Liam, realizing his earlier attempt had failed, shifted his focus. He needed a new strategy, and fast. His eyes darted around the chamber, searching for any sign of weakness or something that he could break and make the array weaker and his life easier.
But this time too he ended with a blank. It looked like going in with full strength was the only solution here which did not bode well for the other floors. "Damn it." Liam cursed. With this, he would have used up all the trump cards he had in his sleeve. What was he going to do on the subsequent floors? Was his climb already coming to an end in the third segment? Had he reached his limit?
However, this was not the time to worry about these things. He first had to clear this floor. Facing this sort of group attack was new for him. Even though their individual strength was not impressive, they somehow became the toughest opponents he had faced so far by pure coordination efforts. This was in a way eye-opening for Liam. If Crimson Abyss could have a few units such as this then their power could also increase several folds.
But nothing can be without a weakness, especially an overpowered technique . Sooner or later a glaring weakness should pop out.
And if not he was determined to make one himself through sheer force.
"Come on!" Liam grunted and started adding more fuel and power to his impregnable nether fortress. He had experimented with this back in the slaughter trials and this was currently his strongest attack and defense.
Immediately, the tall and sturdy nether fortress walls started emitting a frigid aura. The strong walls that bore the relentless barrage of lightning bolts became several folds stronger.
Liam knew that to break through their defenses, he needed not only brute force but also precision. He focused the frigid energy, channeling it into a single, concentrated point on the nether fortress's wall.
Then, with a roar that echoed through the chamber, he unleashed a torrent of nether energy and icy cold energy, not outward but inward, compressing it to its limit before letting it all explode into one big shockwave.
Rays of nether and ice combined together pelted on the enemy group with a ferocity far greater than that of the lightning bolts. The shockwave, infused with both the destructiveness of nether energy and the piercing chill of ice, was unlike anything the attackers had faced before. It tore through their coordinated defense as if it were paper, disrupting their formation and breaking their concentration.
The cultists, caught off guard by the sudden counterattack, scrambled to maintain their spells and incantations, but the cohesion was lost. The icy nether shockwave didn't just disrupt their physical positions; it seeped into some of their magical constructs, freezing and shattering the links that bound their collective power.
With their group technique broken, the cultists were exposed. Liam didn't hesitate. He surged forward, his sword a blur of motion as he capitalized on their disarray. Each strike was precise, aimed at incapacitating or eliminating his foes with minimal effort. The once formidable group was quickly being whittled down under his relentless assault.
However, the good times did not last long. The cultists seemed to have their own backup because another purple lightning shield sprang up in no time and Liam couldn't get to the center of the formation in time.
Well, in reality, he did not know if the figurative center of the formation was the true center of the formation. He could only go with the position of the leader, assuming that to be the center. But before he could reach this point and cull down the cultists at the location, he was once again forced back thanks to the newly erected shield. A bolt of energy came in from somewhere in the corner and gave another life to the shield. It crackled aggressively with purple lightning arcs, actively seeking to repel or harm anyone who dared to come close. Liam recoiled from the intensity of the shield's energy. However, he was not fazed. He knew what he had to do. The last time he had taken down some of the cultists and the next time he needed to take down some more. This was a fight of attrition and he had to slowly whittle down the cultists. Even if he couldn't figure out the array or the backups as long as he took down all of the cultists, it was going to be his win.
Liam's resolve hardened as he prepared for the next wave of his assault. He once again charged his attack of nether and ice combined and set up his dao field. Another shockwave erupted and the cultists struggled to withstand the brunt of his attack. The array had considerably weakened since the first time he had faced. It was only going to be easier and easier now.
However, going at his full strength repeatedly, summoning two dao fields at their strongest, while superimposing them was also not an easy task. Liam was panting and heaving as he felt his body tremble from the impact.
His reserves were running low and he would soon be depleted in a couple more tries. He needed to finish this fast right here and now. He had to make this attack count.
Liam charged forward ruthlessly and attacked everyone like a rampaging monster. His sword danced at a pace he had never done before. He was pushing himself to the limit. The fruits of his labor were soon evident as the cultists' ranks began to thin out.
Finally, with a thunderous cry that seemed to shake the very foundations of the ruins, Liam launched a final, desperate attack directly at the heart of the shield. The combined forces of ice and nether energy converged into a single, devastating blow.
The shield shattered with a sound like the world breaking apart, its fragments of purple lightning dissipating into nothingness.
Now Liam could clearly see what was in front of him. A few leftover cultists and a weird statue. He did not know what it was but it couldn't be anything good.
The statue was no match for Liam's next strike. As his sword connected, the statue exploded in a burst of dark energy, rendering the cultists' last line of defense useless.
In the aftermath, silence fell over the chamber. His assumption had been correct. The statue was somehow empowering the cultists.
The cultists, leaderless and broken, were quickly subdued and slaughtered. Every last one of them was taken care of. The entire place was laid to waste.
Liam stood amidst the chaos, his chest heaving with exertion, but his eyes burned with victory. He had done it. The array was dismantled, the cultists defeated, and the path forward was clear. The golden glow also started to envelop him but right at this time, a voice sounded.
"That was a pathetic display. You are weak."