With Ais's worries eased upon hearing Li Xi was unharmed, she began directing the mercenaries and soldiers to relieve pressure on Mourinho. However, as soon as these mercenaries approached and Mourinho unleashed his attack, their faces felt as if buffeted by a level 20 gale. They couldn't even open their eyes, their bodies unstable, like small grasses in a strong wind about to be blown away. They couldn't reach the teleportation gate to assist Mourinho.
The commander of the soldiers was General Mark, whom Li Xi had met before. He was a level four Earth Warrior. He was the closest, only within three meters of Li Xi, but before he could even act, he was blown back.
Mark, his face flushed with shame, ran to Ais's side, "Priestess Ais, Lord Mourinho is too powerful. We can't get close."
There was nothing they could do. Horned demons were not goblins that died with a single touch. They were level four demons capable of holding their own against level five magical beasts. Facing the seemingly endless horde of horned demons behind him, Li Xi had to ensure each attack was fatal, leaving no room for error. This made it difficult for even the strongest level four warriors to get close.
Ais looked troubled. If they couldn't even get close, how could they share the burden?
Just as Ais and the others were at a loss, Li Xi spoke, "You establish a defensive line on the perimeter. I will let some horned demons pass through appropriately."
"Alright, we'll listen to you, sir."
Under Ais's command, everyone immediately established a defense line. Warriors in front, archers providing flank protection, and mages and priests in the center.
However, when Li Xi intended to let the demons through, the horned demons completely ignored them, as if they didn't see them. In the eyes of the horned demons, only Li Xi existed in the entire world.
Li Xi immediately realized he was the Abyss Cursed One. These horned demons would never attack anyone else unless he was killed. As long as he didn't leave, he would always be their primary target. Su Dan Novel Network.
Ais also realized this. The last time they fought together, a horned demon had revealed Li Xi's identity as the Abyss Cursed One.
She immediately adjusted the strategy. "Warriors, protect the priests. Half the priests will cast divine blessings on Lord Mourinho. The remaining half will appease the souls of the dead to prevent the teleportation gate from expanding further."
"The subsequent reinforcements will arrive within ten minutes. We only need to hold on for ten minutes."
"Yes."
With the tactics adjusted, over a dozen priests, under layers of protection, began to cast their spells. Over a dozen staffs lit up with white light. Half of the white light fell on Li Xi, making him almost cry out in comfort.
It wasn't strange for Li Xi to be so uninhibited. Seven rings of light circled him. Though he didn't know the names of these divine blessings, Li Xi knew their functions.
His fatigue was dispelled, and his body felt as if it had returned to its pre-transformation state. This was stamina recovery.
His strength, already doubled by the transformation, was further enhanced by ten percent. This was a strength boost, allowing Li Xi to maintain a reserve of strength after each full-power strike, making combat more fluid.
Li Xi's chakra refining technique, which he had almost forgotten, suddenly became robust, as if it had taken a stimulant. What was once a trickle of chakra recovery now flowed like a steady stream, increasing his chakra recovery speed by dozens of times.
There were other changes too: heightened senses, his mind, previously affected by the red mist, suddenly relaxed, and his spiritual power began to recover. Li Xi even felt his dragon scales had been reinforced twofold, making them potentially impenetrable by horned demons.
Combined with a feeling of lightness and agility, having a group of healers taking care of him felt wonderful. The transformation, which was nearing its end, was extended by several minutes.
No wonder all mercenary groups took pride in having priests and mages. They were incredibly powerful. With just a few divine blessings, Li Xi could maintain such high-intensity combat without weakening.
This half of the priests blessed Li Xi, while the other half cast purification spells on the pervasive red mist and the souls drawn into it. Where the purification spells landed, it was like an eraser removing pencil marks, restoring clarity to the world. The red mist was purified, and the souls dissipated. Coupled with Li Xi and Sun Er Dai holding the line in front, everything was moving in a positive direction.
In a tall building in Cardo City, several figures hidden in the darkness were observing a crystal ball. The projection on the crystal ball was the current scene of Li Xi and his companions, like a live broadcast, with every action being watched.
Watching the powerfully built horned demons being slaughtered by the Dragonborn, one person, who was as tall sitting down as others were standing, asked in confusion, "Do any of you know who this Dragonborn is? Why have we never heard his name?"
"Never heard of him. The only clue we have is that during the previous plan, he suddenly appeared and saved those mercenaries and priests, closing the teleportation array and ruining our efforts."
"This Dragonborn is a significant threat. If he survives this time, we must focus on dealing with him in the future."
The man in the stand-collar trench coat suddenly interjected, "He seems suspicious of us. During our previous conversation, he was clearly trying to probe us."
"Then list him as a secondary target. Monitor his actions constantly. If necessary, we may request the Master to eliminate him." After much discussion, a hoarse voice set the tone for the Dragonborn Li Xi.
When he spoke, everyone else lowered their heads in obedience. They watched for a while longer and saw that the teleportation gate was no longer expanding due to the arrival of the priests. The tall figure became restless. "Are we not going to intervene and disrupt their plan? With the current scale, can Lilith not teleport over?"
As soon as this was said, several people looked at the speaker, their eyes clearly showing disdain, as if looking at an idiot with low intelligence.
The man noticed their reactions and didn't understand why they were indifferent. Perhaps disappointed by his performance, the leader's hoarse voice spoke again, "We incited Nas to open the teleportation gate merely to divert attention from the death of Number Three and to test whether Demangar would intervene. It was not to truly allow Lilith to descend and destroy Cardo City, as that would serve us no purpose."
The man's face brightened with understanding after the explanation. They were operating from the shadows, manipulating these forces like chess players outside the board, and anything was acceptable as long as it achieved their goals.
However, he immediately raised another question, "But given the current situation, without Demangar's intervention, this Dragonborn alone can defend the teleportation gate from any anomalies. Our purpose of testing Demangar will also not be achieved."
The man in the stand-collar trench coat smiled slightly, "No need to worry. The Abyss will not easily let go of such a good opportunity, especially for a high-ranking demon like Lilith, who occupies an awkward position in the Abyss."
However, to verify the man's words, a change immediately occurred within the crystal ball. Over a hundred deep abyss horned demons stopped in their tracks. No more horned demons emerged from the teleportation gate.
Instead, a thunderous footstep sound echoed from within the teleportation gate. Before the demon's figure even appeared, its powerful aura caused the humans in the distance to tremble uncontrollably. Their teeth chattered relentlessly, and even holding their hands together, they couldn't stop.
"So Lilith has such a trump card."
Returning to Li Xi's perspective, he was naturally the first to sense the anomaly within the teleportation gate.
Without turning his head, he said to Ais and the others, "Add all the divine blessings you can to me, and then you all escape. If I'm not mistaken, what's coming next is an Infernal Demon."
Having experienced the battle in the valley last time, they knew what an Infernal Demon represented. It hadn't fully emerged from the teleportation array then, but a single weapon had been enough to make the formidable Lord Mourinho unable to lift his head. If not for a clever trick, none of them would have survived.
Now, with the Infernal Demon appearing again, the unfamiliar Dragonborn still stood before them.
"Why haven't the honored bishops arrived yet? And those mages who are always so aloof, are they just going to let demons rampage through our city unchecked?"
Some people began to complain. In the face of death, status was irrelevant. Even the weakest ant would dare to bare its fangs at an elephant, let alone the powerful figures hiding in the rear.
"Silence."
Ais's stern roar silenced their grumbling and dissatisfaction. She knew in her heart that this was not the fault of those lords. Time was too short. If everyone rushed over individually, it would be an opportunity for the demons to pick them off one by one. No matter how many came, they would all die. Those lords were gathering all available forces to approach and attack together, which was the correct course of action.
As for herself, she was worried about Li Xi's safety, which led her to defy others and bring these few dozen people. Frankly speaking, Ais had been reckless.
"Stop spouting nonsense and wasting time. Do as Lord Mourinho commands, quickly, everyone get moving."
At a critical moment, the commander remained calm, and others couldn't afford to be chaotic. Li Xi was immediately bathed in white, yellow, and golden light, making him as conspicuous in the red mist as a lighthouse on a distant mountain for a ship sailing in a dark sea.
"Sir, you must be careful. Just hold off the Infernal Demon. Reinforcements will arrive within minutes."
Ais was not one to dither. After speaking, she led everyone and turned to leave, never intending to stay and be a hindrance to Li Xi.
As Ais and the others departed, the previously purified space was once again filled with red mist, and white soul mist reappeared. However, the quantity was not as much as before. If before, one soul was drawn into the teleportation gate with every breath, now it was reduced by three times, with only one soul being drawn in every three breaths. It seemed that not only were they fighting hard here, but many others were also striving behind them.
Listening to the heavy footsteps and feeling the powerful pressure emanating from his body, Li Xi took a deep breath. In his current state of double transformation, with the various buffs, he could last for more than ten minutes. If he went all out with quadruple transformation, he could last for three minutes.
Li Xi glanced back at Sun Er Dai. Hesitation flickered in his eyes. Sun Er Dai understood Li Xi's gaze. He pounded his chest defiantly and roared at the teleportation gate. He picked up the four-meter-long sword, piled among discarded items like a scrap heap, and flung it into the teleportation gate like a cascading waterfall.
Immediately, a clanging sound, like blacksmithing, echoed from within the teleportation gate. There was no need to say that Sun Er Dai's previously unstoppable killing moves had no effect against an opponent like an Infernal Demon.
A large hammer, identical to the one Li Xi had seen last time, shot out from the teleportation gate in retaliation for Sun Er Dai's attack. With tens of tons of weight, Li Xi wouldn't be foolish enough to block it head-on. He was not the same person he was before. He used the cleaver on its side to divert the hammer, capable of collapsing mountains, sending it flying off course.
"Er Dai, grab the hammer and run! Without his weapon, his strength is significantly reduced. We'll win."