Soren Park had returned from this trip with a bountiful harvest.
He had collected a vast array of ores from his venture into the Twilight Forest, including over a dozen diamonds.
"This should be enough to upgrade to the fourth SlashBlade, right?"
His backpack was overflowing with loot and a significant amount of Proud Souls; the materials should be sufficient.
It had taken a lot of effort to obtain them. If this wasn't enough, Kira Oakmoor couldn't imagine any other way.
'I wonder how Ronan is doing on his end. Has he figured out the crafting recipe for the new SlashBlade yet?'
If they relied solely on using the SlashBlade to kill mobs, Kira estimated it would take another three to five days to unlock the inheritance. It would be much easier if Ronan Mountwell could trigger a skill and save them the trouble.
As night approached, they prepared to return to the Alliance.
Having slain enough monsters, Kira Oakmoor had learned the method to repair the Oodachi from the inheritance.
"Cobblestone can repair SlashBlades. Soren, he hasn't been to your chunk yet, right?"
He had been so immersed in mining that he lost track of time, but fortunately, everything was fine.
With a fully repaired Oodachi, Kira was confident he could handle anything as long as they didn't encounter weather events like the Blood Moon or the mist.
Crafting three SlashBlades in just two days was no easier than defeating a Twilight Forest boss; it was practically equivalent to slaying three bosses in forty-eight hours.
Their pace was lightning-fast!
Believing their progress to be number one, Kira Oakmoor was eager to make an appearance before Galen Yu.
As an ally, Soren Park could invite others to his chunk.
In the blink of an eye, they returned to Mushroom Island.
After being away for so long, the island looked completely different.
Many unfamiliar blocks had been placed nearby. Spiders crawled everywhere, and cobwebs were scattered about.
As the crisis evolved, the unique trait that prevented monsters from spawning on Mushroom Island had failed. Zombies now appeared from time to time.
After building a simple defensive shelter with blocks, Soren Park was slightly surprised to see the animals in his old small farm.
"Does that mean... monsters don't actually attack animals?"
One could argue the zombies were kept out by the fences, but fences couldn't stop Mutant Zombies, Skeletons, or Zombies with guns.
Since they were still alive, it meant that cows and chickens weren't on the monsters' menu.
He recalled the first day when he was terrified of his Mooshrooms dying and huddled inside a dirt shack.
So, back then, he was just being overly sentimental and making himself suffer for nothing?
The embarrassment was fleeting. It was ancient history, after all. He cleared his head and looked at the present.
"Look, Galen Yu's Sky Island is over there!"
He pointed toward a world nearby, surrounded by rails.
Peering through the gaps between the blocks, Soren Park felt a lingering fear.
He still couldn't forget the sight of Galen Yu wielding that Tri-Bow, looking invincible with his enchantments.
That brief moment had become an indelible nightmare!
"Using rails to prevent zombies from spawning, huh?"
Kira Oakmoor understood after a quick glance.
"Haha! Everyone says Galen Yu is brilliant and that his strength far exceeds the Alliance, yet he uses the same methods we do!"
It had the same effect as torches; the only difference was that they didn't use quite as many.
To Kira Oakmoor, this seemed even more ridiculous.
Having used torches himself, he knew how resource-intensive this method was, even for a faction with the Alliance's foundation.
A project on the scale of Galen Yu's would be even more massive. To achieve this effect...
Wouldn't he have to hollow out his entire Sky Island?
Using all those resources for rails meant he had nothing left—no resources to defend against subsequent waves of zombies, and certainly no way to craft SlashBlades!
Completely unaware of the Infinite Rail Machine, Kira Oakmoor broke into a smile.
He was definitely going to win the race to the next SlashBlade!
"Huh, he built another one of those tall towers."
Soren Park guessed it had something to do with monsters since Galen had built one before.
But with zombies everywhere now, what was the point of a mob farm?
Unable to figure it out, Soren stopped thinking about it. He had other things on his mind.
After doing some light tidying and grabbing the necessary items from his chunk, he handed three Ender Pearls to Kira Oakmoor.
"The mob farm is near the edge. We'll sneak in there, and then..."
Understanding the utility of the Ender Pearls, the two shared a knowing chuckle.
Their starting position wasn't obvious, and with the teleportation ability of the pearls, they could engage or retreat at will!
They thought they were being clever, unaware that the bullet chat on the screens outside was already flooded.
"Finally! They're here! I've been waiting so long!"
"I can't wait for the samurai duel. When is it starting?"
"They arrived a bit later than expected, but that's actually a good thing. For instance, God Yu hasn't been using his Oodachi as much lately."
"True. Now that he's made the fourth, even stronger SlashBlade, why would he bother with the Oodachi?"
"Do these idiots really think they have the fastest progress? Are they seriously trying to ambush God Yu?"
"This is great! With the Sky Island's current defenses, I'm just worried they won't show up!"
"No! Oakmoor, run!"
"The Sky Island is a trap! Don't go there!"
"They're both strong members of our Alliance and play crucial roles in this crisis..."
"Don't be like that. What if, by some miracle, they actually succeed?"
Even the person typing that didn't quite believe it.
Could they really bypass layers of defenses and successfully assassinate Galen Yu using nothing but Ender Pearls?
"Sable? You're awake! How are you feeling?"
After emergency treatment, Takeshi Sable regained consciousness.
Looking at the screen displaying the block world once more, he knit his brows tightly.
"It doesn't matter how I am. What matters is what happens next to Kira!"
Crafting the fourth SlashBlade was one thing—they could catch up with enough effort.
Kira Oakmoor couldn't afford to die on that Sky Island!
If he did, Ronan Mountwell's situation would become incredibly difficult on his own!
"It's too late to warn them now. Thankfully..."
Fearing that a Creeper might blow up the Sky Island, Galen had built his Creeper Farm in a remote location. They used Ender Pearls to sneak over quietly.
Crouched on the roof, no one had noticed them yet.
"Technically, we aren't completely without allies."
Galen Yu had completely offended the Black Mage, who was currently tied to a wooden boat. That was an ally they could recruit!
Based on the magic he had displayed, the man might have some moral issues, but his strength was undeniable. If used correctly...
Takeshi Sable's mind began to race.
From their vantage point on the roof, Kira Oakmoor could overlook a small portion of the Sky Island.
The first thing that caught his eye was a section of the Great Wall constructed from Runed Bricks.
"Buildings flowing with golden patterns? Galen's luck is something else."
One look was enough to tell it was extraordinary. Kira clicked his tongue in admiration.
Even the Alliance didn't have this. Galen had somehow managed to build it!
"That wall is indeed a bit strange."
Soren Park had seen the Great Wall before, but seeing it upgraded to Runed Bricks made it look even more impressive. He was amazed.
It wasn't static; it could actually be upgraded through blocks?
"The Architect..."
Soren Park felt a pang of grief at the thought of that figure.
"Forget it. Don't think about him. Our target is Galen Yu."
"There he is!"
Once Galen was dead, there was a chance they could sway the Architect back. He spotted Galen's figure in the distance.
"Is something tied to that wooden boat?"
Kira Oakmoor narrowed his eyes but didn't give it much thought.
Whatever it was, it wouldn't interfere with his plans.
He quietly drew his Oodachi, a smile spreading across his face.
They were at the edge of the Sky Island, unprotected, with no zombies behind them due to the rails.
This was his chance!
Caressing his Oodachi, he imagined Galen Yu's shocked and confused face. Kira was just about to strike.
"Wait... what's that in Galen's hand? Why does it look so familiar?"
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