HUMMM!

The clear cry of a sword hummed, sharp enough to shatter stone and pierce the clouds.

The sound didn’t come from any Knight on the battlefield. It descended from high above the pass, carrying a strange, piercing quality that instantly overwhelmed the roars of the monsters, the screams of the wounded, and the clash of steel.

Everyone in the pass, including the savage creatures from the Otherworld, involuntarily froze for a moment.

The next instant.

A figure in deep blue, like a meteor tearing through the dim daylight, leaped from the top of a steep cliff face!

His descent was impossibly fast, carrying the crushing weight of a toppling mountain.

While the figure was still in mid-air, a stream of brilliant white Energy, so condensed it seemed solid, erupted from his hand. It carried the immense majesty unique to the Peak of a Great Knight, smashing into the Scorching Beast that was about to tear apart the Princess’s carriage like a bolt of white Thunder!

SIZZLE!

The white Energy made contact with the Scorching Beast’s dark red carapace, producing a sizzling, burning sound.

The carapace, tough enough to withstand the strikes of ordinary swords, was forcibly torn apart and pierced through by the blast of condensed white Energy!

The Scorching Beast let out a shrill shriek. The massive force sent its enormous body flying sideways into the cliff wall. With its carapace shattered and stinking, dark red fluid splattering everywhere, it twitched a few times and then went still.

The deep blue figure then landed steadily, positioning himself perfectly between the ruined carriage and the remaining monsters.

The newcomer was Murphy.

He held a drawn Longsword. The blade was unadorned, glowing with a Dark Gold luster in the dim light. The brilliant white Energy surged from his body, coiling around the blade.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes, calm as an abyss, quickly swept over the chaotic battlefield.

’The scene is even worse than I expected.’

The Earth Rock Worm was frantically thrashing its body, trying to attack the remaining cavalry. Meanwhile, another Scorching Beast was crawling quickly out of the shadows on the flank, its target none other than Sir Ernest, who lay at the base of the cliff, his condition unknown!

Although the surviving Knights were still fighting desperately, their formation had collapsed. Their defeat was only a matter of moments away.

"Those of you who can still move, protect the wounded and fall back to the cliff! Block that Scorching Beast!" Murphy’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a calm composure that reached the ears of every surviving Knight, instantly dispelling some of their despair. "I’ll handle this big one."

Before his words had even faded, he was already moving.

There were no dazzling techniques—only speed, precision, and brutality, along with the terrifying power and velocity that erupted from his body, far beyond what an ordinary person could imagine.

He didn’t charge straight for the Earth Rock Worm. Instead, he first moved to intercept the Scorching Beast pouncing on Sir Ernest!

The monster was incredibly fast, its maw dripping with saliva, its sharp claws already raised, about to come down on the old knight.

Murphy moved like lightning. Though he started later, he arrived first. His Longsword, wreathed in white Energy, executed a swift thrust. With a sharp CLANG, it struck the joint of the Scorching Beast’s raised forelimb!

The white Energy exploded. The seemingly tough joint instantly twisted and deformed. The Scorching Beast let out a pained hiss, its pounce thrown off balance. Its claws narrowly missed Sir Ernest, swiping past his side and digging deep into the ground.

Murphy followed up with a kick, imbued with terrifying force, and slammed it into the Scorching Beast’s side. The blow sent it tumbling away, temporarily neutralizing the mortal threat to Sir Ernest.

At that moment, the Earth Rock Worm, enraged that its "prey" had been interfered with—or perhaps because it sensed a powerful enemy—turned its maw of sharp teeth toward Murphy. Viscous, poisonous saliva dripped as its thick tail whipped through the air with a deafening boom, faster and more ferocious than its previous attack on Sir Ernest!

But Murphy didn’t dodge or evade. The moment the massive tail was upon him, the white Energy on his Longsword surged again. He let out a low shout, twisting his waist to generate power. He actually used his sword like a club, wrapping it in immense white Energy to meet the sweeping tail head-on!

BOOM!

A boom even more muffled and terrifying than when Sir Ernest had blocked the attack erupted!

A shockwave carrying dust and rubble exploded outward in a ring.

Murphy’s feet sank a dozen centimeters into the ground. The muscles on his sword arm bulged, and his sleeves billowed. But his body was like a mountain; he hadn’t retreated an inch!

Instead, the Earth Rock Worm’s massive tail was thrown upward by the force of the impact. Fine cracks appeared on its carapace, and dark red bodily fluids seeped out.

The monster, struck by pain, let out a deafening roar and began to writhe madly.

Murphy, however, used the recoil to float backward several meters like a nimble swift, perfectly avoiding the monster’s frenzied attacks. His eyes remained calm.

"Crossbow Arrows! Aim for the wound on its head! Volley!" Murphy commanded as he retreated.

The surviving Knights seemed to have found their backbone. The second-in-command, suppressing his grief, hoarsely organized them: "Quick! Listen to the Governor! Crossbowmen, target the gash on the monster’s head! Fire!"

THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!

Several Crossbow Arrows sank into the wound on the Earth Rock Worm’s head. The monster’s movements faltered. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

’Now!’

A glint of Essence flashed in Murphy’s eyes. He pushed off the ground, shattering the stone beneath his feet, and shot forward again like an arrow loosed from a bow!

The white Energy was highly concentrated at the tip of his Longsword. Man and sword became a streak of white lightning, piercing with perfect accuracy into the wound, sinking the blade all the way to the hilt!

Immediately after, his sword arm trembled violently, and the highly concentrated white Energy detonated inside the monster’s body!

SQUELCH!

The Earth Rock Worm’s body convulsed. It let out half a piercing shriek before crashing heavily to the ground, completely still.

At the same time, with Murphy’s support and the second-in-command’s orders, the other Knights finished off the remaining Scorching Beasts.