Chapter Eighty-Eight: A Fight to the Death, Never Retreating

While the battle raged ahead, countless gigantic insects appeared among the distant mountains. They stood more than eight meters tall, with absurdly swollen bellies, petal-like hindquarters, and tiny heads.

These enormous insects advanced slowly, surrounded by innumerable smaller creatures patterned like wolves and hounds.

The houndlike insects moved with great speed, their monstrous jaws ending in extravagant pincers like giant shears, as though they could cut apart anything in their path.

High above, Sun Li Cheng, clad in the Divine Armor of Gemini, beat his wings and gazed coldly down at the scene below. Behind him flew a host of Dark Saints in black divine armor.

This was the insect army Sun Li Cheng had summoned.

"Great King Sun Li Cheng, the fighting ahead is extremely fierce. I wonder whether the fifth boss, Pinocchio, and the others can hold the line."

Little Red Riding Hood flapped her black wings and flew to Sun Li Cheng's side, speaking in her shrill voice.

Far away in the sky, countless flashes of fire were glittering. Even from this distance, the sounds of slaughter and explosions could be faintly heard, and the faces of the Dark Saints were filled with worry.

"If they cannot hold, then they will hold. Send another squad of cannon fodder forward. Tell them that anyone who retreats without my command shall be killed."

Looking at the sluggish insect horde, Sun Li Cheng spoke in an icy voice.

Soon, over a thousand Dark Saints beat their metal wings and raced toward the front lines.

...

At the front, Death Dance, covered in wounds, swung its eight sharp blades. Its body spun like a top, and amid a clatter of metal, it hacked the Dark Hells Hound totem frog monster before it into several pieces.

Seeing the enemy collapse, the red light in Death Dance's electronic eyes flickered. Just as it was preparing to dash toward the next foe, a streak of cold brilliance slid down from the sky and split it cleanly in two. As Death Dance's body fell apart, countless sparks burst crackling from the severed edges, followed by a massive explosion that blew the surrounding battle puppets tumbling in every direction.

Not far away, a snake-bodied monster wearing the black Divine Armor of Capricorn had just lowered its right hand.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the snake monster and hurled it violently away, and then a lion-like magical beast pounced forward.

With the lion's gaping maw about to close around its neck, the snake monster let out a dying scream, its eyes brimming with terror and despair.

At that moment, a melodious tune rose into the air. Countless black petals fell like rain from the sky, then suddenly transformed into a fierce whirlwind, sweeping up every magical beast in the area, including the lion that had been about to bite the snake monster to death. As the music grew more intense, the petal storm whirled like a meat grinder, shredding every beast caught inside into a rain of blood.

The snake monster, having narrowly escaped death, drew a deep breath. A hand clad in black armor appeared before him.

"Brother, get up quickly."

The mouse, wearing the black Sacred Cloth of Lyra, said this as he hauled the snake monster to his feet.

Before either of them could rejoice, a huge beam of light struck nearby, and the fierce shockwave blasted them both away. Seeing the enormous crater blasted into the ground, the two little monsters exchanged frightened looks, then scrambled up and ran to the rear.

In the sky, the main force of the goblin aerial fleet had arrived.

"Blast these dark angels to death."

Inside the command cabin, Commander Ruite screamed hysterically. On the light screen, countless giant warships began turning their guns and bombarding the ground.

As one beam after another shot forth, flames erupted everywhere below. To inflict maximum damage on the Dark Saints, the aerial carriers launched indiscriminate attacks. Aside from Sun Li Cheng's cannon fodder troops, vast numbers of battle puppets and magical beasts were torn into pieces.

Faced with such ferocious assault, the Dark Saints were beginning to falter. The little monsters shouted as the entire line began to fall back.

"Phoenix Wings Skyflight!"

With a shout, the fifth boss, Pinocchio, unleashed the Phoenix's ultimate technique. Several Death Dances were sent flying into the sky, and as they fell, the heavy armor on their bodies shattered like porcelain, the fragments scattering down like rain.

Pinocchio's strike forced the enemies before him to retreat several steps, but they immediately roared and charged again.

"My king! Hurry, please! We are reaching our limit!"

Engaged in brutal close combat with the enemy, Pinocchio cried anxiously in his heart.

...

"Master Dong Guo, how are the insects coming along?"

Flapping his wings, Sun Li Cheng flew beside Master Dong Guo and asked.

Master Dong Guo glanced at the situation on the ground, then replied, "The plasma insects are in position. They can fire soon."

It turned out that Sun Li Cheng had recalled a classic science-fiction film from his former life, called Starship Troopers. The insect race in that film was immensely powerful, and most importantly, it possessed countless giant bugs—perfect for dealing with the mechanized legions of the Goblin Empire.

The fat-bellied plasma insects all came to a halt, then began digging into the earth. Before long, they had buried half of their bodies underground, and their abdomens grew brighter and brighter, as though a small sun had been stuffed inside them.

Sun Li Cheng beckoned over his shoulder, and Little Red Riding Hood, of the Dark Pegasus constellation, flew to him.

"Deliver my orders: tell Pinocchio and the others to abandon the position and lure the enemy in."

As Sun Li Cheng issued the command, a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

At that moment, Commander Ruite in the command cabin of the battle carrier grew more and more irritated. Those angels clad in black armor were too tenacious; his own forces had suffered heavy losses. Fortunately, the energy reserves were sufficient, and with superior numbers, the enemy was slowly being pushed back, though every step forward was terribly difficult.

Just then, the voice of the control core sounded in the command cabin. "Commander Ruite, the enemy is retreating."

Delighted, Ruite hurriedly looked at the light screen. Sure enough, on the ground, countless black silhouettes abandoned the fight and turned to flee.

Switching the display to the sky, he saw that the little monsters in their black divine armor had also begun to withdraw.

"The enemy is collapsing! Excellent. Deliver my order: all forces, pursue!"

Commander Ruite sank weakly back into his seat. After steadying himself, he gave the new order.

Soon, the Goblin Empire's army accelerated its advance. More magic crystal cannons joined the attack, firing off deathly beams. Under the barrage of artillery fire, from time to time little monsters in black sacred cloth were struck and burst into a sky of blood.

With victory seemingly within reach, a smile finally appeared on Commander Ruite's once-taut face. Ahead lay Sun Li Cheng's last fortress of the mind.

"All forces, continue advancing at full speed! I will wipe out every shred of that man's consciousness in a single stroke!"

Ruite then gave the next command, his tone sinister.

Yet before he could celebrate for long, a huge blue beam appeared on the light screen and struck one of the Goblin aerial carriers with pinpoint accuracy.

The carrier that was hit came to an abrupt stop and soon tilted off balance. Then, like a balloon being inflated, the warship swelled violently. As countless beams of light shot from its hull, it burst apart like a watermelon.

The immense explosion swept across a vast stretch of sky. Nearby warships were blown askew, and large numbers of ornithopters were sucked into the blast, whereupon they too exploded into fragments and rained down upon the earth.

"What is that thing?"

Ruite stared in stunned disbelief, crying out in shock. On the light screen, even more blue beams were now shooting in from the distance...