Chapter 496: On the Brink of Annihilation

Save him! Open the Spirit Cage!!

A furious roar mingled with fading, agonized cries.

Outside the enormous Spirit Cage, the first group of twenty-four Third-Stage Advanced Awakeners frantically tried to neutralize the spirit energy—but they flailed like headless chickens, unable to control the accumulated power.

Under normal combat conditions, they would have had ample time and defense to save anyone.

By stacking a few layers of protective spirit energy or directly nullifying skill damage, these specially selected fighters had countless ways to keep their comrades alive.

Yet at that critical moment, they were horrified to realize that the situation was nothing like they had anticipated.

First, the Spirit Cage’s protective shield—expected to activate immediately—stuttered, and even the Protectors couldn’t neutralize the attacks targeting Lu Tianming.

There were just too many!

Under Yenir’s brutally savage assault, no one could have imagined that a Third-Stage Mid-level Awakener would overpower a higher-level fighter! And no one expected Yenir to unleash a hundred strikes in an instant!

A hundred strikes! It was like having to counter an entire barrage of attacks all at once!

How on earth could they manage that!?

Not to mention the two streams of high-energy Sword Flow relentlessly battering Lu Tianming, as if executing a double-edged assault.

The attack tempo was overwhelming—so rapid that they couldn’t possibly nullify the damage in time!

Everything unfolded too quickly! In the wake of Yenir’s seemingly overpowered slashes, even wrapping Lu Tianming in a hundred layers of shield wouldn’t have been fast enough!

The vicious, piercing sword shadows slicing through his body sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

At this point, any shield they mustered would probably only preserve Committee Member Lu’s remains—hardly worth salvaging!

Even if it were just instinct, they had to save him! Their battle-hardened experience already convinced them that Committee Member Lu was essentially beyond saving.

Boom!!!

Tianming!!

The Spirit Cage exploded under a violent blow! A fleeting afterimage flashed by!

A Peak Third-Stage fighter from the Army boldly intervened, crashing through the cage with a massive gap in a single, decisive blow as he raced to rescue Lu Tianming amid the relentless clashing Sword Flows.

One of the most powerful fighters in the arena at Peak Third-Stage, he wasn’t a commander and was remarkably unassuming—a top-tier veteran of the Army.

Although he wasn’t particularly close with Lu Tianming, at that moment he had no choice but to risk everything to save him!

No other reason! He had a stake in this outcome and even shared a good rapport with Lu Tianming’s old man!

No one, least of all him, had ever imagined Yenir could bring down Lu Tianming. The man who had been watching the spectacle calmly never expected this to happen!

Meanwhile, both on and off the battlefield, whether it was Fang Hao—who had planned to rescue Yenir—or other high-ranking representatives, everyone watched in utter shock.

Some of the heavily invested Third-Stage fighters and members of the Merchant Guild nearly fainted!

Although Committee Member Lu still appeared to be struggling, can anyone really survive after being pierced through?

At that moment, those who had staked so much were nearly breaking down—their faces etched with hopelessness, as if they’d lost everything.

If Lu Tianming died, some would lose their fortunes, and others could even end up before a military tribunal!

If a pill for regret existed, almost everyone here—over 90%—would rush to grab one!

At this stage, their only hope was for Lu Tianming to cling to life, even if just for a breath, so the Military might improbably declare a draw!

That way, perhaps they could salvage some coffin capital and avoid ending up on the Rooftop!

Boom!!

They charged in at full speed.

In the blink of an instant as the Peak Third-Stage fighter took over the Death Duel, he surged forward and, with his bare hands, conjured a storm that slammed into the raging Sword Flow Storm as if ripping it apart.

With precise and powerful control, that strike instantly halted the Sword Flow above, transforming it into a shield that enveloped Lu Tianming’s body.

Compared to the bewildered Third-Stage Advanced Awakeners, his combat prowess—shaped by surviving the harshest calamities—was leagues beyond what today’s Awakeners could muster!

Yet despite this near-miraculous rescue, his expression remained grim.

The simple reason: even so close, he still couldn’t sense Lu Tianming’s aura.

Committee Member Lu…

Chances are, he’s already dead…

It’s almost certain they’re already beating his corpse!

The shock was beyond words.

In the unending cascade of silver light, he could only watch with a troubled expression as Lu Tianming continued to absorb the relentless assault.

He could block the external Sword Flow, but how could he counter the hundreds of internal strikes?

If he intervened—his power colliding with the sword aura left by Yenir—it might just turn the Committee Member’s body into a mush of meat.

Unlike the bystanders oblivious to the full story, upon realizing this, he could only offer a bitter smile and fix a complex gaze on Yenir.

In his eyes, Yenir’s effortless sword slash made him nothing short of a monster among monsters.

Terrifying… too terrifying…

He couldn’t wrap his head around how a Third-Stage Mid-level Awakener could possess such an extraordinary talent as to take down a Third-Stage Advanced with ease.

Before, he had merely thought that Yenir’s talent was impressive, with the potential to reach Peak Third-Stage like himself.

But now, an overwhelming sense of dread and unease gripped his heart; he no longer cared even about his lost wager.

Confronted by such a monstrous genius, he felt fear just like any ordinary person…

Is his rate of growth even human at all!?

At the same time, scores of Third-Stage fighters and representatives from various factions in the stands rose in shock, every eye fixed on the Death Duel Platform.

Perhaps still clinging to a ray of hope, they imagined that Lu Tianming might emerge alive once the silver light subsided!

Of course, maybe they simply couldn’t believe Lu Tianming would actually die.

A Mid-level taking out an Advanced—this was utterly astonishing!

However, the wait didn’t last long.

But after just a single breath, a blood-soaked reality shattered everyone’s illusions.

As the sword light dimmed and the gruesome sight on the Death Duel Platform unfolded, everyone from Lu Tianming’s camp turned pale and slumped back into their seats.

Their entire bodies shaking—though they were never afraid even of mutants—they now appeared utterly terrified; mouths agape like chickens caught in a chokehold, unable to speak.

On the Death Duel Platform, where Lu Tianming once stood, there was nothing but a shapeless splatter of fragments.

Under the bright spotlights, scattered bits of meat and a lone pair of boots remained.

The solitary boots and a few pieces of fallen equipment formed an absurd sight that rattled everyone’s nerves.

In that moment, everyone realized that no matter how forcefully the Army’s Peak Third-Stage fought to protect him, it only resulted in the Committee Member’s corpse being blown to bits, strewn across the field.

In an instant, the entire arena fell silent.

Following a sigh and a nod from the Army’s Peak Third-Stage Awakener, indicating that Lu Tianming was indeed dead,

the arena plunged into an eerie silence.

A lingering shock began to spread through everyone’s hearts.

No one had ever imagined that Yenir’s pre-battle words would turn out to be true!

Now, what are they going to do!?