Chapter 781: Deadly Backstab

Lifulin led the Holy Spear Knight Corps like a golden torrent surging into Mosuobulai.

The roar of guns and cannons never ceased for even a second.

Today was the Holy Spear Knight Corps' first real battle, and at the start the blood elves were still a bit nervous.

But shortly after the fight began, they found the enemy virtually unable to break through their fire net, quickly steadied themselves, and, following their training, methodically shot down the foes.

Avenger 47 took turns firing in bursts, emptying magazines before swapping for fresh ones, ensuring continuous fire.

The Zhuo Er elves' bow range and rate were far inferior to the soul gun; a turn of the barrel turned those archers into sieves, and even the Zhuo Er wizard's shield was as flimsy as paper, shattered by focused fire in a second or two, killing the wizard.

The Demon Bat Knights swooping in from all over the city were even more vulnerable, exposed in the sky like moving live targets; several Lambo spears swept across, and bodies and blood fell like raindrops.

If a large group of enemies charged together, the Rocket Launcher fired instantly, and the shells that landed in the crowd blew the foes skyward in an instant.

Among the Zhuo Er there are many legendary warriors, even legendary wizards.

They tried various tactics to ambush the legion, but the Thundercast Celestial Soldier serving as company commander remained vigilant, always spotting approaching foes early; either he used the Bolt Gun to kill them beyond safe range, or he flashed forward and smashed them with a hammer.

The Holy Lance Knights only then realized the commander's great power, and while reverent, they fully relaxed and focused on shooting the enemies.

It was an entirely new experience never felt before!

The Holy Lance Knights all have rich combat experience, and they never imagined a battle could become this easy, growing more confident and addicted as they fought. If the commander hadn't shouted orders to keep the formation, many Holy Lance Knights would have unconsciously broken away from the ranks.

Camp commander Fandu Si followed Lifulin, assisting her in directing the battle.

With each command, the Holy Spear Knight Corps deliberately slowed their advance, moving step by step, first eliminating the charging enemies.

Then they pressed on, leaving a field of corpses behind them.

Soon, the legion advanced nearly a kilometer deep into Mosuobulai, where a bronze running horse hovered mid‑air above a small plaza, and in the center stood a black statue—its upper half an elf, its lower half a massive eight‑legged spider.

It was the statue of Spider Queen Ros.

Lifulin felt disgust flash in her eyes, but she dared not order the statue's destruction; even though Ros is the most evil deity, as mortals they must still show reverence.

Before the battle, Lei En's command was to rescue the benevolent Zhuo Er, not to annihilate Mosuobulai. At this moment, Spider Queen Ros must be monitoring Mosuobulai, and destroying her statue under her watch could very likely enrage her.

Lifulin glanced at the hill north of the city; atop it stood the Spider Temple.

"Commander."

Fandu Si's voice came from beneath his golden mask, "Lord Kuilu has already brought his men to rendezvous with us, not far away; the lord has ordered us to hold position."

"Understood."

"Form a defensive line in place, fire alternately, and maintain pressure on the enemy."

Lifulin quickly issued orders; after the one‑sided slaughter ahead, the Zhuo Er warriors were terrified, hiding deep in cover and daring not to emerge, some even fled outright.

She turned her head toward the nearby area.

It was Lifulin's first time seeing Lei En act, and she was instantly stunned.

Lei En was still pursuing Banrimu, and his ten Mirror Images were also besieging the three remaining shadow clones of Banrimu; Kestajin was among them. The battle was fierce, buildings collapsing in swathes wherever they passed, and he could not even catch a glimpse of Banrimu herself.

Lifulin stared at Lei En, unable to help but become dazed.

At this moment, Lei En sprouted massive wings on his back, wielding a war hammer and a curved blade; he either swung the hammer to unleash countless bolts of lightning that shook the void, or slashed with the blade to emit endless sword qi that cut through everything. His figure flickered everywhere within hundreds of meters, as if omnipresent, and every move radiated awe‑inspiring power, like a deity descending.

"He isn't even a Saint Rank elite yet, and he's already this strong…"

"He still has time to issue orders during combat."

Lifulin could not imagine how Lei En managed this; what terrifying power he will wield after achieving Holy Soul Ascension remains beyond thought!

Why do humans produce such terrifying geniuses?

"Careful!"

A warning suddenly startled Lifulin; she instinctively looked at the voice's source, Fandu Si, and saw him raise his Bolt Gun and fire at her.

Boom— Boom— Boom!

Three consecutive shots, three Armor Penetration rounds whooshed past Lifulin's pointed ears and struck the enemies behind her.

The massive gunfire gave Lifulin temporary ringing in her ears, deafening her; the Armor Penetration round didn't explode like an Explosive Shell, its damage was highly focused, yet the impact thrust Lifulin and her mount several meters away, which actually saved her life.

A black streak sliced past from behind, as fine as a hair, tearing the void itself.

Blood‑crystal energy formed armor around Lifulin, which was instantly cut through; the rune armor was also slashed open, spewing blood.

Fortunately it was only a minor wound, not fatal.

Only then did Lifulin realize her attacker was a shadow clone of Banrimu; three of Fandu Si's Armor Penetration rounds hit it, creating three blood‑filled holes. Though it wasn't killed, its assault was halted.

The Thundercast Celestial Soldier kept firing while raising a hand to cast.

Black chains sprouted from the void, winding toward Banrimu's shadow clone; it grasped a dagger and, at a speed invisible to the naked eye, flicked it with a few clinks, instantly severing most of the Void Chains.

Yet one chain still wrapped around its ankle; the Void Chain blocks spatial traversal, preventing it from returning to the shadow plane.

"Everyone back!"

Lifulin reacted swiftly, shouting loudly for the surrounding Holy Lance Knights to keep their distance.

A Rocket Launcher materialized in her hands; she aimed and fired.

After the shell was launched, Lifulin tossed aside the Rocket Launcher, raised her twin‑handed sword from the horse's back, leapt, and charged the enemy.

Boom!

The shell struck the shadow clone, exploding; flame and shockwave swept the surroundings.

Lifulin ignored the damage, her body engulfed in raging crimson fire; her great sword glowed like solid bloodlight, and she slashed down with all her might.

A thick, ink‑black evil mist erupted from the shadow clone, dampening most of the Rocket Launcher's power; the mist was pierced, freezing its movement for a moment.

At that moment, Lifulin's Holy Light slash fell.

Clang!

The shadow clone raised its dagger to block, Lifulin's great sword veered slightly, cutting its shoulder deep into the bone. Blood‑crystal power is essentially Holy Light, capable of suppressing shadow and evil; bloodlight burst from the blade, and the clone let out a painful scream.

Bang.

Fandu Si flashed behind the shadow clone in time, already in a berserk state, and he applied a high‑level Giant Strength technique, boosting his power to level eleven.

The lightning war hammer struck its head, a Level 4 destruction critical burst erupted instantly, and the scream stopped dead.

The shadow clone dissipated like a bubble.

Almost as the shadow clone was slain, three mirror images of Lei En pursued, nodded toward the two, then turned into lightning and left to chase the other two shadow clones.

At that moment Lifulin felt the pain from the wound behind her and a wave of dread rose in her heart.

If Fandu Si hadn't discovered it in time, she would already be dead.

"Thank you," Lifulin said gratefully.

Fandu Si gave a slight nod, saying nothing.

She couldn't see the expression beneath the golden mask; after two months of contact with Fandu Si she knew that was his nature, silently noting the lifesaving feeling. Then she came to herself, both startled and delighted, realizing she and Fandu Si had jointly slain a Banrimu shadow clone.

Even though this shadow clone had been heavily damaged by Lei En's mirror image, its power greatly reduced, it was still a genuine Saint Rank strongman!

The Legendary Peak killing a Saint Rank strongman made Lifulin herself hard to believe.

She then thought, "If a single shadow clone is that frightening, what about its true body?"

In Lifulin's field of view, Banrimu's figure flickered in and out, each time appearing in a different spot, and she couldn't help whispering, "Lord, can you kill her?"

"Probably difficult."

Fandu Si, unusually, spoke, quickly explaining: "Banrimu is at least a Level 27 Zhuoer Sword Saint, her priest rank is also above Level 20, she practices dual cultivation of magic and martial arts, and her power is extremely terrifying. She is being chased now because she lost the Soul‑Eating Blade, leaving her momentarily flustered; in fact she could flee at any time."

"Level 27 Zhuoer Sword Saint!" Lifulin gasped.

She shifted her gaze to Fandu Si, deeply curious about his background—specifically, his origin as a Thundercast Celestial Soldier.

At present, the Holy Spear Knight Corps has reorganized two battalions, with ten company commanders and two battalion commanders all being Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

Each of them is a legendary transcendent, not only strong and highly defensive but also mastering many spells; their overall strength far exceeds ordinary legends, and they are proficient in soul spears and mechanical fabrication, overseeing the legion's training. Usually silent, once they speak they get straight to the point, as if omnipotent.

It would be tolerable if there were only one or two Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

But their numbers exceed a hundred and keep growing, and no one knows their origin, as if they sprang from nowhere—extremely mysterious.

Thundercast Celestial Soldiers wear armor that looks like it was forged from gold and don golden masks; no one has ever seen their true faces. Without self‑reporting their names, others cannot discern a Thundercast Celestial Soldier's identity. Yet it seems each one is identical, so distinguishing them is unnecessary.

Now, Fandu Si's few words have revealed a lot of information.

It's astonishing that a legendary transcendent could discern Banrimu's bottom line.

This made Lifulin wonder whether there is some hidden connection between the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers and the Lord.

"If they're clones, there are far too many…"

While Lifulin was pondering, a roar erupted from the direction of the Spider Temple, and over twenty towering monsters burst out, charging straight at the legion.

Their appearance resembled Spider Queen Ros: lower bodies were eight‑legged spiders, upper bodies were Zhuoer elves, naked, a blend of beauty and ugliness, faces filled with hatred and evil.

Spider‑Transformed Elves!

Fandu Si also looked over, calmly saying, "Prepare to engage."

Spider‑Transformed Elves are the product of priests failing their trials; unable to bear Spider Queen Ros's blessing, they turned into monsters, losing sanity, their hearts filled only with hatred and bloodlust. Yet they are powerful, able to ascend to legend in a short time, mastering both melee and Shadow Magic, usually lurking within the Spider Temple, serving as Ros's most loyal enforcers.

Deploying so many Spider‑Transformed Elves must be Mosuobulai's final trump card.

Spider‑Transformed Elves move extremely fast, as if walking on flat ground atop roofs; they have four arms, each gripping a spear, bow, curved blade, or staff. After bursting from the temple, they streak across the rooftops like a shadow, heading straight for the Holy Spear Knight Corps.

Lifulin's eyes flickered, and she shouted, "Form lines one through five side by side, spread out but not too far; don't let the Spider‑Transformed Elves get too close."

The Holy Spear Knight Corps moved in the air in units of lines.

They quickly completed the formation change, arranging a long snake formation facing the direction of the Spider Temple; the machine gunners set up a crossfire net, and the Rocket Launchers were ready.

At this moment, Banrimu's last two shadow clones were all slain under the encircling pursuit of the mirror images.

Then ten mirror images scattered everywhere, jointly blockading Banrimu.

Lei En had become familiar with her combat pattern—shadow weaving, Shadow Step, and Flashing used alternately, aided by ultra‑fast movement, appearing instantly behind the target for a lethal strike. If she wields the Soul‑Eating Blade, her attack power is terrifying; even a Nine‑Ring Shield would struggle to block a few blows, and few transcendants in the world could evade her assaults.

Unfortunately, Banrimu encountered herself.

The sharp lethality of the Soul‑Eating Blade can only pierce titanium‑golden armor's defense, but cannot inflict serious damage; its accompanying Soul‑Eating Slash and deadly poison have no effect.

Her Divine Technique is also weaker than the Soul‑Eating Blade, merely feeding energy to her Energy Furnace.

This situation left Banrimu at a loss.

The worst part is that, in a moment of carelessness, Lei En snatched the Soul‑Eating Blade; this legendary curved blade wielded by Lei En unleashed even greater power, chasing her in a disheveled scramble.

Banrimu dodged while cursing, yet could not retreat.

She was reluctant to abandon the weapon forged by Spider Queen Ros for her; even if she fled, Ros would certainly punish her. This capricious deity treats the Chosen One more harshly than ordinary believers; such a grave mistake would merit years of painful torment.

At the thought, Banrimu felt a chill in her heart.

"Maluos!"

Banrimu again evaded Lei En's Soul‑Eating Slash, appearing hundreds of meters away, and shouted loudly, "If you keep hiding and not strike, I swear to the gods I will eradicate the Storuoze family and sacrifice you to the great Ros."

She finished her rapid shout, and Lei En caught up again.

Kestajin also transformed into a bolt of lightning, swinging a war hammer and a great axe while roaring to strike down.

However, both attacks missed; Banrimu's speed was simply too great, and even without the Soul‑Eating Blade's boost they could not catch her.

Suddenly, layers of dark sky draped over.

Maluos acted.

Lei En saw through the darkness, spotting Maluos's figure; she finally emerged from the shadows, concealed in mid‑air casting a spell. Several mirror images were about to flash forward to attack, when a curved blade instantly pierced Maluos's shield, passing through her chest.

The dark sky, half‑cast, was shattered.

Maluos let out a painful scream, heavily wounded, flashed away, and upon turning to see her ambusher, her gaze instantly froze.

"Daknalun! How dare you ambush me!"

She shouted in fury, but could not stop her life force draining rapidly, slipping into a near‑death state.

Update delayed…

(End of Chapter)