Dying with eyes wide open.
The headless corpse spurted blood like a fountain, gushing a few times with a squelching sound, then fell to the ground, dyeing the surrounding ground blood red.
Zayen did not give them even a single breath to recover.
He slowly raised his hand.
In the next second—
Tsssss—!
Countless golden swords materialized in the air.
They shimmered like divine weapons forged from condensed sunlight, each blade humming with terrifying killing intent.
In an instant, the sky above Wave and his three remaining teammates was filled with floating swords.
They were completely surrounded.
Wave's crimson pupils shrank violently. Even with Flora's enhancement still flowing through his body, he felt an unprecedented sense of danger.
Zayen's expression remained indifferent.
"You wanted to tear me into ten thousand pieces?"
"Then let me show you what ten thousand blades truly looks like."
With a gentle downward motion of his fingers—
All the golden swords descended.
Like falling rain.
"Care of Mother!"
Flora suddenly raised both hands high.
A brilliant emerald light burst from her body, expanding outward in a circular dome. The aura was warm, gentle—yet astonishingly firm. Vines of light intertwined within the barrier, forming layers upon layers of protection.
The falling golden swords struck the shield—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks exploded in every direction.
"Everyone behind Flora!" Wave roared.
His massive white werewolf lunged backward, grabbing the lightning user and dragging him behind the emerald barrier. The remaining long-haired teammate stumbled in as well, blood dripping from his shoulder.
The golden blades hammered down relentlessly.
Each impact caused the green dome to tremble violently. Cracks of light began to spread across its surface. Flora's face paled instantly, her arms shaking as she poured all her energy into maintaining the skill.
"This… I can hold on for much longer!" she gritted through clenched teeth.
Outside the barrier, the golden rain showed no signs of slowing.
Zayen just stood there with an indifferent expression.
The emerald barrier trembled violently under the endless rain of blades.
Cracks of light spread like spiderwebs across its surface.
Flora's breathing became ragged. Blood slowly trickled from the corner of her lips as her knees began to buckle.
"Hold it!" Wave roared, pressing one clawed hand against the inside of the barrier, pouring his energy into it. His white fur was already soaked crimson, but he forced himself to stand tall.
After a few more seconds, the attack stops. Wave and the remaining three barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly every golden sword embedded in the ground began to tremble.
Seeing this, Wave's pupils shrank once more. "Damn…!"
With a subtle upward motion of Zayen's hand—
All the swords rose simultaneously.
Thousands of golden blades tore themselves free from the earth and trees, hovering once more in the air.
This time, they did not fall randomly. They aimed at the single emerald dome below.
Flora's face turned completely pale. "I—I can't—"
Zayen's eyes were still cold.
"Break."
The swords shot forward at once, in a single concentrated wave of destruction.
"Boom boom boom!"
The emerald barrier shattered instantly.
It exploded into fragments of green light.
The shockwave blasted outward.
Wave was thrown backward, slamming into a shattered tree trunk. The lightning user was pierced through the shoulder and thigh, nailed to the ground by two golden blades. The last long-haired team member tried to raise his weapon to the bloke.
But three swords pinned him to the earth before he could even complete the motion.
As for Flora, she collapsed to her knees. Her face was extremely grim.
She hadn't expected that with all of them together, they still wouldn't gain any advantage at all when facing Zayen.
Instead, they were repeatedly injured.
And looking at Zayen, he held the Blacksteel Katana, calm and composed, showing no signs of injury.
Zayen still stood in his original spot, holding the Blacksteel Katana, looking at Wave and his three remaining teammates on the ground.
The blade before Flora's face lowered slightly, its sharp edge grazing her skin just enough to draw a thin line of blood.
Wave struggled to lift his head, fury and despair mixing in his crimson eyes.
Zayen looked at them. His expression remained indifferent as he said quietly, "Wasn't it you who wanted me dead?
"I…" Flora's lips trembled, and she was about to say something.
But a bright light suddenly flashed before her eyes, and then she saw a headless female corpse appear before her.
And that body was so familiar…
"Zayen, I beg you, spare me! We just followed Wave here. …"
The other two members, seeing Flora instantly beheaded by Zayen, were so frightened that they immediately knelt and begged for mercy.
"Yes! Zayen, spare our dog's lives! We will never appear before you again! You are a magnanimous person; just treat us like farts and let us go. …"
The two knelt on the ground, kowtowing like pounding garlic, begging Zayen to spare them.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. There is one mean person still waiting for me to kill him."
Zayen said indifferently, swinging the Blacksteel Katana without acknowledging their pleas for mercy.
This was a new world; if begging for mercy worked, then what was the point of strength?
the distance, Wave's heart was filled with extreme dread.
With all five of them together, they still couldn't do anything to him.
If he were to rashly charge forward again, it would only be a futile sacrifice of his life.
Now, he only had one thought in his mind.
Escape!
The farther he escaped, the better.
As the saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years.
I will seek revenge later when I have the opportunity; it's not too late.
At this moment, Wave had completely lost his fighting spirit and was utterly terrified by Zayen.
Unfortunately, from the moment Zayen became serious, his fate was sealed.
"Humph."
Looking at Wave, who was turning to flee, Qin Xuan's entire body erupted with golden energy, and he appeared abruptly beside Wave, the fleeing werewolf body, as if teleporting.
His speed was so fast that it looked like he had teleported.
The Blacksteel Katana in his hand was enveloped in a layer of gilding light, instantly covering it, and the blade light instantly surged dozens of meters.
Zayen aimed at Wave's wolf heads and swung his blade fiercely.
Wave felt the threat of death closing in from behind.
His fur stood on end.
With a savage roar, he twisted his massive body mid-stride and swung both wolf claws backward with all his strength. Golden energy gathered around his claws, condensing into sharp crescent arcs as he counterattacked in desperation.
"Raaaagh!"
The claws and blade collided.
BOOM—!
A violent shockwave exploded outward, flattening the surrounding trees. The ground cracked beneath their feet as energy surged in chaotic waves.
Wave's arms trembled from the impact.
He immediately leapt backward, claws digging deep trenches into the soil as he forced distance between himself and Zayen.
Breathing heavily, blood dripping from his severed claw tips, his crimson eyes flickered with calculation.
Zayen stepped forward, golden light gathering once more along his katana. He intended to follow up immediately—
But suddenly, something appeared in Wave's hand.
Wave flicked his wrist and hurled a dark spherical object toward Zayen.
At the same time—
A red card materialized in his other hand.
The instant Zayen saw it, his expression changed slightly.
He recognized that red card immediately.
A Teleportation Card.
The exact same kind he kept inside his own storage ring.
The dark sphere exploded midair—
A blinding flash erupted, accompanied by thick black smoke and a violent surge of chaotic energy meant to disrupt perception and spiritual sense.
Wave crushed the red card without hesitation.
Scarlet light wrapped around his massive werewolf body.
"Zayen—!" Wave roared from within the smoke, voice filled with hatred and unwillingness. "Next time… I will tear you apart!"
Zayen's golden blade sliced through the smoke instantly, dispersing it in a single arc—
But he was a fraction too late.
The space where Wave stood twisted violently—
Then it collapsed inward, and the red light vanished.
Wave was gone.
Only the faint smell of blood and burnt fur remained in the air.
"I thought they were some formidable opponents, but it turns out they were just this?"
After doing everything, Zayen's face was full of disdain, and then he put away the Blacksteel Katana.
In this battle, he only used fifty percent of his combat power. Even so, these five useless guys couldn't withstand even a single decisive strike.
At this moment, another violent commotion came from the surrounding trees, as if something was coming down from them.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Three enormous monkeys leaped down from the surrounding trees, directly blocking Zayen's path.
Zayen then heard more movement coming from the surrounding trees.
When he looked around, his expression darkened.
The trees were filled with spirit monkeys, their figures crowding the branches in every direction. There were simply too many of them.
He quickly assessed their levels.
The three massive monkeys in front of him were the only ones at Level 4.
As for the rest, most of them were at Level 2 and Level 3, densely packed among the trees and surrounding him completely.
Looking at the Spirit Monkeys surrounding him, Zayen's expression completely darkened.