C22 Storm God of War

"What is he going to do?" Verl's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as she watched the solitary figure.

She had assumed Egerton would deploy a series of impressive commands to deftly dispatch the magical creatures, effortlessly handling the simultaneous betrayal of two Adventure Teams.

She even fantasized that during the fray, he would issue orders to Hankamer and the others, orchestrating a comeback and smoothly exposing the traitors before returning to reality.

It was a bit of a daydream, but such is the whimsy of a young girl's imagination.

Yet, Verl could never have imagined that Egerton, typically the strategist, would personally enter the fray.

Without issuing any commands or showing a hint of hesitation, he leaped into the midst of the magical creatures, standing alone at the forefront of the battle.

Reluctantly, Verl had to acknowledge that in that instant, Egerton's figure was both dashing and charismatic.

Concern for him? Before she could even entertain the emotion, it was shattered by the spectacle unfolding before her.

The wind seemed alive as it swirled around Egerton, enhancing the already exceptional speed of the Storm Caster, rendering his movements nearly imperceptible to even Level A magical creatures.

His longsword, far from being a mere extension of his hand, thrusted with a fierce wind pressure, each strike claiming the lives of several Level B magical creatures. More astonishing still was that Egerton seemed to never once directly assault the Level A creatures. Instead, he conjured a tumultuous wind pressure from the ground, sending the advancing horde toward Elvin's team soaring through the air.

Their flight path, not coincidentally, was directed straight at the Winterbloom and Stormrage Adventure Teams.

"Elvin, what are you trying to pull?" The Winterbloom team leader lashed out with her whip, sending a Feltouched reeling, barely containing her fury.

"Do you have any objections?" Egerton's gaze hardened, emitting a chilling aura of lethality that instantly paralyzed the Winterbloom captain.

He harbored no doubt that if he voiced any dissent, Egerton's sword would be upon him in the blink of an eye.

"I see now. I never expected him to think this far ahead!"

Macleay lingered at the rear of the group, observing Egerton's every move. It all finally clicked for him.

The Illusion World's challenge was far from the simplicity they had anticipated. Egerton hadn't spelled it out because there was nothing for them to do. To navigate this Illusion World and secure a perfect outcome was indispensable.

But what would constitute a truly perfect ending?

"If this incident hasn't been widely known, it suggests that the events were kept under wraps. If Winterbloom and Stormrage had truly betrayed and still allowed Elvin and his team to slip away, the story would have been broadcast far and wide. The fact that it remains unknown implies that there was no major conflict between the three parties in the end, certainly not the total defeat of Winterbloom and Stormrage. Otherwise, the bizarre disappearance of two Class 5 Adventure Teams would have become the talk of the town! Even the spotlight was stolen by Winterbloom and Stormrage!"

To rescue the nobles discreetly and without drawing attention was the sole path forward.

Yet, that wasn't what astounded Macleay the most.

What truly rooted him to the spot in awe was Egerton's otherworldly combat stance and his battle achievements.

With nearly every thrust of his longsword, he claimed the life of a Level B magical creature and effortlessly evaded the assaults of Level A beasts, leaving them spinning in confusion. In just one minute, the tally of magical creatures felled by his hand had already exceeded thirty.

And the count kept rising, showing no signs of slowing—on the contrary, it was accelerating.

"Is his strength truly that of a mere Class 5?" This was the collective doubt and amazement of all those present.

A Storm Caster, a Class 5 of the Libertarian Order, wasn't known to be particularly formidable at this rank.

Yet, witnessing Egerton's combat prowess, everyone began to question.

Could the Storm Caster actually be the mightiest of all?

Or maybe, the Storm Caster wasn't a Class 5 at all.

Because what they saw before them wasn't a Storm Caster; it was a deity, the true God of War!

"Do we really have to confront him?" The captain of Stormrage, gazing at the figure reaping magical creatures' lives like a harvester, approached the captain of Winterbloom with a quiver in his voice. To engage in combat with such a behemoth was tantamount to a death wish.

"So what if he's strong? He's just a brute. Once he's killed those magical creatures, that's it. The final credit will still be ours!" The captain of Winterbloom glanced at Egerton, a flicker of apprehension in her eyes, quickly overtaken by madness.

She signaled to a member of Elvin's Adventure Team. As the number of magical creatures dwindled to about half, that figure began to stealthily move behind someone else.

The blade was poised to strike at tender skin when a ferocious gust of wind shattered the assailant's wrist, delivering Egerton's icy warning: "Hayo, think very carefully about what you're doing right now."

"Ah!" Verl, shocked and frightened, looked over her shoulder at the young man behind her and quickly stepped back, her heart still racing.

She knew Hayo was a traitor, but she never expected him to turn on her, especially since she was so captivated by Egerton's combat that she hadn't sensed the danger creeping up on her.

"Hayo, there's definitely something wrong with you, daring to strike at Reine. Have you lost all humanity?" The figure who had alerted Egerton to Hayo's treachery charged at Hayo, furiously accusing him, his greatsword ready to strike.

With a clang and a rush of wind, a figure stepped in to intercept the blow. To everyone's surprise, Egerton had positioned himself in front of Hayo, blocking the lethal strike.

In the next instant, the battlefield's center revealed a horrifying sight: nearly ten Feltouched corpses lay shattered, their previously lively Level A forms now lifeless. Clearly, someone had slain them in a mere moment.

Who could it be?

The only possibility was Egerton, the one who had just blocked the greatsword!

At that moment, the members of Winterbloom and the Stormrage captain felt their knees weaken.

What kind of person were they trying to frame? This man could easily wipe them all out single-handedly!

"Elvin, I know you're always kind to your team, but this is different. Even if there's a reason, Hayo had no right to attack Reine! It's not just betrayal; it's worse because Reine once saved his life!"

The vice-captain, blade in hand, spoke with a fervor that betrayed his indignation, managing to stir something in Egerton's usually impassive demeanor.

Unfortunately for the vice-captain, he failed to realize that Egerton's concern was not for Hayo.

"Really? I'm surprised you could drive a person to such extremes. Quite ruthless!" Egerton said with a cold laugh.

"What are you talking about, Elvin?" The vice-captain's face twitched as he feigned ignorance.

"Enough with the act. You're not fooling anyone," Egerton retorted with a sneer.

"You're doubting me?!" The vice-captain's face was a picture of shock.

"How many times have we been through life and death together? You've come close to dying several times, and if it weren't for me, how could you have survived? And now you suspect me, Elvin? Have you lost your mind?" the vice-captain said in disbelief.

"Come on, Elvin. Could there be some misunderstanding? He couldn't possibly be a traitor!" another team member chimed in, trying to defuse the situation.

"I never said he was a traitor, because he isn't our vice-captain at all!" Egerton declared with a chuckle.

Before the vice-captain could respond, Egerton's longsword swept across his face, slicing through a lifelike mask to reveal a stranger's visage, stunning everyone present.

"You must be a heretic, right? Winterbloom and Stormrage might be greedy, but they wouldn't be hostile to our Adventure Team without cause. You killed the real vice-captain, then approached them, offering to be their inside man. That's why they had the guts to go through with their plan. And to ensure a successful ambush on me, you even orchestrated Hayo's affair to distract me. Sadly for you, did you overestimate your ability to disguise yourself?" Egerton mocked.

"How did you figure out something was off with me?"

Had the vice-captain not witnessed Egerton's earlier combat prowess, he might have attempted some resistance.

But now, he had resigned himself to his fate.

"You're supposed to be a vice-captain. Do you understand what that entails? When the captain isn't present, the vice-captain shoulders the responsibility of leading the Adventure Team, effectively becoming the second in command. If you knew there was an issue with Hayo, why didn't you address it sooner? Why wait until the rescue operation was underway to inform me? What good does it do to tell me now? Do you think I can just replace my team members on the fly?" Egerton questioned.

"Don't tell me you only noticed there was a problem with him after you arrived?" Egerton remarked.

"You're quite clever, but I never anticipated you'd possess such frightening power!" the heretic conceded.

He couldn't deny any of it; he could only regret speaking out of turn in that moment.

"You're not thinking that if you had kept quiet then, I wouldn't have become suspicious of you, are you?"

Egerton read the heretic's mind and let out a mocking laugh.

"Are you suggesting I have other slip-ups?" the heretic asked, astonished.

"Absolutely. How about you explain where you found the audacity to expect me to trust you, a person hiding behind a human skin mask? Did you think I had amnesia?" Egerton chuckled.

"You... you knew I was wearing a mask all along?!" The heretic was panic-stricken.