Chapter 56: Bubu Wang's Dazzling Performance
"Pfft."
Su Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva. Withstanding the attacks of over a dozen witches simultaneously, even with an energy shield blocking them, he was far from comfortable.
The smoke gradually dissipated. Su Xiao tossed out an alchemy bomb, but the witches were no pushovers either. The bomb was still midair when it was detonated by an attack from an unknown source.
The shockwave from the explosion spread. Su Xiao charged into the flames with his blade, and screams immediately followed.
*Puchi, puchi, puchi...*
Blood and severed limbs flew everywhere. Under the setting sun, thick smoke billowed, and the stench of blood spread through the valley.
Many witches were lying in ambush inside the Dawn Gate. If it were just the Sunset Red Squad alone, they would have little chance of breaking through. Once ambushed, the odds were nine out of ten that they would all be wiped out here.
Unfortunately for the witches, they had failed to factor Su Xiao's combat power into their calculations. That White Witch hadn't been able to foresee Su Xiao at all. And if she couldn't foresee Su Xiao, then the witches had no way of knowing about Bubu Wang or Amu either.
The intelligence the witches had received was that the Sunset Red Squad was escorting a White Witch deep into the southern region, preparing to enter their territory.
In less than 20 seconds, the entrance to the One-Line Sky had erupted into chaotic melee. Amu charged straight into the group of witches, not caring how bizarre their abilities were—just rushing forward. The Blood Bear followed not far behind Amu. The old man clearly appreciated Amu's ferocity, positioning himself to prevent Amu from being surrounded by the witches.
Kamen and the Drunkard pressed themselves tightly against the rock wall to avoid being swarmed by the witches around the corner. The Witch Grave was entangled by a witch named Man Kandis, a fifth-stage witch whose specific school was hard to determine—she could control a type of black beetle.
The group was locked in an intense battle with the witches, while Su Xiao fought his way deeper into the One-Line Sky. He hadn't forgotten that there were still over thirty witches behind him. The smoke bombs wouldn't block them for long; as soon as the witches used their avatars to confirm the smoke was non-toxic, they would charge through it.
Su Xiao grabbed a witch by the neck. *Bang!* A rod formed of iron elements smashed into the side of his neck, making his head jerk to the side—but that was all.
With a crisp *crack*, the witch in Su Xiao's hand convulsed as her neck was snapped cleanly.
Su Xiao turned his head to look at the second-stage witch holding the rod.
"S-sorry about that... hitting you with a rod... does it hurt?"
This witch instinctively stepped back two paces, gulping audibly. The reason was that the witch in Su Xiao's hand had died a gruesome death, her corpse still twitching after death.
Su Xiao's eye twitched. This was the first time he'd encountered such a goofy witch.
*Vwoom~*
A black rapier swept past Su Xiao's face. This was nothing like the rod from before.
Two witches, one in front and one behind, attacked Su Xiao simultaneously. Both wielded twin rapiers, which were coated in some kind of black element. This unknown element vibrated at high speed to increase the rapiers' lethality.
These were two fourth-stage witches, one tall and one short, clearly accustomed to fighting together.
*Ding.*
The Dragon-Slaying Flash clashed with one rapier. Black element splattered, and the rapier was nearly severed. Su Xiao bent his leg and kicked forward. With a dull *thump*, the taller witch was sent flying, spitting blood.
Just then, a spear formed of ice crystals flew from behind, aimed straight at the back of Su Xiao's neck. The thirty-plus witches from the rear had arrived.
"Charge!!!"
A thunderous roar came from deeper inside the One-Line Sky—not from behind Su Xiao's group, but from behind the witches. The shout sounded like it came from thousands of troops simultaneously, and the killing intent was palpable even from the sound alone.
The witches were stunned for a moment. They couldn't figure out when the Holy Healing Church's army had circled around behind them.
"Leave no one alive!"
Another roar came. Hearing this, even Kamen and the others were baffled. They hadn't brought any army.
"Prepare the siege cannons! Hurry!"
The roars continued.
Though the witches didn't know what "siege cannons" were, they all heard the sound of winches turning. From the grating noise alone, they could tell how much kinetic energy those so-called siege cannons possessed.
"Break out! We absolutely cannot be caught in a pincer attack!"
The old witch Man Kandis roared. Su Xiao's ferocity had already shocked her. If the Holy Healing Church's army were to coordinate with this monster from the rear, they would all die here.
The witches fell into momentary panic. Su Xiao's long blade slashed repeatedly, and a head flew up—the taller fourth-stage witch.
Inside the One-Line Sky, Bubu Wang was squatting on a large boulder. In front of him was a long row of nearly two-meter-tall speakers, with a battery pack beside them.
Bubu Wang held a tablet, rapidly scrolling through voice files.
"T-formation battle array..."
Hearing this voice file, Bubu Wang shook his head. This one wouldn't work.
"Don't let them have a chance to break out."
Hearing this voice file, Bubu Wang's eyes lit up, and he cranked the speakers to maximum volume.
"Don't let them have a chance to break out!"
The roar echoed through the valley. Bubu Wang casually tossed out two alchemy bombs as well.
Roars continued to come from inside the One-Line Sky. At first, the witches were panicked, but after a while, they realized it was all bark and no bite. But just then, the flash of an explosion erupted from deeper within the One-Line Sky.
With the witches caught in a supposed "pincer attack" from front and rear, Kamen and the others' morale soared. Though they had no idea where this army had come from, charging into the One-Line Sky was clearly the best option now, as they were being sandwiched by witches on both sides.
Compared to Kamen's group, who were being surrounded, the witches "trapped" inside the One-Line Sky were far more anxious. The enemy behind them was about to arrive, and the witch hunters in front of them were each more ferocious than the last.
By now, Su Xiao and the others had fought their way into the One-Line Sky. The terrain here was long and narrow, about seven or eight meters wide.
Ahead of Su Xiao's group were the witches led by Man Kandis; behind them, an ice-type witch was leading a charge. Both of these were fifth-stage witches.
Fortunately, these two were tied up with the Witch Grave and the Drunkard, and the four of them clearly wouldn't settle things anytime soon. The Blood Bear was in worse shape—his arm had been torn off at some point. But the old man was tough enough to use his red-hot shotgun to cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding.
Though Kamen and the others were engaged, these witches couldn't stop Su Xiao. A total of six fourth-stage witches surrounded him, four of them wounded, and one who had a chunk of her skull sliced off was clearly on her last legs.
Blood-red mist spread. Su Xiao's Aura Release ability was at full power. He vanished from his spot, and the next moment, a witch was decapitated.
Man Kandis scanned her surroundings. Originally nearly a hundred witches, now fewer than thirty remained. By this point, she also knew there were no Holy Healing Church soldiers inside the One-Line Sky.
Looking at the five fourth-stage witches barely holding on near Su Xiao, and the two fourth-stage witches being suppressed by Kamen, the old witch gritted her teeth. Eliminating Su Xiao and his group was now impossible; retreating would be a blessing.
"Dorothea!"
With Man Kandis's roar, a witch above the One-Line Sky pressed her hand onto the formation array beneath her.
Elemental fluctuations surged within the One-Line Sky. Su Xiao's pupils contracted, and his Counter Shield materialized around him.
*Boom!*
The elemental explosion spread. Su Xiao was slammed *bang* against the rock wall on the side of the One-Line Sky.
At the entrance to the One-Line Sky, Kamen and the others rushed toward the edge. The shockwave from the elemental explosion hit them, and the blast of air pushed them out of the One-Line Sky.
Strangely, the witches were unaffected by the elemental explosion. They were enveloped in a purple glow.
*Rumble...*
The rock walls on both sides of the One-Line Sky collapsed, and stones of various sizes tumbled down.
The battle came to a halt at that moment. Thick smoke filled the air, and the One-Line Sky was nearly filled with rubble.