· Let Me!

Dual Blade Pierce!

At the vanguard of the party, Lu Qiming watched the approaching army of monsters and accelerated, swinging Divine Judgment down in a powerful cross-slash.

The sword aura, wreathed in terrifying killing intent, flew forth. The intersecting blades carved across the earth, leaving bottomless trenches in their wake as every monster blocking the path was instantly shredded into pieces.

"Charge! Keep up with Qiming!"

Behind him, Gareth watched the path Lu Qiming had cleared in an instant, brandishing his giant axe and shouting as he followed suit.

"Wait, fall back!"

Suddenly, Finn, standing beside Riveria, let out a shout, calling a halt to the group as they sprinted toward the Corrupted Spirit.

In an instant, Lu Qiming and the others stopped their charge and returned to Finn's side without a moment's hesitation. Even Lu Qiming would not doubt Finn's decision at a time like this, for he trusted Finn's judgment!

"My thumb has been throbbing; something is coming!"

Finn didn't wait for them to ask, speaking up immediately.

"Roar, O Earth!"

Just then, the Corrupted Spirit in the distance revealed a twisted, eerie smile, and a massive dark purple magic circle instantly expanded beneath her.

"An incantation?"

Ais stared at the enormous magic circle, feeling a lingering fear. If they hadn't retreated just now and had taken that hit head-on, they would have been dead or severely wounded.

"Come, come, come. Shell of the earth, flash of black iron, scourge of the stars. Reverse the contract of creation."

"Monsters can chant? You've got to be kidding me!"

Tione stared at the Corrupted Spirit in disbelief. How could a monster possibly chant?

"And it's a super-long incantation at that?"

Riveria looked toward the Corrupted Spirit in confusion. Using a super-long incantation at a time like this—had she not seen half of the new monster species wiped out by Lu Qiming's single strike just moments ago?

"Riveria, set up a barrier!"

Suddenly, Finn noticed something and shouted out.

"Lefiya, Qiming, stop the enemy's chant! Ais, Bete, Tione, you three protect Riveria with me!"

"Yes!"

"Understood!"

At this moment, the remaining half of the monsters Lu Qiming had decimated launched a frenzied attack, and new monsters continuously emerged from the surroundings to join the siege.

"Dance, Spirit of the Atmosphere, Lord of Light. Form a contract with the Guardian of the Forest."

Beside them, Riveria began her incantation immediately.

"Lefiya, let's strike together!"

Lu Qiming shouted, leaping into mid-air. After channeling power into Divine Judgment, he swung it directly at the Corrupted Spirit, sending a tangible blade of aura flying toward her.

"Rain of Fire Arrows!"

Below, a crimson magic circle manifested behind Lefiya, and dozens of fire arrows followed closely behind Lu Qiming's attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The violent barrage kicked up clouds of black smoke around the Corrupted Spirit.

As the smoke cleared, it revealed the Corrupted Spirit's body encased in petals. The originally pink petals had turned purple, shimmering with magical light. As the petals opened, the Corrupted Spirit stood unscathed.

"It was completely useless?"

Lefiya stared at the Corrupted Spirit in disbelief.

"Tch! I suppose it's a bit of a stretch without activating Musou!"

Lu Qiming landed beside Lefiya and kicked a Man-eating Flower Monster to pieces just as it poked its head out to ambush her.

"Thank you, Qiming!"

"Don't mention it."

Lu Qiming waved his hand and looked at the Corrupted Spirit, who had begun chanting again. It was too late to activate Musou now, but he wouldn't let the Corrupted Spirit have another chance to cast magic—not even if she used "High-Speed Incantation"!

"Shatter the sky, crush the earth, build the bridge, become the heavens. The axe of the sky falls like a rainstorm, a calamity of destruction."

At this moment, Riveria's incantation from the rear accelerated.

"Embrace us with the song of the earth, surround us. Become a massive barrier of forest light, protect us, for my name is Alf!"

As Riveria chanted, the Corrupted Spirit's incantation across the field grew ever more intense.

"By the name of the proxy, I command.

The name bestowed upon me is [Earth Spirit].

Incarnation of the earth, Queen of the earth!"

"Everyone, retreat into Riveria's barrier!"

At this moment, Finn, who had just skewered a new type of monster before him with his spear, shouted out and retreated alongside the others to Riveria's side.

"Meteor Swarm!"

"Via Sillheim!"

Both great magics finished chanting simultaneously. A golden barrier instantly enveloped the group from above, while countless golden magic circles floated around Lu Qiming and the others, shielding them.

Opposite them, above the Corrupted Spirit, the purple-black magic circle that had been beneath its feet appeared in the sky, and countless meteors wreathed in flames slammed toward the group.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Massive meteors struck the barrier repeatedly, causing the golden shield to tremble violently. Riveria gripped her staff tightly, pouring all her strength into maintaining the barrier.

"The barrier is wavering!"

"Hold on, Riveria!"

"I know!"

Riveria gritted her teeth, focusing entirely on keeping the barrier stable.

A few minutes later, the sound of the meteors bombarding the outside finally ceased.

"Has it stopped?"

Tiona looked outside the barrier uncertainly. She saw that the ground surrounding them had completely vanished; everywhere except for the area covered by the barrier had been turned into deep craters, within which crimson flames continued to burn.

"This is the power of a Spirit."

Lefiya gazed at the devastated earth outside, her expression darkening. If Riveria's barrier hadn't held, then they...

"Too arrogant. Now it's our turn!"

Bete remained completely unmoved by the land destroyed by the Corrupted Spirit's magic. He stared fixedly at the Corrupted Spirit not far away and began to walk outside the barrier.

"Wait, Bete!"

"Huh?"

"It's not over yet!"

Finn held up his throbbing thumb.

"What!"

Bete glanced at Finn's trembling thumb and hurriedly looked toward the Corrupted Spirit outside.

Opposite the group, the Corrupted Spirit wore a cruel smile. It spread its arms as if embracing the sky and began to chant once more.

"Burst forth, flames.

Burn, burn, burn.

Tornado of flames, barrier of crimson lotus, roar of hellfire.

Borrow the power of the gale to seal the world.

Ignite the sky, ignite the earth, ignite the ocean."

"So fast!"

Lefiya, hearing the speed of the Corrupted Spirit's chant, couldn't help but cry out.

"Is it coming again? Even after casting such a massive spell just now!"

Gareth looked in shock at the Corrupted Spirit, which was now surrounded by a crimson magic circle. This completely defied common sense!

"Riveria, let me handle this!"

After saying this, Lu Qiming's body transformed into a black shadow, and he charged straight out of the barrier.

Opposite him, the Corrupted Spirit glanced at Lu Qiming rushing out of the barrier, smiled disdainfully, and accelerated its chanting speed even further.

"This is the salute of fury and sighs, this is the price paid with the life of the hero I love.

By the name of the proxy, I command.

The name bestowed upon me is [Fire Spirit].

Incarnation of fire, Queen of fire!

Fire Storm!"

The moment the Corrupted Spirit finished chanting, purple-black flames surged toward Lu Qiming like a tsunami, the terrifying heat instantly turning everything in its path into magma.

"Musou, Thunder Blade Shadow: Modified!"

While sprinting at high speed, Lu Qiming calmly watched the incoming purple-black flames. Lightning surged across his body, and Divine Judgment transformed into a forty-meter thunder blade, meeting the attack head-on.

Considering I've been climbing mountains all day and working hard, yet still managed to guarantee an update late at night, I trust you all will surely reward me with some recommendation votes and monthly tickets! (▽)