Upon hearing the Chief's words, "Shepherd" Lovivia immediately posed her question:
"Just like those two 'Silver Knights' at the main entrance of the palace—they won't actively attack targets outside their range?"
"At least that's how it appears for now."
They had all approached the exit, yet the guards outside remained unresponsive.
This meant they lacked true intelligence and spirituality; they were likely just some kind of animated entities.
Before any other team members could speak, "Demon Hunter" Colin continued:
"Massive, heavy..."
Having obtained this intelligence, the people of the
Then, Colin Iliad sheathed a straight sword behind his back, took out a small metal vial, and gulped down its contents.
His presence rapidly faded, becoming indistinct; if one didn't look closely, he was virtually undetectable.
This was another layer of preparation—Hainm in the open, the "Demon Hunter" in the shadows.
After waiting another ten-odd seconds, "Shepherd" Lovivia extended her right hand and grabbed at the air.
In that moment, her silver-grey hair took on a deep blue hue.
With a howl of wind, the grayish-blue door swung open with a bang.
Immediately afterward, the sound of heavy footsteps—thud, thud, thud—shook the entire hall.
A "giant" wielding a halberd, clad in iron-colored armor, rushed into the hall.
Its exposed parts were completely devoid of flesh; it seemed to be made of metal, with a deep red glow behind its black mask.
If it stood still, it would be indistinguishable from a statue.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The hall's shaking grew more pronounced, and the giant statue suddenly hurled its halberd, which whipped up a hurricane as it shot toward Derrick and the others standing directly in front of the door.
Bang!
The halberd struck an invisible barrier, sending illusory ripples spreading outward.
Before "Shepherd" Lovivia, a phantom figure in silver full-body armor had appeared from nowhere, driving a giant sword into a crack in the floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The giant statue didn't pause; it charged into the hall.
Just then, a slippery sound came from under its feet, and its massive body abruptly pitched backward.
It had stepped on the area where the holy oil had been applied.
As the giant statue fell, the deep red light in its eyes flared intensely, and an invisible force emerged to support it.
Suddenly, a scorching white-hot light burst from the "Unshadowed Cross", accurately striking the giant statue's single eye.
The deep red color instantly dimmed.
The "Demon Hunter" Colin leaped up, gripping the same straight sword with both hands in a reverse grip, and, like an eagle swooping on its prey, plunged it downward fiercely.
Patches of dawn light manifested and converged on the blade, making it extraordinarily large—even exceeding Colin Iliad's height.
With a thud, the bright straight sword pierced through the gap in the giant statue's visor and into its eye.
A surge of dawn light rushed in after it.
Colin Iliad pressed down harder on the hilt, and as the giant statue crashed to the ground with a clatter, he pulled out the sword and jumped to the side.
The giant statue lay at the entrance, emitting cracking sounds from within until it finally went still.
The "Demon Hunter" Colin didn't spare it another glance. He turned to face the outside of the gate and said after a few seconds:
"No other guards for now. We can deal with this statue."
Derrick and the others quickly gathered around and skillfully began searching the giant statue's body for materials.