"Snap!"
After the crack was split open, the four arms of Rena Guyu that were gripping the sword hilt also simultaneously emitted a crisp sound of bones shattering.
The Greatsword, which served as both a Psychic Power vessel and a transmitter, had fulfilled its mission.
Starting from the tip of the sword, it turned to ashes inch by inch, drifting away in all directions along with the raging airflow caused by the impact with the barrier.
The killing move, forged by the sacrifice of three bishops, could only unleash these two all-out attacks in the end.
Rena Guyu's body plummeted downwards due to gravity, her gray robes fluttering in the gale.
The divinely chosen body had long exceeded its capacity; its meridians were broken, its muscles were dissolving, and even the strength to maintain the Psychic Power was rapidly diminishing.
His purple eyes remained calm as his gaze swept over the bewildered Luna on the ground.
And seven Chaos Knight, poised to unleash their power, finally landed on the ever-expanding crack in the barrier above their heads.
That's enough.
This sword strike has already cracked a fissure in the hard tortoise shell, and the key to breaking the deadlock has been found.
"Waste!"
Luna's shrill voice pierced the deathly silence within the barrier.
She watched the cracks spreading rapidly above her head, her heart pounding wildly.
She never imagined that the Nine-Sided Spirit-Sealing Barrier she had meticulously researched for so long would be breached by an Xenos creation that had severed the connection to the main nest.
She abruptly raised her sorcery staff, inlaid with multifaceted crystals, and the blue crystal at the top of the staff emitted a blinding, eerie light.
Countless twisted Chaos runes spread out from beneath her feet, climbing upwards along the inner wall of the barrier.
These runes, like a swarm of worms drawn by the scent of blood, frantically rushed toward the cracks, attempting to glue the shattered barrier back together.
"Want to break this deadlock? Not so easy!" Luna's voice trembled slightly as she poured out her magic, her lips pressed into a tight line beneath her hood.
If she had just ten more minutes—no, just a few more minutes—she could stabilize the barrier structure again and completely trap the dying insect inside.
But she forgot one thing.
Inside the barrier, the flow of time slows down a hundredfold; outside the barrier, a sufficiently long time has already passed.
Beneath the dome of the third underground level of Saint Garus Castle, and atop the spiral staircase, a dense array of heavy weaponry positions had already been erected.
Lynn stood on the central command platform, his feet resting on scattered rubble and metal components, a tactical terminal in his hand.
On the terminal screen, the energy reading of the Nine-Sided Spirit-Sealing Barrier was fluctuating steadily, while the time flow rate comparison value next to it was glaringly obvious.
For every second that passes inside, nearly two minutes have passed outside.
Two hours had passed between the arrival of the Vanguard outside the barrier and the opening of the first crack by Guyu.
Within two hours, the Vanguard battalion had set up twenty-seven firing positions here.
It is sufficient to deploy all twelve twin-mounted heavy explosive shells, eight Melta annihilation cannons, and fifteen plasma cannon arrays.
All the gunners had calibrated their firing parameters and were aiming intently at the dome area where the barrier energy was most concentrated.
" Lynn, a crack has appeared." A cold voice echoed in Lynn's mind.
Lynn looked up at the dark blue barrier dome below and saw a deep purple sword mark break through the smooth barrier, with cracks spreading outwards at a visible speed.
Without the slightest hesitation, he swung his arm downwards sharply:
"Full fire! Smash it open!"
The moment the order was given, all the cannons simultaneously spewed out blazing flames.
The armor-piercing shell from the Macro-cannon, trailing a dark red flame, slammed into the edge of the crack, and the shockwave from the explosion caused the already fragile barrier wall to tremble violently.
The orange-red beam of the Melta Cannon struck the same point precisely, and the high temperature of thousands of degrees caused the dark blue energy wall to sizzle and melt.
The plasma projector unleashed streaks of blue ions, and the resulting energy ripples repeatedly pounded against the barrier's structure like heavy hammers.
The booming sound of cannons echoed back and forth in the empty underground hall, causing dust to fall from the steps.
The dazzling flames rose and fell, casting shifting shadows on Lynn's cold, handsome profile.
Inside the barrier, violent tremors emanated from the dome, and shattered energy fragments fell like broken glass.
Luna looked up abruptly, her face turning deathly pale as she stared at the barrier wall above her, which was being dented by artillery fire.
There are people outside!
The Vanguard, armed with heavy firepower, blocked the outside of the barrier!
She desperately urged her staff to reinforce the dome's defenses, but under the combined attack from both inside and outside, the speed at which the cracks expanded not only did not slow down, but instead became faster and faster.
The dark blue runes had barely been applied when they were blasted to shreds by the outer layer of artillery fire, lasting less than half a second.
"Damn it, damn it!" Luna gritted her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She knew the barrier couldn't hold.
If this drags on any longer, the moment the barrier completely shatters, the cannons outside will level this place to the ground, blasting her into dust along with it.
But she, Luna St. Garus, never lacks trump cards.
She withdrew her staff, ignoring the crumbling barrier, and instead turned and floated toward the sorcery altar behind her.
A crazed light surged in his eyes beneath the mask, while a twisted smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Since you've come up with this idea, I'll prepare a big gift for you.
But this fluctuation was quickly noticed by Rena Guyu.
" Lynn, Luna has given up on repairing the barrier."
"She's initiating some kind of Warp ritual; the energy level is very high."
Guyu's voice entered Lynn's mind again through the soul link, carrying a hint of barely perceptible weakness.
She was currently suspended in mid-air, relying on her last bit of Psychic Power to stabilize herself, pretending that she still had the strength to fight.
He didn't even have the strength to lift his hand; he could only watch helplessly as the runes on the altar lit up one by one.
"Ceremony completion status?" Lynn's voice immediately rang in his mind, without the slightest panic.
"I don't know, but it should be soon, and it's accelerating."
She mentally calculated for a moment and then said again:
"Before the barrier completely breaks, the internal time flow rate is still ten times slower. According to the outside time, you have less than ten minutes left."
Ten minutes.
Lynn's gaze swept over the ten Plague-Cleansing Apostles were already waiting at his side.
These apostles differed from ordinary grey-robed believers; they were taller, and dark purple veins were faintly visible beneath their skin.
The Psychic Power core in her chest cavity had been artificially catalyzed to its limit; it was a " Psychic Power detonator" that Rena had specifically cultivated for the Psychic Power barrier.
Each detonation is equivalent to the uncontrolled self-destruction of a β-level Psyker, having an extremely destructive effect on the energy structure.
"Go," Lynn said, uttering only two words.
The ten apostles bowed in unison, without uttering a single last word or hesitating for a moment.
They turned and leaped off the towering firing platform, like ten bombs dropped, plummeting straight down towards the crumbling barrier below.
The wind rushed into their robes, whistling like some kind of missile hurtling towards them.
When they were still several meters away from the barrier, a blinding purple light simultaneously shone from the chests of all ten people.
"Boom!!!"
Ten deep purple Psychic Power fireballs exploded one after another on the outer wall of the barrier, and the violent Psychic Power shockwaves slammed into the already riddled barrier.
Outside, there was the continuous bombardment of the Macro-cannon and the Melta; inside, there were the deadly cracks cleaved by Guyu, plus ten pinpoint explosions of β-level Psychic Power -destruction.
The Nine-Sided Spirit-Sealing Barrier, which had been barely holding on, finally came to an end.
External time: 9 minutes and 58 seconds.
"Crack! Boom!!"
With a deafening roar, the dark blue barrier shattered completely.
Countless fragments of energy transformed into a shower of light, scattering throughout the dimly lit underground hall, creating a magnificent blue rain.