Chapter 87 – Battle Against the Second-Order Demon

Cheng Yang and his companions were far superior to ordinary combatants. Chen Yun and the others had already acquired full sets of Black Iron equipment, and while Bronze equipment was scarce, each of them possessed one or two pieces. If not for the restriction that prevented territory guards from leaving their domain, Cheng Yang was absolutely confident that their five-man team could conquer Xiangcheng City’s main stronghold.

“Let’s eliminate the other lesser demons first, then we’ll strategize further,” Cheng Yang immediately ordered.

Chen Yun and the other three naturally had no objections. These demonic beasts, whose strength peaked at first-order pinnacle, posed little challenge to them. Back when they were still high-level apprentices, they had single-handedly slain first-order pinnacle lesser demons.

The subsequent battles confirmed this. The ordinary lesser demons in each courtyard were swiftly dealt with by Cheng Yang’s team. Even the first-order pinnacle lesser demon encountered before the next checkpoint was eliminated in a single coordinated attack.

In less than ten minutes, they had pushed through to the final prayer hall of the Bloody Church. By then, they had already acquired two excellent pieces of equipment, both Silver-grade.

*The first clear of a Nightmare-difficulty dungeon really does yield great rewards,* Cheng Yang thought.

Cheng Yang naturally took the Sage’s Necklace, boosting his attack by 2 points. The Tree Spirit Bow went to Xu Wu, the team’s sole archer. This bow provided 3 more attack points than his previous Black Iron bow, making it an exceptionally powerful weapon.

As Cheng Yang gazed at the prayer hall before him, a slight chill ran down his spine.

In his previous life, Cheng Yang had participated in the Nightmare-difficulty Bloody Church dungeon, but only as a minor player. That battle had given him a profound understanding of the power of second-order demonic beasts. Moreover, this lesser demon leader wasn’t just any leader—it had a boss template.

“Chen Yun, can you withstand this lesser demon’s attacks?” Cheng Yang quietly asked his companion.

Chen Yun replied, “This demon uses physical attacks. My base physical defense is 17 points, which can reach 18 with Zeng Yue’s priest buffs. In armored areas, my defense is at least 20 points. The demon’s maximum damage per hit would be around 60 points. With my current health, I can endure up to five hits. That’s assuming I get hit every time, and we have health potions and Zeng Yue’s healing skills. I should be able to hold out. Plus, with my combat skills, even if the demon is at second-order initial stage, it would be hard to knock me back.”

Cheng Yang nodded, trusting Chen Yun’s assessment.

“Alright, Cao Cun’s summoned beast will draw aggro first. Then you’ll use Charge to stun it. I’ll save my Freezing Spell for emergencies. This will be a straight-up fight,” Cheng Yang instructed. “Cao Cun, manage your summoned beast carefully. Summon it now, and we’ll start the fight once your skills are off cooldown.”

Cao Cun quickly nodded and waved his staff, summoning a robust Shadow Wolf. This first-order pinnacle Shadow Wolf was significantly larger than those summoned by ordinary summoners.

Meanwhile, Zeng Yue cast Angel’s Inspiration on Cao Cun. The rest of the team had already received this buff earlier in the battle, and its ten-minute duration meant it was still active.

A minute after the Shadow Wolf appeared, Cao Cun directed it to charge at the prayer hall’s entrance. In an instant, the wolf reached the doors, triggering a thunderous roar from within that shook the entire dungeon.

“Prepare for battle!” Cheng Yang shouted as a massive, two-meter-tall lesser demon burst forth from the hall.

Chen Yun sprang into action, raising his shield and charging forward like a meteor, slamming into the demon as it emerged from the doorway.

Despite its formidable strength, the demon couldn’t react in time against Chen Yun’s 300% speed boost. Its imposing stance crumbled as if it had suddenly fallen asleep.

The rest of the team didn’t idle. As Chen Yun moved, they unleashed their attacks on the demon leader, including the Shadow Wolf serving as bait. Zeng Yue timely cast Holy Protection, boosting Chen Yun’s defense.

The first round of attacks drained over 150 health points from the Shadow Wolf, as only Cheng Yang, Cao Cun, and Xu Wu managed to damage the demon leader.

A second later, the demon shook off its stun and, in a rage, ignored all other targets, thrusting its short spear at Chen Yun.

Anticipating this, Chen Yun pushed his shield forward, then deftly withdrew it in a specific rhythm as the spear struck, dispersing the force and preventing himself from being knocked back.

This wasn’t a skill but a combat technique essential for any shield warrior aiming to fulfill the tank role. If a warrior couldn’t withstand attacks stronger than themselves without being sent flying, they were practically useless.

Failing to land a hit, the demon raised its spear again, this time aiming for Chen Yun’s shoulder from the side. It seemed to have fixated on Chen Yun, forgetting about the Shadow Wolf to its left and ignoring Cheng Yang and the others dealing more damage.

Chen Yun’s movements were slightly slower than the demon’s. While he had blocked the initial attack with apparent ease, his arm still took a toll. Unable to dodge the sideways thrust, the spear pierced his left shoulder.

“Ugh…” Chen Yun grimaced in pain, but thanks to the world’s rules, the demon’s spear only dealt 59 damage without severing his arm.

Simultaneously, Cheng Yang and the others launched another round of attacks, and Chen Yun counterattacked. In that instant, the demon leader lost another 200 health points.

The demon retaliated, but this time it targeted the Shadow Wolf instead of Chen Yun.

Seizing the opportunity, Zeng Yue cast Healing Light, fully restoring Chen Yun’s health, then began applying Holy Protection to the team.

After five rounds of attacks, Xu Wu’s Shadow Wolf perished, and the demon leader had lost nearly 1,000 health points. Combined with the previous two rounds, the demon’s health had dropped by a quarter.

However, the moment the Shadow Wolf died, the demon leader lost its primary target and immediately turned its vicious gaze toward Cheng Yang, who had dealt the most damage.

Chen Yun, with his combat experience, instantly recognized the demon’s intent. He swiftly positioned himself in front of the demon leader and slashed at its waist with his steel blade.

Even after taking the hit, the demon leader remained determined to bypass Chen Yun and pursue Cheng Yang.

But Chen Yun wasn’t so easily circumvented. As an SS-grade talent territory guard summoned from the Guardian Hall, he was a combat prodigy. The moment the demon moved, Chen Yun shifted his footing and blocked its path again, though he couldn’t immediately strike back.

While the demon leader was occupied with Chen Yun, Cheng Yang and the others continued their relentless assault.

Realizing it couldn’t get past Chen Yun to attack the others, the demon leader raised its spear, which now glowed with an eerie light, and brought it down in a powerful overhead strike aimed at Chen Yun’s head.

Seeing this, Chen Yun knew the attack was no ordinary strike, but dodging was nearly impossible. He quickly raised his shield to block.

“Clang!” A deafening metallic clash reverberated through the air, lingering in everyone’s ears.

The moment the spear struck, Chen Yun was completely stunned. The demon leader’s attack wasn’t a normal strike but a heavy blow with a dazing effect.

The demon leader seemed to smirk as it swung its spear horizontally, intending to sweep Chen Yun aside like trash.

If Chen Yun were hit, he would undoubtedly be sent flying, disrupting the team’s formation and potentially losing control of the battlefield.

At that critical moment, Cheng Yang acted. A chilling light enveloped the demon leader, and the temperature in the area dropped significantly as the creature was frozen in place.

The team didn’t waste the two-second window, unleashing their most devastating attacks.

Chen Yun and the demon leader awoke simultaneously, immediately engaging each other in a fierce clash.

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