Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 328 The Activated Defense Mechanism

"If that's the case, some of them may have already gone in," Baal said in a deep voice.

"It's also possible—they all died in the passageway," Oleg added coldly.

Master Evelyn did not draw a conclusion immediately. She walked back to the group, her expression serious: "In any case, this passage must be dealt with."

"Such an unstable spatial connection, with the other end potentially being a purification protocol node, could become a source of disaster at any time."

"Baal, take some men to set up spatial stabilizing anchors and interference arrays. We'll try to stabilize the passage first, then find a way to shut it down."

"Everyone else, search the entire hall and surrounding passageways for any information or items the Pale Hand may have left behind. Be careful."

Once the order was given, the team immediately sprang into action.

Baal, along with a few team members, began carefully setting up stabilizing anchors and void crystals around the vortex, and inscribing runes to disrupt the magic circle.

Lina leaped onto a high metal platform on one side of the hall, holding her bow and standing guard.

Oleg and Sharna led the others to split up and search the wreckage and corners.

As Rowling followed Master Evelyn, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the slowly rotating dark silver vortex in the center.

The closer you get, the more noticeable the warmth of the amulet in your arms becomes.

The mark on the wrist remained silent, but something seemed to be gently throbbing beneath the skin, faintly resonating with the fluctuations emanating from the vortex.

His mental energy involuntarily probed towards the vortex. The power of [Quiet Dust Star] allowed him to perceive more clearly the deep and cold foundation of order beneath the chaotic surface of spatial energy.

Just as the spiritual tendrils were about to touch the edge of the vortex.

Without warning, the vortex's rotation speed increased slightly!

Although extremely subtle, in Luo Lin's highly focused perception, it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake!

Immediately afterwards, from the deep, dark silver depths of the vortex, a point of dark golden light suddenly shone brightly!

A cold, imposing intent, carrying a clear scanning meaning, swept across the entire hall in an instant, centered on a vortex!

"Alarm!" Roland shouted almost simultaneously with sensing the anomaly, "There's a reaction at the other end of the passage!"

The voice just fell.

hum!

A deep and majestic hum came from the depths of the vortex, as if some sleeping behemoth had been disturbed!

The vortex's rotation speed suddenly increased!

The spatial cracks at the edges spewed out more frequently!

The dark golden light flickered continuously at the center of the vortex, and the scanning intent became clearer and more oppressive, repeatedly sweeping over every living thing in the hall, especially lingering longer on individuals with strong energy responses such as Master Evelyn and Baal.

"A protocol scan!" Master Evelyn's expression changed drastically. "We've been discovered!"

"Baal, speed up!"

"Everyone else, prepare for battle! Get out of the passage!"

However, it was too late.

The dark golden light at the center of the vortex stabilized, no longer flickering, but instead condensed into a beam that shone straight onto the hall floor, right in front of the small mountain of wreckage.

Within the light, countless intricate geometric symbols, like a data stream, rapidly flowed and combined.

A cold, emotionless, and seemingly massive voice, composed of countless metallic frictions, resounded directly in everyone's minds, using an ancient and obscure language that, strangely, everyone could understand: "Unauthorized life form aggregation detected."

"Extra-protocol energy disturbance detected."

"Low concentrations of benign, regular imprinting carrier signals were detected."

"Comprehensive assessment: Abnormal interference and potential threats have occurred in the protocol execution area."

"Initiate secondary cleanup protocol."

"Dispatch Unit: Purifier, Quantity: One."

""

"Instructions: Eliminate all unauthorized life forms, reclaim carriers of benign rule imprints, and restore order to the region."

The dark golden pillar of light suddenly expanded and stretched!

A tall, slender figure, five meters high, covered in smooth, dark gold armor, and with an appearance that seemed to combine the characteristics of a knight and a judge, slowly stepped out from the pillar of light!

It has no head; the area around its face is a smooth plane from which a stream of dark gold data flows continuously.

His arms were sharp metal blades that gleamed with a cold, energetic light.

Three pairs of energy condensations, resembling wings of light, floated behind him, swaying slightly and emanating a chilling pressure.

Its aura was far more refined, colder, and more efficient than that of a secondary arbiter.

The Purifier.

Primary arbitration type.

The cold, metallic mask "looked" at everyone, and the invisible killing intent swept through the entire hall like a tangible cold wave!

The temperature in the hall plummeted the moment the purifier appeared.

It wasn't coldness, but a chilling sense of order that froze all life.

"Defensive formation! Baal, hold on!"

Master Evelyn shouted sharply, slamming her silver staff heavily to the ground. The crystal at the top of the staff burst forth with a dazzling silver-white light, and a semi-transparent ripple barrier instantly spread out, covering an area of ​​more than ten meters around, protecting Rolin, Sharna, and several team members within it.

Baal roared and charged forward instead of retreating, like a mad rhinoceros, dragging his heavy double-edged battle axe, to meet the Purifier!

With each step, the ice surface groaned under the strain.

His muscles bulged, and his skin gleamed with a rock-like grayish-brown sheen—his innate spell, [Skin of Solid Stone].

Oleg's figure flashed, disappearing from the spot like a ghost, the short stick silently appearing in his hand as he circled around from the side.

Lina had already drawn her bow and nocked an arrow, the bowstring taut like a full moon, the arrowhead crackling with blinding lightning, locking onto the location of the Purifier's energy core in his chest.

The data stream on the Purifier's smooth mask accelerated slightly.

Faced with Baal's frontal charge, it merely raised the blade of its left arm.

The movements were simple, precise, and so fast that the trajectory was almost invisible.

A dark golden, arc-shaped blade flashed and disappeared!

Baal's charging figure suddenly stopped!

At the critical moment, the battle axe was held horizontally in front of him, and the blade and the axe blade collided violently, bursting out a piercing metallic clang and dazzling sparks!

The immense force sent Bar sliding backward several meters, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ice.

A clear cut, about an inch deep, appeared on the battle axe!

Baal's eyes flashed with ferocity. He steadied himself, roared, and charged forward again. His battle axe swept across the Purifier's waist with the force of splitting mountains and shattering rocks!

The Purifier lowered his right arm to parry, while his left arm's blade, like a viper's tongue, stabbed at Baal's throat from a bizarre angle! Faster, more cunning!

"Be careful!"

Lina's lightning arrow finally left the bowstring, transforming into a streak of azure lightning that shot straight at the Purifier's mask!

The Purifier's thrust towards Baal remained unchanged, except that the three pairs of energy wings on its back fluttered slightly.

A hexagonal shield, as thin as a cicada's wing and made of pure dark gold energy, instantly formed beside him.

The lightning arrow struck the shield, exploding into a blinding burst of plasma with arcs of electricity flying everywhere, but it failed to penetrate the shield, only causing violent ripples to spread across its surface.

Its blade was already at Baal's throat!

Baal was extremely experienced in combat. At the critical moment, he suddenly shrank his neck and changed his sweeping axe into a slashing motion, aiming at the Purifier's thrusting arm joint.

The blade grazed Baal's shoulder armor, sending up a trail of sparks and metal fragments.

Baal's battle axe struck the Purifier's right elbow heavily.

clang!!!!

Like striking the hardest alloy, the recoil made Baal's arm go numb.

The Purifier's arm only sank slightly, and a tiny crack appeared in the armor at the joint, but its movement was almost unaffected.

The blade on his left arm retracted, intersecting with the blade on his right arm, transforming into a sharp net of blades that enveloped Baal!

Baal roared repeatedly, his battle axe swirling like a windmill, protecting his body, the clanging sounds of impacts as dense as rain.

But he was completely suppressed and could only barely defend. Every collision made his arm tremble, his tiger's mouth crack and bleed.

The Purifier's power, speed, and skills completely overwhelmed them!