Chapter 1 The Turning Point

Many things seem to happen slowly, but in reality, they occur in an instant. When Hao Ren and his team rushed to the front of the main elevator platform, the Twilight Guard's defense line was instantly stirred up. A few seconds later, the first gunshot rang out.

The heavily armored Twilight Guards stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a human wall. The pressure gauges on each of their chests hissed with white steam as their armor was pressurized and secured into stable firing platforms. Heavy firearms and steam hand cannons simultaneously unleashed deafening roars. Gun and cannon projectiles streaked through the air, tracing scorching paths, and rained down upon Hao Ren and his party like a storm!

Behind them, arrays of Kaguk-style giant cannons and self-propelled artillery also raised their barrels. The mechanical ocular sensors on the cannons whirred and rotated, lighting up red one after another. Accompanied by a series of low, muffled "booms," these bizarre artillery platforms also began a fierce bombardment.

To block such a small group of people, the Twilight Guard employed firepower that seemed unbelievably powerful even to themselves.

The instant the first gunshot sounded, Izhaks abruptly raised his massive fel shield in front. Behind the shield, he slowly straightened up, his skin radiating a scorching red glow. Astonishing heat emanated from the demon lord. He sensed a certain threat from the human army before him, and felt it necessary to take this level of bombardment seriously.

The fel shield gradually expanded with Izhaks' transformation, slowly forming a green light barrier that could bisect the large platform. The smoke billowing from the explosions of the shells against the barrier obscured everyone's vision. The Twilight Guard's commander saw green light flickering deep within the rolling smoke and immediately ordered, "Activate the runes!"

The first row of heavily armored soldiers immediately half-crouched. The armor on their upper bodies emitted a series of creaks and groans, accompanied by the sound of escaping steam. Sections of the armor plating opened outward, revealing that the inner layers were cast from precious pure silver!

The pure silver armor plating was inscribed with dense runic characters. As these ancient runes were activated, a translucent energy barrier abruptly rose in front of the Twilight Guard. Almost at the instant the barrier formed, two massive fireballs shot out from the smoke.

One of the fireballs even had a flaming bow on it.

"Boom!" "Boom!!"

The fireballs impacted the ground in front of the defensive line, unleashing violent explosions. Although it was unknown why the two fireballs missed (actually, Izhaks and Elizabeth deliberately held back), the shockwaves from their explosions still impacted the magical shield. The translucent barrier shook violently but did not shatter.

"They're really enthusiastic," Hao Ren shouted from behind the barrier. Izhaks, Elizabeth, and Anthony jointly cast a powerful magic shield, blocking the Twilight Guard's firepower. However, the violent, continuous explosions on the shield still looked a bit frightening. "Is it really necessary? Such animosity—we have to find a way to take this platform."

"I have more than twenty ways to take the platform," Izhaks rumbled, "but not one that leaves anyone alive."

"Nonsense, if that's the case, I have even more plans than you!" Hao Ren yelled. "Do you know how many tons of bombs I brought with me this time?"

Just then, a somewhat irritating voice suddenly echoed in everyone's mind: "Actually, we have a simpler way."

Hao Ren was taken aback and pulled the data terminal out of his pocket. "Oh—I forgot I had you in my pocket since you've been so quiet."

"This machine has been working like a dog for you for so long, and you only remember this machine when you're using it as a coaster or entertaining your daughter!" The data terminal instantly flew into a rage, glowing brightly as if it was about to explode. "Look at this mess you've made! Where's your professionalism? Your occupational competence? Your improvisation?"

Hao Ren completely ignored the annoying PDA because, the moment it popped up, he had a flash of inspiration and understood what it meant. "I know what your plan is—you're small, so you might be able to bypass the blockade and then teleport us all over there."

The data terminal was still ranting and raving, trying to assert its own existence, but it didn't expect that Hao Ren would see through its plan in the middle of its tirade. It stammered, "Uh...you...can't you give this machine a chance to show off?"

Gala Zhor and Anthony once again glanced sideways at Hao Ren. An inspector who can argue with his PDA—sainted mother of light, this is too interesting.

Wendell didn't understand what this suddenly appearing and unusually noisy little thing was, but after someone explained it to him, he understood the plan. He thought for a moment. "The structure of the lower city is very complex. If only one of you goes in, you'll probably get lost quickly."

"This machine's scanning function is excellent...but this machine agrees with your opinion," the data terminal flew in front of Wendell. "So this machine doesn't plan to go directly into the maze below to find the destination—this machine only needs to get into the elevator."

"In that case, I have a supplementary plan," Hao Ren said. "We need someone to stay here and keep fighting the guards on the platform to divert their attention, and even if they notice the movements in the lower city, a considerable number of troops will be pinned down here on the platform."

Izhaks rumbled above, "I think I can fight them all by myself."

"But you can't create the illusion of a massive army all by yourself—we need to assign manpower immediately."

"Count me in for staying here," Gala Zhor suddenly stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. Her eyes had turned into the vertical pupils of a dragon, and golden sparks were jumping out of the corners of her mouth as she spoke. "I should be able to block the entire platform—if I transform."

Hao Ren immediately remembered Gala Zhor's original form: that terrifying golden dragon.

He couldn't help but remind her, "Take it easy, the power of your transformation isn't that easy to control."

Gala Zhor grinned, her face full of confidence. "I'll just lie there and cover my head. As long as they don't use thirty-pound armor-piercing rounds or heavier, I won't even need to wax these scales when I get back."

Although the cannons used by the Twilight Guard had all sorts of incredible black technology—such as mechanical eyeballs for aiming and steam-powered mechanical legs—the technology in their propellant was obviously not very advanced, or at least not very environmentally friendly. After only a few rounds of concentrated fire, the entire platform was completely enveloped in a thick layer of smoke, making it almost impossible to see anything on the other side.

A Twilight Commander lowered his visor, covering half of his face with steel. A set of telescoping lenses was installed over his left eye, and they whirred and rotated, trying to find the enemy's new movements in the smoke.

It seemed that after throwing out those two big fireballs, there hadn't been any movement from the other side.

The cannon fire gradually ceased.

"Have they been wiped out?" An adjutant muttered beside him.

The Twilight Commander raised his hand to stop the adjutant. "Something's not right—these people easily broke through the defenses of the Steam Sixth Corps, they won't be solved so easily."

An eerie silence fell over the scene. The heavily armored guards and artillerymen were uneasily silent, waiting for new orders while also praying that this bizarre mission would end there. The wizards floating in the air behind them hadn't made a move from beginning to end, they were simply maintaining their magical reserves: they would act after the Twilight Defense Line was breached, but their first task wasn't to engage the enemy, but to blow up the elevator platform.

Just as everyone's tension was reaching a certain point, the soldiers at the very front suddenly stirred, and someone exclaimed in panic amidst the clanging of armor, "God! There's something! There's something behind there! What is that?!"

"Calm down! Hold the line! Hold the line!" The Twilight Commander immediately shouted loudly, but when he also looked up at the top of the thick fog, he couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "In the name and blood of the ancestors!! A giant! A fire giant!"

A wave of heat rushed forward, and the smoke and gunpowder were finally blown away by a gust of wind. The opponent who had been hiding behind the smoke finally revealed their true colors. A huge humanoid creature over five meters tall strode out, magma flowing over its body. With each step it took, the ground would hiss and begin to melt. When the soldiers in front saw this scene, they were far more horrified than they had been when they saw a five-meter-tall white wolf: Lily's transformation just made her bigger, but Izhaks' transformation came with the fear aura unique to demons!

Even without the fear aura, Izhaks' transformed appearance alone was enough to scare people to death!

As the "fire giant" stepped out of the smoke, the equally huge white giant dog also stepped out, baring her (its?) teeth at the soldiers—anyway, a husky's roar was just like that, and it was still quite mighty when the volume was amplified more than ten times.

The soldiers' defensive line began to waver, but the commander quickly stopped the front ranks from retreating again. "Don't retreat! The Valkyries of Valhalla will protect us! Only cowards die with their backs to the enemy!"

But before he could finish his words, another loud and bizarre roar came from the sky.

The commander looked up in horror and saw a golden dragon slowly flying over his head.

While everyone's attention was drawn to the sudden changes on the field, a blue light was silently streaking past in the distance.