Chapter 134: The Greatest Threat

On the side of the Human Alliance soldiers, after the Rune Cannon opposite them was destroyed by the Catachan muscle-men, four Prowler Tanks advanced amidst the Orcs' hail of gunfire, firing continuously and blowing away all the Orcs hiding in cover.

Everything was proceeding smoothly; the Human Alliance soldiers behind the tanks were not idle either, exchanging fire with the Orcs pursuing them from the rear and checking the tanks' path for traps laid by the Beast Race.

However, the appearance of some Orcs holding staffs changed the tide of battle; the staffs in their hands emitted various eerie glows: Plague Runes, Psychic Runes, Melting Runes...

The Human Alliance soldiers also launched a counterattack; soldiers with long-range offensive capabilities stepped forward to withstand many of the Beast Race's rune attacks, but some runes still struck several Human Alliance soldiers.

These soldiers were crushed by beast claws summoned by Psychic Runes, or had their bodies and the Individual Combat Armor they wore melted into a puddle of mixed blood and metal by Melting Runes.

Several Priest Apprentices combined their efforts to push out a drawn Demolition Rune, directly detonating a Prowler Tank.

Seeing this situation, Li Shuangjun shouted to the soldiers behind him, "Tanks, accelerate! Close the distance to these Priest Apprentices; we will engage them in close quarters!"

Although the tank commanders inside were somewhat reluctant, they still obeyed the order; the Prowler Tanks increased their speed, and the Human Alliance soldiers behind them also accelerated, charging toward the Orcs who were already firing upon them.

Soon, at the cost of one Prowler Tank being scrapped, the Human Alliance soldiers engaged in close-quarters combat and melee with these Beast Race members.

Li Shuangjun gripped his Two-handed Greatsword, feeling the power the greatsword transmitted to him, and slashed directly at an Orc warrior; the long-handled Battle Axe in the Orc warrior's hand blocked Li Shuangjun's attack.

Li Shuangjun did not want to waste time with this Orc; the greatsword in his hand shimmered with a pale blue light, and his body became more agile. After dodging the Orc's slash, he thrust the seemingly cumbersome greatsword directly into the Orc's throat, exerting force with both arms to decapitate the Orc.

A blood-red rune flew toward Li Shuangjun; Li Shuangjun slashed with his greatsword, and the Spiritual Power attached to the blade neutralized the blood-red rune. This also made Li Shuangjun feel the terror of that blood-red rune just now; his Spiritual Power had been significantly depleted while clashing with it.

"Cannot give it the chance to draw runes!" Li Shuangjun tightened his grip on the greatsword. After the augmentation to his physique from his Individual Combat Armor and the use of his Back Spirit, Li Shuangjun's speed became twice as fast as usual, and the greatsword in his hand slashed toward the Priest Apprentice with lightning speed.

But after Li Shuangjun's greatsword swept past the Priest Apprentice's neck, he did not see the Priest Apprentice's flesh and blood separate.

Li Shuangjun watched as the figure of the Priest Apprentice before him slowly dissipated, vanishing from before him.

"Where did it go?" Li Shuangjun frowned, looked around, and used his greatsword to beat back an Orc warrior attempting to ambush him; while his state had not yet faded, he sealed the Orc's throat with one strike.

Li Shuangjun saw the Priest Apprentice not far away; it waved its staff, and a Human Alliance soldier instantly lost control of his body. As the Priest Apprentice shot a rune into the soldier's brain, the soldier began to change; blood seeped out from every part of his body, and his body swelled significantly. After stretching the Individual Combat Armor to a certain point, with a final "pop," the entire person exploded like a balloon, blood splattering everywhere.

This scene happened very quickly; in just a few seconds, a soldier had died right before Li Shuangjun's eyes.

Li Shuangjun channeled the Spiritual Power within his body, letting his Back Spirit further strengthen his physical constitution.

This time, Li Shuangjun's greatsword finally felt like it had struck something solid, but the greatsword was blocked by the Priest Apprentice using the staff in its hand, with runes flickering all over the staff.

After those runes made contact with Li Shuangjun's greatsword, Li Shuangjun felt his Spiritual Power rapidly decreasing; this staff was absorbing his Spiritual Power.

Li Shuangjun wanted to retract his greatsword, and as he exerted force, the staff shot a black rune at him.

Li Shuangjun only felt his body sink, and it was as if a voice had appeared in his mind.

"You are merely livestock, merely food; abandon your futile resistance..."

These were words Li Shuangjun could understand; Li Shuangjun felt as if his head were about to explode, covering his head with both hands, struggling to keep himself from collapsing.

"Captain!" Some Human Alliance soldiers wanted to help Li Shuangjun, but they were pinned down by the Orcs in front of them and could not come to his aid.

A cruel smile appeared on the corner of the Priest Apprentice's mouth; it walked slowly to Li Shuangjun and said disdainfully, "Still resisting? It is impossible for you to resist my Mental Rune. I find your ability quite interesting; you should feel honored. I intend to craft you into a Puppet and have your ability fight for our Beast Race."

Although Li Shuangjun could not understand what the Priest Apprentice in front of him was saying, he felt that now was a good opportunity, enduring the soul-piercing, babbling sounds in his mind.

Li Shuangjun exerted a sudden force with his right hand, thrusting the greatsword directly at the Priest Apprentice. Following that, the Priest Apprentice did not dodge, exhaling a breath from its mouth; Li Shuangjun's consciousness clearly went into darkness, but the tormenting babbling sounds also vanished.

"What kind of trick is this? I must wake up quickly, otherwise, that Orc will cause us to lose many soldiers."

But before Li Shuangjun could find a way to recover his consciousness, his vision returned to the battlefield.

The Priest Apprentice before him had already become a charred corpse, emitting a wisp of black smoke. Li Shuangjun looked at Xindi standing before him, muttering to himself.

"Chief? Why are you here?"

Xindi looked at Li Shuangjun, whose eyes were still somewhat dazed, pulled him up, and said with a smile.

"I was just knocked flying here by that Beast Race Priest; seeing you being controlled by this Orc, I helped you take care of it."

"What about that Beast Race Priest?" Li Shuangjun shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and asked.

"Yingzhou is dealing with that brat; let's finish off these Beast Race members first!" Xindi took out the Combat Knife tucked at his waist, with purple electric arcs jumping on it, and said to Li Shuangjun.

"Can he handle it?" Li Shuangjun gripped his hands, and the greatsword appeared in his hands once more, the pale blue light on it not as dazzling as before.

"No problem. That Beast Race Priest felt a greater threat from him than from me, which is why it knocked me away to focus all its efforts on dealing with Yingzhou. If I hadn't used my ability to neutralize part of the attack's power, I might not have been able to save you."

Xindi clutched his chest and said.