HISS!

The white sword light met the dark red carapace, erupting in a blinding flash and a deafening shriek of friction!

The carapace was exceptionally hard; the sword light failed to sever it. However, it left a deep, scorched gash from which dark gold molten light seeped out.

The giant beast cried out in pain. Its charge faltered slightly as it let out a furious roar, and its injured limb grew sluggish.

Murphy seized the opportunity, his figure blurring as he moved to flank the giant beast.

Rather than engage the behemoth in a direct contest of strength, he used his speed and agility to constantly weave around it. The longsword in his hand became a series of deadly white lightning strikes, precisely targeting the giant beast’s weaker points—its joints, the base of its limbs, and the connection between its mouthparts and carapace.

Every attack was heavy and powerful, leaving gashes on the giant beast’s body, draining its stamina, and enraging it.

The giant beast thrashed its body wildly, sweeping with its thick limbs and spewing torrents of molten-hot streams from its mouthparts. It even shot two scorching beams of light from its lava "eyes"!

Everywhere its attacks landed, the ground was scorched and buildings were set ablaze, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.

Murphy’s figure weaved through the giant beast’s frenzied assault like a petrel in a storm. Though his movements seemed perilous, he always managed to dodge the fatal attacks by a hair’s breadth and deliver a sharp counterattack.

White sword light, dark red carapace, and molten streams constantly collided and intertwined, the sound of explosions echoing without end.

He calmly observed the giant beast’s attack patterns, searching for its true weakness.

The battle was incredibly fierce, drawing the eyes of nearly everyone on the battlefield.

The survivors watched with their hearts in their throats, both terrified for Murphy and stunned by his superhuman combat skills.

Just then, after dodging an attack, Murphy finally seized a fleeting opportunity.

Following a full-power sweep, the giant beast had exposed a section under its chest and abdomen where the carapace was slightly lighter in color and the markings were sparser.

To his Spiritual Power, that spot felt like the core of its energy convergence—and a relatively weak point!

Without the slightest hesitation, Murphy pushed the Qi within his body to its absolute limit. The white energy on his longsword surged, and he and his sword seemed to merge into one, transforming into a streak of white light more brilliant and swifter than any before as he lunged for the vital spot!

This single strike contained the vast majority of his power at the Peak of Mortality, aimed to be a one-hit kill!

The sword light tore through the air with an ear-piercing shriek, about to strike its target.

But then, the unexpected happened!

The instant the tip of his sword was about to touch the carapace on the beast’s chest, the strange patterns that had been flowing with dark gold molten light suddenly flared with a blinding radiance!

The patterns seemed to come alive, instantly converging and intertwining to spontaneously form a complex yet savage dark red energy structure on the surface of the carapace. Though crude, it radiated a primal, ferocious defensive will.

VMMMM!

The white sword light stabbed viciously into this newly formed, crude yet exceptionally tough dark red Energy Shield!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, but a roar erupted from the violent collision and annihilation of energy!

More than half of the force from Murphy’s immensely powerful strike was brutally blocked by this sudden shield, which stemmed from the monster’s own innate ability!

Not only that, but at the moment of impact, the shield instinctively unleashed a chaotic and searing torrent of dark red energy. It was like countless tiny, corrosive energy spikes surging back along the blade, attempting to invade Murphy’s sword arm!

It was this sudden interference and energy backlash that caused an infinitesimal pause and deviation in Murphy’s sure-kill strike.

The giant beast, for its part, seemed to have taken on a huge burden from activating its latent shield. It let out a pained hiss, but its animal instinct drove it to seize the very moment its enemy’s attack was thwarted!

Its remaining intact limbs suddenly erupted with their last ounce of strength. The massive body rolled to one side with unprecedented speed and at a treacherous angle. Simultaneously, a limb tipped like a battering ram, carrying all its remaining brute force and furious rage, swept viciously toward his waist. It struck from an incredibly insidious angle, taking advantage of the instant Murphy’s sword was blocked and he was forced to readjust.

This counterattack was fast, ferocious, and ruthless—born purely from the battle instincts of an apex predator!

Murphy could only manage to pull his longsword back for a desperate block while arching his body back and shifting sideways to his absolute limit.

BANG!

The heavy impact sounded like a muffled clap of thunder!

The dark gold blade slammed violently against the dark red limb!

A ferocious power surged through the blade. Murphy grunted as the immense force sent him flying like a cannonball, smashing through the wall of a two-story stone house at the edge of the square. Dust and rubble instantly engulfed him!

"My Lord!" an Official Knight in the distance cried out, his eyes wide with fury and despair.

The Giant Scorching Beast, having landed a successful blow, let out a roar mixed with pain and excitement. Although its attacking limb had also cracked from the impact, its lava eyes blazed brightly as it began to move its heavy legs, charging toward the collapsed stone house to completely crush the enemy who had caused it so much trouble.

Meanwhile, the light from the dark red patterns on its carapace, which had just formed the shield, was slowly dimming. Clearly, such an outburst had taken a massive toll on the monster as well.

A dead silence fell over the ruins. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Only the heavy footsteps of the approaching giant beast and the crackling of burning flames echoed in the night wind.