Chapter 72

This was an uneven battle.

From beginning to end, it was the same.

"———!!!"

The stone leopard roared and pounced forward, pinning the Flame Killer to the ground. The black hound stared at its enemy with wide eyes, red flames bursting and burning from its body, enveloping the entire stone leopard. At this moment, another stone leopard silently approached from the side, opening its blood-red mouth to the black hound— but before it could finish its meal, a fierce whirlwind descended from the sky. The Spirit Bird, carrying the power of the wind, struck the stone leopard with great force, sending it flying. The hard, black body rolled on the ground before finally coming to a stop. The ambushed stone leopard, unwilling to accept defeat, rolled to its feet and glared at the bird in the sky. However, the next moment, a massive shadow enveloped it.

The hooves of the centaur knight trampled the stone leopard's head without any resistance. In his left hand, he held a large, heavy mithril shield, and in his right, a knight's lance. He charged forward like a raging tide, heading straight for the nearby statue.

The stone sword cut through the air with a sharp sound.

Rhod's figure flickered, dodging another statue's attack, and at the same time, he gripped the sword blade with his left hand and pulled hard.

Blood immediately seeped from Rhod's palm, and the red blade shone even brighter.

The stone statue did not have time to pursue Rhod, for as he retreated, a silver-haired girl appeared like a meteor in the sky, raising her sword and spreading her wings to attack from behind. The whistling sword wind created waves, and the lingering light on the blade followed like a banner. Her white wings spread in the air, sacred and inviolable.

The blades clashed.

The massive, heavy stone body staggered backward, the longsword in its hand shattering. At this moment, the red blade light formed a giant net, enveloping the statue. Rhod appeared behind the statue, the blade in his hand dripping blood, and the struggling statue stopped moving. Soon, with a light "crack," the once unbreakable body split apart. Before it could fall, shattered silver light blades burst forth, striking the statue heavily.

"Boom!!!"

The statue exploded, debris flying in all directions, and the incomplete head and body fell to the ground.

On the other side, the centaur knight's lance pierced the enemy's chest. The statue's fierce attack left only a few white marks on the centaur's black armor, but did no real damage.

Marin stared at the scene, speechless. In her eyes, it was like something out of a myth. The elves, led by their king, raised their swords and marched forward, crushing all who dared to stand in their way. Although there were no thousands of troops, seeing Rhod standing among the summoned elves gave the impression of a king who controlled everything.

However, Rhod did not feel the same way. Summoning four summoned elves was to end the battle as quickly as possible. With the destruction of the first two statues, the second wave of stone statues began to move, raising their weapons and summoning stone leopards to attack Rhod again.

Faster!

The centaur knight, clad in heavy armor, charged through the stone statues' encirclement, Rhod following like a ghost. The red blade in his hand drew straight lines in the air, slicing through the statues' heavy bodies as easily as cutting tofu. The silver angel descended from the sky, destroying the last obstacle.

It seemed truly unstoppable.

But Rhod knew his limits. The consumption of the four summoned elves was almost beyond his tolerance. He had to win before that, or face an unknown fate. Although he did not know the true purpose of the trial, based on his gaming experience, reaching the end was never a wrong choice.

"Screech—!"

A harsh grinding sound echoed.

Rhod looked up to see the path ahead blocked by four statues. They held sharp swords and large shields, ready to defend, while the stone leopards prowled around, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Without hesitation, Rhod pointed his sword forward, and the Flame Killer charged again, howling. As expected, it was impaled, but a violent explosion followed, creating a small gap in the tightly packed formation.

But this small gap was enough for Rhod and the others.

The centaur knight led the charge, raising his massive lance and striking down. The statues, already destabilized by the explosion, were shattered by the powerful blow. The centaur knight then raised his shield and swung it to the side, sending the leopards flying, clearing a safer distance.

"Destroy them!"

Rhod moved past the centaur knight, issuing the command and continuing forward. The centaur knight raised his lance, struck his shield, and bravely charged at the remaining enemies. The Spirit Bird circled around and then dove down with a fierce wind.

Debris flew everywhere.

The battle had only lasted three minutes, but Rhod was feeling the strain. After sacrificing the Flame Killer, his consumption decreased, but not by much. The red blade, sharpened by his blood, gave him an advantage, but his left hand, pale and trembling from blood loss, was a bad sign.

A gust of wind blew.

Rhod instinctively dodged, raising his sword to block the black shadow's punch. The sword, once able to cut through anything, met its match for the first time. The grating sound echoed for a moment before fading. Rhod then saw his target clearly.

It was a massive stone statue, clearly made of different material.

Finally, a challenge.

The statue was much larger than the others, the only fortunate thing being that it was unarmed. However, it blocked nearly two-thirds of the passage, looking like a door or a wall.

Either way, it was not easy to deal with.

"Show me your glory! Heir!"

What the hell are you talking about?

Rhod's mind raced, but he had to signal the angel girl to pause. He knew some bosses could not be defeated by brute force alone; they had conditions and weaknesses. If a boss was immune to magic, even the most powerful spells would be useless, but a simple stick might solve the problem. Since the statue did not attack immediately but instead set a condition, based on Rhod's experience, there must be a way to resolve it without fighting.

"Glory! Heir!"

The statue's voice echoed throughout the palace, causing a slight headache.

Glory? What glory?

Rhod's mind quickly recalled every detail about the Summoned Swordsman, but he still could not find the so-called glory. The game did not provide much information about the Summoned Swordsman, only a brief introduction, and players were more interested in the adventure content than the background.

At this moment, the silver-haired angel girl stepped forward, raising her sword.

"Respected Guardian, I present my master's glory to you!"

As the Silver Angel spoke, her body emitted a soft silver light. Her white wings spread, and a large, ornate magic circle appeared beneath her feet. She then began to float upward, and the silver light enveloped her. In a flash, she transformed into a pure white longsword.

Star Trace.

Is this the glory?

Rhod curiously looked at the floating sword, feeling a bit strange. It was not unusual to have such thoughts when seeing a person turn into a sword.

In the end, Rhod reached out and grasped the sword.

It was smooth, cold, and round, no different from before. It was hard to believe such a weapon could transform into a human form.

As he held the sword, Rhod's mind was suddenly jolted.

What is my glory?

Right, why is this sword my glory?

Could the glory this thing refers to be...

Thinking this, Rhod no longer hesitated. He raised the sword and pointed it at the massive stone statue.

Yes, this is my glory, the recognition and past glory I once had, the former brilliance!

At that moment, a brilliant light burst from the sword, striking the statue's forehead precisely and disappearing into it.

"———!!!"

After the light entered its body, the massive stone statue began to crumble, quickly turning to dust and vanishing into the air.

At the same time, a system message appeared before Rhod.