My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 103 Goblin Warrior VS Thorn Demon

The Thorn Demon's bone blade is part of its body, and its hardness is comparable to fine steel. However, Max's greatsword is a weapon formed after his ascension, of higher quality, and the combat runes on the blade give it additional destructive power.

A deep cut appeared on the bone blade, and cracks spread like a spider web.

Thorn Demon roared in pain, and simultaneously thrust the bone blade in its right hand toward Max's chest.

But Max did not dodge.

Max's choice is —

We'll tough it out!

puff!

Thorn Demon's bone blade pierced Max's left shoulder.

clanging—

The light from Max's [Blade Protection] had long since dimmed; repeated resistance had exhausted the magic of this trick.

The sharp bone blades clashed against its robes and chainmail, producing a loud thud.

But Max's movements did not stop at all.

It seemed to feel no pain. The muscles in its right hand suddenly bulged, the greatsword rose again, and then a second strike came down!

This time, the target is the right flank root of the Thorn Demon.

Thorn Demon tried to dodge, but its left wing was grazed by the aftershock of the first sword, slowing its movements by half a beat.

The blade cuts in.

It doesn't sever, but cuts deep into the wing bone.

The Thorn Demon let out an extremely shrill scream. Its right wing was almost two-thirds severed by the sword, with only a layer of skin and flesh connecting it.

Dark red blood gushed from the wound like a fountain, raining blood into the air.

Its ability to fly is completely lost.

The Thorn Demon plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily to the ground.

It struggled to stand up, but the injury on its right wing was too severe, and every movement brought excruciating pain.

Max landed steadily, its left shoulder still bleeding, but its eyes remained unchanged.

His crimson eyes stared coldly at the Thorn Demon on the ground, and he gripped his greatsword tightly once more.

At that moment, the spinning shield finally fell.

Max reached out his left hand and caught the shield with precision, his movements so fluid it seemed as if he had rehearsed it a thousand times.

Shield in hand, greatsword in hand.

The goblin warrior stood before the wounded Thorn Demon, like an insurmountable war god.

It was only then that Link realized what had happened.

The young hunter turned around and saw the Thorn Demon lying on the ground ten steps behind him, and Max standing in front of the Thorn Demon. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

If Max had been even a second later—

Link didn't dare to think any further.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, then turned around, nocked another arrow, and aimed at the pass ahead.

The battle is not over yet.

He cannot be distracted.

Meanwhile, at the pass, the moment Max left the defensive line, Ado had already made adjustments.

The ogre's massive body shifted half a step to the right, perfectly filling the gap left by Max.

It no longer stands in the exact center of the pass, but slightly to the left, so that its enormous 3.1-meter body and extremely long arms, along with its thick, long spiked club, can still cover the entire entrance to the pass.

The trajectory of the spiked club's swing also changed—from a wide-ranging sweep to a more precise...

A more rhythmic swing.

Each strike still covered a large area, but Ado began to consciously control the force and angle to ensure that each strike caused maximum damage while minimizing energy consumption.

This adjustment may seem simple, but to do it so quickly and accurately in the heat of battle is almost impossible.

But Ado did it.

This is partly due to Max's talent as a Chapter Leader.

Even though Max was fighting the Thorn Demon in the rear, his invisible command aura still enveloped the entire squad.

A 10% increase in teamwork and command execution efficiency translates to faster reaction times, more precise tactical adjustments, and smoother team collaboration in real-world situations.

Ado may not understand what tactics or teamwork are.

But it could sense what it should do when Max left.

This is an almost instinctive tacit understanding, an invisible bond bestowed upon this squad by the [Clan Leader] talent.

Xiuqi was still standing ten steps behind Ado.

His position was also slightly adjusted, from directly behind to slightly forward, so as to better cover the blind spot where Ado was swinging his spiked club.

Occasionally, a fish that manages to slip through Ador's airtight attack will perish instantly under the "Bavarian Moonlight".

Xiuqi's swordsmanship remained simple and unadorned.

There are no fancy moves, no dazzling skills, only the simplest and most efficient killing techniques.

Thrust, horizontal slash, diagonal sweep, vertical chop—every movement is precise to the millimeter, and every exertion of force is perfectly coordinated.

8 points in Strength ensures every sword strike has sufficient lethality, 9 points in Agility makes movements as smooth as flowing water, and 9 points in Constitution supports sustained combat endurance.

In addition, with the all-around protection provided by [Xiuqi's Primary Deflection Field], Xiuqi's survivability and harvesting efficiency on the battlefield have surpassed most level 1 melee professionals.

More than ten demons have fallen by his sword.

But Xiuqi's gaze never left the overall battlefield.

He was observing, analyzing, and calculating.

The number of demons ahead is approximately sixty.

Behind them, Max was fighting the Thorn Demon, and judging from the sounds, Max had the upper hand.

On the flank, the princess continued to roam in the shadows, taking the life of a demon with each appearance, but the cooldown of [Void Walk] limited her efficiency.

On the treetop, Link's arrows remained accurate, but his quiver was almost empty.

What concerned Xiu Qi the most were the two Thorn Demons deep in the forest outside the pass, who had not yet made a move.

What are they waiting for?

Xiu Qi's brows furrowed slightly.

Just then, Max's triumphant battle cry came from behind.

Xiuqi turned his head and saw the greatsword of the earth goblin warrior being slowly pulled out of the Thorn Demon's chest.

Dark red blood flowed down the blade, the Thorn Demon's body convulsed violently a few times, and then remained completely still.

Max won.

But its left shoulder wound was deep, and dark red blood was still flowing out.

The poison on the Thorn Demon Bone Blade had begun to take effect. The Goblin Warrior's constitution, which was as high as 12 points, gave him some resistance to the poison, but the muscles around the wound had begun to turn black.

Max tore off a strip of cloth, roughly bandaged his wound, then picked up the shield from the ground and turned to walk toward the pass.

Its steps remain steady, and its gaze remains sharp.

It was as if the life-or-death battle just now was merely a warm-up.

Just then, deep in the forest outside the pass, the two Thorn Demons that had been holding back finally made their move.

They did not charge, they did not roar.

They slowly, step by step, emerged from the shadows.

His dark red skin looked like congealed blood under the moonlight, and the thorny bone plates on his back trembled slightly with each step, the bone blades rubbing against each other and making a "crunching" sound.

Their gazes passed over Ado's enormous figure and the corpses of demons scattered on the ground, locking directly onto Max, who had just finished the battle.

Then there's Shooki, Link, and every shadow the princess might be hiding in.

Finally, the two Thorn Demons met eyes, seemingly exchanging a silent message.

The next second, they all opened their mouths at the same time and emitted a low and eerie hiss.

The screech wasn't loud, but it seemed to penetrate the soul and resonate in everyone's mind.

As the screech resounded, all the demons still charging outside the pass suddenly stopped.

The original demons, the cowardly demons, and the lesser demons—a total of sixty lower-level demons—stopped at the same time, as if receiving a unified command, and turned to look at the two thorn demons.

Then, they began to regroup.

It was no longer a chaotic charge, but an organized formation adjustment.

The Primal Demons led the way, forming a solid first line of defense; the Fearful Demons stood in the middle, ready to spew poisonous mist at any moment; and the Lesser Demons followed behind, their hands beginning to make abyssal hand gestures, preparing to unleash small fireballs.

The two Thorn Demons stood at the very back of the demon formation, like generals commanding thousands of troops.

Xiuqi's pupils contracted slightly.

He got it.

That seemingly chaotic charge just now was merely a probe.

Use the lives of lower-level demons to test the strength, tactics, and weaknesses of this squad.

The test is now over.

The real all-out offensive is about to begin.

Those two Thorn Demons clearly possessed intelligence far exceeding that of their ordinary counterparts, and might even have had some ability to command lower-level demons.

This is no longer the Demon Tide.

This is an organized and commanded demon army.

Xiu Qi took a deep breath and gripped the longsword in his hand tightly.

A warm pulse emanated from the rare meditation stone on his chest, its spiritual energy continuously nourishing his mental strength and maintaining the dual consumption of [Blade Protection] and [Primary Deflection Field].

His gaze swept across the battlefield.

Ado stood in the center of the pass, his spiked club planted firmly on the ground, his massive chest rising and falling slightly, but his eyes remained resolute.

Max returned to the defensive line, the bandage on his left shoulder soaked with blood, but his hands still gripped the shield and greatsword firmly.

Link, perched on a treetop, took the last five silver-plated arrows from his quiver and laid them out in a row beside him.

The princess's figure flashed by in the shadows on the right, her silver-gray eyes like two cold stars in the darkness.

Xiuqi slowly raised his left hand, his five fingers spread open.

A pale silver-blue force field circulated around him, and the spiral patterns on the surface of the force field rotated rapidly, forming a miniature force field vortex.

Then, he looked at the two Thorn Demons, at the sixty demons that had regrouped, and at the battlefield soaked in blood.

Come on.

Xiuqi's voice was very soft, but in the deathly silent pass, it was as clear as an icicle falling to the ground.

"Let me see what else you've got up your sleeve."

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