Green Monster Epic

The black shadow that suddenly appeared was like a viper that had been lurking in the dark for a long time. When it finally struck, it was the target's moment of doom.

The pair of daggers was barely over a foot long, but the blades, infused with a massive amount of shadow energy, easily pierced through Black Guard's impressively robust body, leaving a large hole directly in his heart.

The shattered heart still beat stubbornly. Black Guard, mortally wounded, twisted his body desperately. Ice crystals fractured and reformed, his arms and spine contorting from the excessive twisting, but this also gave him a prime opportunity to retaliate.

The heavy wolf-tooth club viciously smashed towards the figure behind him who had inflicted the grievous wound, but as it neared the target, the figure vanished right before his eyes. Allen and the others frantically covered the area within the mistlock shield with their mental energy, attempting to lock onto the figure's location, but to no avail.

It was at this moment that Oscar's natural magic finally completed once more, and amidst crackling lightning, bolts of electricity gracefully descended again. At the same time, the elven mage and another spellcaster began chanting mysterious incantations, and spell models formed in the air, transforming into two enormous, scorching fireballs.

When Allen crawled up from the ground, he only saw the fleeting afterimage of the ghostly figure retreating. Seeing the gaping wound in Black Guard's chest, he immediately understood the principle of kicking a man when he's down. Ignoring the pain in his arms and all over his body, he once again found a greatsword and ferociously charged forward.

"Hahaha ~ ~ ~"

Dark blood trickled from the hollow wound, and the beating of his heart gradually slowed. The figure of the powerful assassin who delivered the fatal blow to Black Guard had only appeared before everyone for a fleeting moment before vanishing without a trace, seemingly no longer interested in this target who was as good as dead.

A bold and sorrowful aura emanated from Black Guard's mouth. Despair evident in his eyes, he would never resign himself to fate even in death. Following a long laugh, all the energy in his body converged at his heart, and boundless energy surged from the heavens and earth, stirring up a magical tide.

"Not good!! Close the mistlock!!"

The knowledgeable elven mage, realizing the danger, immediately faced the spellcaster who had activated the mistlock earlier and urgently shouted.

"You think you can leave? No way!! You're all going down with me!!"

The grievous wound to his heart made Black Guard realize that he had no chance of survival today. Against such a powerful team of assassins, he, severely wounded, would certainly not be able to escape their pursuit. He blamed himself for living too comfortably these past years, assuming that as one of the five great overlords of the wasteland, no one would dare to covet his position. Little did he expect that after centuries of peace, someone would finally come to take his life.

The bronze-masked spellcaster focused his mental energy, nervously communicating with the mistlock array, finally closing the mistlock just before the magical fluctuations emanating from the ferocious ogre's body intensified further.

The long-absent fresh air rushed back into the enclosed space. Allen's greatsword, wielded with ferocity, clashed against the wolf-tooth club that swept like a hurricane. After the fruitless exchange, Allen did not hesitate to increase the distance between himself and the ogre. Just when everyone thought that Black Guard's magic power had reached its peak and he was about to self-destruct, the mighty force suddenly scoured the entire sky, stirring up a hurricane of force ten or higher. Simultaneously, under the cover of the gale, Black Guard's mountain of flesh suddenly shot through the air, creating a shrill whistling sound.

"That * son of a * , he's trying to escape!!"

"What the * !!"

Everyone was exasperated and angry, and they all unleashed their movement techniques and sped off in pursuit.

Black Guard's scheme succeeded. Although the light of life was slowly fading from his eyes, he had at least bought himself a sliver of hope. Having reached his level of strength, he still had hundreds of years to live. He wouldn't willingly perish with his enemies unless he truly had no other choice!

Nowhere was safe, not even the Thorns Tribe. Only Mansa City, with its dozens of legendary figures and at least one demigod guarding the heart of the wasteland, was Black Guard's best hope for survival.

The pursuers behind him began to string out. As long as he could maintain the chase for a little longer, Black Guard could muster his last bit of strength and deliver a fatal blow to the lead pursuer, at least crippling them. If he could injure or seriously wound one of the pursuers, the assassination team would have to carefully reconsider their pursuit.

Black Guard's mind raced, and his heart gradually calmed down. His centuries of experience hadn't been for nothing. As a pillar of his faction, he possessed the necessary means. Even as he fled, he was already pondering who or which faction was the mastermind behind this assassination attempt.

Suddenly, a chilling killing intent washed over his body. Black Guard swung his wolf-tooth club, creating a whirlwind, regardless of whether there was anyone nearby.

However, Black Guard's reaction was undeniably timely, but his opponent was also a powerful enemy at the demigod level. A black lightning bolt suddenly flashed across the back of Black Guard's neck. Before the shrill sound of the air being torn apart could even fully echo, the lightning had already passed dozens of meters away.

Black Guard's speeding body gradually slowed, and the wolf-tooth club slipped from his hand. By the time Black Guard completely stopped moving, a sharp dagger was already embedded in his massive head, the sharp tip protruding from his right eye socket. Drops of murky white brain matter trickled down the blade, falling onto the ground hundreds of meters below.

Swish!!

Life completely vanished from Black Guard's body. The ghostly figure that had flashed by earlier now reappeared before Allen and the others. Everyone stopped, holding their weapons tensely, staring intently at the figure, afraid that the assassin would suddenly erupt in a killing spree and eliminate them all to silence them.

This powerful figure, clearly an advanced rogue, was too skilled at concealment. He had likely been following them the entire time, yet no one had noticed his presence. Although he had only struck twice, each strike was perfectly timed and concealed. It was difficult for anyone present to escape unscathed, at least proving that his strength far surpassed theirs.

Grabbing the ogre's corpse, which was about to fall from the sky, and giving Allen and the others a cold, emotionless look, the figure finally spoke slowly: "The mission is complete. I'll head back first!"

Clearly, this was directed at the elven mage. After saying this, the figure's hand was empty, and Black Guard's corpse vanished. It seemed that he had stored it in his dimensional space. With another flash, the figure reappeared in front of Black Guard's wolf-tooth club on the ground, picked it up, and then slowly disappeared from everyone's sight, never to be seen again.

"The mission is complete, everyone withdraw!"

The elven mage only raised his head and slowly delivered the concluding remarks to Allen and his group after the assassin's figure had disappeared.

"I will make a fair assessment of the mission rewards based on everyone's contributions. Please claim your rewards in three days."

After saying this, he waved his staff, and an advanced teleportation gate opened. Without hesitation, he stepped into the gate and left decisively.

With the elven mage's departure, the other companions exchanged glances and then each chose a direction, disappearing into the sky in a series of 'whoosh' sounds, leaving only Allen and Oscar, facing each other.

This was Allen's first time participating in such an assassination mission. He had originally thought it would be difficult and dangerous, but once they started, the target was eliminated in just about one magic hour.

This was a demigod-level powerhouse! With Allen's current strength, he could only look up to them. The several brief exchanges had almost been a complete crushing, and Allen now couldn't even muster a hint of desire to surpass their strength.

But it was precisely such a powerful being who, with the Assassin's Guild's organized planning and the right combination of personnel, was easily killed. The ultimate price paid was only the minor and major injuries on the bodies of Allen and the other frontline fighters.

Of course, Allen also knew that behind the brief skirmish was a well-planned setup. Whether it was the powerful mistlock that covered hundreds of meters, the restrictions and axe-faced spells of the three legendary-level spellcasters, or even the fighting of Allen and the other warriors, all made the powerful demigod feel like they had been crippled from the start, only able to exert six-tenths of their full strength.

Even so, if the lurking assassin powerhouse hadn't accurately judged the timing, suddenly launched a deadly attack, and critically wounded Black Guard, and then delivered the final blow to extinguish Black Guard's life, Allen and his team might not have been able to take down Black Guard. Or rather, even if they had ultimately killed Black Guard, several of Allen's nine companions would have had to be sacrificed to achieve their goal.

"Let's go!"

There was not much excitement in Oscar's eyes, but rather some melancholy. The body under the mask also conveyed a sense of depression to Allen.

As a staunch follower of the Natural Shrine's consistent beliefs, Oscar actually didn't want to see the self-destructive scene that had just occurred. After all, there were only five or so demigod-level powerhouses among the hundred-plus member tribes of the wilderness. Now, due to internal strife, they had made the decision to cut off their own arm, which Oscar couldn't help but regret.

If he could fight for the wilderness and be placed on the battlefield, he would at least be a powerful deterrent force. If they really had to fight, the damage that Black Guard would cause on the battlefield would definitely be even greater than today. Defeating a ten-thousand-man legion alone would only take a little time.

Unfortunately, things couldn't always go as planned. Black Guard was too concerned with short-sighted behavior and had become an obstacle to the wilderness's self-preservation. In the end, they could only eliminate him, and perhaps doing something with this matter could have some effect.

The two walked in silence, constantly changing directions until they confirmed that there were no sentries following them, then landed at a pre-arranged foothold, entered a natural cave leading to a location dozens of miles away, and after reappearing at another cave entrance, slowly walked in the direction of Mansa City.

Five days later, Allen and Oscar returned to Mansa City, and the moment they entered the city, they felt a different atmosphere.

Four days ago, at dawn, as the most bustling gate in the north of Mansa City opened, a bloodied head fell and hung above the city gate. The unique fangs of an ogre, along with that unfamiliar, cold face, initially led everyone to believe it was just some audacious fellow playing a prank.

However, when a curtain hanging with the ogre's head was pulled open, provocatively introducing the head's owner in Common Tongue, the entire city of Mansa was quickly shaken.

A demigod, in all his glory, had been beheaded so quietly. Any leader of a person or tribe in the wilderness would be shocked and then, at any cost, try to understand the black hand behind this event.

If even demigod-level powerhouses could be assassinated, wouldn't it be even harder for other powerhouses and tribal leaders weaker than demigods to protect themselves? Whether for themselves or their tribes, everyone finally reached a consensus, which was rare.

The first to be approached was the Assassin's Guild. As the leader of the assassination industry in the world of Ferman, they undoubtedly had the greatest suspicion in the death of Black Guard. The Assassin's Guild did not deny this, but they said that besides posting the task and sending two legendary powerhouses to assist, the truly strongest assassin was dispatched by the employer.

As for the two legendary powerhouses who accepted the task, they left the wilderness directly after completing the task, and no one knew where they went.

For this piece of information, half true and half false, the various tribes in the wilderness spent a lot of money, but the Assassin's Guild gained considerable benefits and silent advertising, while also shifting the blame back to the real employer.

Who was the employer?

No one knew for sure. The only thing known was that the employer was an elven mage, and among the accomplices was a druid spellcaster. All indications suggested that this might be an assassination from the elves.

As for why the elves would attack a core figure close to the human camp, the biggest possibility was that they didn't want the wilderness to stop its hostility towards the human nations? Anyway, once there was a suspect, everyone could eventually find countless reasons to explain the suspect's actions.

For a time, Mansa City was engulfed in a raging fire of hatred. The faction that had been close to humans began to seethe. They were very uneasy because they had just lost a powerful pillar of support.

The tribal leaders of other factions were equally uneasy. They feared whether the elves' actions would stop there or whether they would have other actions next, launching assassinations against other tribes.

Only a few tribes in the pro-elf faction spoke out, trying to exonerate and explain for the elven tribes, but their voices were too weak, appearing so weak and powerless amidst the loud cries of the angry representatives of other tribes. To the point that, in the end, even those tribes close to the elves no longer dared to speak out because they found that when their allies sitting across from them looked at them, their eyes often revealed great resentment and killing intent.

As the clues of the investigation continued to dig deeper, things seemed to have changed a bit. Xavier Bardes, the acting tribal chief in power of the Thorns Vine Tribe, who was also a collateral bloodline and the most trusted subordinate of the demigod Black Guard, personally stated that Black Guard had actually fallen out with the humans because the humans had secretly colluded with another person in power within the tribe, attempting to challenge Black Guard's ruling position.

Black Guard's appetite was getting bigger and bigger, putting a lot of pressure on the human side, so they urgently needed to support another supporter, and to have this supporter inherit Black Guard's ruling position, they needed to make Black Guard disappear completely.

At the same time, the elven mage who was supposed to be on his way north accidentally revealed his whereabouts on the grassland and was pursued by the centaur generals Ahmad and Oswald, among others, but ultimately the other party escaped the grassland and entered human territory.

Allen seemed to be watching a grand drama. Although he had been in it, when countless complex pieces of information came at him, he began to waver about certain information he was sure of in his heart: Could it be that the assassination they had carried out before had really become an accomplice to the humans?

However, after some calm thinking, Allen resolutely rejected this idea, not only because he himself had deeply participated in the assassination but also because he did not believe that humans would be foolish enough to make a move that would cut off their own arm at this critical moment.

Even if Black Guard was greedy, he was still an important figure in the pro-human camp. Now that the war between humans and the wilderness had just ended, the Temple of Nature was planning to break the deadlock, and at least in the case of sending troops to support the Beastman Empire in the war, Black Guard's attitude had a great impact on the tribes in the wilderness. At this time, rashly assassinating Black Guard and replacing the person in power of the Thorns Vine Tribe was a stupid thing in itself.

However, the evidence was right in front of them. After the rebels of the Thorns Vine Tribe were forcefully suppressed, in addition to the chief culprit, the Great Elder, being killed on the spot, the testimonies of many people among the remaining participants could corroborate it. As for the elven mage heading south, being noticed was also accidental, and it seemed that it was not done intentionally.

Soon after, the direction of the search suddenly changed again. It was said that an accomplice of the elven mage who provided the information for the ambush on the demigod Black Guard was finally captured, and then it was learned during interrogation that the real force behind the elven mage was actually the Beastman Empire, which was in the midst of war. Their purpose in assassinating Black Guard was very clear, which was to eliminate the stumbling block that was hindering the wilderness's plan to go south...

Allen had originally planned to complete this mission, receive his reward, and then return directly to the Green Field Plains, but the grand drama in Mansa City was too exciting, making Allen dazzled and amazed.

Various pieces of information were constantly being reversed, sometimes the target became humans, and sometimes it was elves... Anyway, various pointers were inseparable from the two continents and four civilizations, but the Temple of Nature, the real mastermind and executor, received the least suspicion, which made Allen inevitably speculate that perhaps the many information reversals were being manipulated by the Temple of Nature.

Of course, while watching coldly, Allen finally received his reward, but it was a pity that the mission reward posted by the Assassin's Guild was not low, but what was really distributed to Allen was only jewelry worth a little over ten thousand gold coins, which made him somewhat disappointed.

But after thinking about it carefully, Allen also felt that there was no problem with this distribution. After all, the bulk of this mission should actually belong to the assassin who successfully assassinated Black Guard, and the remaining amount would be distributed among the 8 legendary figures, so the value that each person could get would definitely not be too high.

Allen naturally couldn't imagine that the Temple of Nature, which posted the high reward mission, had never thought of giving those who accepted the mission from the Assassin's Guild too much reward from the beginning.

The task of assassinating the wilderness demigod needed to be done carefully to ensure that nothing went wrong, so the Temple of Nature was bound to participate in it and would not leave it to others. The reason for spreading the task in the Assassin's Guild was ultimately to cover people's eyes and ears and, by the way, use the Assassin's Guild's ears and eyes to leak various superficial information, completely hiding the Temple of Nature's tracks.

Although the Assassin's Guild was powerful, it still needed to respect the various gods behind it in the face of the Temple of Nature, which was backed by the Nature God System, especially since it was now operating in the wilderness. The Assassin's Guild, which often seemed to have no connection with the Temple of Nature, had actually been cooperating with the Temple of Nature in secret. And the convenience that the Assassin's Guild gave to the Temple of Nature was exchanged for the ability to establish guild branches in the wilderness and recruit members from the gray area to join and earn profits.

Therefore, since the Temple of Nature was going to do it itself, then even if it posted a higher reward, those who accepted the task would not be able to get it. On the contrary, under the lure of high rewards, these task takers would be able to work harder because of the benefit relationship, and at the same time, they would be more cautious in sealing the secret.

Fortunately, for Allen, the Assassin's Guild's mission reward was just a windfall, and the real bulk was the legendary expertise given by the Oak Church.

The gradually declining Oak Church valued Allen very much, which could be seen from the fact that Homir forcibly asked Allen to accept the task of assassinating Black Guard. Now that the secret mission that was both a test and a threat to Allen had been completed, the next step was to appease Allen's somewhat disappointed heart.

The temple gave Allen several legendary expertise choices, each of which had extremely detailed introductions, making it difficult for Allen to choose between these crystals. Rather than saying that this was letting Allen choose a reward, it was better to say that the Oak Church was showing Allen their foundation, letting him understand that if he worked with the church, these expertise crystals would eventually be open to Allen.

Perfect Physique, Legendary Combat Skills, Fatal Blow, Iron Will, Super Berserk... In Allen's opinion, each crystal seemed to be tailor-made for him. If he could completely master the expertise skills in any one of these crystals and combine them with his existing combat expertise, then his legend would no longer be like an empty shell, and he would be able to fight against any legendary-level opponent.

In the end, unable to choose, Allen, on Oscar's advice, chose the Perfect Physique inheritance crystal.

"If you want to make further progress, then from now on, you need to hone your physique. The higher a warfighter goes, the higher the requirements for the body will be. Without a strong enough physique, even if you have powerful strength, you will not be able to exert it perfectly."

Oscar explained to Allen in this way, which made Allen deeply agree.

In the previous two full-strength attacks with the demigod, Allen had already realized the fatal problem that had arisen after he chose the legendary expertise development direction. Because of his talent in heavy strikes, Allen chose to go all the way to the end in the path of explosive power, which now seemed to be working well.

The excellence of his talent allowed Allen to make rapid progress in the tempering of several legendary expertise, but in actual combat, his current physique was no longer able to withstand the fierce energy stimulated during high-intensity bursts. Under the blessing skills of several layers of strength, each time he used it, his body's muscles would suffer a severe strain. Over time, even if his recovery ability was outstanding and he had the help of magical healing spells and potions, he was afraid that his muscles would still suffer irreversible damage.