Chapter 459: Clash in the Palace

Boom! Boom!!

A series of brief, sharp blasts echoed through the vast palace.

As the first Otherworldly Ghost awakened, the battle instantly reached a fever pitch.

For Third-Stage fighters, every move against these monsters was measured in milliseconds. In rapid, unpredictable sprints they dodged attacks while unleashing bursts of spirit energy.

The seven converged like a crescent, closing in on the Otherworldly Ghost at breakneck speed, constantly shifting positions to avoid counterstrikes.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the massive creature’s feet—moving even faster than the Ghost Hunter.

Lava Eruption!

Thunder Chain – Enhanced Slash!

Furious Axe!

Spirit energy skills, aglow with a spectrum of lights, erupted in succession, battering the massive Otherworldly Ghost.

Unlike low-level Awakeners who held back their skills as a last resort, these Third-Stage members of the Bloodshadow Legion, brought in by Yinglong, unleashed their spirit energy like a relentless bombardment.

With a savage swing of his battle axe, a Third-Stage Awakened cleaved down hard—massive chunks of muscle, as dry as firewood, were torn from the creature’s calf.

Bang!

The tough muscle crashed to the ground like a slab of ham, and at the gash the exposed bone was revealed in brutal detail.

That axe, infused with enhanced spirit energy, further crippled the sluggish Otherworldly Ghost.

Before the massive beast could roar in pain and hurl a punch, a barrage of lightning chains erupted with a crackling fury, slamming into its body.

In an instant, silvery-blue currents paralyzed it momentarily, scorching vast patches of flesh over its chest.

Trembling in agony, an Agility-Type Third-Stage fighter circled around like a phantom, darting along its spine.

Boom!!

Snake Blade Poison Stinger!

Counter Reversal Strike!

Tasked with delivering the finishing blow, a lean youth—a Third-Stage Agility Awakened—roared, and a spectral venomous serpent materialized from behind him, piercing straight through the Otherworldly Ghost’s head as a noxious, corrosive spirit toxin slithered inside.

Roar!!!

Agonized wails erupted as the massive, almost mindless beast convulsed in pain and thrashed wildly.

Yet, within mere seconds and through the coordinated efforts of the seven Bloodshadow Third-Stage fighters, the freshly awakened Otherworldly Ghost teetered on the brink of death.

………….

“Not bad teamwork…”

Hiding within a stone coffin, Yenir narrowed his eyes as he studied the relentless battle unfolding.

One had to admit, the Third-Stage power Yinglong brought was impressive; every Bloodshadow Third-Stage fighter ranked among the elite in any Battle Zone.

It seemed they were all elite members hailing from the Bloodshadow Legion’s inner ranks.

This spoke volumes about how seriously Yinglong regarded this dungeon.

“Excluding the Ghost Hunter, among these thirteen Third-Stage fighters, save for the one Third-Stage Advanced held in reserve, the combined strength of the remaining twelve Third-Stage Beginners nearly matches that of an Advanced.”

“Six melee, three ranged, two element controllers, and one curse-enhanced support?”

“A standard twelve-person combat team… Looks like the Bloodshadow Legion trains a lot like the Military…”

After his rapid assessment, Yenir’s gaze swept to Blood Nightingale, idly slacking at the fringe.

Clad in a black-and-red combat uniform, Blood Nightingale, with her long legs, deftly dodged the Otherworldly Ghost’s attacks—even in disarray—yet managed to exude a certain undeniable allure.

Compared to the other Third-Stage fighters, Blood Nightingale was markedly weaker. Being a melee type, she could only occasionally scrape in minor damage.

It wasn’t that her strength or battle experience was lacking.

It was simply…

“Too poor…”

“Tsk tsk, Yinglong may seem grand, but deep down he’s stingy… did he really not equip her at all?”

Noticing that Blood Nightingale had only a single piece of Blue-Grade Gear—leaving no margin for error—Yenir couldn’t help but feel a tinge of wistfulness.

Equipment was an Awakener’s second lifeline; over half of their power came from gear bonuses. Compared to other Third-Stage fighters uniformly decked out in Blue-Grade Gear, Blood Nightingale—who even sported a rare piece of White-Grade Equipment—looked as destitute as a beggar…

Recalling the first time he witnessed her dazzling combat prowess, Yenir felt a pang of sympathy.

Back then, with gear bonuses, Blood Nightingale boasted explosive power and blistering speed. Coupled with her Crimson Shield, she was a precise, efficient killing machine—a true Blade Empress in close combat.

But ever since he snatched even her pants away, her strength had plummeted—from the fearsome Farming Team Captain to a lone wolf, reduced to earning a meager living by ‘keeping company’ at bars…

In retrospect, it was indeed a tragic fall from grace.

After a brief moment of reflection, Yenir shifted his focus from Blood Nightingale. With Yinglong and the others looking out for her, she wasn’t in immediate danger.

“At this rate, this battle seems effortless…”

“We’re already on the third one, yet Yinglong and Zhang Yuan—the key combatants—remain at full strength…”

Patiently waiting, Yenir furrowed his brow as he assessed the evolving combat.

These massive Otherworldly Ghosts were said to possess Third-Stage Mid-level strength, but the chains bound to them severely hampered their mobility. Even after awakening, only part of their restraints loosened, confining them to within fifty meters.

Bereft of the cunning an Otherworldly Ghost should possess, they fought like mindless zombies, relying solely on brute strength.

With no special capabilities or unique attacks, they were nothing more than living targets…

At this level of challenge, Yenir even suspected that in the final reckoning, apart from Zhang Yuan, Yinglong himself might not need to intervene.

“Too easy… too simple…”

“By the numbers, these twelve massive Otherworldly Ghosts are just fillers. United they might pose a threat, but individually, they’re likely to be wiped out unscathed by this crew…”

“Could it be that the real challenge lies solely with the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch?”

Habitually fiddling with the ring in his hand, Yenir furrowed his brows, sensing that something was amiss.

Even if the real challenge lay ahead, this scene was strangely off—if they were truly guarding the Monarch, these monsters should have exhibited some special abilities.

At this difficulty, they were even less troublesome than the Otherworldly Ghosts outside…

And that wasn’t all.

“These Otherworldly Ghosts mingled in Yinglong’s team seem to be fighting with surprising vigor…”

Glancing at the battlefield where the Ghost Hunters roared laboriously, Yenir couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

The so-called ‘Ghost Hunters’ mixed in with the ranks were underwhelming; even the strongest among them was only of Third-Stage Mid-level strength.

Unlike Awakeners who wield innate talents, the Ghost Hunters in this world relied solely on raw physical power. Overall, their combat capability was barely a notch above that of a Third-Stage Beginner.

The rest were even weaker—like the initial Second-Stage Combat Uniform man, who now dared only to hide back and shoot arrows.

Nonetheless, regardless of their limited prowess, they all fought with fierce determination, giving everything they had.

Their lack of skill was so evident that Yenir even witnessed a Second-Stage Ghost Hunter being crushed to oblivion by a single stomp from a massive Otherworldly Ghost.

Even knowing full well these ‘people’ were monsters, he couldn’t help but marvel at their fighting spirit.

“If I hadn’t been sure that these NPCs were all Otherworldly Ghosts… I doubt I’d be questioning anything by now…”

“Otherworldly Ghosts versus Otherworldly Ghosts—it’s as if they’d fight until even a dog’s brain was laid bare…”

Comparing that to the nearby Bloodshadow Third-Stage fighter—despite his strength, he was overly cautious—the gap between them was almost negligible.