"Song Haitang! Let's compete to see who kills more monsters!"
On the city wall, a loud shout suddenly rang out.
The only one who would say such a thing was definitely Conrad!
This guy wasn't far from Sector 17. As soon as he finished speaking, he launched an attack on the monsters.
At this moment, the monsters had not yet approached the city wall, remaining several hundred meters away.
Conrad suddenly took out a talisman and tore it open.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The torn talisman ignited automatically, then ascended into the air, transforming into a halo that descended behind Conrad.
Seeing this, Hales' expression turned grave, and he immediately said, "It's a one-time extraordinary item!"
"This is a one-time extraordinary item?" Duminy asked in surprise. "I've only heard of them, this is the first time I've seen one."
Hales explained, "One-time extraordinary items can only be used once. They generally augment the user in some way, such as defense or endurance. Damage-amplifying types are rare and extremely expensive."
He paused, then looked at Conrad and added, "Judging from what Conrad is using, it should be a rune that increases endurance."
Joe Root then said, "Could this be his confidence?"
"I'm more curious about where he got the rune," Alwin said. "As far as I know, when Conrad was specially recruited by Sanford University, the news said his family's financial situation was very ordinary..."
"Perhaps the school leaders gave it to him, wanting him to win glory for Sanford University? After all, it's almost the end of the year, and the rankings of major universities are about to begin..."
Amidst the discussions, Conrad made his move.
With the endurance rune buff, he was like a beast on steroids, unleashing his ultimate move right from the start.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Conrad roared, his fists turning into magma, and aimed at the sky.
Swish, swish, swish...
Countless magma fists shot into the air, then fell from the sky like cannonballs, smashing into the monster horde.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Each magma fist caused violent explosions, whether it hit the ground or a monster.
Although Conrad's "Meteor Volcano" couldn't compare to the real Admiral Akainu, its destructive power was still astonishing.
It was enough to kill monsters!
In just a few breaths, more than a dozen monsters were killed by Conrad's magma fists.
The battlefield was dyed crimson red by magma.
Conrad's outstanding performance amazed countless people.
The Transcendent remained calm, already aware of Conrad's Magma-Magma Fruit ability.
But the native city-guarding soldiers were shocked by the destructive power displayed by Conrad.
They saw Transcendents every year, but few were as fierce as Conrad.
The regional commander in Conrad's area was overjoyed.
The stronger the partner performed, the easier the defense for the soldiers.
The more Conrad killed, the greater the commander's credit after the Transcendent left, as the credit would be counted toward the native soldiers.
At the highest point of the city wall, a general also noticed Conrad.
"The alien race actually has such abilities, truly astonishing!" the general praised.
The military advisor beside him added, "General, you are blessed. With this young man here, defending the city tonight will surely go smoothly!"
Although the general didn't speak further, his expression relaxed a lot.
Meanwhile, the monsters didn't stop advancing because of Conrad's powerful performance.
On the contrary, they remained fearless and still charged towards the city wall.
At this time, they had already reached the base of the wall and began climbing.
Only then did the Transcendents discover that the monsters not only had strong limbs but terrifying claws, like sharp iron hooks, allowing them to climb the walls easily.
Many Transcendents were frightened and flustered.
However, the native soldiers remained calm and responded accordingly.
They threw prepared stones, smashing the climbing monsters.
Spearmen also stabbed monsters that climbed high enough.
In a moment, a large number of monster corpses accumulated under the city wall.
"Don't just stand there, hurry up and take action!" a Transcendent shouted.
Thus, each Transcendent began showing their abilities, doing all they could to prevent the monsters from scaling the wall.
At this moment, everyone's interests were aligned:
If the city was lost tonight, everyone's mission would reset to zero, and they would receive only the lowest reward—10 Spirit Energy Points.
On Sector 17's side, the female commander led her team without urging Ben and others.
They formed an indestructible spear formation, constantly strangling the monsters.
Ben was watching carefully, observing the monsters' strength.
Although he was confident, he wasn't arrogant or reckless.
It was safer to observe before attacking.
Fortunately, no monsters that could suppress him had appeared yet.
The battlefield was extremely lively.
Seeing others kill monsters, Joe Root and the others grew impatient.
"Brother Ben, should we help defend the city?"
"Yeah, Brother Ben, the commander can't hold on much longer—the monsters are about to rush up..."
It was true.
The female commander was strong but still within human limits.
Though they killed many monsters, the numbers were overwhelming.
"I'll do it!"
Leo stood up.
The girl raised her right palm.
"Poof!"
A raging flame rose from her palm.
The flames gathered into a giant fireball.
She waved her hand, sending it flying under the city wall.
"Boom!"
The explosion shook the wall under their feet.
Countless monsters were instantly swallowed by the sea of fire.
The fire spread rapidly, creating a sea of fire over ten meters wide and hundreds of meters long.
Hundreds of monsters died instantly.
Moreover, the sea of fire continued burning strongly, blocking the monsters' advance.
Song Haitang's performance amazed everyone.
Many thought: Leo truly deserved to be the number one freshman!
Her move prevented the monsters from charging the wall again.
Her performance was comparable to Conrad from Sanford University.
"Hmph!"
Conrad, not far away, snorted coldly upon seeing Leo's performance and continued attacking.
With the endurance rune, he believed he could kill more monsters than her.
Thanks to the sea of fire, the pressure on the city wall eased.
Joe Root and the others were even more excited.
"Sister Leo is mighty!"
"Sister Leo is so powerful!"
Flattery filled the air.
Leo remained calm, knowing her strength was still far behind Ben's.
She trusted Ben had his own plans and didn't urge him to act.
Just then, Ben noticed different monsters approaching.
These were smaller, whitish creatures with many tentacles covered in sharp bone spurs.
"It's a White Spike!" the female commander exclaimed. "Everyone, retreat quickly!"
Almost immediately, the White Spikes swung their tentacles.
"Swish swish swish..."
The bone spurs shot toward the city wall like bullets.
Ben immediately shielded Leo, activating Armament Haki to block the attack.
"Buzz!"
His Grandmaster-level Armament Haki turned his body black and metallic.
"Clang clang clang..."
The bone spurs bounced harmlessly off him.
He wasn't hurt at all.
However, others weren't as lucky.
Despite warnings, many were hit.
"Ah!!"
"F*ck! What the hell is this?"
"I'm injured!"
Fortunately, superhuman physiques meant injuries were non-fatal.
Still, the bone spurs had painful barbs.
"How are you guys?" Ben asked.
Joe Root and others shook their heads—they had avoided the attack thanks to Ben's earlier instructions.
"Brother Ben, did you just block the spurs with your body?" Duminy asked.
Ben explained: "It's Armament Haki, not my talent ability."
Before they could ask more—
"Dong! Dong!"
The sound of war drums rang out.
Signal flags waved.
Archers climbed up, beginning a ranged battle against the White Spikes.
Meanwhile, Leo's sea of fire gradually extinguished.
Without the fire, monsters rushed the city wall again.
The situation suddenly became serious.
Even more terrifying—
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The earth vibrated rhythmically.
The sound of giant footsteps approached.
The female commander's face paled.
When she saw the distant behemoth, despair filled her features.
"It's over!" cried a captain.
Ben also saw it.
A giant monster, resembling a gecko but enormously larger, approached.
Its height was ten meters; its length nearly a hundred meters.
Even from afar, it exuded terrifying pressure.
"What kind of monster is that?" Joe Root exclaimed.
The female commander said grimly, "That is Abbott, one of the seven fierce beasts!"
She added urgently, "Find a chance and escape later! Tonight, this city likely won't hold..."
Everyone's expressions changed.
"Why? Is it that strong?" Joe Root asked.
"Yes! No one can stop Abbott!" she said. "Whenever Abbott appears, the city falls!"
Everyone stared again at Abbott.
It was too huge.
The city wall likely couldn't withstand its impact.
Their mission was to defend the wall.
If it fell, they would fail.
"How could this happen?" Joe Root muttered.
"Didn't they say Spirit Realm missions aren't unwinnable?"
Ben also found it strange.
Was the Spirit Realm arranging enemies based on their strength?
Probably not.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have easily earned SSS mission ratings before.
It was likely just bad luck that they encountered Abbott.
Moments later, Abbott approached, now less than two hundred meters away.
Its massive body brought overwhelming pressure.
"Great Fireball!"
A roar came from Conrad.
He unleashed his strongest attack—
His arm turned to magma, forming a massive magma fist.
He punched, tearing through the air.
Would it be enough to stop Abbott?
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