Chapter 609.5: Sneak Attack by the Sword Saint!
"Raaagh...!"
The Blood God Hakkar howled.
Red light shrank inward, gathering in its muscles.
Its body grew larger, its limbs even more grotesque.
Its Strength and Defense visibly increased.
Matthew didn't hesitate. He switched tactics, sidestepping to continue the fight.
Though powerful, the Blood God couldn't keep up.
Its Agility and attack speed were clearly lacking.
Matthew's Strength was close to its own, but his superior combat skills—
Let him pivot, evade, and strike from optimal angles.
Blow after blow landed.
Though its Defense had improved, the Blood God still couldn't withstand Matthew's full-force strikes.
In just a short time, the Blood God Hakkar's powerful body could no longer fully regenerate, and could only selectively recover from injuries.
Boom!
After a fierce blow, Matthew steadied himself, slowly adjusting his breathing as he calmly gazed at the Blood God Hakkar, whose red glow grew more intense.
"You're too weak right now. Better get even stronger."
His voice rang out clearly, immediately making the Eternal Life Church members' expressions change drastically.
They noticed Hakkar's aura rising again, clearly reaching a new level of strength—yet he still couldn't defeat Matthew.
This made things feel very problematic.
If they continued letting Hakkar enhance his body, they'd soon lose control over him.
But if they couldn't beat Matthew, they would have to launch an all-out assault on the Mage Tower!
If they failed to retake the Mage Tower and remove the seal quickly—
Then all their resources, their revealed trump cards, and the enormous price paid would be for nothing.
Matthew tightened his grip on his blade, took a deep breath, and watched Hakkar's glowing red body.
"As expected, the stronger the Hive Tyrant gets, the greater the cost of enhancing it."
"Even the Blood God Hakkar must pay a huge price to fully modify a Hive Tyrant."
If Hakkar were at full power, Matthew believed he could do it.
But now, he was still sealed, and the Hive Tyrant's power was only borrowed temporarily.
Matthew didn't believe for a second that he could act recklessly on just this.
So, when Hakkar completed another enhancement, Matthew decisively struck again.
It was the perfect moment to gather data—and test his own strength.
He'd spent tens of millions of gold coins. He deserved some results!
However, this time Matthew didn't engage directly.
He widened the distance, raised his hand, and gathered a dazzling magical glow.
Rumble!
Rotating fireballs shot one after another toward Hakkar.
Each highly penetrative fireball left scorched holes in the Blood God's body.
Roaring in pain, Hakkar began chasing Matthew.
He was faster and more explosive, but never fast enough. Matthew's spells burned him black, and he could only howl uselessly.
Despite Matthew's seemingly bulky body, he moved swiftly and with uncanny timing—always attacking or dodging just in time.
Boom!
After another head-on clash, Matthew was knocked back hard.
He planted his feet, steadied himself, looked at his slightly damaged Thunder Armor, and shrugged at the now stronger Hakkar.
Anyone else would've died a dozen times already.
But Hakkar, thanks to his regeneration and power drawn from the mycelium, healed rapidly.
Matthew could only endure thanks to Thunder Armor's immense mass and enhanced resistance.
Even with his powerful stats, Matthew couldn't tank the Hive Tyrant's body head-on—he had to kite.
Though he could clash for a while without the armor—
He wouldn't be able to stop Hakkar from reaching the Mage Tower. He had to hold the line!
Once the armor broke, the battle would shift dramatically.
That's why Matthew kept attacking from range!
He had to last longer!
The furious Blood God Hakkar stared at him without blinking.
He had never seen a human like Matthew—so small, yet hiding such terrifying power.
That would've been enough. But he was also fast and could cast spells. No weaknesses!
Hakkar had a premonition: if Matthew grew any stronger, he could become a fatal threat...
Realizing the Thunder Armor's value, Hakkar tried harder to clash directly with Matthew.
Matthew understood his plan—and didn't back down. He kept Hakkar occupied, gaining high-level battle experience.
To restore mana, he boldly lured the fight toward the swarm base.
Even their collateral clashes were enough to destroy huge hive structures.
At first, Matthew thought the Hive Tyrant wasn't cooperating.
But he soon saw that it was deliberately redirecting some of its attacks at the hive buildings.
Realizing this, the Eternal Life Church quickly ordered it to retreat.
"What is it doing? Has it lost its mind?!"
"If the hives are destroyed, we lose our swarm production—and it won't break the seal either!"
"Make it leave now! Attack the Mage Tower!"
"Forget it! We must destroy the Mage Tower—even if it costs us every swarm weapon!"
"Exactly! We can't delay any longer!"
"The zombies outside are spent, and the altar's reserves are running low\..."
"Do it! All-out assault!"
"..."
The enraged Hakkar backed away, his eyes glowing with hatred and humiliation.
To a being of his level, being sealed was tolerable—but being controlled by a human? Never.
These wretched things weren't even human anymore—but Hakkar could smell their cowardice and greed!
Now he looked forward to it—he hoped Matthew would destroy the hive base, so they could fight properly.
As it happened, that was exactly what Matthew intended!
He didn't chase the Hive Tyrant attacking the Mage Tower. He instead unleashed hell on the hive base.
With few defenders, it couldn't withstand his area spells.
Flames engulfed the entire base.
When he destroyed the largest hive structure—like a mountain of flesh—Matthew felt the mycelium beneath him scream in pain.
But he didn't care. These monsters had slaughtered countless lives—they deserved death!
Their massacres weren't limited to humans and flesh-beings.
Any land they infested died—its microbes and nutrients devoured.
Matthew had once considered controlling them for battle.
But with his power now at peak high-tier—
He felt it in his soul: the path forward would refine both his will and essence.
The stronger a Professional became, the clearer their purpose.
Their goals didn't shift like the wind.
Otherwise, they'd never have the resolve or strength to ascend to the Extraordinary tier.
So Matthew wouldn't rely on swarm monsters just for their combat ability.
The swarm left only destruction and plunder.
That was the flaw of a single-species strategy!
But that didn't mean he couldn't use them—he'd just be selective and make modifications.
To Matthew, warriors who could learn and grow were the most valuable units.
Because growth meant infinite potential!
Fwoosh!
The raging blaze consumed the remaining hive base. Matthew quickly gathered a few samples and rushed toward the Mage Tower.
There, the controlled Blood God Hakkar had already smashed through the front gates and stormed inside.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hakkar swung his massive bone blade, severing a metal arm.
One golem, undeterred, grabbed the incoming whip. Even with a deep gash in its frame, it held on.
More steel golems swarmed in, raising heavy fists and pummeling Hakkar.
But their attacks were weak—they barely harmed him.
At most, they dented him slightly. He quickly recovered by absorbing flesh.
His strikes, however, shattered them with ease.
A few blows and he'd crack their cores.
Even so, these powerful golems didn't fear or hesitate. They lined up to fight.
Though just running programmed orders, their stand was oddly heroic.
At the tower's base, Annie forced herself not to look at the eerie red glow from the seal. She gave the order:
"Full deployment!"
Even if the constructs couldn't stop Hakkar, they had to delay him long enough.
She wasn't hoping for Matthew to return—just to finish the tower's final self-destruct protocol!
Bloodmoon City's founding was tied to this ruin's excavation.
But the dangers in the ruins had long frightened the Yaoyue Family and other nobles.
Especially this deadly seal—it had nearly caused a catastrophe before.
The Yaoyue Family and eastern nobles paid dearly to reinforce it.
To safeguard it, they built this heavily fortified Mage Tower in the ruins.
And they prepared a last resort.
If the seal failed entirely, and repairs were useless—the self-destruct would activate.
It would obliterate the sealed entity—and the entire underground ruins of Bloodmoon City.
Why not destroy it from the start?
Simple: the ruins had made the families unimaginably rich.
Greed prevailed. They wouldn't destroy a treasure trove!
But over time, their power grew.
They no longer needed the ruins—and feared its dangers.
Using the eastern development campaign as cover, the families left—only branch members and proxies remained.
Like the Alarad Family and the Carlisle Family.
But someone had to manage Bloodmoon City.
A cursed post everyone avoided.
For personal reasons, Annie clashed with her family—and volunteered.
She didn't care about the excavation.
As long as adventurers stayed away from the tower and her lab, she didn't mind.
But her neglect let the cult infiltrate the Mage Tower through their planted family agents.
Thankfully, she still had a chance to fix things.
Though reluctant to abandon her research—now at a critical point—she made her decision.
This was her duty—and her promise!
Maybe it was her fate!
Annie cleared her mind. No more thoughts of problems, research, or puzzles.
She silently watched the approaching cultists, eyes full of disdain.
"Living like maggots, parasitic and desperate—what's the point of such a life?"
Her only surprise was Matthew.
Even after she contacted him, he didn't flee. He rushed straight to her.
Ahead of him, elite swarm monsters bared their fangs.
The Eternal Life cultists glared, eager for his death.
"Don't die—wait for me to save you!"
Annie blinked oddly. She couldn't explain how she felt.
Watching him carve a bloody path, drenched in gore, she frowned:
"Why's he trying so hard?"
Of course, Matthew couldn't know Annie's thoughts. But even if he did, he'd only smile and say:
"You're my partner. We've still got big deals to make!"
He decapitated a Giant Wolf Spider, dodged elite Hounds, and burst into the wreckage-strewn tower.
A flash of cold light appeared silently behind him.
Crack!
The Thunder Armor was pierced. A glowing longsword burst from Matthew's chest.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed. Matthew froze in place, heart pierced.
Fearing a counterattack, the assailant vanished instantly.
Only twenty meters away did his body reappear in the corridor.
Gleaming armor, polished sword, bizarre movement—
The Sword Saint Hess!
"Cole Elf?"
Matthew slowly straightened, face pale. He curled his lips:
"So... you finally showed yourselves."