Chapter 152 Familiar Taste

Looking bottomless, it only took ten minutes or so for everyone to fall before reaching the ground. The surrounding area was a vast, dim cave. Unlike the outside, one could feel an extremely strong "killing intent" of soul power. Li Hao smacked his lips; it was a familiar taste, the power was a bit weak, but the quantity was quite large, and they were probably not mature yet. Actually, he could raise them... This kind of place was suitable for him alone...

Kuta seemed to feel something too, grabbing Li Hao's arm. "Brother Li, why is it so gloomy here? It feels like something is staring at me, giving me the creeps."

Li Hao pulled Kuta off. "Looks like the things here aren't welcoming our arrival."

The boy's insight was quite good. After a few seconds, Olivia shouted, "Prepare for battle!"

Saying that, she pointed the Arcane Scepter in her hand towards the sky. A ball of light rose into the air, suspended there, instantly illuminating the dark abyss. The surrounding walls and ground were covered with pairs of black-purple eyes, burning with dim flames.

Pegler and Hao Ao stood proudly in front with their warriors. This was a relatively common creature symbiotic with the void, with a triangular head, semi-transparent purple wings, six legs, and incredibly sharp forelimbs, carrying a unique abyssal power that caused considerable damage to Tianren (Celestial Being) weaponry. Moreover, once such a monster inflicted a wound, it would be invaded by a special toxin. If not treated in time, it would result in death at best, and becoming a contaminated variant at worst.

Zhou (Cosmic) Force burned as six high-defense warriors formed a curved barrier. Olivia and Haisen took the lead, while the Sea People warriors behind them also burned Zhou Force, all with fire-based arcane arts.

Powerful souls were a natural and irresistible temptation to void creatures. In an instant, sharp ultrasonic waves echoed throughout the abyss as waves of monsters rushed towards them. Li Hao and the others were surrounded in the middle. He understood a bit why Haisen was annoyed with them; without sufficient training, they couldn't participate in this kind of team battle, and randomly joining the fray would only mess up the formation.

"Li Hao, don't rush, as reserve forces, listen to my arrangements later."

Under Olivia's leadership, the arcane assault began. Since they chose to come to the Ozir Empire's Judgement Anthem, Olivia and Haisen were both fire mages, and quite outstanding ones at that. The power of the forty-plus Galaxy warriors behind them was only about the same as the two of them combined.

The entire abyss was ignited by Zhou fire, and surging waves of Zhou fire blasted outwards in all directions. Haisen was Olivia's supplement. There were intervals in the casting of arcane spells, so the two alternated, with excellent coordination. Moreover, the arcane spells didn't conflict with each other, but rather effectively叠加 (diéjiā – stacked). This feeling of one plus one being greater than two was quite exhilarating, and the range damage of the Zhou fire waves, one higher than the other, was even curing OCD.

It wasn't a given that fire mages and fire mages would always叠加 (diéjiā – stack). The foundation of Zhou fire was Zhou Force, and if the coordination wasn't good, they could negate or hinder each other. But looking at Olivia and Haisen's Zhou fire, they complemented each other. The other Galaxy warriors were releasing single target arcane arts, or small-scale attack arcane spells, constantly bombarding the abyssal creatures that attacked from all directions.

Li Hao actually quite enjoyed watching the show.

"Pegler, kill two rounds, Hao Ao, cover!" Olivia's voice clearly pierced through the explosions and the screams of the abyssal creatures.

"Yes, Captain, follow me!" Three Centaur warriors unleashed their Zhou Force, Zhou flames covered their bodies, and the leader Pegler had already opened his Tianyan (Heavenly Eye). The energy vortex on his forehead showed powerful strength, and the spear in his hand danced, activating the energy crystal inside, bringing waves of fire.

Charge!

Essentially, it was also a biological instinct, perhaps a soul need even higher than the needs etched into genes.

Pegler led the warriors to charge in to finish off the wounded, with a momentum of sweeping through a thousand troops. The three Centaurs formed a triangular formation, constantly rotating, they were definitely not just reckless brutes.

Back then, the Centaur race also served as vanguards in the Tianren (Celestial Being) legions, with astonishing combat power. The Giant Hao Ao led his people behind to expand the territory, constantly receiving the Centaur warriors. Actually, these high-defense warriors also liked to fight with arcane mages; the powerful force support could reduce their pressure. The coordination between the two sides was very tacit, and the Centaur's突击 (tūjī – assault) was also to see if there were any hidden abyssal creatures.

Olivia was also observing the changes and trends of the void blade beasts, to determine if there were any more powerful void creatures hiding in the dark. As a golden noble, she received richer knowledge and training from an early age, which the Anthem warriors who joined later in life couldn't compare to. Some things in the Anthem might not even be as comprehensive as those in the golden families; those powerful families in the galaxy retained their own unique reserves.

Pegler also didn't go too deep. Several rounds of冲杀 (chōngshā – charging and killing) were all on the edge of Olivia's arcane support. These void creatures were very strange and moved quickly, especially those dark energy scythes, which were very dangerous. Pegler's Zhou fire protected him, and the spear in his hand was like a blue dragon emerging from the depths, returning to the formation under the protection of the giants after each thrust.

"Advance!" Olivia commanded the team to move towards the depths of the cave; the accumulation point of the void rift was still in the depths.

And these creatures seemed to sense the danger, constantly roaring, and continuing to impact the team's formation. "Li Hao, you guys also charge and kill a bit, don't go too deep!"

Gaia and Gasmier, who had long been eager to try, rushed out of the formation, harvesting the void creatures that broke through the formation and approached. Boom...

Gaia's greatsword blocked the monster's claws. Looking thin and weak, this strength was truly sufficient. With a backhand sword, he directly split it open. With a successful strike, Gaia's momentum also rose sharply. On the other side, Gasmier was directly fighting the void creatures head-on. The Gamma worm feared nothing. Li Hao also joined the battle group. When a void creature approached, he shattered it with a punch. Li Hao was also observing this combat method. Arcane individual combat was a bit disadvantageous, but the range damage and continuous damage in this kind of team battle was truly remarkable. The scattered void creatures that broke through the Zhou fire also lost that sense of oppression.

Gaia seemed to be familiar with this kind of creature, probably having similar training. After all, as a descendant of Rastaya, Judgement Anthem also had similar training... Because it cost money and had no value, Li Hao didn't go.

The two sides were in a stalemate. The individual combat strength of the void creatures wasn't weak. Olivia was relieved to see the fighting strength of the three. She didn't just call them out randomly. Gaia wouldn't be too bad, and the Gamma worm was also a brand, as long as they followed orders, they would definitely be good high-defense warriors.

The biggest problem with the void creatures was that they didn't know how to fight as a group. They were sharp but chaotic, unable to fully utilize their numerical advantage. The Zhou Force level of the Galaxy warriors was only at the Zhou flame state, but the combination was really good. Under the leadership of Olivia and Haisen, they were very rhythmic. The Giant and Centaur warriors also greatly attracted the attention of the void creatures, cooperating very well. If they fought without any formation, they really might not be a match for these void creatures.

Haisen was very excited, and indeed very skilled. In the world of Zhou fire, the arcane mages all seemed particularly brave. What the others did well was maintaining the formation. Pegler and Hao Ao were in the front, and Li Hao and others were on the sides. They only needed to output with all their strength.

After more than an hour of fierce battle, the void creatures in the cave were basically cleared out. The rest didn't know where they had scurried off to. As long as the rift was repaired, these creatures would lose their living environment and automatically perish.

The Galaxy warriors brought over were considered more outstanding among the arcane mages, but their level was only at the warrior level. They were just more mature than when they were in Anthem, and their discipline was also stronger. In essence, they couldn't compare to the Anthem's chief petty officer. The main output was still Olivia and Haisen. Kuta also outputted a few rounds. He liked hiding in the back and enjoying himself, and even secretly took a few drinks to embolden himself.

The battle ended, Olivia's face was indifferent. Although the C5 difficulty was high, it was still within her control. The situation of everyone in the battle was also fully in her view, including Li Hao's. "Everyone rest for a while. The number and scale of this time's creatures were relatively large. Powerful void creatures may be born alongside the rift, so we can't take it lightly."

They would later need to go deep into the hinterland of the void rift, where more powerful creatures might be born. Olivia was currently a level 44 chief petty officer, lower than the orcs Li Hao had defeated, but that didn't mean that Olivia's strength was only at level 44.

The golden families were inherently more low-key. If they simply wanted to pursue the Heavenly Ranking, they could be higher, but it wasn't significant to them at all. The journey of Anthem was a kind of experience, and that was the most important thing.

Kuta always maintained a playful state, which was a headache for Olivia. When would this kid be able to get serious?

The mentality of the many Galaxy warriors was also relatively relaxed. There were three Heavenly Ladder chief petty officers in the team, so even a C5 mission was nothing to them, especially Olivia, who had a nickname called Deep Sea Queen, and some who disliked her called her Deep Sea Siren. Looking at the entire galaxy's Anthem, the arcane mages were among the strongest.