Chapter 428 - 293: The Divine Artifact Storm

"And me."

Gus’s expression was calm. He gave the massive, gleaming Double-Bladed Broadsword in his hand a flick before slinging it onto his back. "No matter how powerful the enemy, Lionels will never know fear!"

"Yeah, right," Zat scoffed, shooting him a dismissive look. "Do you have any idea how far away the Hengduan Mountain Range is?"

"First of all, the battle will be long over by the time you run there. Second, Gus, let me ask you: can you ride a dragon?"

Gus fell silent. Given a Centaur’s unique anatomy, being ridden was one thing, but riding something else was truly asking the impossible.

And right now, the fastest way to get to the Hengduan Mountain Range was to ride the Giant Dragon that Sophia transformed into.

"Chief, count me in!"

"That’s right! We ain’t afraid of some Flame Demon!"

"Worst comes to worst, we die and become Undead, and we’ll still fight with you."

The crowd of burly men from High Cliff Castle stared at Levi, grinning to reveal rows of gleaming white teeth, their eyes shining with an unusual brightness in the night sky.

Levi looked at them, feeling both touched and incredibly awkward. The sheer cheesiness of it all gave him goosebumps.

No one here was a fool. Even if they hadn’t seen the Balrog Flame Demon guarding the Teleportation Gate with their own eyes, they knew from Fatir’s descriptions that this foe was nothing like the small-time thugs they had faced before.

The Hengduan Mountain Range was far on the horizon, yet even from the White Bone Fortress, they could feel the battle’s aftershocks. The fighting was clearly intense, as if two colossal Mountain Giants were tearing down peaks in a fight to the death among the mountains.

Avoiding danger is a basic instinct for all living things. Yet, knowing the path ahead was perilous, these gluttons still wanted to charge forward without a second thought. ’They’re just too simple-hearted,’ Levi thought.

"First, Sophia can’t carry this many people. Besides, a larger group would just slow her down."

"Second, I’m not an idiot. If I really can’t win, I’ll definitely run away."

Levi said, holding up two fingers with a serious expression.

"Do you even believe that yourself?" Zat muttered with a smirk.

He’d been with his chief from the very beginning and had never once seen the man run from a fight. Even when facing a Giant Dragon of unknown power, he had dared to lead a few dozen men with about ten rustic, homemade Bed Crossbows on a dragon-slaying quest.

’No matter how tough this Balrog Flame Demon is,’ he thought, ’can it really be stronger than that Giant Dragon we faced?’

Levi rubbed his head. ’It’s hard to explain my new perspective to this bunch of simpletons. Back then, I had nothing to lose, but things are different now.’

’My domain is thriving; High Cliff Castle was finally built up after so much effort. I’m on the verge of stepping into the extravagant life of the nobility, so why would I willingly throw myself into danger?’

"Alright, that’s final! Are you telling me you dare defy a decision I’ve made?" their Lord scolded jokingly, pulling rank with his authority.

He didn’t waste any more time, vaulting onto the back of Sophia, who had already returned to her true form. He looked down at the crowd and grinned. "You all just wait for my return! When I get back, we’re heading straight to High Cliff Castle for some beef-stuffed flatbread!"

"Lift off!"

The wind howled, whipping his hair about as the scenery on both sides fell away below them.

It didn’t last long. Soon, Sophia broke through the cloud cover and settled into a stable flight.

At her current speed, it wouldn’t be long before they reached the Hengduan Mountain Range.

...

An incessant, powerful shattering sound filled the air. The pillar of light suppressing the Balrog Flame Demon, once like a solid crystal column, began to crack. As the demon slowly straightened its back, the pillar broke into countless tiny fragments that finally dissipated into nothing.

Mandela watched the demon curse endlessly as, in the distance, innumerable Demons threw themselves at the battle formations of the Red Swordsmen.

Even an unyielding reef will eventually be worn down by the relentless crash of the waves.

To say nothing of men made of flesh and blood. Under the Demons’ frenzied assault, even the Great Swordsmen were locked in a desperate struggle.

"Bodoff, you spent all that time preparing your Magic, and this is the result?" Mandela yelled to the old man in the distance.

"General, I am merely a High Tier Mage, not an Epic one. It was no small feat to suppress this Flame Demon for as long as I did, especially after its power was only reduced from the Legendary Tier to the Epic Tier."

Bodoff rolled his eyes. ’Does he really think I’m some Golden Robe Mage who can cast world-ending Forbidden Curses at will?’

"Shit. Then I guess we’ll just wait here to die," Mandela muttered, cursing under his breath.

He said as much, but his cold gaze remained fixed on the Balrog Flame Demon as he calculated how to kill it.

The creature’s movements were restricted for now, but its hands were still free—and the Flame Sword it wielded was simply far too powerful.

Every clash felt like being crushed by a collapsing mountain, leaving him frustrated and on the defensive.

In fact, without that weapon, the Flame Demon wouldn’t be nearly this difficult to handle.

"I can cast the Lighting Skill one more time. It should be able to blind it for a moment."

Just then, Bodoff’s voice rang in his mind. Mandela glanced impassively at the old mage, who returned a calm, neutral expression.

"I’ve recovered some of my Magic Power as well. I can support your attack."

Fatir chimed into the Mind Communication.

Mind Communication was a field of study for every High Tier Caster. In a world with innumerable Races, not everyone spoke the common tongue, so this Magic made it far more convenient for a Caster to travel the continent.

"Alright."

The three quickly settled on a strategy.

Bodoff and Fatir both moved closer to the front.

With the Balrog Flame Demon’s movements restricted, they were relatively safe for a short while.

"Damned, lowly creatures! When I break free, your doom will be at hand!" The pillar of light from the sky bent Bartley’s mountain-like spine, and his two legs, as thick as marble columns, sank deep into the earth. He roared like a tsunami, "I, Bartley Fiat, the ’Abyssal Melting Soul,’ will show you the fury of an erupting volcano—a fury that could evaporate an ocean as vast as the Aegean Sea!"