"Holy crap!"
"What is this!"
The cold wind whipped wildly across their faces, the piercing roars in their ears seeming to fade as the investigators' eyes were fixed on the terrifying figure descending from the sky.
A fearsome ghastly giant!
A ghastly giant plummeting from the heavens!
But it looked like it was on their side? That's right, it looked like reinforcements!
The investigators' spirits lifted.
At this moment, even the ghastly giant's ferocious face seemed endearing, and its mind-disrupting roars sounded like war drums in their ears.
Their hearts burned!
...
Master Ma also heard the deafening roar. He stole a glance and couldn't help but gasp.
Good heavens, this was the ghastly creature of a Firewood Wielder? So robust, so violent!
Master Ma's spirit also soared.
He represented the Investigation Bureau. While the arrival of strong reinforcements was uplifting, he couldn't possibly be outshone.
More electrical sparks crackled around his body, boosting the output of his awakened ability, 'Lightning Infusion'.
His speed surged again.
Master Ma had been awakened for over a year. Although he hadn't dared to attempt a second awakening, he had been continuously experimenting, training, and developing his awakened ability.
From merely stimulating his physique, to releasing lightning, and then to multi-stage stimulation.
The higher the power, the stronger he became, but excessive power would also damage his body.
At this moment, Master Ma activated the second stage, transforming into a blue phantom and streaking behind the four-legged behemoth, unleashing a barrage of attacks on its weak points.
Torrential Rain Chrysanthemum Spear!
Every strike was fatal!
Under Master Ma's fierce assault, the ghastly creature finally fell, dissipating into wisps of smoke.
Meanwhile, another four-legged behemoth in the distance, unable to withstand the "love" of the black giant, was defeated.
Their speed was comparable.
This black giant was not inferior to him.
"Master Ma, another big one is charging over."
"There are four in total."
This was the defense zone directly facing the Gate of Hell, the most perilous area.
The four behemoths made Master Ma frown. There were reinforcements from Firewood nearby, but even if they were split evenly, each person would have to deal with two.
The danger of 1+1 was far greater than 2, especially with other ghastly creatures around, requiring constant vigilance.
Just as Master Ma was about to speak, he saw two more wisps of black smoke drift over, transforming into two equally massive ghastly creatures.
One of them was also a black giant, which descended and pinned down a behemoth.
The other resembled a scorpion, its needle-like tail stretching out over ten meters. A black shadow flashed by.
*Squelch—*
The sharp needle tip plunged heavily into the pinned behemoth ghastly creature. With a pull, it brought out a handful of green and gray liquid.
Instant kill!
It was then flung into the distance, piercing into the second behemoth grappling with the giant.
Double kill!
Not long after,
Triple kill! Quadruple kill!
Master Ma, holding his white-tasseled spear, stared dumbfoundedly at the scene before him.
Where were his enemies? Where were all his enemies?
...
Although Master Ma was disheartened, the investigators were invigorated. Many did not know An Jianyou's identity, but were marveling at where such a formidable individual had come from.
"Too fierce, too fierce."
Jiang Tingqiu exclaimed throughout.
Director Zhou also commented, "According to the evaluation standards of the General Bureau, these behemoths are probably top-tier one-star. For An Jianyou to instantly kill four of them in such a short time, her strength would make dealing with two-star ghastly creatures not too difficult."
"This method of wielding ghastly creatures in battle is truly astonishing, far superior to the methods of the cherry blossom country's 'divine envoys'," Jiang Tingqiu added.
It was also Jiang Tingqiu's first time witnessing An Jianyou's abilities. Previously, under the bridge, he had only glimpsed a faint gray silhouette. Who would have thought that the true form of this ghastly creature would be so terrifying, so powerful.
However, "Although Miss An is very strong, the black-clothed big brother is still stronger."
The black-clothed big brother was his idol.
A true man should slash and obliterate ghastly creatures with nine-nine-nine strikes!
As he spoke, Jiang Tingqiu threw a 'fire bead', hitting the center of the ghastly horde, taking down three small ghastly heads.
...
"This is the third gray fog inhalation."
"How much time has passed?" Director Zhou asked.
"Thirty-one minutes, Director."
Director Zhou nodded.
Judging by the opening time of the Gate of Hell, more than half of the time had passed, and their defense line was holding strong.
Under the bombardment of 'lightning talismans' and 'fire beads', the number of ghastly creatures killed so far was countless. They had never killed so many ghastly creatures before.
They were simply on a killing spree.
Indeed, some investigators had broken down and gone mad, being knocked out and dragged away by their colleagues.
It wasn't a major issue; they could recover after treatment, at most with some lingering side effects.
Director Zhou was considering building a sanatorium, of course, by requesting funding from the province.
He glanced over.
Towards the back of the crowd, there was a conspicuous bald head, clad in a kasaya, with strings of huge prayer beads around his neck. One hand was in a palm, while the other twirled the beads. The Great Compassion Mantra he chanted was surprisingly loud even on this roaring battlefield.
Director Zhou's lips twitched slightly.
He had been reluctant for Master Mingdeng to join the battlefield, but he couldn't refuse the master, both verbally and physically.
But he had to admit, the master chanting scriptures here did reduce the sanity pollution to some extent, equivalent to an 'immu' buff for the investigators. The effect might not be strong, but its coverage was wide.
This was also related to Master Mingdeng's booming voice.
The master's well-trained physique actually had an effect on the battlefield.
"This is the fourth gray fog inhalation."
The gray fog in the distance expanded and contracted. In the blink of an eye, several more giant black shadows appeared.
Director Zhou's expression turned grim. Suddenly, he saw one of the black shadows and his heart trembled violently, tears of blood streaming from his eyes.
"Area Three, a giant ghastly creature has appeared. Be careful not to look at it! Do not make direct eye contact!"
"Prepare to use ghastly artifacts!"
This was a monster over three meters tall, not particularly large, resembling a bull. However, it had a giant eye in front, and from its spine, more eyeballs spread to the end, appearing horrifying and terrifying.
This was undoubtedly a ghastly creature no less powerful than the Serpent Mother. It wasn't just about it charging forward; its mere presence would continuously erode the investigators' sanity.
It had to be killed quickly.
Master Ma watched from the corner of his eye, the madness crashing over his sanity like a tide.
To deal with such a ghastly creature, even if he disregarded bodily damage and fully unleashed his awakened ability, he might only have a forty-six chance of winning, with him being the four.
However, today, he carried a ghastly artifact.
The Blood Curse!
As long as he paid blood as a price, it could enhance his resistance, speed, and destructive power. It was a very practical ghastly artifact, although the price might cost him...
Well, it wouldn't drain him dry.
At this moment, Master Ma saw the black giant charging towards the one-eyed giant bull nearby.
Hmm, their sizes were similar. With the black giant as a distraction, he could kill this ghastly creature more quickly, reducing its impact. The faster it was killed, the shorter the time he would use the 'Blood Curse', and the lower the side effects.
Having strong reinforcements was indeed a good thing.
Just as Master Ma was preparing to make a move, a roar suddenly erupted nearby.
Thump, thump, thump. Thick, viscous black smoke emanated from the charging black giant. Its entire body seemed to swell as if it had taken steroids. With each step, it grew larger. By the time it reached the one-eyed giant bull, its body had expanded from three meters to five meters.
Taller than the giant bull!
Little brother, didn't expect this, did you!
The giant grabbed and pressed with both hands, wrestling and pinning the ghastly creature in front of it tightly.
The ground cracked and fissured, and the two figures sank downwards simultaneously.
At this moment, using the same tactic, the inconspicuous Little Black Number Three, the scorpion-like ghastly creature, also emitted black smoke. Its needle-like tail stretched out over ten to twenty meters, drawing a beautiful arc and piercing into the back of the giant bull from its spine. It seemed to penetrate only a piece of wood, easily drilling inward. It drilled all the way to the single eye and then twisted forcefully.
The ghastly creature exploded.
Some fragments flew towards Master Ma's face, only dissipating into green smoke after a long while.
Master Ma was stunned.
Director Zhou was also stunned and asked Jiang Tingqiu, "Is there a possibility that An Jianyou is stronger than the black-clothed swordsman?"
Jiang Tingqiu opened his mouth, seemingly unable to refute the statement.