Chapter 83: The city lord

The taunt hit its mark.

Ezekiel’s expression darkened further, silver aura concentrating around his axe until the weapon glowed like a star.

“Insolent beast.”

He attacked with blinding speed, axe carving through air in patterns too complex for ordinary perception to track.

Each strike targeted vital points with surgical precision—throat, heart, spine.

The monkey dodged with ease, its movements less combat and more dance.

It twisted between attacks that would have bisected other opponents, giggling as if participating in some delightful game rather than mortal combat.

“Missed me! Missed again!” It pirouetted around a horizontal slash. “So serious! So slow!”

Its staff flicked out, tapping the City Lord’s shoulder with deliberate gentleness—not attacking but mocking.

Ezekiel roared in frustration, abandoning precision for raw power.

His axe became a silver comet, each swing generating shockwaves that cracked the street beneath them.

Buildings collapsed around their battlefield, structural integrity failing under the pressure of competing silver energies.

Civilians fled in renewed terror, abandoning possessions in desperate attempts to escape the Silver-ranks’ confrontation.

The behemoth, momentarily forgotten during this exchange, refocused its attention on Ethan and Ruan.

Ethan was momentarily shocked by the tevelation of a beast having the ability to speak, but his shock was forgotten as he realised the threat had come back.

The behemoth was staring at them

It’s deliberately avoiding the City Lord’s battle

“We need to move,” Ethan warned, Enhanced Speed activating as the behemoth charged.

Ruan nodded grimly, silver energy cascading around his blade. “Together.”

They separated, attacking from opposite flanks. Ethan targeted joint between carapace segments while Ruan aimed for vulnerable eye-stalks. Their silver-enhanced strikes landed simultaneously, penetrating the monster’s defenses with coordinated precision.

The behemoth roared, thrashing as it got angry.

Ethan’s daggers carved deep furrows between armor plates, his fire disrupting the creature’s regenerative abilities.

Not enough to kill it. But enough to hurt it.

Two more silver auras approached rapidly from the northern sector—the remaining generals finally arriving after securing their assigned areas.

General Zhao reached them first, her silver energy manifesting as crackling lightning around her spear. “Apologies for the delay,” she called, driving her weapon into the behemoth’s unprotected flank.

A heartbeat later, General Wei joined the assault, twin swords gleaming with cold energy as they targeted the creature’s remaining eye-stalks.

Four Silver-ranks attacking in concert—the behemoth finally faced a genuine threat.

Meanwhile, the City Lord’s battle against the monkey intensified. Trees uprooted as their energies clashed, concrete shattered beneath the monkey’s dancing feet. Neither landed decisive blows, yet the battlefield itself disintegrated around them.

“You think you’re worthy of Gold?” The monkey taunted, balancing atop its staff between attacks. “Can’t even catch one little me! What if mama came here? She would destroy this place with a slap, kek.”

Ezekiel’s axe blurred into multiple afterimages, attacking from angles that required remarkable agility and flexibility.

“Die,” he snarled, silver energy compressing around his weapon.

For the first time, the monkey’s grin faltered. It brought its staff up in desperate defense as the City Lord’s attack connected with apocalyptic force.

The resulting explosion sent shockwaves across the entire district.

Buildings collapsed for blocks in every direction. The ground itself fractured, ancient sewers exposed to open air as streets split like paper.

Civilians, monsters and soldiers alike were thrown from their feet, many rendered unconscious by the concussive force.

When the dust settled, the monkey stood swaying slightly, its staff having faint crack barely visible.

Blood trickled from the corner of its mouth, yet its eyes retained their mocking gleam.

“Almost,” it acknowledged, genuine respect coloring its tone. “Almost enough.”

Ezekiel pressed his advantage, silver aura expanding beyond conventional limitations.

His next attack carried finishing intent—a diagonal slash designed to cleave the monkey from shoulder to hip.

The staff intercepted the axe with a sound like thunder breaking. Power met power, silver energies clashing in visible waves that shattered windows for blocks in every direction.

The monkey skidded backward, feet carving furrows in broken stone. Blood trickled from the corner of its mouth, yet it maintained its grip on the staff.

“Impressive,” it acknowledged, golden eyes narrowing with newfound respect.

Ezekiel pressed forward.

“Who sent you?” Ezekiel demanded between exchanges.

The monkey pirouetted around his next attack. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Their battle intensified, each combatant landing glancing blows that drew blood but caused no debilitating injuries.

The monkey’s staff found Ezekiel’s ribs, cracking armor and drawing a pained grunt from the City Lord. His retaliatory strike caught the creature’s shoulder, tearing fur and flesh in a shallow wound.

Blood spattered stone from both fighters, yet neither slowed.

“Getting serious now, little lord?” The monkey grinned despite its injuries, staff blurring as it launched a counterattack.

Ezekiel parried it with difficulty, but two strikes slipped past his defense.

The staff connected with his temple and knee in rapid succession, each impact releasing concussive force that staggered the city lord.

The City Lord retaliated with fury, his axe sweeping in horizontal arcs that forced his opponent to abandon offense for desperate defense.

When the monkey attempted to create distance, Ezekiel followed with speed that matched its evasion.

“Tell me who sent you!” His axe descended in overhead cleave that carried finishing intent.

The staff intercepted, the monkey’s muscles straining visibly as it redirected the overwhelming force.

“The wheels are already turning,” it snarled, blood staining its teeth. “Nothing you do matters now.”

Their battle continued in brutal stalemate, each inflicting injuries that would have crippled other beings, yet neither gaining decisive advantage.

Meanwhile, the behemoth proved why it warranted High-Silver classification. Despite four powerful attackers, its armor repelled most damage with contemptuous ease.

General Zhao’s lightning-wreathed spear struck repeatedly but barely scratched the outermost armor layer. The electricity that would have fried lesser beings merely dissipated across crystalline plates. Wei’s twin swords bounced harmlessly off particularly dense sections, forcing him to target the same locations repeatedly just to create shallow furrows.

Ruan, still recovering from earlier injuries, could barely maintain his attacks. His strikes lacked penetrating power, serving more as distraction than genuine threat.

Only Ethan made meaningful progress.

Each strike targeted the weak points he had identified before.

The behemoth noticed this danger. Despite multiple opponents, it focused increasingly on Ethan, its claws targeting him with prioritized attacks.

’Smart enough to recognize the primary threat,’

Ethan thought, ducking beneath a strike that would have decapitated him instantly

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep