Hence, Angelano’s efforts earlier were pretty much smooth-sailing. But, when the Hell Python appeared, he validated Connoris’ words; Angelano could not keep his peace anymore.
The Hell Python that was 20 to 30 meters long when it rose from the ground was relatively small compared to the Alchemy Colossus. Angelano dodged its venomous spit and smashed his spear into the python. Yet, how would the Hell Python that had the ability to evade the attack of the Shadow Assassins be subjected to Angelano’s spear? Its gigantic and agile body swerved past the spear, and it bit the Alchemy Colossus with its bloodied mouth.
Lin Li knew that the Hell Python would have no chance to leave any bite mark on the Alchemy Colossus as it was so firm. Yet, Angelano saw it differently. Anxiety caused him to release the spear in his hand and grab the neck of the Hell Python. He heaved the python and smashed it in all directions.
Lin Li could not help but feel delighted upon the sight of Angelano’s craze. He was glad that he had maintained a distance with Angelano from the start. Otherwise, it would be inevitable for him to be implicated by his frantic behavior as the gigantic fella was 100 meters tall.
After a period of frantic smashing, Angelano’s was only left with disgusting head of the Hell Python. Around the Alchemy Colossus was a bloodied mess.
The fear within Angelano managed to subside a little after the craze. He let the Alchemy Colossus pick up the spear from the ground. He spun the spear and continued to battle the Zago Demons that charged toward him. The glow on the Alchemy Colossus continued to shine, and a ray of light created a long opening in the black current.
The appearance of the Hell Pythons from the 72nd level of the abyss induced tremendous stress in everyone. Yet, the three Legendary powerhouses, Andoine, Aldwin, and Rosen, were not at a disadvantage when they used their powerful magical domains against the Hell Pythons.
Unlike them, the team of mages that was led by Macklin was under significant pressure. Although the assistance from the Commander’s Badge helped the 150 mages work together as one, and they had no issue casting Legendary spells, they were a hundred-man team, after all. The greater their contact was with the Black Current, the more attacks they had to endure. Not only did they need to deal with the Black Current, they also had to withstand the numerous 100-meter-long Hell Pythons.
It was fortunate that both Andoine and Aldwin had noticed the obstacle the mages were facing. They maintained their magical domains as they moved closer to the mages until the mages were between them. This enabled the two Legendary powerhouses to help to overcome the enemies that were coming from the two ends. Macklin took the chance to rearrange the formation of the team, and finally brought them to safety.
The gradual increase in the number of Hell Pythons added pressure to the men. Rosen’s workload was lighter at the beginning as he was positioned behind Andoine, Aldwin, and the team of mages. Andoine and the rest had helped to withstand a lot of pressure for him. Yet, it was as if the Zago Demons had a battle strategy. While they dealt with the attack from Andoine and the rest of the men, they brought a few more Hell Pythons and led an army of Sickle Black-armored Demon towards Rosen.
It was Rosen’s turn to suffer. Not to mention those Sickle Black-armored Demons, each of the Hell Pythons had Legendary-level abilities. Despite being a level-23 Legendary-mage, Rosen had to exert his full force. He maximized the use of his Element Domain, and let all sort of elements rage up a magic storm that filled the Realm of Magic. Unfortunately, Rosen was too greedy with his magical domain. The magical elements within it did not have enough power to create fast and critical attacks against the Hell Pythons that had natural resistance to magic.
What shocked Rosen was the gigantic shadows flying towards him while he was battling the Hell Pythons. Each figure radiated magical waves of level-21 to level-22.
“Those flying demons have to be the Scourged Ankylodons Connoris was referring to. Just look at how that petty moron is going to suffer!” Angelano spoke to Lin Li gleefully through mental strength as he controlled the Alchemy Colossus to rip off the head of a Hell Python.
The status of the Scourged Ankylodon was much higher than the Hell Python’s in the Zago. Scourged Ankylodon? This meant that they had to be more powerful.
What enabled the Scourged Ankylodons to fly was not their wings, but a membrane that resembled that of insect wings. Although the 62 black membranes seemed to be greatly transparent at the incredible speed, they were not like any membrane that the bugs had. The demonic runes on the membranes empowered them with the strength to cut through metal. They had turned into one of the greatest weapons of the Scourged Ankylodons.
The huge mouthpiece on the head of a Scourged Ankylodon was like a gigantic metal clamp. Despite having tremendous defensive ability, the wyrm could not avoid being bitten by it. The flat neck of the Scourged Ankylodon was like an integration of two Tower Shields, and the countless spikes on both sides were coated with green toxins. The body of a Scourged Ankylodon was unlike the scales of common dragon species. It had an incredibly firm shell unique to the Zago Demon species that could counter magic spells, not to forget the six sturdy sickle-like feet on every Scourged Ankylodon; on top of each of its two forelimbs was a larger serrated sickle, with the power to split a wyrm’s body easily.
Each Scourged Ankylodon had at least a Legendary-level ability, and the stronger ones were at the peak of the Legendary-level. According to Connoris, there was even a Sanctuary-realm Scourged Ankylodon that appeared in the prehistoric times, and its powers were comparable to the ancient dragons’. Tyrant Balak once had a team of Scourged Ankylodons as his guards. They had few opponents in the abyss, and had once almost reached the 90th level of the abyss. If Connoris had not conspired against tyrant Balak and another ancient deity, Balak would have become the owner of level-90 instead of him.
“Who asked him to volunteer as the leader? Did he really think that the Zago Demons are brainless? The intelligence of Zago Lord’s is much higher than any human combat genius’. How could they not know the need to get rid of the leader?” Connoris commented disdainfully.
The Zago Lord whom Connoris was referring to was the gray cloud that covered the void. Despite being a demon without much combat prowess, his intelligence was definitely comparable to the so-called “intelligent species”. His combating intelligence was definitely much higher than a military genius’.
Ordinary demons would be swarming up to their enemies in every battle regardless of their numbers. Despite appearing as a group, they were all fighting as individuals. However, it was not the case for Zago Demons. Under the directions of the Zago Lord, the group of Zago Demons was not a herd of beasts, but a true functional army. The existence of the Zago Lord was the reason why the Zago Demons were one of the most powerful species in the abyss in terms of combat ability.
The Zago species had a lord with perfect intelligence, Scourged Ankylodons with a set of effective combative ability that overpowered dragons, as well as Sickle Black-armored Demons that were unafraid of death and had the ability to multiply at fast speed. If they had not been restrained in the abyss, they would have become the rulers of Anril long ago.
Of course, although Zago Lord was primarily dealing with Rosen, he did not neglect Lin Li and the others. A few Scourged Ankylodons flew over to Lin Li and the other men shortly after. There were also a few gigantic shadows that appeared before the men from the vast horizon of the black current.
Lin Li turned pale when he saw the hill-like shadows from afar. Connoris’ and Angelano’s voice of surprise also rang in his mind.
“Mammoth Behemoth! That’s a freaking Mammoth Behemoth!” Connoris exclaimed in a shrill voice. He could not conceal his astonishment.
Angelano’s inability to act spontaneously due to his fright allowed the Hell Python to trap the leg of the Alchemy Colossus. He had to take some effort to break free from it.
“So what if it is a Mammoth Behemoth? Do not forget that the tyrant Balak has yet to appear. It will be our doom when he does,” replied Lin Li as he gazed into the distance. He was looking at the crystal coffin that was hovering in the air. The vast backdrop of the black current made the coffin extremely striking.
“Could we even survive to see Balak? That bastard Osric, why did he choose such a monstrous place to bury himself when he could’ve been buried everywhere else? It is no wonder that he died an early death!” Angelano scoffed impatiently, and waved his spear to cut the Sickle Black-armored Demon that was charging towards him into pieces.
“Felic, look. Since I can’t help you with anything, why don’t you let me go?” the Fire Demon King said meekly.
“Shut the f*ck up!” Lin Li, Connoris, and Angelano snarled at the Fire Demon King in unison.
At this time, the Scourged Ankylodons have launched their attack on the men. They displayed their terrifying powers as the personal guards of tyrant Balak. The vines in Andoine’s Thorn Domain that were supposed to be stronger than metal were as weak as noodles before the Scourged Ankylodons. Aldwin’s Flaming Storm Domain and continuous fire rain bounced off the bodies of the Scourged Ankylodons, but left no trace on their smooth armored shells.
Under Macklin’s directions, the team of mages tried their best to control the situation, but the combined attack from Scourged Ankylodons resulted in casualties for the team. Seven mages at the sides were sliced into halves by the enormous sickles despite having the protection of the Elemental Shield.
There was a Gordon demon with all sorts of magical metals at Lin Li’s side. Although he had maximized the efficiency of the defense mechanisms, he failed to block the last blow from the Scourged Ankylodons. Great defense also did not save a Humerus Wyrm from having its tail severed by the transparent wing membrane of the Scourged Ankylodon when they battled in the air.
The Hell Python that was controlled by the Lord of Nightmares spat a venomous substance into the sky. That was a substance that could corrode any item. Yet, it was powerless before the Scourged Ankylodon. Dozens of Angels of Light and Dark charged towards the beasts with an explosion aimed to engulf the Scourged Ankylodons, but after the rays of light dispersed, what appeared were the unharmed bodies of the Scourged Ankylodons.
“Connoris, aren’t you a demon deity with a lot of tricks up your sleeves? Think of a way now! If not, we will all be doomed when Balak appears!” Lin Li urged Connoris as he created a Light and Darkness Sword with all his might to slay a Scourged Ankylodon before meeting with another two.
“W-what could I possibly do? I could not even deal with this monstrous Balak as a demon deity. Why did Osric choose such a place? Did he not fear that Balak would dismantle his bones?!” Connoris rattled off anxiously. He felt that any strategy would be futile before this ultimate force.
The Mammoth Behemoths in the distance were like hills rushing towards. Every man knew that their adventure team would be eliminated by the Scourged Ankylodons and Mammoth Behemoths before Balak even arrived.
“Hold on, I think you said something useful,” spoke Lin Li as he raised his brows. He asked, “You were talking about whether Osric would fear Balak dismantle his bones if he put his body here. Do you think Balak is a demon deity who knows how to respect the bodies of other people?”
“What sh*t does he know? If I were him, I would never give up on the crystal coffin!” Connoris exclaimed angrily. Yet, his attitude took a shift when he thought about Lin Li’s reminder. “That’s right. If Balak was here, he would not have kept the crystal coffin in such a great condition. Could it be that he is not here anymore? No, no. I’m clear on how powerful Balak is. No one would be able to do anything to him in the Endless Abyss unless he was as powerful as a Dragon Aspect.”
