Chapter 317: Elite Squad

Chapter 317: The Elite Squad

In the operational code of the squad, intelligence always held the absolute highest priority.

Karen did not believe the selection organizers would design every protocol without a flaw; in fact, he could clearly see that this competition was marked by a pervasive, unrefined roughness.

Once through the security check, no action would be deemed cheating, and everything would be permitted.

From within that dark vortex swirling above, the distinct clanking of iron cages drifted down, suggesting that the second and third batches of trial subjects were already lining up behind.

Upon receiving the captain's order, Iceley immediately lowered her head and began searching across her own arms.

The most useless, the most utterly useless... this one!

Iceley pressed her fingertip against that small section of totem, chanting:

"My truest friend—Sindy!

Now, I implore your aid, hoping your power may be delivered to my side, to help me through this peril."

The moment the words left her lips, Iceley's eyes went completely hollow, and a bright white light erupted from her left arm, conjuring the phantom of a great white bird.

Its eyes were a deep cerulean, its plumage pure white, and its form elegant; its mere appearance seemed an embodiment of the sacred.

Iceley had chosen it because this avian beast named Sindy had no practical function whatsoever, save for being beautiful.

It usually appeared at ceremonies merely to add a decorative touch, serving as a sort of mascot.

Therefore, adhering to the captain’s requirements, Iceley summoned it first.

At this moment, Iceley was controlling the phantom, or rather, guiding the spectral Sindy as it circled once in the air before diving straight into the black vortex above.

Before long, a sharp, piercing shriek rang out, followed by a sudden, explosive pop as several spectral feathers drifted out of the black vortex, slowly dissolving into nothingness.

Evidently, the sacred Sindy had completed its sacred mission.

Perhaps the organizers inside the black vortex had not anticipated such an occurrence, but after a brief moment of astonishment, they immediately slaughtered the bold bird that dared fly in to steal a glimpse of the test.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Light returned to Iceley’s eyes as she took a deep breath, clutching her chest and coughing several times in succession.

"Behind the cage holding Micah, the phantom beast Zogai is confined, and behind that is the phantom beast Redina, and I saw the phantom beast Pusion being caged right now!"

Iceley turned her head to look at Karen, swallowed hard, and continued shouting:

"I also saw another silver gate, and Sindy sensed a terrifying aura of banishment—that is... the Banishment Space!"

The role Iceley played was far greater than Karen had anticipated; in fact, based solely on the information she had just provided, even if she did nothing else, she had already brought immense assistance to the team.

Having grown up with her parents in a research institute surrounded by rare demonic beasts, she was intimately familiar with them—not the familiarity gained from looking at illustrated manuals, but from touching them, living with them, and perhaps even witnessing her parents dissect them.

Originally, Karen had expected Iceley to describe the appearance of the subsequent beasts so he could deduce their potential abilities and deploy his strategy in advance.

But since Iceley had called out their names one by one, it proved she "knew" them.

This directly eliminated the need for guessing, allowing him to obtain specific information about the upcoming trial targets right from Iceley.

It was equivalent to turning a closed-book exam directly into an open-book one.

After Micah, there were likely three more phantom beasts, and if more than two teams remained on the field by then, a soul-type sacred artifact would have to be drawn from the Order Network's Banishment Space to apply its effects as a hurdle.

At this moment, the black vortex above vanished.

Karen knew this was a timely patch to the system.

Because although each squad was separated within their respective boundaries, they were visually connected, meaning whatever happened here with the Third Squad would surely be seen by the other teams, who might then follow suit.

Even more extreme, it was entirely possible someone might just toss a teammate inside.

After all, they could hardly slaughter a young candidate the way they did that great white bird.

Rather than allowing more variables and uncertainty to arise, it was better to close the black vortex that had been meant to build atmosphere, and simply release the phantom beasts when the time came.

"The phantom beast Micah resembles a giant eyeball in its true form; its bodily structure is soft yet resilient, capable of achieving extremely high soft defense, while its skin secretes a mental hallucinogenic toxin. Its innate abilities are deep hypnosis and mental vortex."

Iceley stated her knowledge of the phantom beast Micah.

Karen immediately made new adjustments: "Ventura, when Micah appears, you restrain it. Bart, after Ventura restrains Micah, you attack. Blanche, provide mental defense for Ventura and Bart!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Karen looked toward Mars and said, "Continue deploying the array."

"Yes, Captain."

"Iceley, you rest."

"Yes, Captain."

Blanche began to chant, casting a layer of black protection over both Ventura and Bart.

Under her second round of chanting, the shape of an umbrella actually manifested behind the two of them.

The former was the Cloak of Purification, and the latter was the Umbrella of the Soul.

After a period of time, the black vortex reappeared, and a monster resembling a giant eyeball, about the height of a two-story building, plummeted from the vortex.

Ventura spread his arms, and his body was instantly encased in a layer of crystal; his originally small frame began to expand at this moment, his height shooting up to two meters, his physique taking on a muscle-like effect from the piled crystals.

"Order—Guardian Wall!"

This was not a particularly advanced spell, and Karen used it frequently, but when Ventura invoked it, the summoned wall actually extended directly from his arms. He had integrated his own traits into the Order spell, giving his wall a silvery hue.

Not only that, the two giant walls summoned looked as if they were embedded into his arms; before Micah could even hit the ground, the two massive walls clamped it tightly mid-air!

The scene looked somewhat comical, yet it had truly happened.

Karen had long anticipated that Ventura's strengths did not lie in the realm of the soul, but because he had spent nearly every day of his life from birth to the present enduring the torments of pollution, his soul was far more resilient than that of an ordinary cleric, which was how he had passed the regional selection.

However, the manifestation of his true strength lay in his physical body.

He had broken through his own pollution and utilized it, stepping over the very pollution that caused him pain to attain a higher level of capability.

When the youth earnestly exerted his strength, his originally timid demeanor transformed him into a rampaging giant.

Its body clamped, Micah instinctively attempted to break free, but Ventura's arms remained absolutely motionless, and the pair of giant walls clamping Micah naturally did not budge either.

Unable to break free, Micah's massive eyeball instantly turned crimson, and in a flash, the vision of Ventura, Bart, and Blanche, who were closest to Micah, was completely dyed in red.

Even Karen, Mars, and Iceley, standing at a distance, noticed the change in their own sight.

Blanche began to retreat, pulling back to a safe distance according to the practical circumstances, but during her retreat, she continued to cast mental protection on Ventura and Bart, the two black umbrellas constantly spinning above their heads to neutralize the mental influence emanating from Micah.

Seeing that Micah had been successfully restrained, Bart leaned his body forward, dropped his arms, and snapped them down fiercely; from the palms of his hands, flesh split apart to reveal a short section of white bone spurs, upon which clear carvings were etched.

It was difficult to imagine how these runes had been carved into the bone, and how much pain Bart must have endured for it.

If Ventura had enhanced his strength by overcoming his own suffering, then Bart had purely and actively sought suffering for the sake of increasing his power.

After a brief chant, two black scimitars appeared in Bart's hands.

Standing in the rear and closely monitoring the battle, Karen knew that Bart had "converted" his own bones into something akin to a sacred artifact. This not only enhanced his physical fortification but also used the bone as a tether to elevate the proficiency of his spellcasting.

Originally, Bart should have leaned more toward the warrior system of Dark Moon Island, but what he desired was far more than just that.

With a flash of his form, Bart appeared above Micah, and his two black scimitars plunged directly down into Micah's body.

On either side of Blanche, two identical manifestations of herself materialized. In an instant, the three Blanches chanted in unison, bestowing a new round of blessings upon herself, Barth, and Ventura.

In truth, Blanche’s actions had been sluggish; she should have acted much sooner. However, the sheer swiftness of Barth’s movements had exceeded her expectations. Alternatively, one could say Barth had quickened his tempo, failing to align with Blanche's rhythm.

Ultimately, the coordination within the squad remained insufficiently refined.

"Buzz!"

The black scimitars pierced into Maika’s body, yet failed to rupture its outer skin. Before the creature's skin could caved inward to absorb the kinetic impact, Barth’s elbows shuddered as he retracted his strength. The twin scimitars did not press further downward but instead withdrew a short distance before Barth snapped his arms back forward, thrusting violently once more.

Having already discerned Maika’s defensive traits, he naturally refused to treat his assault as a single-stroke gamble. Instead, he employed a high-frequency, high-vibration method to apply continuous pressure.

"Wooo..."

Maika unleashed a howl of agony as that particular patch of its skin began to fracture. The pliable hide defense it so prided itself on lost its intended efficacy in the face of Barth’s targeted assault.

However, tiny pores manifested across its skin, spewing forth a verdant mist.

Yet by then, the guardianship from Blanche had already arrived, enveloping Barth’s body and helping him neutralize the effects of the spiritual toxic mist, allowing him to focus entirely on sustaining his attack.

Maika's toxic fog and spiritual offensive, bordering on a state of sheer frenzy, simply could not breach the defense Blanche had established for her teammate.

"Roar!"

Ventura let out a furious roar as his body seemed to expand by yet another margin. His arms grew thicker, and along with them, those two massive guardian barriers became even larger and more rigid.

His feet spread slightly apart as he began to squeeze Maika with even greater force. This not only served to further immobilize the creature but also forced its hide taut due to the all-encompassing pressure, thereby enhancing the efficacy of Barth’s attacks.

Witnessing this, Karen could not help but marvel inwardly; these three individuals were truly geniuses.

In essence, they were just like him. While peers of their age group dutifully advanced their realms step by step, these three had long since begun to dig horizontally, excavating their own potential while laying the groundwork for their future development.

This was the grandest disparity between Richard and them. The Richard of the past possessed a lethargic disposition and could never have been so ruthless toward himself.

Fortunately, Richard’s father had now begun to help him make up for his lost homework.

Karen could not help but sigh with emotion in his heart: how marvelous it would be if these young people were all part of his own personal vanguard.

Thus far, only Ventura could be drawn into his fold. Barth and Blanche possessed backgrounds tied to the Knights Templar, which was truly a profound pity.

If Captain Neo were to witness a Whip of Order squad composed of such geniuses, he would surely salivate with envy.

The situation here had fundamentally stabilized. Resolving this battle merely required waiting for Barth's sustained pressure to ultimately shatter Maika's limit of endurance, which was why Karen did not intervene.

He first raised his head to gaze up at the statue of Ogurev high above. He believed that genuine high-ranking figures were currently observing this trial through the statue's eyes, meaning his Blade of the Dark Moon and Sea God’s Armor...

Though usable, they could not be deployed too conspicuously.

Although he had already developed methods to obscure the manifested forms of these two techniques, he remained unwilling to take risks in such matters.

Karen looked toward the directions of the other squads. Everything required comparison to be properly evaluated.

His side had utilized a mere half of its manpower to utterly suppress Maika, needing only to bide time to conclude the battle. This did not imply that Maika was weak. In fact, several surrounding squads had been thrown into utter chaos by the great eyeball Maika, forced into a grueling match of evenly matched proportions.

Had they not prepared adequately from the very outset, or rather, lacked such a configuration of personnel, facing Maika's spiritual harassment, toxic secretions, and pliable skin defense would truly prove a massive headache.

Yet Karen noticed that over at the First Squad, the battle had unexpectedly already concluded. All six members of that squad sat cross-legged, adjusting their states.

So rapid?

In another direction, the Seventh Squad had also brought their battle to an end.

These were the two squads that had concluded their battles the fastest.

However, the second target, namely the phantom beast Zogay, did not appear above the First and Seventh Squads.

Therefore, the second round would only commence after all other squads had finished their battles.

In other words, the earlier a squad concluded its battle, the more rest time it could secure.

Yet even with this rule clear to him, Karen still harbored no intention of intervening, for he already possessed an overarching plan in his mind.

Finally, accompanied by the sound of a leather ball bursting, Maika’s body could no longer withstand the pressure and exploded apart.

Although Karen’s squad was not the one that took the shortest time, the Maika that had fallen to his squad had undoubtedly died in the most aggrieved manner.

Without even touching the ground, it had been held hostage directly in midair until the moment of its demise.

"Ventura, Barth, fall back and rest. Before the other squads resolve their targets, the second phantom beast will not appear. Blanche, you rest as well. Do not waste your strength to accelerate their recovery; use time itself to rest."

"Yes, Captain."

The three assented and retreated toward the array formation.

By this time, Mars had finally completed the arrangement of his array. Yet under Karen’s command, the array was not put into operation, remaining in a silent state.

"The phantom beast Zogay, by adult standards, is more than twice the size of Maika. It resembles an octopus, possessing many tentacles. Its spiritual power is vastly superior to Maika's, and every single tentacle can serve as a launching point for spiritual attacks. Furthermore, it can spew toxic fluid bearing a corruptive attribute."

"Corruption?"

"Yes, Captain. However, once its toxic fluid is extracted, it can serve as a highly precious raw material for medicinal potions."

Karen nodded, then addressed Aislee, "Are you well-rested?"

"I am well-rested, Captain."

"Spread your arms and let me see."

"Very well, Captain."

Aislee rolled up her sleeves and displayed her arms before Karen.

Karen observed for a moment, then pointed to a fire lizard totem, saying, "In a moment, summon this one."

"Captain, it isn't strong... Aside from carrying fire upon its body, it possesses no other means of attack. If it weren't for the fact that it cannot fly, I wouldn't have summoned Sindy just now; I would have summoned it directly."

"Just it will do, it matters not."

At this moment, all squads had concluded their battles. Two squads suffered brutal elimination in the first round.

One squad had half its members caught in a spiritual vortex, unable to awaken, which led to internal strife erupting within the squad under Maika's manipulation.

The other had failed to breach Maika's defense, only to be defeated one by one by the creature.

The former had actively chosen to end their selection, while the latter had their selection terminated by the organizers. In an instant, the barriers where those squads were located contracted, sealing the two Maikas away.

The remaining squads, whether swift and clean, deliberate and unhurried, or utterly disheveled, had all completed the first round.

Next, eighteen squads entered the second round.

Above, dark clouds manifested. Because of the Third Squad’s initial operations, dark clouds could now only be utilized to conduct the countdown.

Barth, Ventura, and Blanche all stood up, but Karen spoke, "Continue to rest and recover your states. Mars, arrange another array to establish a spiritual bridge."

After issuing the command, Karen glanced at Aislee, signaling her to accompany him.

Karen arrived beneath the dark clouds, with Aislee standing behind him.

In an instant, a massive rift tore open within the dark clouds, and a colossal octopus plunged from the fissure. With a resounding boom, it arrived inside this barrier.

Upon landing, the phantom beast Zogay raised its twelve tentacles and unleashed a piercing roar.

Karen kept his hands clasped behind his back as a layer of faint black mist enveloped him. His body floated upward, his feet leaving the ground.

Within a breath, over a hundred chains flew forth from Karen’s side, locking down every single one of Zogay’s tentacles, including its head.

"Boom!"

Another roar resounded. The phantom beast Zogay, which had been incomparably arrogant a moment prior, was pinned tightly to the ground by dense clusters of black chains.

Aisley’s eyes widened at the sight.

A similar look of astonishment mirrored across the faces of the other team members resting behind her.

"Summon," Karen reminded her.

"Oh, yes, Captain!"

Aisley instantly began her incantation. Before long, the spectral silhouette of a salamander materialized, its form wreathed in roaring flames. As it crawled onto Zogai’s massive body, the fire transferred onto him, inflicting continuous damage. Wisps of white smoke from the melting flesh occasionally drifted from the crown of Zogai’s head, though the effect seemed far too minuscule against his colossal frame.

Zogai let out a low, furious growl, though it was unclear whether he was frustrated by his inability to move, or humiliated that they were using such a pathetic thing to attack him.

Aisley lowered her voice, offering another soft reminder: "Captain, its attack power isn't very high."

Karen nodded, perfectly composed.

He said:

"No rush. Let it burn slowly."

—

More chapters tonight.