Chapter 995: The silver blades
"Fire!" A thunderous shout rang out from above, and moments later, purple projectiles began raining mercilessly upon the Sky Shield Dome.
"Find shelter and focus solely on powering the Sky Shield Dome!" Robin barked, pointing towards the remaining rune masters, divine smiths, and soldiers within the array. Without hesitation, he launched himself upward like an arrow. Swoosh!
Robin passed through the Sky Shield Dome effortlessly. With two swift thrusts of his slender spear, Bwoof! Bwoof! he neutralized two incoming projectiles just before impact. Bwoof! Bwoof! Bwoof! In quick succession, he obliterated every other projectile in the horizon with precise strikes. Then, his voice thundered, "Show yourselves, cowards! You won't touch the portal unless you kill me first!"
Clap... Clap... Clap... Slow applause echoed from above, accompanied by a deep, aged voice. "Impressive. I've never seen anyone counter corrosive projectiles so effortlessly. I must admit, you have some remarkable tricks up your sleeve. No wonder you've built such a powerful planetary empire in such a short time."
Through the dense purple haze, Robin finally caught sight of the newcomers- around 130 figures led by an aged marshal.
"..." Robin seemed uninterested in Marshal Snite's compliments. His brows furrowed deeply as his gaze darted left and right before locking onto the marshal's eyes. "What is this nonsense? Where's the rest of your forces?"
"...?" The old marshal's expression darkened, the insult hitting him like a slap. "We don't need everyone to kill you."
"Tsk~ That sly rat fled again..." Robin muttered, visibly frustrated. The young marshal had not only avoided the bait but had successfully rescued 70 imperial guards as well.
"Stop talking as if you're in control!" The aged marshal snapped, his patience gone. Behind him, the menacing manifestation of Durgr the Devourer materialized. "Kill him! That man is the Planetary Emperor, Robin Burton. Whoever claims his head will be rewarded with enough blood to ascend as the next marshal!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The imperial guards launched their attacks without hesitation, each of them vying for the honor of ending the war and securing their place in history, how glorious would killing a Planetary Emperor be? Even if it's in the young planetary belt, it still meant something!
"Hmph, a circus of fools!" Robin growled as his eyes began to glow with a golden radiance. Then the golden light spread, engulfing his hair, and shoulders, and eventually cascading over his entire form like a shimmering golden cloak.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Hundreds of attacks descended upon Robin like a torrential storm. Whether elemental assaults channeled through their epic weapons or corrosive minor law strikes, everything disintegrated the moment it touched the golden cloak. Flame beasts, wind serpents, and purple phantoms ceased to exist- The golden aura instantly severed the bonds holding the patterns together.
Yet, the protection wasn't absolute. "Bffft!" Robin staggered backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Though the laws unraveled and dissipated, the energy behind the attacks lingered, striking Robin directly. "This is so damn annoying..." he muttered, wiping the blood off his lips. The injury wasn't severe; it was as if he'd been hit by hundreds of air cannons. While irritating, it was still something his body could endure.
"You... What kind of sorcery is this?!" Marshal Snite took a hesitant step back in midair, his voice laced with disbelief. Watching those grandiose attacks vanish upon contact felt like witnessing an impossibility.
Rumble... Rumble... The skies above began to echo with powerful thunderclaps, but nothing came of it.
"Heh, you've missed your chance now, little girl." Robin chuckled at the sound, knowing that Rocky must have uncovered the secret of his Golden Eyes of Truth by now.
Clap! Robin spread his arms wide before clapping them together forcefully. "Now, it's my turn!"
Ooooooom!
Around Robin, 25 small silver portals materialized, each no larger than a clenched fist. From every portal, a slender silver blade emerged slowly.
As the blades floated free, the portals closed, leaving the weapons quivering behind him. Each blade pulsated with menacing energy, behaving like chained beasts eager to break free.
"Hmm?" Marshal Snite squinted at the strange blades. They didn't resemble legendary weapons or any advanced offensive technique. Something told him these constructs were forged entirely of soul force.
"Why are you hesitating?! Continue the attack! He can't do anything with that cloak or those blades other than defend and put on a show!" the marshal barked, his unease easing slightly as he sensed the soul force radiating from the weapons.
This wasn't the first time he'd fought someone utilizing soul force.
In the middle planetary belt, combatants relying on soul force were not unheard of-most of them pure-blooded humans. Given that human bodies weren't naturally designed to harness martial emperor-level power, let alone higher levels, it was logical for them to lean on soul force.
It wasn't shocking to see Robin, a human, attempt to follow this path.
Typically, humans used soul force for escape or defense, ensuring survival in perilous encounters. However Those with soul force dense enough to engage in direct combat-and the techniques to wield it effectively- were exceedingly rare, revered as masters wherever they went.
This young man from the Young Planetary Belt surely couldn't be one of them.
"If energy attacks won't work, then his head is mine!" boomed the largest imperial guard as he stepped forward, laughing. He hoisted a massive war hammer, its spiked head gleaming menacingly, ready to cleave Robin in two with a single blow.
"Humph!" Robin chuckled at the naivety of the hulking figure before him. He knew that if this were a physical fight, he could effortlessly use his mastery over spacetime to teleport and sever this guy's head. But today, he had no intention of using spacetime manipulation. He wanted to test something new. "Go."
Krkrkr! Whoosh!
One of the short silver blades quivered with anticipation before launching forward at an incredible speed, disappearing in a blur as it shattered the sound barrier with a thunderous
boom.
The Imperial Guard, a level-47 true warrior, showed no fear of the incoming blade. With a smirk, he adjusted the direction of his massive warhammer, intending to shatter the blade mid-flight. "Haha! That little trick won't-"
BAM!
The hammer's head shattered on impact, sending fragments flying, while the short blade continued its unstoppable trajectory straight toward the guard's head.
"?!"
The guard had no time to comprehend what was happening. Driven by sheer combat instinct and years of experience, he ignited his beast blood, channeling all of his power into a protective barrier in front of his forehead— a shimmering wall of purple energy designed to disintegrate anything that touched it in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh!
But the short blade didn't disintegrate. It didn't even slow down. It bypassed the purple barrier as if it didn't exist, vanishing into the guard's skull.
Whoosh! Thud!
There were no screams, no visible injuries. The purple energy barrier faded into nothingness before the eyes of the stunned onlookers. The massive frame of the Imperial Guard collapsed from the sky like a discarded sack of trash. He was dead.
Robin nodded with a faint smile, satisfied with the outcome, even if it was exactly as he had anticipated. Raising his gaze to the remaining opponents, he spoke with calm defiance, "Well then, who's next?"