Chapter 377: Chapter 246: Lie Down, or I’ll Take Your Life

But with every shot, the shadow energy enveloping the demonic form grew noticeably dimmer, and the entire ritual seemed to become less stable.

Just as Fang Zhen emptied his assault rifle’s magazine again and crouched down to reload, the demonic ritual before him seemed to reach completion.

The two black spheres of energy dissipated.

What was once Balenzuo’s shattered body truly became a corpse, falling limply to the ground without any sign of life.

However, the demonic form that had broken free from the black vortex began to stir.

It seemed demons had genders as well.

The demonic form before him appeared to be female, possessing an hourglass figure.

’Her’ skin was a dark red, appearing delicate and smooth. It had a metallic sheen, not quite like flesh. Her entire body radiated a purplish-red light, and she had long hair that cascaded down to her hips.

Her skin shimmered with mysterious Magic Runes, making it look as if she were wearing form-fitting black leather armor, yet it also resembled an exoskeleton.

Beneath the runes, a light like molten lava burned, flickering in and out of sight.

A pair of huge wings sprouted from the demon’s back, their edges flickering with red flames that made the surrounding air grow hot.

The demon that had taken this form, or rather, Balenzuo, had fully regained consciousness.

’Her’ eyes filled with a look of extreme hatred as she stared at Fang Zhen.

At that moment, an irresistibly alluring light flashed within the demon’s purple eyes!

Fang Zhen’s mind went blank for a split second, but he recovered his senses with extreme speed.

The interrupt skill had worked again.

Balenzuo had used Charm again.

Fang Zhen could feel that while the demonic form before him was using the same Charm ability Balenzuo had used before, its power was far greater.

Even though Fang Zhen’s interrupt skill had activated, his mind still felt a little groggy.

The Anti-Thorn Ring had already been triggered once and hadn’t recovered enough energy to activate again, so the demon didn’t suffer a severe backlash.

Just then, the female demon’s body suddenly moved with incredible speed.

Her target, it seemed, was not Fang Zhen, but the Mage Corps over there.

Seeing the demon charge at them, the members of the Mage Corps cried out in alarm. The tell-tale signs of various Magic spells began to appear in their hands once more as magical light flashed, and they prepared to intercept the approaching demon.

However, the female demon that was Balenzuo moved with extreme speed.

Before the Mages could properly react, the demon had already closed the distance, continuously conjuring a series of purple Magic Missiles from her hands.

The Magic Missiles were incredibly fast and seemed to have a homing ability, speeding toward the Mage Corps.

At the same time, the demon that was Balenzuo charged silently toward the Mage Corps.

’Her’ hands bore claws as sharp as Obsidian.

Before the Mages were fully prepared, Balenzuo was already upon them, intent on unleashing a slaughter.

The Mage closest to Balenzuo was a young man in his late twenties. He wasn’t very experienced in combat, and under the sudden pressure, he froze in fear the moment the demon charged. He failed to cast the Magic he had long trained for, seemingly paralyzed by indecision, torn between continuing to cast or trying to escape.

Hesitation is defeat.

In that instant, the demon’s claws swept out, moving so fast they left a trail of afterimages.

It was easy to imagine the outcome: if those claws connected with the Mage’s neck, the young man would be instantly decapitated, dying a gruesome death on the spot.

CLANG!

A crisp, metallic sound rang out.

A silver spear shot out, blocking the fatal claw that Balenzuo had aimed at the Mage’s neck.

It was Fang Zhen.

The moment Fang Zhen saw the demon Balenzuo release the Magic Missiles, he had already sensed that her real targets were not him, but the Mages in the Mage Corps.

After all, from their previous exchange, Balenzuo knew better than anyone the true measure of Fang Zhen’s strength. She knew she couldn’t defeat him in a short amount of time.

The Mages, on the other hand, were a major threat but also incredibly fragile—they were the logical first targets.

Using Assassination Step, Fang Zhen had rushed over with incredible speed, blocking Balenzuo’s sharp claws with his spear at the critical moment.

Fang Zhen leveled his spear, his gaze cold as he faced Balenzuo. "You’re not getting past me."

His words seemed simple enough, but to the terrified Mages of the Mage Corps, Fang Zhen’s presence suddenly seemed immense. Even with a demon right there, they felt an incredible sense of security.

The demon that was Balenzuo snarled fiercely. Without a word, she launched a series of continuous attacks against Fang Zhen.

The demon’s movements were extremely fast, and she could even hover or fly short distances at high speed in close quarters.

At that moment, Fang Zhen set his stance, and spear in hand, he met Balenzuo in a chaotic clash.

Balenzuo’s attacks were frenzied and aggressive, like a raging inferno that constantly lunged at Fang Zhen, burning everything around it, seeming to want to swallow him whole.

In response, Fang Zhen employed solid, fundamental spear techniques. Though they appeared simple, they were incredibly refined. He was like a great boulder, unmoved by raging storms or blazing fires, firmly holding his ground.