Dividing the Battlefield
A heavy metallic clang resounded.
The Insect Armor Sword took the Big Goblin's massive axe head-on, the violent force instantly piercing through both arms along the blade and hilt. Lu Heng's shoulder armor caved in under the pressure, his shoes scraped the ground hard, carving two deep mud tracks, and his body was forced to retreat.
My blood and qi surged briefly, my thumb and forefinger felt numb, and my entire arm was filled with a stiff, dull pain.
Lu Heng's combat system has never relied on brute force or physical dominance. His core advantages are mental anticipation, precise positioning, and tactical maneuvering.
But now, facing this massive, overwhelmingly powerful Silver Tier Big Goblin, all his technical advantages were forcibly suppressed by the absolute difference in strength. In a pure head-on collision, he was at a complete disadvantage.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Heng immediately switched tactics, using his strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses.
The condensed Mind Spike instantly took shape, piercing straight towards the Big Goblin's Sea of Consciousness.
The anticipated effects of immobilization and loss of control did not take effect.
Lu Heng's gaze suddenly locked onto the other person's neck. The rough, stacked animal bone necklace, floating with a layer of obscure gray light, precisely blocked most of the mental impact. This was a targeted defensive piece of equipment, specifically designed to counter mental skills.
The last vestiges of mental energy only caused the Big Goblin's movements to falter briefly for half a second.
The next instant, the monster's crimson pupils blazed with ferocity, and it used the remaining force of its axe to slam down.
The immense force exploded once more, forcing Lu Heng back again, forcing him to completely abandon any attempt at close-quarters brute force confrontation.
In the instant he retreated and regained his footing, Lu Heng's field of vision quickly expanded, instantly surveying the entire battlefield.
The battlefield has long been completely divided into inner and outer layers, each with its own responsibilities and no interference with the others.
The outer layer is a large-scale blockade and clearing zone.
The Crossbow Tower on the valley highlands creaked and groaned, unleashing a barrage of heavy, black, armor-piercing bolts. Their range covered the entire outer area, precisely targeting and suppressing the advancing ordinary Green Demon and elite Bronze squads. Each bolt carried immense kinetic energy, either piercing bodies or shattering shields, firmly halting the enemy's advance.
On the ground, the Bone Demon stood at the forefront, its heavy bone body withstanding all melee attacks and blocking the Elite Green Demon's charge.
Two combat robots positioned themselves to the left and right, forming a crossfire. The Heavy Anvil Assault Mech savagely charged and disrupted the enemy formation, while the Mech-Driven Butler roamed around to finish off any stragglers. The three worked together to tightly entangle all the outer forces, preventing any enemy from escaping and flanking.
The rampant Bloodthirsty Vine formed the final line of defense.
Dark vines lay dormant on the ground, silently expanding and weaving a web to block all winding paths. This not only blocked the counterattack and sneak attack of the weakened Green Demon, but also locked down all the retreat routes of the Big Goblin in the arena, completely cutting off its possibility of calling for help or disengaging from the battle.
The inner layer is a completely independent area for one-on-one deathmatch battles.
All external interference was cut off, and this battlefield belonged only to Lu Heng and the Silver Big Goblin.
The Blood Taisui clung tightly to Lu Heng's body, its white Mycelium wriggling slightly, continuously storing pure Mental Energy, ready to act at any moment. Its sole purpose was to assist in breaking through defenses and tearing apart the spiritual defensive barrier of the Bone Ornament Necklace at crucial moments.
Lu Heng quickly analyzed the battle situation and finalized a prudent tactic.
The outer defenses may appear solid, but they are not absolutely secure.
With a limited supply of crossbow bolts, the firing pace will inevitably slow down as they are continuously depleted. The elite Bronze squad works in perfect coordination, defending with shields and launching repeated counterattacks, relentlessly tearing apart the outer blockade. Once a gap appears in the outer defenses, connecting the inner and outer battlefields, he will be trapped in a desperate situation of being surrounded.
He cannot afford to delay the battle.
At the same time, Lu Heng fully understood the logic behind using his trump cards.
Kiss of Nightmare is a close-range shotgun burst weapon with no ranged combat capabilities; it can only deal devastating damage at point-blank range. It's the ultimate trump card for cutting losses in desperate situations, not a means of attrition.
The optimal strategy is clear and unambiguous.
Prioritize probing and kiting, using mental anticipation to avoid fatal blows, and figuring out the Big Goblin's attack rhythm, power ceiling, and the defensive threshold of the Bone Ornament Necklace. If an opening is found, finish it off with a close-quarters kill using the Insect Armor Sword.
Once you realize that the gap in brute strength is insurmountable and the risk of prolonged combat has increased dramatically, immediately close the distance to the face and switch to Kiss of Nightmare for a close-range burst to finish the fight. Never put yourself in a prolonged, high-risk entanglement.
Once the thought was settled, Lu Heng calmed his mind.
Pure Mental Energy flowed along the meridians, pouring into the blade of the Insect Armor Sword. A faint spiritual light emerged from the dark blade, allowing physical strikes to be superimposed with spiritual penetration for double damage, specifically targeting the monster's physical body.
The Big Goblin on the other side has gone completely berserk.
It stomped on the gravelly ground, its muscles bulging and bulging, and raised its giant axe high, carrying a strong, pungent stench of blood, creating a whooshing sound as it charged forward once more.
Lu Heng steadied himself, his eyes fixed on his opponent.
His mental perception was stretched to its limit, capturing every premonition of his opponent's tense muscles and shifted center of gravity. He no longer blindly took brute force head-on, but instead used predictive movement to avoid serious damage, only probing with his sword during the gaps in the axe attacks.
The giant axe crashed to the ground with a deafening roar.
Gravel and dirt flew everywhere, creating shallow craters in the ground, and the shockwave swept over my ankles.
With his attack missing its mark, the Big Goblin didn't pause. He violently flipped his wrist, slashing and sweeping with his giant axe. His attacks were ferocious and continuous, leaving no room for him to catch his breath.
Lu Heng nimbly slid to the side, narrowly dodging the horizontal axe blade. He then smoothly slashed with his Insect Armor Sword, the blade grazing the edge of the axe handle and sending sparks flying.
In a brief exchange, he clearly understood the characteristics of his opponent's combat strength.
Overwhelming in strength, brutal in technique, and relentless in attack, but equally obvious in its weaknesses, with the cumbersome swings of its weapons creating fixed openings.
The only tricky thing is that Bone Ornament Necklace that works throughout the entire process, completely blocking the quick kill path of conventional mental sneak attacks.
The sounds of fighting on the outer battlefield continued incessantly, reaching my ears layer by layer.
The Crossbow Tower roared incessantly as another armor-piercing bolt pierced the Bronze Green Demon's shield and sank deep into its body. The moment the struck demon screamed and lost its balance, the Bone Demon's massive fist slammed down, ending the battle instantly.
Having evaded the remaining enemies who were suppressing him from a distance, he was about to sneak up close to the ground and flank them when the spreading Bloodthirsty Vine suddenly erupted. The vines tightly bound his limbs, and the sharp needles pierced his flesh, instantly depriving him of his ability to move.
The two robots continued to clear the battlefield, eliminating the scattered ordinary Green Demon one by one, and firmly welding the outer blockade line shut.
The two-tiered battlefields, one external and one internal, one chaotic and one calm, create an extreme contrast.
The outer layer was a scene of brutal chaos, with cannon fire, strangling vines, and blood and flesh being torn apart.
The inner layer is a silent game, a deadly struggle where every step is fraught with danger and every second counts.
Lu Heng ignored the noise around him and focused all his attention on the Big Goblin in front of him.
The Blood Taisui's body surface was slightly warm, and the accumulated Mental Energy was becoming increasingly abundant, ready to launch a breakthrough attack at any time.
The Big Goblin's neck ornament glowed steadily, protecting its Sea of Consciousness. Its fierce eyes were fixed on Lu Heng, and a new round of ferocious attacks was ready to launch.
Lu Heng gripped the Insect Armor Sword tightly, his mental energy highly focused.
The probing phase has ended.