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Everyone waited for the moment Enlai Ke's skull would shatter.

Yet, at that very instant,

Enlai Ke suddenly revealed a smile.

A smile like a hunter looking at trapped prey.

His black eyes coldly reflected Samantha's descending palm.

Simultaneously, Samantha suddenly felt tremendous danger emerging before him. Though uncertain of its nature, the instincts of this seasoned elite warrior reacted faster than thought, compelling him to retreat hastily—forget about pride.

The moment Samantha withdrew, no one understood why he did so. But in the next moment, everyone saw what happened.

A cold, lead-gray greatsword erupted from the shadows beneath Enlai Ke’s feet, its edge aimed straight at the vitals of the new beastman emperor.

The demonic blade, *Frostmourne*.

The Death Knight, Sword Saint Hades.

This was a long-prepared ambush, filled with deadly energy. The crux lay in the fact that by the time Samantha detected it, the distance was already dangerously close.

Chen Xuanfeng instantly recognized this opponent he had fought several times before. Yet, he was puzzled. Based on his prior encounters, Hades’ ability to hide in shadows, while formidable, had its limits. Fellow Sword Saints could sense his presence within three meters, and Chen, with his internal energy, could sense him from ten meters away when focused. Samantha, being an even stronger Sword Saint, should have surpassed Chen’s perception. That he only reacted when Hades struck was astonishing.

This thought flashed through Chen’s mind in an instant, yet the scene in the square had already changed dramatically.

Hades, using some unknown technique, attacked with blinding speed. Caught off-guard and unarmed, Samantha could only retreat from *Frostmourne*’s upward thrust. But he was a fraction too slow—the chill of death had already grazed his heart.

However, the supposedly world's strongest warrior was not so easily slain. The gap between Samantha and Hades was vast; even five "Death Knights" combined might not rival a single "Emperor Martial of Calamity." Thus, with a mere twist of his arm wreathed in golden combat energy, Samantha seized *Frostmourne*’s blade. Against such overwhelming strength, even Hades’ full exertion couldn’t free his magic sword from the grip of those five fingers.

Chen Xuanfeng, ready to jump in, halted upon witnessing this turn. Today was Samantha’s moment—he couldn't steal the show. Yet, in the next moment, Chen beheld the most inconceivable sight.

Hades, his assault thwarted, didn’t hesitate. Releasing his left hand from the sword, he extended his index and middle fingers toward Samantha’s neck.

The feint was swift, yet strangely, not a wisp of combat energy accompanied it.

Though close, the gap between Samantha and Hades still spanned *Frostmourne* and nearly two arm’s lengths. A finger thrust couldn’t possibly reach. Moreover, given their disparity in power, even a strike infused with Hades’ full combat energy might not harm Samantha, let alone one devoid of force.

In that moment, Samantha couldn’t understand Hades' move. Yet, driven by warrior’s instinct—with no free hand to block—he twisted aside in evasion.

Then, in the third instant, both Saints’ movements froze simultaneously.

The square fell eerily silent.

None could discern what had transpired in that fleeting moment.

Except for Chen Xuanfeng.

Standing behind Samantha, his keen eyes caught an anomaly—a slit-like perforation had abruptly appeared on the back of Samantha’s neck, precisely where a spine should lie. The wound didn’t originate externally but seemed to burst from within, as though an intangible force had pierced through his throat.

Not merely *as though*—there *was* something. An invisible sword.

The blade, though formless, unseen, and imperceptible, left traces. Flecks of blood, midair, collided with this unseen entity and veered off, their altered trajectories sketching the outline of an impossibly slender, razor-edged weapon.

Blood, from Samantha.

"ROOOOOAR—!"

A roar of rage shattered the silence. Blood gushed from both sides of Samantha’s neck as the enraged monarch, realizing the treachery, abruptly released *Frostmourne* and hurled a devastating punch toward his assailant.

Hades was struck by the punch, blood spraying from his mouth as he was sent flying backward, a gaping, head-sized hole blown open in his chest, his heart and lungs shredded into bloody pulp.

Samantha's roar abruptly cut off as he staggered back, trying to cover the wound on his throat with his hand but unable to stop the gushing blood.

Chen Xuanfeng finally caught sight of the weapon that had turned the tide of battle in an instant, amidst the splattered blood of Samantha and Hades.

It was a ring worn on Hades' finger—a transparent ring—from which extended a blade thin as a cicada's wing, no wider than a little finger and a meter long. The blade was so clear it was nearly invisible, bearing no trace of blood, emitting no sound of wind, and exuding not a hint of killing intent. It didn’t even give off the faintest ripple of combat energy or magical power. Yet it was precisely this blade that, in that fleeting moment, effortlessly pierced through Samantha's protective combat energy, which could normally withstand legendary divine weapons. Not one of the dozens of divine war-spells and magical shields hidden upon his body had reacted.

Such a unique sword instantly reminded Chen Xuanfeng of a long-rumored name.

"Blade of Sin—Regicide."

An invisible sword.