Chapter 443
“Devourer’s Ninefold Path, the Power of Dissolution p>
Leander pressed his palm downward, and ripples spread outward like waves on water. A sharp blue radiance flared across his hand, cutting into the space before him like a blade. The light then burst open, unfurling in all directions.
A soft hum vibrated through the air.
Clara felt the world tremble and distort. A moment later came the brittle crack of something breaking. She watched fragments of crystalline light drift downward like shattered glass before dissolving into nothing.
“Let’s move p>
Leander pulled his hand back and strode ahead. The invisible barrier that had blocked their path had vanished completely.
“What kind of technique was that p>
Clara narrowed her eyes, stunned.
She had attacked with everything she had and hadn’t made the slightest dent. Yet Leander had broken a shield spanning who-knew-how-wide in mere seconds. It felt downright otherworldly.
At Knoxs’ Ranch, Seth, Keith, and Kenneth were discussing their deadlock when Labron’s phone rang.
He answered. After only two lines, his expression shifted sharply.
“What? Someone’s forcing their way into Aorinth Peaks p>
He sprang to his feet, eyes flashing.
Just yesterday he had mobilized everyone at Knoxs’ Ranch to seal off the Peaks. The Shadow Division had also pushed through official channels, so the local authorities had locked the area down completely. Under those circumstances, only true martial powerhouses could break in by force.
He hung up. Seth glanced over, composed as ever. “Someone breached Aorinth Peaks p>
Labron nodded. “Yeah. Surveillance shows a young man and a middle-aged woman p>
Seth only lifted his eyes and then looked away, utterly unimpressed.
“Ignore those small-time opportunists. With an anomaly appearing at Aorinth Peaks, we’re far from the only ones interested.
“Plenty of nobodies below the Transcendent Realm want a share. If they’re bold enough to sneak in, let them. They’ll only end up injured for nothing p>
Keith laughed and agreed. “Exactly. The heart of the hills is wrapped by the relic’s own protective field. No one’s getting through until it fades naturally.
“I hit it with my full strength and didn’t even scratch it. Those weaklings? They’ll just humiliate themselves p>
Hearing this, Labron finally understood.
Despite Seth’s group-and the International Combat Units-being full of top-tier Transcendents, none of them had rushed the hills. They had simply set up camp at the ranch. That had confused him before.
Now it made sense. They were waiting for the relic’s shield to disappear on its own. Only then would the real struggle begin.
But just as Seth and the other two finished speaking, all three stiffened, their expressions shifting drastically.
In the same instant, they bolted out of the tent. Startled, Labron hurried after them.
Outside, he realized it wasn’t only them. In front of the largest tent, the International Combat Units elites had already gathered-Khaedor and Halia, the top two ranked fighters, were there as well.
Every eye was fixed on Aorinth Peaks.
Labron followed their gaze. The sight was completely different from half an hour earlier.
Before, the Peaks had shimmered like a distant mirage. Now, vibrant swirls of multicolored energy twisted above the mountains, like a brilliant painting unfurling across the sky.
“The relic’s shield disappeared? That’s impossible p>
Seth muttered in disbelief. Keith and Kenneth looked equally stunned.
e2
They had examined the inner hills and studied the shield themselves. By their estimates, it should have taken at least another week for the fluctuating spiritual energy to wear it down. Yet after only half a day, it had vanished entirely. None of it made sense.
A roar split the air.
A jet of fire shot upward, tearing through the sky with a shrill sonic boom. Chasing close behind, a streak of black shadow swept forward like a trailing blade. Two figures streaked toward Aorinth Peaks.
“Khaedor and Halia p>
Seth and the others reacted instantly. They stomped down, surged upward, and shot after them.
“The relic has opened move p>
The rest reacted immediately.
Beams of light shot into the sky, and
figures streaked, forward, charging
toward the bills like the Eight
Immortals crossing the sea-each displaying their own signature technique.
Labron, a Martial Sovereign listed on the Astria Power Index, watched a flood of
living legends surge past him. He drew in a sharp breath despite himself.
He understood that Edgemontale was about to be turned upside down.
The battle for the relic had begun.
On a high ridge south of the Aorinth Peaks, three figures stood with their hands clasped behind their backs. They watched streaks of light race toward the mountains, yet they remained unmoved-calm as
monks, perfectly composed.
To the left stood a middle-aged man in a maroon robe. He was tall and striking but carried an unhealthy pallor.
To the right stood a languid, alluring woman in an ice-blue dress, her mature beauty layered with frost. Cold air spread from her feet, coating the ground in ice.
Between them stood a man with both hands hidden in his sleeves. His robe was marked with thunder sigils, and arcs of lightning flickered in his eyes. His hair bristled upward like that of a lightning god.
The three stood at the summit, and the air above their heads split under the pressure, carving a visible rift through the clouds.
“Reefus, what do you think p>
The man in the red robe turned toward the figure in the center.
Lightning danced in the central man’s gaze as he smirked, pure contempt in his expression.
“What do I think? They’re nothing but a pack of crazed, brainless dogs.
“That International Combat Units list? A grand title with no real weight. Aside from Halia and Khaedor-who barely deserve a second glance the rest are just a circus troupe.
“Let them fight to the death. When they’re dead or half-dead, we’ll sweep in.
“Relics of heaven and earth belong to the strong, not for narrow-minded fools who can’t see beyond their own well p>
His voice remained cool, and his arrogance cracked through the air like thunder.
Every name on the International Combat Units list was considered a giant among men—individuals powerful enough to make entire nations uneasy. Yet in his eyes, they were not even worth insulting.
Even Khaedor and Halia, ranked first and second, earned only a reluctant acknowledgement. That alone revealed how high his standards were.
The two beside him chuckled, clearly in agreement.
“Give it 15 minutes,” he said. “Then we move p>
A flash of killing intent flickered in his eyes.
“Once we secure the relic, we return and hunt down Jeff. We’ll enforce the Writ of
Judgment.
“He killed the Son of Judgment from the Arbitration Office. This time, he won’t be allowed to walk away alive p>