Luo Feng stood motionless in the blood-soaked training ground, the Adamantite dagger still in his hand, its black blade glistening red.
The King's face was twisted with pure rage and panic. He pointed a trembling finger at the lone farmer and screamed at the top of his lungs:
"Heroes! Kill this traitor right now! End him!"
The five blessed heroes stepped forward as one. Their bodies glowed with divine power — far stronger than any S-rank adventurer after months of war and the Goddess's blessings. Holy light crackled around their weapons and armor.
The golden-haired leader raised his holy sword high.
"You worthless mistake… die!"
They attacked together.
Explosive beams of holy light, crushing sword auras, and divine blasts rained down on Luo Feng like a storm. The ground shattered where he stood. Even with Stealth Specialist and Appraisal, the sheer overwhelming power of the Goddess-blessed heroes was too much.
Luo Feng moved like a shadow, dodging and weaving, but he could not avoid everything.
A holy beam tore across his chest, ripping through flesh and leaving a deep, burning gash.
Another strike slammed into his shoulder, cracking bone.
A third blast caught his side, breaking several ribs and sending blood spraying.
Pain exploded through his body. Blood soaked his simple clothes. His breathing grew ragged. Yet he did not fall. He did not give up.
He kept moving — vanishing and reappearing with Stealth Specialist, using Appraisal to find the tiniest openings in their attacks. The Adamantite dagger flashed again and again.
One hero's leg was severed at the knee in a single blur.
Another lost both arms at the elbows.
A third was cut cleanly in half at the waist.
The fourth hero's head rolled across the ground after a precise strike to the neck.
Four of the five heroes now lay screaming or dead on the blood-soaked field.
Only the strongest hero — the golden-haired leader with the holy sword — remained standing. He was breathing hard, armor cracked, face twisted in shock and fury, but he was still on his feet.
The entire training ground had gone deathly silent.
Luo Feng slowly wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His wounds were severe, yet his voice remained quiet, steady, and cold.
"…One left."