Chapter 602 - 520: Ants Under the Spiritual Energy Tide

Chapter 602: Chapter 520: Ants Under the Spiritual Energy Tide

However, they had to cross several dozen feet from their defensive positions among the outer colonnades and shadows to reach the central display platform. They had only just now entered attack range.

Eight figures, clad head-to-toe in the same matte black heavy armor as before, erupted from different directions. Like steel thorns sprouting from the ground, they lunged at the five Heartstealers.

Their movements were swift and silent, their coordination flawless. The long-handled War Axes and Heavy Swords in their hands whistled through the air, glowing with the light of activated Demon-Breaking Runes as they swung toward the Heartstealers’ seemingly soft necks and joints.

The glimmer of various Magic Elements further proved how well-equipped the Guard Team was.

However, the battle was overwhelmingly one-sided from the moment it began.

Facing the ferocious assault, the four staff-wielding, High Tier Heartstealers didn’t even take a step.

The four thick tentacles on their heads merely lifted slightly, pointing toward the charging Guards.

"HUMMM!"

A Spiritual Roar, more focused and penetrating than the previous area-of-effect blast, shot out like invisible steel needles, precisely targeting the eight Guards.

The various protective wards on the Guards’ armor were clearly enchanted with a considerable degree of Spiritual Resistance.

But under such a close-range, high-intensity, targeted Spiritual Energy assault, the surfaces of their wards flickered violently before dimming completely.

The eight charging Guards froze instantly, as if their heads had been struck by an invisible sledgehammer. Their heavy bodies staggered, and their offensive crumbled.

Two of them dropped their weapons, clutching their helmets with both hands and letting out muffled, agonized groans. Blood seeped from the seams of their faceplates.

As for the lead Heartstealer, wreathed in dark gold Spiritual Energy, its actions were even more concise and deadly.

It simply made a grasping motion in the air with its strangely gloved right hand, targeting the Guard Captain at the forefront who, despite barely clinging to consciousness, was still swinging his axe.

"CRACK..."

A sickening crunch of breaking bone echoed through the hall.

The Guard Captain’s full heavy armor crumpled inward and twisted, as if seized by an invisible giant hand.

His entire body was lifted into the air like a broken doll, limbs bent at unnatural angles.

He was then casually flung aside, smashing into two empty chairs with a heavy thud before falling silent and still.

Before the remaining Guards could fully recover from the stunning effect of the Spiritual Roar, the Heartstealers’ second wave of attacks descended.

The murky crystals atop the four staff-wielding Heartstealers’ short staves suddenly glowed with a dangerous, violet-black light.

No Spell, no projectile.

Several twisting beams of Shadow Energy, seemingly alive, shot forth.

As if automatically seeking out vital weaknesses, they precisely bypassed the Guards’ tattered defenses and burrowed into their necks, joints, and the gaps in their faceplates.

The Guards who were struck didn’t even scream; their bodies simply began to convulse violently.

Behind their faceplates, their eyes were swiftly consumed by that same violet-black hue, and their movements became stiff and bizarre.

The next moment, they slowly turned and raised their weapons against their comrades who had not yet been controlled, launching silent, deadly attacks.

In the space of a few short breaths, all eight elite Guards were either dead or under control, completely neutralized.

Throughout the entire process, the five Heartstealers had not moved from their spots. With a mere lift of their tentacles and a wave of their hands, they had completed a cold, efficient massacre and conversion.

A dead silence fell over the Dark Moon Hall.

The only sounds were the scraping of heavy armor as the dominated Guards turned on their former allies, and the low, persistent hum of the lead Heartstealer’s dark gold Spiritual Energy, a heavy drumbeat against the hearts of every survivor.

Meanwhile, the grey figure that had been on the high platform had vanished at some point.

Roland had taken in the entire exchange, his gilt-gold pupils contracting sharply.

’Their Spiritual Energy is far stronger than the ones we encountered in the Wailing Gorge. The targeted assault is more focused and takes effect faster. Their domination Magic ignores all kinds of defenses, and the speed and precision of their Casting are worlds apart...’

Having made his decision, Roland spun around without a moment’s hesitation.

His left hand shot out like a bolt of lightning.

It wasn’t an attack, but a heavy, precise slap that cracked across the face of Ogre, who stood frozen beside him. The Half-beastman’s eyes had rolled back into his head, and he was only standing through sheer instinct.

"SMACK!"

Ogre’s massive body swayed. His light brown eyes trembled, but his pupils remained unfocused as drool trickled uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.

Clearly, the earlier area-of-effect Spiritual Roar had overwhelmed the Half-beastman’s savage will far more than anticipated. He wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.

Roland didn’t so much as frown.

He simply bent down, clamped one hand around Ogre’s thick leather belt like an iron pincer, and with a heave of his shoulders, hoisted the tower of a Half-beastman onto his shoulder.

The motion was as fluid as if he were just lifting a sack of grain.

"Are you okay?"

He turned to Ellis on his other side, his voice steady, betraying no hint of panic.

The young Mage’s face was ashen, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

One of his hands was clamped to his temple, knuckles white. His gray-blue eyes still showed the pain and dizziness from fighting off the Spiritual Energy assault.

But he was biting his lower lip hard. Hearing the question, he shook his head forcefully, trying to dispel the ringing in his ears, and answered in a raw but clear voice.

"I can... I can hold on. My spiritual barrier... barely blocked the main impact."

"Keep up."

Roland’s words were curt. His gaze had already shifted to the exit, now congested and chaotic as other attendees scrambled to escape in a panic.