"Austen, are you really not planning to make a move yet?"
The Lord of Mylanne had appeared at the top of the cathedral at some point, unnoticed.
Archbishop Austen did not even turn his head. A faint smile curved his lips.
"Don't rush. This is not the time for us to act yet."
"Besides," he continued calmly, "do you really think that with my strength, I'd be a match for that suit of armor?"
The Lord of Mylanne frowned, about to speak, when Archbishop Austen waved his sleeve lightly, his expression unruffled.
"There's no need to worry. I know exactly what you're concerned about."
"But in truth, we already have the confidence to deal with all of this."
"Isn't that right, Honorary Knight-Commander?"
In the next instant, an elderly man with graying hair but resolute features appeared before Austen and the Lord of Mylanne.
"It's been a long time, you two," he said.
"It seems my return to Mylanne City couldn't have come at a better moment."
Compared to Archbishop Austen's composure, the Lord of Mylanne immediately put on a flattering smile.
"Knight-Commander George, when did you return to Mylanne City?"
"I heard you've been preparing for a Seven-Star class quest. How did you find the time to come back?"
Knight-Commander George rubbed his temples helplessly.
"Originally, I only planned to come back to visit my parents. I didn't expect to run into something like this."
"I can sense an appalling power surging within the [Corrupted Sacred Armor]. Even for me, there's no absolute guarantee of victory."
"That's why I suggest you seek assistance from other city-states as soon as possible."
Within the Vault of Ruins, the [Corrupted Sacred Armor] slowly raised an arm.
In the next moment, the surrounding blood mist churned violently, as if it had suddenly begun to boil.
Those rescue team members who had been hiding were instantly targeted by the blood mist.
Countless strands of crimson fog seeped into their bodies through every possible opening.
"Help! Someone save me!"
"It burns! I feel like my body is on fire!"
In just a few breaths, the rescue team members were completely drained of blood, transformed into withered corpses with twisted features.
Their blood gathered into streams that flowed directly into the body of the [Corrupted Sacred Armor].
Caelan vaguely sensed something brewing within the monster.
He frowned. Whatever this thing was, it was far too eerie.
It clearly possessed the ability to control blood mist—but was the appearance of that mist truly under its direct control?
Caelan drew his sword, preparing to test the waters with a probing attack.
But at that moment, the ten areas he had previously cleared suddenly began to stir.
From those locations, ten rivers of blood surged forth, flowing toward the [Corrupted Sacred Armor].
Some kind of connection formed between them.
Only a few minutes later, the blood condensed once more, reforming into the shapes of the ten bosses Caelan had already slain.
This time, however, their auras were even stronger—and they were clearly linked to the [Corrupted Sacred Armor].
The connection resembled a kind of symbiotic relationship.
Yet when the ten bosses reappeared, Caelan showed no particular reaction.
The surviving rescue team members, on the other hand, were filled with despair.
"It's over. We're completely done for."
"Ten top-tier bosses… revived."
"Even if the city lord personally intervened, this would be nearly impossible to resolve."
"And haven't you noticed? They're linked to the [Corrupted Sacred Armor]!"
At that moment, the adventurers who had barely escaped from the Crossrail Mountains finally returned to Mylanne City.
They didn't even have time to rest before noticing the disturbance at the Vault of Ruins—and the familiar figure standing within it.
"Wait… isn't that the big shot?"
"Why is he here?"
"Could it be that he saw through everything from the start and decided to take action himself?"
"Do you think he and that [Corrupted Sacred Armor] are about to have an epic showdown?"
Meanwhile, Caelan had far fewer thoughts on his mind.
Killing one monster or killing a group—there was no real difference in essence.
With that in mind, he gripped his sword and charged toward the ten bosses once more.
This time, however, he didn't activate any skills. He simply rushed forward with his blade in hand.
He wanted to see just how much his strength had increased after reaching level 60.
Sensing the provocation, the blood-forged bosses closed in on Caelan from all sides.
Yet Caelan remained utterly calm.
His movements flowed like water. With a single casual thrust, he pierced the throat of one boss.
The creature tried to struggle—but in the next instant, Caelan's sword cleanly sliced its body into nine perfectly even cubes.
In the blink of an eye, blood sprayed everywhere, pouring out as if it cost nothing.
Caelan repeated the process, effortlessly dispatching all ten of the freshly revived bosses.
The only thing that disappointed him was that this round of monster farming yielded neither experience nor rare drops.
It seemed that powerful bosses like these only provided rewards the first time they were cleared.
Even so, after reaching level 60, his overall strength had increased by a full tenfold.
Caelan grew even more eager for what kinds of skills he would unlock after completing the [Class Mutation Quest].
But then he shook his head with a helpless sigh.
The biggest problem right now was a lack of gold coins.
Which meant he still needed to keep grinding.
With that thought, Caelan's gaze toward the [Corrupted Sacred Armor] grew distinctly greedy.
Caelan's overwhelming combat prowess did not escape the eyes of the surrounding adventurers.
More and more people began to realize his true strength.
"My god… he's incredible."
"He killed bosses we need a full team to handle—using nothing but a sword!"
"I'm really curious just how terrifying his power level is. At the very least, it has to be six stars or higher!"
In response to Caelan's provocation, the flesh-like tendrils covering the [Corrupted Sacred Armor] began to writhe violently.
In the next instant, blood mist from dozens of kilometers away surged toward its position.
At that moment, the [Corrupted Sacred Armor] became the center of a massive vortex.
Vast waves of blood-red light blotted out the sky, plunging the entirety of Mylanne City into an apocalyptic atmosphere.
Caelan launched a few probing attacks, but after realizing they had no effect, he simply raised his sword high.
"Infinite Lightblade!"
In the next moment, amid the endless crimson haze, a dazzling miniature sun slowly rose into the air.
The [Corrupted Sacred Armor] instinctively tried to mobilize blood to defend itself—
But before that blazing sun, all blood was instantly vaporized.