"Wh...what?"
The leader glanced at another cult member who had come with him in the attack, and saw that the cult member who had just been baring his teeth and claws was now lying on the ground, head and body separated, dead beyond any doubt.
He was clearly beheaded by Aster with a single sword strike.
"Still dare to get distracted?"
Before the person in charge could even react with surprise, Astaire seized the opportunity and swung his sword. The sword, wreathed in silvery-white light, hurtled toward the person in charge's neck.
Seeing this, the person in charge didn't have time to think too much. He raised his right hand to block the fatal blow, but his right hand was also severed at the root by the sword.
The person in charge took the opportunity to step aside, covering the spot where he had been slashed. Soon, a small, delicate hand grew out of the slashed spot, though it looked a size smaller than the previous one.
"Master, please be careful. He has the strength of a Gold-level expert and should be the leader of the Dedication Society."
Astaire tightened his grip on his shield. The commander's full-force attack had been devastating; his left hand, holding the shield, was still numb from the impact.
Linde stared intently at the leader in the distance. In his vision, the leader exuded an ominous aura of black and red, and the stench of blood and the evil whispers emanating from him were far stronger than those of ordinary low-level cultists.
The ominous aura that emanated from the scene seemed to be filled with the resentment and wails of those who were sacrificed before their deaths, making one feel a chill run down one's spine just by looking at it.
The person in charge stretched his newly grown, tender arm, cold sweat pouring down his pale forehead. He thought to himself, "Thank goodness. If I hadn't cut off my arm to save my life, I would definitely have been killed by that sword."
Thinking this, he clutched the clothes to his chest again. The core within his body was constantly agitated, and the agitation intensified after he had just used the power of the core.
"Damn it, why does a mere second son of an earl have such powerful guards?"
The person in charge gritted his teeth. He had originally planned to take advantage of the lords' immigration to blend into the immigrant procession and develop his power in remote areas, while also feeding his few newly converted followers.
On the way, they discovered that a well-equipped regular army was following the main force, and it was the Earl's personal guard. It was too late to suppress the bloodlust of his followers, so they had to secretly sacrifice a few under the cover of night.
Unexpectedly, this has provoked such a strong reaction from the second son of the count's family. When did these noble lords become so concerned about the lives of commoners?
Just as the person in charge was having a mental battle, Linde spoke up:
"You must be the head of the Contribution Society, right? It seems you have a base in the Earl's territory, enough to support a head-level person running around."
As the elite soldiers gradually surrounded him, the person in charge calmed down, staring intently at Linde, as if he had remembered something:
"What have you done? Why is our sacred core out of control?"
This is something that those in charge have never understood. The nuclear weapon, which was supposed to only explode upon death, is now acting out of control as if it had taken the wrong medicine, resulting in a significant reduction in their combat strength.
"Guess?" Lin De's smile deepened as he thought to himself, "It seems the activation halo is working."
As he spoke, he reached out and shook hands with the person in charge, effectively narrowing the scope of his aura.
The person in charge felt his core instantly spiral out of control the moment Linde's hand gripped it. He clutched his chest, managing only to utter, "God, please..."
A surging, immense power from an unknown entity burst forth from the core, instantly annihilating the remaining consciousness of the one in charge.
As the consciousness of the one in charge dissipated, it was replaced by a dark rage, and this evil power began to rapidly condense a terrifying body for him.
Its body kept growing larger, completely unlike its previous human form. Countless fleshy limbs kept growing on its bloated body, tearing away nearby skin to grow new limbs.
Before the body could fully materialize, Lind called out, "Alice!"
While Lind was talking to the person in charge, Alice behind him began chanting an obscure and difficult-to-understand spell.
"Wind power, suppress my enemy!"
As Alice continued chanting, countless stray magical energies began to rapidly gather, like a giant hand scooping up the magic and weaving it into a massive net of power.
As the chanting ended, visible wisps of green wind rapidly gathered around the person in charge.
A gust of wind swept through, instantly pressing the enormous body, which had grown to be over three meters tall, to the ground.
The bloated flesh emitted a deafening roar, a roar that was both a lament and a chant, and a scarlet light surged beneath those fleshy limbs, as if to vent its pain.
A flash of silver light appeared, and Aster raised his sword and precisely severed the red-glowing limbs, leaving horrific wounds on the massive body.
However, the effect was minimal. In no time, the horrific injuries gradually healed and showed signs of breaking free of control.
"Find his core, break the core!" Alice shouted to Lind while maintaining the spell.
Lind instantly understood, closed his eyes to carefully sense the location, and after finding the core, immediately pulled out an enchanted spear and threw it at Astaire, roaring:
"His core is in the very center of his torso; you throw it directly into the top of his head!"
Aster caught the javelin and in just a few steps, he was above the monster. He gripped the javelin tightly in his hand and threw it forcefully at the monster's torso with perfect form.
The steel spear flew out like a cannonball, disappearing into the monster's body as smoothly as if it had plunged into muddy liquid.
The monster froze after being hit, then let out a piercing wail, its numerous twisted limbs stretching upwards as if trying to grab something.
Then it exploded, scattering blood and limbs everywhere.
As the monster died, the surrounding crowd fell into an eerie silence, followed by a burst of cheers.
The surrounding soldiers shouted, "Long live the lord!"
The citizens hiding in the distance also shouted, "Holy God above... Holy God above! Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"
Linde looked at the spot where the monster had exploded, and as the last trace of evil energy dissipated, Linde finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Linde gave the order:
"Take a headcount for the casualties and treat the wounded!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers obeyed and left.
Linde walked toward the place where the last monster exploded. The blood and limbs scattered all over the ground made the once spacious area difficult to walk through.
Upon reaching the end, he saw the javelin embedded straight in the ground, and Lin De couldn't help but exclaim, "The Golden Warrior is indeed extraordinary; he feels terrifyingly strong."
If he were to throw the spear himself, he would surely get stuck on the monster's tough skin. If Astaire were to do it, he would definitely be able to pierce the monster's core in one strike.
Unfortunately, the monster left nothing behind after its death, except for the dagger that its master used to assassinate it when he was still human.
The dagger now lay at Lind's feet, its bloody and dark aura dissipated, leaving only a uniquely shaped ceremonial dagger.
Linde had initially thought the dagger would vanish with the death of its mastermind, but it now seemed that wasn't the case.
"They even dropped equipment? Let me see."
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