The heavy, spiked hammer in Grom's hand dragged across the ground, plowing a deep furrow. The scorching fighting spirit made the mud where the hammer head touched sizzle and emit white smoke.
His appearance was like a lifeline to the remaining Hungry Wolf Gang members on the verge of collapse, and they let out twisted cries:
"Boss! Boss is here!"
"Kill them! Kill those bastards!"
Grom's bloodshot eyes instantly locked onto Mark and the bodies of the fallen Hungry Wolf Gang members around Mark's team.
The violent murderous intent swept over like a tsunami, and the air became sticky and hot.
"Very good!" Grom's voice was as low as thunder. He slowly raised his giant hammer, pointing it directly at Mark. "A priest of the Church of Holy Light? You came to the Lore Swamp but didn't join the Church Legion under the Holy Knights. You must be a worthless person with no background. How dare you provoke our Rotten Ivy Alliance? Today, I will use your skull as my wine glass!"
The heavy hammer, with a shrill sound that tore through the air and engulfed in destructive red magic power, smashed down on Mark's head without any fanfare!
The power contained in this blow can even smash the city walls made of magical materials into pieces.
However, the wild, fighting smile on Mark's face remained unchanged.
Instead of blocking or dodging, he made a move that no one expected.
“Bang—!”
A dull and loud metallic collision sound resounded throughout the chaotic black street!
Mark thrust the ferocious cross-shaped giant sword in his hand into the muddy and gravel ground under his feet like a javelin!
The huge sword body, carrying an overwhelming force, instantly penetrated nearly halfway into the ground, leaving only a cross hilt nearly half a meter high exposed on the ground, which directly turned into a huge black cross.
At the junction of the cross and the ground, the hard stone slabs and mud cracked, forming a spider-web-like shallow pit.
At the same time, Mark crossed his arms in front of his chest and clenched his fists. A layer of holy light like liquid gold instantly rose from his fists, covering his arms to his shoulders!
The light was not dazzling, but it had a texture as heavy as a mountain and indestructible.
"boom--!!!"
Grom's hammer smashed into the air above the cross stuck in the ground.
In other words, it hit Mark's arms that were instantly crossed to block!
A deafening explosion occurred!
The crimson violent magic power and the condensed golden holy light collided violently, forming a circle of shock waves visible to the naked eye, which pushed the mud and gravel on the surrounding ground several meters away, forming a short-term circular vacuum zone!
Grom felt as if his sledgehammer had struck a mountain made of refined gold. The recoil made his arms numb and his knuckles hurt so much that his tall body was actually knocked back two steps!
Mark's feet took root, and his arms covered with holy light steadily caught the terrifying blow, and his crossed arms did not even tremble.
The ground beneath his feet cracked again, but his body did not move at all!
Only the crack where the cross was stuck in the ground widened a little.
"Ha, you're quite powerful." Mark shook the holy light on his arms, making a slight crackling sound. His smile became even more unbridled, with a hint of ridicule. "But, with this little ability, you think you can dominate the Lor Swamp? It seems this place isn't that great either!"
Grom steadied himself, his bell-like eyes filled with disbelief and horror.
The opponent didn't use any weapons, but only relied on his arms that were imbued with holy light to withstand his full-strength attack?
The condensation of this holy light far exceeded that of any person from the Church of Holy Light that he had ever seen. Even the genuine knights of the Holy Knights that he had seen from afar should not be able to match it!
"Monica, Enzo, Anna," Mark said, not turning around, his eyes blazing at the livid Grom. His voice was clear but filled with undeniable fighting spirit. "Leave this guy to me. You keep an eye on the surroundings and don't let any small fry disturb our interest! It's rare to find such a 'pure' high-level combat professional!"
Mark specifically emphasized the word "pure", obviously not referring to those guys who rely on system skills and panels.
The Grom in front of him had some personal understanding, just like when Enzo trained them.
"Hmph." Monica snorted coldly, her wine-red eyes sweeping over the remaining members of the Hungry Wolf Gang who were silent as a mouse, as well as the eyes lurking in the shadows farther away. The dagger at her fingertips stopped turning, carrying a cold deterrent.
She understood Mark's desire to test his combat skills, especially in such a chaotic environment, where actual combat was the best whetstone.
"Tsk, all my strength is wasted!" Enzo muttered dissatisfiedly, but still retracted the rune forging hammer that was about to hit Grom's back of the head, and vigilantly protected the team's flank.
Anna's emerald green eyes flashed with understanding, and she lowered the elven longbow in her hand slightly, letting the natural magic flow quietly to prevent any sneak attacks.
Xiao Mu trembled slightly on Mark's shoulder, making a subtle buzzing sound, as if cheering for his master.
Grom was instantly completely enraged by Mark's words and gesture, and at the same time felt a chill.
The other party actually treated him as a whetstone!
This is such a shame and humiliation!
"Arrogant! I will tear you apart!" Grom roared wildly, and the red magic power surged again. Like a burning fire giant, he swung the giant hammer and launched an even more crazy attack.
Each hammer strike was powerful and heavy, carrying the might to tear the earth apart. The wind from the hammer whistled, sweeping up the mud and gravel on the ground.
However, the rhythm of the battle was completely under Mark's control.
Facing Grom's violent hammering, Mark took brisk and strange steps, his body swaying from side to side like a slippery fish, sometimes dodging sideways, and sometimes using his arms covered with holy light to accurately block and release the force.
He did not try to take the strongest point of the hammer head-on, but instead guided Grom's attack.
The heavy hammer repeatedly hit the ground, the wall, or the cross sword he had inserted into the ground, splashing large amounts of gravel and mud, but it was never able to effectively hit Mark's body.
Mark's movements were wide and his fists kept punching out, carrying condensed holy light, either smashing, slapping, or intercepting.
Each time it would hit the side of Grom's hammer, the joints of his arms, or even the weak points of his body's defense.
Every time the heavy holy light magic came into contact with him, Grom felt his arms tingle and his blood boil, as if he was being hit repeatedly by a battering ram.
“Too slow!”
"Left! Right!"
"Pull harder! Haven't you eaten? How can you become a Berserker with your strength?"
Mark playfully dodged and blocked while making sarcastic comments, his voice clearly audible amidst Grom's deafening roar and hammering.
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