eye of Life, they turned to ash, leaving not even a bone behind.
The Cyclops still resisted. As one of the rulers of the beast races, they had unique body structures and a natural resistance to magic, making them difficult to kill through magical means.
However, the Cyclops couldn't withstand the force of life. Under Laura's control, they aged rapidly, their bodies weakened, and their life force significantly depleted.
This terrified the usually arrogant Cyclops, who fell to the ground, howling in pain.
Laura approached the group of Cyclops, looking down at them.
"You... you must be the legendary Goddess of Life! Why are you here? Please spare us, we don't want to die yet!" a Cyclops pleaded.
"I told you, this is your own doing! You dared to harm my husband, and for that, you all must die!" Laura said sternly.
"You love a mortal? You, a supreme deity, are capable of love, and for a mere mortal?" The Cyclops was astounded.
"This is my choice, and it concerns no one else!" In that moment, Laura's heart was filled with resolve.
Although she had been compelled to become intimate with Alexander, she was acutely aware that she would never forget the wonderful sensations of that night. Those feelings gave her a sense of existence that transcended divinity.
"Ah..."
The Cyclops screamed in agony as their life force rapidly drained away, their bodies convulsing increasingly violently, intensifying their pain and suffering.
Witnessing this scene, the soldiers of the City of Hope were filled with awe and shock. They had never imagined that these arrogant orc rulers could have such moments of vulnerability.
Facing Laura, they were utterly powerless, silently awaiting the inevitability of death.
"King Atoth, please save us..."
The dying pleas of the Cyclops on the ground were hoarse and desperate.
"It's useless. I told you, you dared to harm my husband. Today, no matter who comes, you must die!" Laura declared.
As her words fell, a terrifying energy suddenly descended from the sky. Sensing this presence, Laura swiftly moved aside.
A beam of dark light, like a force of destruction, with an irresistible impact, pierced through the clouds and violently struck towards where Laura had been.
"Boom!" The dark beam descended like a giant black dragon, crashing into the earth with endless destructive force, raising a huge cloud of dust.
"Did someone really dare to come to your rescue?" Laura looked up at the sky.
In the sky, a figure appeared. From its appearance, it was not much different from a regular Cyclops.
Laura watched the giant figure in the sky, her gaze flickering. Then, the figure slowly raised its head, revealing its face.
Its face was covered in countless scales, with dark golden light flowing between the crevices.
On its forehead was a single massive eye, like a huge black diamond, emitting a cold light. Within this eye, there seemed to lurk endless anger and a desire for battle.
A flicker of surprise crossed Laura's face as she hadn't expected the one to appear would be the king of the Cyclops race—Atoth.
"Your Majesty, please save us!" The fallen Cyclops cried out desperately.
Atoth paid them no heed, his diamond-like eye fixated on Laura, shimmering with a dark light.
"Boom, boom, boom..." As Atoth's fury spread, the entire wasteland trembled.
The space around Laura compressed and distorted, a terrifying force squeezing her body as if to crush her into pulp.
However, a holy light appeared around Laura, effortlessly resisting the pressure.
"Are you Atoth?" Laura looked up at the giant figure in the sky.
"Yes, I am Atoth, the King of the Cyclops!" Atoth declared, spreading his arms wide, causing his black robe to flutter.
"Boom!"
A terrifying aura cascaded downward towards Laura. In the face of this formidable presence, Laura seemed as insignificant as a speck of dust.
The ground below collapsed, revealing a vast chasm, as a chilling aura enveloped the area from all sides.
Seeing their king take action, the Cyclops on the ground reignited their hope, believing no one could withstand such a devastating assault.
However, Laura remained unharmed, defying the terrifying aura and rocketing towards Atoth in the sky. Her speed broke the sound barrier, causing a sonic boom!
This earth-shattering strike did not deter her; a streak of golden light slashed across the sky.
In an instant, Laura was face-to-face with Atoth.
Atoth's singular eye, brimming with energy and surging power, readied for an even more ferocious attack.
But Laura's golden fist, imbued with unique life force and unimaginable power, was already on its way.
Atoth seemed unable to react or counter in time.
"Bang!"
Laura's fist struck Atoth's face fiercely, causing his head to collapse with a crisp sound of breaking bones.
The immense force sent Atoth plummeting to the ground like a meteor.
The Cyclops struggling on the ground were dumbstruck, unable to believe what they had witnessed. Atoth, their revered king, had been defeated? How could this be possible?
"Boom!" A powerful aura erupted once again from the wasteland, causing the earth to tremble violently.
A wave of black and red light radiated from the spot where Atoth fell, spreading in all directions.
The temperature of the earth rose sharply, turning the ground into a magma-like substance.
In this, the dying Cyclops melted away in the spreading magma, leaving no trace behind!
As each Cyclops perished, Alexander's notification bar chimed with alerts.
[Ding! Your ally assisted in killing a Cyclops (Lv8000), you gained 8,500,000 XP.]
[Ding! Mission completed beyond expectations, current grade: S, you earned 50,000 sets of epic equipment.]
[Ding! Your ally assisted in killing a Cyclops (Lv8000), you gained 8,500,000 XP.]
[Ding! Mission completed beyond expectations, current grade: S+, you earned 80,000 epic architectural blueprints.]
...
[Ding! Mission completed beyond expectations, current grade: SS+, you gained 2 free construction permits for any building in the City of Hope.]
[Ding! Mission completed beyond expectations, current grade: SSS, you gained 4 free construction permits for any building in the City of Hope.]
The continuous stream of notifications excited Alexander immensely.