CHAPTER 561: ENDLESS ONSLAUGHT

Laras’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light as she surveyed the endless tide of monsters pouring from the void. Her steps were weightless in the air, graceful as ever, but beads of sweat had begun to gather on her brow. The assault showed no signs of stopping—and their numbers... felt infinite.

"What happened to the others... Lein, Efan?" she murmured, her expression hardening.

There was no trace of Lein’s aura. No signal from Efan. As if the very world they were in had torn them apart, scattering each of them across the chaos.

But she didn’t have time to dwell on it.

TENG!

A sudden slash came from the side—swift, razor-sharp, aimed straight at her neck. Yet Laras didn’t flinch. With a single fluid motion, she waved her hand—and a radiant shield of light materialized, blocking the strike with a sharp, metallic chime.

Her gaze flicked toward the attacker—a hulking monster with gray skin and dagger-like claws, hissing with bloodlust.

Laras let out a short breath, the corner of her lips curling into a faint smirk.

"Tch."

She snapped her fingers.

In the blink of an eye, a surge of heat burst from her body. Her palm touched the creature’s chest—and in a split second, the monster disintegrated into dust, vanishing without a sound.

"I’m getting sick of you things."

Her voice was soft, but it carried the weight of deep, simmering anger.

She shot through the sky, leaving a trail of divine light in her wake. Her movements were elegant but deadly—as if every step was part of a deadly dance. In the next instant, Laras was in the heart of the monster horde. Her golden sword flashed and flickered, slashing, stabbing, cleaving through flesh and bone alike.

Around her, the massive golden cross continued to orbit like a divine satellite. Any creature that dared approach—whether from above, below, or behind—was instantly crushed by the cross, reduced to pulp and splinters.

That cross wasn’t just a shield. It was a core of power, a divine weapon, and an executioner rolled into one. Versatile. Deadly.

With the strength of a Level 2 Grandmaster, Laras soared like a war goddess in the sky. Every time she paused, light exploded outward. Every swing of her blade cleaved through the heavens, erasing hundreds of monsters at once.

From above, her eyes caught something strange—a humanoid figure, nearly seven meters tall, standing still amidst the chaos.

Its body was made of pure crystalline ice, gleaming like diamonds under the light. A chilling aura radiated from it, freezing the very air around it.

Laras narrowed her eyes.

"This one... looks interesting."

She gripped her sword tightly. Magic light wrapped around the blade, pulsing slowly, brimming with pressure. As soon as she closed in on the crystal creature, she swung her sword.

"Divine Slash!"

A golden arc, over a hundred meters long, shot out with explosive speed—tearing through the air toward the humanoid monster.

For a moment, Laras was certain her attack would land.

But then—

A thin mist rose from the creature’s body, and her slash passed right through—as if cutting through an illusion.

Laras’s eyes widened.

"What...? It dodged without even moving?" she muttered in disbelief. Her body hovered, just meters away from the creature.

The icy mist gradually dispersed, revealing the monster’s true form. A crystalline soldier stood tall, spikes protruding all over its body. Its glowing blue eyes were pupil-less, like a lifeless mechanical golem—emotionless, inhuman.

Something felt wrong. Laras could feel it.

With a mental command, she scanned the creature’s information.

[Crystal Warden]

Type: Golem – Elite Defender

Level: 160

Attribute: Pure Ice Crystal

Skills: [Glacial Bastion], [Frost Spires], [Crystal Veil], [Shatterpulse], ...

[Crystal Veil] Produces a bluish white crystal mist that covers its body.

"An elite-class monster..." Laras muttered. Its level was close to her own, but what truly caught her attention was its class—Elite Defender.

Her eyes locked onto one particular skill:

[Crystal Veil]

"So that’s what deflected my attack..."

Still, she didn’t back down. Instead, a slight smile formed on her lips.

"Let’s see just how tough that shield really is."

With a swift flick of her fingers, a golden magic circle opened above the golem’s head. From its center, a concentrated beam of holy energy shot down like a laser from the heavens.

ZAAAAAAM!

The beam struck the golem dead-on, engulfing its entire body in a radiant burst of light.

Once again, that familiar crystalline mist began to rise—but this time, the golem’s body exploded, shattered into hundreds of sparkling fragments that scattered in all directions.

Laras watched closely—and grinned.

"So... it’s not invincible. Just a brief defense."

Far away, the shards began pulling themselves back together, slowly reconstructing the golem’s form.

But Laras didn’t wait.

Before the body could reform, she charged forward, golden sword blazing in her grip. She swung again and again—each slash unleashing crescent-shaped shockwaves of pure magic.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

The golem’s body was torn apart, crushed before it had the chance to recover.

When the final fragment dropped to the ground, Laras landed gently atop her floating cross.

The glow still lingered on her sword. Her gaze turned toward the horizon, where more monsters were rapidly approaching.

"If that’s the best you’ve got, don’t expect me to fall here."

Laras hadn’t broken a sweat facing wave after wave of monsters. But when she scanned the battlefield again, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Dozens—no, hundreds—of the same crystal golems were emerging from every direction, swarming like ants.

Without hesitation, she tightened her grip on her sword—and launched forward again, with unwavering resolve.

As long as she could move, she would fight.

***

On the other side of the floating island, chaos reigned just as fiercely.

Suspended in midair, Efan hovered with two golden plasma rifles in hand. Mechanical plates glowed across his body, and the vortex plates on his boots kept him perfectly stable.

DRET-DRET-DRET!

Golden plasma bullets exploded in every direction, cutting through the snake-like monsters swarming around him. Each shot left smoldering holes in their bodies, flaring with blinding sparks.