Transcendent Gallen

The second round of combat began, and the Liuguang Armored Warriors charged toward the four mercenaries' formation, utilizing their numerical advantage just as they had before.

"Get lost!" Ed roared, his body pressed firmly behind his large shield. Using his Black Diamond Exoskeleton Armor for propulsion and the explosive boost from a Cell Activator, his forward speed far exceeded his usual limits.

The two Liuguang Armored Warriors directly in front of him didn't hesitate, leveraging their momentum to slam their Level 2 War Hammers against the large shield.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the shield, but this failed to stop Ed's charge.

This time, the two Liuguang Armored Warriors didn't gain the upper hand; their bodies shuddered simultaneously, forced to a standstill by the recoil.

A look of madness flashed in Ed's eyes. He could have stopped to dissipate the force of the two warriors' attacks, but instead, he forcibly absorbed the impact. Even with the shield's protection, blood sprayed from his mouth.

However, having lost his sense of pain, he no longer cared about his physical injuries.

He forcibly charged close to the two Liuguang Armored Warriors, and under his momentum, the other mercenaries also surged in his direction.

Crock's spear had the longest reach. The moment the two Liuguang Armored Warriors paused, the spearhead, shimmering with a faint fluorescent glow, struck their chests in rapid, alternating thrusts.

The Level 1 Material Defensive Armor on the chests of the Liuguang Exoskeleton Armor protected the two warriors. Although their bodies were sent flying backward and blood gushed from their mouths, they suffered no fatal injuries.

The impact of the two thrusts was primarily transmitted into the exoskeleton armor.

The exoskeleton armor itself could diffuse and weaken the impact, and combined with the protection of the Level 1 Material Defensive Armor, the two Liuguang Armored Warriors only suffered from cracked ribs and roiling blood.

After being knocked back, they immediately activated their Healing Potions. The cold liquid was injected into their bodies, rapidly repairing the bone fractures and calming their blood.

However, they had lost their encirclement of the mercenaries. The three Liuguang Armored Warriors in the other directions tried to pursue the four mercenaries, but they were blocked by Fisher alone, who fought like a madman.

At the very first contact, the blade of Fisher's giant axe was shattered by a Level 2 War Hammer, and his shoulders and back were struck several times in quick succession.

His achievement was that one Liuguang Armored Warrior was grazed by his giant axe and suffered minor injuries, while the other two were also held back.

The Black Diamond Exoskeleton Armor on Fisher's body was shattered from his shoulder to his back, revealing wounds filled with gashes and blood, with white bone fragments clearly visible.

In just this instant, Fisher had been severely wounded, yet he continued to laugh wildly, swinging the blade-less giant axe as if he were uninjured.

The two Liuguang Armored Warriors were momentarily stunned by his state; such injuries should have left him collapsed on the ground, unable to move.

Fisher and Ed's desperate struggle and Crock's attacks were not in vain. Captain Froman charged toward Gallen and David like a phantom, with no more armored warriors standing in his way.

"Uncle Gallen, let's retreat!" David shouted urgently when he saw Captain Froman charging over.

He had not expected the battlefield to change so rapidly; the Liuguang Armored Warriors' previous advantage had been broken by the mercenaries in the blink of an eye, and they were now charging toward them instead.

Gallen simply pulled David behind him and extended his right hand.

At this moment, his right hand was encased in a deep blue metal.

Captain Froman watched Gallen drawing closer, his heart filled with hope for victory, as the man did not have an exoskeleton armor on.

Given the presence of five Liuguang Armored Warriors, Gallen was clearly a big shot. With such a hostage, plus David, he would have the absolute confidence to leave Panshi Planet, and perhaps even use them to extort a large ransom.

The hope of advancing his own status appeared once more, causing him to accelerate.

In his eyes, Gallen and David were nothing more than a pile of credits, ready for the taking.

But as he drew closer, he saw the disdain on Gallen's face—a look of contempt for someone of a lower rank.

Captain Froman was very familiar with this expression, as he himself would occasionally display it.

As a Sublimated-level armored warrior, he was at the pinnacle of his kind, and with his two Level 2 Longswords, he had the capital to look down upon other warriors.

But why would Gallen, who wasn't wearing an exoskeleton armor, show such an expression? Could they still have a hidden trump card?

However, at this distance, even a trump card would be unable to help them.

Just as Captain Froman reached Gallen and reversed his longsword, intending to grab Gallen with three fingers, Gallen moved.

Captain Froman was very cautious, but his caution was not directed at an attack; he simply didn't want to harm Gallen or David, as they were his hostages for escape and his source of credits.

Gallen's arm vanished from David's sight. Or rather, Gallen's speed was so fast that even with David's current 3.0 physique, he couldn't track the movement of Gallen's arm.

"Captain, watch out!" Crock, who was behind Captain Froman, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but shout a warning.

But it was all too late. Captain Froman maintained his posture of reaching out to grab Gallen, while a hand had already pierced through the Level 1 Material Defensive Armor on his chest.

The deep blue light on that arm indicated it was made of Level 2 material, but how could such a piece of close-fitting armor exert such power?

One had to know that the reason exoskeleton armors were so formidable was because of the Enhancement Converter powered by Krypton Crystal, a device that occupied a large portion of the armor's surface area.

Of course, David was the only one here who didn't understand this; the horror in Captain Froman's eyes showed that he knew.

Captain Froman looked at the hole in his chest and the heart being gripped by the hand that had reached inside; he knew he was finished.

"You are a Sublimated..." Before he could finish, Gallen crushed his heart.

The light in Captain Froman's eyes faded, and the exoskeleton armor, having lost the control of its pilot, instantly lost power.

Gallen tossed Captain Froman's corpse aside and, with one hand, grabbed the spear that had been thrust toward him.

It was Crock who had thrust the spear, but this was also the final strike of his life.

Gallen gripped the spear and gave it a light shake. Crock's gauntlets, along with the hands protected within, shuddered violently, and the bones in Crock's hands shattered into pieces instantly.

As Crock released the spear, Gallen reversed the shaft and thrust it into Crock's chest. The immense force caused the Level 1 armor to be pierced as if it were paper.

Crock's heart was impaled by the spear shaft. He used his useless hands to clutch the shaft embedded in his heart, his eyes filled with a longing for life and a sense of liberation from the world. His story dissipated into the world along with his death.

"Ah!" Ed let out a howl like a wounded wolf. Under the influence of the Cell Activator, he feared neither life nor death, charging toward Gallen while bracing his great shield.

Gallen's expression remained unchanged as he reached out his hand once more. His deep blue right hand, sharp as the finest weapon in the world, pierced through the great shield again, and then through Ed's heart.

The last man, Fisher, was drawn by the sight of Gallen's slaughter and momentarily forgot his own enemies, only to be struck directly in the head by a warhammer.

Even with the effects of the Cell Activator and a Tier 1 material helmet, he could not withstand the dizziness from a direct head blow. Following that, the continuous strikes from several Liuguang Armored Warriors shattered his skull like a crushed watermelon.

David was not shocked by the brutal battle unfolding before him. At this moment, he sensed the Shadow Servant absorbing the four souls, and the feeling of comfort transmitted from the Shadow Servant's soul washed over him.

"Collect the spoils, and have the local police come to clean up this area!" Gallen commanded the five Liuguang Armored Warriors in a deep voice.

"Yes, my lord!" the five Liuguang Armored Warriors bowed and replied.

"Go back and increase your training on your own; you have disappointed me!" Gallen said with a wave of his hand.

The five Liuguang Armored Warriors were filled with shame. They had managed to mess up such an advantageous battle; despite having the upper hand in both equipment and numbers, they had suffered heavy losses against four mercenaries.