Chapter 420: Hammering the Black Knight

Lei En examined the enchanted longbow in his hand.

It's a top‑grade piece of equipment, worth a good sum. The two curved daggers from that snakefolk assassin earlier could also fetch several ten‑thousand Gold Shields. All of this is my loot; once I return to Mo Du and hand it to Madam Xia Lanwei for processing, the cost of this sortie will be recouped.

"Boss."

Bo Erqi's expression was reverent; he had only been a few steps slower, perhaps only five or six breaths apart, and that legendary elemental archer was dead.

From the power of that arrow, the elemental archer's strength was already near Mid-stage, perception extremely sharp, cautious, yet in front of Lei En there was no difference from an ordinary person; there was not even a chance to flee, and a single hammer strike turned him into mush.

"Hmm."

Lei En tossed the enchanted longbow into the spatial ring, ignoring Bo Erqi's scheming.

He glanced at the phone interface, consecutively absorbing two legendary souls—one level‑10, the other level‑12—and the energy in his soul‑power pool was rising rapidly. Countless alien foes slain by dragon breath, plus dozens of snakefolk warriors, had also contributed, and the energy was now sufficient for an upgrade.

At that moment, the Voice of All Things sensed a disturbance.

Lei En looked toward the City Lord's manor, furrowed his brow, and with his Arcane Torrent Staff opened a portal, leaping several li straight into the castle interior.

Bo Erqi hurriedly followed inside.

Stepping out of the portal, Lei En's view was blocked by a group of towering Pige berserkers; they surrounded the portal, brandishing weapons to hack at him.

Boom!

Lei En raised his staff and instantly unleashed a Light Burst.

The previously dim interior suddenly blazed bright; the intense white light seared the eyes of the surrounding foes, and the four‑ring Light Burst sent out a shockwave that instantly knocked the nearest Pige berserkers to the ground, where they clutched their eyes and screamed.

Lei En swung his war hammer a few times, crushing brain matter, as lightning flashed and thunder roared.

Bo Erqi also burst from the portal; his holy greatsword easily slashed through, clearing the enemies in the dark room, and he simultaneously bestowed upon Lei En a "Light of Power"—a golden aura descended, boosting Lei En's strength.

Lei En gave a slight nod, stepped out of the room, and a spacious great hall unfolded before him.

At that moment, fierce fighting raged within the hall.

On one side were silver‑clad knights and the Secret Fire Guard's Wizards; on the other stood the City Lord's elite guard, composed of numerous Pige berserkers, snakefolk warriors, and human guard‑class soldiers.

The City Lord's manor fielded two or three times as many troops, plus the support of a dozen mousefolk priests, barely holding off the assault.

Judging by their gear and strength, these were likely the City Lord's most elite forces.

They guarded a massive thick door; behind it lay a treasure vault. Both sides fought with blood‑shot eyes, a life‑or‑death brawl, the clamor of killing shaking the heavens, the ground already stained crimson with blood.

Lei En spotted the City Lord at a glance.

Mazuosi's nominal supreme ruler, the Black Knight "Pei Erge Si Te", a man who didn't appear very tall—about 1.8 m—clad in black armor, wielding a longsword, was being besieged by the silver‑clad knights' commander Ti En, Xi Ka Liu Si, and two hulking humanoid fish monsters.

"Legendary Mid-stage, level‑14 Black Knight."

The Soul Eye saw through the opponent's details.

The Black Knight is one of the Iron Guard's advanced vocations, extremely rare; built on formidable defense and strength, it wields dark power, far surpassing ordinary steel knights.

Pei Erge Si Te's exterior was sheathed in armor condensed from dark energy; each sword swing emitted a whistling black blade light, his figure like a wisp of black smoke, flickering, swift as lightning, calmly repelling the assault of four legends.

Even when cornered with no retreat, enduring one or two blows, the dark armor left him unscathed.

On the field stood a squad of six Extreme Warriors, intermittently firing Lambo's Spear; the bullets bounced off his body.

Those two humanoid fish monsters, over three meters tall, were summons of the Myriad Spirits, legendary fish‑folk tide hunters, wielding rust‑stained great iron tridents and bearing several potent water spells, yet they were helpless against the Black Knight, shouting "Wao lalala" in frustration.

If the Black Knight weren't determined to hold the vault, he would have fled long ago.

Lei En casually swung his hammer, crushing a few charging foes, then glanced at the vault door; unsurprisingly, it should contain vast riches—the spoils the Mazuosi City Lord had amassed over years.

This is the most important place in the lord's stronghold.

"Men die for wealth, birds die for food," he muttered.

Besides the Legendary Mid-stage Black Knight, the opposing City Lord's guard also concealed a legendary mousefolk priest, mingling among a pack of mousefolk, directing his subordinates to block the enemy.

Both sides mingled in a war of attrition.

Lei En and Bo Erqi appeared behind the City Lord's guard, instantly sparking chaos; under the "Bloodthirst" state, those Pige, snakefolk, and mousefolk showed no fear, eyes reddened, surging forward wave after wave.

"Boss, I'm coming."

Bo Erqi shouted, his luminous holy armor blazing with golden light; he stomped the ground, a ring of golden flames erupted around his feet and spread outward, the scorching fire surged upward, engulfing all enemies within dozens of meters, burning them to the bone.

Five‑ring Sacred Light Fire.

It is a sustained spell; the ground seemed coated with molten gold, making standing impossible.

Any enemy burned by this holy fire was purified, turning to ash; none could charge forward.

The legendary mousefolk priest screamed, brandishing his curved staff, and began casting.

Lei En kept his focus on him, casting half a step faster.

An exile spell struck the mousefolk priest's head, instantly trapping it in an isolated space and interrupting the casting; then an Electric Blast Orb shot forward, spawning bolts of lightning that electrocuted a dozen mousefolk along the way, exploding right before the legendary mousefolk priest.

Amid the rumble, three Electric Blast Orbs in succession cleared the mousefolk guards outside the exile space.

Lei En opened a random door and stepped through.

He appeared behind the legendary mousefolk; just as the exile spell ended, a war hammer struck down, causing the magical shields on the mousefolk to collapse layer by layer, instantly crushing it into meat paste.

In under ten seconds, a legend perished, soul extinguished, with no resistance.

The sight left the battling Black Knight in utter shock.

Lei En, however, acted as if it were a trivial matter, glanced at the City Lord, narrowed his eyes, raised his wind‑and‑thunder wings, simultaneously triggered berserk, his muscles swelling, his height stretching to two meters, yet his mind remained clear and calm despite the berserk state.

"Bo Erqi, Judgment."

Lei En shouted in draconic, and the golden three‑headed dragon instantly nodded in response.

Judgment is a holy light spell that counters dark power, making it perfect for confronting this Black Knight lord.

After waiting a few seconds, Lei En suddenly pointed his Arcane Torrent Staff at the Black Knight, releasing an exile spell; indeed, a four‑ring exile had almost no effect on him—though it did have some impact, he wasn't outright exempt.

The Black Knight's figure froze for a heartbeat; Bo Erqi, standing within the Sacred Light Fire, seized the chance to cast.

The prepared Judgment descended from the heavens.

A dazzling golden light materialized above the hall, coalescing into a three‑meter‑long greatsword; its blade radiated brilliance, the tip pointing downward, locking onto the Black Knight's crown, slowly yet resolutely plunging in.

No matter how the Black Knight darts and evades, the golden greatsword follows like a shadow, drawing ever nearer above his head.

The Judgment Technique is a supreme Element; once cast, it locks onto the target's soul, either destroying it or forcing it to endure.

The Black Knight, while dueling the enemies beside him, swings his sword to unleash several black flashes at the golden greatsword overhead, and also hurls a dark spell upward; the golden greatsword is weakened a bit but remains firm, and as its blade descends, the pressure on him surges.

In at most five more seconds, this Holy Light Sword will pierce his head.

"Hm…".

The Black Knight sneers, his voice deep as he shouts, "You think a single Judgment Technique can kill me? Dream on!"

He is confident in his defense; even if he endures the Judgment Technique, at most he'll suffer a minor wound, insufficient to be fatal.

Yet he is not prepared to keep holding the line; he decides to abandon the treasury.

Before leaving, the Black Knight glowers at Lei En, intending to remember this powerful foe, but sees Lei En vanish, flashing across dozens of meters to appear only a few steps ahead of him.

At such close range, the Black Knight senses a terrifying aura of power.

The war hammer, crackling with electric light, feels heavier than a mountain.

The Black Knight does not hesitate, turning into black smoke to flee, but the Holy Light Sword above has already dropped to within half a meter; the massive pressure slows his speed by half a beat.

"Bind!"

Lei En calls out lightly.

The Arcane Torrent Staff's ribbons flutter, and an invisible force expands, enveloping the black smoke the Black Knight became.

The Black Knight's escape is cut off; he lands on the ground, unable to move. Commander Ti En, Xi Ka Liu Si, and two legendary fish‑person tide hunters are like insects in amber, watching Lei En charge to the Black Knight's front, raising the Thunderbolt Hammer to smash down.

Bang!

The war hammer strikes the Black Knight's head; his helmet shatters into pieces, the seemingly impenetrable dark armor beneath appears, but under the hammer it is as fragile as paper, instantly crushed, no stronger than ordinary protection.

The process unfolds frame by frame in slow motion, letting everyone around see it clearly.

The hammerhead finally slams onto the Black Knight's crown; his face distorts, sinks downward, his skull is driven into his chest, and his body begins to fragment inch by inch; under the terrifying force, his body inflates like a blown‑up balloon and explodes.

At that moment, the Stasis Field's duration ends.

Bang!

The Black Knight's body is blown apart by a single hammer blow, reduced to powder that scatters, leaving only the long sword clanging to the ground; the entire great hall falls silent at once.

To update stability, he is discussing renting an office with several author friends, working daily like a job, supervising each other's typing, hoping it will be effective…

(End of Chapter)