The clash was imminent!

  The leader of the black-clad figures gave a low and decisive order through internal energy voice transmission:

  —Da Niu, Er Gou, protect Xianzi Lin. The rest of you—kill them!

  (Author’s note: For details regarding the names “Da Niu” and “Er Gou,” please refer to [Chapter-049 Post-chapter author note].)

  Almost the instant the "voice" was transmitted, the leader moved!

  He stomped down hard—air boomed, and a shockwave instantly shattered the ground, sending debris flying and dust erupting skyward!

  The next second, he shot forward like thunder, transforming into a streak of black lightning, tearing through the air as he charged directly at the five knights!

  It was as if the air itself had been forcibly cleaved open—afterimages twisted behind him, shattered tiles exploded along his path, and even a low-frequency shockwave rippled outward from the impact!

  In that moment, he was no longer a man, but a black hammer launched at high velocity—unstoppable, devastating!

  Two more black-clad figures followed close behind.

  With every step, Internal Energy surged, producing a rapid series of explosive cracks in the air, each of them leaving behind faint shock trails in their wake.

  Their charge was silent, but the killing intent that surged forward was overwhelming—precise and lethal!

  At the same time, Da Niu and Er Gou had already completed their defensive formation in an instant.

  Da Niu stood like a mountain—muscles tense like cast iron, feet rooted like stakes in the earth, one fist clenched, his presence booming like war drums pounding the ground.

  Er Gou crouched low, short but agile like a wolf—his eyes sharp as blades, scanning the wind for every hidden trace of killing intent.

  They knew that others were lurking in the shadows—

  —Aside from the invisible priest, there must be another hidden powerhouse.

  They could not retreat, nor would they.

  The priest and the BOSS’s gazes were like chains, firmly “nailed” to the leader of the black-clad figures.

  They didn’t concern themselves with Da Niu and Er Gou, nor did they pay any attention to the other black-clad figures.

  —As if, once the leader was killed, the battle would be over!

  However, they knew very well—this man was not so easily killed.

  On the surface, the leader of the black-clad figures kept his gaze fixed on the five knights, his posture calm, his expression focused, as if all his attention was invested in the impending life-and-death duel.

  But that was nothing more than a perfect disguise.

  In reality, he had never truly regarded these five as threats.

  What he was truly focused on were the powerful beings still lurking on the edges of the battlefield, waiting to act.

  His "Transcendent radar" was silently scanning the entire battlefield—

  Every fluctuation in the air, every slight twist of the airflow, even the spiritual fluctuations hidden deep within the killing intent, could not escape his perception.

  At this moment, he had already precisely locked onto the position of the priest.

  Not only did he know where the priest was hiding, but he could also clearly sense—that the priest’s skills had already been fully charged, waiting to be released!

  For an ordinary person, under such pressure, even the calmest would inevitably show some sort of flaw.

  But he—did not waver in the slightest.

  Not only was there no panic, but not even a flicker of his eyes betrayed any distraction, as if he hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

  If it weren’t for Elo’s sharpness, he might have been deceived without even realizing it.

  The sprint continued, and the distance between both sides rapidly closed—twenty steps, fifteen steps!

  At that moment, the leader of the black-clad figures' eyes suddenly changed color!

  —A deep, cold purple light emerged, like a twisted vortex distorting reality!

  The atmosphere on the battlefield instantly froze!

  An invisible mental pressure surged like a tidal wave, swiftly enveloping the entire area!

  The five knights were all jolted at once, their breath forcibly held, their hearts seemingly gripped by an invisible hand, muscles instinctively tensed, and their reactions slowed!

  “Whumm—!”

  The shields lost balance under the pressure, the flow of energy faltering, plunging into a brief state of confusion, as though sinking into an invisible swamp.

  Before the two mages and the priest could adjust their shields, san Niang and Xianzi Lin both plucked their zither strings, and the sound of the zither thundered like a storm!

  Invisible sonic blades poured down like a torrential rain!

  Everything came together seamlessly—

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  The mental pressure had just caused the enemy’s shields to falter, and the sound-kill flowed like a flood into the gaps, striking the shield with great force!

  The sonic blades tore through the air, scraping violently against the delayed shields, producing a sharp, ear-piercing scream, like nails scraping deep into the soul!

  In that instant, the shields shook violently, and the defense line wavered!

  At the same time, San Niang’s fingers flew over the strings again, the zither music resounding once more!

  “Zheng—!!”

  The sound waves roared like a tsunami, adding layer upon layer of killing intent, increasing its intensity with each wave!

  The dense sonic blades no longer just attacked; they seamlessly fused with the leader's mental pressure, forming a double blow!

  These blades didn’t just slash at the body—they pierced through the barriers of reality, striking the soul directly!

  However, the five knights' soul domain still had protection.

  In that invisible domain, a holy will formed a stronger mental shield—

  —A Great Wall woven from faith, magic, and will, blocking all penetration of killing intent.

  Even though the tactical coordination was as precise as clockwork, and the killing intent raged like a storm closing in, this mental wall had not yet broken.

  But at this moment, the rhythm had been disrupted, and the defense line was shaking.

  But this, was already enough.

  The leader of the black-clad figures never intended to defeat his enemies with a single strike—what he wanted was to make them feel true oppression!

  Just as the five knights were enduring the dual impact of mental and sound-kill, he suddenly took a step forward!

  “Boom—!”

  The air exploded, the ground violently collapsed, and a ferocious shockwave swept out in all directions!

  The next second—his figure vanished.

  Not truly gone, but—so fast it was impossible to catch!

  The air was torn apart, and a fleeting afterimage remained in place, while he had already appeared in front of a blonde knight at almost teleportation speed!

  “Bang—!!”

  A fist slammed down!

  Before it could land, a terrifying shockwave had already spread, the ground exploding, rocks shattering, dirt churning like waves, dust instantly filling the air!

  This punch wasn’t just an explosion of power—it was the culmination of his killing intent, battle intent, and murderous instinct all concentrated into the release of a single strike!

  But in that instant—

  The blonde knight’s figure suddenly vanished!

  He—had reacted!

  [Perception Link] activated at the critical moment.

  Using the priest's and the BOSS's perspectives, he instantly locked onto the trajectory of the leader’s assault!

  But—seeing didn’t mean avoiding!

  He was in the middle of a high-speed sprint, and halting or even dodging in the opposite direction was nearly impossible!

  But he did it!

  In that moment, his enhancement buffs erupted like a chain of lightning:

  [Elemental Haste], [Reflex Boost], [Potential Unleashed], [Cognitive Overdrive], [Instant Acceleration]—The effect maxed out!

  Powered by supernatural force, his entire muscular system was forcibly activated—his nervous system spiked into overdrive!

  His knees and ankles locked against the direction of inertia, muscles pulled taut like steel cables—

  He was still sprinting at full speed, yet in the very next instant, he forced himself to a halt, severing all inertia.

  With a sudden burst from his legs, his body launched into the air, flipping backward with the momentum of his charge—he tore himself out of the kill zone!

  —In the previous instant, he had been charging at full speed; the next second, he was leaping backward like a bullet!

  In that split-second between life and death, he relied on instinct and skill to pull off an extreme evasive maneuver!

  “Boom—!!”

  The fist struck the ground, and the earth trembled with a deafening roar!

  The power was like a thunderbolt falling from the sky, instantly creating a massive crater two meters deep and six meters wide.

  The ground caved in, and cracks spread like a spiderweb!

  Rocks flew in all directions, the layers of rock exploded, and scorching columns of dust shot up into the sky, as if the entire battlefield had been torn open by a single punch!

  The moment the shockwave erupted, the air screamed!

  The violent force, carrying the tearing sound waves, swept outward like an enraged giant beast, erupting with a deafening roar!

  The five knights, who were up close, were instantly caught in the eye of the storm—

  Their shields shook violently, the protective glow flashing blindingly, as if an iron bell had been struck with a furious hammer, and the soundwaves rolled and exploded!

  The Transcendents farther away tensed up as well, their skin tightening like it was being pricked by needles.

  Their instincts told them: One step closer, and they would be dead!

  As for the soldiers and officers on the outer perimeter—

  Although not directly in the core of the destruction, they were still shaken to the bone by the shockwave!

  The thunderous roar was deafening, and the dust storm surged toward them.

  Some stumbled backward, others ducked in surprise.

  The entire outer line of troops trembled as if struck by lightning!

  It was with this single punch—

  Thunder fell from the heavens, and the battlefield shattered!

  This was no ordinary attack; it was the leader’s eruption of killing intent, battle intent, and internal energy fused into one!

  Every ounce of power was precisely directed at the heart of the battlefield, turning into a crushing blow that broke the rhythm of the fight and disrupted the will to battle!

  In that moment, the five knights could no longer maintain their momentum, and the control of the entire battlefield was forcibly taken by him!

  Seeing this, Elo was completely stunned.

  Just moments ago, he had been thinking of enjoying the grand spectacle of magic and light weaving together, but now—

  —To hell with magic showdowns!

  —This punch is the true romance of a man!

  Explosive! Direct!

  A single punch tore through the earth, shaking him to his very core!

  However, he was no longer a hot-blooded youth.

  Even though he was so excited his scalp tingled, his gaze eventually returned to that—blonde knight.

  —Smart!

  In that instant, the blonde knight could have chosen not to dodge, but to thrust his sword directly into the leader’s heart.

  —But he didn’t.

  He made the most calm and correct decision—he retreated to dodge!

  In that instant, the leader revealed a flaw.

  It seemed deadly, but in reality, it was a carefully crafted trap.

  Had the blonde knight chosen to strike, he would have undoubtedly fallen into the kill zone—without even a chance to react.

  Even if his body was covered in stacked buffs and layers of shields, the outcome wouldn’t be much better.

  —It wouldn’t kill him, but it would temporarily render him incapable of fighting.

  But the reason he was able to avoid this blow wasn't rationality, logic, observation, perception, analysis, or thought.

  It wasn't the result of calm calculation, but a deeper instinct—Transcendent Intuition.

  Even with limited information, tight time, and chaotic circumstances, it would still sound the alarm without hesitation in the critical moment:

  —Don’t strike,.

  It bypasses all processes of perception and judgment, directly giving the answer, and this is the terrifying part of Transcendent Intuition.

  However, whether you accept this answer depends on you.

  You can ignore it and choose to attack;

  Or you can trust it and choose to dodge.

  This moment’s judgment may seem simple, but it is the ultimate test of a Transcendent’s combat skills.

  Thinking is heavy;

  Hesitation is painful;

  Choice is difficult.

  And in high-intensity combat, thinking and decision-making often come with torment—

  Your enemy will not give you time.

  Transcendent Intuition spares you all of this.

  It is light, swift, and precise; it doesn’t need logic or evidence—it tells you the result directly, sparing you the pain.

  It is both a relief and an addictive sense of ease—

  —It is both a miracle and a poison.

  You can abandon thinking, leave everything to it, and fight like a beast driven by instinct.

  But if you grow accustomed to relying on it, do you still have the ability to make independent judgments?

  Are you—using it, or has it already taken control of you?

  The reason why you must be cautious is that Transcendent Intuition can also make mistakes.

  When it gives you the wrong signal, do you still have the ability to make the right decision?

  In a duel between experts, your opponent may have already mastered the methods of interference, deception, and reverse manipulation.

  And when that moment arrives—will you be able to sense that you’re stepping into the trap of death?

  Therefore, true strength lies not in blindly following intuition, but in making your own choices on top of it.

  This seemingly insignificant decision can determine everything:

  —Are you the hunter, or the prey?