Chapter 214: Chaotic War
A massive centaur-like phantom formed of water elemental magic appeared behind Li Meng.
The enormous, water-blue phantom was about fifty meters tall.
"What… what is that?"
The dazzling magical brilliance captured everyone's attention.
Whether it was the humans on the city walls or the ghost beastmen, they all seemed to sense something.
The ghost beastmen, who had been charging forward, suddenly stopped in unison.
They looked ahead with faces full of confusion and uncertainty.
"You're the first to die!"
Li Meng swung the massive iron rod in his hand, pointing it toward the Flame Demon Lord in the distance.
At that moment, the Flame Demon Lord was charging toward Li Meng.
The terrifying magical pressure it unleashed forced it to stop abruptly.
"Roar!"
Its reaction was quick. It let out a roar toward the sky and thrust the massive flaming sword it held into the ground.
One, two, three, four, five.
A total of five massive walls of fire, each nearly twenty meters tall and ten meters wide, erupted from the ground in front of it.
The moment the walls of fire formed, the giant phantom of Margarita behind Li Meng released its bowstring.
A dazzling flash of magical brilliance shot forth.
A colossal azure stream of light burst out, crossing hundreds of meters in an instant and sweeping through the walls of fire.
The five walls of fire were instantly destroyed by the overwhelming magical torrent.
In the blink of an eye, the torrent engulfed the Flame Demon Lord, which had attempted to teleport away.
Amid the immense azure magical flow, a brief flash of fire appeared.
Everything was reduced to ash.
The dazzling azure magic continued unabated, crashing into the city wall.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion echoed.
The enchanted stone-built wall was completely pierced through.
The azure stream of light that pierced the wall struck the valley's entrance five hundred meters away.
With a massive rumbling sound, the azure magic erupted.
The enormous impact tore apart the ground within a radius of several hundred meters.
The dazzling azure magic transformed into a massive water pillar that shot skyward.
When the chaos subsided, a lake several hundred meters in diameter had formed at the valley's entrance.
Meanwhile, a massive hole appeared in the city wall.
The terrifying power left everyone on the battlefield utterly shocked.
"Imperial-tier magic?"
Douglas stared in disbelief at the steel-like figure in the distance.
But Douglas quickly came to his senses.
Now that the Corrupting Stone was destroyed, his plan had failed.
No matter what, however, the Goblin King had to die.
"Ghost beastmen, hear my command! Kill the Goblin King—attack together!"
Douglas roared, leaping high into the sky.
"Yes, kill the Goblin King!"
The ghost beastmen echoed with roars, leaping high into the sky.
On the battlefield, the ghost beastmen used their super leap ability, pouncing toward Li Meng like fleas.
Seeing the ghost beastmen charging at him, Li Meng grinned.
This was exactly what he wanted.
If the ghost beastmen reached the city walls, the humans wouldn't be able to hold their ground.
The demon army would break into the garrison fort and slaughter the humans.
Such a result could not be allowed to happen.
Li Meng swung his massive iron rod, pointing it at Agatha.
"You… heartless wretch! You forget people after getting out of bed!"
Agatha's face changed slightly when she saw the Goblin King aiming at her. She stopped in her tracks, looking aggrieved.
Agatha knew that if she continued forward, the Goblin King would undoubtedly kill her.
Seeing Agatha halt, Li Meng sighed in relief.
Although Agatha was from the demon race, she had shared a bed with him before.
Killing such a stunning beauty would be too wasteful.
If he could avoid killing her, he would.
Even if they became enemies in the future, public and private matters could be kept separate, and their relationship wouldn't necessarily be affected.
Li Meng waved his hand, causing the magical phantom behind him to dissipate.
Margarita's Arrow was powerful, but it consumed an enormous amount of magic.
Even with millions of magic power, it could only be used a few times.
"Goblin, die!"
A roar echoed from the sky.
A ghost beastman commander descended toward Li Meng with a thunderous charge.
Li Meng swung his iron rod, aiming at the oncoming ghost beastman.
The ghost beastman's figure flickered and suddenly disappeared.
The massive iron rod struck empty air.
The next moment, the ghost beastman reappeared beside Li Meng, preparing to strike with its sword.
"Bang!"
The iron rod came crashing down on the ghost beastman's waist.
With a loud "bang," the ghost beastman was sent flying like a piece of tattered cloth.
Its body twisted into an unrecognizable shape, flying hundreds of meters before crashing to the ground.
Wherever it passed, people and beasts were sent flying.
The impact left many pigmen and beastmen sprawling in the air.
The clash between the two sides lasted only a moment, but victory was decided instantly.
"Kill!"
Over ten ghost beastmen charged at Li Meng.
Their figures flickered, vanishing and reappearing suddenly.
For a moment, the space around Li Meng was filled with the glint of blades and shadows of swords.
"Don't face him head-on; surround and kill him!"
The ghost beastmen circled Li Meng, darting about and attacking with blades and swords repeatedly.
Li Meng, however, swung his massive iron rod with such ferocity that it seemed impenetrable.
Even if he didn't land a direct hit, the gusts of wind he raised made it difficult for the ghost beastmen to maintain their footing.
In an instant, hundreds of exchanges occurred.
"Slash!"
One ghost beastman failed to dodge and was struck by Li Meng's rod, sent flying once more.
His body shot out like a cannonball.
"Die!"
A Ghost Beastman thought it had found an opportunity.
A sword slashed toward Li Meng's waist.
The sound of metal clashing rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.
Before the Ghost Beastman could celebrate, a massive hand reached out and grabbed its head.
It wanted to dodge, but it was too late.
The enormous hand clutched its head and lifted it into the air.
"Slash!"
Douglas suddenly appeared beside Li Meng.
He leaped and slashed his sword toward Li Meng's arm.
"Clang!"
Another sound of metal colliding rang out, and sparks scattered again.
The greatsword in Douglas's hand struck Li Meng's arm but was deflected by something harder under the wrist guard.
"How is this possible?!"
Douglas's expression changed dramatically, filled with disbelief.
His strike couldn't sever the Goblin King's arm?
Douglas jumped back, putting some distance between himself and the Goblin King.
"Withdraw and continue attacking the Garrison Fort! Kill everyone inside! Leave the Goblin King to me! Argh!"
Douglas let out a furious roar.
A surge of blood energy erupted from his body.
His skin turned crimson and emitted rolling steam.
His body twisted and cracked, his eyes glowed red, and his face became ferocious.
Amidst a thunderous roar, Douglas's body began to swell.
The sight made the Ghost Beastmen quickly turn and flee.
They continued their charge toward the Garrison Fort.
Meanwhile, the Demon army was still advancing.
They were now less than 500 meters from the city walls.
"Master, be careful. After going berserk, he'll gain the power of Bloodfury Battle Aura."
"Battle Aura? What's that?"
Li Meng's eyes flashed with surprise.
He looked at the berserk Douglas with curiosity.
Li Meng himself had gone berserk before and felt a peculiar power enveloping his body.
But as it was his first time using it, he didn't know how to wield that power effectively.
"Battle Aura is also a form of magic, but its usage differs. Magic relies on mental control to attack externally, whereas warriors use Battle Aura to enhance their physique and achieve immense physical strength."
"Can Battle Aura be projected outward?"
"It can, but it's relatively difficult. Only through training specific sword techniques can Battle Aura be externalized. Among humans, there are two major schools of swordsmanship: the Southern Emperor's Light Swordsmanship, which focuses on offense, and the Eastern Emperor's Flowing Water Swordsmanship, which emphasizes defense."
Li Meng absorbed this new knowledge from Xiao Bai.
Previously, he had thought that warriors could only engage in close combat using their physical strength.
He didn't realize they could also use Battle Aura for ranged attacks.
Even though he had fought the Sword King Carlos before, at that time, Li Meng had assumed Carlos was using magic.
This revelation made Ghost Beastmen's skills seem less formidable.
Without the ability to externalize Battle Aura, their attack power would be significantly reduced.
"Roar!"
At that moment, Douglas let out an earth-shattering roar.
His original height of about 2 meters surged to 2.5 meters.
His entire body was enveloped in a crimson Bloodfury Battle Aura.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
He shouted, his overwhelming desire for slaughter targeting the largest figure—Li Meng.
"Boom!"
With a flash of his silhouette, he transformed into a streak of crimson light charging straight at Li Meng.
"So fast!"
In an instant, Douglas was in front of Li Meng.
Li Meng felt a wave of pressure emanating from Douglas.
Douglas swung his greatsword furiously, unleashing dozens of strikes in a matter of seconds.
Each slash caused waves of air to explode, sweeping the surroundings.
Li Meng swung his massive iron rod repeatedly, deflecting every strike from Douglas's greatsword.
As a Saint-level powerhouse, Douglas's stats after going berserk were nearing 20,000.
"Kill you! Kill you!"
He roared in rage as he fought.
"You can't kill me!"
Li Meng countered with a heavy swing, deflecting Douglas's greatsword.
He followed up with a powerful kick to Douglas's chest.
A thunderous "Boom!" resounded.
Douglas's body was sent flying, rolling a hundred meters before hitting the ground.
"Kill you!"
Douglas got up as if unscathed and leaped high into the air.
The ground beneath him cracked, and a shockwave erupted.
In mid-air, he swung his greatsword downward.
A crimson crescent-shaped Battle Aura shot out toward Li Meng.
"Battle Aura is indeed fascinating!"
When Li Meng's foot connected with Douglas earlier, he felt resistance.
The Bloodfury Battle Aura surrounding Douglas had absorbed most of the impact from his kick.
Li Meng didn't dare take this attack head-on. He dodged the strike.
The crimson crescent-shaped Battle Aura hit the ground with a loud "Boom," sending clouds of dust into the air.
The explosion created a massive crater where Li Meng had been standing.
"Kill you! Kill you!"
Failing to land his strike, Douglas grew even more enraged.
Bloodfury Battle Aura erupted from his body.
He appeared as though enveloped in crimson flames.
He transformed into a crimson streak, diving toward the ground.
"Then I'll knock you down!"
This time, Li Meng decided not to dodge.
He stomped his foot, gripping the massive iron rod with both hands, and swung it with all his might.
The Ghost Beastmen favor leap attacks because combining their super jump with a charged strike allows for maximum attack power.
First, they leap into the air, then follow up with a charged strike to deliver the strongest blow.
A blood-red streak of light fell from the sky, crashing straight into the earth.
In that instant, a loud "boom" echoed as a shockwave exploded outward, sweeping through the surroundings.
Li Meng swung his massive iron rod, smashing it against Douglas's hoof.
Amid the burst of shockwaves, a crimson figure was sent flying into the air.
Douglas's body soared like a cannonball, shooting straight into the sky.
This time, it shot up into the clouds, soared past the northern mountain range of the Great Canyon, and plummeted toward distant lands.
"Well, well, Dou Qi really is something special," Li Meng commented.
That strike should have turned Douglas's leg into pulp, but he felt resistance upon impact.
The Blood Fury Dou Qi shielded Douglas's leg, though the strike still managed to break his bones.
Li Meng distinctly heard the "crack, crack" of bones snapping.
"So far away. You can go berserk in the mountains for all I care! Wahahaha!"
Gazing at the distant sky, Li Meng laughed heartily.
By the time Douglas regains consciousness, he'll be in a weakened state.
This means the Demon Clan has lost its only Saint-level powerhouse.
With just the Centurions and Captains remaining, they'll be much easier to deal with.
"Retreat, retreat! Pigmen, fall back!"
At this moment, Pig Dajin and Wolf Howl finally snapped back to their senses.
They hurriedly grabbed their horns from their waists and blew them.
Urgent horn blasts echoed across the battlefield.
The charging Pigmen and Gnolls suddenly halted, looking back in confusion.
"What are you looking at? Retreat, retreat!"
Pig Dajin and Wolf Howl took off running, their feet pounding the ground.
Seeing this, the surrounding Pigmen and Gnolls quickly turned and followed.
Their retreat sparked chaos within their ranks.
The dense ranks of the Demon Clan fell into disorder.
While the Beastmen continued their charge, the Pigmen and Gnolls fled to the rear.
This scene left the humans atop the city wall utterly baffled.
The strange turn of events on the battlefield completely bewildered them.
"Iron Mask, what should we do now?"
Even the charging Ghost Beastmen were confused by what was happening.
The battlefield had devolved into utter chaos.
The Pigmen and Gnolls had already fled.
The Ghost Beastmen were left with less than twenty thousand warriors.
Now that the Evil Stone had been destroyed, even storming the Garrison Fort would be pointless.
"That damned Goblin King!"
Iron Mask roared in frustration and turned to flee toward the northern mountains.
"Retreat! We must find Lord Douglas!"
Upon hearing this, the charging Ghost Beastmen also turned and rushed toward the northern mountains.
Their retreat left the Beastmen scratching their heads.
As they ran, they slowed to a halt, staring in confusion at the fleeing Ghost Beastmen.
They also noticed the retreating Pigmen and Gnolls in the rear.
What was going on? Why was everyone running?
The unusual behavior of the Demon Clan army caught the attention of the humans on the city wall.
"What's happening?"
"Could they be scared of that giant warrior?"
"Yes, that strike was unbelievably powerful."
"Indeed. Even a dozen Ghost Beastmen couldn't handle him."
"Could he be a Saint-level powerhouse?"
"More likely an Emperor-level warrior. Did you see the power of that magical attack just now?"
The humans, poised to attack, hesitated, baffled by the chaotic Demon Clan forces outside.