"If that's how it is, then let's fight!"
Tetsukiba let out a furious roar.
"Gigabear! We'll kill them together!"
Gigabear pulled out his weapon as well, a massive battle axe whose blade gleamed coldly within the mist.
"You brats! Even if you're Star Level warriors, we're not easy targets!" Gigabear bellowed. "I've traveled the stars for decades. There's nothing I haven't seen!"
"Is that so?"
Rowan spoke calmly as he slowly drew Void Slash.
The moment the divine sword left its sheath, the surrounding space seemed to tremble.
A terrifying pressure radiated from the blade.
Tetsukiba and Gigabear's expressions changed instantly.
"An Immortal-grade divine weapon!"
Tetsukiba cried out in horror.
"Who exactly are you people?!"
"You don't need to know."
Rowan tightened his grip on Void Slash.
"Because the dead have no need for secrets."
The battle began.
Tetsukiba struck first.
His figure flickered through the mist like a phantom as his claw blades sliced through the air with piercing whistles.
"Wind-Rending Claws!"
Countless claw shadows intertwined in midair, forming a dense net of attacks.
This was Tetsukiba's signature technique, one that had caught countless opponents off guard.
Unfortunately for him, Rowan was a Star Level powerhouse.
The attack looked unbearably slow.
Rowan did not even bother using a special technique.
He simply swung Void Slash once.
"Too slow."
A streak of black sword light flashed past.
Every claw attack was shattered instantly.
At the same time, a deep wound opened across Tetsukiba's chest.
Blood sprayed outward.
"How... how is this possible...?"
Tetsukiba stared at his wound in disbelief.
"How could my Wind-Rending Claws be broken so easily?"
"Because the gap between us is too large."
Rowan's voice remained calm.
"In our eyes, you're no different from insects."
On the other side of the battlefield, Gigabear charged at Rofeng.
His gigantic battle axe swung with enough force to split mountains.
"Mountain-Breaking Axe!"
The enormous axe phantom crashed toward Rofeng.
Even a Star Level warrior would be injured if struck directly.
But Rofeng was no longer the inexperienced youth he once was.
"Starlight Void Blades!"
His spiritual power erupted.
Thousands of telekinetic flying swords materialized instantly.
Although he had not yet mastered the fusion techniques taught by Master Aria, dealing with opponents of this level was effortless.
The flying swords descended like a storm.
There was nowhere for Gigabear to dodge.
"AAAH!"
A miserable scream echoed through the canyon.
Hundreds of wounds appeared across his body in an instant.
Blood gushed out like fountains.
"A telekinetic master!"
"And such a high-level one!"
Gigabear stared at the countless flying swords in horror.
"Who are you people?!"
"Didn't we already tell you?"
Rofeng replied coldly.
"The dead don't need to know."
Only now did Tetsukiba and Gigabear realize the truth.
The two newcomers they had assumed were easy prey were actually terrifying experts.
What they thought would be a simple robbery had become their own death sentence.
"We surrender!"
Tetsukiba shouted desperately.
"We'll hand over everything we own! Please spare us!"
"That's right!"
Gigabear quickly followed.
"We were wrong! We'll do anything to make up for it!"
"Begging now?"
Rowan's voice remained icy.
"Too late."
"You chose to attack us."
"Now you face the consequences."
"And people like you," Rofeng added, "would only continue harming others if we let you go."
"Keeping you alive would only create more trouble."
Seeing that pleading was useless, a crazed look appeared in Tetsukiba's eyes.
He suddenly pulled out a strange device and fired a crimson flare into the sky.
"If we're going to die, then we'll drag you down with us!"
He laughed maniacally.
"I've already sent a distress signal!"
"The other teams will be here soon!"
"You won't escape either!"
"You idiot!"
Gigabear cursed.
"You'll expose our position!"
"We're dead anyway!"
Tetsukiba shouted back.
"What does it matter now?!"
Rowan and Rofeng exchanged a helpless glance.
Originally, they had intended to eliminate these two quietly.
Now that was no longer possible.
"In that case, let's end this quickly."
Rowan made his decision.
"We can't let the others arrive."
"Agreed."
Rofeng nodded.
"We go all out."
Neither of them held back anymore.
The pressure radiating from Void Slash became even more terrifying.
Meanwhile, Rofeng's telekinetic swords grew denser and deadlier.
"Void... Slash!"
A pitch-black sword aura tore through space itself.
It shot directly toward Tetsukiba.
There was no way he could withstand an attack of this level.
He could only watch helplessly as it approached.
"No!"
His final scream echoed through the canyon.
Then the sword aura swallowed him completely.
When the darkness faded, Tetsukiba was gone.
Not even a corpse remained.
Such was the terrifying power of Void Slash.
It could erase an enemy from existence itself.
At the same moment, Rofeng unleashed his strongest attack.
Thousands of telekinetic swords merged into a raging torrent.
They completely surrounded Gigabear.
"Starlight Tempest!"
The river of blades spun like a tornado.
Its cutting force was enough to shred nearly any material.
Gigabear lasted only seconds.
Soon, his body was torn apart completely.
The battle was over.
From beginning to end, less than a minute had passed.
The two veteran mercenaries who had seemed so threatening moments earlier were effortlessly eliminated.
"Clean up the scene."
Rowan immediately sheathed Void Slash.
"We need to leave before the others arrive."
"Understood."
Rofeng recalled his flying swords and began erasing traces of the battle.
The two moved quickly.
Completely hiding what had happened was impossible, but they could at least remove the most obvious evidence.
"The flare came from this location."
Rowan analyzed the situation.
"The other groups should arrive soon."
"We need a believable explanation."
"We can say we were attacked by monsters," Rofeng suggested.
"Tetsukiba and Gigabear sacrificed themselves to help us escape."
"Not bad."
"But we need to make it convincing."
As Rowan spoke, he deliberately inflicted several superficial wounds on himself.
"You should do the same."
"That'll make the story more believable."
Rofeng followed suit.
Soon, the two looked like survivors who had narrowly escaped death.
About ten minutes later, approaching footsteps echoed through the mist.
Karl arrived with Old Wu and several mercenaries.
"What happened here?"
Karl's voice was cold.
"Who fired the distress flare?"
"Tetsukiba did."
Rowan answered weakly.
"We were attacked by a group of strange monsters."
"Tetsukiba and Gigabear stayed behind to cover our retreat."
"They... didn't make it."
"Monsters?"
Old Wu frowned suspiciously.
"What kind of monsters?"
"Large."
"Fast."
"Extremely powerful."
Rofeng cooperated smoothly.
"We were completely outmatched."
"If Tetsukiba and Gigabear hadn't risked their lives, neither of us would have escaped."
Karl carefully inspected the area.
He noticed several suspicious details.
Yet there was no solid evidence.
The injuries on Rowan and Rofeng genuinely looked battle-related.
"Where are their bodies?"
Karl asked.
"The monsters dragged them away."
Rowan replied.
"They seemed to feed on flesh."
The explanation was somewhat far-fetched.
However, inside the Mist Forbidden Zone, almost anything seemed possible.
Although Karl remained suspicious, he could not refute their story.
"Forget it."
His voice was indifferent.
"Two useless fools died. So be it."
"Can you still continue the mission?"
"Yes."
Rowan and Rofeng answered simultaneously.
"Good."
"Then we move forward."
Karl issued the order.
"This time you stay with the main group."
"No more splitting into teams."
The expedition regrouped and continued toward the ancient ruins.
Rowan and Rofeng walked among the others as though nothing had changed.
But both understood one thing.
They could no longer completely hide their true strength.
"Although we solved two problems, our situation may actually be more dangerous now."
Rowan transmitted through mental communication while they marched.
"Why?"
Rofeng asked.
"Karl isn't stupid."
"He definitely suspects something."
"Even if he has no proof, he'll be watching us more carefully."
"Then what do we do?"
"Keep pretending we're seriously injured."
"Lower his guard."
"And look for an opportunity to leave the group."
"Understood."
Rofeng nodded.
After the incident with Tetsukiba and Gigabear, the atmosphere within the expedition became even heavier.
Karl never openly challenged their story.
Yet his gaze frequently lingered on Rowan and Rofeng.
Every glance felt like a blade pressed against their backs.
"We're almost there."
About three hours later, the scout leading the group suddenly stopped and reported to Karl.
"The mist ahead is changing."
"And I'm detecting extremely strong energy fluctuations."
Karl immediately moved to the front.
As expected, the silver-gray mist had begun to transform.
Soft blue radiance flickered through it.
Moments later, golden streaks shimmered across its surface.
The sight was beautiful.
And deeply unsettling.
"It looks like the ancient ruins are just ahead."
Excitement flashed through Karl's eyes.
"Everyone stay alert."
"Be prepared for anything."
The group advanced cautiously.
Weapons remained ready in every hand.
On the surface, Rowan and Rofeng looked just as tense as everyone else.
In reality, they continued communicating through mental waves.
"Do you feel that?"
Rowan asked quietly.
"The energy fluctuations ahead are unstable."
"Yes."
Rofeng replied.
"And they're incredibly powerful."
"With this level of energy, something unexpected could happen at any moment."
"If chaos breaks out, it may be our chance to escape."
"We need to be ready."
"I'll follow your lead."
Another thirty minutes passed.
Then a colossal stone wall emerged from the mist.
It towered hundreds of meters into the sky.
Its width stretched beyond sight.
The wall completely blocked the path forward.
Most astonishing of all were the countless runes carved across its surface.
Each rune emitted a faint glow that constantly shifted colors.
"This is the outer barrier of the ancient ruins."
Karl could barely conceal his excitement.
"According to the records, if we find the correct activation method, we can open a passage to the core of the ruins."
"Captain, these runes are incredibly complicated."
Old Wu studied the wall carefully.
"How are we supposed to activate them?"
"Based on our intelligence, a specific number of people must channel energy into the barrier simultaneously."
Karl explained.
"That's why I needed so many people."
He produced an ancient parchment covered in dense text and diagrams.
"According to this manuscript, each person must energize a designated rune node."
"Every node has to be activated at the same time."
"Only then will the barrier open."
The mercenaries spread out according to Karl's instructions.
Rowan and Rofeng were assigned two adjacent rune nodes on the right side of the wall.
"Everyone ready?"
Karl shouted.
"Ready!"
The response echoed in unison.
"Good!"
"Begin channeling energy!"
Everyone poured energy into their assigned rune nodes.
The runes brightened immediately.
The entire stone wall began to vibrate.
"Excellent!"
Karl shouted.
"Keep it steady!"
"We're almost there!"
Then everything went wrong.
As more energy entered the system, the vibrations intensified.
The runes began flickering erratically.
"Something's wrong!"
The technician responsible for analysis shouted in alarm.
"The energy reaction has exceeded expected parameters!"
"The system may be going out of control!"
"What?!"
Karl's face changed dramatically.
Before he could determine the cause, disaster struck.
The stone wall erupted with blinding light.
A colossal surge of energy burst from the runes.
Within seconds, it formed a terrifying storm in the sky.
"Everyone retreat!"
Karl roared.
But it was already too late.
The energy storm expanded instantly.
The entire area was swallowed.
Violent energy raged like a cosmic hurricane, tearing apart everything it touched.
Several mercenaries failed to escape in time.
The torrent struck them directly.
They were reduced to ash in an instant.
"AAAH!"
"Help!"
"My arm!"
Screams erupted everywhere.
The entire expedition descended into chaos.
Everyone fled desperately, trying to escape the deadly zone.
"Now!"
Rowan sent a mental signal to Rofeng.
The two exchanged a glance.
No further explanation was needed.
This was their best chance to break away.
"Over here!"
Rofeng deliberately shouted.
"I found a safe passage!"
Without hesitation, the two sprinted in the opposite direction from Karl and the others.
Under the cover of the raging energy storm, no one noticed their departure.
-------------------------------
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