Chapter 166: Continent of Demon Hunters

A violent and ferocious barrage of quasi-spells belonging to three distinct attributes instantly engulfed the location of the giant bat.

Suddenly bursting elemental fireballs, sticky and corrosive green venom clusters, and a series of fierce wind blades resembling a rapid-fire cannon...

Each of the three different quasi-spells possessed its own unique traits, yet all were unleashed simultaneously from the three bizarrely shaped heads of the chimera, plunging the entire woodland into a fireworks-like cascade of magical detonations.

However, just as the three-headed chimera threw back its necks to let out a long hiss, intoxicated and thrilled by the ecstasy of its own invincible momentum, a slender and tall figure suddenly broke through the chaotic web of elements, pouncing out from the jungle and closing in on its body in an instant.

Although the chimera was considered a magical creature, it also possessed formidable close-combat capabilities. Its razor-sharp, hook-like claws and powerful, scale-armored long tail were both formidable weapons of attack, while the ferocious biting of its three gaping maws tripled its deadliness.

Yet today was clearly not this chimera's lucky day!

Its hastily launched triple-pronged magic assault was dodged one by one by that eerie figure with the aid of the thin bat wings on her back, while its sharp, lethal claws—capable of tearing tigers and leopards apart—slid harmlessly off the bizarre crimson battle armor covering the intruder's body. Upon that crimson armor floated dizzying and mesmerizing crimson floral vines, and as the crimson halo rippled, it silently blocked all of the chimera's close-range attacks.

In the very next instant, the bat-winged demon, whose appearance closely resembled that of a human maiden, evaded the bites of the three gaping jaws by a hair's breadth. Then, flashing through the air, she unleashed a flurry of crimson magic arrows that pierced straight through the lion's head located in the dead center of the three-headed chimera.

The dense and resilient scales covering the chimera's exterior were as flimsy as a sheet of paper before those crimson magic arrows. The projectiles burst inside the skull the moment they penetrated through the eye socket, instantly blowing off the basin-sized cranial vault, sending crimson blood mixed with speckled white brain matter splashing everywhere.

Compared to the massive and robust frame of the three-headed chimera, Marie's petite figure looked like a mosquito buzzing around a lion. Yet the crimson longbow in her hands was a true instrument of slaughter, continuously delivering crimson magic arrows into every vital spot of the chimera's body.

The penetrating power of the crimson magic arrows, combined with the blood-sucking effect of the crimson-type energy, made even the slightest hope of the chimera inflicting any damage on Marie an impossible dream! Only three minutes into the battle, the three-headed chimera was already riddled with holes, its entire body covered in wounds continuously spurting blood.

The three-headed chimera let out a mournful howl, using its sweeping tail to force Marie back. Twisting its massive form, it frantically beat its hard-scaled leather wings, intending to flee back to its lair.

Unfortunately, it was too late!

Marie's figure remained suspended in mid-air, her bat wings gently undulating behind her as she said coldly, "Thinking of running away now? Too late!"

The next moment, a crimson rainbow streaked across the sky, and Marie's slender, graceful figure materialized upon the back of the fleeing chimera. For the first time, the crimson longbow in her hands was drawn to its absolute limit. Terrifying crimson energy converged on the bowstring, condensing into a crystal-clear crimson arrow.

"Go to hell!"

With Marie's sharp cry and the relaxation of her fingers, the crimson arrow pierced like lightning through the hard green scales coating the chimera's exterior, detonating right at the junction where the three necks met.

A massive fountain of blood erupted outward, and the three-headed chimera threw back its necks to emit a shrill, mournful shriek that echoed through the mountains and forests. Its massive body finally lost all control, spinning as it plummeted from the sky.

A terrifying magical beast that had dominated these mountains and forests for a century thus met its end at the hands of the newly minted Marie!

Strictly speaking, this three-headed chimera possessed strength no less than that of an official wizard. Yet the gap in combat capability, the disparity in personal equipment, and the lack of powerful offensive methods combined to make it stumble about like a clumsy, bloated fat man, dying a deeply frustrated death at the hands of Marie, an ultra-agile assassin.

Marie licked her red lips with a sense of unfulfilled craving, tilting her head back to emit a crisp, melodious cry like a wild beast, faintly conveying her supreme and tyrannical will of absolute dominance to all the fierce beasts of the mountain forest.

The skin-tight crimson battle armor, the wide leather-like bat wings, the slender and flawless female form, and the unyielding, arrogant dominance—all of these endowed Marie with an utterly distinct personal charm, a special temperament blending allure and ferocity!

If Marie was as stunningly beautiful as a crimson rose, she certainly possessed thorns, and they were coated in terrifying poison!

Lingering in the sky for a few moments, until her will had clearly dispersed into every corner of the jungle, Marie finally swooped down with triumphant satisfaction to taste her first "blood meal" in this otherworldly realm.

In the distance, toward the campsite, Wizard Corgan halted his spellcasting to summon a magical beast. Through the faint magical vibrations transmitting through the air, he quietly sensed the battle unfolding far away.

When that arrogant and tyrannical cry of Marie's reached his ears, Corgan, who was typically devoid of smiles, cracked a rather unsightly grin.

"Such character! I like it. Such a top-tier vampire is truly rare! What a pity..."

He turned his head again to look in the direction where Greem had vanished, shaking his head in regret.

It was evident that these two newly advanced male and female wizards were very close, and that Bloody Marie even obeyed Greem's every word. The male wizards in the family clearly stood no chance!

Corgan shrugged, retrieved several mechanical models resembling toy automatons from his storage space, and tossed them onto the grassy ground. Accompanied by his muttered incantations, the mechanical models, which were initially only the size of a palm, began to rapidly expand and grow.

Soon, four bizarre mechanical beasts standing three meters tall appeared before him.

Corgan casually drew a rune shimmering with magical fluorescence and struck it into the control core of the mechanical beasts. Instantly, the mechanical beasts creaked and groaned as they stirred to life, shifting their bodies slightly before turning to join the ranks of the labor force.

The campsite, which had been peaceful and desolate just moments before, now boasted a dozen robust magical beasts and three or four tall clay golems. Meanwhile, the wizards acted as commanders, directing these magical beasts to haul timber, level the ground, and shape clay...

The outline of a simple yet functional campsite was already taking shape!

And at this point, only a single hour had passed since their arrival in this strange and mysterious alien world.

...

Four hundred miles east of the forward camp, a human city stood.

Inside the spacious city hall, the clean floor shone like a mirror, and bright sunlight streamed through the hollowed-out window lattices, illuminating the interior until it was blazing bright and immaculate, resembling a heavenly sanctuary.

Nynet Minor walked heavily into the hall, his metallic war boots producing crisp, echoing impacts against the hard, pearly-white stone floor.

As the sole breaker knight among the demon hunters to have advanced in Heduolan City, he held a pivotal status in the hearts of all demon hunter knights.

Golden knight armor, angular metal gloves, an exquisite knight's longsword suspended at his waist, gleaming metal war boots, a metal battle bow slung across his back, and a full-face helmet tucked under his arm—all these combined with his tall, robust, nearly two-meter-tall imposing physique and handsome, rugged features made him the ultimate dream lover of every fair noblewoman in Heduolan City.

Behind him, four demon hunter knights in identical equipment accompanied him as they stepped into this most magnificent and ornate city hall.

A group of officials seated around the long conference table halted their tedious and lengthy speeches, turning their heads in alarm to look at these uninvited knights.

Grand Duke Linton, seated at the head of the table, struck the golden bell on the table to summon his personal guards, then demanded with dissatisfied displeasure, "Nynet, this is the holy city hall, not your demon hunter camp. Without a summons, you have no right to step in here!"

Grand Duke Linton was the master of this city of Heduolan and the actual ruler of the entire Dulan Province. Within his domain, he possessed three large cities with populations exceeding 100,000, and sixteen small and medium-sized cities with populations under 30,000. As for other small towns and villages, they were as numerous as the hairs on an ox, impossible to tally in detail.

Even across the entire Demon Hunting Continent, the power he wielded was among the very best of all local nobility.

Yet regrettably, despite possessing such imposing might, he was still unable to bring this group of proud demon hunter knights under his wing. After all, across the Demon Hunting Continent, all officially advanced demon hunter knights belonged to the central realm, commanded personally by His Majesty the King, leaving local nobility utterly without the right to interfere.

On the Demon Hunting Continent, the ruling class consisted precisely of this group of demon hunter knights who possessed formidable knight combat techniques and had sworn loyalty to His Majesty the King. Their sole purpose for existence was to purge all evil spellcasters appearing upon this continent.

In this great kingdom dominated by demon hunter knights, every year saw the emergence of a few individuals who had awakened evil spellcasting constitutions. Lacking robust physiques, the iron will forged through years of training, or tailor-made knight equipment, they were nevertheless able to summon out of thin air mysterious and evil flames, freeze people into blocks of ice, or cause the dead buried underground to crawl out of their graves...

The existence of these evil spellcasters posed a tremendous hidden danger to mortal society. Consequently, countless righteous and noble knights responded to the call of His Majesty the King, gathering together and rushing to every remote, desolate town and village to judge and slay every evil spellcaster whose traces were exposed.

These noble knights styled themselves demon hunter knights, and had even formed a massive, rigorously structured internal system. And the Nynet Minor before them was a deeply respected advanced rank among demon hunters—a Breaker Knight.

These demon hunter knights held an aloof status and were completely exempt from the jurisdiction of laws enacted by local nobility. Therefore, in any city possessing a demon hunter camp, the local magistrates found them to be their absolute biggest headache!

Thus, just as Grand Duke Linton was flying into a rage over the declining tax revenues in his domain, this group of detestable demon hunter knights had simply swaggered right in.

This only served to further ignite Grand Duke Linton's fury!