Chapter 2382 The Catacombs
The holy attribute dealt extra damage to the Lickers.
At the same time, under Fang Heng"s control, the Lickers switched to a necromancy attribute.
The corrosion effect added by the undead could also inflict additional damage on the Holy Court"s outer "turtle sh.e.l.l" defensive shields.
It seemed like a trade-off of injuries.
However, Fang Heng and the Lickers were gaining blood!
In terms of numbers, the Lickers had an absolute advantage.
The battle lasted only two minutes before several commanders of the honorary knights realized something was wrong.
These Lickers seemed almost impossible to kill!
After initially using their powerful charge ability to wipe out a wave of Lickers, they found it increasingly difficult to inflict effective damage on the Licker swarm!
As the battle progressed, the tide of Lickers surged around them, becoming greater and greater.
What was happening?
The strength of these Licker monsters was terrifying, completely inconsistent with the data from the Holy Court"s records!
The difference in strength was at least tenfold!
With the current strength of their Holy Paladin team, it was nearly impossible to eliminate this wave of Lickers!
"Retreat!"
Commander Baluyev exchanged glances with the other commanders and immediately signaled for the team to withdraw.
The swarm of Lickers chased them for a short distance before quickly returning to the triangular structure, not running too far.
Even so, the Holy Court"s honor guard paid a price to escape entirely.
The Holy Paladin squad retreated to a high slope some distance away from the inverted triangular building, watching it from afar, still feeling apprehensive.
Fortunately, the Lickers weren"t very aggressive. If they had continued to relentlessly pursue them, the team would likely have suffered even greater losses.
The commanders quickly exchanged glances, each reflecting a hint of trepidation.
They had previously heard about the extensive destruction caused by the Lickers in lower world boundary realms, and at first, they had been somewhat dismissive, thinking that the reports might have been exaggerated.
Now, experiencing it firsthand, they realized that it was not an exaggeration; rather, the intelligence had been misleading.
The Lickers were stronger than described in the reports!
At least a tenfold difference!
How could the writers of the reports have missed this?
This was reckless endangerment!
Baluyev signaled to his subordinates, "Immediately report our findings about the Lickers to the central Holy Court. They will make the decision!"
"Yes, sir!"
Baluyev contemplated that since a strong a.s.sault on the structure lacked certainty of victory and might result in significant losses, it would be better to wait here temporarily for reinforcements.
However, just then, a powerful energy ripple surged from the front.
Soon after, an even more dazzling light burst forth from the inverted triangular structure!
In the blink of an eye, red light rapidly condensed, forming a purplish-red beam of light that pierced the heavens!
"What"s happening?"
The knights stared intently at the purple beam emanating from the inverted triangular building, their eyes filled with vigilance.
The strength of the energy ripple radiating from within the structure was at least ten times more powerful than before!
What could be happening inside?
Several army commanders looked to Chief Commander Baluyev in unison.
What should they do?
Should they go take a look?
Before Baluyev could make a decision, everyone felt a violent tremor beneath their feet.
"Is it an earthquake?"
Seemingly sensing something, the warhorses beneath the knights grew frightened and restless.
Chaos erupted within the knightly order as everyone struggled to calm their steeds.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
As the ground shook violently, ma.s.sive fissures began to crack open in the distance!
Then, from beneath the enormous crevices, groups of hideous creatures crawled out!
They had black exteriors, their bodies covered in patches of black-scaled armor, and they moved quickly on all fours with a pair of short wings protruding from their backs.
What were those!?
Baluyev and the other commanders stood in shock, unable to comprehend the scene unfolding before them.
"The Catacomb Demons?"
The Catacomb Demons were ancient monsters that once ruled this continent during a time long past. They had gradually been suppressed by the rising strength of humanity and the advent of the Holy Court"s faith, ultimately retreating into the underground world and disappearing.
It had been ages since anyone had seen them. Yet now, they reemerged in terrifying numbers!
Dense swarms of Catacomb Demons crawled from the rifts in the ground, like malevolent spirits rising from the abyss!
This sight filled the Holy Paladins with uncertainty.
Could it be that this inverted triangular structure served as a magic array for summoning the Catacomb Demons?
Were the undead trying to awaken these slumbering horrors to plunge the world back into chaos?
"Form ranks! Be cautious! The Catacomb Demons are extremely difficult to deal with, especially their spirit disruption attacks!"
Baluyev shouted, urging his team to stay alert.
The knightly order quickly formed a defensive formation, ready to repel the a.s.sault of the Catacomb Demons.
However, the unexpected happened.
The swarms of black Catacomb Demons pouring from the rift did not attack them; instead, they surged directly toward the inverted triangular cross-shaped building!
At the same time, the Lickers that had been lurking around the structure charged toward the Catacomb Demons as well!
The two sides clashed violently on the battlefield, creating chaos as they engaged in fierce combat.
The battlefield was instantly saturated with the rich scent of blood!
"What"s happening?"
The Holy Paladin army, preparing to face their enemies, was momentarily stunned.
Why were the Catacomb Demons and the Licker horde suddenly fighting each other?
Had their previous a.s.sumptions been completely wrong?
Even more terrifying was the sheer number of Catacomb Demons. As the ground trembled, more fissures spread across the earth, revealing countless Catacomb Demons surging toward the inverted triangular structure!
Such a terrifying quant.i.ty of Catacomb Demons shocked the entire knightly order.
Even Baluyev, experienced in battle, had never encountered such a spectacle.
The expressions of the commanders of the Holy Paladin order grew solemn.
The number of abyssal Catacomb Demons was several times that of the Lickers, and their numbers continued to swell.
Yet on the battlefield, these terrifying Catacomb Demons still couldn"t overpower the Licker horde!
"Look!"
A commander pointed in a particular direction.
The abyssal Catacomb Demons had incredibly thick scales, but the Lickers" claw attacks had corrosion and armor-breaking effects.
What was even more horrifying was that from the fallen bodies of the abyssal Catacomb Demons, flesh coc.o.o.ns began to materialize.
The flesh coc.o.o.ns rapidly swelled and then burst open, releasing zombie creatures that crawled out to join the fray!
These zombie creatures directly absorbed the attacks directed at the surrounding Catacomb Demons, acting as a buffer in the chaotic battlefield.