Chapter 44: Too Many Support Personnel
In the center of the ruined city of Shao Guang.
The Heaven Judgment Squad, after receiving numerous warning prompts, was already on high alert. If they could hold off the enemy for 30 minutes, the escape passage would open, and then it would be their victory—or, alternatively, they could annihilate the enemy entirely. This would allow the space-time power transaction to continue, the mission to be completed, and a large amount of resources to fall into their hands.
Compared to annihilating the enemy, Heaven Judgment estimated that holding the line was more reliable. In his view, since that unknown enemy from Reincarnation Paradise had chosen to strike, they must have considerable confidence.
Based on the prompts just received, Heaven Judgment had learned many key pieces of intelligence, such as the world invasion.
He was very curious about one point: whether the enemy had entered this world together with them or had arrived earlier. If they had arrived earlier, had they recruited powerful figures from this world to help seize the space-time power?
Moreover, besides the local powerhouses, had the enemy already known the transaction location and set up traps here? Although the guide had scouted the area beforehand, oversights were always possible.
In a short time, Heaven Judgment assessed the current situation. Taking the initiative to attack was not a wise choice. This battle had a time limit—only half an hour—and being on the defensive was more advantageous. However, complete defense was not an option either; they needed to establish a defensive position and set up a formation to intercept the enemy.
"Green Dog, Big Eye, Little Fairy, the three of you set up the barrier. Molei, stay at the center of the barrier and don't act rashly. If the barrier is broken within 20 minutes, immediately discard the space-time power storage device. You're no match for them, and holding on stubbornly is pointless. If there are only a few minutes left before the escape passage opens, try to flee."
Heaven Judgment's tone was steady as he began to methodically arrange the defensive line. Hearing his words, Molei, Green Dog, Big Eye, and the others all felt that this temporary captain was very reliable.
"Nitia, after the battle starts, you need to pin down one or two enemies. Make full use of your ability's characteristics. Summon all your plant familiars. If you survive, I'll compensate you for your fallen plant familiars based on their number and individual strength. Of course, this is only if I don't die. If I do, consider yourself unlucky."
Heaven Judgment had a certain level of recognition for this plant summoner.
Nitia nodded, agreeing to Heaven Judgment's arrangement. He continued:
"Tyrant, good luck."
"?"
Heaven Judgment's words were laden with meaning. Hearing this, Tyrant's heart skipped a beat. Everyone else had been given clear instructions, but for him, it was just "good luck"? Did that mean he would be the first to die once the battle started?
Thinking this, Tyrant became secretly vigilant. In reality, this was exactly what Heaven Judgment wanted. Most tank-type contractors in Apocalypse Paradise relied on their strong survivability, making them overly confident in battle.
In Heaven Judgment's view, if a tank's usual IQ was 100%, having a healer reduced it by 20%. After activating their domain, their IQ dropped another 50%, while their bravery increased by 300%.
After that, for every additional healer, the tank's IQ decreased by an extra 10%, and their bravery increased by 30%.
Right now, he didn't need a brave tank; he needed one who could hold the line. Blocking outside the barrier was enough; there was no need to charge at the enemy.
"Liyu, let's join forces."
Heaven Judgment looked at the six contractors a dozen meters away. That was the Holy Light Squad, led by a female contractor named Liyu, a combat-type healer, commonly known as a battle medic.
Besides Liyu, the other five were Peipeixi, Mili, Mi, Nuan Guang, and Bei Mo. Except for Peipeixi, who followed the "sacrificial flow," the other four were all healers.
Liyu wore a gorgeous long dress, and behind her, four pairs of golden light wings were faintly visible. She exuded a sense of holiness and solemnity, like an eight-winged archangel blessed by holy light.
"Of course."
Liyu gave some instructions to the five members of her squad. Four of them walked into the barrier, leaving only Peipeixi by Liyu's side.
Peipeixi looked half-asleep, her smoky eye makeup not painted on but naturally gifted. In a little while, she would become something inhuman—who knew what kind of monster she would sacrifice herself into.
The interception formation was complete. Big Eye, Green Dog, and Little Fairy set up the barrier, while Molei and the four healers from Holy Light Paradise were inside it.
This meant there were five healers inside the barrier. Seeing these five healers, Tyrant, as the tank, felt greatly reassured. With five healers inside the barrier boosting his healing effects, could he die? Absolutely impossible.
An amusing scene unfolded: a crowd of people inside the barrier, while outside, only Heaven Judgment, Nitia, Tyrant, Liyu, and Peipeixi stood ready. The "spectators" outnumbered those actually facing the enemy.
Seeing this, Heaven Judgment felt a wave of speechlessness, but he said nothing. He was used to it. At least this time, no one was thinking of fleeing before the battle, which he found somewhat gratifying.
The fluctuations of various buff abilities spread, enveloping all twelve people present. A large number of buffs, continuous recovery effects, and aura abilities were all applied.
"Come on, let me see just how strong this Reincarnation Paradise invader really is."
Tyrant's body swelled rapidly, soon becoming a giant nearly four meters tall with dark gray skin. The muscles on his chest even took on a metallic texture.
Hearing Tyrant's words, Heaven Judgment knew that everything he had said earlier was in vain. There were simply too many healers. If he were in Tyrant's place, he too would have "lost himself" in a short time.
The surroundings were quiet. Building debris floated above the ruins. Two minutes had passed since Shao Guang was sealed off, but the enemy had yet to attack.
A gust of wind blew, raising sand and dust. When the wind subsided, Heaven Judgment and Liyu both saw that the enemy had arrived.
Heaven Judgment stared ahead. On a broken stone pillar a hundred meters away stood a man with a metal mask covering the lower half of his face, holding a long blade. A demon hawk with black-blue feathers perched on his shoulder. To his left, right, and behind him were many others.
To the left of the stone pillar was a minotaur wielding a large axe. Beside it stood a girl with a delicate appearance, holding a blade-spear resting on her shoulder, her expression relaxed.
To the right of the stone pillar was a woman wearing earrings and holding a war scythe. She wore a hood and a dark, dull-colored long skirt. Beside her was an old knight in full armor, whose height surpassed even Tyrant's by half a head.
In front of the stone pillar stood a pitch-black humanoid monster. One look was enough to tell that this was a rebellious, fierce, and brutal creature.
Behind the stone pillar were a dozen ruthless figures draped in dark red cloaks. They all wore helmets with pointed tops, each carrying a greatsword on their back. A single glance was enough to know that these twelve were not to be trifled with.
"Big Eye, enemy intel."
Heaven Judgment spoke in a deep voice. A very bad feeling surged in his heart. He could confirm that among those across from them, there must be boss-level powerhouses from this world. As for which ones, he couldn't tell for now. Their positions were too close, and their auras were all strong, making precise perception impossible.
"Heaven... Heaven Judgment, the situation is a bit complicated."
"Just say it directly. Which ones are boss-level units?"
Heaven Judgment was already getting a bit angry. Big Eye was actually hemming and hawing at a time like this.
"Some of them are. The situation is very dangerous, but if we all go all out, we might be able to win."
As Big Eye spoke, he secretly contacted Heaven Judgment through the imprint to convey the intel. This information couldn't be said out loud—it would be too demoralizing. What he needed to tell Heaven Judgment was that, aside from the two followers, all the other enemies ahead were boss-level units.