Military orders are as firm as mountains, and actions are as swift as thunder.

"Enemy... Enemy attack!!!"

The terrified screams were the last sounds those brave warriors left behind in the world.

They didn't even have time to draw their weapons, unleash their skills, let alone use Holy Revelation.

Lin Mo simply waved his hand, and the Soul Corrosion Realm had already disappeared into the heavy city gate tower.

The next moment—

boom!

It wasn't a typical loud explosion, but rather a dull, rumbling sound of collapse!

The entire Ash Keep, both east and west, trembled violently at the sound of that deafening roar!

In the East Gate area, a sphere of destructive light, a mixture of blinding dark red and filthy green, suddenly expanded.

It instantly swallowed up the city gate and several warriors!

The sturdy black rock walls also exploded and collapsed!

Smoke and dust, carrying shattered rocks and distorted remnants of souls, rose into the sky.

As for those few brave warriors?

Under the immense damage inflicted by the explosion's core, their bodies and consciousness were instantly annihilated.

Their souls had just left their bodies when they were drawn by an invisible force.

It wailed as it disappeared into the black sword.

Before the dust had even settled, Lin Mo stood expressionlessly on the ground corrupted by souls.

He ignored the wailing remnants of souls and the corrosive fluctuations within.

As if passing through the broken gate of his own courtyard, he entered this fortress that had withstood countless attacks from the demons.

Ash Fortress, East Gate, broken.

……

Almost at the same time that the loud explosion reverberated throughout the city.

Horn, who was overlooking the battle from the western city wall, suddenly stood up!

He was nearly two meters tall, and his black heavy armor was spotless.

His square face bore the marks of hardship and unwavering resolve from years of battle.

He is the general who guards this fortress!

Although he has not received divine guidance and is not a divine guide.

However, thanks to his outstanding military talent and loyalty to the empire, he managed to climb to the level of a level 60 powerhouse through his military achievements.

He originally did not intend to intervene in the battlefield below.

This was precisely his strategy of using war to sustain war.

By utilizing the controlled pressure of the demonic tide, soldiers can level up quickly, strengthening the defenses of the entire fortress.

He won't act rashly unless the situation truly spirals out of control.

But the loud explosion at the East Gate made him realize instantly that there was big trouble behind him!

That's definitely not the usual way the demons attack!

"A swift and decisive victory!"

Horn's voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the western city.

He could no longer hold back in the slightest.

Before he finished speaking, his tall figure had already disappeared from the city wall.

It transformed into a black shadow that was difficult to see with the naked eye, and crashed directly into the densest group of monsters below!

There are no flashy skills, only the purest power and speed!

Wherever the fist struck, the air exploded.

The palm strike slashed down, and the giant beast howled in agony!

A level 60 powerhouse unleashed his full power, killing this group of demons as easily as killing chickens.

The previously deadlocked battle line was instantly torn open with a huge gap.

The demons' offensive stalled and descended into chaos.

The Royal Guard and the officers who had reacted seized the opportunity to expand their gains.

They pursued the fleeing demons.

By this time, Horn had already withdrawn, leaving the remaining cleanup work to his subordinates.

He then rushed to the East Gate as quickly as possible!

When he arrived at the East Gate area, even with his decades of experience in battle, he couldn't help but gasp in shock.

The once-impregnable city gate is now in ruins, with a huge gap of tens of meters clearly visible.

Occasionally, blue ghostly flames hissed amidst the rubble and debris.

What's most unsettling is the dark purple, corrupted area that spreads both inside and outside the breach.

The sticky ground writhed slightly, like the entrails of a living creature.

Corrosive bubbles kept rising, emitting a rotten, sweet, and fishy smell.

Fragments of tormented souls wailed and screamed within, continuously releasing corrosive fluctuations.

He could sense that the residual energy in this area, though strange, was not strong enough to break through the city gate.

This is probably a residual effect from that explosion.

"Could it be that some kind of...highly concentrated curse or soul bomb was used?"

Horn was quickly calculating in his mind.

Just then, another soldier tried to approach the corrupted land to check the situation.

"Don't touch it! Back off!"

Horn shouted sharply, his voice like thunder.

The soldier was startled by the shout and froze.

However, the toes of his iron boots had already lightly touched the dark purple ground.

laugh!

A slight, tooth-grinding corrosive sound rang out.

The soldier was horrified to see that his iron boots were turning black and softening at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even emitting wisps of smoke!

"what!"

The soldier was terrified, jumped back, and hurriedly took off his boots and threw them away.

The boot melted completely into a pool of black viscous liquid within a few breaths after it landed.

The soldiers who witnessed this scene were all horrified and retreated in disarray.

Horn's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.

His gaze swept over the breach in the city gate, over that dangerous, corrupt land, and over the terrified soldiers.

Finally, it was thrown into the fortress.

It seems there's a big problem in the city.

"Pass on the order!"

Horn's voice was cold and decisive, echoing over the desolate ruins of the East Gate.

"The entire city is immediately placed on Level One alert! All street intersections are sealed off! Notify the church and the Hero's Guild branch to be on high alert!"

Ash Fortress truly lives up to its reputation as a military town; this order was issued and carried out by the entire population in just ten minutes.

The bugle calls were mournful, and the alarm bells rang constantly, pushing the already tense nerves of those preparing for war to their limits.

The soldiers rushed around setting up roadblocks.

The patrol density increased sharply.

Ordinary people and shops were asked to close down.

The entire city instantly transformed from a roaring war machine into a formidable, gigantic prison.

What Horn didn't expect was that the audacious mystery man seemed to have no intention of hiding at all.

He had only been back at the city lord's mansion for a few minutes when the first urgent report was presented to Horn.

"Reporting to the General! Suspicious black-robed figures have been spotted near the blacksmith shop in the South District! They are moving extremely fast and are heading towards the warehouse area!"

Horn narrowed his eyes and immediately gave the order: "Third squad, proceed to intercept immediately! Use binding magic if necessary!"

The order had barely been issued when a second and third report followed in quick succession:

"Dark shadow spotted flitting across the rooftops from the East District watchtower! Suspected target!"

"A civilian reported seeing a stranger in a black robe buying... uh, buying candy? His behavior is strange!"

"Residents of the North Gate passageway reported that a man in black robes was stealing women's underwear."

"Breaking news! The man who stole women's underwear is a brave soul and has been apprehended!"

……

As Horn looked at the reports, his lips twitched. Why did it feel like an entire army had broken into Ash Keep, not just one person?

Whenever an elite squad rushes to a location based on intelligence,

Either they come up empty-handed, leaving only a vague and inexplicable description.

Either you encounter an extremely brief encounter, where the opponent often strikes and leaves immediately, never lingering in battle, and their speed is astonishing.

A single turn around the corner is all it takes to shake off the pursuing soldiers!

There have even been occasional claims that people have seen more than one figure in black robes appearing simultaneously in different neighborhoods!

As time went on, in addition to this mysterious person, other news also came in.

Strange footprints were found outside the armory.

The patrol reported seeing a "floating, translucent monster shadow" flash by.

The common people were even more direct, saying that it was a ghost!

The entire interior of Ash Keep was thrown into chaos.

Meanwhile, Horn, from the city lord's mansion, looked at these contradictory reports with a face full of black lines.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and began to analyze the various possibilities.

"A clone? An illusion? Or some kind of group stealth technique?"

His experience allowed him to immediately consider several possibilities.

"The other side came prepared; they're deliberately creating chaos to confuse our vision and plans! Their real target... might not be there at all!"

With that thought in mind, he immediately unfolded the city map.

His sharp eyes swept over the locations where the incidents had been reported.

Trying to find patterns.

……

At this moment, Lin Mo, the instigator of all this chaos, is...

Just like an ordinary civilian, he stood quietly outside the magnificent Western Cathedral of Ash Keep.