Chapter 369 - Situational Change
"What the hell is a Banshee doing all the way out here—and to assist the humans, no less. The Banshee Lord is a huge joke! He doesn't even know how to keep his Banshees under control."
The demon-possessed Blackarrow watched as the lone evil spirit in the sky hindered its army's battle efficiency with the constant harassment of soul attacks.
A gloomy air suffused its surroundings as its black pupils turn a shade darker like two small black holes that threaten to swallow everything.
"Banshee or not, since it dares to assist the humans, it is an enemy that must be eradicated!" The demon-possessed Blackarrow spat.
An arrow was drawn from the quiver and nocked before the demon-possessed Blackarrow aimed the Tier-5 Dominator's Bow at Lumi in the sky.
It was at that moment that Lumi heard Leon's warning, but it was too late. A bone arrow traveling at terrifying velocity headed right for her.
Lumi was unable to dodge in time and took a direct hit as the arrow pierced through and sent her plunging into the enemy's ranks below.
Physical attacks did not work on her, but the bone arrow was suffused Death Energy harmful to her. The demon-possessed Blackarrow knew precisely what was effective and ineffective against Banshees and other evil spirits.
"Lumi!!!"
Leon cried.
Seeing Lumi plunge into the sea of enemies, he reacted immediately, hopping onto the ledge of the tower, and prepared to propel himself into the crowd to fetch her.
"Don't do it, boy! It is too dangerous!" Old Tailor warned.
It was a massive loss for the entirety of humanity on the Infertile Plains if something happened to Leonhardt.
Nevertheless, Leon did not adhere to Old Tailor's warning and took off. An invisible burst of mental energy exploded at the soles of his feet and propelled him forward like a cannonball.
At the same time, Chief Valencia also wanted to rescue Lumi. Lumi's ability was far too important for the battle. It was hard to imagine the casualties without her support.
"Chief Valencia, you mustn't! If you leave the formation, our defensive line will immediately collapse!" A Great Warrior strongly advised.
"Dammit!"
Chief Valencia gritted her teeth in frustration.
Without Lumi's support, the pressure on the warriors was immense. If they also lose their chief's help, they will fail to hold back the enemy and be overrun.
The two sides fought like a meat grinder in a contest of strength while the backline continued to sling incendiary bottles over to burn the enemy.
As Chief Valencia was caught in a dilemma, Old Tinker spoke, "Do what you need to do, lass. These old bones will hold the fort for you."
"Venerable Shaman!"
Chief Valencia was pleasantly surprised before she nodded.
They still had the seven Venerable Shamans participate in the battle alongside!
Although the seven Venerable Shamans could no longer progress further as warriors, they were all terrific Peak-ranked to Extremity-ranked Battle Masters at their prime!
It was hard to say how much strength they still wield now, but it was definitely still within the realms of Battle Masters!
"Allow me to clear you a path."
Old Tinker said with a sharp, penetrating gaze.
He tightened his grip on the handle of his heavy sword before he swung his heavy sword in a quick flash of whiteness, sending out a shockwave with unstoppable momentum towards the enemy in front.
All the Behemoth-class demons that blocked the sword's path were directly cleaved in half along with the solid earth.
Behemoth-class demons were strong, but Old Tinker was stronger!
Evolved Behemoth-class Bone Demons with plastered human fleshes were all comparable to Lesser Demons, with strengths ranging between Early-ranked Great Warrior to Extremity-ranked Great Warrior in comparison to humans. However, it was ultimately still within the Great Warrior Realm.
They were no match for a Battle Master, and even more so, a Battle Master that is a Swordsman almost comparable to Sword Masters.
"Go now!"
Old Tinker urged.
The other Venerable Shamans were no longer passive and jumped straight into action, forming a stable defensive line that is not inferior to Lumi's support.
Leon hovered above the area Lumi disappeared and frowned as the bone spear flashed into his hands.
His heart worried for Lumi but not enough for him to lose his mind. He knew that he would be throwing away his life if he tried to dive into the sea of demons below to search for her.
His battle power may be comparable to Mid-ranked Great Warriors, but it was not worth mentioning when the entire army was around this level and higher.
He could only harass the enemy to attract their attention and draw them away from Lumi.
"You can fly?"
Chief Valencia was stunned when she cleaved her way over with her Soul Weapon and found Leon in the sky. Nevertheless, now was not the time for her to be distracted.
At the same time, Old Tailor was even more stunned than she was when he glanced over from a distance.
It became evident to him that Leonhardt already knew how to manifest his Will. Otherwise, it cannot explain how the person was able to hover in mid-air.
All that previous talk about Will made his face flush red with embarrassment like he had been slapped before he vented his feelings on the numerous bone demons before him.
Leon was thankful that Chief Valencia was willing to brave danger to save Lumi. However, when the area was cleared, they did not find Lumi. Instead, a black dome was discovered.
None of the bone demons were able to put a dent on the sturdy black dome, and their attacks were repelled instead.
Something more bizarre began to happen when the evolve Behemoth-class Bone Demons stayed close to the black dome for extended periods.
The human flesh plastered on their bony bodies began to melt off while the Death Energy and Darkness Profound Energy within their bodies were stripped away by the black dome.
Shortly after, these evolved Behemoth-class Bone Demons became nothing more than a pile of bones on the ground.
From Leon's connection to Lumi through the Blood Imprint, he knew she was inside the black dome, and she had been hurt badly by the previous attack.
However, an eyebrow was raised when he sensed the Blood Imprint being erased slowly like a burning talisman paper.
"How is this possible?"
The discovery startled him.
If it were not for the fact that he was the one who cast the Blood Imprint on Lumi, he would have doubted that there was someone who can undo their own Blood Imprint without outside help.
Something big was happening. His instincts picked up a foreboding sense of danger greater than the threat posed by the Bone Calamity.
"Chief Valencia, we should quickly retreat!" Leon advised.
Although he did not know what was going to happen, he trusted his gut instincts. This is even more so now that the Blood Imprint keeping Lumi in check was gone. Once her alter ego takes over, it was hard to tell if she was still a friend or foe.
"What is going on? What about your friend, Lumi?"
"I don't know, but for the time being, she should be safe. Us, on the other hand, we will be in grave danger if we stay."
"En, I also have this uncomfortable foreboding sense of danger. It seems something terrible is about to happen."
Chief Valencia acknowledged.
They retreated to the wall safely. The evolved Behemoth-class Bone Demons did not attack Chief Valencia as she retreated to the wall, nor was Leon attacked as he flew back.
The demon-possessed Blackarrow had every opportunity to snipe him while he was in the sky, but it chose not to. Perhaps Leon was not a threat worthy of it wasting its limited arrows.
The battle unexpectedly stopped as the enemy retreated.
The 6 hidden Behemoth-class Bone Kings returned to the side of the demon-possess Blackarrow, controlled by the soul of the 7th Bone King.
"What is going on? What is this nervous tension I am feeling? I only get this feeling when I am about to meet the Lord."
"To think there is something else out there that can make me feel deep fear and trepidation other than our Lord."
"The problem seems to stem from the rogue banshee." The demon-possessed Blackarrow spoke. Its dark eyes never left the black dome.
"That Half Corporeal state vengeful spirit? Impossible!"
The Bone King denied.
An ominous feeling soon spread through the entire region along with the increased presence of the howling wind.
The dark clouds began to gather en masse in the sunless sky above as crackling thunder was heard and flashes of lightning were seen.
The phenomenal event resembled a breakthrough phenomenon, yet at the same time, it did not.
Lumi was just Half Corporeal vengeful spirit. Even if she was breaking through to the Corporeal state, it would just be on the level of a Transcendent's breakthrough.
What was happening was far, far bigger than that.
No matter how Leon looked at it, it did not seem like good news.