Chapter 272: Meteor

"Hu-uhh?" The troll glanced at the youth in front of him in puzzlement. It tried to yank the club from the youth's hands but it just wouldn't budge.

For a moment, it stood there in a daze, scratching its head, feeling genuinely confused.

Weren't humans weak? Then why did this human in front of him have so much strength?

Adam ignored the troll and turned around to glance at Lisa. She was covered in blood from head to toe, her appearance extremely miserable.

"Adam... Galriel, she..." Lisa couldn't finish the words she was about to say as she burst into tears. She embraced Galriel's body tightly and continued to sob incessantly.

Meanwhile, Adam shifted his gaze from Lisa to Galriel, his body trembling ever so slightly. He deeply glanced at the elven girl's lifeless eyes, and in them, he could see the reflection of his own desolate self.

There were no emotions on his face. It was a blank canvas. However, tempestuous waves were rising in his heart and his mind was consumed by incomparable anger.

He slowly turned back around and gazed at the troll that had killed Galriel.

Adam let go of the club and then immediately gripped the troll's wrist, causing the latter to grunt in pain. He squeezed the troll's wrist so tightly that sounds of bones breaking could be heard.

The next moment, the youth's other palm turned into the shape of a claw and then was immediately covered in a layer of fire mana.

Adam's face contorted with boundless rage as he roared at the top of his lungs. Then, he struck the troll in the chest with a powerful claw strike, while twisting his palm when it made contact.

Hand of Doom: Coiling Palm Strike!

In an instant, the troll's upper body was obliterated as a typhoon of flames erupted from Adam's palm. The youth had added the element of fire to this technique from the Astral Tyrant Manual.

Trolls were infamous for their regeneration. Whether it was a deep slash to their hide, or if their limbs were torn from their bodies, trolls could rapidly heal through the majority of the wounds inflicted on them. That is why they were so difficult to deal with.

The only way to negate their regeneration ability was to imbue the attacks with fire or acid.

As the troll's upper body was blown away by Adam's attack, its lower body continued to stagger around helplessly. But soon, it too was covered in flames, and before long, it was incinerated.

The charred legs of the troll continued to twitch from time to time before finally ceasing.

Adam turned back around and glanced at Galriel's corpse. The next moment, his consciousness shifted to the mysterious space inside the white lotus. He appeared in front of a glowing orb that gave off a very familiar feeling.

It was Galriel's soul.

The youth lowered his head and tightly clenched his fists. He hovered in front of the orb for a very long time, not speaking a word. The next moment, when he opened his eyes, he was back outside the real world, standing before his friend's lifeless body.

He crouched down beside her and lightly stroked her hair. His eyes turned red and pearls of tears fell down, but a faint smile blossomed on his face.

"You did well, Galriel." He gently closed her eyes. "You did well... It's alright now..."

The sound of fighting continued to boom around Adam, but he took a moment to stay with Galriel. As he continued to delicately stroke her head, he thought to himself with deep anguish.

You're gone, but a part of you will live through me.

Suddenly, Adam turned his head to the side in alarm, his eyes narrowing. Through his Sphere of Resonance, he sensed a beast quickly approaching them. But when his gaze landed on the beast, he calmed down.

It was a white fox with emerald eyes. It was Ennea, Lisa's familiar.

Adam gently lifted Galriel's corpse and stood up. Seeing this, Lisa asked, "What're you doing?"

"Go to the southern part of the city. Find a safe place to recover your strength," Adam muttered solemnly as he walked toward Ennea. Then, he carefully placed Galriel's body on the fox's back.

He patted Ennea's head and stated, "Take Lisa to safety, okay?"

Ennea lightly growled as she rubbed her head against Adam. "Good girl."

He then helped Lisa sit atop Ennea. She glanced at him and said weakly, "Please... please take care of Eddie."

Adam glanced at her with a smile and patted her head as well. "Fatty's stronger than you think. But don't worry, as long as I'm breathing, I won't let anything happen to him. I promise."

"Mm." Lisa nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Adam and pleaded, "Please, don't die..."

"Heh," Adam assured her with a thumbs up. "I'm crazy strong."

He then nodded at Ennea and watched them go. As they disappeared behind the buildings, the smile on his face slowly crumbled until all that remained was an emotionless face.

But his bloodshot eyes flashed with unprecedented rage and killing intent.

Adam turned around and slowly started to walk toward the broken city gates. With every step he took, his aura increased steeply. He channeled all the fury, sadness, and regret and turned it into a tangible form of energy.

With every step he took, his momentum increased!

Pristine white mana surrounded his body and exploded outward. The people around him, allies and enemies alike, all retreated when they felt his aura.

It was heavy.

It was bloodthirsty.

It was tyrannical.

For a moment, time around him seemed to have come to a standstill. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and intently glanced at the youth. However, none of them dared to come forward.

It was as if the area around Adam had suddenly become heavier. It was as if the gravity around him had multiplied!

The next moment, Adam lowered his back and got into a stance of one of the subset moves of the Astral Tyrant Manual that he had never tried before. This one was a simplified version of the real technique.

A large amount of mana gathered around him and his aura reached an unprecedented height. It was to the point that the people around him could barely breathe.

Unbeknownst to the youth, his spiritual power had also begun to seep out of him and mixed in with his mana.

Adam lowered his head as tears fell from his eyes and instantly evaporated under the heat radiating from his energy. He thought back to the times he spent with Galriel and channeled all the emotions and his energy into his fist.

Although he had barely known her for a couple of months, he had come to accept her as his comrade through all the battles they had fought together. The bond they shared wasn't shallow.

She was his friend.

Galriel... farewell.

Then, he raised his head and glanced at the city gate that was overrun with enemies. His eyes flashed with unbridled killing intent. And the next moment, he disappeared.

Hand of Doom: Earthly Meteor!

A white streak of light flew toward the gates, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. When it reached the city gates, it detonated with unrivaled power.

BOOOOM!!!

The beasts, orcs, trolls, and ogres that had been flooding through the gates were instantly obliterated by this attack.

Chunks of flesh and blood rained down around the destroyed gates, and underneath this bloody rain, stood Adam just beyond the city walls with his back straight as a spear.

He took a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs, his tearful eyes flashing with wrath, and his voice containing deep emotions that made his enemies tremble in fear.

"None of you will pass!"