Lord of the Sky City-Chapter 860 - 842: All Hopes Dashed

The high-level demons have finally emerged!

The very scene that Cyril and the others feared the most had finally materialized—the high-level demons had entered the battlefield.

There’s no need to elaborate on how terrifying high-level demons are. The appearance of even a single one of these monsters on any battlefield is lethal. The reason why Marshal Mannstein’s frontline forces struggled to advance was precisely because of the presence of numerous high-level demons, leading to heavy casualties with every attempt to push forward.

Throughout the defensive battles in Qingyuan City, high-level demons had yet to make an appearance. Yet Cyril and the others never let their guard down. They constantly prayed that these monsters wouldn’t show up. Already stretched thin defending against lower-ranking demons, the appearance of high-level demons amidst the enemy ranks would render the fight completely futile.

Unfortunately, fate never favors mortals. The high-level demons that had remained absent from previous engagements finally arrived—and not just one, but three of them at once!

Three Knife Fox Demons leapt onto the castle walls as swiftly as agile foxes, wiping out dozens of Tank Armors in mere moments—so fast that no one had time to react.

But as soon as the Knife Fox Demons were spotted, Cyril, who had been prepared to join the fray, charged forward. During her advance, she activated the Magic Conduction Machines embedded in her Holy Angel Armor. Like eight towering pillars, the devices shot down, encircling one Knife Fox Demon. With beams of magic energy intersecting, these pillars formed a cage that trapped the creature within.

Immediately, Cyril appeared over the cage. Before the Knife Fox Demon could attempt its escape, she unleashed all the weapons on her armor simultaneously, raining down destruction on the demon.

It must be said: Cyril’s strategy was cunningly precise. She fully understood that the Knife Fox Demon’s defining trait was its unparalleled speed. Though they could not fly, their astounding jumping ability allowed them to traverse the air effortlessly as long as there was any foothold. Coupling this agility with their unbreakable scythe-like claws made direct confrontation near impossible. Hence, Cyril chose a more calculated approach: leveraging the capabilities of the Holy Angel Armor and its Magic Conduction Machines to confine one Knife Fox Demon in a tight space and subject it to saturated attacks.

Under the barrage of overwhelming firepower, the Knife Fox Demon quickly succumbed to the assault. Desperately attempting to flee, it crashed into the cage’s beams, worsening its injuries. Before long, relentless bombardment left its body riddled with holes.

Although Cyril succeeded in eliminating one Knife Fox Demon in the shortest time possible, she didn’t have a moment to celebrate. She immediately turned to locate another target—and what she saw surprised her: Bernardo had already slain another Knife Fox Demon.

Since his earlier duel with Rocky, Bernardo had donned the Holy Angel Armor beforehand. Though he had lost that fight, his strength was far from negligible. When the Knife Fox Demons appeared, Bernardo had also joined the battle immediately and efficiently exterminated one.

With two Knife Fox Demons eliminated, Cyril and Bernardo wordlessly shifted their attention to the last creature on the wall. With the collective efforts of the defenders, they finally managed to kill the final Knife Fox Demon, narrowly preserving the integrity of the defenses.

Yet, despite their swift extermination of the three Knife Fox Demons, the defensive forces on the wall had suffered grievous losses. In just a few short minutes, the Knife Fox Demons had destroyed over thirty Tank Armors. Even worse, their presence had sown chaos among the defenders, creating deadly gaps in their ranks. As Cyril surveyed the battlements, the first thing she noticed wasn’t the soldiers but the mass of demons climbing onto the ramparts, seizing the opportunity created by the disruption.

The demons had finally scaled the castle walls...

As Cyril watched the demons flood the battlements, she charged forward, relying on the Holy Angel Armor’s exceptional performance to slice through one demon after another. Bernardo did the same, and so did the other family members. All clad in their personalized armors, every member of the family joined the battle at this critical moment.

The combined might of Cyril and the others was formidable—after all, even the weakest among them wore Fifth Generation Special Armor, and many donned Holy Angel Armor like Cyril herself. Their speed in slaying demons was impressive. But no matter how quickly they killed, it wasn’t fast enough. The speed at which demons scaled the walls outpaced the defenders’ ability to fight back. More critically, the sheer number of demons was overwhelming.

If one were to view Qingyuan City’s walls from above, they would see them completely overtaken. Demons covered the ramparts, swarming upward in countless numbers. The sheer density of their ranks blotted out the structure itself. For every demon Cyril and her comrades killed, two more climbed up. The more demons they cut down, the faster the wall became overrun.

This is the most fearsome trait of demons!

Yet there’s even worse to come!

Just as Cyril and her comrades struggled against the relentless tide, a deafening explosion startled them. The walls shuddered violently. Feeling the ground shake beneath her feet, Cyril immediately took to the skies. As she looked downward, her heart sank.

Following her gaze, she saw at least ten colossal demons standing amid the hordes of normal demons. Each of these monstrosities was over three meters tall, their bodies resembling massive boulders ablaze with roaring flames. The fire, seemingly alive, gathered in their palms whenever they raised their hands, forming massive fireballs. These demons hurled the fireballs like projectiles, smashing them into the castle walls with devastating force.

Lava Demons...

Upon seeing these towering creatures, Cyril instantly recognized them. These were high-level demons, far more terrifying than the Knife Fox Demons—Lava Demons!

One, two, three, four... Cyril counted meticulously. There were eleven Lava Demons assaulting the walls!

It’s over...

The walls can’t hold...

As she stared at the Lava Demons, Cyril felt the last vestiges of hope slip away. She knew that the battle was lost. With so many demons to fend off, the defenders had been barely holding on, and now the arrival of eleven high-level demons, vast in strength and numbers, rendered their efforts futile. Surrounding the Lava Demons were vast hordes of low-level demons, leaving the defenders powerless to counterattack. Surely these eleven weren’t the only high-level demons in the Demon Army—who knew how many more monsters waited to be unleashed?

Defeat had come.

In this moment, Cyril couldn’t help but feel numb. She never imagined the legacy her family had preserved for decades would be destroyed under her watch...

"Clan Leader! Reinforcements have arrived!"

Just as Cyril began to despair, Bernardo’s voice suddenly crackled through the communication device.

"What?! Where?"

Startled, Cyril quickly responded.

"From the east! The fleet reports seeing a Sky City approaching!"

"The east..."

At Bernardo’s words, Cyril instinctively looked towards the rising sun—and sure enough, a Sky City was slowly advancing. But as her eyes focused on it, she froze in astonishment...