Chapter 146: Bloodbath at Berk Castle

The castle's main gate is over four meters tall, the thick wooden boards are fastened with steel bars, and it weighs several tons.

At that moment, just as the gate was half closed, Lei En charged at full force, as if a dragon had struck head‑on; the whole wall shuddered, and several guards standing on the wall were knocked down.

The sturdy gate was dented by the impact, the guards behind it were startled, and then, in terror, they saw a giant sword pierce through the dent, slashing a crack in the door.

The giant sword withdrew, and the outside fell silent for a few seconds.

Boom!

Another deafening blast rang through the entire castle, the gate burst open at the crack, and a towering figure surged into the castle amid a rain of debris.

"Who are you?"

"Enemy attack!"

"Protect the Viscount!"

The guards finally recalled their duties, shouting and raising their weapons, and surrounded the gate from all directions.

However, the enemy's speed exceeded their expectations.

A few nearby guards, unable to see the enemy's form, only saw a giant sword sweep across. The strike had no technique; it could be described with a single word—swift!

The blade's flash vanished in an instant as the figure sprinted.

The clashing of metal rang together, and the guards' armor crumbled like paper, cutting through both man and steel. One guard, a transcendent, reacted faster, blocking with his longsword, yet he too was cut down, his sword split in two.

Within a few breaths, five or six guards lay dead on the ground, blood soaking the floor.

"Ah..."

"Save me!"

Some guards, not dead yet, let out a mournful cry.

The other guards, seeing the carnage, slowed their steps. They realized the enemy's terror was beyond what ordinary people could handle, standing on the castle's open ground, each staring at the other, unsure what to do.

The leading transcendent few also wore grim expressions.

"Protect the Viscount quickly!" They exchanged glances, clenched their teeth, and shouted as they rushed into the castle's main tower.

At that moment, the entire castle was alarmed.

Boom!

Lei En slew the blocking guards, crossed the courtyard, and smashed open the main tower's door. The ornate wooden door shattered, revealing a spacious, grand banquet hall.

Crystal chandeliers lit the hall as bright as day, and a group of servants under the steward's direction were tidying the banquet hall, the air still scented with delicacies and red wine.

People who saw Lei En burst in were all startled.

"Who are you?"

A stern‑looking steward barked loudly, "Get out of here!"

Lei En ignored him; amid the sounds of all things, he had already locked onto Ga Luo Wei Na's location. He lifted the giant sword and crossed the banquet hall, about to step onto the stairs when a figure lunged past him.

From the corner of his eye he saw the steward.

The steward, a third‑rank ranger, produced a slender sword from somewhere, moving at blinding speed; his swordsmanship was impressive, and the tip emitted silver sparks that enveloped Lei En's entire body.

Lei En ignored the slender sword and raised the giant sword for a slash.

Slash!

After a crisp crack, Lei En kept moving forward without looking back.

The steward was cleaved in half from shoulder down; his right hand still clutched the slender sword, his frozen gaze full of disbelief. His sword had clearly pierced the enemy's armor, only a few inches more to reach the heart—why had it failed?

The steward's death caused the servants to scream and flee like headless flies.

By the time the transcendent guards rushed into the banquet hall, Lei En had already surged to the second floor, heading straight for Ga Luo Wei Na's room.

Turning from the stairwell, a massive ice arrow shot past his eyes.

The chilling cold made Lei En halt, and when he turned, a middle‑aged man in a splendid robe stood in the corridor, wielding a magical short sword, encased in an icy shield.

"Wizard."

Lei En's pupils contracted; his soul eye saw that the opponent was a Fifth‑rank Wizard, an elemental specialist in ice spells.

Lei En was surprised to find that Ga Luo Wei Na's subordinates included a Wizard of such rank.

In the Empire, Wizards hold extremely high status; each is exceptionally gifted, their standing surpassing that of other transcendent beings.

Wizards are proud and usually join a Wizard faction, such as Silver Star Title: Duke's Wizard Tower or an academy, serving more powerful Wizards to gain knowledge and wealth.

However, few Wizards pledge allegiance to others.

Even nobles, if not Wizards themselves, find it hard to win a Wizard's service, regardless of how high their title.

"Who are you?"

The Wizard opposite asked coldly.

His gaze was stern; seeing Lei En in heavy armor wielding a giant sword, he clearly possessed great power and must be an Iron Guard.

This eased him slightly; he had seen many such Iron Guards, brute strength alone, easily subdued with a spell and taken away in a single wave.

Lei En said nothing, answering the Wizard's question with a charge.

Huh…

A fierce wind whipped through the lavish corridor; midway through his charge, a cold breath swept in, instantly forming solid ice ahead, creating a thick ice wall.

"This Wizard has extensive combat experience."

The thought flashed in Lei En's mind, and the next second he slammed into the ice wall.

His whole body surged with power, and with a splash, the ice wall shattered.

Seeing Lei En emerge from behind the ice wall, even though his charge was interrupted, the Wizard's eyes widened; the enemy's strength far exceeded his expectations, even a triple‑ringed ice wall could be broken by brute force.

At this point, Lei En was only seven or eight steps away.

Without hesitation, the Wizard instinctively unleashed an instant Frost Ring.

A blue energy rippled outward from his feet like lightning; this is the Ice Elementalist's signature spell against close‑quarters foes, and few can evade it.

However this time, the Wizard miscalculated.

Lei En stomped the ground hard, leapt into the air, and avoided the frost ring.

He moved like a nimble cat, his feet walking on the wall, taking several long strides, crushing an expensive masterpiece hanging on the wall, and closed in to the Wizard's side.

The great sword swung.

At that moment the Wizard had just released the frost ring, too slow to flash, watching helplessly as the great sword struck his icy shield.

The force on the sword was unimaginably great; the icy shield was like an eggshell, shattered with a single poke.

Snap!

The shield's icy power failed to freeze the enemy; the frost‑coated blade instantly sliced the Wizard's body, cleaving him in half.

Having killed the Wizard, Lei En made no pause, landed, and rushed toward the end of the corridor.

There was a door there, and behind it was Ga Luo Wei Na's study.

The door opened.

A tall man stepped out, clad in fine silver‑black armor but without a helmet, his gaze gloomy, a long scar across his cheek, looking terribly fearsome. Like Lei En, he held a great sword in his hand, its blade etched with complex runes, clearly an enchanted great sword.

Lei En looked with his Soul Eye and felt a warning rise within him.

This person possessed multiple defensive Elements, and his strength had reached Level Five.

A Level Seven steel knight!

As expected, he must be Yi Nuo Ke, the one who previously spoke with Ga Luo Wei Na, Ga Luo Wei Na's most powerful subordinate, the executor of the plan to capture his family.

Yi Nuo Ke stepped out of the door, and at a glance saw the Wizard's corpse on the ground, momentarily stunned.

Lei En seized the opportunity and charged forward with a thrust.

Clang!

The two similarly shaped figures collided, and the gap between Level Five and Level Seven strength instantly decided the outcome.

Yi Nuo Ke was flung backward into the study, crashing into the wall.

His hands gripping the sword trembled uncontrollably, and his face showed disbelief; the one who had always taken pride in his strength was repelled in a head‑on clash.

Yi Nuo Ke could sense that the enemy's power far exceeded his own!

If his defense hadn't been strong enough, the impact from the two swords clashing this time would have left him seriously injured.

Lei En was also somewhat surprised; he had intended to kill Yi Nuo Ke with a single sword, but the opponent managed to block.

He halted his movement, released the force from his sword, and hurried into the study.

In the spacious, grand study, only Yi Nuo Ke remained stuck to the wall; his gaze swept around, yet he did not see Ga Luo Wei Na's figure.

"Where is the person?"

Lei En focused his mind to search; he had just heard Ga Luo Wei Na's voice, which suddenly vanished.

Before the thought settled, he sensed something amiss behind him.

A sharp blade silently thrust toward a gap in the armor; even with Lei En's reflexes, he couldn't fully evade.

He had just turned when a stabbing pain shot into his back.

Immediately, Ga Luo Wei Na's figure emerged, wielding an oddly shaped dagger, darting backward and slipping into the shadows.

"Level Six Shadow Warrior."

Lei En was not at all surprised; at that trade gathering he had already learned Ga Luo Wei Na's background—he was a Mid-stage Shadow Warrior, possessing nearly ten Elements, just one step away from advancing to High-stage.

The only thing that surprised him was that Ga Luo Wei Na's dagger could pierce his steel body.

Although it only tore a bit of skin, with no blood spilling, it was still astonishing.

Lei En frowned; he felt no sign of poisoning.

Ga Luo Wei Na's figure appeared beside Yi Nuo Ke, his eyes filled with shock, even casting a doubtful glance at his own dagger, and he asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you? Why did you break into Bo Ke Bao?"

Lei En, of course, would not answer him.

A thought stirred, triggering "Rapid Sprint", his speed surged abruptly; he lifted the great sword with his right hand, treating it as a longsword, without any swordsmanship, relying on pure force to generate destructive power.

Boom!

A sword swept across, like a hurricane striking.

Ga Luo Wei Na turned ashen with fear, scrambling to dodge.

As a Level Six Shadow Warrior, he also incorporated the Rapid Sprint Element; his speed surged, and the great sword's blade missed his nose by a hair, the wind pressure from the sword causing his face to ache, nearly blinding him.

The desk, bookshelves, lamps, and decorations were instantly shattered into fragments by the great sword.

The entire study lay in ruins.

Lei En retrieved his sword and swung a second slash.

While moving at high speed, Ga Luo Wei Na tried to slip into the shadows, but found his shadow‑step ineffective; the great sword followed like a shadow, constantly aimed at him.

Purely in terms of speed, Ga Luo Wei Na, who possessed multiple Agility Elements, was actually a bit faster than Lei En.

But in the confined space of the study, that advantage could not be utilized, and Lei En's great sword had such a wide attack range that it was impossible to evade.

Just as Ga Luo Wei Na felt despair, Yi Nuo Ke finally broke free from the wall.

A charge, swinging his sword toward Lei En.

The Level Seven steel knight's attack, with Level Five strength and a Level Three "Heavy Strike" Element, could unleash double power in an instant; even with a steel body, Lei En didn't want to endure it outright and could only turn and block with a sword.

Amid the clashing metal, sparks flew everywhere.

Lei En's body wavered, while Yi Nuo Ke was knocked back, his feet leaving a series of deep prints on the floor.

Seizing the chance, Ga Luo Wei Na escaped from beneath the sword.

He slipped back into the shadows again, attempting to flee through the study's doorway.

Lei En found it somewhat tricky; up to now he hadn't wanted to use any spell‑related abilities, deciding to rely solely on pure force and speed to kill Ga Luo Wei Na, so no obvious clues would be left.

Now it seemed that doing without spells was rather difficult.

Once Ga Luo Wei Na escaped from the study, catching him again wouldn't be something that could be handled in a short time; Boke Town is not far from Longshande, and Ga Luo Wei Na may have already sought aid from the Wu Shi Ta.

"It must be swift and decisive."

Lei En hesitated for half a second, then immediately changed his mind.

The skin beneath the armor showed several fine bolts of lightning, forming a layer of thorns armor invisible to the naked eye.

Lei En took a stride and blocked the doorway of the study in advance.

Ga Luo Wei Na, while sneaking, could only retreat, trying to keep farther from Lei En, standing motionless in a corner of the study to avoid being spotted.

After Yi Nuo Ke steadied themselves, they rushed toward Lei En without hesitation.

The two greatswords clashed.

Clang—each sword strike emitted a harsh blast, and the swinging blades wreaked massive destruction in the study, carving deep gouges into the walls.

Yi Nuo Ke's hands went numb, barely able to grip the greatsword, but they clenched their teeth and persisted.

They discovered the opponent's swordsmanship seemed inferior to their own, rather mediocre, merely simple chops back and forth; after several swings, they finally found an opening and cleaved the enemy's shoulder.

Although this slash didn't unleash their full strength, it was enough to cause injury.

The greatsword split the black armor, and then massive bolts of lightning erupted; Yi Nuo Ke was caught off guard, the current spreading along the blade to their arm, their whole body went numb, as if even their mind stalled.

"It's over!"

Yi Nuo Ke shouted inside their mind, a sword blade flashed before them, they felt themselves soar, and in mid‑air saw an armored headless corpse; before it could hit the ground, they fell into endless darkness.

In an instant, Yi Nuo Ke was beheaded.

This turn left Ga Luo Wei Na, hidden in the corner, expression blank, and then they saw the enemy charge toward them.

"He can see through Shadow Escape."

Ga Luo Wei Na panicked; the hiding spot instead left them with no escape, the greatsword riddled with gaps blocked every retreat.

In despair, the usually pampered Ga Luo Wei Na completely lost the courage to fight.

The greatsword cleaved bookshelves and vases, sweeping through, blood splattered, and two severed bodies fell from the shadows.

Ga Luo Wei Na didn't die instantly, eyes fixed on Lei En, they asked resentfully, "Who exactly are you?"

Lei En beneath the helmet was expressionless and made no sound.

(End of chapter)