Chapter 454: Lu En Military

In the layered emerald forest, three slightly anxious and uneasy figures were moving quickly; they seemed to have a way to locate each other's positions, and after being deliberately separated by Leike Dun they could still swiftly find the direction to regroup.

Among them, the one with the strongest aura and the most imposing presence was a middle‑aged officer in his forties, with brown hair and brown eyes, prominent cheekbones, rather deep features; his clothes were somewhat disheveled, and he simply wore a military greatcoat covered with medals, as if he had just climbed out of a bed.

To Leike Dun's right, in a spot hidden by hanging teal vines, a young man in a black trench coat was sprinting; he was quite good‑looking, tall and well‑proportioned, and also exuded an indescribable aura of authority.

A little farther away stood a slender, delicate‑faced young man who appeared scholarly and refined.

His steps were not quick, yet they caused the surrounding sense of distance to become chaotic; although he had taken only seven or eight steps, his figure already appeared far away.

The extraordinary members of the Lu En Military were not limited to those three, but only the three of them could resist the sudden slumber and respond swiftly.

That ring was at least a semi‑divine‑level seal, otherwise it wouldn't have such a strong effect. He muttered two words to himself, and Leike Dun withdrew his gaze from the ring on Pu La Ke's hand.

He turned his head toward the three Lu En Military extraordinaires he had drawn into this teal pea forest, smiled lightly and recited their sequence, as if greeting them:

"Heh, a Law‑Wielding Mage, a Judge, and a Chaos Mentor."

As he spoke, a black‑jade‑like chess piece materialized between his right index and middle fingers; he tossed it casually, and the Chaos Mentor's movements suddenly became jerky, as if stuck in a frozen frame, unable to shift even an inch for a long time.

The imposing middle‑aged officer quickly locked onto Leike Dun's position through a spiritual ripple, stared ahead, his gaze solemn, as if many emotions were brewing.

Then, in a deep voice using Ancient Hegemesis, he said, "Exile!"

An invisible, massive force suddenly erupted, shattering all the teal vines that blocked sight and flinging them away.

In an instant, everyone's figures were clearly exposed before the eyes of all.

"Deprive!" another deep Ancient Hegemesis phrase rang out.

Leike Dun was stunned; he felt his star‑light transformation ability stripped away. Though his unique constitution resisted some of the opponent's "Deprivation," he sensed that now he could at most convert only a portion of his body into star‑light form for about a second.

After depriving Leike Dun of his most practiced and useful extraordinary ability, the imposing middle‑aged officer's body floated against the laws of physics, radiating intense authority that pressed outward like a small mountain.

Leike Dun's expression remained unchanged as he met the officer's gaze; a sudden bright glow of deep‑blue‑almost‑purple shone in his eyes, as if countless stars were reflected within.

While they stared at each other, he clearly saw lightning forming in the middle‑aged officer's eyes, as if originating from deep consciousness and directly affecting the spirit.

The floating middle‑aged officer gathered his spirit, his eyes' light surged violently, unleashing a "Spiritual Piercing" attack of fourth‑tier sequence that could pierce the target's spirit.

"Ah!" a painful scream suddenly echoed in everyone's ears; the middle‑aged officer, who had been floating, fell in agony, his body collapsing onto the ground woven of teal vines, clutching his head with both hands, his face twisted in pain.

Blood of a deep crimson streamed from his nose, ears, and eyes; his body's surface was torn with ragged, blood‑splattered fissures, as if something were about to sprout from within.

The "Spiritual Piercing" attacks the target's spirit; if used against someone whose spirit is stronger than one's own, it backfires accordingly, and spirit is precisely the domain where the Seeker of Secrets excels, not to mention Leike Dun himself is a tier higher than him.

When the opponent cast "Spiritual Piercing" and stared at Leike Dun, he directly reflected part of the Hidden Sage's information into the opponent's mind, briefly linking the opponent with a malicious great being.

Leike Dun merely glanced at him, then instantly withdrew his gaze; his figure twisted in an instant and vanished on the spot.

A cold, indifferent eye formed from brilliant stars materialized beside the time‑delayed Chaos Mentor.

In the next moment, that eye twisted briefly, swapping for Leike Dun's figure.

"Imprison!" a solemn, imposing Ancient Hegemesis phrase resonated nearby.

Leike Dun turned his head and saw a highly viscous transparent fluid suddenly flowing around him, quickly enveloping him and forming a massive amber.

By appearance it should be Alfred, Miss "Justice" Odette's brother.

As thoughts fluttered, Leike Dun gently raised his hand, touching the massive amber that encased him; brilliant starlight spread rapidly from his palm, quickly assimilating the entire amber created by law into starlight.

"Wham!" With a crisp cracking sound, the massive amber imprisoning him turned into specks of light and vanished completely.

He then turned his right hand palm up; a slowly rotating mass of Star Sand swiftly formed in his palm, and one star after another quickly emerged, dense and dazzling.

As he made a forward toss, the slowly rotating Star Sand rapidly expanded, engulfing the slender Chaos Mentor ahead and Alfred a short distance behind him.

"Confinement!"

"Exile!"

Alfred, looking somewhat anxious, repeatedly issued the two judgments, but to little effect; whether the invisible barrier created by "Confinement" or the massive force unleashed by "Exile," both were quickly assimilated and then devoured by the expanding Star Sand.

The previously sluggish Chaos Mentor's figure suddenly twisted for an instant, stepping back only one step, yet his body abruptly appeared beside Alfred.

He then directly twisted the distance between the slowly rotating Star Sand and himself, magnifying the original five‑ or six‑meter gap by dozens of times.

"Ho~ Ho~ Ho~"

From not far away came a series of hoarse, meaningless syllables, like the final struggle of an ancient life on the brink of death.

Leike Dun turned his head and saw Pu La Ke half‑crouched, his eyes calmly meeting those of the middle‑aged officer lying on the ground, twisted in pain.

The middle‑aged officer's body seemed to drift endlessly in a river called Death; his aura rapidly withered, his hair turned gray and fell out, and the ragged, blood‑splattered fissures on his body quickly grew pale and desiccated, forming extensive cracks.

His flesh clung together like forced‑glued fragments, falling apart piece by piece, weathering into dry, yellowish powder.

Soon, the middle‑aged officer could no longer even emit a hoarse sound; the flesh on his neck began to slough off.

In less than a minute, a sequence‑four demigod barely in his prime completed his life, turning into a pile of dry, yellowish bones.

Tiny specks of pale blue and silvery white slowly materialized, gathering onto the dry skull, which gradually became crystal‑clear and transparent.

Leike Dun quickly withdrew his gaze, reached forward, and tore the Star Sand that had swelled to the size of a three‑story building; the brilliant starlight turned into streams of blue light that assaulted the Chaos Mentor and Alfred from all directions.

The slender, delicate‑faced young man furrowed his brows; each blue beam that surged around him conveyed a mortal danger.

Even if I warp the concepts of myself and the target, sharing the damage with that attacker, these blue lights remain lethal to me. Demigod! Moreover, the opponent is among the strongest of the demigods.

As thoughts fluttered, he decisively employed the "Chaos" ability, causing the surrounding area to become chaotic, making attacks hard to hit him, while continuously using the "Twist" ability to redirect those attacks that broke through the chaos.

"Careful!"

Suddenly, Alfred's voice, as if slowed countless times, reached his ears; there was no time to discern exactly what was said, but the tone of surprise and panic alone explained the issue.

He quickly stepped back again, simultaneously using the "Chaos" ability, attempting to scramble the metric of distance.

The ability had just activated, before he could twist his position, he suddenly felt a tearing pain in his chest.

He looked down in disbelief and saw a tiny, pale‑blue "door" a inch in front of his chest.

An arm formed from brilliant starlight extended from the "door," easily assimilating and melting his flesh, piercing his chest.

"Uh… ho." The words he tried to speak never left his mouth; a sudden intense pain struck his heart.

As his consciousness faded, he turned his head toward Alfred, opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately could say nothing.

The arm of brilliant starlight withdrew from the pale‑blue "door" and re‑solidified into flesh.

Leikdun lightly raised their right hand, made a snapping 'pa' sound, the intertwining teal vines around Leikdun quickly retracted, and the surrounding space and reality overlapped again.

After the teal vines descending from the sky appeared, Meisangyes quickly led their own troops over.

The military district originally belonging to Luen's forces had already been occupied by the local army led by Meisangyes; with most ordinary people and low-sequence Beyonders fallen into a deep sleep, Meisangyes' troops hardly needed any effort.

Those military Beyonders who had awakened from deep sleep were subdued with little resistance, either becoming prisoners or corpses.

(End of chapter)