Chapter 1193: Vertical Slash and Hidden Treasure

The Kirani Sentinels attacked as soon as Adam and Fromund entered the inner territory of the colony.

Despite their size, unlike the Kirani Guards, they were the Awakened Monsters, although they had difficulty speaking. They preferred to remain in their monster form to gain maximum strength and be able to use their shields.

If they were fighting for victory, they would not have done so, because when the forces were roughly equal, being bigger was a disadvantage. A smaller enemy had more room to maneuver and was also faster.

However, the Kirani Sentinels did not want to defeat Adam and Fromund; they gave up on this goal because they understood that it was hardly possible.

They had to do what was best for the colony. In this case, they simply had to delay Adam and Fromund as long as possible.

The Kirani Sentinels and thousands of other bugs believed that once Bathild and Marhen arrived with the thunder monsters, it would be all over for Adam and Fromund.

Therefore, they needed their shields and hammers to defend themselves.

Adam understood this as well as the sentinels, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t just run away and search for the Twilight Crystals, leaving Fromund alone against six monsters.

“Maybe I should just cut them down?” Adam asked, watching Fromund, who was ready to rush into battle right away.

Strangely, Silvana didn’t stop him.

“I think that’s the right decision. I don’t know how strong they are, but the last time you faced an enemy with a shield, you had a hard time.”

Adam smiled bitterly as several Kirani Sentinels raised their hammers. Three of them were about to attack Fromund, while the rest headed toward Adam.

“Yeah, that was a pretty tough guy. But they’ll meet the same fate.”

Step.

With a broad grin, Fromund was about to attack when a chill ran down his spine.

“Agh…?”

He turned to see Adam with a spectral silhouette behind him.

Fromund’s pupils narrowed. He immediately recognized Silvana and quickly understood what was happening. After all, he was a K4-Phantom just like Adam, so he knew what would happen next.

Arayna’s voice rang in his head, but he didn’t need any explanation.

Instead of attacking the Kirani Sentinels, Fromund jumped aside, clearing the way for Adam.

Like Adam, he didn’t have any powerful defensive abilities. Fromund was sure that Adam’s ability from the Evolution Vein would affect him as well.

Before the Kirani Sentinels could realize what was happening, spectral scissors appeared in front of Adam. The two blades were wide open, each for one of them.

But before taking action, Adam glanced at Silvana. He wanted to try something new, to see how much he could change his strongest ability at the moment.

“We’ve always done it like this… but what about another dimension?” Adam asked, looking at Silvana.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The Kirani Sentinels’ footsteps echoed throughout the colony as they stopped moving. It was too late to try to attack Adam, and escape was impossible, not with their colossal size.

Thus, they had only one choice left—to defend themselves.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

They raised their shields in front of them, holding them tightly with both hands. Their hammers glowed brightly with amber light, directing all their energy into the center of the shield.

All six Kirani Sentinels stood in a row, one behind the other. Even if some of them died, they were sure that it would be enough for the majority to survive.

Arnoth used a similar tactic with his weapon and shield, but it was much more complex and refined, full of nobility rather than an attempt to buy time for the colony.

Tap.

Adam touched Silvana’s shoulder.

“Just do it.”

Then, he turned her around as the distance between them increased for a moment. With a deft movement, Adam turned the scissors so that they were now horizontal.

With a slow movement, he guided Silvana’s hand to turn the left handle of the scissors. Then, Adam did the same.

Whoooooooooosh.

A flash ran across the closed blades, breaking into a single, horizontal cut that no one could defend against, especially the bugs covering themselves with shields.

Fromund, who had moved as far away as possible, watched the scene with sparkling eyes.

Now, he didn’t just want to see all of Adam’s strength, but also show him what he was capable of together with Arayna!

‘Hah, Adam, if you had that ability during our fight, I would have lost right at the beginning. But… Heh, you haven’t seen mine yet!’

In the blink of an eye, an invisible slash cut through the six massive bodies. No shield or sturdy chitin could protect against such a thing, and the Kirani Sentinels didn’t stand a chance.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Blood gushed out as their upper bodies collapsed to the ground. Clouds of dust rose with a roar as the cut continued its movement toward the wall.

Adam, Fromund, and the bugs watching from the sidelines thought it was all over, but they didn’t know what awaited them.

“Hmm?” Adam blinked, puzzled. “That’s…”

Debris fell from the ruined wall as a dark, ancient energy resembling fog appeared among the cracks.

Adam remembered that energy. Anyone who had seen it even once could never forget it.

Puzzled, Fromund turned toward him.

He sensed that deep within the eastern wall was something valuable, something he had never encountered before.

“Wait, you mean it’s there…?” Fromund muttered in disbelief.

Whoooosh.

Adam leaped forward, landing on the ledge after a few jumps. Fromund quickly followed him before the Kirani Bugs realized what was happening.

They surged forward, passing through the gap left by the cut, until they ran through the smoke screen, where they stopped abruptly.

Shocked, they stared at the black orb — perfection itself, a piece of the First Star.

All Adam could do was nod deeply.

“Yes… That’s it. Hah, finding the first one turned out to be much easier than I thought. But, I’m afraid we won’t be able to get it so easily.”

The Kirani Bugs were going to defend their treasure. They couldn’t let the Phantoms get it.