"Damn it—!!"
High in the air, the four guards' eyes were bloodshot as they let out furious roars.
They no longer cared about the cost. Killing intent surged from them almost tangibly as they prepared to strike without restraint, intent on crushing him to dust!
"Angry?"
Raine stood with his blade in hand, breathing heavily.
His right shoulder trembled slightly, yet he still showed the four guards a cold, provocative grin.
"The angrier you get, the more I enjoy killing!"
"Watch closely—watch how I smash every single one of these noble gargoyle scum to pieces!"
Those words made the four guards so furious that the flames of their souls seemed to ignite!
But with Tetra, Aaron, and the others desperately entangling them, they were unable to break free for the moment.
Below, Herbert stared in shock, instinctively swallowing.
These gargoyle prodigies possessed bizarre and powerful methods, coordinating seamlessly. Even facing just one of them had put him in constant peril.
Yet Raine, even after they unleashed the terrifying skill Blood Pact, had still managed to fight back ferociously and kill two prodigies?!
Even Commander Quin and the high-ranking alien races nearby were utterly stunned.
The ferocity and resilience of this human soldier were beyond imagination.
"His… Raine's physical defense—how can it be this strong?"
"An ability? What kind of damned ability is this?!"
Kyle muttered in disbelief.
If Raine killing a Formal-rank high gargoyle across tiers earlier could be attributed to a powerful ability, then what about now?
These Elite-rank gargoyle prodigies were beings capable of slaughtering human officers across tiers with ease!
Yet in front of Raine, they were like chickens with their throats caught—weak and helpless, cut down one after another. Three of them had already fallen to his blade!
Such a drastic reversal was something even his closest companions could hardly comprehend, let alone everyone else.
"He can still counterattack like this?!"
The remaining three gargoyle prodigies were both shocked and enraged.
But they neither hesitated nor felt fear. They immediately filled the gaps left by their fallen comrades.
In the rear, Yobir's eyes overflowed with killing intent.
He frantically pushed Blood Pact to its limits. The Ossuary Warbeast grew even more imposing as it launched even more savage attacks at Raine.
At the same time, Yobir condensed a blood spear in his own hands, searching for an opening to strike!
Facing the combined assault of four prodigies, Raine was immediately forced into a bitter struggle.
His right shoulder was injured, hampering his movements, and he no longer dared to take the Ossuary Warbeast's brute-force attacks head-on.
He applied his petrification ability with precision to the parts about to be struck, combining it with blood energy to reinforce localized defenses.
At the same time, he used the momentum of his descent to evade their encirclement, Ironstrike whirling so tightly it left no openings.
However, the Ossuary Warbeast's attacks were not only overwhelmingly powerful—they also carried a continuously corrosive energy that steadily drained his blood energy and stamina.
His injuries worsened, and his breathing grew unsteady.
"Hold on! He's almost at his limit!"
"Kill him together!"
Yobir shouted sharply as he sensed Raine's decline.
"I'll take his head as part of my collection!"
The three prodigies intensified their assault.
Yobir injected all his remaining Nex, causing the Ossuary Warbeast to swell another size larger.
Its massive claws, like colossal hammers, smashed down toward the falling Raine!
This blow aimed to completely turn him into a smear of flesh!
With nowhere to retreat and no foothold to borrow strength from, Raine's eyes flashed with ruthless resolve.
He gathered all his blood energy into his arms and chest, pushing Stoneform Skin to its absolute limit. Crossing his arms over his head, he assumed a stance to take the blow head-on!
Boom—!!!
The Ossuary Warbeast's twin claws crashed down like mountains!
The terrifying force made the bones in Raine's arms groan under the strain, cracks instantly spreading across his stone skin.
His entire body was smashed from the air like a meteor, hurled violently toward the ground!
Bang!
His feet plunged deep into the rocky slope, carving out a massive crater as dust and debris billowed everywhere.
"Now! Kill him!"
Yobir and another prodigy dove down immediately.
Yobir thrust his blood spear straight at Raine's heart, while the other swung a stone sword toward Raine's neck!
Within the dust cloud, Raine appeared completely suppressed, unable to move.
Yet at the instant the attacks were about to land, a burst of purple light flared again in his eyes!
The prodigy beside Yobir's vision blurred, his slashing motion freezing stiff in mid-air.
Raine exploded upward from the ground, twisting his body to avoid the vital point, allowing Yobir's blood spear to pierce straight through his left shoulder blade.
At the same time, his fingers curled into claws as he viciously grabbed for the head of the prodigy affected by the mental interference!
Pshhk!
The blood spear pierced flesh!
Crack!
The prodigy's stone head split apart—then was brutally snapped off by Raine!
[Ding! Elite-rank gargoyle noble killed. Bloodstone +3050!]
"Ah—!"
Yobir never expected that even in such dire circumstances, Raine could still trade lives and take another with him.
What made his heart sink even more was the sheer savagery of Raine's fighting style—it shook him to his core.
Since his birth, Yobir had always stood above others. Even against enemies, he rarely needed to pay much of a price to crush them.
And when he encountered opponents he couldn't defeat, powerful figures from his clan would step in to protect him. When had he ever seen an enemy like Raine—someone who fought without regard for his own life?!
Moreover, this human's defense was simply monstrous. Against the Ossuary Warbeast's attacks, even an Expert-rank powerhouse might not dare to take them head-on—yet Raine had done exactly that!
Amid the shock, a trace of fear unexpectedly surfaced deep within Yobir's heart.
As expected, humans were a bunch of stubborn, foul, hard-to-kill vermin!
He yanked the blood spear free, spraying a burst of blood, and simultaneously directed the Ossuary Warbeast to charge at Raine once more!
Raine's left shoulder was grievously wounded. He barely evaded their attacks, his steps unsteady.
Seeing Raine's heavily injured state, the remaining two gargoyle prodigies' eyes gleamed with vicious light—they sensed their chance.
They lunged forward together, spear and claws aimed straight at Raine's face!
"Get lost!"
Raine roared, Ironstrike slashing out once more.
This counterattack was far weaker than his earlier strikes.
Bang!
Raine was knocked back several steps, blood spilling from his mouth.
The two prodigies were also staggered backward by the recoil.
At that moment, unnoticed by anyone else, a trace of cold decisiveness and greed flashed through Yobir's eyes.
He glanced at the gravely injured Raine, then at the two companions locked in combat with him.
"We can't drag this out any longer… We must finish him immediately, then take the bloodcore and any possible loot and retreat… This human brat definitely has secrets!"
"If I can uncover the secret behind his defense…"
Yobir's thoughts raced.
Suddenly, he redirected the Ossuary Warbeast—straight toward the two prodigies fighting Raine!
They never expected a lethal attack from behind. With only time to cry out in horror, they were smashed away by the Ossuary Warbeast!
"What a chance!"
Raine's expression sharpened.
He had no idea what had just happened—but that didn't stop him from seizing the opportunity!
If he missed such a perfect opening, he might never get another chance to kill them.
Ironstrike in his hand glowed blood-red as he swung it down in a ruthless arc toward the two prodigies.
In their terrified eyes, they saw only a crimson light cutting across their waists!
[Ding! Elite-rank gargoyle noble ×2 killed. Bloodstone +6150!]
Two more prodigies fell!
And the crucial reason—they had been undone by their own ally!
"Yobir! You—!"
One of the guards shouted in fury and shock, yet was powerless to intervene.
They had been watching the battlefield closely and naturally understood what had happened in that instant.
But their duty and authority did not extend to Yobir.
After all, Yobir was of the exalted royal bloodline!