While Bai Xiaowen killed Qi Zeng, the thirteen Demon Lords and Arigante, the King of Pride, had not been idle.
Qi Zeng had expected that an attack on Bai Xiaowen, their leader, would draw Arigante and the other Demon Lords to his rescue. That would give his side time to make its preparations.
It was a clever strategy: attack where the enemy would be forced to respond.
But Qi Zeng had miscalculated on two points.
First, he had underestimated Bai Xiaowen's own fighting strength and been killed instead.
Second, Arigante and the other demons did not care whether Bai Xiaowen lived or died. They cared only about the thrill of battle—or rather, the thrill of slaughter.
As far as the demons were concerned, if a decapitation strike killed Bai Xiaowen, it would prove only that he was too weak to lead them.
Arigante had already engaged the Heavenly Prefecture Territory army.
Although she specialized in soul attacks, Arigante was formidable both up close and at range. With nothing more than the powerful body and immense Spirit Force of a High King Tier fighter, she sent Evolvers flying and coughing blood with every casual blow. No one could withstand even one exchange.
The Heavenly Prefecture Territory's Command-type Evolver was named Yu Hong, a level 18 Hero Class. He commanded an army of two hundred and used Spirit Force Manifestation to conjure an earth-yellow Spirit Force Giant. Only then could he barely hold off Arigante's melee attacks.
In truth, melee combat was Arigante's weakest suit. She was fighting that way only to conserve Spirit Force.
The Heavenly Prefecture Territory fighters had thought the Spirit Force Giant could serve as their tank. Once it held Arigante in place, the Evolvers and native troops behind it could bring their ranged attacks to bear and