Boom—!!!

A deafening roar accompanied by blinding energy turbulence exploded violently! The wooden walls were instantly torn apart and shattered by the violent shockwave! Wood chips flew everywhere like a torrential rain!

Click!

A sickening metallic cracking sound rang out!

The greatsword, wreathed in filthy energy, was actually severed in two by Linde's sword of light, which had gathered all its power! The massive half of the sword spun out and embedded itself deeply in the wall!

"Ugh—!"

The giant let out a roar of pain mixed with disbelief. His massive body was thrown back by the violent force of the collision, his heavy plate boots leaving spiderweb-like cracks in the floor beneath his feet!

Linde's arm went numb from the recoil, and his blood surged, but he forcibly suppressed the discomfort, his eyes filled with even more killing intent!

Take advantage of your weakness and kill you!

He shattered the floor with one step, his body clinging to it like a bone-deep infection!

The longsword in his hand, its light still gleaming, transformed into a deadly streak of light, piercing straight into the gap in the giant's breastplate, which was wide open due to the destruction of his greatsword!

Pfft!

The longsword, infused with the power of light veins, sliced ​​through the dark purple plate armor with precision, like a hot knife through butter, and plunged deep into the giant's heart!

"Heh...heh..."

The giant's movements suddenly froze, and the wildly burning purple flames in his eyes quickly dimmed.

The foul black energy clinging to his body and his broken sword churned and dissipated violently, like snow meeting the scorching sun, emitting a mournful hissing sound.

Linde twisted his wrist sharply!

boom!

The remaining shadow energy within the giant's body exploded like a powder keg being ignited! It wasn't a physical explosion, but rather the annihilation of energy!

His massive body, as if all support had been drained, collapsed heavily to his knees, then fell forward to the ground, completely lifeless, leaving behind only shattered pieces of plate armor and rapidly dissipating filthy black smoke.

Linde didn't even glance at the fallen giant; his gaze, sharp as lightning, instantly locked onto the inside of the door that had been smashed open.

The room was ornately decorated yet eerily strange, but at this moment it was a complete mess.

A hidden passageway opened beneath a carpet in the corner of the room, revealing stone steps leading downwards.

The last faint but rapidly receding shadowy aura lingered at the entrance of the passage—the most crucial "cloaked figure" had just escaped inside!

“Nix!” Lind called out in a low voice.

"Meow! Leave it to me!"

Nix, who had been lurking in Lind's shadow, responded cheerfully, her voice filled with the excitement of a hunter.

A petite black figure, like a real black cat, suddenly darted out from the shadows beneath Linde's feet. It moved so fast that it left only a blurry trail in the air before plunging headfirst into the dark tunnel entrance and disappearing without a trace.

Linde did not give chase immediately.

He stood at the chaotic doorway, his active gaze sweeping across the luxurious yet eerie secret room like a searchlight.

The walls were adorned with eerie oil paintings depicting blasphemous rituals, and obsidian artifacts covered in twisted symbols were scattered in the corners. The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood, sulfur, and some kind of sweet incense.

A huge bed covered in scarlet velvet was particularly eye-catching, with some torn clothes scattered around it.

His gaze finally settled on the ornate desk in the center of the room, inlaid with tortoiseshell and ivory.

A thick book, bound in some kind of dark purple leather, lay open casually, with several sheets of parchment next to it covered in scribbles.

On the corner of the table, a fist-sized, jet-black metal sphere with tiny holes on its surface was emitting a faint magical fluctuation.

Linde stepped forward and picked up the parchment.

The text above was distorted and ancient, not a common language, but he instantly understood its meaning by using the effect of the deconstruction halo.

Fragmented and chilling content:

'Source Material' stability experiment... Samples 3-7 showed unexpected distortions... Activity far exceeded expectations... The craving for flesh and blood was irresistible... It is recommended to put it into actual combat for testing... The new formula has significant effects...

…Contact with the 'Ashbringer' has been established…The supply of replica energy cores from the Orc 'Heart of the Forge' workshop will arrive on the first day of next month…Make sure Pris cannot interfere with the reception…

…Report from 'Blood Tomb': Target 'Lind' has been blessed by the 'Holy Light'…Threat level raised to 'Annihilation'…

The Lord's Will: Prioritize capturing or completely purifying... their souls contain special 'seeds'...of extremely high value...

“'Source Matter'... Aberration... Ashbringer... Heart of the Forge... Capture and Purify..."

Linde's gaze swept over these keywords, his eyes growing colder.

This is not only the stronghold of the Sars people's "Shadow Grip", but also the hub for the Shadow Abyss forces to conduct "Source" experiments in the North, to connect with the Orc forces, and even to directly target him and Pris!

The cloaked figure who escaped is definitely not simple!

He put down the parchment and picked up the black metal sphere.

The deconstruction aura activated instantly, and a stream of information flooded into my mind:

> [Shadow Abyss Communication Core - Sub-entity]

> Status: Low power standby (receive mode)

> Function: Targeted reception of encrypted Shadow Abyss messages from a specific 'mother', requires specific mental energy fluctuations to activate.

> Structure: The core is an array of etched runes from the Shadowfiend, and the outer shell is made of energy-absorbing fel iron…

A communicator? A thought struck Lin De.

This means that the other party may contact their superiors at any time!

Just then, the tiny holes on the surface of the black metal sphere suddenly emitted an extremely faint, flickering purple light, like breathing!

At the same time, a subtle but clear, blasphemous, and icy fluctuation of mental energy, like an invisible tentacle, reached out from inside the sphere, seemingly trying to connect with some distant existence!

It's trying to send or receive information! Was it the cloaked figure who escaped? Or did the commotion here alert the "Matrix"?

Linde's eyes flashed, and without the slightest hesitation, pure and boundless light energy surged from his palm, pouring into the dark metal sphere like molten lava!

Sizzle—!!!

A piercing sound, like cold water being poured into boiling oil, erupted violently! The pitch-black sphere trembled violently in Lind's palm!

The purple light that appeared on the surface instantly became chaotic and unstable, and then, under the wash of the holy light, it quickly dimmed and went out like a candle in the wind!

The sturdy energy-absorbing magic iron shell on the surface of the sphere turned grayish-white and became covered with cracks at a speed visible to the naked eye! And from inside, there were faint sounds, like glass shattering!

In just two or three breaths, the metal sphere that had been emanating an ominous aura fell completely silent.

The purple light on the surface completely disappeared, and the cold spiritual energy fluctuations also vanished.

It turned into a cracked, dull piece of scrap iron, its intricate array of etched runes completely destroyed and annihilated by the power of the light veins!

"Want to send a message? Too late."

Linde casually tossed the piece of scrap metal onto the ground, making a dull thud.

He didn't linger, turned around and strode towards the open passageway.

Nix has already given chase; the cloaked figure carrying the important documents must not be allowed to escape! This secret passage must also be thoroughly investigated!