"Not bad. I underestimated you all," Adrian said. "I came here to reason with you, but you tried to kill me. You've just wasted my kindness.""Kid, since you've put it that way, we'll give you a chance. If you leave now, I promise we won't touch you," Maurice offered, "But if you stay, you will face the consequences!""You've got it wrong. That should be my line," Adrian replied calmly. His aura suddenly intensified, enveloping the group with overwhelming power. "You outsiders have a lot of nerve trying to steal treasures from Aethersphere. You will be punished.""Attack!" Maurice ordered as he leaped forward, transforming into a dark mist and charging at Adrian. He tried to kill Adrian in one move, but Adrian was not an easy target."I didn't want to resort to violence, but you leave me no choice," Adrian said. With a swift motion, he swung his sword at Maurice.Initially, Maurice didn't take Adrian's attack seriously because he thought he was stronger. However, he soon realized
The newcomer carried a long sword, and his demeanor suggested he was not someone to be trifled with."Another helper? Get out of my way!" the man said sternly, unleashing his ultimate move. However, the newcomer seemed to dissolve into thin air like a phantom, effortlessly evading the strike."With your skills, you think you can hit me? Don't make me laugh!" boomed a deep voice. Stunned, the man turned to find a sharp sword aimed at him. His eyes widened in shock as the blade pierced his chest before he could react."How... I-Impossible..." the man murmured in disbelief, his voice trailing off to barely a whisper. He turned to see that his companions had also been defeated one by one.“All done!" the newcomer declared as he sheathed his sword."Just in time, Ash," Adrian said smilingly, "But why did you leave Mapleton? What brought you to Exasword?""Well, everything’s peaceful in Mapleton currently, so there’s no need for me to be there every day. Besides, I wanted to pay you
"Now that you mention it, I've never seen Exasword have this many incidents in a single day. What's going on tonight?" Arnold frowned.Adrian felt something was amiss. "In any case, we need to be extra cautious tonight," he said."Yes, we must be careful." Arnold nodded.They didn't dare to sleep. They stayed in the duty hall, waiting to see what would happen next. However, as time passed, nothing unusual occurred."Adrian, are you sure about your judgment? It seems like nothing is happening," Arnold said."Be patient. Let's wait a bit longer," Adrian replied. He suspected that the surge in missions tonight was intended to weaken the city's defenses, allowing hidden conspirators to infiltrate and launch an attack."By the way, do you know if there's anything particularly valuable in this camp?" Adrian asked."I have no idea." Arnold shook his head. He had just started his training and wasn't too familiar with the garrison's valuables.After hearing Arnold's answer, Adrian decid
Those who had left on missions had now returned, all visibly shocked as they looked at the blood-red mist that dyed the entire sky.“Evacuate the citizens!” Arnold shouted to a nearby group, who immediately sprang into action.As the people were led away, a figure darted toward the source of the Blood Bane Energy. It was the scruffy old hermit who had first detected the blood-red mist."What is happening?!" The old hermit was horrified to find the Blood Bane Energy far more terrifying than he had imagined. Despite having faced countless perils in his lifetime, his voice trembled with fear.As if sensing the presence of the living, the monstrous Blood Bane Energy in the sky roared and condensed into a blood-red beam before firing at the old hermit.Sensing the danger, the old hermit's expression became grim. He clenched his right hand, and a longsword appeared. With lightning speed, he slashed at the incoming beam.The old hermit was powerful, certainly a level nine fighter. His s
When the old hermit managed to regain his footing, he panted heavily, his face as pale as a sheet, and his hands trembled uncontrollably."I’ve reached my limit. If I continue fighting, I’ll surely die. If I flee now, I have a good chance of surviving. But if I flee, the Blood Bane Energy will wreak havoc on Exasword… Maybe even all of Aethersphere! Even though sacrificing my life won't resolve this catastrophe, I can at least buy some time..." he murmured.Although the battle was taking place in the wilderness, the old hermit was confident that Exasword must have noticed the commotion and was probably already sending people to deal with the situation. He just needed to hold off the Blood Bane Energy long enough for them to arrive.With this thought, the old hermit's eyes lit up with determination. He decided to unleash his ultimate technique. This move would greatly enhance his strength for a short period but at the cost of severe physical exhaustion and possibly his life. Given hi
Scarlet beams of light shot straight toward Adrian, aiming to kill him. Seeing this, the old hermit was shocked and urgently shouted, "Young man, dodge! Blood Banes not only have immense destructive power but also can disturb one’s mind. Their cumulative effect is terrifying. If they hit you, your consciousness might collapse!"However, Adrian stood still, seemingly ignoring the priest's warning as the scarlet beams rushed at him. The old hermit, anxious, was about to rush over to help. But as he took a step forward, he froze in shock and disbelief. Adrian, who had been motionless, rolled out of the way just as the beams were about to strike him."Argh!" Adrian shouted. He clenched his right hand into a fist and, without using any special techniques, threw a simple but incredibly powerful punch. This punch unleashed a terrifying power.Previously, the old hermit had struggled to deal with just one scarlet beam. But now, under Adrian's punch, the beams appeared weak. In an instant, t
Although destroying those scarlet beams weakened the Blood Bane Energy, the reduction was negligible compared to the vast sea of Blood Bane Energy above.But Adrian had no time to consider what the old hermit was thinking. Although they had successfully dealt with the scarlet beams, they were merely an attack from the Blood Bane Energy. The true Blood Bane Energy still existed.The battle continued, and ten minutes quickly passed. While ten minutes sounded brief, during this time, Adrian led the garrison in an intense fight against the erupting Blood Bane Energy. The intensity of this battle was at least ten times that of the old hermit's previous fight with the Blood Bane Energy.The area had been devastated by the fierce battle, leaving it in ruins. Fortunately, they were in the remote wilderness. Otherwise, in the city, the destruction would have caused unimaginable losses.The high-intensity combat had severely drained the garrison soldiers, leaving them exhausted. They glanced
In the next moment, Adrian unleashed a punch. An astonishing force erupted from his fist like a volcanic explosion, striking the massive Blood Bane in the sky.Boom!With a deafening crash, Adrian's punch blasted open a corner of the massive Blood Bane, revealing a passage straight into its core. The Blood Bane roiled and seethed violently, releasing an incredibly terrifying aura from within itself. Even those as powerful as the old hermit and Brandon felt a deep sense of dread at that moment. They had a strong feeling that if they entered the core of the Blood Bane, they would be dead within a minute.However, Adrian showed no fear. He stomped the ground, causing it to crack open. He then shot into the sky like a cannonball, plunging into the heart of the massive Blood Bane. Once he entered, the Blood Bane roiled and repaired the breach that Adrian's punch had created.Brandon and Ash watched with worry. However, being seasoned fighters, they knew that worrying was useless. If the