In that fleeting instant, Alexander catapulted from the forest with an agility that defied the Earth’s pull.

Clutching Excalibur, his countenance was impassive as he murmured, "System, assist me. Monitor my energy consumption."

The pill had already begun to unfurl its mystical influence. Alexander’s eyes shimmered with lucidity, and even his temperament had undergone a monumental transformation under the pill’s spell.

"Host, go ahead and fight! I’ve got your back," the system assured him.

That assurance fortified Alexander’s resolve. His clenched fist became the epicenter of a ferocious vortex of elemental energy. Brandishing Excalibur, he hurled himself into the battlefield.

Engaged in combat was an old man of Level 110, locked in a duel with Robert. A devastating palm strike to the chest sent Robert hurtling several meters back, blood spewing from his mouth.

Clutching his chest, he snarled, "Damn it!"

The old man, eyes icy and relentless, appeared before Robert in a blink, poised to deliver a killing blow. But in that razor-thin slice of time, a scintillating arc of golden light cleaved through the air.

The old man retreated a dozen meters to evade the slash. Robert whirled around, his eyes lighting up, "Alexander!"

In the very next moment, Alexander soared overhead, brushing past Robert who stared up, dumbstruck by Alexander’s icy visage. Even Robert could sense that Alexander was different than before.

"Alexander, be careful!" Robert urgently cautioned, "That old man is a Level 110 expert, and he is extremely powerful!"

Indifferent, Alexander queried his system, "Calculate the limit of my Elemental Fist’s output."

Ding! Calculation complete: Host can expend 19% of elemental power to amplify strength by 15,000 times!

Ding! Target analysis complete, Level: 113, Status: Mind Controlled, Overall Strength Decreased by 20%.

System: "Host, if you wish to remove his mental control, you must—"

Alexander cut it short: "No need. Kill him."

And in that very instant, his face void of emotion, Alexander unleashed his fist. Nineteen percent of his elemental power was siphoned and coalesced into this single, cataclysmic blow.

Elemental forces spiraled around his fist like a furious tempest, gathering, converging, and erupting. This wasn’t just a fist; it was a magnum opus of elemental incantations, a compound of fire, water, wind, and earth.

The old man roared and clenched his own fist, attempting to parry Alexander’s devastating strike. The next moment, under the shocked gaze of onlookers, their fists collided.

Boom!

A deafening explosion. The earth trembled as if quaking in terror, throwing everyone off balance. And in that split second, under the trembling gazes of the crowd, the old man, who had met fists with Alexander, was obliterated into a fine mist of blood.

He didn’t even have a chance to scream; he was dead on the spot.

A shudder rippled through the crowd.

"How... how is this possible?"

"He’s dead! He’s dead!"

"How could this happen? That old man was a Level 110 powerhouse!"

Disciples of the Order of the Wandering Oracles retreated in trembling disbelief, their eyes widening as Alexander emerged from the haze of blood, his face a mask of apathy. Even the people around felt an overpowering chill run down their spines as they beheld Alexander’s figure, muttering:

"Alexander... you..."

They all sensed it. The Alexander standing before them now seemed somehow altered from before.

Ding! The host’s elemental power is at 81%. The host can immediately use two energy-boosting pills; within three hours, the host’s elemental power will be restored to 100%.

"No need," Alexander flatly declined the system’s suggestion.

In the next moment, Alexander suddenly looked up, locking eyes with the retreating disciples of the Order of the Wandering Oracles. They couldn’t help but shudder involuntarily.

"Calculate the most efficient way to eliminate all targets," Alexander directed impassively.

The system hesitated, "Host, should we consider the mind-controlled targets? They are our allies; are you sure you want to kill them all?"

"Include everyone."

Ding! Calculation complete. A total of 27 targets: 23 below Level 80 with the lowest priority. Suggested group eradication using elemental power.

Four targets are above Level 100: two at Level 105, two at Level 110, all mind-controlled. Suggested precise elimination using Excalibur and Elemental Fist. Optimal killing path determined, transmitted to the host’s visual network.

For an instant, Alexander narrowed his eyes, a crosshatch of murderous intent unfolding within.

A disciple of the Order of the Wandering Oracles staggered backward, the murderous intent in Alexander’s eyes rendering him almost paralyzed with fear.

"Quick! Kill him! Don’t let him get any closer!" he screamed.

The four mind-controlled elders instantly positioned themselves in front, their faces vacant. In that very moment, Alexander’s form blurred into an afterimage, the blade in his hand flipping. His Excalibur sword burst forth with streaks of golden light, slashing at the most cunning angles as dictated by the system’s optimal solution.

With narrowed eyes, he unleashed his sword.

It was as if a gigantic, semi-transparent sword had materialized in the sky, descending upon an elder of Level 110. The elder scrambled to dodge, but found, to his horror, that the space around him had been frozen.

"How...how can this be?"

Little did he know, this was a unique feature of Excalibur—constraining space, locking the target, forcing them to bear the brunt of an absolute strike.

Boom!

A deafening sound reverberated. Before the terrified eyes of the onlookers, the elder was instantly reduced to pulp. Every face bore an expression of utter shock.

They knew that these elders had been mind-controlled, that they no longer stood on their side. Yet, what stunned them further was Alexander’s ruthlessness and decisiveness; he exhibited no hesitation, opting immediately for the kill.

What had happened? This wasn’t something that seemed consistent with Alexander’s character.

The disciple of the Order of the Wandering Oracles quivered as he watched this unfold. "He’s too strong, he’s killed another one. This can’t go on!"

Abruptly, he spun around, his palm resting on the array before him. "You think you’re so strong? Then let’s see if you can withstand this next attack!" he snarled.

In that split second, the array burst forth with dazzling rays of light. The massive formation expanded instantaneously, engulfing everyone present within its scope. Robert and his companions were struck with terror.

They immediately felt an enormous pressure washing over them, as if their minds were being torn asunder.

"This is bad! There’s something off about this array!"

Tiansi and the abbot clutched their heads and writhed in pain on the ground. Every individual in the vicinity found themselves tortured by the array’s suppressive effects, filling the area with agonized cries.

The disciple of the Order of the Wandering Oracles sneered, "The arrays of the Order of the Wandering Oracles can’t even be resisted by Level 150 beings. No matter how strong you are, in the end, you’ll serve me."

Robert screamed through the pain gripping his head, "Alexander! Run!"

But in the next moment, they saw Alexander lift his head, completely unfazed.

In an instant, he stretched out his hand and declared, "Sword, come forth!"

In that fleeting moment, a burst of white light erupted, and countless ethereal swords flew out from behind him, accompanied by a resonant chime. In the blink of an eye, it was a rain of swords that filled the sky.

Everyone around was utterly shocked.

"Alexander! He’s unaffected!"

"How is this possible?"

"Could his actual level be higher than all of us here?"

The disciple of the Order of the Wandering Oracles retreated, his face turning ashen. "No! Impossible! How could you not be affected by the array? This is absolutely impossible!"

But in that very instant, the sky was filled with a torrential downpour of swords, rolling toward them like an unrelenting tempest.

They were but Level 65 or so; even though they had managed to control this array by some stroke of luck, their actual strength was nowhere near a match for Alexander.

How could they possibly withstand this rain of swords?

In that singular moment, the myriad swords rained down with unparalleled intensity, their tips piercing into the ground with a chorus of thudding sounds. Amidst the chaotic shower of swords, the bodies of those dozen or so disciples of the Order of the Wandering Oracles were instantly skewered.

Piercing screams filled the air.

"Run! Run!"

"Is he really just a Psychic? You’ve got to be joking! How could he control so many spirit swords at once?"

"No! Save me!"

Robert and the others were stunned into speechlessness. This ruthlessly efficient spectacle left them struggling to contain their awe. Alexander was unimaginably powerful.

In the blink of an eye, the dozen disciples of the Order of the Wandering Oracles were swept away by the deluge of swords. The next moment, without a shred of hesitation, Alexander turned his attention to the other two mind-controlled elders.

Throughout, Alexander’s face remained expressionless, as if he were a precision-crafted machine. As he gripped Excalibur, elemental forces gathered around his fists. Assisted by his system, it took Alexander less than ten seconds.

Accompanied by Excalibur’s blinding golden light, the last Level 112 elder fell to Alexander’s sword.

Thud. The elder’s body hit the ground, blood spilling like a gushing fountain. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Silence enveloped the scene.

Robert and the others stared in bewilderment, their minds going blank. "Alexander...you..."

And in the next moment, Alexander suddenly turned around. His Excalibur swung toward the entire array with a resolute slash. The ground was instantly cleaved open, creating a massive trench.

With that single stroke, the grand array shattered instantaneously.

Robert and the High Priest finally recovered from the array’s suppressive effects.

The High Priest rushed over and helped Robert to his feet. With a catch in his voice and a reddening of his eyes, Robert stammered, "Master..."

Slap!

The High Priest unceremoniously slapped Robert across the face, pointing at his forehead as he swore, "Have you lost your damn mind? Even I couldn’t escape that array, what were you thinking rushing out like that? You were going to get yourself killed! If it weren’t for Alexander, all of you would have died here!"

Robert covered his flushed face, stammering, but ultimately remaining silent.

Soon after, everyone’s gaze settled on Alexander, who stood there as still as a statue. Everyone could sense that something was off about him at this moment. He seemed transformed, as detached and methodical as a machine.

The High Priest had been under control but had witnessed Alexander’s fighting prowess in its entirety. His actions were so calculated and ruthless they barely seemed human.

And astonishingly, Alexander had single-handedly defeated five warriors above Level 100. His strength was unimaginable.

Swallowing hard, the High Priest stared and asked, "What has happened to Alexander?"

Robert looked at Alexander as he stood there, and found himself unable to approach. The previous events had left too great an impression on him.

"I don’t know," he said, shaking his head. "When Alexander came out, he seemed like a different person, nothing like his usual self."

Cold. Like a machine.

After a moment of tense silence, Tiansi trembled as he quickly ran to the elder whom Alexander had just slain. With tears streaming down his face, he choked out, "Elder Brother, you... you..."

His head shot up, his eyes quivering as he looked at Alexander, "You killed my Elder Brother!"

Alexander spoke impassively, "He was mind-controlled. If I hadn’t killed him, he would have killed me."

Tiansi roared, "But you had the ability to destroy the array, didn’t you? After destroying it..."

The High Priest stepped forward, shaking his head gravely, "It’s useless. Once affected by this array, the only way to lift the control is by killing the caster. Destroying the array alone can’t reverse the effects."

"And by the time I was under control," he added, "they had already been in the influence of this array for at least two days."

Tiansi clenched his teeth, his eyes red as he glared at Alexander. "He was my elder brother, you killed him, and I..."

But before he could finish his sentence, Alexander stood unmoving, yet the blades that lay around them quivered and suddenly shot into the air.

Hundreds of swords froze in an instant, hovering menacingly around Tiansi on all sides. The edges of the blades were just inches away from his body, and the closest one was barely a millimeter from his throat.

"Alexander! Stop!"

"Alexander, he means no harm! Don’t kill him!"

Slowly turning his head, Alexander looked at Tiansi, who was visibly sweating and wide-eyed. "Speak another useless word, and you die," Alexander said, enunciating each word.

A hush fell over the crowd.

Everyone held their breath, overwhelmed by the terrifying and intense aura emanating from Alexander.

Tiansi trembled, swallowing hard, "I’m... I’m sorry."

With a wave of Alexander’s hand, the floating swords vanished in flashes of white light.

The crowd collectively exhaled. This version of Alexander was truly horrifying.

However, just at that moment, a cackling laughter erupted from the sky. "Impressive indeed! Never in my wildest dreams did I think my trap here would lure the descendant of King Arthur."

A sudden gust of wind whipped up around them.

Robert swiftly turned his head and bellowed, "Who’s there? Show yourself, lurking in the shadows!"

At that very moment, Alexander abruptly looked up and hurled a spiritual sword towards the white clouds above. Yet, when the blade penetrated the cloud, it was as though it had sunk into a vast ocean. Alexander instantly realized that his connection with the spiritual swords had been severed.