After entering Castle Morne, Lin Luo first put away the Black Sword and took out the Moonveil from his inventory pouch.
If he remembered correctly, Castle Morne had many Scaled Misbegotten. The Black Sword was a colossal sword and too slow to swing, while Moonveil was a katana with incredible speed. Moreover, its Combat Art, Moonlight Slash, not only had a fast startup but was also especially flashy.
Lin Luo raised his hand and activated the Site of Grace, looking thoroughly familiar with the process, then headed toward the elevator at the end of the corridor.
To be honest, Lin Luo had never felt that Castle Morne looked much like a castle. It was barely the size of a palm and backed against the sea. At best, it could be called a fortress. They might as well rename it Morne Fortress.
Still, everything existed for a reason, and the purpose of this fortress—no, Castle Morne—was to protect one of the "legendary swords," the Grafted Blade Greatsword.
As he thought about it, the elevator reached the top. A foul stench of corpses mixed with the smell of burning wafted over, making it easy to imagine what sort of tragedy had occurred here.
Following the stairs upward, he was met with corpses strewn everywhere.
The bodies had all been burned black, with severed limbs and mangled remains scattered about. The few large trees planted in the castle had endured the corrosion of these fumes day after day, using corpses as nourishment. Their golden leaves had already turned black, presenting a bizarre sight.
Lin Luo looked up and saw a small, charred mountain. He had no idea what the sticky fluid coating it was, while dozens of Scaled Misbegotten raised their hands and worshipped the corpse kneeling at its summit.
Maybe they were. Maybe they were not. But there was no denying that the sight was horrifying.
Perhaps it caught the scent of fresh flesh, but a wild dog chewing happily on a corpse nearby raised its head.
"Woof!"
(Though it felt a little awkward, this was the only word he could use.)
The wild dogs beside it, their heads down and rumps in the air, all turned to look at him. Their eyes were filled with ferocity, their bared teeth still stained with dark red blood.
"Woof! Woof!"
The pack of wild dogs immediately lunged at him with incredible speed, their target clear: Lin Luo's throat.
"Get lost!"
Lin Luo snorted and drew his blade in an Iaido strike. Blue-white—
Sword energy instantly cut the foremost wild dog in two.
There was no use trying to kite these wild dogs. Unless his FP bar was long enough for him to use Bloodhound Step and glide dozens of meters nonstop, these mangy mutts would chase him to the ends of the earth until they bit him to death.
Lin Luo shifted slightly to the side, and several wild dogs brushed past the hem of his clothes. Vile liquid dripped beside him, making him shake his head in disgust.
The dogs reacted quickly. The moment they landed, they pounced at Lin Luo again, their gaping maws exuding a nauseating stench.
"All of you, die!"
Lin Luo said viciously.
His right hand rested at his waist as he bent forward slightly.
"Moonlight Slash!"
Blue-white light erupted once more, releasing an extreme blade intent. Moonveil left its sheath and slashed downward. Before the wild dogs could even cry out, they were cleaved in half.
Dark red blood splattered across the ground, yet not a trace remained on the blade. A weapon that did not stain with blood was enough to judge its quality.
Putting away his weapon, Lin Luo looked deeper into Castle Morne. The Misbegotten were still praying for something and had not noticed the commotion here.
The Pumpkin Head Soldier at the very back was still snoring soundly.
"Killing them one by one is too troublesome. Looks like I'll have to use that move..."
Lin Luo licked his lips, having formed a plan.
He took Crepe's Vial from his inventory pouch. Its function was simple: it erased the sound of his footsteps.
The instant he took it out, Lin Luo immediately felt as if he were stepping on a thin, soft membrane.
Lin Luo smiled. Whether they lived or died was anyone's guess.
Lin Luo sprinted toward the enormous Misbegotten atop the little mountain, kicked it as soon as he arrived, then slashed each of the surrounding Misbegotten once.
When had the Scaled Misbegotten ever suffered such humiliation? Seeing that the intruder was merely a reckless Tarnished made their anger flare even hotter. Raising their great swords and axes, they charged toward Lin Luo.
Lin Luo was utterly unafraid. One Bloodhound Step dodged ten thousand skills, and he ran straight toward the Pumpkin Head Soldier. That soldier was nearsighted, so there was a good chance it would not see him.
So Lin Luo gave the Pumpkin Head Soldier's backside a vicious slash.
The Pumpkin Head Soldier immediately let out an enraged roar and struggled to its feet.
It gripped its enormous pumpkin hammer and glared furiously around.
"Become unseen..."
At the same time, Lin Luo lightly waved his staff. It was Night Sorcery, and its effect was simple: invisibility.
The nearsighted Pumpkin Head looked east and west before finally turning its gaze toward the Scaled Misbegotten in front of it.
The Misbegotten immediately sensed trouble and began chattering wildly, seemingly trying to explain themselves.
After all, they did not want to fight this thing either. Its hide was thick, and the spiked club in its hands did not look easy to deal with.
Unfortunately, they did not speak the same language. The Pumpkin Head only felt rage beyond measure. So these little beasts dared provoke him? Wasn't that like taking a dump on the head of a living god?
"Awooo!"
The Pumpkin Head roared in fury and smashed its huge pumpkin hammer into the Scaled Misbegotten. Two of them failed to dodge and were instantly turned into pulp.
Now the Scaled Misbegotten were unhappy. Trying to talk things out and it would not listen, huh? (Pumpkin Head: "That would require me to understand you!") It was really taking their goodwill for granted.
The axe-wielding Scaled Misbegotten at the front croaked twice. Several more Misbegotten ran over from behind the Pumpkin Head, another axe-wielding Misbegotten appeared near the entrance, and even the flying Misbegotten from the second floor came over.
One person and it still dared act so arrogant? Brothers, get it!
That was probably what the Misbegotten meant. Lin Luo watched with great interest and decided to add more fuel to the fire.
The Pumpkin Head Soldier looked thick-skinned. The Misbegotten's attacks felt like scratches, so they would probably have to fight until sunset.
Lin Luo smacked his lips, circled around the Pumpkin Head Soldier, and climbed to the second floor of Castle Morne via a small path nearby. The first floor was open-air, and the Misbegotten from the second floor had all gone down to help kill the Pumpkin Head, so it was absolutely safe for Lin Luo to cast spells here.
Watching the fierce battle below, Lin Luo revealed a bright smile.
"Little trash, experience the wrath of the Stars..."
"Meteorite of Astel!"
Lin Luo muttered an indistinct incantation. He did not actually need one, but wouldn't having lines make a spellcaster look more powerful? (Dog-head emoji.)
The Staff of the Death Prince danced through the air as countless purple meteors appeared overhead...
The Misbegotten and Pumpkin Head suddenly felt the sky darken, but they paid no attention. A life-or-death duel could not afford distraction. That was not a human trait, but an animal instinct.
Yet that instinct destroyed them.
Countless meteors suddenly fell from the sky, each one infused with Gravity Magic and carrying world-destroying power.
"Boom boom..."
Under the bombardment of this area-wide attack, explosions rang out without end. The Misbegotten wailed, and the Pumpkin Head Soldier roared furiously, but nothing could save them.
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