The defense was set up at the entrance of the mall, with bustling commercial districts on both sides. The line of guards formed a defensive wall, separating the monsters from the humans.
However, after multiple waves of assault, the once impregnable defense began to shake. Faced with the ferocious onslaught of monsters, even the armed officers started to panic. The submachine guns in their hands fired incessantly, but the effect was minimal.
There were just too many monsters, thousands upon thousands filling the horizon.
And more were constantly gathering from other directions.
With Luca’s current strength, it was impossible to deal with so many monsters, so the defense could not collapse under any circumstances.
The situation had to be stabilized first.
Luca quickly made a decision in his mind.
With a powerful push, the ground cracked and dirt flew as he shot forward like an arrow, directly into the sea of monsters.
“That way is dangerous, get back here!” One of the officers yelled immediately. His attention had been entirely focused on the monster horde and hadn’t noticed Luca, who had just shattered the Furious Demon Bear with a single kick.
“Follow me.” Without looking back, Luca spoke briefly, already reaching the edge of the monster horde.
“Roooar!!” One by one, the monstrous creatures, their bodies swirling with Demonic Energy, roared furiously upon seeing a human recklessly charging toward them. They opened their gaping mouths, eager to devour him.
But what greeted them was a dazzling silver light.
Starseeker was drawn from its sheath, its cold glimmer flashing!
The first monster in the front, its eyes widening in shock, suddenly had its head severed from its body with a single stroke, crashing to the ground.
Luca, still holding the long blade, didn’t pause, his body spinning swiftly.
Starseeker sliced through the air in a graceful arc, passing by the necks of several nearby monsters.
A series of blood blossoms erupted suddenly!
[Ding! You killed “Lv36 Crimson Flame Fox (Rare)”, earning 156,000 experience!]
[Ding! You killed “Lv38 Undead Ghoul (Common)”, earning 70,000 experience!]
[Ding! You killed “Lv45 Charmed Cat Demon (Rare)”, earning 360,000 experience!]
…
Streams of experience flooded into Luca’s body, and in the blink of an eye, a golden light began to shine around him.
[Your level has increased to 31, gaining 30 free attribute points!]
A game notification appeared in front of him.
When he killed the Furious Demon Bear earlier, Luca had already reached level 30.
He allocated all of his attribute points to Mental Power, not bothering with anything else, and dove straight back into the monster horde.
His movements were as nimble as a butterfly, and his speed so fast that afterimages were left behind in his wake.
The silver blade flashed continuously through the air.
The monsters couldn’t even react before their throats were slit with a single strike.
Blood sprayed, and the sounds of enraged roars and furious screams mixed together.
In the blink of an eye, Luca had killed seven or eight monsters with a single stroke each.
The people around them were all stunned in place at the sight.
At that moment, they felt as if they were witnessing a superhero.
So this is how powerful a human can be!
Donlow had already expected this, and a sense of relief involuntarily washed over her.
Every time she saw Luca arrive, she felt a deep sense of calm.
It was a belief that came from the heart, as though, as long as this figure stood before them, all turmoil would cease, and all storms would be blocked.
Beside her, Hairry stood frozen, staring at Luca’s back. Although she had heard of his legendary exploits back at Morning Star, witnessing it in person was a completely different experience.
While everyone else retreated in the face of the monster attack, here was a young man holding a long blade, charging fearlessly into the monster horde without a second thought, without hesitation.
What kind of courage and belief was that?
It wasn’t about strength, status, or appearance. In that moment, Hairry felt like she was seeing a brilliant sun, suddenly appearing before her, radiating with dazzling light, blinding and awe-inspiring!
At this moment, Luca, of course, had no idea what kind of impression he was leaving on others.
In his eyes, this was just another typical monster horde assault.
What he needed to do was swing his blade, swing his blade, and swing it again!
Starseeker pierced the heart of a massive constrictor, blood splattering across his face and body.
Experience surged into him, and he looked up.
At some point, he had reached the densest part of the monster horde.
All around him were countless monsters.
They bared their grotesque fangs, their faces twisted with malice, their blood-red eyes filled with nothing but greed and brutality. It was as though they wanted to crush every bone, every shred of flesh, and devour him whole.
These beasts had no humanity left in them; all that remained was the instinct to consume.
Blood dripped from the tip of his blade onto the ground.
Surrounded on all sides, Luca’s expression remained calm, his stance still strong. He didn’t take a single step back.
He had been in this situation countless times before. He had once been the one trembling in the crowd.
Until he witnessed others charging forward, paving a path with their lives, allowing him to walk over their bodies and continue on. Luca understood their belief, their faith, and why they did it, and how they should do it. Now, like in his past life, he had once again stepped onto the same path as they did, standing in front of everyone.
What he needed to do was take up his blade, throw everything else aside, and carve a path through the monster horde to the outside world!
Thousands upon thousands of people watched the figure in the monster horde. Some remained trapped in fear, unable to free themselves, while others felt something stir deep within them. The fear began to fade, and an inner strength exploded within them at that moment. Their gazes no longer wavered, replaced by a sense of determination.
They picked up their weapons and, under the confused gaze of those around them, they stepped forward and charged.
“They… do they not care about their lives?” a young man asked in shock.
“They’re crazy. Don’t mind them. We need to focus on escaping.” A middle-aged man, panic-stricken, ran toward the safety zone without even bothering to glance back.
The young man hesitated for a moment at the words, but in the end, he still took a step forward and followed.
However, the scene he had just witnessed was etched in his heart, lingering there, impossible to forget.
…
Meanwhile, outside Celephais, armored trucks drove in a neat line on the highway, each packed with fully armed soldiers, all speeding toward Celephais.
“How’s the situation on Celephais’ defensive line now?” Drumph asked, his graying brows tightly furrowed, the worry in his eyes never fading. This was the ninth time he had asked the same question during the journey.
Beside him, Coarmy dared not show even the slightest sign of impatience. He replied, “We just got word, Luca has already arrived. The situation has temporarily stabilized.”
“That kid’s already there?” Drumph froze for a moment when he heard this, then cursed, “Damn kid, I thought he’d run off.”
Despite the words, a sigh of relief escaped him. Luca seemed to have some kind of magical power; the moment he appeared, it was as though people’s hearts were calmed.
“Tell everyone to speed up. We need to get there and assist.” Drumph soon made a decision, but for some reason, he couldn’t shake the thought of what had happened before.
By the time they arrived, would that kid have killed all the monsters again?
As it turned out, he had.
When Drumph led the army at full speed to the defensive line, the first thing they saw was a scene drenched in blood, with a lone figure standing amidst the countless monster corpses.
The once pristine streets had long been stained red with monster blood. The corpses of the creatures were piled up like mountains, severed limbs and broken arms scattered all around.
People holding weapons stood in the middle of the street, their clothes soaked in blood. But despite the carnage, they were smiling—grinning with immense satisfaction.
Who said that only the strong can defeat monsters?
The truth proved otherwise: even ordinary people could slay these beasts!
And standing at the very front of them all was a tall figure.
His clothes were also soaked in blood, his appearance somewhat unclear. Yet, at that moment, both Drumph and Coarmy immediately knew exactly who he was.
Luca!
Even without a clear view of his face, they could instantly recognize the unique aura around him. The calm that radiated from within, born of his own confidence and experience.
“You guys are a bit late,” Luca noticed their arrival and turned around, immediately spotting Drumph and Coarmy. He couldn’t help but tease them.
Coarmy opened his mouth.
But for a moment, he didn’t know what kind of attitude he should adopt when looking at the person before him. In that instant, facing Luca, he almost felt as though he was somehow smaller.
Drumph, having seen far more and dealt with far more, quickly regained his composure. He shouted angrily at the soldiers beside him, “What are you standing there for? Get the damn defensive line set up again!”
The adjutant, who had been stunned, snapped out of it. He shivered and quickly ordered the nearby soldiers, “Everyone, set up the defensive line immediately!”
The monsters outside Celephais hadn’t been fully cleared yet, and it wasn’t time to rest. A group of soldiers quickly began repositioning the defense line along the blood-soaked path that Luca and his group had carved through the monster horde.
Once everything was in order, Drumph’s suppressed emotions finally exploded.
He marched forward and gave Luca a huge hug, his face filled with excitement as he clapped Luca’s shoulder with great force. “Finally, I get to see you again, you little brat! Where the hell have you been these last few days?”
“Ah! Easy, easy!” Luca winced, his hand injured, and he immediately gritted his teeth in pain.
Drumph quickly realized his mistake and immediately became concerned. “Sorry, sorry! I’ll get someone to come treat you right away. Medic! Medic, where the hell are you? Get over here, can’t you see we have a wounded here?!”
Meanwhile, Donlow looked back and forth between herself and Luca.
For a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder—who, exactly, was Drumph’s real favorite grandchild?