Chapter 282 - 264: Seduce and Divide? Who’s the Hunter and Who’s the Hunted
Chapter 282: Chapter 264: Seduce and Divide? Who’s the Hunter and Who’s the Hunted
Faced with such a scene, the Knights following Jon were utterly stunned.
They had been handpicked from the Defender Army and the Radiant Knights for the crucial mission of saving the people of Heta County. Every single one of them possessed the strength of a Knight Level warrior!
And it was for that very reason they had a much deeper appreciation for the strike he had just delivered!
That unstoppable Power, that might which stirred the very leylines of the earth, had far surpassed their understanding of what a "Knight" could do. It was a feat perhaps only attainable by the legendary "Great Knights"!
Had any of them faced that Thorn Barrier and the formidable steel defensive line, they could only have paved a path with their own blood. A victory so swift and devastating would have been utterly impossible!
’Could it be... His Highness has already touched that realm?’
This thought inevitably rose in every one of their minds.
However, the figure cloaked in Golden Rock Crystal gave no sign of acknowledging their thoughts. Before the dust had even settled, Broken Abyss, sheathed in heavy rock spikes, was already pointed like a standard toward the end of the ruined street.
His command was as brief and hard as iron.
"Continue forward!"
"ROAR—!"
No more words were needed. Ignited by the miracle and the display of Power, their fanatical battle lust roared to life once more. Steel hooves prepared to crush the ruins.
But at that very moment—
"WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH—!"
Several rays of sickly green, dark purple, and filthy light tore through the smoke without warning. Like the flicking tongues of vipers, carrying a nauseating stench of sulfur and decay, they shot out from the shadows of several teetering high-rises in the distance!
Their target: the brilliant gold figure at the very head of the column!
Hidden behind his crystalline rock faceplate, Jon’s brow furrowed sharply.
The very instant the rays hissed through the air, he had already raised his left arm with lightning speed!
The Integration Seal flared to life once more, perfectly blending the Sixfold Power!
"PFFT! SSSS!"
The bizarre rays slammed viciously into the Light Wall, like venom poured into a deep spring, creating a cacophony of corrosive hissing and ripples of foul Energy!
But the assault was far from over!
Overhead, the leaden smoke was violently torn asunder!
Several huge, viscous, dark green globs of venom, reeking of potent acid, plummeted from the sky, precisely targeting the middle of the assault team’s formation!
Faced with this sacrilegious rain falling from above, the Knights following Jon were filled with shock and fury, yet not a single one panicked.
Though the Defender Army and the Radiant Knights served the Sun Church and the Apollonia Duchy respectively, the source of their faith was one and the same: Po Ao, who illuminates all creation!
Coupled with their recent life-or-death battles fighting side-by-side, the initial awkwardness between the two groups had long since vanished, replaced by an almost instinctive synergy.
"Fire of justice, burn away our vile foes!"
Leona was the first to raise her longsword, which burned with the Saint Flame. The Radiant Knights and soldiers of the Defender Army behind her roared in unison, their voices converging into a torrent of faith and fury that thundered through the narrow street. Thirty blades pointed as one toward the heavens!
"Fire of justice, burn away our vile foes!"
VMMMM—!
Blazing white flames erupted from every upraised weapon!
They were no longer scattered individuals. Like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, their powers instantly merged and converged!
A pillar of pure, searing Holy Light erupted skyward, carrying with it an aura that could cleanse all filth!
This flame, imbued with the glorious majesty of the Sun and the believers’ righteous fury toward this desecration, met the filthy, dark green globs of venom head-on!
"TSSSSSS—!!!"
Like boiling water poured on snow, the sacred flame licked at the globs of venom, violently consuming them!
The filthy green liquid roiled and boiled violently within the pure, platinum flames before being rapidly vaporized and broken down.
Most of the venom was annihilated, but a small remnant exploded into the air, spreading a pungent, acrid odor mixed with a strange smell like rotting seaweed!
Though protected by the Holy Light and thus not directly harmed, the terrible stench still made all the Knights feel a powerful wave of nausea.
"BLECH... Damned Evil Magic!"
A member of the Defender Army cursed under his breath, rubbing at the seams of his faceplate with his Arm Armor as if trying to wipe away the invisible filth.
The moment the foul stench filled the air, Jon’s gaze became like two cold probes, locking onto the source of the venomous projectiles—the very same direction the strange rays had come from, deep within the shadows of those teetering, stained high-rises!
He keenly sensed something was wrong. Deep within the shadows of those buildings, mixed with the residual, nauseating Energy of the Evil Magic, was a familiar presence—cold, viscous, and focused with the weight of countless malicious gazes!
It was the same lizard-like fiend he had encountered before, the one with a hundred eyes on its back!
Just as he suspected, it hadn’t fled. It had been lurking nearby the whole time, like a cold, sinister viper waiting for the chance to strike a fatal blow!
’Another ranged ambush... combined with a venomous barrage... Is it trying to create chaos and split our formation? Or is it some kind of lure?’
After a moment’s thought, Jon made his decision.
"Leona! Hold the formation and advance with caution! Watch for ambushes from the fiend! Dolores, be ready to give a warning at any moment—"
he roared.
"I’ll handle that monster!"
Before the words had even left his lips, he spurred his mount into another sudden Acceleration!
His Mechanical Warhorse whirred as its body, sheathed in heavy Golden Rock Crystal, picked up speed again. Like a golden arrow loosed from a bow, he veered from the planned route and charged straight into the wall of a low stone house to the side!
CRASH!
Stone and brick scattered like paper!
Jon and his warhorse savagely smashed a path through the buildings, charging straight for the ominous shadows of the high-rise!
The golden figure cut a dazzling, violent arc through the dim, ruined alleys. Walls collapsed and dust billowed in his wake!
He would drag this insidious ambusher out with his own two hands and crush it to dust in this desecrated land!
"Your Highness!"
Leona cried out in alarm, but she couldn’t bring herself to say another word.
She had followed Jon through smoke and fire, through one ambush after another, and had personally witnessed the cold, lurking malice of that bizarre, hundred-eyed lizard-fiend.
The enemy’s linked stratagem of a ranged attack followed by a venomous barrage had a clear goal—to lure Jon into a prepared trap!
But she also knew that with the Power Jon had just displayed, the rest of them would only slow him down. It was better for him to act alone and create an opening for the main force.
So, despite her overwhelming worry, she suppressed her emotions, turned, and shouted.
"By order of Lord Jon, we continue the advance!"
The Knights roared their assent, their cries rolling like muffled thunder through the ruins. In the shadows, Dolores began to move in Stealth, keeping a vigilant watch over the main group for any suspicious activity.
Farther away, in a deserted mansion, a phantom wind stirred the hem of a deep purple velvet dress.
Carina—or rather, the being wearing her skin—lounged on a soft sofa, watching Jon’s fearless pursuit of the fiend through a crystal ball.
Her slender fingertips tapped lightly on the crystal ball, tracing the brilliant gold figure as a sinister smile played on her lips.
"Hehehe... What a bold little child... To think you actually dared to come..."
"What is it that gives you such confidence? Well, let’s just see, shall we...?"