What... what kind of monster is this?!

  Elo’s mind buzzed, and he felt his worldview shatter;

  He couldn’t help but think of the martial arts novels he had read as a child, then a term popped into his head—

  —Vajra Indestructible Divine Art!

  There are countless ultimate martial arts in the world, but the one that truly pushes "body defense" to its extreme is this one!

  Unpenetrable by blades and bullets, impervious to water and fire, skin like iron, bones like steel, and even the internal organs can withstand a thunderous force!

  But the leader in front of him, clearly, was beyond the level that could be explained by mere "tough skin and flesh"!

  He had just grabbed the 1600°C flame-infused fighting energy sword with his bare hands, without using any internal energy, killing intent, or spiritual power—

  Just with a “bare hand,” he grabbed it with a snap through the flames!

  —How many levels has this [Vajra Indestructible Divine Art] been practiced to?!

  And—how many levels does it even have?! Is there a limit?!

  First, it was the [Buddha’s Palm], now it’s the [Vajra Indestructible Divine Art]...

  This man is practically a battle statue that jumped straight out of a Buddhist scripture!

  Don’t give me any "he’s not a Buddhist monk" nonsense—

  He has hair? So what!

  This level of divine art isn’t something an ordinary monk can practice, not even the temple abbot would have the qualifications to train in it!

  So there’s only one possibility—

  The Buddhist sect... has placed their bet on him.

  Whether it’s recruiting, showing admiration, or even—investing.

  This man didn’t just appear here as a warrior, he represents the Buddhist sect—joining the battle!

  Though Elo was still lost in wild thoughts, the battlefield—

  The battlefield had not hit the pause button, and the red-haired knight couldn’t afford to daydream like him.

  In that instant, the red-haired knight clearly felt—

  His sword was being gripped tightly by that hand, as solid as a mountain, as immovable as a prison!

  He tried to pull the sword, but—not a budge!

  It wasn’t a battle of strength; it felt more like trying to pull a thousand-year-old holy sword from a rock wall!

  He could choose to let go, drop his weapon, create distance, prioritize survival…

  But—that would be an even bigger mistake!

  In this level of combat, losing one’s weapon almost always meant losing all initiative!

  —Because the enemy would never give your sword back to you.

  —And time wouldn’t give you a second chance.

  He could escape, but he didn’t want to.

  It wasn’t that he had no choice, but his answer had always been the same: No!

  —What to do?

  But there was no time left to think!

  Just as he tried to break free, the leader’s right fist came crashing down like thunder!

  This punch was faster, fiercer, and heavier than before!

  It wasn’t an attack—it was execution!

  —There was no way out!

  In that instant—

  His will surged like a burning battle flag, wildly soaring!

  His gaze was like steel, unwavering as iron;

  Deep within his soul—it ignited with a roar!

  [Soul Burn]—Activated!!

  In the next instant, intense flames erupted violently from his body—

  It wasn’t fire, but the fire of the soul, flames invisible to the naked eye!

  It was a mass of soul flames, interwoven in scorching white and deep blue,

  Burning fiercely around him, as if his entire soul had transformed into an unquenchable battle furnace!

  The void twisted, the air trembled violently,

  He seemed to be possessed by a war god, his soul flickering in and out of the blazing light, burning with an unrelenting fire!

  In that moment, he was no longer just a "man."

  He was the spark of will, the flame of fury, the awakened soul of the battlefield!

  And the moment the red-haired knight ignited his soul—

  Unimaginable pain surged out from the depths of his soul!

  This was not a pain his body could endure; it was a searing sensation that directly tore at the very core of his existence;

  —It was like thunderclaps of ten thousand pounds roaring through his soul!

  All forms of torture, in comparison, seemed as gentle as a mother’s caress!

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  But it was this heart-rending, soul-shattering pain that awakened the vast power within him, far beyond his limits!

  The power screamed out from the depths of his soul, like a flood, like a storm, like a volcanic eruption—

  —The raging battle energy surged through his entire body, flooding into his both arms like a blaze of fury!

  The flames on his sword exploded with a deafening roar, and the temperature instantly surged to its peak!

  And at this moment—

  The knight's sword, which had been firmly held down and immovable—finally moved!

  Under that heavy, rock-like palm, the sword trembled, and flames surged wildly!

  “Clang—!!”

  A sharp, high-frequency sword cry sliced through the battlefield, as if responding to its master’s roar!

  In that instant, the red-haired knight’s will, fighting energy, soul, and sword all merged into one!

  —The suppressed “Holy Sword” finally awakened!

  The sword, as if it had gained life in that moment, was not just burning—it was roaring!

  The sword blade vibrated at high frequency, the flames howling and roaring, struggling, breaking free, and shouting as if with a will of its own!

  The sharpness suddenly surged, and the blade became so sharp that it seemed to tear through the air!

  “Hiss————!!”

  The sword, like lightning, tore through the night, violently breaking free from the leader’s hand!

  Between the sword and the hand, sparks exploded, the deafening sound of gold and iron grinding together, like a “sizzling” of friction!

  Sparks flew, carrying blazing arcs of light, as if it wasn’t a human drawing a sword, but a thunderclap tearing apart an alloy prison!

  But—just as the sword blade broke free from its prison!

  The leader’s right fist came crashing down with a fierce roar!!

  “Boom——!!!”

  That wasn’t a fist; it was a falling mountain!

  Before the punch even reached him, the air was already exploding!

  The entire space suddenly collapsed, the fist’s wind like a hurricane, crushing forward, roaring like thunder, sweeping in all directions!

  The red-haired knight had no time to evade!

  His soul was roaring, calling upon every available resource for defense!

  “Crack crack crack!!! Boom boom boom!!!”

  3 layers of shields—instantly shattered!

  The fist’s wind crashed into the defense like thunder shattering glass;

  The shields exploded into rings of searing white light, disintegrating in the air, tearing, burning, and vanishing!

  “Boom—!!”

  The core of the battlefield shook violently, the entire area cracking and collapsing like a spider’s web!

  And in the next instant, the fist—truly hit!

  “——Boom!!!!!!!”

  8 layers of shields were shattered without hesitation, one after another!

  The explosion rang out like a thunderclap, the light erupted like a blazing sun;

  Energy collapsed, imploded, and burst out in an instant, blooming into a 5-meter-wide explosive shock ring right in front of the red-haired knight!

  The ground couldn’t bear it—Boom!—and it collapsed 2 meters deep!

  The entire battlefield seemed to be struck by a giant hammer, creating a crater like a meteor impact!

  The dust rose like a wall, shooting into the sky, debris surged wildly, as if the whole world was tilting!

  Everyone’s soul felt the air suddenly grow—heavy as lead!

  The 12th layer of the shield—lasted only 2 instants!

  “Crack—!!”

  The shield shattered like breaking ice, fragments of light scattering, residual glow drifting into the void.

  And the fist—still didn’t stop!

  After the shield broke, the remaining force surged wildly, roaring like thunder as energy poured forth!

  The air collapsed violently in front of the fist, its momentum like a falling comet, trailing a shockwave that tore through space!

  The 13th layer of the shield—gritted its teeth and held for 5 instants, but ultimately shattered!

  The 14th—its light flared suddenly, like a shield of compressed energy pushed to its absolute limit,

  forcefully withstood 8 full instants of direct impact—

  “Crack crack crack—Boom!!”

  Under the crushing force of the raging energy, it finally burst into a sky full of flowing light, disintegrating inch by inch!

  Until—the 15th shield suddenly activated!

  In that moment, it was like an invisible wall forged from pure willpower,

  standing tall before the oncoming, nearly uncontrollable blow—

  —and stopped it, head-on.

  Elo stood in the distance, his gaze sharpening.

  He processed the entire reaction chain instantly, like a precision machine.

  —This punch, theoretically, should have shattered 18 layers of the shield.

  But in reality, only 15 layers were broken.

  He suddenly looked up, his eyes locking onto the distance—

  Beneath the [Buddha's Palm] hanging high in the night sky, the priest’s body began to tremble slightly!

  —He’s resisting!

  Although he had not yet broken free from his confinement, his power was already spreading across the battlefield!

  The red-haired knight wasn’t fighting alone; his teammates were holding up the defensive canopy for him!

  But—

  Even though the shields and buffs blocked most of the damage, the red-haired knight was far from "unscathed" at this moment.

  Under the impact of that punch, his bones were continuously fracturing—

  Not just one, but his entire spine, limbs, and ribs were shattering in unison!

  But in the next instant, the buffs forcibly repaired him, smashing and reassembling at the same time!

  His internal organs tore under the shock, but the divine magic cast by the priest before the battle instantly healed him!

  These seemingly "miraculous recoveries"—

  came with hellish pain.

  It wasn’t just the tearing and reshaping of the body, but the excruciating agony of having the soul forcibly ripped out, burned, and then shoved back into the body!

  And the self-immolation caused by [Soul Burn] pushed this pain to its extreme:

  —Pain to the point of no escape, yet unable to faint;

  —Suffering to the extreme, yet forced to stay conscious!

  As for letting out a painful scream?

  Of course, it’s possible—but what good would it do?

  Opening the mouth, making a sound—don’t those actions take time?

  In fact—

  From the moment the leader launched his surprise attack on the red-haired knight until now, only 1.5 seconds have passed!

  Yes, just—1.5 seconds!

  For an ordinary person, this period of time wouldn’t even allow them to process what had happened;

  For an average transcendent, it would have just been enough time to make a prediction and begin their movements.

  But for the true powerhouses on this battlefield—

  1.5 seconds was already long enough.

  Long enough at the soul level, yet short in the reality of the body.

  In this deadly confrontation, even a split second of distraction—

  Even a single instinctive roar—

  —is a deadly waste!

  A true powerhouse only chooses one response:

  Clench the teeth, endure. Then strike.

  And 1.5 seconds—was precisely the reason why the red-haired knight never received any support!

  It wasn’t that no one tried to help, but rather—the time was too short, the resistance too great, and the enemy far too strong!

  The two mages in the distance had already mobilized their magic the moment the attack began.

  A barrage of Magic Bullets, 150mm-class Magic Shells, and even psychic storms were hurled at the leader with full force—

  But all those deadly attacks were intercepted—one by one—by San Niang and Xianzi Lin working in perfect tandem!

  The music roared like a storm, each note infused with lethal intent;

  The sound blades weaved through the air, forming an invisible “no-fly zone of killing intent” in the heart of the battlefield!

  Among the remaining four knights, two were already entangled with the leader’s black-clad allies.

  Their strength was evenly matched—perhaps even slightly outclassed—and they had no way to break free!

  The only ones capable of providing assistance were the golden-haired knight and the black-haired knight, but—

  —Xianzi.Lin herself had sealed their path.

  A storm of sound blades rained down, precisely covering every angle of approach.

  Even when they counterattacked with Magic Beams and Magic Bullets, every last one was sliced apart by the sonic waves!

  Xianzi.Lin alone had forcibly blocked both knights from offering support!

  As for the priest—

  He was still pinned down by the [Buddha’s Palm], unable to even move, let alone provide support.

  The BOSS had yet to act; he was still waiting—for a truly fatal opening.

  At this moment, across the entire battlefield, only the red-haired knight—

  was standing alone, facing the Judgment Fist head-on!

  One man, bearing it all alone.

  Elo stood at a distance, his gaze locked onto the red-haired knight’s figure.

  He said nothing. No commentary.

  Even his breathing unconsciously slowed by half a beat.

  For the first time, on a battlefield, he felt a kind of silent awe.

  Not because of how powerful the man was—

  But because he endured.

  Those were footsteps that held fast despite shattered bones and torn organs.

  It was the resolve to ignite his soul and roar—even when cornered by certain death.

  What supported him wasn’t skill, nor level, nor gear—

  But something older, more fundamental, more pure—

  —Will, faith, courage, and resolve!

  A subtle tremor stirred in Elo’s chest.

  It tightened, as though something inside had been set alight.

  He remained silent for a long time, until finally, he left a quiet thought in his heart:

  —You are the true hero.

  No matter the side, the faction, good or evil, friend or foe—

  Only because you displayed everything that is—

  —worthy of respect.