[ Inner Royal District - The Sanctuary ]
Using the chaos of the battle outside as a cover, Murphy's group managed to slip through the crumbled walls and enter the inner sanctum.
The moment they stepped through the archway, all noise from the outside world vanished, as if severed by a blade.
Before them lay a sprawling courtyard paved with pristine white marble, stretching toward a colossal palace. The architecture here was breathtakingly intricate, devoid of dust, cracks, or any sign of decay—a stark contrast to the ruined city they had just traversed.
"It's too quiet..." Axel whispered, gripping his gunblade tightly. "Stay sharp."
In the center of the marble expanse stood a solitary, towering altar. Floating above its peak was a mysterious object—a Golden Sphere—rotating slowly in mid-air, emitting a faint, pulsating light.
They approached the altar cautiously, failing to notice the anomaly until it was too late.
Voom...
The atmosphere suddenly became suffocatingly heavy. It felt as if the gravity of the planet had increased a hundredfold in an instant.
"Urgh!"
Everyone froze, their eyes drawn upward, above the altar.
The figure of a pale-skinned young boy in white robes trimmed with gold was floating weightlessly in the air.
His face was expressionless, devoid of emotion. His golden eyes were calm and cold, like a deep, bottomless ocean, staring down at them.
"So insolent... you filthy vermin."
The moment those soft words were spoken... an immense Killing Intent exploded from that small frame!
THUD!!!
"Arghhh!"
Axel's crew—Jace, Ren, Klein, and Baron—could not withstand the crushing pressure. Their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed, unconscious, hitting the floor instantly.
"Hah... guh..."
Murphy tried to resist with every fiber of his being. His muscles tensed until veins bulged beneath his skin, but he could not defy this absolute authority.
Thud...
He fell to his knees, sweat pouring from his body like rain. He trembled uncontrollably, his primal instincts screaming in terror.
Beside him, Philip collapsed in a heap, his face pale as a sheet, frozen stiff, unable to move even a finger.
"Found them! Hahaha!"
Mocking laughter shattered the silence.
The group of Fire and Wind Mages, having followed close behind, rushed into the courtyard. Seeing Murphy's group kneeling on the ground, they mistook the situation for exhaustion from their previous wounds.
"Hey, kid! Out of gas already?" The leader of the mages sneered. "We don't plan on sharing whatever's inside with you, even if you are a talented young mage."
They looked up at the boy floating above, dismissing him as a mere guardian sentry.
"An eyesore... Get rid of him!"
Three mages traced magic circles in the air simultaneously, combining Fire and Wind magic.
"Infernal Firestorm!"
Whoosh... BOOOOM!!!
A massive fireball, swirling like a cyclone, rocketed straight toward the mysterious boy! The explosion shook the entire marble courtyard, and thick smoke engulfed the floating figure.
"Hahaha! Too easy!" The leader laughed triumphantly. "Alright, let's grab the data and deliver it to Lord Erendos..."
But the laughter died in his throat.
As the smoke cleared... the pale boy was still floating in the exact same spot. His clothes didn't even have a single scorch mark.
His slender, elegant eyebrows furrowed slightly in annoyance.
"Is this the extent of your magic? It cannot even graze my skin."
He spoke calmly, raising his index finger and flicking it gently forward.
Snap!
BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!
From a mere finger flick... a mass of compressed air exploded outward with more force than a bundle of dynamite!
The group of ten mages was blasted away like ragdolls. Their bodies slammed into the ruins of an old building behind them, bringing the structure crashing down on top of them.
Silence returned in the blink of an eye.
The crushing pressure lifted slightly as the "God" turned his attention to the intruders.
"Philip... get Axel and the others... behind that pillar... Now!" Murphy gritted his teeth, struggling to stand.
At that moment, the Second Group—the Elite Party—charged in.
This squad consisted of a master Swordsman, a heavy-armor Tank, and Mages specializing in Ice and Plants.
"Attack together!"
The Guardian God slowly floated down, his feet touching the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Ice Mage fired hundreds of razor-sharp icicles. The Plant Mage summoned thorny roots to bind him.
But the moment the ice entered his vicinity... it evaporated into steam instantly.
The roots that tried to touch him shattered into dust, as if crushed by an invisible force field.
"Hyaaaa!"
The Swordsman dashed in at blinding speed. His blade, glowing with magical energy, swung with full force, aiming to decapitate.
Clink!
The boy caught the blade... with two fingers.
He twisted his wrist slightly. Snap! The steel blade shattered like glass.
Before the Swordsman could react... a small fist buried itself in his gut.
BOOM!!!
"Guh!!"
The boy spun and delivered a roundhouse kick to the Swordsman's neck.
CRACK!!!
The sound was like a building collapsing. The Swordsman's body was launched kilometers away, punching through multiple structures until he vanished from sight.
"You monster!"
The giant Tank activated his 'Golden Armor' skill, maximizing his defense, and charged.
Zip!
The boy vanished... reappearing directly underneath the charging Tank in a split second.
"Fragile."
BAM!!!
A right uppercut... punched through the enchanted armor, through the flesh, and exited out the Tank's back in a spray of blood!
He pulled his hand back and hammered a fist onto the Tank's spine. The giant body slammed into the ground, cracking the marble floor into a crater.
The remaining mages stood trembling, paralyzed by fear.
The boy gently waved his fingers in the air.
Wind gathered into a violent spiral, compressed into a sphere, and launched at the two mages.
Thud! Thud!
Their chests caved in as if hit by a wrecking ball. Ribs pulverized, they were flung backward into the debris, dead on impact.
In less than a minute... the elite forces were annihilated.
The white marble floor was now stained with blood and wreckage.
The pale boy stood amidst the death. His face remained impassive; he wasn't even breathing hard.
Slowly, he turned around...
Murphy had used the chaos to run, fighting against the lingering pressure, and had almost reached the altar.
The God's golden eyes fixed onto Murphy's struggling back.
The corner of his mouth curved up slightly... a smile far more terrifying than anger.
"That body of yours... is quite interesting."