Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

After the brief interlude, Gus sheepishly touched his nose, no longer daring to have any thoughts of "playing with fire," and obediently shouldered his massive door-sized axe, walking at the forefront of the group to act as the vanguard clearing the way.

Su Xiao glanced at him, but didn't say anything more. She just gripped the Dragon Slayer Blade tightly and surveyed the surrounding streets, which looked even more dilapidated due to the explosion.

Meanwhile, outside the towering walls of Eisenra, a group of figures stood silently.

They wore robes that clashed with the somber tone of this world; they were the latest support team dispatched by Holy Light Paradise.

"Boss, should we... go in?" A tall female contractor, dressed as a berserker and carrying a huge double-edged battle axe, asked the leader at the front of the group with obvious hesitation.

The captain, known as Eruru, is a woman who wields an iris shield and is covered in light silver-white armor.

Her brows were furrowed, and her delicate face was filled with worry.

Just over six hours earlier, their squad had attempted to infiltrate Eisenla, but as soon as they climbed the city walls, they were shot down by a dense hail of arrows. They were forced to retreat in disarray before they could even see the situation inside the city, and they also lost a lot of supplies.

The reason they came to the foot of this terrifying city again was the two earth-shattering explosions that had occurred before.

When the first explosion occurred, even though they were resting in a safe area on the outskirts of Eisenla, they could clearly see the huge golden fireball in the center of the city, which looked like a miniature sun, and feel the slight but persistent tremors coming from the ground beneath their feet.

The destructive power and the blazing light that seemed to purify everything caused all the contractors who witnessed it to change color, their hearts filled with indescribable shock.

They rushed over without stopping, and soon after arriving outside the city, they witnessed the rise of the second "sun"—the very one that Gus had mistakenly detonated prematurely.

Although they were more than ten kilometers away from the explosion center this time, the scorching heat wave was still astonishing. Several team members standing in the front row even felt that their bangs were instantly roasted and charred, which made several of the beauty-conscious girls in the team stomp their feet in distress. At the same time, they also gained a more intuitive understanding of the level of danger in the city.

"Should I...go or not?" Eruru was torn between two conflicting thoughts.

As the team leader, every decision she makes is a matter of life and death for her team members.

Going in would be extremely risky; their previous failures were still fresh in their minds, and there were clearly more terrifying enemies in the city than they had anticipated.

If we don't go in, are we just going to stand outside and watch?

This is a collaborative mission between two amusement parks. Does Holy Light Park only deserve to play a supporting role on the sidelines?
Just as Elulu hesitated, a gentle-looking support girl with glasses in the team spoke up in a low voice: "Sister Lulu, I think... we should still go in and take a look. After all, this is a collaborative mission between two amusement parks, but so far, it's almost entirely been that hunter from the Reincarnation Paradise who's been doing the work. If we keep backing down, the final mission score will probably be really bad. Besides, those two explosions might have created an opportunity for us, clearing away some obstacles?"

Her words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in the hearts of the team members.

Those present were all elites among the sixth-tier contractors of Holy Light Paradise. In normal times, who among them wasn't proud and arrogant, and had achieved remarkable success in their respective fields? Who would want to be labeled as "easy win," "point-farming," or "dragging down the team" after the mission?

If they don't even have the courage to try to break in, then all their hard work in the mission world over the years has become a joke.

Silence spread through the ranks, but a sense of resentment was also quietly growing.

Finally, someone broke the silence: "Let's give it a shot! We can't have come all this way for nothing!"

"Yes, we should at least see what kind of den of dragons and tigers lies inside!"

"We are the Blades of Holy Light, not here to admire the scenery!"

With mutual encouragement and support, a spark of courage was rekindled.

Erulu took a deep breath, her eyes hardening: "Alright! Let's try one more time! Everyone check your equipment, maintain maximum alert, and retreat immediately according to the pre-arranged plan if anything goes wrong!"

"Yes!"

The Holy Light Squad resumed their operation, cautiously approaching the city wall and using grappling hooks to begin climbing.

Unlike before, this time, the bespectacled assistant began to chant softly during the climb, and a gentle white light rippled out like water, buffing each team member with a host of buffs.

The intense malice and darkness emanating from the city of Eisenla made them dare not be careless in the slightest.

As the captain, Elulu was the first to climb onto the city wall. Almost instinctively, she instantly raised her Iris Shield, crouched down, and assumed a standard defensive stance. Her heart pounded with tension, but the expected rain of arrows or attacks did not come.

A few seconds passed, and all that could be heard was the sound of the wind and the faint roar of battle in the distance.

Eruru lowered her shield slightly in confusion, casting a wary glance toward the inside of the city wall.

However, the sight that came into view stunned her instantly.

There was no monster horde as expected.

Below the city wall lies a piece of land that looks as if it has been repeatedly plowed by a giant plow, scorched, broken, and full of deep pits.

The Dark Guardians who once filled this place seemed to have been wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving only scorched and torn limbs scattered all over the ground, like graffiti from hell covering the ground as far as the eye could see.

A "road" carved out by shattered corpses and congealed dark red blood stretched out from beneath their feet, pointing straight into the depths of the city of Eisenla, silently proclaiming the terrifying, devastating power of the team that had passed through this place before.

The entire Holy Light Squad climbed up the city wall one after another. Looking at the tragic and terrifying scene below, they all fell silent, with only heavy breathing remaining.

This... this is the work of those people in the Paradise of Reincarnation?

"Um... could it be that the monsters here aren't actually as strong as the ones we encountered last time?"

A slightly trembling and uncertain voice rang out. It was Mira, the ranger girl in the group who held a jade-green longbow. She was trying to find a reasonable explanation to soothe her shocked heart.

"Weren't we just unlucky last time, running into patrolling elite monsters or mini-bosses? Look here, aren't the regular monsters easy to clear out?"

This idea, amidst the silence and the contrast with the scene before them, quietly took root in the hearts of some team members.

We are all sixth-tier contractors. Although it is generally acknowledged that the executioners of Holy Light Paradise are not as good as the hunters of Reincarnation Paradise in terms of pure aggression and killing efficiency, the difference should not be so outrageous, right?
But the "blood path" paved with monster corpses in front of them didn't seem like something that could be opened up by contractors of the same level; it looked more like a one-sided massacre.

As if in response to their wishful thinking, at that moment, a tall figure staggered out from the shadow of a half-collapsed building not far away.

It was a mad wizard nearly five meters tall, with obvious burn marks on its body. Half of its clothes were charred and torn, revealing skin underneath that was cracked like old tree bark and dark brown, with wisps of black smoke still rising from some places.

Clearly, it was a survivor who had narrowly escaped from the edge of an explosion. It had been hiding somewhere before, but now it was attracted by the presence of living people and wandered over.

"Enemies!" the female ranger exclaimed immediately, instinctively drawing her longbow.

"Wait, let me scout first!" The bespectacled support girl hurriedly stopped her, her eyes flashing with a faint white light as she tried to gather information about the monster.

However, under the influence of the distorted rules and the interference of the dark force field permeating the bronze gate, her reconnaissance skills were greatly reduced, and the information she received was very vague and incomplete.

[WARNING: High-energy biological reaction detected!]

[Comparing intelligence attributes of both parties... Comparison failed, target information could not be fully detected.]

Name: Berserker Mad Wizard (Mutant)
Category: Elite Unit

Health: 73% (Minor Injury)
Soul Energy: 25/64
strength:? ? ?
agile:? ? ?
physical strength:? ? ?
intelligence:? ? ?
Charisma: -1
Skill 1: Beastly Frenzy (Passive LV.60): Greatly increases attack speed and movement speed, making attack patterns unpredictable and providing some armor penetration. When health drops to 50%/30%/10%, the user will enter a deeper state of frenzy, further increasing attack power and speed.

Skill 2: Corruption Spell (Active LV.45): Deals high confusion damage to enemies in a fan-shaped area and inflicts negative status effects such as "Mental Derangement," "Corrosion," and "Weakness." Skill 3: ? ? ? : ? ?
? ? ? :? ? ?

[Note: Due to interference from an unknown force field, more information cannot be obtained.]

[Tip: It is recommended to prioritize dispersing or disrupting its surrounding energy field to obtain more detailed combat information.]

[WARNING: This unit is extremely dangerous. Contractors are advised to proceed with extreme caution.]

"Incomplete information, but the threat level is very high!" the support girl immediately reported.

But at this moment, some people in the team, especially the ranger who had just put forward the argument that "the monsters are not strong" and the hot-bodied berserker girl, had a thought that "maybe we can give it a try".

If they don't even dare to fight a low-health monster, what face do they have to talk about going deeper?

"I'll test its quality! You guys cover me!" Lina quickly cast the [Bloodlust] spell on herself, her eyes glowing with a terrifying red light, her muscles bulging slightly, and her fighting spirit rising like flames.

She gave a low shout as a greeting, gripped the epic greatsword [Earthbreaker] the size of a door panel tightly with both hands, and pushed off with her feet, causing tiny cracks to appear in the solid city wall bricks. With an unstoppable momentum, she charged towards the tall, mad wizard.

Charge, leap, and using the force of the fall, the greatsword, accompanied by the sound of wind cutting, slashed fiercely towards the mad wizard's relatively slender neck!

"clang--!"

A deafeningly sharp clang of metal clashing rang out!
The greatsword did indeed pierce through the mad wizard's tough skin and muscles at the neck, but it only made a slit.

The sword was deeply embedded in it, yet it could not go any further, as if it were not cutting flesh and blood, but a hard-forged alloy.

The berserker girl felt as if she had struck a mountain; the recoil made her arms numb, her tiger's mouth split open, and blood instantly stained the hilt of her sword.

She tried with all her might to pull the sword out, but the greatsword was as if welded to the mad wizard's neck, and wouldn't budge.

Once, twice... her efforts were completely in vain.

At that moment, the mad wizard's turbid, crazed eyes slowly turned and focused on the "little bug" hanging around his neck, which was trying to pull out its sword.

Without any warning, the mad wizard's hand, covered in a thick layer of calluses and the size of a small millstone, lashed out horizontally with a speed completely at odds with its clumsy appearance, accompanied by a gust of evil wind.

"boom!!"

The dull thud sent a chill down one's spine.

The berserker girl felt an indescribable force coming from her side, and her right side instantly lost all sensation, as if it were not a hand, but a heavy truck traveling at high speed.

She was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing through three dilapidated stone houses before finally coming to a stop amidst a cloud of dust and ruins.

"Lina!" Elulu cried out in horror, her voice trembling.

The other team members were also stunned, their faces drained of color instantly.

Just one palm strike! In a single exchange!
On the team panel, Lina's health points plummeted like a floodgate had been opened, instantly dropping to the red danger zone of 20%!
One by one, negative status icons flashed, such as "Severe Fracture," "Internal Organ Rupture and Hemorrhage," and "Severe Concussion."

If it weren't for her berserker class possessing the core survival skill [Unyielding Fighting Spirit] (effect: damage received in a single instance will not exceed 80% of maximum health), that slap would have been enough to turn her into a pile of mangled flesh on the spot!

Before everyone could recover from this sudden blow, the mad wizard seemed uncomfortable with the "ornament" stuck around his neck.

It stretched out its other large hand, grabbed the hilt of the giant sword, and, ignoring the gushing black blood, exerted a sudden force.

With a "crack!" sound, accompanied by the tooth-grinding sound of muscles and fascia being forcibly torn apart, the greatsword was pulled from its own neck, bringing with it a large chunk of dark red flesh and bone fragments!

It casually flicked the blood droplets off the sword, the movement as casual as brushing off dust.

Due to the height difference, the giant sword that seemed enormous in Lina's hands and required two hands to wield was like a handy one-handed sword in the hands of the five-meter-tall mad wizard, even feeling somewhat light and unwieldy.

It swung its greatsword twice, its movements completely haphazard, relying purely on brute force to slash and sweep. But the heavy whistling sound of the greatsword cutting through the air, and the sharp wind pressure brought by the blade cutting through the air, were enough to demonstrate its terrifying destructive power at that moment.

The mad wizard's crazed eyes locked onto the remaining members of the Holy Light Squad on the city wall once more, a primal desire called "hunting" flickering within them.

"It...it's charging at us!!" Mira, the ranger girl, cried out in uncontrollable fear. The scene she had just witnessed had completely shattered her mental defenses.

The mad wizard let out a muffled roar, took heavy steps, and charged towards the crowd on the city wall like a human tank, wielding the greatsword that originally belonged to Lina.

It doesn't know any sword skills, it just slashes and sweeps randomly, but combined with its terrifying strength and huge size, every attack is full of destructive power.

"Get out of the way! Don't take the hit head-on!" Elulu shouted hoarsely, raising her Iris Shield to meet a slash aimed at the back row.

"Heal! Heal Lina first! Shan, quick!" The elemental mage in the team shouted anxiously as she jumped back in a panic.

"Binding Arrow!" Mira, suppressing her fear, fired an energy arrow wrapped in green vines, attempting to slow the mad wizard's advance.

The arrow struck, and the vines grew and coiled rapidly, but they only bound the wounds for less than a second before being snapped by the mad wizard's violent power!

"Holy Light Chains!" The support girl Shan immediately cast a spell, and a chain made of pure holy light rose from the ground and wrapped around the mad wizard's ankle.

Chaos erupted on the city wall in an instant. Elulu raised her shield to withstand a powerful sweeping attack. She was struck as if by a heavy hammer and was forced to retreat repeatedly. A deep dent was left on the sturdy Iris Shield, and the holy light flowing on the shield's surface dimmed. Her arm holding the shield ached terribly and almost lost all feeling.

The attacks from the other team members landed on the Mad Wizard's tough skin with little effect, mostly leaving only some shallow white marks or charred marks. Instead, they further enraged the crazed monster, causing it to target these "annoying flies" more often.

After paying a considerable price, with the help of her teammates' desperate cover and restraint, Erulu finally found an opening, rushed into the ruins where Lina had fallen, and carried Lina, who was already unconscious and whose life force was as weak as a candle in the wind, out on her back.

At this moment, Lina was covered in blood, her right arm and ribs were twisted at an unnatural angle, and her face was as pale as paper.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately! Don't linger!" Eruru, carrying Lina on her back, jumped off the outer wall without looking back.

The Holy Light Squad arrived with a glimmer of hope and courage, but left only disheveled, terrified, and deeply powerless.

They fled the walls of Eisenra at top speed, without looking back, until they could no longer see the terrifying city shrouded in dark clouds, only then daring to stop and catch their breath.

Looking at Lina, who was unconscious and barely breathing, and her teammates, who were still in shock and injured, Elulu closed her eyes bitterly.

At this moment, they finally realized a cruel reality: some gaps cannot be bridged by courage and faith alone.

They are on a completely different level from the team in the Paradise of Reincarnation.

Su Xiao and Lin Yi's teammates are monster-level beings who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the ancient gods.

While their Holy Light Squad might be able to deal with ordinary elite wizards in this world, their pride and joy seemed utterly insignificant in the face of the mad wizards and Dark Guardians deep within Eisenra, whose bodies had been deeply corrupted by the power of the Bronze Gate and whose bodies were abnormally strong.

"So...it wasn't that the monsters got weaker, but that they were...too strong." Elulu murmured to herself, the last trace of resentment and comparison in her heart completely vanishing in this brief skirmish.

They just wanted the mission to end as soon as possible so they could get away from this place that filled them with despair. (End of Chapter)