Rama shot the loudmouth a death glare and hissed a warning that shut them up on the spot."Things are pretty dicey right now, and I get why everyone's wound up." Wren's voice echoed across Medicine Valley. "However, remember, we're all in the same boat. Everyone in Medicine Valley is hanging by a thread. I'm just as scared and antsy as you are, but I'm out here fighting. I need you to keep it together and not stir up trouble behind the lines.""Mister Wesley, no matter what's between you and my son, it's time to gear up for battle."Symere nodded and smiled. "Master, you've given me a second chance at life, a gift I can never repay. I'll fight with everything I've got."Wren's lips tightened. "Alright, no need for that. If we survive this, I'll have my son lift the mark from your mind, setting you free. After that, it's your call to stick around or leave."Symere's eyes locked onto hers, and he nodded with fierce determination.Just then...Boom!A deafening blast rocked the sk
"What?""Is that all she has got? Pathetic! That's her power?" On the grand hall's second floor, the middle-aged woman who had been so boisterous before spat out her words, her face twisted with fear and despair at Wren's swift defeat."We're done for, totally done for!" The elders from the once-proud Medicine Valley were in despair."Ash, please hurry back, come save Aunt Wren!" Yanne's hands twisted her clothing in a vice grip, her body slick with a clammy sweat.Kendra and the rest stood by helplessly, their hands pressed together in prayer, hoping for Wren's safety."Ma'am, I've got your back!"Symere's fists glowed with intense heat as he launched a furious Earth Dragon Punch, the scorching energy instantly vaporizing the dark mass and its prison."Ma'am, now's our chance, get out of here!" Symere yelled."Ha, think you can just walk away? You did not check with me!"Kanan emerged out of nowhere and delivered a crushing strike to Wren's midsection, sending her flying acro
"A word was spoken, and a spell was cast. They've reached the sage's domain! He's truly a Holy Master!"The crowd at the Martial Fairy Alliance gasped in awe.Stepping into the sage's domain through the art of techniques was similar to obtaining Terrestrial Immortal status in martial arts, but it was tougher, rarer, and considerably more powerful.A word was spoken, and a spell was cast—that sentence implied that although most spells required rituals, symbols, or chants to be cast, a sage-level master could do it with a single thought, word, or gesture. The quantity and power of the tactics they could use depended entirely on their personal development and the depth of their spiritual force.For example, Yaxkin could summon a bolt of Thunderous Heaven Shaker, and it did not even put a dent in his spiritual power.Mount Lindsey was famous for its mastery of the Thunder Arts, and the Thunderous Heaven Shaker was among the most formidable. It harnessed the pure energy of the cosmos t
"Three minutes? That old guy could not bust through our defenses in three minutes if he tried. I bet he's running out of tricks. Even without a senior's help, we'd have that in the bag," Ygniel said with a callous laugh.His gaze then shifted to Wren.That woman had played him for a fool the last time, leaving him battered and nearly dead. It cost him a rare healing elixir to bounce back that fast. He would not rest until he settled the score.Once he got his hands on her, he used his special brand of discipline to make her the most compliant, master-serving shadow slave there ever was.Then, Yaxkin launched a third barrage of attacks, one after another.The Divine Master Seal blazed with a dazzling light, unleashing the overwhelming presence of a Mystic Arts Holy Master in all its glory. Thunderstorms raged, unleashing a relentless assault on the entire area, flattening the mountain ridge where the trio stood to nearly nothing.It was beyond belief. Could mere mortals truly reac
A longsword fell from the skies, its fearsome aura dividing the newly created mountain trail in two. Seventy percent of those about to descend were reduced to dust in the aftermath of its descent, demonstrating the sword's peak Terrestrial Immortal power."Who was it? Who had just arrived? That level of destructive power was undoubtedly that of a top-tier expert who could have made it onto the Chart of Legends!"The onlookers hid, hearts pounding with fear.Even Yaxkin, who was fighting the three mighty Terrestrial Immortals, and Symere and Kanan, who had shown themselves in their own conflicts, focused on the source."Those weaklings are like insects, too numerous to exterminate. Conquering this place is one thing, but purging it of vermin will be a chore."If only they'd turn on each other, or better yet, vanish into thin air."A languid and detached voice wafted across from the distance.A youth in a modest robe approached, appearing to walk on air. Behind him trailed a group
Quint Aaronson, the top dog of the Sykes Sect and a sword prodigy among the young blood, had mastered the sword path and risen to the pinnacle of the Earth realm in only 60 years.In his sixty-year career, he had been in more scraps than he could count, taken some hits, but never lost a limb. Then, blindsided and fingerless, the humiliation was unbearable.Quint's face twisted into something ugly as he roared. "Who?!"Before the echo of his voice faded, a terrifying sword slash sped by, freeing him from his arms.Before the pain could register, he noticed a young man in black emerge from nowhere.He crossed a thousand meters in one rapid movement and stood in front of them.Ashton had not yet pulled his sword. Instead, with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a powerful blast of sword energy that severed the limbs of a top-tier Earth Realm warrior."Quint!"The onlookers were too stunned to speak.That was their revered Quint, the mightiest of Sykes Sect's young warriors, poise
Nuben looked like he had seen a ghost. He looked up and noticed that the other person was standing in front of him."You! When did you—""You were not my opponent two months ago, let alone now. My strength has increased drastically."Now, I am something you cannot fathom."Nuben gritted his teeth fiercely, just about to erupt. Suddenly, Ashton put a hand on his shoulder.Nuben discovered that all of his body's energy had frozen in place.He was like a boiling kettle with a plugged spout, unable to expel the dreadful fire inside.Within the following second, all of his energy began to flow back toward Ashton's hand. In roughly two or three seconds, Nuben transformed from a powerful master to an ordinary person without a trace of energy in his body.Nuben opened his mouth blankly. His expression screamed confusion.As Ashton said, he could not fathom the other man. He could not understand Ashton's strength, and he could not comprehend how Ashton did that.Ashton let go of his h
Quint then appeared to transform into an air-filled balloon that exploded.The eldest disciple of Sykes Sect did not accomplish anything other than killing numerous Medicine Valley followers with a single sword attack. Then he died like a mosquito that had been slapped, bursting into a spray of bloody smoke."Quint is dead!"Xerxes and Santiago were in the northernmost direction. They were about to return to the Imperial Court from there, but all they could feel was cold on the backs of their hands and feet. They were far weaker than Quint. Even though they were in the same realm, their strength levels differed, and the same realm spanned decades of cultivation gap."Damn it! The elders didn't tell us that cultivators would be tricky to this extent. We were deceived!""No, the historical records should be accurate. Our forefathers engaged in a war with the cultivators back then. They are strong, yet they should not have been able to overpower us like this. However, even Quint is n
Once the news spread, the world was in an uproar.The ban on nuclear weapons had been lifted?That meant the nuclear weapon's password had been entered, and the weapon could be launched from the ground with a single command.Furthermore, it differed from the time in the Syferian ice plains. Taking into account the international community's influence, Sunoria used a low-tonnage nuclear bomb with minimal lethality, but Aarrowsmith was different. Once they decided to use nuclear weapons, they would disregard all public opinion until they had utterly destroyed their opponents. In that case, the bombed area would be a wasteland where nothing could live for at least a century.Nobody wanted nuclear weapons to detonate on their own territory.Therefore, wherever Ashton was, the country in charge of that territory would be in a panic.Sceponyol and the allied countries quickly convened a military meeting and contacted Aarrowsmith, demanding a halt to the nuclear bombings.However, when
A single person had destroyed an entire fleet."Your actions will start a war!" Leblanc roared furiously."You're an insignificant clown; your words don't matter. Furthermore, so what if I start a war?"Ashton regarded Nimo with interest. Nimo and the others were dressed in combat suits and ready for a final desperate fight."Hand over the core technology of the combat suit and the formula for the Water of Youth, and I will let you live today," Ashton said.He admitted to being greedy for Aarrowsmith's technological advancements—not for their combat effectiveness, but for the scientific application behind those means.If members of Obsidian Gates were equipped with that type of combat suit and the Water of Youth, combined with the martial arts practitioner's own methods, their combat effectiveness would skyrocket. Everyone would become a super warrior fearless of death.However, his words made Nimo laugh wildly."Do you think it's up to you? A filthy Linnish man wants the sixth
Nimo laughed. "We're safe! Everyone, the retreat mission has been completed successfully." Nimo finally felt relaxed.Three other figures then appeared on the ship.Their combat suit was removed, revealing the figures of a woman and two men.The Annihilator Team had only four survivors.The captain of the ship approached the deck."I am Leblanc, the ship's commander, and I have been ordered to come pick you up. Why are there only four of you? What about the others?" Leblanc inquired in a suspicious tone."All of them are dead. That Linnish warrior killed them.""What?"Leblanc was shocked.He knew what power the Annihilator Team wielded, and he was sent to perform that task precisely because of that. He responded as soon as possible and cooperated unconditionally because he knew that any task assigned to the Annihilator Team had to be something he could not ignore.He also understood the Annihilator Team's composition—the frontline combat team, the communications team, the in
The battle continued.Ashton only used a sliver of true thunder's power before annihilating several members hiding in the dark in one fell swoop. Those members were waiting to report the news.The Annihilator Team was not made up entirely of combatants.The sixth-gen combat suit was still in development and had not yet been officially added to the assembly plan, so only frontline combatants wore it.For example, communications, intelligence collection, transmission, and backend members wore standard fifth-gen combat suits.In the face of that devastating thunder, there was no powerful self-healing and recovery ability, nor the ability of the Water of Youth to reshape the body. The other members were destroyed almost in the blink of an eye."Damn, what kind of weapon is that?"The captain roared frantically during the attack."Captain, this is the latest information—he found an artifact that gathers thunder and lightning at the Church of Darkness' headquarters in Edlington. That
"What? Is our warship here?""It has arrived offshore. Our country is our strongest supporter. No one can take action against Aarrowsmith's soldiers!" The man's confidence had skyrocketed.He had been a member of the Annihilator Team for over a decade and had been promoted to captain along the way. He had never encountered such a situation on a mission. A warship from Aarrowsmith's strongest navy had appeared to escort him in defeating their enemy. That undoubtedly helped him gain confidence."Fight as you retreat; buy me time."The captain took the Brain's terminal and refilled a black magnetic rod.At that moment, an indescribable scream ripped through the sky. As soon as it ended, a 50-meter building containing several people collapsed.Ashton was wearing the Obsidian Jade Scales and resisted dozens of gunshots. He grabbed a sniper from the Annihilator Team, swooped down, and smashed the opponent into the ground, grinding them into powder and ripping the combat suit apart. The
"Since the first battle in the Syferian ice plains, no one has ever caused me such a severe injury."Ashton threw a punch with enough force to cause massive explosions, swiping it at 30 times the speed of sound.The man in black armor raised his large shield almost subconsciously.When Ashton's fist made contact with the shield, a silent ripple of space appeared, and ultrasonic waves that normal creatures could not hear spread frantically in all directions like a silent bell signaling the end of the world."Hmm?"Ashton realized that when the two forces came into contact, the shield vibrated at trillions of times per second while the special metal inside formed a ring-shaped magnetic field. That magnetic field disrupted the surrounding energy flow to resolve the power emitted by his punch.It functioned similarly to the previous black magnetic rod, except one was used for attacks and the other for defense."Go!" The man's arms were numb. He held a shield and dragged the woman at
It got close to Ashton in a matter of seconds, and the black magnetic rod exploded at a speed that was almost certainly 20 times the speed of sound. No other weapon in the world could do what it did.Therefore, even Ashton was careless. His carelessness stemmed from his belief that, even if his mana could not stop the destructive power of that magnetic rod, he could at least slow it down for a moment. That moment was sufficient for him to react and take appropriate countermeasures.He did not expect the magnetic rod to ignore his mana and injure him instead.Modern weapons that could ignore mana defenses were certainly interesting."Unexpectedly, we were forced to use Plan B, utilizing the valuable Breaker Black Pillar. That damn Linnish warrior! That cost a billion dollars!" The thin man holding the transmitter removed the black sunglasses from his face and cursed viciously."Don't complain; that's Ashton. He's known as the strongest man in Lindorm. Even if we lose tens of billio
"What have you been up to, Ashton? There's no way it was just about breaking Mister Darek's curse, right? When Mister Johnson saw you, he was terrified and booked us on the first flight out," Kendra said, her voice tinged with disbelief.Ashton simply smiled, unfazed. "Oh, nothing much. I just took a quick stroll around the country and picked up a few favors along the way.""When's the flight Harry booked for us?""Tomorrow morning, six sharp," Kendra said, still incredulous."He can't wait to see the back of us," Ashton said with a laugh, but he got it—it was part of the job.Sceponyol could only begin to pick up the pieces and shuffle the deck after Ashton left. With him around, everything stopped, with unexpected events lurking around every corner."Well then, let's make the most of tonight and head out bright and early tomorrow, back home.""I'm with you. It's not every day we get to go abroad. I'm too wired to sleep anyway. Might as well check out what kind of fun this coun
"That's Mister Ashton Levin!"Harry's confirmation hit Luce like a ton of bricks.He might not have met Ashton before, but he knew the name carried a lot of power. The entire upper echelon of Sceponyol and their allied countries had been on edge, dealing with that Lindorm warrior's actions. Rumor had it he had come from the east, smashing through dozens of mercenary strongholds, clearing out the Bit Sea Strait, surviving a thermobaric onslaught, and marching straight into Brighton, putting the whole city on high alert.Blood Monarch Alexander had entered the fray, but even he could not withstand the onslaught and was cut down by Ashton. That bold move sent shockwaves through Sceponyol's superbeings community, leaving them humiliated and thirsting for revenge. In a show of force, the Five Great Guardians mobilized with one goal—to take down the perpetrator and restore their tarnished reputation on the world stage. After a grueling battle that lasted over an hour, the guardians lay de