The ogre closed the distance in three massive strides while James raised his shield and braced for impact.

The ogre’s tree-trunk club came down with enough force to break stone. James dodged left at the last second and the weapon crashed into the ground where he’d been standing. The impact sent dirt, splinters, and small stones flying across the clearing while debris cut his face and arms.

Behind him, the sound of Team Zero fighting Wave 2 continued, but he couldn’t go back because the ogre was moving toward their flank. If it reached the main battlefield, it would hit them from the side and collapse the formation while the team was already under pressure.

The stream viewers panicked when they realized James was fighting alone.

@DublinClimber92: He’s really fighting that thing alone?

@GreenTowerFan: One hit and he’s dead.

@RaidStatsGuy: If that ogre reaches the team, their formation collapses.

@MageUnionWatch: He’s not running.

James quickly realized he couldn’t overpower the ogre physically.

The ogre swung horizontally and James blocked with his shield instead of dodging. The impact drove him backward three meters and his entire left arm went numb. His shield arm dropped and he barely raised it again before the ogre charged.

This thing was stronger than anything he’d faced on Floors 6, 7, or 8.

James changed his approach immediately. He stopped trying to clash head-on and started using speed instead. When the ogre swung again, James ducked under the strike and slashed at its thigh with his sword. The blade cut through leather and skin, but the black veins beneath hardened the flesh like armor. The wound was shallow.

James fired Necro Blast into the ogre’s knee joint.

[NECRO BLAST ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 10]

[CURRENT MANA: 1,015/1,080]

The death energy hit the corrupted flesh and rotted through the surface layer. The ogre roared and swung its club in a wide arc that forced James to dive behind a nearby tree.

The club smashed straight through the trunk and exploded the tree, sending the top half crashing down. James rolled away from the falling wood and came up with his sword ready.

He noticed something strange while the ogre turned to face him again. The dark mana flowing through its body was making it stronger, but the ogre’s movements looked unstable. Its breathing was too heavy. The black veins pulsed irregularly like the power was forcing the creature beyond its natural limit.

James spotted a corrupted goblin corpse near the edge of the clearing and activated Summon Undead Skeleton.

[SUMMON UNDEAD SKELETON ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 45]

[CURRENT MANA: 970/1,080]

The skeleton ripped free from the goblin’s remains and charged the ogre from the side.

The ogre turned and smashed the skeleton apart with one swing of its club.

[SUMMON UNDEAD DESTROYED]

James expected that. He used the opening to sprint forward and cut across the ogre’s exposed thigh. His sword bit deeper this time and black blood sprayed across the dirt. James fired another Necro Blast into the fresh wound before the ogre could recover.

[NECRO BLAST ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 10]

[CURRENT MANA: 960/1,080]

The necrotic energy spread through the corrupted flesh and the ogre’s leg buckled slightly.

James summoned another skeleton from a fresh corpse and sent it behind the ogre. The skeleton wasn’t meant to win. It only needed to distract for one second.

[SUMMON UNDEAD SKELETON ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 45]

[CURRENT MANA: 915/1,080]

When the ogre turned toward the skeleton, James drove his sword into the back of its knee.

The ogre stumbled forward but didn’t fall. It twisted faster than James anticipated and backhanded him across the clearing.

James hit the ground hard and rolled twice before stopping while his ribs screamed and blood filled his mouth.

[HP: 620/620 → 492/620]

He forced himself to stand and raised his shield again despite the pain.

The stream exploded with activity when viewers realized James had survived the crushing blow.

@TowerWatchIE: He survived that?

@PriestWanted: That ogre is corrupted. Look at the veins.

@RaidStatsGuy: The necromancer is not trying to overpower it. He’s breaking it down.

@GreenTowerFan: I take back what I said. He’s insane.

@CivilianViewIE: I don’t even understand half of this but take my money.

Donations flooded the screen. Most were in euros from civilians watching through the TRB stream platform. A few Challenger donations came through in Tower Credits.

[DONATION RECEIVED: €500]

[DONATION RECEIVED: €1,000]

[DONATION RECEIVED: €2,500]

[CHALLENGER DONATION RECEIVED: 300 TC]

[VIEWER COUNT: 214,903]

James barely saw the notifications at the edge of his vision because he was too focused on staying alive.

James realized the pattern while dodging another massive swing.

The ogre’s dark mana was unstable. It was increasing the creature’s strength, but it was also weakening its life force from the inside. The black-veined joints were the weak points where the corruption was strongest and the flesh was most vulnerable.

James stopped aiming for normal vital spots and started targeting the corrupted joints instead: knee, ankle, elbow, and shoulder.

He used short bursts of Necro Blast and quick sword cuts. He didn’t spam skills blindly because he still needed mana for the rest of the floor.

The ogre charged and James sidestepped, then fired Necro Blast into its ankle.

[NECRO BLAST ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 10]

[CURRENT MANA: 905/1,080]

The ankle joint rotted and the ogre’s foot twisted sideways mid-step. It stumbled and caught itself with its club, then roared and swung at James with renewed fury.

James blocked with his shield and the impact sent him sliding backward, but he kept his footing this time.

He lured the ogre toward another goblin corpse and waited until the creature stepped close enough. Then he detonated the corpse.

[CORPSE EXPLOSION ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 28]

[CURRENT MANA: 877/1,080]

BOOM.

The explosion tore through the ogre’s lower leg and forced it down to one knee. Black blood poured from the wound and the creature’s breathing became even more labored.

James fired another Necro Blast into its exposed shoulder joint.

[NECRO BLAST ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 10]

[CURRENT MANA: 867/1,080]

The wounded ogre became even more dangerous.

It stopped trying to hit James cleanly and started swinging wildly instead. Its club smashed through trees, tore up the ground, and forced James to keep moving constantly. One swing came so close that James felt the wind from it before he rolled away.

James was bruised and bleeding from a dozen small cuts, but he pushed forward because the longer this fight lasted, the worse things got for Team Zero on the main battlefield.

The ogre swung high and James deflected the strike with his shield angled upward. The force still drove him to one knee, but he rolled under the follow-up swing and came up behind the ogre.

He drove his sword into the creature’s wounded throat, but the ogre grabbed him with one massive hand and squeezed before he could pull back.

James felt his ribs crack while the air left his lungs. His sword was still buried in the ogre’s throat, but he couldn’t pull it free while being crushed.

[HP: 492/620 → 311/620]

James forced one hand free and pressed it against the ogre’s throat wound. He fired Necro Blast directly into the opening at point-blank range.

[NECRO BLAST ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 10]

[CURRENT MANA: 857/1,080]

The necrotic energy spread through the unstable flesh like fire through dry wood. The ogre’s grip weakened and James ripped his sword free with both hands. He slashed across the throat wound with all his remaining strength.

The ogre collapsed forward and James rolled out from under it before it hit the ground.

[CORRUPTED OGRE SLAIN]

[945 EXP GAINED]