The alien races surged forward!
Raine was not afraid in the slightest. Instead, he licked the blood from the corner of his mouth.
A fiercer battle intent ignited in his eyes!
Bloodstone was accumulating rapidly—this was exactly what he wanted!
Crisis was also an opportunity!
He gripped his Ironstrike tightly, his eyes flickering with purple light, and stepped forward to meet the oncoming tide!
On the high ground of the side peak.
A human Expert-level warrior, who was engaged in battle with a gargoyle, caught sight of Raine fighting off a swarm of enemies and killing them with brutal efficiency. Even his usually cold face showed a hint of surprise.
"What a fierce kid!"
Meanwhile, all the soldiers of the Fourth Squad, witnessing Raine's ferocity, had their hearts ignited with passion, pushing back the alien races' counterattack!
"Spare no effort! Crush that human!"
The gargoyle commander's frantic roar echoed across the battlefield.
More shadows began to gather toward Raine's location.
"Fourth Squad, move up and cover Raine!"
Black Falcon's voice rang out from above.
Herbert smashed an Elite-level gargoyle with his battle axe and looked toward the front where Raine was.
"Hahaha! I didn't realize this kid was so reckless!"
"All brothers, follow me! Let's kill those bastards up ahead!"
"Kill them!"
"Raine, you've got our back!"
From behind, Herbert, Kyle, and the others immediately gathered their strength and charged toward Raine's direction, cutting down alien races in their path.
A large portion of the alien races trying to surround Raine were stopped and cut off.
The entire human force unleashed an unparalleled strength!
…
"Poof!"
Raine was struck by the last Heartwitch Succubus's dying counterattack, smashing heavily into a pile of rubble.
Dust filled the air.
Before Pros could rush over to assist, Raine's figure staggered to his feet amidst the smoke.
He looked somewhat disheveled, with his leather armor shredded at the left shoulder and blood staining a large area—this was where the Succubus's claws had recently slashed him.
But in the moment of falling, he activated Stoneform Skin on his vulnerable areas, so the actual damage wasn't as severe as it appeared.
With the boost from his upgraded Bewitching Eye, he managed to barely withstand the mental bombardment from four Heartwitch Succubi!
The cost, however, was that his head was pounding violently, and he likely wouldn't be able to use Bewitching Eye again for a while!
At this moment, faced with the alien races once again surging from all directions, Raine showed no fear in his eyes. Instead, a cold purple gleam flashed!
He took a deep breath, pouring the surging blood energy into his Ironstrike.
"Come!"
He growled, stepping forward instead of retreating, charging straight into the most densely packed area of the alien races!
His battle blade became a dark, flowing streak of light in his hands, cutting through the enemy ranks with unstoppable momentum!
Poof!
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The blade flashed like a wheel.
The four Boulder Beetles charging at the front were severed in half without even a scream!
Gory blood and innards splattered across the ground!
The powerful shockwave and this fierce strike caused the tide of alien races to hesitate for a moment!
The two Shadowclaw Beasts with Formal levels 8 and 9 reacted first.
They charged toward Raine's vital points from both sides!
Just as their claws were about to reach Raine's body, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he pushed his mind to its limit!
Stoneform Skin—full activation!
Voom!
A dense layer of gray-white stone-like light covered most of his body, especially protecting his chest, abdomen, and shoulders!
Boom! Boom!
Two dull sounds like heavy hammers striking rocks exploded!
The two Formal-level Shadowclaw Beasts firmly grabbed onto Raine's chest and shoulder!
But their claws felt as though they had struck the hardest rock, unable to penetrate. Instead, they were bounced back, their claws numb from the recoil!
"What?!"
"This is impossible!"
The two Shadowclaw Beast leaders recoiled in horror.
They looked at their throbbing claws, then at Raine's stone-covered chest, which only bore a few white scratches, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock!
Was this the gargoyle's Stoneform Skin?!
No, wait!
Even a gargoyle's skin couldn't withstand their attacks so easily at the same level!
What they didn't realize was that Raine was using blood energy, not Nex, to activate the ability!
Raine was also shaken by the immense force, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Activating Stoneform Skin over such a large area was a heavy burden for him now!
But he still withstood the combined attack of two enemies far stronger than himself!
He didn't attempt to retaliate against these two troublesome leaders. Their speed and strength gave them the advantage, and continuing to engage them would be detrimental.
His target was the other, weaker alien races—bloodstone!
At that moment, a furious roar filled with violent intent echoed through the battlefield.
"Get out of the way! Your opponent is me!"
Herbert charged in like an enraged lion, his body radiating scorching Nex.
He swung his heavy double-edged battle axe, and the violent power immediately forced the two Shadowclaw Beasts to retreat!
Herbert's combat prowess was indeed fierce.
His actual combat strength far exceeded the typical Elite-level awakeners of the same rank.
He hadn't reached Elite-level through conventional Nex absorption, but by using the General Guidance Technique passed down through the military!
This technique was the result of over a century of human experts studying alien races' body-refining techniques and Nex-guiding circuits.
It was widely applicable to humans, enhancing Nex absorption and muscle strengthening, and increasing promotion efficiency by at least five times!
While it wasn't as effective as the typical tenfold efficiency used by alien races, it was still a tremendous boost to human overall strength and growth!
In theory, once Raine and the others completed their three-month Formal training, they would receive the General Guidance Technique.
However, the plan had changed. Just on the third day, they were pulled into battle before they had a chance to learn the technique.
Herbert effortlessly killed the two Formal-level 9 Shadowclaw Beasts with a single blow!
On the other side, Raine didn't stop.
Seeing that the situation had stabilized, he again swung his blade at the lower-level alien races!
His precise and ruthless swordsmanship turned him into an efficient harvesting machine.
One slash cut down a group of Trainee-level Shadowclaw Beasts, and as he continued, he severed the legs of a Formal-level Boulder Beetle, smashing its skull as it fell.
His bloody methods sent the surrounding alien races retreating in fear.
Raine, gaining momentum, didn't show mercy. He chased after them, leaving a trail of crimson footprints on the rocky side peak.
It quickly became a scene of one man chasing and slashing through a horde of alien races, filled with violence and shock!
"Bastard!"
"Everyone, go! Anyone who retreats dies!"
A Master-level high-ranking gargoyle, seeing this, was enraged beyond measure.
The morale of the human side seemed to soar to incredible heights, thanks to this seemingly indestructible figure.
He wanted to step in personally to deal with Raine.
"Dare to distract me while facing me?"
"I'll send you to your grave!"
Aaron's expression was as cold as ice.
His greatsword glinted with cold light as his assault became a wild, fierce barrage!
The high-ranking gargoyle was caught off guard, barely able to defend himself.
The battle grew even more brutal!
But this was only the case for the alien races!
More low-tier alien races were forced into the battlefield and then slaughtered.
Soon, the vast mountain region was littered with corpses!