132 Heavy Armor ++++++

No sound of explosion accompanied the descent, only starlight filling the upper air.

Countless points of starlight drifted down like dense raindrops, completely enveloping the entire estate.

Not a single combatant around the villa could escape; the radiance struck the surface of every single body.

Bewilderment, confusion, wariness...

All sorts of emotions emerged in the hearts of everyone on both sides, yet the slaughter between them showed no sign of stopping.

"Hah..." Mandolan heaved a heavy, ragged breath.

"Fall back!"

Pushing her abilities to the limit, she blocked the enemy's onslaught. Behind her stood the members of squad C12.

"Take them down!"

A blonde man roared, charging forward with a distorted expression alongside several other esoteric circle mages from the Holy Flame Society.

In this battle, the Holy Flame Society had completely torn off the facade of civility with the three major factions represented by the Golden Spiral, and both sides had been driven half-mad by the bloodshed in the previous clashes.

"Black Side, Red Side, withdraw in the other directions."

Mandolan’s face was pale, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Her combat suit was torn to shreds, faintly revealing patches of fair skin beneath. Her current state could only be described as disheveled.

Still, being outmatched meant being outmatched. Were it not for the transformation pendants, squad C12 would not even have been qualified to fight this unit of the Holy Flame Society.

To have held out to this extent was already remarkable.

"Understood!" ×2

The two sisters behind her quickly moved away, striving not to become a burden to their captain. Up ahead, Mandolan also began to retreat, the red flames in her hands gradually dimming.

"Trying to run?!"

The blonde man dashed forward at lightning speed. Murderous intent flashed in his eyes as his fist aimed straight for Mandolan's vital spots.

An exchange of injuries for injuries!

Mandolan bit her lower lip, this single thought echoing in her mind. She let out a light cry, her fair palm suddenly flipping over.

A cluster of flames danced across her fingertips like an elf.

As her palm lifted inch by inch, the flames coiled around her slender right arm like little snakes.

"Ten Embers!"

Instantly, ten fiery red serpents radiating terrifying high temperatures darted outward, colliding and exploding in mid-air.

The flames formed an oval-shaped containment zone.

The heat expanded, the warm air surging and rippling outward in layers.

The blonde man sneered, pressing his fists together before his chest like a city wall. His total reserves of ring power were still quite abundant, and he could easily afford this level of attrition.

His toe shattered a stone brick, and like a towering bull, the blonde man plunged instantly into the cluster of fire.

"Aahahaha!!!!"

Everyone behind him wanted to charge in as well, but the miserable shrieks echoing from within the fire forced everyone to halt their steps.

"How can this be! Where is my light-film defense! Ah!"

The screams inside were shrill and harrowing, sounding akin to a slaughtered pig. The sudden turn of events not only frightened the Holy Flame Society members, but even Mandolan and her companions—who had been busy retreating—stared forward in utter shock.

Amidst the ball of fire, a figure burning all over stumbled out. He thrashed wildly, attempting to extinguish the flames on his body. However, the flames driven by an Esper were fundamentally different from ordinary fire.

Even water struggled to put them out quickly.

Before the blonde man could run more than a few steps, he pitched forward onto the ground, convulsed a few times, and lost all vitality.

A scent of charred fat permeated the air.

A series of crackling sounds emanated from the still-burning corpse, plunging the surrounding area into an eerie silence.

Black Side looked at Mandolan’s not particularly tall figure.

Is the captain’s flame really this powerful?

Red Side, standing beside her, swallowed hard, evidently stunned by how Mandolan had instantly eliminated her opponent with a single move.

"No, this has nothing to do with me..."

Mandolan furrowed her delicate brows and shook her head.

She abruptly looked up at the sky, suddenly recalling the bizarre phenomenon of the starlight rain just moments ago. Could it be related to that?

"Hng-ha-ahahaha!"

"Impossible! How could this be, how could it be like this..."

"Where is my ring power light-film! No!"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it... damn it!"

A chorus of miserable shrieks erupted all around.

It was not just on Mandolan’s side; all the combat situations across the entire estate shifted in a single instant. A large number of esoteric circle mages from the Holy Flame Society suddenly lost their ring power light-films, or found their protective films reduced to extreme fragility.

Caught in the middle of fierce hand-to-hand combat, they were instantly cut down by the masters from the three major factions, dying with grievances thick enough to keep their eyes open in death.

Due to the suddenness of the event, the casualties were severe.

Meanwhile, the three major factions—led by the Golden Spiral—watched in utter bafflement as they slaughtered the enemies who had been suppressing them just moments before. In a single breath, the roles of offense and defense had inverted!

In truth, the three major factions had also been affected to a considerable degree, with the Ice Bird Sanctuary and the Lustrous Club bearing the heaviest impact, while the Golden Spiral remained virtually unaffected. This brings up Shunan’s transformation pendants.

The light-film disintegration bomb could weaken or even eradicate the ring power light-films of lower-tier esoteric circle mages, but it could not strip away the ring power light-films converted by the transformation pendants.

Both originated from Professor Stigma of the Milodalen School.

Leaving a tiny little backdoor was entirely normal.

In reality, the effect of the light-film disintegration bomb this time was exceptionally potent. Although the two allied factions of the Golden Spiral were also affected, the Holy Flame Society suffered the exact same effect. Thus, any weakening was mutual.

The relative situation among those three parties remained unchanged.

However, the Golden Spiral was different; the turtle shells on their bodies would not be erased by the light-film disintegration bomb.

Consequently, for a brief moment, the Golden Spiral seized a massive advantage. Their members continuously slaughtered members of the Holy Flame Society, including elite cadres and backbone figures.

"Exhilarating! Absolutely fucking exhilarating!"

A burly man with a scar across his forehead punched straight through his opponent's chest with a single blow, then kicked the enemy flying away.

Clang! A dagger was blocked by his ring power light-film.

The burly man spun around and threw a punch, directly shattering the bones in the assassin's arm inch by inch. He then pressed the attack relentlessly, cornering the enemy against a wall and beating them to death on the spot with a flurry of punches!

"Hah... I've finally vented this pent-up frustration..."

The burly man let go of the man's bloody hair, and a corpse collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, its face battered beyond recognition into a pig's head.

Steel Fist was a member of the Golden Spiral and a physical-type Esper. In the past, the Golden Spiral had mostly suffered the short end of the stick in confrontations with the Holy Flame Society. During past skirmishes and battles, the Golden Spiral was always the side being crushed, largely because their organization consisted mostly of Espers.

Espers possessed no ring power light-films to protect them.

In battle, it often took multiple squads just to resist a single unit of the Holy Flame Society. At times, a single esoteric circle mages from the Holy Flame Society could solo an entire squad of equal-tier Espers from the Golden Spiral.

Steel Fist had joined the organization for two years, and his squad had already cycled through two complete generations of members. Dozens of times, he had watched his comrades brutally murdered one by one by the Holy Flame Society mages hiding beneath their turtle shells, shifting from anger and hatred to numb resignation.

Steel Fist wanted revenge, but he lacked the capability...

Suppression and agony had constantly plagued him.

Until this very moment, Steel Fist erupted completely!

For reasons unknown, the combat mages of the Holy Flame Society had all lost their protective light-films. Their fragile flesh was thus exposed to the open air, awaiting only to be torn apart.

Yet the light-film on Steel Fist remained steadfast and resilient.

Just like a few months ago, when a single Holy Flame Society mage had soloed an entire squad of equal-tier Golden Spiral members. Steel Fist finally understood the pleasure of tearing apart an enemy.

A single attack could inflict severe damage on the foe, forcing them into frantic evasion. Once grazed by a fist or foot, they were lucky to lose a chunk of flesh, or worse, suffer a severe fracture.

Steel Fist himself no longer needed to dodge frequently; he only had to evade attacks of immense destructive power. Other minor damages could simply be ignored as he charged straight through mindlessly!

The sheer exhilaration of pummeling others made Steel Fist momentarily mistake himself for a war god incarnate, his combat prowess skyrocketing!

The Holy Flame Society mages were left screaming in endless agony.

The joy in his heart spread to his limbs, and Steel Fist felt an endless well of strength surging throughout his body, overflowing outward.

This could be considered avenging his fallen comrades of the past...

"Hmph!"

Not far away, a graceful figure let out a muffled grunt.

This was a charming beauty with a curvaceous figure. Judging by the black combat bodysuit she wore, she was likely an ally from the Lustrous Club. Her combat situation was far from ideal.

On the side of the Holy Flame Society, two robust figures constantly closed in to attack, their fists and feet inflicting injuries upon the woman time and time again.

"Get lost!"

Steel Fist roared as he charged forward directly, his body covered in a tough, resilient light-film defense, his momentum unstoppable.

After a flurry of strikes, he successfully rescued the ally.

The two Holy Flame Society mages were swiftly forced to retreat.

Observing that the woman's injuries were not severe, Steel Fist dashed away immediately, chasing after the enemy with a ferocious expression.

Left in place, the beauty from the Lustrous Club stared at the tall, savagely pursuing figure of Steel Fist, opening her lips as if to speak, but ultimately remaining silent.

It was not just here; similar scenes were playing out all across the Purple Iris Estate. The situation for the Holy Flame Society was dismal.

"I truly never expected this! I thought you were merely an ordinary rune expert, yet you've altered the course of the battle to this extent!" Chijin's aura gradually settled.

Yet this calmness was merely a volcano slumbering beneath the water.

That surge of fury would inevitably erupt all the more violently.

"I’ve decided, I am going to tear you limb from limb!"

Chijin spoke chilling words with utmost calm. At this moment, he had even cast the Black Flower Combat Task Force out of his mind. The only thought left in Chijin's head was combat.

"You can try." The Crimson Knight pointed expressionlessly at the armor on its body. "Try breaking this layer of defense... I look forward to your massage..."

"Roar!"

Chijin let out a ferocious howl, his wide-open mouth revealing jagged, white fangs. His mane of blonde hair whipped wildly about, making him resemble a charging male lion crossing the savannah, his flying mane resplendent.

"Taste this! Lion's Slash Flow Style!!!"

He flung his arms wide apart, a massive mass of black-and-gold tiger stripe patterns wrapping around every inch of his skin. His palms expanded, his fingers replaced by sharp, elongated iron claws.

The ground shattered without a sound, a golden figure slashing downward behind the Crimson Knight, its force descending like a shooting star.

Clang!

A head-sized cluster of sparks burst and exploded.

Thud!

The Crimson Knight tumbled unsteadily across the ground.

A trench dozens of meters long collapsed into ruins.

"Interesting, gathering all your strength onto three points." Shunan touched the armor around his cervical vertebrae.

Three tiny dents had appeared on the surface of the armor.

"There's even more interesting things coming! Lion's Stance!"

His long blonde hair danced wildly like burning fire.

Chijin reappeared behind Shunan like a ghost, the muscle lines across his entire body twitching and vibrating at high speed. Three parallel streams of cold light slashed through the air at extreme speed, piercing screeches filling his ears. Such slashes came in an endless stream!

The surroundings were enveloped by a continuous wailing sound akin to weeping ghosts.

Along with it, a massive cluster of golden sparks enveloped the entire body of the Crimson Knight, causing him to tremble incessantly.

Because Chijin was attacking from above, below, left, and right at terrifying speeds, his forces strangely achieved a delicate balance.

That was why the Crimson Knight was not knocked away in any single direction, but it also meant that he was absorbing every single bit of damage raw, enduring all the force head-on.

"I admit your turtle shell is tough! But just how long can you hold out under my Lion's Slash Flow Style?!" Chijin's words drifted unsteadily in Shunan's ears, now on the left, now on the right.

"Time's up..."

Suddenly, a voice responded to him from beneath the mask.

Chijin's heart skipped a beat, for the last time Shunan had uttered those exact words, a bomb had detonated.

The combat situation of the Holy Flame Society had been instantly inverted.

And now, his opponent was speaking those words once more.

Chijin remained silent, merely unleashing his full power to the absolute limit, putting his all into every single claw strike!

"Harvest..." "Commences."

The first two words still echoed close by, but the latter two had already manifested far away. The frantically attacking Chijin suddenly found the space before him empty; the Crimson Knight had vanished.

"Ah!" A miserable shriek rang out not far away.

An esoteric circle mage of the Holy Flame Society who had been chasing a nun from the Ice Bird Sanctuary was suddenly torn in half mid-stride. Gushing blood splattered all over the nun's face.

At the very same time, a mere fifty meters away.

The head and body of a Holy Flame Society combat squad captain suddenly parted ways, his entire body freezing stiff in place.

The fountain-like gushing of blood from the corpse stunned his opponent so thoroughly that the enemy stood paralyzed, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

"Get back here!"

Chijin's eyes split open, glowing blood-red. He leaped forward at extreme speed, but within this brief span of time, at least seven or eight people had died inexplicably.

Deprived of the protection of their ring power light-films, the Holy Flame Society mages were as fragile as paper cutouts, perishing at the mere swipe of a hand.

Shunan felt as though he were partaking in a buffet.

The evolution points in the top right corner were leaping frantically.

Entering a state of meditation, he moved like a ghostly assassin gliding through space. Around him, one defenceless Holy Flame Society mage after another seemed to have "open and consume" written across their foreheads! How could Shunan resist such temptation.

Chijin, operating at full explosive power, completely failed to keep up with his speed, forced to watch helplessly as his allies died one by one.

At times, when he managed a lucky stroke of fortune to intercept Shunan.

A wrath-filled, full-powered claw strike would yield nothing more than a muffled thud, followed by more screams in the distance.

"Very good, very good, just a little bit more..."

Shunan reaped lives with high efficiency while his eyes remained ice-cold. He was calculating a projected figure.

"One hundred points!" A head flew up before his eyes.

"One hundred and five points!" A severed arm plummeted down.

"One hundred and ten points! It's finally ready..."

Shunan halted his killing pace.

"Ability Heavy Armor +++++, sixth evolution!"

"Just how strong is ultra-limit defense?!!"