Four Split Personalities

[Does this guy even have a functioning brain?]

Jiawen’s mouth twitched as she activated the just-cooled "Reception," flipping sideways to narrowly dodge Cordova’s powerful strike, and using the shockwave from the Staff of the Punisher to turn and dash backward, executing the movement flawlessly as if she had practiced it hundreds of times, escaping nearly ten meters without a scratch under the life-threatening circumstances!

"You won’t escape!"

Cordova yelled, his feet bursting with power, creating large cracks in the ground beneath him, launching forward like a cannonball and swinging the cold, sharp Staff of the Punisher in a blade-shaped shockwave—the only ranged attack technique he was capable of using, as his Rune Body allowed no learning of Skills. It was a tricky limit to exploit the Rune of Giant Strength and the external Hurricane Rune to produce such a shockwave.

"Shift!"

Jiawen, constantly aware of the movements behind her, abruptly stopped and just as Cordova swung the Staff of the Punisher, she spat out a mouthful of crimson blood.

But unexpectedly, the potentially fatal rune energy blade also shifted its trajectory, striking fiercely into the ground just a short distance from Jiawen’s side, tearing open a massive gash two meters across.

The next second, a rampaging Cordova had already appeared in front of Jiawen and, without a second word, smashed her into pieces with his staff.

[Pieces?]

Cordova paused for a moment, because he had the Minor Sensory Protection always turned on, so he usually saw his opponents turn into warm-colored cute cartoon mosaics instead of getting smashed into pieces and vanishing into thin air.

"That was fake, big brother Cordova!"

Double Leaf, who had always kept two Eye of the Mage on Jiawen, was the first to detect the problem. She jumped up shouting, "Stop bothering about that Ying Yang Flower Elf, she’s not capable of much. Right now, our priority should be to wipe out those Heretics and prevent them from breaking through here; the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Cordova smacked his lips and decisively abandoned the slowly reappearing Jiawen ten meters away, rushing at the two nearest Heretics and effortlessly shattering their spines.

"Night Watcher Battle Group’s Ranger Thieves, keep a close watch on that pink-haired Flower Elf Ying Yang!"

Double Leaf finally let out a sigh of relief, then loudly commanded the suddenly less-pressured temporary henchmen: "Others, hold steady with the reinforcements. If you can’t hold up, call for help, and brother Cordova, please support them!"

Cordova, disposing of another two members of the Slave Capturing Group, grinned victoriously and said, "No problem, just call me if you’re in trouble!"

"Help!"

"Help!"

"Need assistance!"

"Can’t hold on anymore!"

"Hero, come over here!"

"My arm’s broken!"

"My shoulder blade’s shattered!"

"My leg’s cramped up!"

"I’m dead!"

"Will you shut up..."

The next second, calls for help came from all directions, completely dumbfounding old pal Cordova.

It actually wasn’t that the elite troops around Double Leaf were inept; it was mainly because the previous destruction caused by Sylvia had been too massive. It tore the already barely containing sawtooth formation apart, constantly scything at the edges of the defense line, harvesting lives. Coupled with those high-level Heretics’ disgustingly weird ’Whispers,’ people were no longer ’tired from running’; they were closer to ’tired from dying.’

And Cordova, though his true identity was unclear, was undoubtedly a high-quality, strong morale booster for his side.

Although they weren’t afraid of dying, if they could stay alive, naturally, they’d prefer it that way!

Thus, even the most solemn and rigid soldiers began to abandon their worthless restraint and cry out loudly for help.

And Cordova didn’t let everyone down; seen spinning the Staff of the Punisher with one hand and spraying thick steam from the back of his neck, he crashed like a human bulldozer into the middle of the nearest dozen Heretics. Shouting ’Basic A Unparalleled Dance,’ he unleashed a series of wide, unpredictable, rapid heavy strikes, breaking the whispering Heretics’ bones and laying them flat in moments.

He then appeared in front of two loudly crying members of the Iron Gate Guard Charge Brigade and, after accidentally kicking one of them, used the move ’Basic A Xiaji Eight Strikes’ against a five-man elite Slave Capturing Team charging at these two, crippling the battle-hardened group of warrior-mage-thief combinations within thirty seconds.

In front of Cordova’s formidable Rune Body, ordinary High-level Professionals stood no chance. He was like a rampaging mini-Gundam in the battlefield, trampling back and forth. Unlike Sylvia, Cordova did not maneuver around his enemies with agility and speed; rather, he plowed directly through them with strength, weight, and durability.

"Is this really the level of the second-ranked fighter..."

Double Leaf, staring with dead-fish eyes at Cordova dominating the crowd, couldn’t help but mutter sotto voce, "I can’t believe someone who’d name themselves ’FFF Group East Asia Division Seventh Special Combat Team Corporal Cui Xiaoyu’ on social media can be this powerful... Has the world gone mad?"