Danche’s current expression was as complicated as the turmoil within his heart.
He had just crossed the bramble-strewn ground created by magic, dodged the tentacles summoned by Theresa, and skirted around Anno’s defensive line. After all this, he finally managed to approach Charles, intending to cleave him down and avenge his chimera. Yet before he could strike, demons suddenly burst forth from the cave and raided their formation from behind, putting their side in grave peril.
And now, at this moment of life and death, his foe—this man from Sein—had taken the initiative to draw enemy fire and helped alleviate part of the crisis?
As furious as he was, the taste in his mouth was indescribably complex, and his greataxe hung in hesitation.
A cry came from behind—satyr matriarch Willo Green Vines: "Stop fighting each other, come help destroy the demons first!"
"The pollution is still spreading—your chimeras will all die at this rate!"
Hearing this, Danche clenched his teeth. As the future leader of the Chimera tribe, that identity prevailed over his personal vendetta, and he suppressed the rage surging from his bond with Barbary. "You’ve just bought yourself a reprieve, Sein-man!"
With that, he spun around and rushed at the demons. "Die, fiends—!"
Further back, Theresa dropped her spellcasting gesture and eyed Danche’s retreating form, voice tinged with taunting: "Looks like you bought yourself a reprieve too, half-orc."
By then, the first hezrou struck by Charles had staggered across the bramble field to this side of the battle. Its feet were torn and dripping with demon ichor, toxic and vile, yet it strode straight through the agony, heading directly for Charles.
Danche, gripping his greataxe and ignoring the pain in his feet, launched himself into the air. The keen blade arced downward for the hezrou’s head!
The hezrou twisted aside, but Danche’s waist snapped around, adjusting his posture at the last second; the blade carved open its shoulder, drawing fresh blood from the demon!
Landing, Danche tumbled through the scorched ground, barely avoiding a counterblow before rising to face this new foe. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel※fire.net
With their leader setting the tone, the other half-orcs—still rampaging—turned against the demons, now intent on slaying fiends as the true priority. Charles continued to unleash Eldritch Blasts, drawing another hezrou toward him to prevent further casualties from these raging monsters.
The next moment, yet more Dretch surged from the cave—howling, they rushed at the battered chimeras and satyrs. Their numbers seemed endless and could barely be culled in time.
Behind, the sudden shift in alliances stunned Anno, but she rallied at once. Seeing demons pouring forth, she gritted her teeth, hefted her shield, and stepped forward—her longsword shining with golden light as she slashed at the hezrou locked in combat with Danche—
Against this golden blade, the hezrou’s skin—which mere axes could scarcely scratch—yielded like butter. The sword’s radiant light scorched its flesh, flames burning deep into the demon’s body!
Searing agony tore at its soul, and the hezrou let out a guttural, toad-like scream: "AAARGH—!"
Pain now whipped the demon into greater rage; it swung a claw the size of a human head at Anno’s body—
Anno raised her shield and blocked the blow, a shriek of tortured metal ringing out. Had it been mere steel, the shield would have been mangled, but hers was a magic shield!
She staggered back a few steps, noting absently that this blow was lighter than the chimera’s earlier charge. Confidence surged in her chest and she called, "Half-orc—!"
"Take your tribesmen and support the rear. I’ll finish this one!"
Without waiting for an answer, she stepped forward—her longsword gleaming with golden fire as it cleaved the hezrou a second time!
Behind her, Danche—who moments ago burned with outrage at losing his prey—glanced back and, seeing the satyrs in dire straits, grudgingly growled, "It’s yours!"
With that, he dodged past two charging hezrou, leading his warriors to reinforce the rear.
Meanwhile, Anno’s Divine Smite fell blow after shining blow on the hezrou!
Earlier, when battling the half-orcs, she’d been frugal—not wasting a single spell slot or using Divine Smite at all.
Paladins are "half-casters", their spellcasting abilities only half that of a true cleric—they unlock 2nd-level spells at level 5, and their spell slots barely match a 3rd-level cleric.
Their limited casting endurance is one of their few weaknesses, requiring careful management to avoid blowing all slots in a flurry of righteous power—leaving nothing but sword swings in the final stretch.
But now, facing demons, Anno had no need to hold back. Blow after blow, Divine Smite lashed out without reservation!
Divine light is anathema to fiends; the hezrou howled in agony, and the war-god-like monster was already teetering after just moments in Anno’s path!
Witnessing this, Charles could only marvel—against demons, Divine Smite truly was the most cost-effective, irreplaceable source of direct damage.
It struck him all the more because he had, before, gained the system’s gift of a 4th-level spell: Staggering Smite. That spell could add both great psychic harm and a terror effect for a full minute.
Yet against demons, Divine Smite easily rivaled it for raw damage. While it lacked the terror effect, Staggering Smite cost six spell slots, while Divine Smite required only two!
Three times the spell slot expenditure was no contest.
Moreover, Staggering Smite was a spell—easily countered by spells like Counterspell (3rd-level) or Globe of Invulnerability (6th-level).
But Divine Smite wasn’t a spell, but a paladin class feature, learned at level 2...
The strength of paladins was truly enviable.
Thinking this, Charles strode forward, let loose four more Eldritch Blasts to bring the hezrou near death, then called out: "Anno, don’t kill it—leave this one for me!"
Danger still loomed, but he desperately needed Purification Points!
Before him, Anno raised her golden longsword, ready to strike, but at his words, she held back: "Understood!"
She let the golden radiance fade from her blade, raised her shield, and hurried off to engage another hezrou.
Charles strode up, summoned his own longsword and shield, closed in and drove his burning blade at the hezrou—
The flaming blade bit deep into demon flesh; though demon hide was resistant to fire, Charles’s killing edge was more than just heat. His eyes flashing, he roared: "Purified!"
Gentle, purifying white light enveloped the wounded hezrou. The hulking demon, its body already battered, recoiled in a primal terror—here was pain that struck straight to its soul, a horror it had never known!
It lashed out with its claw at Charles’s back—
He raised his magic shield and blocked the blow, though a second claw punched through layers of protective force. Armor of Agathys froze the demon’s claw, but the hezrou—along with the bonus from False Life—vanished into nothing!
The destructive power of a hezrou, Charles realized, was even more terrifying than he’d expected!
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