Chapter 1071 - 878: Obtaining the Second Floor Key

Victor’s thoughts were interrupted by a flurry of hurried footsteps; the adjutant pushed the door open and knelt on one knee, a voice tinged with undeniable tension: "Sir, scout reports, the main force of the Kingdom Army camped thirty miles east of Silver Shield City last night. They’re currently constructing fortifications, expected to gather earliest by tomorrow evening. They don’t seem eager to attack, possibly waiting for follow-up logistics and siege equipment."

Victor nodded, gesturing for the adjutant to withdraw.

Three days later, at dawn, Victor awoke from a shallow sleep.

He slept lightly, having never truly slept deeply over the years; each closed eye merely gave his body the minimum needed rest.

Outside the window, the sky was faintly bright, dawn spilled through the clouds’ crevices, coating the entire Silver Shield City in a pale golden light.

Victor walked towards the hall where the statue was placed, his steps steady and resolute, his boots making even, powerful echoes on the stone floor.

He passed through the heavy wooden doors guarded by trusted aides, those bowing soldiers whose armor plates trembled faintly as he passed.

As he pushed open the final door, the morning sunlight slanted in through the hall’s ceiling fissure, casting onto the statue resting on a specially designed iron frame.

The statue remained in its vague giant outline, identical to the giant icon in Count Cadwell’s underground cavern, yet the sapphires in the eye sockets had completely changed.

Dark purple light steadily burned at the core of the gemstone, deep and restrained, like two stars compressed to the extreme.

Faint traces of energy residue lingered around the statue; the last batch of war remnants had been absorbed, dispersing into the air.

Victor stood at the edge of the hall, quietly gazing at the statue.

Every war, every charge, every life lost had converged into this matured object before him.

He took a step, walking towards the statue, reaching out to take the thing he had long yearned for.

Suddenly, a figure appeared next to the statue out of thin air.

No energy fluctuations, he just silently and seamlessly appeared there, as if he had been standing there all along, choosing this moment for anyone to see him.

He wore a dark gray traveler’s robe, the standard Adventurer’s Badge issued by the Grey Rock City Adventurer’s Guild pinned to his chest.

The Duke casually rested a hand on the statue’s shoulder, lightly tapped the sapphire on the statue’s surface with his fingertip, producing a faint, clear sound.

Then he lifted his head to look at Victor, his tone flat as if discussing the weather.

"It appears to be matured."

At the moment the Duke appeared out of nowhere, Victor’s pupils contracted to the extreme.

His body reacted faster than his mind, his feet slid back two steps, and his right hand had already gripped the sword hilt at his waist, joints blanching from the force.

He didn’t immediately draw his sword, his deep brown eyes fiercely locked on the Duke, scrutinizing, wary, with barely restrained anger.

"Who are you?" Victor’s voice was deep and husky, like an animal issuing a final warning from its throat before attack, "Put down the statue, I can let you leave Silver Shield City alive."

The Duke didn’t even turn to look at him, simply removing the statue from the iron frame, flipping it to glance at the runes engraved on the base.

Those runes resonated with the ritual patterns he had copied in Count Cadwell’s underground cavern, but when the statue’s core energy saturated, the inner circle of runes had already autonomously activated, emitting a faint silver-blue glow, weakly resonating with the Divine Revelation Mark.

Almost simultaneously, a concise message echoed from the Divine Revelation Mark, implying the key to the second level was acquired, ready for activation to proceed to the next level anytime.

He placed the statue into the Space Ring, finally lifting his gaze to the Rebel Leader standing tensely before him.

Victor read a simple message from the Duke’s eyes, the other party wasn’t planning to negotiate.

For the first time, that face usually sporting a stern smile displayed pure intent to kill.

He released his grip on the sword hilt, knowing that the sword was merely an ornament; his true strength had never been reliant on weapons.

A dark yellow light exploded from his body, swiftly spreading along his arms, shoulders, and torso, forming rugged textures on his skin resembling rock patterns.

Those were characteristics of the Earth Element Rules deeply fusing with the flesh, integrating Earth Element Rules into each fiber of flesh and blood.

The surrounding air became heavy the moment the Earth Element Rules activated, ground pebbles and dust began to gently shift outward from the center of his feet, emitting the faintest rustle.

Victor stomped the stone slab beneath him to pieces, his form bursting towards the Duke like a boulder launched by a catapult.

His right fist clenched, the dirt-yellow light on the fist quickly gathering into a granite-like hard, thick shell during the charge.

The air forcefully compressed, emitting a sharp blast sound in front of his fist’s edge.

The power of this punch was enough to blast open Silver Shield City’s gates, or pierce a three-story stone building from base to roof.

He poured most of his strength into this punch, leaving only the most minimal Earth Element protection for defense.