Level up is hard? I can Directly Purchase infinite Levels!-Chapter 55: Cleaning the Battlefield—The Alien Races Are Stunned!

Chapter 55: Cleaning the Battlefield—The Alien Races Are Stunned!

Aaron stopped channeling Nex and said to Kyle,

"The injuries are suppressed for now. He’s not in immediate danger."

"His recovery ability is extremely strong. As long as he rests properly, he’ll wake up soon."

Only then did Kyle and the others finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Aaron rose and looked toward Garson.

"He’s a soldier of our Seventh Division, the Scarlet Wall Patrol. No matter how hard it is, we must pour resources into cultivating him—even if..."

"I understand what you mean," Garson sighed. "But everything must be weighed against the greater situation."

The two spoke as if in riddles, yet everyone nearby understood the implication and said nothing.

"We’ll discuss this later," Garson said. "Tom, take an elite squad into the deep mountain battlefield and find out what really happened. I’ll return to the fortress and take command."

"Yes, sir!" Tom nodded.

It wasn’t just Garson—everyone was curious.

Once Raine’s condition was confirmed stable for the moment, Garson and the others finally left the highlands.

Tom, meanwhile, led Black Falcon and several other powerhouses straight toward the depths of the Bloodstained Mountains.

...

Outer region of the Bloodstained Mountains.

Several gargoyle experts, along with Quin and other Soul Devourer powerhouses, had originally been flying at speed toward the core battlefield deeper in the mountains.

But along the way, a ravaged clearing in the forest below caught their attention.

The lingering chaotic energy in the air—and the sharp, scorched stench—made them lower their altitude almost in unison.

They hovered in midair, looking down upon this small battlefield.

Most of the ancient trees around it had been pulverized by violent lightning. Blackened trunks still leaked thin strands of bluish smoke, while a dense aura of thunder-element energy hung in the air and refused to disperse.

On the ground lay scattered fragments of broken stone limbs.

A gargoyle expert landed to inspect them, his brow furrowing tightly.

Judging from the distinctive patterns of the shattered stone wings, these were clearly parts of gargoyles.

"Selas... has fallen!"

Another gargoyle expert suddenly let out a low growl and pointed into the nearby woods, where a corpse lay sprawled face-down.

Its head was crushed. But from the remaining four pairs of silver wings, they confirmed the identity at once—the clan’s prodigy sent to deal with Raine: Silverwing Selas!

Quin’s heart jolted violently. In an instant, he understood that the even more fragmented pile of remains nearby was likely what was left of the three gargoyle experts who had accompanied Selas. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Don’t tell me... that kid Raine can even kill Expert-rank powerhouses?"

The thought rose unbidden, absurd enough to make Quin’s scalp prickle.

Impossible!

He rejected it immediately.

"Raine? You mean that new recruit from Bloodhowl Highlands?" a gargoyle expert asked with a frown.

After arriving at Crimson City, he had heard rumors about seven gargoyle noble trainees being cut down by a single human rookie.

He had also heard that five carefully cultivated geniuses from the Soul Devourer race and the Heartwitch Succubus race had been publicly executed by that same human.

The name was not unfamiliar.

Quin nodded, though his tone was full of doubt.

"He does have some secret method that burns potential and temporarily raises him to Elite rank. But even if he’s already reached Elite—how could temporary power possibly kill an Expert-rank prodigy?!"

"Maybe... this can offer a clue."

A Heartwitch Succubus bent down and picked up several paper fragments from the scorched earth—thin pieces that still flickered with faint lightning—and handed them to the group.

"Ability scroll residue?!" The others looked surprised.

"These are fragments from a Lightning Gryphon Summoning Scroll," Quin identified after a glance.

"It was originally a life-saving item the High Priest bestowed upon Narkus. Later, it was seized by that human."

"Looks like he used the scroll’s power to cause part of the casualties."

Lightning creatures summoned from such scrolls were indeed formidable, and the traces matched the thunder-element residue saturating the scene.

"Let’s go deeper."

The gargoyle experts didn’t want to linger here, though a shadow had already fallen over their hearts.

Quin agreed with a nod.

The group of alien race powerhouses rose into the air again and shot toward the deepest, most central region of the mountains.

Along the way, the alien beasts that normally infested the depths were nowhere to be seen—perhaps killed by the chaotic energy currents, perhaps having fled far away long ago.

Soon, the group came to a stop.

Just feeling the lingering energy aftershocks from the battlefield below was enough to make their hearts pound.

But when they truly saw the full scope of the scene, every single powerhouse who had arrived froze in place, pupils contracting sharply.

It was as if an invisible hand had clamped around their throats—shock so immense they could scarcely breathe.

The entire area had been turned into scorched wasteland, riddled with craters and裂-like fissures, with elemental turbulence raging everywhere...

And when they saw the bodies—

They went deathly pale.

Firewing clan, Flame Demon Descendants, Shadowclan, Blackwater clan...

The corpses of geniuses from many races lay scattered across the ground, their deaths grotesque.

But what struck them with the greatest, soul-rattling terror was the figure kneeling on the earth, a horrific hole punched clean through his chest.

The dimmed lightning scales on his body were unmistakable.

"Thunderclan... B—Bruce?!"

A gargoyle expert clearly recognized him; his voice trembled.

Thunderclan’s newly risen prodigy—Master Lv. 7 Bruce—was dead?!

"T-this... could it be that human prodigy’s final counterattack before dying?"

Someone guessed in disbelief.

"Impossible! The reports said she had only one breath left!"

"With so many powerful hunters after her, it would’ve been a miracle if she even escaped!"

Quet denied it instantly—yet his heart was racing wildly.

A far more terrifying thought surfaced, only to be forcibly crushed down.

"Could it be... that human kid?"

The idea was too ridiculous.

How could a human who relied on forbidden arts to temporarily raise his rank possibly kill Bruce—and slaughter so many geniuses from the major races?

"Search—see if there are any survivors, or any clues!"

A Soul Devourer powerhouse spoke hoarsely.

The others nodded and began combing the area carefully.

But the storage rings and valuable equipment were already gone. They found nothing.

Could this truly have been done by that human...?

No. Absolutely not!

As the dreadful suspicion gnawed at them, they fought desperately to convince themselves otherwise.

Even if he had reached Elite rank, even if he burned every last drop of life force, it would be impossible for him to reach Master rank!

And those participating in the hunt—the geniuses of the major races—were all Masters!

Quin refused to believe it no matter what.

He would rather believe that this was the human prodigy’s final eruption before her lamp ran out.

The others present were similarly shaken by an impact they had never experienced before.

"That Twin-Headed Lion should still be alive. There may be other surviving geniuses as well,"

A Soul Devourer expert concluded after probing the battlefield for traces with mental force. "Find them, and we’ll learn the truth."

He paused, then added in a dry voice,

"First, report what happened here... truthfully to the High Priest, and to the gargoyle lords."

No one spoke.

They stood in silence, dazed, staring at the scorched earth.

...

Not long after, Tom, Black Falcon, and the others arrived at the battlefield as well.

The moment they saw the scene before them, even veterans who had fought through countless wars sucked in sharp breaths of cold air.

"These... are all geniuses from the various races?" Black Falcon asked blankly.

"And thunderclan’s... th-that is... prodigy Bruce?!"

Tom’s voice was heavy, sending a chill through everyone’s hearts.