Chapter 296 - 271: Going Solo, Bizarre Changes

Chapter 296: Chapter 271: Going Solo, Bizarre Changes

Faced with such an attack, Leona’s pupils contracted sharply. Without a moment’s hesitation, she roared, squeezing out every last drop of her remaining Fighting Spirit and the power of her faith—

"Glory Forever!"

VWOOM!

A massive, brilliant golden shield instantly materialized before her. On the Shield Surface, ancient thorny patterns blazed, its light piercing through the filthy smoke and dust like a small lighthouse lit amidst a storm, attempting to protect the comrades around her.

However—

"CRACK—SIZZLE—!"

The blasphemous light, imbued with the will of the vile creature, was like a red-hot iron poker plunging into thin ice, easily tearing the barrier apart!

Amidst the ear-piercing shattering sound, the bulwark of Holy Light, so solid it seemed tangible, was instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks. It then shattered into a shower of sparkling golden glass, and the remaining Impact slammed viciously into her chest plate!

The Knight was like she’d been struck head-on by a Siege Hammer. Her entire body, along with the rubble beneath her, was violently thrown into the air.

While still in mid-air, despair had already flooded her heart.

She could see that just behind her, several of her comrades, who had been knocked over by the shockwave and hadn’t yet gotten up, were exposed to the sweeping, dark red rays!

The approaching crimson doom was reflected in their eyes. Their pupils contracted in terror, but they didn’t even have time to raise their weapons!

’Is this the end? I’ve failed to live up to His Highness’s trust and led my loyal comrades to their graves...’

The thought flashed through Leona’s chaotic mind like lightning.

However, just as the destructive rays were about to completely devour the Life of everyone here, something unexpected happened!

The shadows beneath the Knights suddenly came to life! The viscous darkness instantly stretched and swelled, "rolling" upward like the maw of a great abyss!

It was silent and traceless, yet so fast it was impossible to follow with the naked eye!

Those dark red rays, powerful enough to melt steel, shot viciously into the suddenly expanding shadows, vanishing without a trace, not even causing the slightest ripple.

And the figures of the Knights who had been targeted by the attack—in the instant the shadows rolled over them—vanished into thin air!

Leona didn’t even have time to be astonished. The next second, an irresistible feeling of weightlessness seized her!

The scene before her eyes was like oil paints thrown into a vortex, spinning, twisting, and stretching madly!

The air compressed into a viscous liquid. A suffocating sensation choked her throat, and dizziness crashed against her consciousness like a tidal wave!

The world spun!

It seemed to last only an instant, yet also an eternity.

When Leona regained consciousness, she found herself in a relatively open clearing. The cold, gunpowder-scented air rushed into her lungs. Around her, she heard the dull thuds of heavy objects hitting the ground and suppressed groans of pain—it was her comrades!

They were tumbling out of several writhing, dissipating shadows in mid-air, landing ungracefully on the ground one after another. The face of each Knight was still etched with the terror of near-death and the dazed confusion of having survived.

But no matter what, they were still alive!

Just then, a familiar voice sounded from behind her.

"Thank you for your assistance, Lord Bagget."

Then, another hoarse, unfamiliar voice replied.

"Your Highness, you are too kind. Your Warriors have fought tirelessly to this point. Protecting them is our duty as well."

Leona looked toward the voices, a flash of delight in her eyes. She couldn’t help but cry out in surprise.

"His Highness Jon!"

On the second floor of a small building, several figures stood as firm and imposing as pillars holding up the sky. And standing slightly ahead of them, the black-haired figure subtly protected by the others—wasn’t that her lord?

Jon heard her cry and turned his head slightly. His ice-blue eyes seemed to hold a hint of relief, but his command was still concise and clear.

"Good work. Now, do a head count and regroup here. This is no longer a battle you can interfere in."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Jon nodded, then looked away from her, his gaze returning to the terrifying scene in the distance—the rock Giant formed from the twisted, living mass of the entire Red Crying Castle. Every heavy footstep it took made the earth shake, and everything in its path was unstoppably destroyed.

A monster like this was completely beyond his knowledge of history.

’Any player who started in Heta County knew that the world boss, Nerva Heta, dropped a lot of good stuff. But who the hell knew his Red Crying Castle could actually stand up?’

’If you’d used this move back when the allied player army was sieging you, what could we have even said? We would’ve just let you win!’

But no matter how much Jon snarked to himself, the situation was right in front of him, and he had to try and solve it. Otherwise, if this monster was allowed to live even a little longer, Heta County City would probably be completely destroyed. By then, even if the allied forces achieved a final victory, it would be a pyrrhic one. The post-war governance and recovery of the people’s livelihood would be a disaster on par with the war itself.

"Teacher, can you find this thing’s weak point?"

Jon asked softly, looking at the Elf Mage beside him.

"A monster of this scale, like a Mechanical Body, can’t possibly have perfect Defense everywhere. If we concentrate our Power and attack its weak point—"

"Normally, that would be true."

Claudio continued Jon’s thought, his long fingers twisting unconsciously inside his sleeves.

But after a moment, he shook his head slightly.

"This monster before us was clearly catalyzed by the Power of a vile creature. It’s impossible to observe its weak points from the outside."

"But the scale of this Energy... without a doubt, the ’core existence’ driving this thing has already touched the verge of elemental manifestation."

"The realm of elemental manifestation..."

Hearing this, Jon couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

’That’s the sign of reaching level 90!’