Chapter 75: 75 Sneaking Through Chen Cang

The Night Owl, flung outward, soared in a parabolic arc toward the charging crowd.

Whether knights or adventurers, everyone's gaze was fixed on the Shadow Demon in the distance; no one cared what would happen to the weak and powerless Night Owl as it fell into the crowd.

Except for her three teammates.

Third-tier magic—Wind Surge!

A gust of wind, carrying blades of grass, blew the Night Owl, which was about to land, high into the air.

Gar, who had just pushed off the ground to charge forward, 顺势 leaped into the air; muscles coiled and bulged beneath his armor. The instant he caught the Night Owl, he curled his body and arched his back, his greaves plowing two deep furrows in the grass beside the square, yet he managed not to let the Night Owl suffer a single bit more injury.

Nova ran over, pressing her palms together onto the Night Owl's broken arm, as emerald light symbolizing healing spilled from between her fingers.

The Night Owl seemed not yet to have lost consciousness; seeing her teammates, she couldn't help but show a faint bitter smile.

While stabilizing her injuries, Nova said angrily, "Are you an idiot? With so many experts present, did you need to show off? What was the point?"

The Night Owl explained weakly, "Before... even when I didn't encounter them, I would hide in shadows. I thought if I could detect them, they wouldn't be too strong..."

"Then you should have told us!"

"There was no time; he was preparing to move at that moment..."

"Sigh—" What could Nova say? She could only focus on healing the Night Owl.

Ivan floated up, looking toward the direction of the summoning array.

The thick mist formed by the Shadow Demon suddenly accelerated; within the pitch-black fog, thousands of twisted faces emerged.

A paladin had just raised his tower shield and charged diagonally, but the mist, like a living snake, swept past the shield's edge.

Anti-magic arrows hastily fired by three archers from the Royal City pierced the mist, yet were shredded into dust by the churning demonic energy before reaching the core.

"Holy Light Barrier!"

Brilliant golden light exploded before the priests, but the Shadow Demon suddenly split into seven ghostly figures, cutting into the formation from different angles while wrapped in black smoke.

A young priest, the closest one, suddenly clutched his throat and fell to his knees; his shadow on the ground was strangling his own neck, trying to choke his physical body to death.

The barrier maintained by their combined efforts developed a flaw; before others could act to remedy it, the Shadow Demon had already drilled through.

The Archbishop was still maintaining the final fluctuations of the formation, having no time to attend to anything else, so the gray-robed mage beside him acted.

The oak staff, inlaid with golden magic crystals, erupted with blinding light.

Eighth-tier magic—Light Prison!

Twelve giant swords formed of light broke through the clouds and, with the momentum of thunder, pinned the Shadow Demon's true body into the ground.

From within the churning thick mist, the Shadow Demon's layered mocking voice rang out: "Futile resistance!"

The imprisoned black mist suddenly collapsed inward, then exploded outward with a sudden burst.

The magical energy shockwave shattered the light swords into stardust; the five priests closest to the blast fell backward, blood spurting from their noses and ears.

Even the gray-robed mage stumbled backward half a step.

"Hahahaha!" Having broken through all obstacles, the Shadow Demon laughed wildly and swung his claws toward the person within the formation, "Die, human hero!"

Clang—

A great sword collided with the Shadow Demon's claws, actually holding back his power with sheer force.

"You... you..."

The summoned hero had been thoroughly investigated by the summoner.

A hero who had just descended should only be at LV1.

Even with some powerful divine gifts bestowed, there was no reason to master it so quickly.

Let alone the fact that this fellow blocking him with a great sword did not look like he was using an ability; it looked more like he had taken the attack purely through physical attributes.

The Shadow Demon's brain, composed of elements, spun wildly.

"A... trap?"

"Yo! You black lump, I didn't expect you to be quite smart!"

Duke Amara on the opposite side revealed an excited smile.

"Pity you're not an old bat; I've wanted to tear them apart for a long time."

At this moment, the Shadow Demon had no mind to argue with him; his body contracted, and he tried to flee outward.

The Archbishop before the formation finally completed the final step.

As the scepter struck the ground heavily, a circular light curtain rose from the formation, trapping the Shadow Demon within it without any blind spots.

How could the Shadow Demon not know now that he had fallen for a trap?

What summoning a hero? This was clearly a trap mixed with a teleportation array!

Worse still, another max-level powerhouse who had been hiding within the knight ranks charged out at this moment.

Of the Seven Great Powers of the United Kingdom, more than half have appeared here!?

All just to kill him!

"Eleanor! I know you're here! Come out and help me! There's still a chance to break free!"

Amara laughed wildly, swinging his great sword until it left afterimages, striking the Shadow Demon again and again.

The Shadow Demon, now solely focused on escaping, was suppressed and at a disadvantage.

He could only hope that Eleanor, who had accepted the mission with him, would help him destroy the formation from the outside; only then could he escape after paying a certain price!

But no matter how he screamed, the vampire never appeared—this result he had actually predicted...

"Eleanor! You (elemental profanity)..."

Amidst the chaos, no one noticed a priestess named Mena quietly retreating against the flow of people to the edge of the square.

She then slipped into an alley.

Fortunately, I was a step too slow!

Otherwise, I would have been trapped and killed!

As for saving the Shadow Demon?

She had eaten her fill and was going to risk her life to save it; didn't she see how thoroughly the humans had prepared?

At worst, she'd return and take a beating; nothing was more important than her own life!

Elinor cast one last glance back.

She saw the Shadow Demon, trapped within the light barrier and fighting alone against four opponents of equal strength, finally having its flaw exposed.

The restraining bracelet on its left arm had been smashed to pieces, and its entire form was struggling to be maintained.

Without a shred of guilt, Elinor transformed into a bat and flew away quickly, enduring the slight weakness caused by the sunlight.

All four powerful figures noticed the aura of her transformation, but none paid her any mind.

Chasing her would be futile; the priority was to devour the fat meat right in front of them!

—

In the Western Archipelago, on a certain uninhabited island near the continent, several small boats were moored at the shore.

Few knew that within the island lay a hidden basement.

At this moment, a priest, accompanied by nine priests, had just completed the final arrangements.

On the bluestone floor, drawn with rare materials, was a formation that was not particularly complex relative to its purpose.

One priest asked with some confusion, "Is this really okay? Isn't the array a bit too simple?"

The priest shook his head: "The array itself isn't difficult; what has always been difficult is obtaining the permission of the Lord of Light. After all, summoning a Hero relies on the power of the gods."

He answered the priest's confusion, while also speaking for the others to hear.

He wanted to ensure they wouldn't be distracted during the prayer ahead, causing unnecessary complications.

The priest knelt and prostrated himself first, and devout prayers rose from the mouths of all.

As the chanting grew, the summoning formation began to glow with a pale golden light.

The moment the priest finished his prayer and raised his head, two figures suddenly appeared within the halo—

A tall woman with golden hair and blue eyes, clutching a blood-stained short blade, frowned as she scanned her surroundings.

A middle-aged man with black hair, his trousers half-pulled down, sat on a toilet, his hollow eyes staring fixedly at his crossed hands in a pose of deep thought.

(End of this chapter)