Chapter 267

Li En had never encountered an opponent like this before.

Merely by existing, it had utterly transformed the surrounding environment.

Even before any direct confrontation, merely its derivatives had imposed heavy pressure on the temporary team.

Infinite numbers of "Oorda Ox Demons" appeared before the squad, their numbers exploding every instant.

"Could our earlier tactical decision have been wrong? Did those slave-market trash anger the Oorda Ox Demon, triggering this flood of monsters?"

After a moment's thought, Li En shook his head.

The tactical decision was correct; that thing was merely a monster with a touch of divinity, not a true god. Its power was inherently limited.

This place was far removed from nature; no matter how powerful the phenomena, they drained its very essence.

Right now, making more noise was actually a good sign—it meant it could no longer contain its reckless expenditure of power.

"Lajiwén really died too extravagantly, haha. Such a grand spectacle to bury him—what a waste!"

Claire, with her vast experience, also smiled at the scene before her.

Lajiwén was the current head of the slave market, the leader Li En had briefly met before.

Among scattered mercenaries, his skill level was decent—Fifth-Rank Warrior was enough to travel the world.

But with their strength, they were clearly unfit for this battlefield.

They were probably already dead; we might have to collect their corpses soon.

"Either the Oorda Ox Demon's intelligence is as low as expected, launching full force immediately, or Lajiwén's side had a powerful agent from some church or organization. Either way, it's good for us."

Claire's gaze toward Li En held a new measure of respect.

Warriors are always worthy of respect, and Li En had shown far more than mere "cleverness"—he was even more deserving of respect.

Warriors who had truly experienced combat came to respect "the wise" even more.

"From my perspective, if the overseer of this Heroine competition were weak or foolish, the whole contest would become a farce. Then, it's my turn to perform."

Thinking this, Claire laughed happily; the lion pelt on her body emitted a faint red glow, as if coming alive.

"Let's joyfully begin our slaughter. Little oxen, can you truly dance with me?"

The "Red-Haired Demon" entered her state and swung a massive, serrated door-sized sword.

As she swung it through the air, solidified fire elements flooded into the blade.

"Dragon Strike. First Explosion."

Then, a "fire dragon" descended from the sky, exploding into a crater over three meters wide.

In the crater, as if struck by a missile, the red-haired woman laughed joyfully and charged toward her next target.

She wielded the greatsword like a spear, utterly ignoring the chaos around her as she reveled in the spray of blood and flesh—then gagged violently.

The flesh of "semi-Hellish beings" was far from "delicious"; the stench of sulfur and rot was overwhelming.

"Fine, the meat's rotten—whatever, at least it's satisfying to chop!"

"Mighty Dragon Strike. Second Impact!"

The red-haired lizardman surged forward again, her body swollen to twice its size—a small giant over three meters tall—charging with full force.

The sharpest part remained the serrations—Li En realized Claire was a true self-taught fighter, fighting like a beast, tearing and biting.

That bizarre, monstrous greatsword was less a blade and more a "claw" and "fang" tailored to her needs.

"Follow."

As someone surged forward, Li En stepped right behind.

Claire had already demonstrated perfectly—there was no need to hesitate on the battlefield.

Calculations were done before combat; since we're all warriors, once on the field, we fight!

Every collision turned an Ox Demon into shredded meat; every swing of her blade was coated in blood, flesh, and bark.

"Thrilling! Again!"

The mad red-haired demon had fully lost control, charging straight into the enemy ranks.

The warrior turned demon slaughtered the monsters, who fought only on instinct.

Even as her flesh was torn open, even as she was wounded, she never dodged or retreated—she tore her opponents apart without hesitation.

In her frenzy, she even hurled her greatsword, then ripped open an Ox Demon with her bare arms, letting the rotting blood and gore drench her body—then laughed even more wildly.

But visibly, her wounds healed only when she killed an enemy—not automatically.

"Her sword… is it draining blood? A blood-drinking dragon?"

Hard to say—who here seemed more evil, more monstrous? The crimson serrated greatsword, reaping lives, was the very source of Claire's madness.

"Moo—"

Another long, resonant bull bellow echoed, accompanied by an earthquake; the monsters ahead suddenly turned back.

This bellow sounded calmer—had the battle up front ended?

"Looks like the cannon fodder are all used up."

The Ox Demons, now lacking fighting spirit, became far easier to handle.

With Claire charging full force at the front, the temporary hunting squad advanced steadily.

Now everyone had entered the "domain" of the Oorda Ox Demon—the target was not far.

But the thorns beneath their feet grew increasingly troublesome; the Paladins began casting holy light, sensing the Hellish power seeping into them all.

The Paladins' holy energy naturally resisted this insidious corruption.