Chapter 269: Chapter 49: A Disturbance in the Orchard Startles the Star-speaker

A translucent shield—slightly crude, yet exceptionally solid and thick, and composed of pure, bright red energy—instantly materialized over its body!

The sudden shield forcefully blocked most of the power from Murphy’s decisive strike, an attack into which he had poured a massive amount of Black Light Mana!

The tip of the sword pierced an inch into the shield before it could go no further. Rampaging thunderbolts and Sword Qi ravaged the shield’s surface, dissipating wildly, yet they were unable to break through!

Moreover, the shield seemed alive. It suddenly collapsed inward at the point of entry, twisting and clamping down, viciously "biting" onto the front half of the Flying Sword!

A torrent of highly corrosive, dark red energy—tenacious as a cancer—surged back along the blade, following the connection to Murphy’s Spiritual Power in a vicious backlash!

Murphy felt his mind reel as if struck by a heavy hammer. His control over the Flying Sword faltered, and a tightness bloomed in his chest.

The Bright Red Scorching Beast let out a shriek of extreme pain and fury. Its body convulsed violently as the shield was forcibly pierced, but its dying, beastly instincts drove it to seize the fleeting opportunity!

Its few remaining, undamaged limbs erupted with a final burst of strength. It lunged recklessly toward Murphy, attempting to land one last, desperate blow in the instant his Flying Sword was trapped and his focus was shattered!

Murphy’s eyes hardened. Forcibly suppressing the discomfort in his Spiritual Power, he barked, "Vibrate!"

VMMMM!

The body of the Flying Sword, still caught in the shield’s "bite," began to tremble violently, its frequency so high it became a blur to the naked eye!

The high-frequency vibrations, amplified by the residual Thunderbolt Power, instantly destabilized the shield’s energy structure!

CRACK!

A faint cracking sound echoed as spiderweb-like fissures spread across the shield’s surface!

The Bright Red Scorching Beast’s lunge faltered.

’Now’s my chance!’

Murphy pushed with all his will. Seizing the moment the shield loosened, the Flying Sword violently wrenched itself free! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

With a SWOOSH, it flew back to hover in front of him. Though the blade’s glow had dimmed, the pinpoint sharpness of its tip seemed even more concentrated, more frigid.

The Bright Red Scorching Beast’s charge came to an abrupt halt. Its instincts screamed, sensing a far more lethal threat from Murphy’s gaze and the hovering Flying Sword than before.

It let out a low growl, a mixture of unease and fury, as it crouched low in a final defensive posture.

Murphy gave it no chance to breathe. The Black Light Mana inside him surged once more.

The Flying Sword let out an ear-splitting shriek, blurring into a fine thread invisible to the naked eye as it shot forward again!

The Bright Red Scorching Beast tried to evade, but its grievous injuries had made it slow.

It only had time to twist its body sideways.

SQUELCH!

This time, no Energy Shield appeared.

The Flying Sword pierced its body unimpeded, burying itself deep inside!

BOOM!

A muffled explosion rumbled from within the monster’s body.

The Bright Red Scorching Beast’s massive body gave a violent shudder, and its movements froze instantly.

The light of rage, savagery, and pain rapidly drained from its dark red compound eyes, replaced by a vacant stillness. It collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust, and breathed its last.

Murphy panted slightly.

He walked over to the monster’s corpse, his gaze falling upon its chest.

There was the wound from his Flying Sword, but the faint markings on the carapace still retained their unique pattern.

He crouched, extending his left hand. Forming his fingers into a blade-like edge, he focused Qi into his fingertips and began to carefully cut along the pattern’s border.

The carapace was exceptionally hard; even with the monster dead, cutting through it took considerable effort.

A few moments later, he had completely removed a heavy, bright red piece of Chest Armor. It was about the size of a washbasin, several centimeters thick, and featured a peculiar concave pattern at its center.

The carapace was heavy in his hand, its surface smooth yet retaining a faint, lingering heat. Traces of dark red tissue fluid still clung to its inner wall.

Murphy held it up.

He turned, casting one last glance toward the distant Rift Valley Slope where he could still faintly discern the commotion of other monsters. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he sped off into the depths of the desolate wilderness.

...

「Meanwhile, deep within the old mine, in a dark grotto.」

The Observer’s two eyes, like points of Dark Gold flame, suddenly flickered and went out.

’Specialized individual. Signal lost. Confirmed terminated.’

’Assessment revised: Target threat level elevated to ’High-Risk.’ Attack parameters contain an anomaly. Possesses capability to penetrate Sub-Lord Level defenses under specific conditions.’

’Failure.’

’Another failure.’

’First, the Executor Wizard was killed instantly, and the special Ancient Spirit Coin was likely lost along with him.’

The Dark Gold flames in the Observer’s eyes reignited, flaring violently for a moment.

After a brief silence, the Observer made a new decision.

It transmitted a new status report into the void.

It waited silently for the Star Speaker’s response.

...

「Blackstone Fortress, Inner Hall.」

Ironspine Duke Hakon Perik still stood silently by the window.

Saint Cyril Cardinal sat quietly on a stone chair not far behind him, his eyes lightly closed. His fingers rested gently on the Golden Scepter laid across his lap.

THUD!

The oak door was pushed open with a steady hand. Valkendu Metropolitan Bishop stepped inside, his deep blue Shepherd’s Robe immaculate. His face was a placid mask, but his icy blue eyes, like frozen pools on a snowy plain, swept silently over the hall.

"Cyril. Your Excellency, the Star Speaker," Valken’s voice was calm and clear. "Pressure on the outer perimeter is constant, but our formation is stable. The Templar Order’s Purification Array is effectively containing the Low-tier creatures’ assault. The main pressure remains concentrated at the primary access channel. Resource consumption is exceeding projections but is still manageable."