Chapter 279: Chapter 54: Legend! Legend! (Part 2)

Murphy was a streak of deep blue lightning against the dark red sky, racing across the rugged mountain ridges.

Following the lay of the land, his path converged with that of Knight Commander Raymond’s small squad of Temple Knights, who were struggling to advance.

From a distance, he saw the small, six-Knight triangular formation besieged by more than ten large Scorching Beasts and a single Earth Rock Worm.

The holy radiance around them wavered under the monsters’ frenzied assault, the formation on the verge of collapse.

An Earth Rock Worm spat a scorching torrent that struck one Knight’s shield, melting half of it away. He screamed and fell back, instantly creating a gap in the formation. More monsters howled and surged through the opening.

He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even slow down.

Murphy charged straight into the chaotic fray.

Just as a Scorching Beast’s claws were about to tear into the neck of the shieldless Knight, a deep blue figure sliced into the fray!

SHIING!

The ancient, dark gold longsword was unsheathed, held firmly in Murphy’s grasp.

Dark purple lightning erupted along the blade, crackling audibly. The sharp, wild scent of ozone filled the air. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

With a flick of his wrist, the blade, wreathed in condensed, purple-black thunder, lashed out like a whip. It carved a sharp arc through the air, striking the joint of the Scorching Beast’s raised claw.

SZZZZRKT!

The ear-piercing sound of tearing flesh exploded in unison with a crack of thunder!

Under the dual impact of the thunder-charged blade and the violent Thunder Power, the beast’s hard carapace shattered and blackened like fragile pottery!

The Scorching Beast let out an agonized shriek, its entire forelimb dropping limply to its side.

Murphy’s movements never faltered. Like a phantom melting into the wind, he dodged a spray of acid from the side and executed a backhanded horizontal slash.

The dark gold blade, trailing purple lightning, moved like a thread slicing through space. It swept across the most vulnerable point of another pouncing Scorching Beast—the joint connecting its compound eyes and mandibles.

SPLURT!

A spray of dark red, vile blood and scorched tissue erupted!

The Scorching Beast’s screech was cut off abruptly as its massive body crashed to the ground.

He then took a step forward, facing an Earth Rock Worm that had opened its massive maw to spew a toxic, crystal-flecked mist. Incredibly, he didn’t dodge.

Holding his longsword vertically before him, tip pointed down, he plunged it fiercely into the ground in front of the Earth Rock Worm!

VMMMM!

From the point where the blade entered the earth, countless purple-black Thunder Serpents, each as thick as a child’s arm, erupted and coiled around the Earth Rock Worm’s massive body as if they were alive.

The Earth Rock Worm let out a deafening, agonized roar. Its massive body thrashed and convulsed amidst the lightning as large swaths of its carapace cracked off and burned to ash. Then, it fell still, dead.

The entire exchange had taken no more than a few breaths.

By the time Knight Commander Raymond and the other Temple Knights snapped out of their shock at the sudden aid, nearly half of the monsters besieging them were dead or dying. The pressure on them had eased immensely.

"It’s... His Excellency, the Governor of Melfield!" one of the Temple Knights cried out, his face a mask of disbelief.

Knight Commander Raymond parried a Scorching Beast that had hesitated at the death of its kin. His gaze was fixed on the longsword coursing with dark purple lightning, and on the calm, impassive face of the man who wielded it.

He could clearly feel the aura of violence and destruction radiating from the blade—an energy that far surpassed ordinary Life Energy. This was a level of power that no Great Knight could possibly command!

What shocked him even more was the man’s effortless combat style; he dispatched these formidable monsters as if he were merely brushing away dust.

"Your Excellency, you..." Raymond began, his voice hoarse with shock.

But Murphy didn’t look at him, nor did he seem inclined to offer any pleasantries or explanations.

With a flick of his wrist, he shook the vile blood and scorch marks from his blade. The dark purple lightning slowly receded into the steel, leaving only faint, crackling arcs behind.

"Take care." He uttered the two words in Raymond’s direction, his tone flat.

Then, his form blurred into an afterimage once more. He sped past the makeshift battlefield without pause, continuing his race toward Blackstone Fortress at a speed even faster than before. In the blink of an eye, he vanished behind the rocks, leaving behind nothing but the faint scent of ozone and a battlefield littered with monster corpses.

The Temple Knights stared blankly in the direction he had vanished, then glanced at the thunder-torn, charred monster carcasses on the ground. For a moment, they were all speechless.

"Knight Commander... was that... a Legend?" his second-in-command, Calvin, muttered, clutching his injured arm.

Knight Commander Raymond slowly exhaled, suppressing the storm of shock in his heart. In a low voice, he said, "A Legend, yes. We will remember the aid he gave us. Keep moving! The fortress is waiting! Even with a Legendary Knight helping, our success isn’t guaranteed!"

He straightened his spine, and despite the searing pain from his wounds, he raised his longsword once more. "Templar Order, re-form! Advance on the fortress!"

The five Knights roared their assent. Mustering their flagging spirits, they once again charged the remaining monsters.

...

The closer he got to Blackstone Fortress, the thicker the air became with the pungent stench of sulfur, blood, burning flesh, and rust. The vibrations under his feet grew clearer as well.

The density of monsters along his path grew steadily. They seemed to be drawn by the fierce battle at the fortress, converging on that Purgatory from all directions like sharks drawn to blood.

Amidst the hordes of monsters, Murphy’s deep blue form became a whirlwind of death.

His strikes were concise, efficient, and lethal.

A thrust, a slash, a sweep—each strike landed with precision, targeting the monsters’ weak points.

The purple-black Thunder Serpents that periodically erupted from his blade easily shattered the monsters’ defenses with their furious, Piercing power.