The roars of countless demons echoed around them. Zhou Yan knew these demons were rushing towards them.
"Damn human, you've angered me!" the female demon snarled at Zhou Yan.
"Haha, so what?" Zhou Yan retorted arrogantly.
"Boom!" The female demon swung her axe, striking the wall behind Zhou Yan, completely demolishing it.
Zhou Yan, looking at the destroyed castle, inwardly cursed. The castle's structure was already crude, and with the female demon's fierce attacks, he worried it would collapse.
"Hurry, evacuate! We must leave here immediately!" Zhou Yan roared, then charged towards the female demon.
The female demon, however, showed no fear of Zhou Yan. She swung her great axe at him again. Zhou Yan quickly blocked it with his Crimson Flame Sword, but the female demon seized the opportunity and stomped on his chest.
"Thud!" The impact forced Zhou Yan to his knees, and then the female demon stomped on his abdomen. Zhou Yan's face turned red.
"Crack!" Just as the female demon was about to continue her assault, the armor on Zhou Yan's body shattered. Simultaneously, Zhou Yan's sword struck the female demon's leg armor. Though it didn't penetrate, it slashed through her leg armor.
Seizing the momentum, Zhou Yan continued his attack, aiming for the female demon's neck. This time, he managed to carve a gash in her neck, drawing blood. The female demon cried out in pain, clutching her neck and glaring fiercely at Zhou Yan.
"Roar!" The female demon bellowed and punched at Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan quickly dodged, then kicked her in the chest. This time, her chest caved in, clearly injured. Yet, the demon stubbornly rose to her feet.
Zhou Yan frowned, looking at the female demon. She was incredibly resilient. Although his attacks hadn't been fatal, he had still managed to injure her.
"Bang!" Zhou Yan was knocked to the ground again. The female demon then charged at him wildly. Zhou Yan desperately parried her attacks with the Crimson Flame Sword. This time, the demon didn't easily flick his sword away. Instead, the sword's force pushed her back several steps.
"Her strength has increased!" Zhou Yan exclaimed in surprise as his sword was parried. The female demon's power had clearly not been this high moments ago. Why had she suddenly become so formidable?
"Could it be because of that orb?" Zhou Yan mused. The reason he dared to face the female demon alone was her large size and slow movements. Her combat style was also relatively crude, which gave Zhou Yan opportunities for sneak attacks. However, the situation was now different; the female demon's strength had significantly increased.
"Hah!" Zhou Yan raised his sword and swung it at the female demon again.
"Clang!" The female demon's arm once again blocked Zhou Yan's sword. This time, Zhou Yan felt a powerful force surge through his sword into his hand. His arms went numb, and he almost dropped the Crimson Flame Sword. His arms felt weak. It was then that Zhou Yan noticed a thin layer of blue light enveloping the female demon. He realized this blue glow must be her demonic power.
"Roar!" The female demon charged at Zhou Yan again. This time, Zhou Yan didn't meet her head-on. He felt that if he did, he would surely be no match for her. Her strength was immense, and she was ferociously brutal.
Zhou Yan dodged her attack with a sidestep and then instantly vanished into thin air. The female demon blinked in surprise at Zhou Yan's sudden disappearance. In that single moment, Zhou Yan had reappeared before her, opting for a close-quarters assault.
"Bang!" Zhou Yan's Crimson Flame Sword pierced the female demon's armor. However, the demon retaliated immediately, smashing her axe into Zhou Yan's waist. Zhou Yan was sent flying like a cannonball into the wall before falling to the ground. The female demon did not pursue but instead watched the fallen Zhou Yan coldly.
"Cough, cough!" Zhou Yan coughed violently. The female demon's attack had been too powerful. Three of his ribs were broken, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Gurgle!" The female demon walked up to Zhou Yan, raising her great axe. Zhou Yan looked at her and slowly closed his eyes, awaiting his demise.
"Bang!" A dull thud echoed. Zhou Yan opened his eyes and saw the female demon standing motionlessly.
"Huffs!" Zhou Yan panted, looking around. The female demon lay in a pool of blood. Zhou Yan reached out, grabbed her head, and plunged his Crimson Flame Sword into her forehead.
"Boom!" As the Crimson Flame Sword sank deeper, the female demon's corpse instantly turned into black smoke. Zhou Yan flickered and vanished into the castle gate's opening. The demon soldiers on the wall then charged in.
"Ah..." screams echoed from outside the city.
Zhou Yan leaped down from the castle gate and fled into the distance. He didn't know the exact location of the demon legion, but he knew he was safe as long as he followed this passage. It was long, and Zhou Yan remembered that the other end of this passage had another large door. This passage led directly to that door.
Zhou Yan ran along the passage, but he didn't forget his objective: to kill the baron. He ran relentlessly until he encountered a group of demons.
"Whoosh!" Zhou Yan saw a knight charging at him and swiftly ran him through with his sword. Looking ahead, Zhou Yan saw the large door. Indeed, a massive chain secured it. Zhou Yan severed the chain with his Crimson Flame Sword, pushed open the door, and entered a room.
Upon entering, Zhou Yan found five smaller rooms. Each room contained a statue, all of them gruesome and terrifying demon sculptures. A strong demonic aura permeated the air, along with a scent of decay and bloodshed.
"What's going on? Why are there demon corpses here?" Zhou Yan looked at the bodies, puzzled. Although he didn't know their identities, he could confirm these were living demons.