‘I’ll just have to wait and see…’ Feng Jialun considered himself fiercely ambitious, with aspirations of building an unparalleled legacy.

Compared to a high school student full of childish fantasies, his plans for his own future were undoubtedly far clearer.

One thing was abundantly clear.

He had to wait for the opportune moment.

Throughout this chaotic apocalypse, the first petty warlords to rise up were all unceremoniously crushed. They were reduced to cannon fodder, paving the way for those who came after.

The Safety Committee’s organizational resilience was beyond anything he could have imagined, completely changing his perspective. Order was nearly re-established, and the people’s confidence had been restored during the great war. For any would-be usurper to try and seize power now would be pure fantasy.

“However, a power vacuum is about to open up in Oran City. If they don’t want it, I suppose I’ll reluctantly squeeze my way in.” Feng Jialun smiled. ‘At least this will let me scratch that colonialist itch.’

The main obstacle to ending this war was, without a doubt, the Barrier around the Rune Core.

It wasn’t just about the Magic Guide Hub Crystal Pillar.

A level-five crystal had unlocked the ability to create an absolute barrier. Its effect was similar to a beginner’s protection buff, erecting a domed shield over the Rune Core that was, in the truest sense, unbreakable.

However…

It had a time limit. The barrier would only last for two hours, and the resources it consumed were substantial.

The Olan People in power were merely putting up a final, desperate struggle.

Furthermore,

the Soul Artifacts were not to be underestimated.

…

“We’ve confirmed that only three Soul Artifacts have been destroyed. The Lorentz Conglomerate must still have three more in their possession.” Captain Zhang’s gaze was sharp as he surveyed the several plumes of dark energy rising from Oran City through his tactical binoculars.

He was trying to assess the main strength of the enemy’s final resistance.

According to intel from the Sect, one of them was a vessel-type artifact the enemy called the “Blood-Gathering Vessel.” It looked like an ancient Bronze Square Tripod, and its main function was flesh-and-blood alchemy.

By tossing corpses or living people into it, the bronze vessel could refine them into highly concentrated Blood Evil Shards. The Demon Warlocks could then directly consume this gory essence to continuously increase their individual power.

The other two remaining artifacts had already displayed terrifying lethality when they were revealed earlier.

One of them appeared as a thick sheet of yellowed, scorched parchment, covered in tadpole-shaped runes written in blood.

Its function was to automatically transform any corpse into a zombie-like being.

This was far more powerful than what even a Four-Star Necromancer High Priest could manifest. At the very least, the creations weren’t mere Low-tier Ghouls; to some extent, they even retained the talents and traits they possessed in life.

It could also be used to cast even more outrageous spells, like the Corpse Explosion Skill and plague-spreading abilities.

The final Soul Artifact was the Human Skin Drum. Once it was beaten, it would forcibly synchronize with the heartbeats of everyone in the vicinity.

The faster a Demon Warlock beat the drum, the more violently a person’s heart would pound, until their blood vessels burst. Conversely, if the drumming stopped abruptly, their heart would stop too.

“That Human Skin Drum cost us quite a few people,” Captain Zhang said, his voice laced with caution.

The strange sound waves it released also specifically targeted one’s Sea of Consciousness, forcefully interrupting a caster’s rhythm. It was the bane of all magic users.

No matter how many people we sent, we couldn’t get the upper hand.

The responsibility, and all our hopes, now rested on the elite team of experts led by Su Chen.

‘As for the so-called “big three”…’ In his opinion, that was just talk.

It wasn’t that Captain Zhang looked down on the Investigation Legion’s top ace or the Rock Phase Ruler. After all, both of them could easily demolish skyscrapers.

But Su Chen had played a part in the destruction of all three Soul Artifacts that were taken out.

In fact, he had single-handedly destroyed one of them during the initial strike mission.

「One hour later.」

The absolute protection barrier over Oran City’s Rune Core was about to expire.

In the mountain camp outside the city,

an elite team of fifty once again stormed into Oran.

“Brother Chen, good to be working with you again.” Xiaohu gave a shy smile. The man was once again carrying an oversized Rune Bomb in his personal Soul Pocket.

As a Five-Star Purgatory Adjudicator of the Fire Element, he was exceptionally strong and considered one of the best in the Ghost Assault Team.

Unlike the elusive Ghost Agents, he was a frontal assault specialist, the type to go head-to-head with the enemy.

“Be careful,” Su Chen said with a nod.

“Of course! With you here, Brother Chen, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Even while on the move, Xiaohu had enough breath to spare for conversation. He didn’t forget to turn to the woman beside Su Chen and say earnestly, “Hello, sister-in-law.”

Yan Ruoruo remained silent, maintaining her cold and aloof persona. She didn’t respond to the improper form of address.

‘That guy is surprisingly popular,’ Shang Xu observed. ‘He gets along well with the Ghost Assault Team, and even the Sharp Fang Team is willing to be friendly with him.’

It was inevitable for there to be competition between the legions, especially between the two at the very top.

Based on the initial data, the Investigation Legion—which advocated for deep exploration into the forests and was responsible for braving the dangers of the wilds to gather intelligence—was undoubtedly superior on paper.

But the situation had changed ever since the other side concentrated its resources to form the Ghost Assault Team. Looking at the top of the contribution leaderboards, at least, the proportion of Ghost Agents was ridiculously high, and they had already turned the tables on the Investigation Legion.

Clearly,

concentrating resources on a single individual to create a super-powered expert was a remarkably effective strategy.

The Investigation Legion had decided to follow suit.

Shang Xu himself had started receiving quite a few benefits since yesterday. He was even assigned a dedicated support agent to act as his escort.

‘Of course…’

‘…in my opinion, they’re also here to keep an eye on me.’

“Don’t wander off from the team,” the older man reminded him flatly.

This ridiculously young high school senior needed a bit of a warning.

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning anything.”

Shang Xu retorted with a sigh.

He couldn’t help but envy Little Zeus, who looked even younger than him but was free and unrestrained.

Still, he inwardly despised the guy. That baby-faced kid was always trailing eagerly behind the “Element Ruler” like a little crony, without a shred of a true expert’s pride.

Before long, their group had quietly moved into position.

Fifty elites, cloaked in full-body stealth camouflage, lurked like ghosts atop two 200-meter-high skyscrapers on the adjacent Financial Street.

The night wind swept past the empty glass curtain walls, yet it didn’t stir the slightest rustle of clothing.

Looking down from above, Oran City’s Rune Core radiated with iridescent Rune fluctuations. Beyond the fifteen towering Rune structures within the core, there were numerous Five-Star residential units, and the periphery was densely packed with over a hundred defensive towers.

They stood like the Athenian Guard, protecting this critical location.

Perhaps it was the deterrent effect of the recent corpse tide explosion, or perhaps the lingering, deadly plague miasma was to blame, but the streets surrounding the core district were mostly deserted.

“Should be about three minutes.”

Captain Zhang reminded them, checking the time on his watch.

When the absolute protection barrier expired, Xiaohu would drop an oversized Rune Bomb to shatter the secondary Barrier protecting the area.

The new Blast Bombs from the Rune Store were made from an explosive extract. Due to the daily purchase limit, and assuming no one else bought any, the logistics and quartermaster department could just barely produce three of them per day.

According to the official designation they’d been given, these things were also called “Annihilation Realm Bombs.”

The cities in the rear had to keep a stock of this highly destructive weapon on hand in case of emergencies.

In terms of yield, it naturally couldn’t compare to a nuclear bomb, but its instantaneous destructive power was astonishing. It could penetrate anything and was especially effective against barrier-type defenses. It was, for all intents and purposes, their current equivalent of a nuclear warhead.

But just then,

“We’ve got company.”

Su Chen’s eyes narrowed as he gave the warning.

At this final, decisive moment, the enemy had not chosen to simply wait for death.

WHOOSH!

Accompanied by a series of air-rending shrieks, several streaks of crimson-gold Celestial Fire suddenly plummeted from the clouds.

Apparently, the enemy’s Seer had discovered their ambush position.

But before the Celestial Fire could land, the air suddenly rippled. One after another, mirrors made of water silently unfolded, deflecting and refracting the flames. They even cleverly accelerated the redirected attacks toward the Rune Core on the ground below.

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