She was worried about the unknown dangers and heartbroken for the fate of the civilians in Ximu Town. But there was another feeling... a complex sensation she couldn’t quite grasp, watching the man before her once again plunge headfirst into peril without a moment’s hesitation.

Her mind flashed back to Silent Pass, to the blade of light that had descended from the heavens and shattered their despair. She recalled his simple gesture outside the refugee camp, handing out Gold Coins as he crushed the gravel underfoot. Most of all, she remembered his words in this very courtyard just hours ago—words that had stripped away all pretense to reveal the brutal truth.

The thoughts compelled her to blurt out, "Please... please be careful, Sir." The moment the words left her lips, she felt they were far too hollow. She added in a low whisper, more to herself than to him, "Oriane above... May the sacred light protect your path, cleanse all that is foul, and grant you... a safe return."

Her voice was so soft it was nearly lost to the night wind, yet the sincerity of her prayer carried through with perfect clarity.

She lowered her gaze slightly, her right hand forming a prayer sign over her chest: a crescent moon cradling a star.

Murphy, poised to leap away, paused for an imperceptible moment.

He turned his head, his gaze like a deep pool falling upon Elizabeth. His eyes lingered for a fleeting instant on her profile as she prayed, her head bowed.

He offered no response to her prayer, nor any promise.

He simply gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

Then, without further delay, he tapped his toes lightly on the damp cobblestones of the courtyard.

The next moment, his dark blue figure shot into the air. He wasn’t heading for the main gate of the fortress. Instead, like a falcon slicing through the night, he landed precisely on a crenel of the inner bulwark’s parapet.

With another flicker, he vanished completely, swallowed by the deeper, boundless darkness and the rugged mountain shadows beyond the fortress. He moved so fast he left nothing but a faint afterimage seared onto the retina.

Elizabeth stood alone under the portico, gazing in the direction Murphy had vanished as the night wind stirred her long hair.

In the courtyard, the spring continued its tireless, gurgling song.

She slowly lowered her praying hand, her fingertips feeling slightly chilled.

She didn’t know if Oriane could hear her prayer.

All she knew was that on this cold and cruel battlefield, some forms of protection did not come from the gods.

...

Under the cover of the mountains and the night, Murphy’s figure streaked toward the southwest, his speed far surpassing that of a galloping horse.

He didn’t rely solely on the map provided by Captain Blake. His powerful Spiritual Power and keen perception of Energy Fluctuations, combined with his observation of the terrain, were enough for him to plot the optimal route.

Rugged mountain paths, dense forests, and sheer rock faces were like level ground beneath his feet.

The Qi within him circulated at a steady pace, providing a ceaseless supply of stamina and explosive power. It allowed him to maintain an efficient and sustained sprint.

The night wind howled past his ears, carrying an increasingly distinct scent from the distance—a mixture of sulfur and something burning. And with it... faintly audible from far away, inhuman shrieks.

The sounds were coming from the direction of Ximu Town.

The Iron Ridge Mountain Range was a natural barrier. For a conventional army with a large supply train, its majestic, treacherous peaks and deep canyons were indeed an impassable obstacle. That was why a critical chokepoint like Blackstone Fortress could serve as a bastion where a small force could hold off a much larger one.

But the creatures of the Otherworld, especially the monsters from the Deep Red Wilderness, were completely different from the conventional lifeforms of the Main World. Their physiology, their methods of locomotion, and even their tolerance for harsh environments were all radically different.

Earth Rock Worms could burrow through the ground, ignoring many surface obstacles. The limb structure of Scorching Beasts made them adept at rapidly climbing and moving across steep cliffs and complex terrain. Some mutated variants might even possess the ability to glide for short distances.

The sprawling mountain range could stop large human armies and their clumsy siege engines, but it could hardly prevent these Otherworld creatures—with their varied forms, bizarre abilities, and lack of reliance on traditional supply lines—from infiltrating or bypassing it in scattered groups.

A traditional military installation like Blackstone Fortress was designed with a defensive focus on enemies attacking conventionally from a fixed direction.

It could effectively seal the main passes and valleys, acting like a dam to hold back the "flood" of monsters. However, when it came to the "trickles" that bypassed the dam—seeping in over the ridgelines, through the deep forests, or from underground—the fortress inevitably struggled to cope.

This was especially true when the main defensive line was under immense pressure, with the garrison’s attention and mobile forces pinned down. It was entirely possible for these "trickles" to infiltrate the relatively weak flanks and rear to attack scattered villages, outposts, and supply points.

It wasn’t that the fortress was useless, but that the very nature of warfare had changed.

’Against an enemy that possesses Extraordinary traits and can infiltrate through multiple paths, a simple linear defense and guarding key chokepoints is no longer enough. It requires a more flexible response, intelligence with greater depth for early warnings, and... high-end mobile assets like myself, capable of rapid deployment and precision strikes to eliminate threats.’

Even as these thoughts raced through his mind, Murphy’s speed didn’t slacken in the slightest.

In the distance, the firelight and chaotic noise from the direction of Ximu Town grew clearer, and the stench of sulfur in the air became sharp and acrid.

His eyes narrowed. The flow of Qi within him silently quickened, and his right hand came to rest on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The Dark Gold Flying Sword emitted a silent hum, as if it, too, yearned for battle.