Universe Infinite Canteen

Li Wei's command experience was abundant, and he was clear that if the Screaming Pepper destroyed the defense line they had barely maintained, it would likely trigger a chain reaction, followed by widespread collapse.

However, he was currently alone, holding off a 6-star Energized Plant and temporarily unable to spare a hand to support others.

This sinking feeling weighed heavily on his heart.

As the Screaming Pepper was about to penetrate deeper after taking out two squads of Knights and tearing a gap, a Knight suddenly charged out from the direction of the city gates.

The Witch at his side waved her Magic Wand, and the Energized Plants they passed by fell one after another, the next moment the Screaming Pepper was enveloped by a transparent light shield. Without hesitation, it opened its birth nest, its gland pulsing, emitting a sharp, piercing scream.

But this time, its scream was contained by that transparent light shield, spreading only through the ground beneath its feet. When it reached the Knight and the Witch by his side, the damage inflicted was greatly reduced.

Li Wei's pupils shrank sharply when he saw the Knight, almost doubting his own eyes.

It wasn't until Martin's voice really rang out in the communication channel, "What are you standing around for, continue to fight. I've got this covered."

After a pause, he added, "Don't worry, I won't take your command."

Li Wei's expression became somewhat complex upon hearing this. The Commander of the Sacred Order of Knights, Martin, was now 76 years old. He hadn't been on the front lines for almost twenty years and didn't even have enough energy to manage day-to-day affairs, leaving them to Li Wei.

This indirectly resulted in the latter's increasing power and ambition, which had just begun to challenge the position of Commander.

There had always been rumors in the city that Martin was no longer fit to don armor.

Yet today, the Commander of the Sacred Order of Knights himself shattered that rumor, accompanied by Witches, many of whom were also quite old, with some even in their sixties.
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But at this moment, they too were fighting against the Energized Plants surrounding them.

Li Wei had a moment of trance, but he quickly regained his composure and took up the reins of command without hesitation. Now was not the time for modesty.

However, the light shield cast by Martin's Witch only temporarily confined the Screaming Pepper, and to avoid breaking the shield, those outside couldn't attack either.

The light shield lasted less than a minute before dissipating, and the Screaming Pepper prepared to continue its sonic attack, but just then a second light shield appeared.

After that, one light shield followed another, reducing the damage from the Screaming Pepper's screams to a single digit.

But a Witch's number of casts had a limit, and even though the Church could purify the Sin Value on a Witch through cleansing, it required time.

After casting the light shield about ten times, the Witch with grey at her temples began to shake violently, obviously reaching her limit.

On the other hand, Li Wei had managed to deal with the Chinese Toon Attacker in front of him with a burst of effort, but before he could free himself up to help Martin, another 6-star Energized Plant nearly broke through the defense line.

With no other choice, Li Wei had to take the Witches and go there to assist first.

Meanwhile, next to Martin, the Witch with grey at her temples cast another spell and entered into a Lost State, collapsing on the ground.

Martin, seeing this, shouted an order for all Witches under his command to attack the Screaming Pepper.

The nearby Knights who still had the strength also took action, and for a moment, a barrage of attacks fell on the Screaming Pepper like rain.

However, the latter, after all, was a formidable 7-star creature, and most of the attacks that landed on it didn't even manage to break through its defenses.

The spells from Martin's Witches did cause it some damage, but only knocked off a few hundred points of its HP, and then it was the Screaming Pepper's turn to retaliate.

As soon as it opened its mouth, the nearby Knights and Witches saw their HP rapidly decrease, suffering 150 points of HP damage in less than ten seconds.

It might not seem like much, but keep in mind that human HP is not like that of Energized Plants. An ordinary person only has about twenty to thirty points of HP, and even with equipment boosts, most Witches' HP remains around 100 points.

Fortunately, some Witches cast healing spells midway, allowing teammates with higher HP to hang on.

But just as they took a breath of relief, the second wave of sonic attacks hit.

This time, even Martin couldn't withstand it; as an elderly man, his HP had decreased significantly from his younger days.

Facing the direct sonic attacks on the human body, the armor's defense and durability were of no use.

Even though two Witches were continuously healing him, Martin still couldn't hold on.

In theory, with Martin's death, Li Wei's succession as the new leader of the Sacred Order of Knights should have been certain, but he was far from feeling happy about it.

At this critical juncture of life and death, the position of leader of the Sacred Order of Knights was no longer important.

With the loss of Martin to hold it back, the Screaming Pepper broke through the Knights' defense line, ready to slaughter.

However, at that moment, a bullet from an unknown source suddenly hit the Screaming Pepper.

And unlike other bullets, this one left a hole the size of two fingers wide on the Screaming Pepper's body, indicating significant damage.

Then Li Wei saw a figure clad in Power Armor, larger than the average Knight's Armor, leading three Witches toward the Screaming Pepper.

At first glance, Li Wei couldn't recognize who it was, until he realized it was the First Generation Phoenix Series Powered Armor from the Armory on the 172nd floor and understood who was beneath the armor.

The realization left him with mixed feelings.

Xi Mu was someone he had high hopes for, always behaving obediently, and Li Wei had come to regard Ma Lu as almost a confidant.

Yet he didn't expect Ma Lu to have the audacity to disregard the Church's longstanding prohibition, forcibly ascending the tower during a moment of confusion and panic when the Holy Stone was shattered and everyone was lost, and even managing to return unscathed, possibly gaining the highest authority of Holy Temple City.

This uncontrollable situation was quite unsettling for Li Wei.

Moreover, Li Wei was also curious about what was at the top of the tower, which was another reason why he ordered the capture of Ma Lu.

But now was not the time to dwell on these matters; Li Wei could only hope that Ma Lu would play some part.

Yet afterward, he saw Ma Lu suddenly stop halfway through the charge.

The new armor was good, but it was ineffective against the special attack of the Screaming Pepper.

Considering his own safety, Ma Lu naturally wouldn't get too close to the target and follow Martin's footsteps, so he stopped in time.

The Hellhound, Ouroboros Serpent, and Bliss Bird continued to advance, while Yun Que, who had the longest reach in the squad, stayed in a safer location further away to maintain output.

The Hellhound, Ouroboros Serpent, and Bliss Bird, bolstered by Golden Equipment and Purple Gear, had at least 500 HP points each, able to withstand three rounds of sonic attacks.

Additionally, Bliss Bird's Recovery Skill now had an enhancement of 320%, and its cooldown had been reduced by 80%, almost keeping pace with the Screaming Pepper's skill rotation speed.

Therefore, Ma Lu decisively chose to go on the offensive!