Though those rampaging beasts were currently lying in wait in silence, enduring the gunfire, Fang Senyan trusted one thing: the pressure to survive would always outweigh everything else; the current silence was merely superficial, and a tipping point would inevitably arrive.

Once the death toll of the rampaging beasts reached a certain level, as intelligent beings, they would abandon the Xenomorphs and flee. However, the Xenomorphs couldn't leave because they were unwilling to abandon their about-to-hatch larvae.

And that was the very moment Fang Senyan lay in ambush, like a wolf or a snake concealing its fangs and claws, quietly waiting.

Soon, the first tipping point appeared.

It wasn't the scattering rout Fang Senyan had anticipated, but rather an immense backlash triggered by extreme damage. A horde of rampaging beasts roared wildly, surging down from the island and plunging into the water that caused them such agony, instantly covering the surface as if they were dumplings dropping into a pot.

Even though they screamed in the water, dense clusters of pustules erupted across their skin, causing unbearable itching and pain, with some even showing signs of convulsions, all of which severely hampered their movement speed. Yet, under the threat of death, they still tenaciously and frantically approached, albeit slowly.

However, this development was entirely within Fang Senyan’s expectations. He glanced at Bokhan, who immediately gestured gently towards Aldaris. Instantly, stones rapidly grew from the earth, forming a thick barricade around Aldaris, leaving him only a viewing aperture. Immediately after, Aldaris began chanting for Mind Storm!!!

The slow progress through the swamp water, the astonishing density, and the relatively low health pools all formed lethal nooses tightening around the necks of the rampaging beasts.

When the chant for Mind Storm concluded, the psychic tempest raging in the air manifested once more, spreading into a chain reaction of death that poured the caster's ferocity and wrath entirely onto the targets’ bodies!

Mind Storm had a duration of twelve seconds, covering nearly the entire stretch of water between the island and the pier.

Undoubtedly, though Aldaris carried an air of arrogant disdain, he possessed the means to back it up; the total theoretical damage output of a twelve-second Mind Storm was astonishing—a staggering figure.

Under normal circumstances, an ordinary rampaging beast could last seven seconds at most; an elite one wouldn't survive past eight; even a legendary one wouldn't last ten. Therefore, no matter how it was calculated, high-intelligence beings like the Xenomorphs certainly wouldn't allow this situation to unfold!

Because if they couldn't stop Aldaris's assault in the first moment—or even within seven seconds—then all the beasts brave enough to attack would already be dead, leading to an inevitable, massive rout!

This was Fang Senyan’s deliberate strategy! It was also the tragic predicament the Xenomorphs had to face: once the initiative on the battlefield was seized by a true master tactician, the enemy could truly become like puppets on strings, forced to move east or west according to the opponent’s will, ultimately leading to failure or even death.

The Xenomorphs' only chance now was to carve out a path using their claws, fangs, long tails, and even acid!

Three violent splashes erupted from the water near the long embankment, surging forward like tidal waves, clearly intended to disrupt the vision of Fang Senyan and his companions. Regrettably, the underwater movements of the Xenomorphs were completely exposed to Fang Senyan thanks to the presence of the powerful Type III Carbon-based Lifeform Detector.

In fact, Fang Senyan himself hadn't anticipated that an item acquired incidentally in the Terminator world would prove so useful here!

The first thing to whistle through the air was a massive boulder, roughly the size of a millstone, weighing several hundred kilograms, augmented by the impact force gained from descending dozens of meters. If enough time could have been channeled, this rock should have been wreathed in blazing fire, and seven similar stones should have smashed down alongside it.

Yes, this was a simplified, budget version of a famous Earth-elemental spell: Meteorite Fire Rain (don't ask me why Meteorite Fire Rain is Earth-elemental; ask the planners at 3DM Company...). Because it was simplified and cheapened, the casting time was reduced from seven seconds plus precious spell components to just a one-second chant.

This rock slammed viciously into a Xenomorph that had just leaped out of the water, cracking its carapace and forcing out dark-brown acidic blood that hissed as it corroded the rock, emitting white smoke.

The powerful recoil even caused the rock itself to break in half, scattering dust and fragments. But no one cared about that; what mattered was that it slammed the Xenomorph back down into the water, kicking up a huge spray. That was enough.

As another Xenomorph lunged clear of the water, it instantly perceived a shadow appearing directly in its path.

Silent, heavy, steady, and deathly still.

This figure carried none of the scent of blood it preferred; instead, it reeked strongly of corrosion.

The Xenomorph had no intention of changing course; it had to cherish every second it had. Its sharp claws and fangs raked across the humanoid shadow, creating long streaks of fire and ear-splitting scraping sounds. But instead of sweet blood and steaming viscera, what sprayed out was only the dull grind of metal friction.

This was the Iron Golem summoned by Paul—a lumbering steel hulk deficient in offense and speed, whose only merit was its sturdiness, which was precisely what Fang Senyan needed it to do.

The Iron Golem did not retaliate. It simply extended its thick arms and tightly clamped onto the Xenomorph’s body, embracing it with the fervor of long-lost friends meeting again. The Xenomorph struggled and struck wildly; its whipping tail and twisting claws could still inflict real damage on the Golem. But to break free from this silent hunk of iron would take at least twenty to thirty seconds.

The last Xenomorph to charge out successfully neared Aldaris and slammed violently into the barricade protecting him, causing it to halt mid-motion.

Although Aldaris's barricade had been specially reinforced by Bokhan’s transmutation magic, it still sustained deep, visible cracks, with sand and stone raining down.

There was no doubt that if this barricade received just one more gentle push—even the pressure of a little finger—it might trigger a catastrophic chain reaction, collapsing into rubble. Then Aldaris’s chant could not possibly continue uninterrupted.

But the Xenomorph, flung back, suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly intense threat. It whipped its head around and saw a tall, upright man holding a firearm imbued with supreme authority, pointing it directly at the creature!

In that instant, although the Xenomorph could not comprehend what 'Royal Court,' 'Tribunal,' 'Sacredness,' or 'Majesty' meant, it could feel as if the sky and the ground were rapidly collapsing and compressing onto it—that pressure, the pressure as if the entire planet, the entire world, the entire universe was rejecting it!

“I declare that the creature before me is an enemy of Justice!”

As this cold voice rang out, Holy Light poured down, enveloping the Xenomorph. Immediately, the thunder of Judgment roared again across the swamp.

A torrent of shrapnel violently pierced its body. Its incredibly tough skin was easily shredded, and a terrifying force stunned the Xenomorph’s nerves, rendering it immobile and struggling to breathe.

As Fang Senyan opened fire, Ronnie suddenly flickered out of the shadows. In everyone’s retinal view, a grotesque, grinning giant skull phantom appeared hovering above the Xenomorph’s head.

Death Mark!!

Immediately after, Ronnie raised his dagger high, a blinding light slicing across the sky like lightning. Five seconds were enough for him to unleash his ultimate move—his Awakening Skill!

Everyone present suddenly felt a strange sensation, a sense of ominous danger so profound it made the hairs on their necks stand on end.

Then, about ten meters opposite Ronnie, an identical 'Ronnie' appeared. He and the original body charged toward the stunned Xenomorph. Both moved with incredible speed. As they neared the creature, one could not even discern their movements, only seeing streams of blood splashing out like a waterfall, and the cold glint of the daggers flickering rapidly like electrical currents.

In the final moments, the Xenomorph was assailed by both attackers. Ronnie plunged one dagger deep into its chest, the blade tearing through and piercing its internal organs, while the phantom's dagger also stabbed in from behind, piercing deeply.

The two sharp blades embedded in flesh and sinew met inside the Xenomorph, and the tips of the daggers even emitted a dull metallic clang!

The instant the blades struck, an immensely powerful force erupted from their tips, like a black hole, filled with frenzied suction. This suction even consumed Ronnie’s phantom as fuel, causing it to violently implode inside the Xenomorph, unleashing a vast spray of gore and blood!

A pungent smell of sulfur filled the nostrils of everyone present! Choking, sharp, stinging, as if the dry world were coming to an end!

Looking again at the Xenomorph’s chest and abdomen, there was now a wound the size of a washbasin, through which one could see the landscape behind it. Some scorched internal organs dropped out, and the pain it suffered was imaginable.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.