Waiting.
Long, agonizing waiting.
Behind the iron gate, the shrieks of the demons grew louder and more frequent.
The ear-piercing sound of sharp claws scraping against the metal gate felt as if someone was dragging their fingernails across everyone’s hearts.
The dwarves beside the magic crystal cannons were tensed up, hands gripping the firing handles and eyes locked onto that door.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
There was only the sound of heavy breathing and the thumping of hearts.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Boom—!
Suddenly, an earth-shattering explosion echoed from a distance.
Boom—!
That massive roar made the entire Shield City tremble.
It wasn't the boom of a magic crystal cannon, nor was it the crashing sound of a collapsing wall. It was something far larger and more shocking.
It was like the mountains themselves were roaring.
The demon shrieks behind the iron gate stopped in that instant.
Those sharp claws that had been frantically scratching at the gate fell silent.
Even the stench and bloodlust permeating the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Then, the hideous shrieks began to fade.
They didn't disappear, but rather—they were leaving for a brief moment.
Barna and Grom exchanged a glance.
They knew the Fortress Lord had made his move.
Waves of perception extended outward, passing through the iron gate and the barrier, probing into the mountain face covered in demons.
Above the gate, the dwarf responsible for scouting suddenly bellowed,
“Those three demon lords are heading for the South Gate!”
“They’re chasing the Fortress Lord!”
In their perception, those three powerful presences, burning as hot as suns, were rapidly distancing themselves.
They were gone.
It was the signal.
Grom let out a thunderous roar,
“Open the gate!”
The massive iron gate slowly opened as the runes flickered.
The moment a crack appeared, the snow and wind outside rushed in alongside the frenzied shrieks of demons.
Then came the demons themselves.
Black, red, and grayish-white, they squeezed through the opening.
Sharp claws, fangs, and twisted bodies instantly filled the space behind the gate.
“Fire!”
The dwarves’ roars drowned out the demons’ shrieks.
The lights of the magic crystal cannons ignited one after another.
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
Each blast exploded amidst the demon swarms, sending shredded meat flying and blood splattering everywhere.
But as soon as demons fell, those behind them simply trampled the corpses and charged forward.
Right then, Barna moved.
He raised his staff high.
His chanting sounded like an ancient battle song, every syllable causing the surrounding air to vibrate.
Then.
He slammed his staff heavily against the ground.
The earth shuddered violently.
Outside the iron gate, the ground suddenly bulged upward.
Countless massive stone pillars burst forth from the earth, impaling swaths of demons with devastating force.
Those stone pillars seemed alive as they twisted, rotated, and swept across the area, tearing the demon horde outside into fragments.
Whether they were High Rank or Transcendent, all were ground to pieces.
Legendary earth magic, Earth Spike.
“Move!”
Barna bellowed.
Lin Gui took a deep breath.
With a single thought, the train, spanning dozens of meters, began to move.
The first car floated out of the iron gate.
Then the second.
And the third.
One after another, the cars flew rapidly out from the gate under the cover of the magic crystal cannons’ firepower.
The demons shrieked, roared, and pounced toward them.
But the dwarves’ cannon fire tore them apart row by row.
Finally.
The last car flew out of the iron gate.
Lin Gui focused his mind.
The power of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night instantly enveloped the entire train.
The train vanished.
It didn't just turn invisible or fade away; it vanished completely.
Not a single trace of its presence remained.
Controlling the train, Lin Gui began to climb, weaving through the demons that were still surging toward the iron gate.
They rose high into the air.
They flew slowly toward the Silent Sea.
Below them was a sea of demons.
They were crawling densely over the mountains, the walls, and everything within sight.
And in the sky, countless demons were circling as well.
Winged ones and floating ones covered the sun like a dark cloud.
Lin Gui’s voice rang in the ears of Barna and the others.
“Do not move.”
“Do not make any movement at all.”
The dwarves held their breath and remained perfectly still.
They watched as a massive flying demon swept past the train.
The draft from its flapping wings was strong enough that they could almost feel it on their faces.
But it simply flew past.
It discovered nothing.
They watched as the train threaded through the sky-filling swarms of demons.
Sometimes moving left, sometimes right, sometimes slipping through a gap between two demons.
That behemoth was currently as nimble as a swimming fish.
It glided silently through the ocean of demons.
Barna’s eyes were wide.
The eighteen master dwarf artisans were all dumbstruck.
They watched demons fly right by them.
They watched the train weave through the swarms of death.
They watched the impossible happen right before their eyes.
“This...”
Barna opened his mouth, but only that single syllable came out.
His eyes were bulging as he watched the train pass between two gargantuan flying demons.
They were so close he could almost see the patterns on the demons’ scales.
Yet those demons simply continued flying forward in a daze.
“It really is...”
He muttered, unable to finish his sentence.
As a Legendary mage, he had seen countless incredible scenes.
But this sight before him...
It left his mind blank.
Beside him, Grom also had his mouth hanging open. Seeing that the surrounding demons hadn't noticed them, he remarked in awe,
“As expected of an Epic Rank concealment magic.”
“I’ve really seen something new today.”
Barna’s expression suddenly turned strange.
“Epic Rank?”
He turned his head and stared at Grom, his voice changing pitch.
Grom was taken aback.
“Is it not?”
“Was this not an Epic magic scroll used by little brother Lin Gui?”
“Sigh, it must have really cost him a fortune this time...”
Barna didn't answer.
His brow furrowed deeply, and his gaze became more solemn than ever before.
As a Legendary mage, he was extremely sensitive to mana fluctuations.
The moment Lin Gui made the train disappear, Barna had keenly captured it.
The mana applied to the train.
High Rank.
It was only High Rank.
High Rank mana, yet it achieved the effect of an Epic concealment spell.
Just what kind of magic is this?!
For the first time, a trace of disbelief entered his voice.
At the same time.
Inside Lin Gui’s robes, that soul bead rolled slightly.
Shadow Blade Lynn’s soul light drifted out, coalescing into a blurred humanoid form that sat on Lin Gui’s shoulder.
Those pale blue eyes were currently fixed on him.
“Just what is this magic of yours?”
Her voice carried a long-suppressed curiosity.
Along the way, she had witnessed how strange Lin Gui’s magic was.
A High Rank mana output, yet it achieved the effect of an Epic concealment spell.
In terms of stealth, this magic was nearly on par with her at her peak.
She had wanted to ask, but she had always held back.
After all, her relationship with Lin Gui wasn't exactly good; they had even fought to the death before.
But this time, seeing him thread freely through a horde of berserk demons, she simply couldn't help herself.
Lin Gui replied calmly,
“It’s just an ordinary concealment spell.”
He paused.
“I just added a bit of... science.”
Shadow Blade Lynn: ?
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