"He's grown stronger!"
Artoria spoke with a grave expression, swinging her sword in a tentative strike, only to be repelled several meters by a single blow from the enemy. Her feet scraped two long furrows into the ground.
"Artoria, are you alright?"
Keqing flashed to Artoria's side, asking with concern.
"I am fine."
Artoria nodded, her expression growing increasingly grim as she stared at the demon before them.
She could feel the aura emanating from him continuing to surge, like a ferocious beast awakening from its slumber!
Artoria could still maintain her composure, but the ordinary people around them were completely terrified, desperately trying to flee the area.
As for the Millelith, they were equally consumed by fear. Many felt their limbs go weak and wanted to turn and run, but their sense of duty and obligation restrained them, forcing them to hold their positions.
"What a monster," Hu Tao remarked as she timely withdrew from the fray, her gaze fixed on the figure radiating such overwhelming pressure.
"That sword seemed to be dormant before, and we've now completely awakened him," Keqing said with a wry smile.
"I've already sent Baiwen to seek help from Madame Ping. We must join forces to hold him back."
Hearing Ningguang's words, everyone nodded.
Though the enemy was incredibly powerful, they had nowhere left to retreat; behind them were the people of Liyue.
"Lady Artoria, I'm afraid we will need your help."
Artoria quickly shook her head.
"Protecting the weak is the duty and virtue of a knight."
Artoria gripped an invisible sword with both hands, pointing it diagonally at the demon not far before her, her eyes igniting with a boiling fighting spirit.
"Until I fall, I will not let him harm anyone!"
This single sentence directly dispelled the fear and unease in everyone's hearts, and a high-spirited fighting will surfaced on each person's face.
Although Artoria's stature was not tall, one could even say she was petite, but when she spoke these words, she brought a tremendous sense of security to everyone.
"Ha... ha... ha... ha!"
Just then, the demon, vaguely surrounded by the group, let out a series of strange laughs.
"You dare to stand against me?"
"You are nothing but a swarm of insects. I will cut your filthy bodies asunder! Slice them open! Chop them to pieces!"
"Let blood! For us! Be a holy! Baptism!"
The demon raised the Demon Sword high in his hand. At this moment, the Demon Sword emitted an even more eerie and bloodthirsty glow. The thick scent of blood made everyone present feel a strong sense of suffocation; they could hardly imagine how many living beings that sword had slaughtered.
A blood-colored pillar of light connected heaven and earth. A torrential downpour poured down, yet it still could not wash away a single trace of bloodlust. Even under the pouring rain, the aura of blood on the demon's body shone as dazzlingly as a red sun.
Seeing this scene, many people could not help but swallow hard.
"Wretched crawlers, remember my name well."
"I am Aatrox, the World Ender."
"I shall extinguish the light and create eternal darkness!"
After speaking, Aatrox swung the Demon Sword with both hands, suddenly slashing downward. A black sword aura, carrying an unstoppable force, flew toward everyone.
Deathbringer Stance!
"Careful."
Artoria's mind was focused to the extreme. Because at this moment, she could no longer keep up with Aatrox's strength at all. If she wanted to block his attack, she had to anticipate his attack intentions in advance.
This time Artoria succeeded. While warning the others, she rushed toward the trajectory of the incoming attack.
"Boom"!
Artoria arrived in front of the Deathbringer Stance at the last possible moment, then held her sword to parry.
The moment she made contact with Aatrox's attack, the entire ground beneath her sank several inches.
An extraordinary force surged through this sword energy, nearly knocking the sword from Artoria's hand.
Artoria's expression shifted slightly. Then, she tightened her grip on her sword, her arms tensing as terrifying power erupted from her petite frame.
Artoria had to use nearly all her strength to completely extinguish this sword energy, yet this was merely a casual attack from her opponent.
"I am not your enemy, I am the enemy of this world!"
The next moment, Aatrox unleashed three more Deathbringer sword slashes, a sight that made everyone's hearts sink.
"Lady Artoria, we will help you!"
As soon as the words were spoken, Ningguang's hands formed a series of intricate hand seals. Three Jade Screens then appeared one after another in the paths of the Deathbringer sword slashes.
However, these Jade Screens could not even block them for a single moment. The Deathbringer sword slashes passed straight through them as if they offered no resistance at all, and then the Jade Screens shattered.
Seeing this, Ningguang's expression remained unchanged. Her hands formed another series of exquisite hand seals, and a massive formation emerged from the ground. A brilliant yellow light enveloped the three pitch-black sword slashes, and countless pieces of jade rapidly condensed in the air, then struck out.
This time, the speed of the Deathbringer sword slashe was visibly slower by a fraction!
Just this fraction was the result of Ningguang exerting her full power. Her face had turned somewhat pale, clearly overstrained, as drops of sweat trickled down from behind her ear and fell to the ground.
Suddenly, a dazzling firelight erupted from Hu Tao's body again. Her figure then transformed into a ball of fire and lunged toward one of the Deathbringer sword slashes.
"I'll deal with this attack!"
Seeing this, Keqing gritted her teeth and also lunged toward another Deathbringer sword slashe.
"Don't force yourselves!"
Ningguang's expression immediately turned serious upon seeing this. She hurriedly ordered the Millelith to act and help relieve the pressure on Keqing and Hu Tao. Even the Guizhong Ballistae spewed out several torrents of energy, directly bombarding the Deathbringer sword slashes.
It took the combined efforts of over a hundred people to barely hold back these two Deathbringer sword slashes.
As for Artoria, facing the final Deathbringer sword slash that emitted a terrifying aura, she let out a loud cry and charged forward without a hint of fear, her power surging even further.
How could she possibly fail to live up to everyone's efforts as they united to create this opportunity for her?
Artoria knew there was a significant gap between her and Aatrox in terms of strength, but so what? The coalesced will was enough to bridge this gap!
Artoria's eyes glared at the Deathbringer sword slashes rushing toward her, radiating a brilliant golden light.
Artoria swung her sword, slashing into the Deathbringer sword slashes. Her body paused for a fleeting moment, then the golden torrent tore the Deathbringer sword slashes to shreds. She then charged toward Aatrox with an unstoppable momentum.
"Come! Fight me!"
"I will sever your limbs! I will pierce your soul!"
"Follow me! And charge into destruction together!"
Aatrox's black wings suddenly unfurled, and his size surged further. This time he stood a full five meters tall, and a terrifying and desperate aura, far more overwhelming than before, instantly spread out.
"A monster!"
"We can't win!"
"Run!"
Boundless terror flooded the hearts of everyone present. Everyone had barely managed to block a sword slashe the enemy had casually waved out before, yet now he had actually become even stronger.
Under such a massive mental shock, many Millelith finally had their mental defenses broken and chose to turn and flee.
Even Ningguang considered fleeing the scene, but she quickly snapped out of it, realizing they were being affected by his aura.
A cyan light suddenly enveloped the fleeing Millelith. Soon, they slowed their retreat and gradually calmed down.
Next, another cyan light caught up with Artoria. This one was much deeper in color, and upon contact, her speed and strength began to surge. The golden radiance on her body mingled with the cyan, becoming even more blinding.
At the same time, a Frostflake Arrow imbued with dense Cryo Elemental Power flew from behind Aatrox, then detonated violently before he could intercept it.
"Fight! Or be forgotten!"
Aatrox erupted with an even denser blood-red aura, completely blocking the power unleashed by the Frostflake Arrow's detonation. He then looked down at Artoria, his Demon Sword crashing down.
Artoria had just leaped up when she was suppressed again by the Demon Sword. As her feet touched the street's cobblestones once more, terrifying power surged from her legs.
Under this unparalleled force, a massive crater formed around Artoria, with her at the center, spanning dozens of meters.
But this strike was not the end. Aatrox's eyes glowed crimson as he continuously poured strength into his arms, wielding the Demon Sword like a club to repeatedly smash down on Artoria. The sound of clanging metal, like a blacksmith's hammer, echoed in everyone's ears.
Under the relentless assault, Artoria was driven deep into the ground, her entire body completely submerged in the earth.
Artoria could not withstand this colossal force. The sword in her hands was pressed directly against her chest, and her arms were twisted at unnatural angles.
Finding an opening in the enemy's attack, Artoria burst from the ground on the other side. The crowd's hearts sank at the sight of her wretched state.
However, just as they were about to ask about her condition, they saw the light on her body intensify for an instant, and her injuries completely healed.
Only then did everyone realize that she was actually a [Heroic Spirit] from another world.
If she was a [Heroic Spirit], they didn't need to worry much about the injuries she sustained, but the energy she expended was very real.
"I will use all my Adeptal Energy to buff your speed. Do not fight him head-on."
An ethereal voice whispered in her ear. Artoria felt the strength in her body recede as her body became lighter. She nodded, then charged at Aatrox once more.
"Slaughter~ ah!"
Aatrox's Demon Sword, which had also grown several times its original size, whipped up a fierce wind as it swung toward Artoria. Artoria's right foot slammed into the ground, and she narrowly dodged the attack, then leaped into the air, her body passing diagonally over Aatrox's waist and leaving a deep wound.
"Curse you!"
After being wounded, Aatrox became even more enraged. Blood-red aura, like a sea of blood, surged outward. Even with Ningguang suppressing the area, the surrounding buildings still suffered immense damage.
Aatrox swung his sword at Artoria once more, the Deathbringer Stance's sword energy gathering on the Demon Sword. Artoria wanted to dodge, but she realized that if this attack hit the crowd, it would cause a catastrophic disaster. She planned to stop and face this attack head-on.
"Do not stop. Leave this to us."
Madame Ping's figure materialized not far from Artoria, Adeptal Energy surging on her body.
Azure halos enveloped Hu Tao, Keqing, and Ganyu, who was a bit further away, greatly enhancing their strength.
A pale blue light enveloped the other Millelith, granting them a slightly smaller power boost; after all, Adeptal Energy was limited, and Madame Ping dared not squander it.
Sensing the surging power of the others, Artoria's speed erupted once more. She bypassed Aatrox's attack and thrust directly toward his chest. Simultaneously, a hurricane whipped up, slashing across Aatrox's body like a sword blade, actually producing the sound of clashing metal.
On one side, Madame Ping, acting as the main support, blocked Aatrox's attack with the combined effort of over a hundred Millelith. On the other side, Artoria had already crashed into Aatrox's chest, her sword about to pierce him. Yet, at that moment, several chains seemingly forged from fire materialized behind her and climbed over Artoria's body.
Artoria's expression changed. She forced the strength from her injured hand to burst forth, hoping to complete this attack, but she was ultimately a step too slow.
An irresistible, colossal force transmitted through the chains, dragging Artoria's entire body backward. Artoria gritted her teeth, twisted her body, and swung her sword at the chains, producing a crisp clanging sound.
Yet this powerful, heavy strike managed to sever only a single chain!
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
Under everyone's gaze, Aatrox raised his sword and leaped several meters into the air. Then, with unparalleled momentum, he slashed down toward Artoria. A dark red aura completely enveloped the Demon Sword, radiating a terrifying wave of power.
Madame Ping's expression changed. She struck out, attempting to sever the chains on Artoria's body, but even destroying one of them in a short time was extremely difficult for her.
At this critical moment, after weighing the costs, Artoria swung her sword without hesitation and severed her own legs. Her body recovered in an instant, and she swung her sword one last time, severing the final chain wrapped around her, then immediately withdrew.
The Demon Sword slammed heavily into the ground, instantly cracking the earth and sending a violent tremor through the area.
Seeing that Artoria had actually dodged his attack, Aatrox grew even more furious.
"Embody Hatred!"
The massive wings behind Aatrox flapped once, and his body instantly soared into the sky. Finally, gripping the Demon Sword with both hands, he plummeted toward the crowd like a meteor.
At this moment, the Millelith in that area were suddenly filled with deep despair and fear, as fragments of the past continuously flashed through their minds.
But in the next instant, Artoria's figure blocked in front of them. She raised the finally revealed longsword high with both hands, her body erupting with a golden radiance that far surpassed anything before.
"Excalibur!"