Chapter 283: Chapter 55: Legend! Legend! (Part 3)

There were no flashy moves, no deafening roars.

He simply took a step forward.

At the same time, his right wrist flicked.

The Dark Gold Longsword cut through the air, raising a low, humming peal of thunder.

Violet-black lightning flared to life on the blade once more, more concentrated and ferocious than before, like waking Thunder Serpents coiling around the steel.

Murphy glanced ahead at the shadows of the cliff face. Several Razor Hounds crouched low, hesitant and wary after their companion’s instant demise. Further back, a dozen or so smaller Scorching Beasts pressed forward tentatively. His gaze was placid, as if he were looking at a patch of weeds waiting to be mown down.

His figure flashed forward like a bolt of lightning!

Fast!

So fast that even the Razor Hounds, known for their agility, could only see a deep blue afterimage rapidly expanding in their vision!

The first Razor Hound instinctively roared and swiped its claws, attempting to counterattack.

In Murphy’s eyes, however, its movements were so slow they seemed to be standing still.

The Dark Gold Longsword sliced in at an impossible angle, finding a gap between the swiping claws. A point of violet-black lightning, concentrated to its absolute limit, touched the beast just below its compound eye.

PFFT!

The soft sound was followed by a dull explosion.

The lightning bored into its cranium, instantly extinguishing all life.

This Razor Hound didn’t even have time to let out a cry before it limply collapsed.

Murphy didn’t break stride. Carried by his momentum, he swept the Longsword in a wide arc.

The blade drew a dazzling violet-black arc of lightning in the air, like a folding fan snapping open!

The second and third Razor Hounds, attempting to pounce from the sides, were bisected mid-leap by the unstoppable, thunderous sweep.

The furious Thunder Power coiling around the blade not only shredded their slender yet tough carapaces but also instantly scorched their insides to charcoal.

Accompanied by the acrid stench of burnt flesh, two charred halves of the beasts were flung away, slamming into the cliff wall before tumbling into the dust.

In the blink of an eye, three Razor Hounds were dead!

The smaller Scorching Beasts in the rear, seemingly stunned by this terrifying efficiency, let out uneasy growls, their advance faltering.

But Murphy gave them no respite.

He kicked off the ground, his body accelerating abruptly as he sliced into the narrow gaps between the Scorching Beasts.

His Longsword thrust and jabbed, each strike as swift as lightning, aimed at the vital points of the Scorching Beasts—their compound eyes, mandible joints, and the junctures of their limbs.

Violet-black lightning periodically erupted from the tip of his blade, effortlessly shattering the Scorching Beasts’ thick carapaces.

An enraged, medium-sized Scorching Beast raised its thick forelimbs and brought them crashing down, carrying a fetid stench.

Murphy neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he moved to meet it. The instant before the claws struck, he leaned to the side and simultaneously swung his Longsword in an upward, diagonal slash.

The blade cut into the weak point in the creature’s armpit, where the forelimb met the torso. Lightning exploded!

CRACK! RIP!

The sounds of cracking shell and ripping flesh rang out almost simultaneously. The Scorching Beast’s entire forelimb was nearly severed, and dark red fluid sprayed out like a fountain.

With a flash of lightning, its life was extinguished before its massive body even hit the ground.

Murphy’s figure weaved and flickered through the horde of monsters. Every pause was marked by a bloom of sword light and Thunder; every movement left at least one more lifeless monster corpse in his wake.

When Murphy came to a smooth stop not far from the mother and child, his figure as poised as a sheathed sword, the path behind him was littered with the scattered corpses of more than twenty monsters.

Wiped out. Not a single monster left alive.

In less than a minute, the crisis had been resolved—by one man and one sword, in the most brutal and direct way imaginable.

Dead silence.

A dead silence deeper and more shocking than before enveloped the entire ridge.

The surviving civilians stared blankly at the dark blue figure standing with his sword. They stared at the ground beneath his feet, now rapidly soaking with dark red blood, and at the charred remains of the monsters that reeked of burnt flesh.

The fear had not yet faded from their faces, but it was being replaced by a deeper, almost vacant shock.

’We’re saved?’

’Just like that... we’re saved?’

’That figure... like a God descended to the mortal realm... Who is he?’

The Peric Clan soldiers, originally tasked with herding the civilians, supervising the battle, and fighting, were now utterly dumbfounded.

Their weapons drooped in their hands, the cold, numb expressions on their faces completely replaced by incredulous horror.

The officer opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but found his throat too dry to make a sound.

They knew better than the civilians how difficult these monsters were to deal with. A single Razor Hound often required several well-coordinated Knight’s Attendants just to stand a chance.

’And now, some twenty monsters, including several Razor Hounds, were just slaughtered before our very eyes by one man with one sword, as easily as cutting vegetables?’

’Is... is this something a human is even capable of?’

Not far away, behind a rock, the Female Knight Alison’s breathing grew ragged, and the hand gripping her sword hilt trembled slightly.

She was from a branch family of the Peric Clan and had undergone rigorous Knight training since childhood. She had seen many powerful experts, and had even served a top-tier figure like Rodrick.

But the scene before her was still beyond her comprehension.

’That effortless grace, crushing powerful enemies as if taking a leisurely stroll... that destructive lightning flowing along the blade, a power that makes my very soul tremble... This is absolutely not a power a Great Knight could possess!’

’A Legend?’

The word exploded in her mind like a clap of thunder.

’The Governor of Melfield... he’s actually a Legendary Knight!’