Sharpshooter clenched his fist in excitement, but after a moment, his smile froze as he saw the figure emerging from the explosion.
Arthur started to proceed forward with a sinister smile on his face. Just one look at him was enough to make Sharpshooter's hair stand on end.
Arthur glanced in the direction of Sharpshooter, and with just one look, the sniper's heart stopped beating.
"Sharpshooter is dead!" cried the nearest sniper.
The news quickly reached Sergeant Hubert. He pursed his lips, clenched his fists, and then loosened them again.
Sharpshooter had been a great warrior. He had been young, vigorous, and had had great potential. But due to Arthur's viciousness, he had lost his precious life. And that damned man was still moving forward.
A total of seven snipers were positioned on that road. But the first sniper's failure meant that, even if the remaining six of them were to shoot, they might not be able to stop Arthur's advance.
Sergeant Hubert wasn't the only one who started to get worried. Gideon became anxious too.
Sergeant Hubert was in a dilemma. He didn't know if he could sacrifice another sniper. He gritted his teeth and couldn't bring himself to give the order to shoot. After all, he knew that firing would mean that the sniper would die and that he wouldn't be able to stop Arthur, even for a minute.
But, although he didn't think it would have any effect, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
After hesitating, he said through the device, "Sniper two, get ready!"
He decided that if the sniper was reluctant to shoot, he would simply give up.
As Sergeant Hubert was thinking about this, Gideon's voice came through his earpiece, stopping him from giving the order.
"Wait, Sergeant Hubert!" said Gideon. "Don't sacrifice any more men. If Arthur wants to come to Lion Ridge, then let him. The invisible barrier is far more effective than your sniper formation. As soon as Arthur arrives outside Lion Ridge, I will bring my men, lure him in, and trap him in the barrier. Then we can wait for Alex or someone else to deal with him!"
Sergeant Hubert was a little taken aback. "What about all the equipment, spiritual herbs, and the spirit pond in Lion Ridge?" he asked.
"These are all physical items," replied Gideon, shrugging. "If we lose them, then we can at least hope to recover them in the future. But if we die, that will be the end of us."
Sergeant Hubert was excited at the prospect of trapping Arthur in the invisible barrier and felt hopeful again.
He nodded happily. "You're right, Gideon," he said. "That's a brilliant plan. Thank you. We're lucky to be able to benefit from your wisdom and foresight."
Gideon shook his head and smiled. "Don't thank me. This was Donny Fitzroy's idea. He just called me and suggested it."
"Donny from the Demon sect?" asked Sergeant Hubert in surprise. It seemed that Donny had extraordinary foresight and decisiveness, and he was impressed.
"Let's not talk about this now," said Gideon. "I think you should all retreat. Let the enemy enter Lion Ridge with as little trouble as possible."
Sergeant Hubert quickly gave orders for his men to retreat.
Arthur had felt several people staring at him threateningly, which gave him a sharp pain in his heart.
When he had been shot with the laser, it had been quite painful, and it had almost shattered the protective layer he kept wrapped around himself. Still, the feeling of the light burning his body was very painful, but he managed to hold on and continue.
Since it had been shot from quite a distance, it hadn't been powerful enough to stop him. But he had never seen such a powerful thermal weapon before. Now he finally understood why so many grand masters didn't dare to act recklessly. Such weapons could take their lives.
A hundred years ago, Arthur had learned just how powerful firearms could be. Later on, he had thought that he would be able to withstand firearms once he had reached the level of grand master. Now that he was a divine-level warrior, bullets were like mere mosquito bites to him, so he hadn't expected to suffer such pain when he had been shot.
He began to feel that he had underestimated the people of the town. With the power of these firearms, no matter how powerful a grand master was, he wouldn't be able to withstand more than a few shots. And such powerful weapons could be handled by an ordinary officer.
If his opponents had an even more powerful weapon, then they might even be able to kill a divine-level warrior like him. That thought terrified him.
But with such powerful weapons, why did they suddenly stop? he wondered. He couldn't figure it out.
Even so, he didn't give up his mission. He called out in the direction of the second sniper and asked, "Where is the Great One?" The tone of his voice had surprisingly turned somewhat polite.
Although there was quite a long distance between them, the second sniper could still hear the question, and he was certain that Arthur was asking him.
He was stunned for a moment. Then, as he was about to speak, he heard a voice coming through his earpiece.
"Answer him," said Sergeant Hubert. "Point him toward Lion Ridge."
The sniper stood up and shouted, "The Great One is up ahead in Lion Ridge!"
For a moment, he had a terrifying feeling, like he had just exposed himself to the enemy.
But fortunately, Arthur was very satisfied with his answer.
He looked up at the sniper and nodded. "Is that right?" he asked, and then he proceeded forward.
The sniper broke into a cold sweat, which trickled down his forehead. But he had managed to prevent Arthur from killing anyone else.
"Retreat!" Sergeant Hubert's voice sounded again. "Quickly!"
All the snipers stood up and quickly left their positions. The second sniper also turned around and ran as fast as he could.
Without any obstacles in his path, Arthur's journey to Lion Ridge was surprisingly comfortable. He strolled leisurely and hummed as he walked.
Soon, he arrived at Lion Ridge, which was surrounded by a dense fog.
He stood still for a moment and narrowed his eyes. "What an impressive invisible barrier!" he exclaimed. Then he walked right into it without any hesitation.
By that time, Gideon had already ordered his men to withdraw from the barrier in an orderly manner, wearing plates and armor that Alex had prepared for them.
Just then, Arthur stopped as he saw a shadow flash in front of him. In the fog, he had lost his power-enhanced senses and could only rely on his naked eyes to observe the enemy.
Seems like there are signs of life here, he thought.
"Where is the Great One?" asked Arthur through the fog.
The shadow belonged to Copper, the divine-level beast Alex had left for Gideon.
Copper remained silent and didn't answer.
"How dare you ignore me!" yelled Arthur, and then he raised his hand and pointed at Copper's shadow, intending to kill him.
Copper fell to the ground, but, after a few seconds, he jumped up again.
This was the first time that day that Arthur had failed, and he felt a little disappointed.
"What are you?" shouted Arthur. Then he raised his hand and waved it at the shadow.