Chapter 112: The Soul-Enchanting Solo

"Put it away for now. I can still fight." Hua Ze handed the divine power recovery potion back to Hua Jing. Strength began to surge back into his previously drained body; the recovery rate of a Divine Blessing-tier warrior was already dozens of times faster than those below that rank, and with Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s Requiem amplifying the effect, his divine power was replenishing rapidly.

"Captain." Man Yutong and Wang Mingyue gathered around him.

"Hahaha, let’s go together and beat these damned monsters back!" The extinguished flames reignited as Hua Ze hoisted his massive flaming sword and charged toward the South Gate.

"Understood." Wang Mingyue vanished silently, ripples barely visible to the naked eye streaking toward the gate. Man Yutong’s eagle wings flapped as she soared through the air. Hua Jing stepped onto the crystal wall she had manifested, controlling it to glide forward at high speed.

"Xiaoyuan." Wen Hui looked back at Zhuang Xiaoyuan. A gentle breeze began to swirl around her, lifting her body into the sky.

"Yes, let's go." Surrounded by her floating keyboard of light, Zhuang Xiaoyuan tapped her right foot against the ground and ascended. Among the highest-tier races of the Date World, the ten Spirits ranked according to the Tree of Life all possessed the innate ability to fly, in addition to their unique powers.

However, before the group could arrive, someone else had already taken the initiative. "Roar, Blazing Red Dragon!" With the flash of a strange, glowing magic circle, a sizable red lizard dragon appeared before the South Gate. The moment it materialized, it opened its maw toward the nearby Burrowing-tier demon and unleashed a torrent of scorching dragon breath.

It was Du Qiying, who had not participated in the earlier battle. Because he had relied on his summons to ensure the guardians’ safe return, his divine power had been severely depleted, leaving him at the South Gate to recover. He had not expected that, shortly after the team inside neutralized the young evil god fused with a Burrowing-tier demon, another one would attack from the outside.

The sudden assault by the Burrowing-tier demon caught everyone at the South Gate off guard. They had no defensive measures in place, as the creature had tunneled directly from beneath the earth, remaining undetected until it erupted through the ground, breaching the gate instantly.

Ordinary firearms were ineffective against a Burrowing-tier demon. As it stepped forward, the hole in the wall grew larger, and more demons flooded in. With only half his divine power restored, Du Qiying had no choice but to bite the bullet and face the threat. Though he was only at the Lower Divine Grace tier and could not possibly kill the creature alone, he could at least stall it for a while.

"Graaa!" Faced with the incoming dragon breath, the Burrowing-tier demon roared and spat out a glob of 'saliva.' A spray of yellow dust erupted from its maw, instantly extinguishing the flames upon contact. The dust continued its momentum, coating the red dragon Du Qiying had summoned. A sickening crunching sound echoed as the dragon's body began to harden and petrify.

With the flames gone, the Burrowing-tier demon lunged forward. Its razor-sharp mantis-like forelimbs slashed into the petrified dragon. With a thunderous boom, the stone shattered; the dragon, once trapped, was freed, but a deep, abdominal wound now marred its body. Having taken a direct hit, the red dragon collapsed, gasping and unable to continue fighting.

"Ah, Little Red! Damn it. Armed Summoning: Starlight." Du Qiying winced as he recalled his injured companion. His strongest summon had been defeated in a single strike. Even though the dragon was still a juvenile, it had unleashed dragon breath—and yet, the Burrowing-tier demon had countered it with ease. Witnessing its power again, Du Qiying realized this one was far stronger than the partially evolved one they had faced before.

Recognizing the danger, Du Qiying chose not to summon another combat-focused mount, opting instead for a Starlight Unicorn specialized in mobility. Dressed in white knight’s armor, he summoned his exclusive cavalry lance and mounted the beast, looking every bit the prince on a white horse—though he lacked any of the actual princely charm.

"Get back, you monster!" As Du Qiying began to harass and obstruct the demon with the unicorn, the rest of the Guardian Squad arrived. Hua Ze led the charge with his flaming greatsword, followed closely by Wang Mingyue and Man Yutong, while Hua Jing stayed at the rear, ready to provide defense and support. The Maple City Guardian Squad was a well-rounded unit.

With an offensive powerhouse, a defensive and control specialist, mid-to-long-range attackers, stealthy assassins, mobile shock troops, and Wen Hui’s harassment tactics, they were a perfectly balanced combat team.

"Hui, leave the Burrowing-tier demon to you all. I'll handle the rest." Zhuang Xiaoyuan, who had flown back with Wen Hui, glanced down at the battle and spoke before diving toward the breach created by the demon.

"Xiaoyuan... I'll leave it to you, then." Noting Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s calm expression, Wen Hui said nothing more and joined the fray against the Burrowing-tier demon.

"Mm." With a light acknowledgment, Zhuang Xiaoyuan descended into the middle of the swarm of soldier and general-tier demons. A yellow sound-pipe burst from the ground before her, its muzzle aimed at her lips, while others materialized around her, pointing at the surrounding crowd of demons. "Solo: Everyone, stop!"

At her command, her voice was amplified through the pipes, echoing into the ears of every soldier and general-tier demon that had breached the wall. They all froze in their tracks. Even the evil gods commanding from atop several demons ceased their orders, staring at Zhuang Xiaoyuan with blank, vacant expressions.

"Everyone together, throw these Chariot-tier demons out." Seeing the surrounding demons obey, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s face relaxed slightly as she pointed at the immobilized Chariot-tier demons and issued her first order.

Though she had managed to control the Chariot-tier demons, she could feel that the connection was less stable than with the lesser demons, as if they might break free at any moment. Thus, her priority was to expel them first.

The soldier and general-tier demons followed her command, working together to grab the Chariot-tier demons and toss them out. The temporarily controlled Chariot-tier monsters offered no resistance, making the process easy, though more uncontrolled demons continued to squeeze through the breach from the outside.