My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 138 Encirclement! The Beasts' Deathmatch

The ape demon's body drew a ferocious arc in the air, its giant claws covered with dark brown fur opened, the sharp claws at its fingertips flashing with a poisonous cold light, only ten feet away from Xiu Qi's chest!

The wind was torn apart by the giant claws, emitting a piercing shriek, and carrying with it the stench of sulfur and blood from the abyss.

Xiuqi held the Bavarian Moonlight firmly in his hand, his body beneath the gray robe not retreating an inch, and not even a ripple appeared in his calm eyes.

At this critical moment, a nine-foot-tall bronze figure appeared and crashed into the ape demon's charging trajectory from the side!

It's Max!

The goblin warrior, having completed a two-star epic-level upgrade, now had his full-body cloak and chainmail gleaming with a cold, hard metallic luster in the twilight. His bulging muscles stretched the armor almost to its limit, and a ghostly green poisonous light flowed incessantly from the pair of curved battle horns on his head.

Unlike Ado, he didn't choose to block head-on. Instead, he suddenly lowered his body at the moment of charging, and swept his six-foot-long two-handed greatsword across the ground, the blade aimed directly at the unprotected ankle of the ape demon in mid-air!

This sword strike was extremely tricky, hitting the exact point where the ape demon's old power was exhausted and its new power had not yet been generated.

The ape demon's pupils shrank sharply. It had never expected that this earth goblin's agility could reach such a terrifying level—that was a body weighing over a thousand pounds leaping through the air. Even the most elite human rangers might not be able to seize such a precise opening in such an instant.

It could only forcefully twist its waist, and the giant claw that was originally stabbing at Xiuqi hurriedly pressed down, trying to block this sweeping attack.

clang-!!!

The blade clashed with the claws, unleashing a deafening metallic clang, sparks exploding in the twilight like fireflies dancing in the sky.

The ape demon's body was thrown off balance in mid-air by the skillful force of the sword, and it crashed heavily to the ground, its feet carving two deep furrows several feet long before it could barely regain its footing.

It looked down at its ankle, where the blade had slashed open a deep wound that exposed bone. A ghostly green toxin was spreading wildly along the wound, causing a numbing, stinging pain throughout its leg.

"Damn ants!" The ape demon roared deafeningly, its eyes, burning with dark red flames, fixed on Max, filled with raging fury.

It has lived for hundreds of years, growing up in the battles of the abyss and reaping lives in countless dimensional invasions. How could it have ever been forced into such a miserable state by a mere goblin?

Max slowly straightened up, his scarlet eyes showing no fear, but rather an almost icy fighting spirit.

He held his greatsword horizontally in front of him and raised his tower shield with his left hand.

His strength was indeed slightly weaker than that of the Ape Demon, but only by a fraction.

With the attribute boost from the two-star epic enhancement, coupled with the combat prediction and battlefield insight brought by the [Warband Leader] talent, he didn't need to engage in a meaningless brute-force battle with the Ape Demon.

The ape demon's massive body unleashed a speed completely disproportionate to its size, charging straight towards Max like a runaway battering ram.

The two giant claws attacked Max simultaneously from two tricky angles, cutting through the air with a whistling sound, sealing off all his escape routes.

But Max's movements were as nimble as a ghost.

Instead of taking the two heavy blows head-on, he used extremely delicate small steps, his body sliding half a step to the side like a willow leaf in the wind, just enough to avoid the ape demon's left claw. At the same time, the tower shield in his hand suddenly rose up, blocking the heavy blow from the right claw.

boom! ! !

The giant claw slammed into the tower shield, causing the entire shield surface to cave in instantly, creaking under the weight.

Using the momentum, Max rolled backward, narrowly avoiding the ape demon's follow-up tail slash. At the same time, he thrust his greatsword backhand, the tip of the blade precisely piercing the ape demon's ribs where Ado had just injured it.

puff!

The blade pierced the old wound, and the ape demon let out a painful roar, its massive body staggering back half a step. It looked down at the dark red blood gushing from its ribs, then looked up at the slippery earth spirit, its anger almost tangible.

Each of its heavy blows seemed to hit cotton; despite having the advantage in strength, it could never truly hurt its opponent.

Max is like a top-notch bullfighter, always able to dodge its sharp edge at the most dangerous moment, and then strike with the most lethal blow.

The two, one human and one demon, engaged in a fierce battle on this land soaked in blood.

The ape demon's attacks were as fierce as a torrential downpour, each strike possessing the power to split mountains and shatter rocks; Max's defense, however, was impenetrable, and his counterattacks were precise and ruthless, his blade always locked onto the ape demon's wounds, and the eerie green toxins accumulated more and more in its body.

In just a few dozen seconds, the two had exchanged dozens of blows. The ape demon had three or four more wounds, and its breathing had gradually become heavy.

Max also had several claw marks on his body, but he remained firmly between the ape demon and Xiuqi, without retreating an inch.

Just as Max and the Ape Demon were locked in a stalemate, on the other side of the battlefield, the encirclement and suppression of the remaining demons had entered a fierce stage.

Gareth leaned on his hammer and took a deep breath.

The divine spell that Selena had just chanted landed on him, and the soft white light soothed his wounds. The pain from the fractured bone in his left arm caused by the tentacles was greatly reduced, and the bleeding from the penetrating wound in his right abdomen also stopped.

The level 3 shield master's formidable physique recovered rapidly under the blessing of divine magic, and his previously numb arm was once again filled with strength.

He raised his head and looked at the four snarling Thorn Demons not far away, as well as the Beard Demons behind them, who were wildly waving their tentacles. A cold killing intent flashed in his eyes.

"Listen up, everyone!" Gareth's roar, like a warhammer striking an anvil, exploded across the battlefield. "Work together to kill that wounded Thorn Demon on the far left! Shieldbearers in front, archers suppressing the enemy, roamers looking for opportunities to flank!"

Having gone through the previous battles, the thirty-odd adventurers had already developed a tacit understanding.

Upon hearing the command, Cade immediately led the shield warriors of Squad 31 forward, forming an unbreakable shield wall with Gareth and the champion defender captain of Squad 13.

Although Cad's shield was shattered, he now held a short sword and stood shoulder to shoulder with another shield warrior. The hideous scar on his face revealed a fierce and fearless nature in the twilight.

The Level 2 Champion Defender Captain of Squad 13 stood like an iron tower at the very front of the shield formation.

The burly man was covered in blood, and the wound on his left arm was still bleeding, yet he still wielded the greatsword in his hand with impenetrable skill.

A Thorn Demon attempted to break through the shield array, its bone blade aimed at his head. He neither dodged nor evaded, but instead swung his greatsword horizontally, forcefully deflecting the bone blade. At the same time, he took a half step forward with his left foot, slamming his shoulder into the Thorn Demon's chest.

boom!

The Thorn Demon was knocked back, and the Champion Defenders captain seized the opportunity, slashing down with his greatsword and severing one of its arms at the shoulder!

"Well done!" Gareth roared, his mace following closely behind, smashing into the head of the Thorn Demon, splattering its brains and killing it instantly.

This is the first Thorn Demon to fall since the start of the siege.

The morale of the shield formation soared instantly!

"The second one! The one right in front!" Gareth's command rang out again.

The shield array advanced steadily, like a moving steel wall, forcing the three Thorn Demons and one Beard Demon to retreat continuously.

The Thorn Demon's bone blades and tail spikes pounded wildly against the shield, producing a continuous series of muffled thuds, but it was still unable to break through the defense.

The archers in the back row were already poised to fire.

Captain Allen and Level 3 Ranger Leah stood side by side, their longbows drawn to their full length, the silver arrows gleaming coldly in the twilight.

"The second one from the left!" Allen whispered.

Leah nodded slightly, adjusting the arrow at her fingertips.

call out!call out!

The two arrows left the bowstring almost simultaneously, drawing two precise arcs in the air.

Allen's arrow struck the Thorn Demon's left knee with pinpoint accuracy, the silver-plated arrowhead piercing through its knee joint; Lydia's arrow followed closely behind, piercing its right knee!

Two crisp sounds rang out simultaneously, and the Thorn Demon's legs instantly lost their support, causing it to scream and fall to its knees.

"Druid!" Gareth shouted.

The level 2 druid immediately formed hand seals and chanted a difficult nature prayer.

Countless thick vines instantly sprouted from the ground, coiling around the kneeling Thorn Demon like venomous snakes, binding it tightly. The sharp thorns on the vines pierced its flesh deeply, making it unable to even struggle.

"superior!"

The captain of the 25th squad of wanderers sprang out of the shadows like a ghost, his twin short swords gleaming with a poisoned light, and precisely pierced the Thorn Demon's eyes.

The Thorn Demon let out an extremely shrill scream, its body twisting wildly, but it remained completely immobilized by the vines.

The brown bear let out a deafening roar, its massive body charging forward, its two giant claws slamming into the Thorn Demon's head.

Click!

The sound of skull shattering was clearly audible, and the Thorn Demon's struggles ceased instantly, its breath completely gone.

In just two minutes, the two Thorn Demons died one after another.

Fear finally appeared in the eyes of the remaining two Thorn Demons and the Bearded Demon. They began to retreat frantically, trying to escape this hellish battlefield.

"Don't let them get away!" Cade roared, leading his warriors over the shield wall and chasing after the retreating demons.

Gareth took the lead, his shield slamming into a fleeing Thorn Demon, sending it flying. His mace followed closely, smashing into its chest.

The captain of the champion defenders entangled another Thorn Demon, his greatsword constantly leaving new wounds on its body as he swung it.

The demon was now completely terrified. Its tentacles lashed wildly in front of it, trying to stop the approaching adventurers. The ten tentacles, like ten venomous snakes, kept stabbing at the warriors charging at the front.

"Archers! Suppress it!" Gareth shouted.

Allen and Leah exchanged a glance, and then drew their longbows again.

Allen drew two arrows at once, nocked them on the bowstring, and pulled the longbow to its limit, a sharp glint in his eyes characteristic of a ranger.

The same was true for Leah; the tips of the three arrows were locked onto the eyes and knees of the demon.

"put!"

Whoosh whoosh—!!

Five arrows were released at the same time, weaving together in the air to form a deadly rain of arrows!

The demon frantically waved its tentacles, trying to block the arrows. But its tentacles were ultimately a step too slow.

The first arrow struck its left eye with pinpoint accuracy, the silver-plated arrowhead piercing through its eye socket and penetrating deep into its brain!

The second arrow struck its right knee, the arrowhead shattering its kneecap!

The third arrow struck its left knee, piercing through the knee joint as well!

The remaining two arrows, one pierced its chest and the other embedded itself in its waving tentacle, pinning it firmly to the ground!

"Aww!!!"

The demon let out a bloodcurdling scream. Having lost its eyes, it could see nothing. Its knees were shattered, and it collapsed heavily to the ground, its massive body crashing to the earth and raising a cloud of dust.

Its remaining tentacles flailed wildly in the air, but it couldn't find a target to attack.

"kill!!!"

At Gareth's command, dozens of adventurers swarmed forward.

Greatswords, maces, short swords, battle axes... countless weapons fell simultaneously, raining down on the demon's body.

Dark purple blood gushed out, staining the ground beneath him. In just a few seconds, this level 3 challenge elite demon was chopped into mincemeat by the enraged adventurers.

The last Thorn Demon fell to the Champion Defenders captain's greatsword a dozen seconds later.

Thus, the six Thorn Demons and two Beard Demons that besieged Xiuqi's team were completely wiped out.

More than thirty adventurers stood amidst the corpses of demons, panting heavily, their bodies stained with dark red and dark purple blood.

They looked at each other, their eyes first filled with relief at surviving the ordeal, then burst into thunderous cheers!

"We won! We won!"

"Kill them all! We've killed all these demons!"

Sim raised his chipped greatsword high, roaring excitedly. His young face was covered in blood, yet it shone with an unprecedented brilliance.

Blake and Lynn patted each other on the shoulder and laughed, but tears streamed down their faces uncontrollably.

Gareth leaned on his mace, looking at the demon corpses scattered on the ground, then at Max who was fighting the ape demon not far away, and at Ado who had stood up again, his eyes filled with awe.

He took a deep breath, raised his mace high, and shouted to all the adventurers, "Everyone! Follow me! Help Captain Xiuqi!"

Kill that ape demon!

"kill!!!"

More than thirty adventurers responded in unison, their voices resounding through the sky.

They gripped their weapons tightly and followed Gareth, surging towards the ape demon like a tidal wave.

At this moment, the battle between Max and the Ape Demon has entered its most dangerous phase.

The ape demon was completely enraged.

It abandoned all fancy moves and began a relentless, all-out attack.

Each swing of those giant claws carried earth-shattering power, while its tail spikes, like venomous snakes, relentlessly searched for Max's weaknesses, and its mouth constantly spewed out corrosive abyssal breath.

Max's breathing gradually became heavy.

Although the epic-level enhancement greatly improved his attributes, the Ape Demon was still a mid-level demon of Challenge Level 5. The powerful physique and combat instincts bestowed by the Abyss were not so easily negated.

In a head-on collision, the ape demon's giant claw slammed into Max's tower shield.

Bang-!!!

This attack concentrated all of the Ape Demon's power, instantly shattering the already cracked tower shield, sending fragments flying everywhere. The immense impact traveled through Max's entire body from his arm, sending him staggering back seven or eight steps like a kite with a broken string before he could barely regain his footing.

He looked down at his chainmail, where several huge dents were clearly visible on his chest—marks left by the giant claws of the ape demon.

A tearing pain shot through the muscles beneath the chainmail, and the hand gripping the greatsword trembled slightly. The web between the thumb and forefinger was split open, and blood dripped slowly down the hilt.

The ape demon looked at Max, who was staggering backward, and a ferocious smile appeared on its lips, with a hint of smugness in its eyes.

So what if this goblin is cunning? Before absolute power, all skills are futile.

One more blow and I can completely tear this eyesore of an ant to shreds, and then go and kill that gray-robed youth.

It moved with heavy steps, closing in on Max, its muscles bulging again, ready to launch the final attack.

But just as it looked up, it suddenly felt a strong gust of wind sweep past behind it!

The wind came so suddenly and so swiftly, carrying with it a fierce killing intent that it was all too familiar with, belonging to that ogre!

The ape demon's pupils shrank suddenly, and without thinking, he raised his arm to block!

clang-!!!

The spikes of the mace pierced its raised giant arm, penetrating deep into the bone! Dark red blood gushed out instantly, splattering all over the ground.

The ape demon let out a painful roar that shook the mountains and forests. It never expected that the ogre that it had knocked away and that should have been completely incapacitated would actually stand up again!

Ado stood behind the ape demon, his ten-foot-tall body swaying precariously. There was hardly a patch of intact skin on his body, and his robes and chainmail were soaked in blood and tattered.

Blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth, but his small, clear yellow eyes burned with an indomitable will, like two flames that would never be extinguished.

The moment he was knocked away by the ape demon, his consciousness almost vanished into darkness.

But when he heard the ape demon's roar, saw Xiu Qi still standing in the same spot, and saw Max facing the ape demon alone, the loyalty that came from the depths of his soul pulled him back from the brink of unconsciousness.

The ogre picked up the spiked club that had fallen into the pool of blood, and dragged his almost broken body step by step to the back of the ape demon.