"The intruder wants to steal the treasure of our land. I order you to suppress him with your combined might!" the lich commanded, his voice echoing across the monument.
In response to the lich's call, the 32 demonic statues rushed toward Roy, their massive frames closing in on him at an alarming rate.
"Is this the reason for your confidence?" Roy said calmly, not at all panic-stricken by the sight of the humongous group of monstrous statues that were about to strike him down. "If so, let me crush it!"
Roy leaped backwards, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with the formidable heavenly demon statues.
"Don't let him escape! Chase after him." the lich commanded, and all the statues rushed towards Roy.
A confident smirk played across Roy's lips as he watched the menacing figures draw closer.
"Rise up against injustice; let their reign come to an end," he called out to the power deep within him. "Slow their momentum, and halt their tyranny. Sword Force, Release!"
Suddenly, with a blinding flash of light, a massive sea of darkness erupted from Roy's body, engulfing everything in its path.
The heavenly demon statues were no match for Roy's sword force. It forcefully suppresses their speed, slowing them to a crawl.
Where once they had been as swift as an arrow, they were now sluggish as snails, their bodies barely moving even an inch after several seconds had passed!
"I want them dead," Roy expressed, and his sword force churned with excitement.
Roy's mastery over sword force became evident. His will was the source of its power. If he lacked the will to harm someone, his sword force would remain harmless; However, when he willed someone's death, his sword force would be sharp and lethal, as though it were a living extension of himself.
Clang!
In the distance, the 32 statues submerged in the sea of darkness trembled as they felt the invisible, razor-sharp force cutting into their surfaces, leaving behind deep scratches.
It clearly showed that Roy's desire to destroy the statues was not strong enough to bring about their complete destruction.
He knew what he had to do if he wanted to triumph over them. He had to wish that they would be destroyed with every fiber of his being.
"They must die!" Roy said menacingly, his eyes filled with a glint of fury as he channeled his emotions into his Sword Force.
The statues, slowed to a ridiculous pace by the sea of darkness, were once again struck by the invisible blades of darkness.
This time, the force was stronger, resulting in sharp and deep gashes appearing on their surfaces.
But they still remained unbroken, much to Roy's frustration.
"It's impressive that you can use Sword force," the lich remarked, his tone now tinged with respect. "It's the strongest offensive-type Force. Only Death Force can rival it. But these statues are made from a material that has exceptional resistance against Blade-Type Force. You can't break it using offensive means."
Roy's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fists. "Is that so?" he retorted. "Then I will just use another method."
Roy, standing outside the roiling sea of darkness that trapped the heavenly guardians, commanded its movements with a sense of absolute control.
The inky blackness obeyed his every whim, yielding to his will with ease.
He willed, and 32 mighty tidal waves burst forth from its surface, twisting into the shape of fists with jagged knuckles.
Bam!
The enormous fists pummeled into the statues with incredible force, sending them hurtling high into the sky.
"Fire, Thunder, put an end to their wretched existence!" Roy exclaimed, summoning two swords that flashed into existence around him and flew straight upwards towards the statues, leaving behind multi-colored trails.
The statues, no longer affected by Roy's sword force, were still unable to evade the encampment of the aura-reinforced swords. Fire and Thunder circled around them as they released level 9 Bright Red Emerald Fire and Dark Red Aura Lightning, creating a vortex of soul-annihilating flames and extremely destructive lightning, which quickly surrounded the statues.
The intense heat of the fire melted the outer shell of 32 statues while the crackling red electricity chipped away at their bodies bit by bit with every strike.
"Feel the wrath of the elements!" Roy yelled as he intensified the attack, pouring more and more of his aura into the swords, causing them to strengthen the vortex, which in turn, increased the rate at which the statues were getting damaged exponentially.
After what seemed like half a minute, the vortex dissipated, leaving behind the once terrifying group of heavenly demonic statues as nothing more than a pile of lifeless remains!
『Ding! Congratulation. You have overcome the ancient and defective array of Celestia, the inner capital of the Flying Empire!』
『You have gained the awakening stones of Eastern Wind and Holy Nature!!!!!』
Roy's eyes curved into a smile as he heard the notifications. Defeating the colossal statues was really worth it, as he received awakening stones! This was the first time he had received something like that from the system, and from the looks of it, these two awakening stones could grant their users extremely powerful classes!
The two awakening stones were placed in his subspace.
He looked towards the lich, who was hiding in the confines of the holy barrier.
"You are the only one left," Roy said as he approached him with confidence.
"Don't do this." the lich said while trembling like a bitchy grasshopper that doesn't know when to shut up!
Roy smiled in response.
"Since you're begging me not to, I will definitely do it!"
Roy's muscles bulged, and veins popped up on his skin as he punched the defensive barrier that stood between them with all his strength.
A single hit caused it to tremble like a rabbit in heat and break down into pieces, its shard falling down the air like snowflakes.
But before Roy could react, he was hit by a powerful blow that hurled him backwards into a building-like structure, which broke under the impact and fell on him, burying him.
Seeing what just happened, the lich laughed wickedly, his facade fading away instantly.
"The barrier isn't so easily broken. Those who shatter it will suffer the full force of the blows they have used to destroy it! It's like a curse that can't be avoided. You signed your own death, you fool! Hahahaha!"
