Chapter 73: The Demon's Tragedy

Chapter 73: The Demon's Tragedy

The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, as if veiled by a layer of dusk, making the air heavy and oppressive.

The brave Berserker Tribe warriors, clad in iron armor, wielded war hammers and round shields, guarding the siege engines and standing their ground against the Wyvern air force led by Sagas. Their eyes shone with unwavering determination.

Sagas, the Winged Demon Overlord, circled in the sky, ruling the heavens as if the ground-dwelling creatures below were mere insects. Ignoring the attacks from below, his eyes flashed with lightning as he led the Wyvern army in repeated dive-bombing attacks on the Berserker Tribe's formation.

The Wyvern army's thunder spears traced arcs of blue light in the sky, plunging into the Berserker Tribe's defenses.

With each dive, the spearheads carved furrows into the tribe's formation.

The Berserker warriors raised their shields, forming an impenetrable wall of flesh and steel, staunchly holding back the Wyvern army's onslaught.

Rows of Berserker warriors were flung aside, only to regroup with raised shields, their battle cries echoing as they maintained their defensive stance.

The Berserker warriors were well-versed in countering the Wyvern army's dive-bombing tactics.

Each time the Wyverns charged, the Berserker formation responded by raising five-meter-long pikes at an angle, resembling a chevaux-de-frise.

The Wyverns, diving into the pikes, would be impaled, a chilling sight.

While holding off the Wyvern charge, the Berserkers continued to operate the siege engines, hurling bombs and, when they ran out, large stones.

The bombardment thundered onto the demon camp, striking the Barton Temple.

The battle reached its climax, the battlefield resounding with a war song woven from iron and blood.

...

At that moment, the Barton Temple collapsed due to the underground explosion, its upper structure crumbling and crushing countless lesser demons prostrating in worship outside.

However, the main hall's structure was sturdy, preventing a complete collapse, though multiple support columns had fractured.

The resurrection ritual had reached a critical point, and even with the temple's collapse, the ceremony continued uninterrupted.

Among the two Overlord-level demons, only the Winged Demon Overlord, Sagas, had emerged, while the Flame Horn Devil Overlord remained inside the hall, presiding over the ritual.

The Horn Demon army guarded the temple, preventing the Berserker Tribe's forces from entering.

To halt the ritual, the Berserker Tribe dispatched elite warriors, launching two charges at the temple, but both failed to breach the demon defenses.

The battle reached a stalemate.

Meanwhile, on a hillside outside the Barton Temple, Lei Jinhao and his men observed the clash below with cold detachment.

A Thunder Squad member spoke up, "Captain, should we join the fight?"

Lei Jinhao's indifferent gaze swept over him, and he retorted, "There's no rush."

"But the task we're assigned..." The squad member furrowed his brow, perplexed.

He had intended to say 'Betrayer's Task' but felt it inappropriate to call himself a betrayer.

The task they had triggered was, in fact, a 'Hidden Task'.

Lei Jinhao jested, "Completing tasks is just a means to gain power. As for the Dark God... a dead Dark God is the best kind."

His thoughts were crystal clear.

He had indeed undertaken the 'Betrayer's Task', but he didn't consider himself committed to the demon cause.

His sole purpose for completing the task was to obtain power, not to aid in the resurrection of the Dark God Barton.

Should the Dark God Barton be revived, these human metahumans might face the fate of the hare in the proverb.

For Lei Jinhao, a dead Dark God Barton was preferable, providing energy without restricting his actions.

However, could a human's cunning outwit a Dark God?

Was it humans manipulating the Dark God, or the Dark God toying with humans?

This was an unequal gamble, with those caught in the web forever blind to the truth.

...

Lu Heng emerged from the temple's explosion, dispelling the Transformation Orb's effect, and met up with Su Muyu first.

Su Muyu quickly briefed him on the battle, "The Berserker Tribe has withstood three dive-bombing attacks from the Winged Demon Overlord. Three squads of metahumans have appeared outside the temple, and I've negotiated with two of them, who agreed to join the fight.

"The third squad is Lei Jinhao's, positioned on the northwest hillside, watching from afar. Should we persuade them to join?"

Since Su Muyu hadn't witnessed the events inside the temple, she was unaware that Lei Jinhao's squad had become 'Betrayers' and that the Berserker Clan's relic was stolen by Lei Jinhao.

With her straightforward view of the big picture, she believed that in life-or-death situations, humans should set aside differences and unite against demons.

Hence, her suggestion, though naive, was sincere.

Lu Heng directly rejected her proposal, "Lei Jinhao is a betrayer, and they stole the relic."

Su Muyu's eyebrows arched, her face registering surprise.

This was her first encounter with a 'Betrayer'.

She hurriedly asked, "Then why hasn't Lei Jinhao joined the fight as a demon ally?"

In truth, among human metahumans, betrayers didn't necessarily intend to betray humanity; they merely sought power.

Lu Heng had encountered similar 'betrayers' and understood their mindset.

"He wants the reward for the Traitor Task, but he doesn't want to help resurrect the Dark God Barton. You could say he's playing both sides."

"In fact, this is the true intention of most traitors."

"Unless they have an anti-human personality, traitors wouldn't choose to side with the demons from the very beginning."

This wasn't hard to understand. Su Muyu quickly realized it with a nod.

"In that case, will Lei Jin Hao not be participating in the battle?"

Lu Heng shook his head again, "No, as long as we break into the temple, he'll receive a new Traitor Task. He'll definitely join the fight. So, you must keep a close eye on their movements."

Su Muyu nodded solemnly, "Understood."

As they spoke, the two quickly arrived at the Banser Clan's position.

Winged Demon Overlord Sagas led the winged demon air force in a circling formation, preparing for their fourth dive.

In the previous three dives, both sides had suffered casualties, but neither had gained the upper hand.

The battle had reached a stalemate.

Lu Heng glanced at the battlefield and said in a deep voice, "The resurrection ritual is still ongoing. If we delay any longer, the ritual will be completed. We must quickly take out Sagas and allow the Banser Clan's army to advance into the temple."

"What should I do?" Su Muyu asked.

Lu Heng pondered for a moment, whispering a plan into her ear.

At the same time, Winged Demon Overlord Sagas roared towards the sky, raising his war spear high and gathering the rampaging power of lightning. He led the elite winged demons in their fourth dive.

Iron Arm stood at the forefront of the formation, banging his war hammer against his shield, creating a loud 'Bang Bang Bang' sound. He shouted, "Contract the formation! Raise your spears!"

The Banser Clan warriors gathered closely together, each row raising a five-meter-long spear.

The tips of the spears were raised high, while the other ends were planted firmly in the ground, ready to intercept the diving winged demons.

In the sky, under the lead of Winged Demon Overlord Sagas, the elite winged demons, armed with spears, dived downwards in groups. They swept past the Banser Clan's formation, their spears piercing through rows of Banser warriors.

Some of the winged demons collided with the spears, their bodies impaled, and they fell to the ground, only to be chopped into mincemeat by the surrounding Banser warriors.

Iron Arm charged forward, meeting Sagas head-on in a fierce clash of weapons, creating a deafening explosion.

Sagas glided past, ascending to gain altitude, preparing to return to the sky.

As a winged demon, his greatest advantage was the initiative in offense. He could dive down to attack whenever he wanted and retreat whenever he chose.

The Banser Clan had no way to intercept these flying demons.

Just as Sagas flapped his wings to gain altitude, a Skydom Falcon suddenly appeared in the sky, with a person hanging beneath it.

The Skydom Falcon dived downwards, relying on its incredible speed to intercept Sagas.

Sagas, seeing the interceptor in the sky, narrowed his eyes, revealing a fierce glint.

As the Winged Demon Overlord, the sky was his domain, the reason for his invincibility.

Now, there was an opponent daring to challenge him in the air.

Sagas scoffed, raising his palm to gather a lightning spear, and threw it towards the Skydom Falcon.

Boom!

The rampaging lightning struck, instantly blasting the Skydom Falcon.

In the instant Sagas attacked, Lu Heng released the Skydom Falcon's claws and descended, using the momentum of the dive to quickly close in on Sagas. At the same time, he drew out the Aurora Blade from the void.

In that moment, Sagas had just completed his dive and was ascending, making this the slowest part of his movement.

Lu Heng, carried by the Skydom Falcon, dived down from the sky at his fastest speed.

In aerial combat, speed was everything.

Sagas, the ruler of the sky, scoffed at the audacity of a flightless human challenging his authority. He waved his Thunder Spear, aiming for Lu Heng.

Lu Heng, without wings, couldn't change direction in mid-air, so he could only let the momentum carry him towards the Thunder Spear.

Just as the Thunder Spear was about to pierce his body, Lu Heng activated his Source Skill, Shadow Traverse, entering the shadows and becoming immune to all physical collisions.

The Thunder Spear pierced Lu Heng's body, but nothing touched him.

Lu Heng slid past the Thunder Spear, crashing into Sagas' embrace, and then passed through his body.

In that instant, as Lu Heng exited the Shadow Traverse state, his body spun with electric speed, and he executed the Returning Sword Style of the Seven-Segment Sword Step, slashing out a swirling blade of light.

The blade plunged into Sagas' back, severing his wings at the roots.

Sagas roared in pain as his wings snapped, and he fell from the sky.

Lu Heng also plummeted at a speed of a hundred meters per second. Just as he was about to hit the ground, a second Skydom Falcon spread its wings and caught him, ensuring a smooth landing.

On the other side, Sagas, having lost his wings, fell to the ground, immediately climbed back up, roaring in anger. He waved his Thunder Spear, intent on killing the lowly creature that had injured him.

Lu Heng drew his sword and charged forward, engaging Sagas in battle.

Sagas, standing three meters tall and incredibly muscular, wielded his Thunder Spear with the might of a war god.

Lu Heng demonstrated his Micromotion Technique, his agility reaching an astonishing 45 points. He stepped on the gale, moving like a dragon amidst the spear attacks, engaging in a graceful dance of combat.

The sword and spear clashed, creating a deafening clanging sound.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end