MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again
Chapter 258 - 17: Blocking the Killing of the Church

Chapter 258: Chapter 17: Blocking the Killing of the Church

On the first day of the final competition, Leng Yue and Nila were granted the title of Flame Warrior, ranking as third-class nobility.

Tomorrow, three more will be chosen to form a squad with Lu Hong and the others, representing Cangdu to attend the Seven Kingdoms Martial Meet.

Early the next morning, Lu Hong put on his mask and got ready to go watch the fight at the arena. As he stepped out of the courtyard, a royal guard appeared in front of him, "Lord Lu Hong, a small troop from the Disaster Church has been spotted seventy miles outside Cangdu City. His Majesty has ordered you to work with me to annihilate them."

Lu Hong accepted the document handed to him, and the seal upon it was not forged—it was indeed a command from the King of Cang.

It looked like he wouldn’t be able to watch today’s duel. Lu Hong sighed softly, "Let’s go."

The royal guard seemed to sense his thoughts, "Lord Lu Hong, if we move quickly, you may still make it to the third match."

Mounting the standard-issue, level eight demon beast, the Hongtu Horse, two hundred royal guards flanked Lu Hong as they charged out from Cangdu City towards the small hill where the Disaster Church followers were gathering.

"Lord Lu Hong, according to intelligence, the highest-ranking member of this group from the Disaster Church is at the Second-Transformation Peak and they are equipped with a large number of magic explosive devices. This squad specializes in city structural demolition," the royal guard lieutenant, En Qi, informed Lu Hong about the intelligence, "You just need to help us take down their leader to complete this mission."

"Rest assured, my lord, we will remain dedicated to ensuring your safety," En Qi said, "His Majesty wants you to partake in this operation solely to help you earn military merits. It’s bound to be that your promotion and wealth are just around the corner."

"Let’s hope so," Lu Hong replied with a wry smile. What promotion and wealth? This was clearly a test from his father-in-law!

Half an hour later, they were only three miles away from their marked destination.

Suddenly, En Qi shouted, "Watch out!"

The royal guards reacted swiftly, summoning a giant golden shield with their combined efforts. In the next second, several massive magic bombs appeared out of thin air.

As the mushroom cloud rose, the chief of the Disaster Church’s demolition squad, Male, spat out, "You’ve got some luck."

"Cough, cough!" Lu Hong climbed up from the ground, his face covered in dirt. The royal guards’ rapid response had kept casualties to a minimum, but the Disaster Church’s meticulously planned ambush was not easily dealt with.

Even Lu Hong, who had been refined by a Heavenly God’s descent, felt a slight injury to his internal organs. The condition of the other royal guards was self-evident.

"Kill!" At Male’s command, the Disaster Church followers hidden all around charged out, their magic skills continually greeting their opponents.

"Dodge!" En Qi raised his shield to block three incoming blast bombs, half of his body slamming into the muddy ground.

Lu Hong pulled him out and, summoning the War Holy Sword, headed straight for the church’s mage.

Male snapped his fingers: "Stop him!"

A sense of crisis filled Lu Hong, who, relying on his instincts, sidestepped to block. Sure enough, three magic bombs strangely appeared to his right, exploding with a bang and throwing Lu Hong several meters away.

"Cough, cough~" Lu Hong received quite a shock from the blast.

The Disaster Church followers then raised their weapons, unleashing their skills frequently.

"Get out of my way!" Lu Hong, driving his Pure Steel Battle Energy, changed direction mid-air and unleashed a Fatal Strike, leveling the enemies in front of him.

Before Lu Hong could even catch his breath, seventeen bone spears attacked from all directions.

"My lord, be careful!" En Qi’s heavy shield slammed down, sending a shockwave that repelled nearby enemies and simultaneously shielded against the threat of the bone spears.

Surveying the dense crowd of Disaster Church disciples attacking relentlessly, En Qi’s brows furrowed tightly, "My lord, the intelligence was incorrect. This is likely not a small unit from the Disaster Church but their full military force!"

"Are there any Third-Transition powerhouses among them?" Lu Hong asked gravely, fearing nothing as long as there were none.

"There shouldn’t be." En Qi’s tone grew serious, "But their numbers are overwhelming. We can’t handle them. I’ll have to carve out a path for you, and you must escape alive back to Cangdu City to report to His Majesty!"

"What about you?" Lu Hong asked sternly.

"Me?" En Qi gave a small smile, "My defensive power is astounding. If you’re lucky, you might even save me."

As he watched royal guards being continuously attacked to death around him, Lu Hong hesitated whether to reveal his true power.

And at that moment, another royal guard commander fell from the sky, landing beside En Qi.

Seeing who it was, En Qi exclaimed joyfully, "Commander He Sen, what brings you here?"

The newcomer was a Third Transition Early-Stage powerhouse; merely the overwhelming advantage of his level could change the tide of the battle.

"Me?" He Sen smiled, "Of course, it’s to kill you."

"What?..." En Qi’s face was filled with shock, disbelieving as he looked down to see his chest pierced through by a blade.

As a powerful surge of magic power flowed into him, En Qi’s body exploded into pieces with a loud bang, raining blood down. Lu Hong stared intently at He Sen, "You’re a spy planted within the royal guards by the Disaster Church?"

"Yes." He Sen smiled, "Do I not look the part?"

Nonsense, would a spy that looks the part be able to live till now, rise to the rank of a commander?

"If you hadn’t come, En Qi would have been worn down to death anyway."

"But if I didn’t come, he would have delayed our opportunity and wasted our strength for nothing. After all, once you are all dead, who would know I was an undercover agent?"

After he finished speaking, He Sen’s punch roared through the air, and Lu Hong only felt a mountain pressing down on him, making it difficult to even breathe.

Facing a Third-Transition warrior, he dared not keep hiding his strength.

Descend from Heaven, Heavenly God!

Divine light burst forth, and his fist, wrapped in the power of his qi and blood, met the attack. He Sen’s eyebrows twitched as he increased the force behind his blow.

The collision stirred up a massive dust cloud, and the ground shattered inch by inch around them. Nearly a thousand followers of the Disaster Church turned into blood mist in the aftermath, dying without a sound.

He Sen stumbled back several steps, his face a picture of surprise as he looked at Lu Hong: "You actually have such strength?!"

Lu Hong gasped for breath, "Surprised, aren’t you?"

"Yes, I am surprised, but also relieved," He Sen continued. "If I hadn’t come, you might have actually been able to protect Enqi and kill all my men."

"You can’t kill me," Lu Hong said in a low voice.

"I don’t believe that." As a Third-Transition warrior, even at the lowest level, He Sen was more than capable of annihilating any at the peak of Second Transition.

He Sen struck again, with seven phantoms flashing out from his body, each one throwing punches with force no less than the previous blow.

Seven streams of punching force spread out in all directions, impossible to fully defend against. In this critical moment, Lu Hong urged all the qi and blood in his body, and suddenly, a Blood River surged to protect him in its tumult.

The first punch landed, and the Blood River violently shook, its flow slowing down.

The second punch landed, and the Blood River wailed in anger, nearly shattering.

The third punch was on its way, but before it could land, Lu Hong chose to detonate the Blood River himself, taking He Sen by surprise and forcing him to hastily retreat and defend himself.

"Ultimate—" In an instant, battle energy erupted and killing intent filled the air.

Lu Hong had hidden within the Blood River to obscure his movements, gaining time needed to gather strength. As the War Holy Sword emitted a faint zither-like resonance, an unprecedented killing intent welled up in He Sen’s heart.

"Not good!" He Sen exclaimed in alarm, manipulating the remaining four streams of punch force to launch a frantic assault.

The followers of the Disaster Church around them also activated their skills, hurling them at Lu Hong.

"Flash!"

A whisper rang out, and for a moment, all seemed to pause, as if the world became a painting, every attack frozen in that instant. An aurora flashed by, and the painting shattered.

He Sen found he had no power to resist, a slash appearing below his throat, his expression as shocked as Enqi’s had been.

Gurgle—

In his field of vision, no one was left alive.

Thump—

Lu Hong collapsed onto the ground, barely managing to activate his Bloodthirst Skill to absorb and transform the blood of the corpses around him, catching his breath with difficulty.

The assault from the Disaster Church was clearly well planned and calculated. He had to inform the King of Cangdu City as soon as possible.

Without time to rest, Lu Hong immediately set out back to Cangdu City. His full-speed sprint was even faster than the Hongtu Horse.

He hadn’t run ten miles when he saw a group of royal guards setting up a temporary camp and stationed there.

"Who are you?!" The royal guards stopped Lu Hong to question him, "Why have you come from the frontline of the battlefield?"

"Take me to see the King of Cangdu," Lu Hong didn’t bother with pleasantries, tossing out the King’s directive. It was the best proof of his identity.

After meticulously examining it, the royal guard saluted Lu Hong and said, "Greetings, Commander Lu Hong!"

"Quickly! No more talk, report immediately to the King. This attack by the Disaster Church was planned, and there are traitors in the royal guards!"

"Traitors?" The royal guard asked in confusion, "That’s impossible. We royal guards are loyal to His Majesty, there can’t be any traitors."

"He Sen is a traitor. It was he who sneak attacked and killed Enqi."

"Hahaha, hahaha!" Lu Hong’s words provoked laughter from the royal guards, "How can He Sen be a traitor? If he’s a traitor, then so are we all."

Lu Hong glanced over the belly-laughing royal guards, sensing the hidden chill in their smiles, and said coldly, "Are you really confessing to being traitors?"

"Where is Commander He Sen?" The royal guard stopped laughing and asked gravely, "If he’s a traitor, how could you possibly have escaped?"

"Because he’s dead, killed by my sword."

"That’s a joke! Commander He Sen is a Third-Transition warrior, how could he be killed by trash like you!" Boisterous jeers erupted from the soldiers.

"Whether it’s true or not, why don’t you go down and ask him?" Lu Hong said as he summoned the Holy Sword, certain that these royal guards were all from the Disaster Church!