Chapter 609: Sneak Attack by the Sword Saint!
"What are you waiting for? Tie them up and take them to the back for the purification ritual!"
The Harley Knight shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes full of worry and unease.
He clutched the faintly glowing golden talisman tightly, forcibly ignoring the voices ringing in his ears as he looked at that increasingly terrifying blood-colored figure and roared:
"Everyone, lower your heads and clean the battlefield. Prepare for the next battle."
Though he said this, the Harley Knight knew very well that the key to this battle was no longer the fight over the city walls.
He didn't know if there would be more fighting to come, or if they would soon face devastating destruction.
But at the very least, he had to stabilize the situation, maintain the soldiers' combat power, and prepare for the worst.
343 furrowed her brows—she had no fleshly body, so no hallucinations.
But she still felt lost and overwhelmed by the situation.
Thanks to the war golems from Bloodmoon City and the battle puppets from Bay Territory, soldier casualties had been minimal.
However, she had no special forces that could pose any threat to the retreating Hive Tyrant.
This meant she had no influence over the underground ruin's dire situation.
That sense of helplessness filled 343 with frustration and anger!
Red light flickered in her eyes, gradually weaving into intricate patterns and symbols.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Matthew pushed aside rubble and corroded steel. Once incredibly durable, it had survived Flaming Sun Explosions.
But time was the greatest enemy of all things.
Most objects couldn't withstand its erosion.
Matthew passed through the corpse-strewn battlefield and stood atop a small hill, gazing intently at the distant glowing Mage Tower.
This tower, later known as the Tower of the Lost, had not yet been destroyed.
It was far larger than standard Mage Towers, built entirely of metal, like a square steel fortress.
Its surface was covered in weathered metallic markings.
It regularly emitted scorching beams that accurately struck the swarm monsters attacking its lower breach.
There weren't many monsters attacking it, but each was massive and had bizarre limbs.
Clearly, the elite units of the swarm had been deployed here.
What drew Matthew's attention wasn't the Eternal Life Church members scattered around—but the huge swarm base behind them.
Though primitive, it was a complete swarm production system.
With this technology, the Eternal Life Church could create a terrifying swarm army anywhere.
From this, Matthew understood the cult's intentions and plans.
And why the swarm and the mutated zombies—two seemingly unrelated species—were working together.
"Raargh...!"
A deafening roar echoed from the hollow in the ruins above.
Matthew looked up. A terrifying blood-red figure slowly emerged.
It stood five meters tall, with reverse-jointed legs and vicious spikes on its knees.
Its thick chitin armor was covered in eerie patterns that writhed with the flickering red light.
Its deformed, muscular limbs stretched outward.
As it climbed out from the cavern—
Matthew's eyes twitched when he saw the weapons in the two massive arms on its back.
A long whip made of white bones!
A gleaming red straight blade!
They radiated a sinister aura, like wailing, grieving spirits.
As that eerie red glow radiated from its body, Matthew felt a surge of threat—his magic shield consumption spiked.
An innate aura!
Body modification!
Matthew recognized what this monster was—it was the vessel of the sealed Blood God Hakkar's consciousness.
Though not as horrifying as the Crimson Moon's vessel, thanks to the Eternal Life Church's "assistance," this body had terrifying power.
It was the Hive Tyrant—one of the peak combatants of the swarm creatures.
Though this Hive Tyrant wasn't yet as enhanced or tuned as the demi-god peak version Matthew had once seen, its stats were still extremely high.
And having been modified by the Blood God's will, its power and combat ability were now at the peak of the Legendary tier.
Matthew calmly adjusted his breathing, checked Thunder Armor's status, and strode out of the tunnel under the cultists' watchful eyes.
Thunder surged around him, crackling loudly.
Like a tangible draconic pressure, it swept outward.
The attacking swarm monsters instinctively paused, turning warily toward him.
The cultists didn't expect Matthew to be so bold and immediately hid.
They hated direct combat and hoped other members or the Hive Tyrant would do the fighting.
As long as they didn't act, there was no risk of injury or death.
The Hive Tyrant glanced around—first at the dim blood-red altar, then at the flickering spells of the distant Mage Tower, and finally focused entirely on Matthew.
Matthew felt pressure but didn't retreat. Instead, he charged toward the Hive Tyrant.
One suit of armor. One incarnation. Bring it on—who's afraid?
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Thunder Armor stomped down heavily, leaving deep prints in the ground.
He moved swiftly, brimming with fighting spirit and aggression.
The still Hive Tyrant, feeling Matthew's overwhelming threat, tightened its grip on its weapons. A twisted grin appeared on its bloody face:
"Heh... a puny human dares challenge..."
"What are you gawking at? Attack already!"
"What an idiot. Just kill him already!"
"Go!"
The bishop at the altar interrupted the Hive Tyrant's speech and ordered it to attack.
The Hive Tyrant suddenly felt its control seized. With a roar, it charged at Matthew.
Rage flashed in its eyes. Humiliation surged. It opened its mouth and roared.
"Hah, Eternal Life Church is finally doing something interesting."
Matthew glanced at the red altar, deciding he would study it thoroughly later.
Seeing the charging Hive Tyrant, Matthew activated Thunder Armor and met its bone blade head-on.
Clang!
Terrifying impact exploded from the clash of blades.
Violent winds howled.
The ground groaned, network-like cracks spreading outward, though it didn't collapse.
Matthew's expert deflection gave him instant insight into the Hive Tyrant's strength stat.
Roughly 32—an excellent value for a Legendary unit.
But to Matthew, that wasn't enough!
Even without Thunder Armor's strength boost, his base 34 Strength and high check roll ensured he won the clash!
"Raaagh...!"
The Hive Tyrant roared and stumbled two steps back.
Its red eyes locked onto the lightning-clad Matthew. The Blood God Hakkar's eyes shone brighter.
"Ding. Hit by high-tier Legendary strength. Defense check passed. Armor undamaged!"
"Ding. Corroded by high-tier Legendary aura. Defense check passed. Protection array intact!"
With the advantage in strength, Matthew's confidence soared. He mentally reinforced himself:
"This thing's nothing. At this state, it's doomed to lose to me."
Normally, Matthew stayed calm in battle to better execute plans.
But this time, it was to bolster his psychic defenses.
Against an enemy like the Blood God Hakkar, mental fortitude was as critical as strength.
Without pause, Matthew stepped forward and slashed at the Hive Tyrant just as it prepared its next strike.
The enraged Blood God Hakkar didn't hesitate. One hand lashed out with the whip, the other brought down the blade.
Faced with the dual strike, Matthew raised a hand.
A blazing fireball smashed into its face!
Boom!
Wincing in pain, the Blood God shut its eyes.
But its strikes didn't falter—it seemed to sense Matthew's location and continued its assault.
With 30 Agility at the Extraordinary limit, Matthew dodged easily and ducked under, slashing its abdomen.
Crack!
The demon blade cleaved through its thick armor with brute force.
Blood gushed forth—but like a living thing, it lunged at Matthew.
As expected.
Matthew sidestepped, and lightning surged through his blade into the creature's side.
Crackle!
Thunder coursed through it. The Blood God froze.
Matthew darted behind and swung again.
The demon fang split it open with a deep wound.
As he pulled back—
A twisted mouth made of blood lunged from the wound.
Matthew calmly raised a hand, gathering magic.
A dark purple magic sword pierced the bloody maw.
Tier 7 Spell—Mordunken's Sword!
Boom!
Blood exploded.
The living sword burrowed into the creature's abdomen, cutting and destroying at Matthew's will.
Slash!
Blood sprayed, flesh flew.
The Blood God howled, grabbing at the sword.
Matthew drove it into its chest.
Though its hand caught the blade and crushed it, the damage to its body was severe.
Enraged, the Blood God attacked with all four arms.
But Matthew's response shocked it.
He didn't run—he dodged to its other flank.
The creature twisted and swung.
Clang!
Sparks lit its twisted face—and Matthew's cool grin.
He could feel it—its strength was rising.
The Blood God was consciously enhancing itself!
Soon, its strength might match—or surpass—Matthew's!
But Matthew wasn't fazed. Using the clash's momentum, he slashed the recently healed wound again!
Boom!
Blood burst, and another Mordunken's Sword went in!
Their fight was intense and fast-paced.
Every clash and roar shook the battlefield.
The cultists were stunned—their trump card, Blood God Hakkar, wasn't winning. In fact, it was losing!
Desperate, they committed more troops to assault the Mage Tower, trying to breach it quickly.
Seeing Matthew arrive, Lady Annie felt a rush of emotion and relief.
Now she could shift some resources to defense, conserving strength and reinforcing their position.
The battle continued for about two minutes.
Despite its regenerative ability, the Hive Tyrant was covered in wounds from Matthew's relentless strikes.