Now with four living Balrogs, plus the three unlucky ones killed earlier, and one Balrog about to die on the ground, these additions are almost enough to elevate himself to the Balrog Lord state. Thus, Li Xi looked at the four fleeing Balrogs not as enemies, but as his treasures, the sustenance for his advancement. This trip was truly worthwhile.
No one can tolerate their treasure growing legs and running away!
Especially Li Xi, who has been a hereditary pauper from his ancestors down to the present!
The first Balrog looked at the tall abyssal portal in the distance and his comrades frantically running alongside him. He only wished he could be faster than them. The four of them surviving together was an extravagant dream no one had ever achieved. Therefore, as long as you are faster than your companions, you can survive. This is the instinctive selfish reaction of life in the face of danger, sharing the same moral foundation as the saying, "Husband and wife are birds of the same forest, each flying separately when disaster strikes."
However, as he ran, he realized that the other three Balrogs were quickly surpassing him. He immediately understood that it wasn't that their speed had increased, but that he was slowing down.
Concurrently, a sense of powerlessness surged within him, and he stumbled, collapsing to the ground with a thud. The head that had spread terror across countless planes and ages rolled forward with a bewildered and confused expression, leaving a headless corpse lying on the ground.
It turned out that the first Balrog's head had moved somewhere unknown at some point. Because his speed was too fast, he didn't even realize it until his death.
The second Balrog, catching sight of the Balrog beside him falling out of the corner of his eye, knew that it was the Balrog who had defeated the great Balrog Fielder who had made the move.
Before he could even turn to look, his chest suddenly ached intensely. Looking down, he saw a familiar hand grasping a beating black heart emerging from his chest. In an instant, he understood that he, like Fielder, had his heart ripped out!
In the final moments of his life, countless scenes flashed through this Balrog's eyes. These included moments where he had killed innumerable lives, but in the end, his gaze fixed on his own black heart.
Having swiftly and decisively dealt with two great Balrogs, Li Xi leaped to the side of the third Balrog. Before the third Balrog could even turn to make a desperate stand, Li Xi, relying on his superhuman speed, simply smashed him with a hammer, reducing him to a headless corpse.
As for the fourth Balrog, he was subdued by Li Xi's powerful aura. Just as he was about to kneel and imitate other lesser demons in submission, licking the feet of Li Xi, who had transformed into a Balrog, he ran headlong into a suddenly raised knee.
Another tall Balrog body was sent flying. Li Xi leaped into the air and stomped down heavily. The whistling wind and the colossal foot, like a pillar supporting the sky, seemed capable of piercing the earth's crust. Without the slightest deviation, it landed precisely on the fourth Balrog's head.
One had to admit that the physical condition of Balrogs was excellent. Even steel-reinforced Golems would feel inferior in their presence. The gravity-infused stomp that Li Xi could use to turn bluestone into powder only managed to crack the skull of this fourth Balrog, by no means the simple and effortless crushing of a watermelon.
"Roar!"
Having killed five Balrogs without sustaining any injuries, Li Xi raised the great hammer in his hand and let out an excited roar to the heavens, his voice shaking the earth. His indomitable and resolute aura compelled all life to acknowledge him as a supreme being.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
The hundreds of thousands of demons surrounding the battlefield, who had witnessed this ultimate battle, were intoxicated by the ferocity displayed by Li Xi's Balrog form. They raised their myriad strange weapons and echoed Li Xi's triumphant shouts.
Li Xi let out a few roars to vent the pent-up frustration of the past days. Since the death of his two consorts, he had suffered sleepless nights filled with heartache. Today, he had found some solace amidst the corpses of eight Balrogs.
"My strength remains. One day, I will overthrow everyone."
With a single eye emanating uncontrollable killing intent and an ominous black aura swirling from his body, wherever Li Xi's gaze fell, life would tremble and lower its head.
"Submit to me, and I shall spare your lives."
Though the voice of Li Xi's Balrog form lacked overt authority and was not particularly loud, no demon doubted his absolute dominion.
The lesser demons, who had been observing, now all knelt in unison. They dared not even approach Li Xi. In their eyes, this Balrog, emanating ominous blackness, was a favored child of the Abyss.
The abyssal energy, which they normally struggled to absorb, was so abundant within this Balrog that it could not be contained, causing thick black smoke to billow forth. This was the essence of power most coveted by all abyssal life.
A demon with such overwhelming energy was destined to become a ruler of planes, destined to govern one or even multiple planes. To fight alongside such a demon, who was destined for greatness, was their honor. To have encountered such a figure in their early days was nothing short of a blessing from the Abyss!
Li Xi was unaware of how the abyssal negative energy, forced out of his body by divine power, was perceived by the other demons. If he had known that they mistook his current state for an overflowing of abyssal negative energy within him, he would have laughed heartily, exclaiming, "What a marvelous misunderstanding!"
Looking at the demons sprawled across the ground, Li Xi harbored the ambition of "I saw, I conquered."
Surveying the surroundings with satisfaction, Li Xi was pleased to have gathered so many followers so soon after arriving in this minor plane. However, the five vampires flying in the sky were still an eyesore, daring to look down upon him.
Li Xi, filled with intense confidence, became enraged. Pointing at the five distant vampires, he declared, "Come here, or the only fate awaiting you is to have your blood drawn and marrow extracted."
The lesser demons surrounding him, witnessing Li Xi's imposing demeanor, simultaneously shouted, "Come here, or the only fate awaiting you is to have your blood drawn and marrow extracted."
The synchronized roar of hundreds of thousands of demons shattered the thin red clouds in the sky. It also caused the hesitant five vampires to instantly descend, flying nervously close to the ground.
The four vampire Earls' faces were more grim than if their mothers had died. How could this Balrog, who had appeared out of nowhere, be so powerful? Those were Great Balrogs, four Balrogs! Coupled with the three before, that made eight Balrogs dead at his hands. In battles of equal footing, it was difficult enough to determine a victor, let alone achieve a death. To achieve such a feat would require risking one's own life.
Yet, this fellow had sequentially killed eight Balrogs of the same rank, including a higher-ranking Great Balrog, and remained completely unscathed. This... was unreasonably powerful, wasn't it?
The four Earl-level vampires furtively glanced at Duke Lyander. Indeed, his face was shining with a paleness that could be mistaken for magical fluorite if it became any paler.
"Esteemed Lord Balrog, what commands do you have for us?" As expected of an old hand who had lived for countless years, Duke Lyander paid no heed to his ducal status. Facing the ferocious aura radiating from the Balrog before him, he bent his body like the most loyal of servants.
"Heh heh, your vampire race always knows when to yield and when to stand tall. I admire you. If it weren't for your aversion to sunlight and slow population growth, perhaps other races would have no place in this world," the Balrog, in Li Xi's form, spoke with a seemingly pointed remark.
"My lord, you jest," Duke Lyander replied with a smile, regardless of how many curses he was mentally heaping upon the Balrog. He likely employed the most offensive language conceivable from any race on Earth, but outwardly, he maintained a pleasant demeanor.
The Balrog, in Li Xi's form, stood twenty meters tall, requiring him to look down to see the five figures. His single eye was filled with a playful expression. "I don't know, nor do I care, what schemes you vampires are plotting. However, you have encroached upon my interests here. Therefore, this plane is no longer welcoming to you."
Duke Lyander immediately interjected with a smile, "Lord Richard, you speak with absolute correctness. With you present, this small plane is naturally safe and secure, and we have no need to linger here. We shall depart now and will not return."
Duke Lyander, leading the four lesser vampires behind him, bowed respectfully to Li Xi. Then, with a look, he signaled the other four vampires to follow him closely and leave quickly.
Being so close to this Balrog, whose abyssal essence permeated his very soul, he felt as if he were facing Death itself. This feeling constantly reminded him that staying meant death!
Duke Lyander took a few steps forward with the four vampires, but a booming voice from behind stopped them. The five vampires, who had just begun to relax, immediately tensed up. If something unexpected happened in the next second, they would use all their might to flap their bat wings and charge into the distant abyssal portal.
"If you wish to leave, I won't stop you. But I do not agree to you simply leaving like this."
The five vampires turned around, their feigned smiles vanishing from their faces. "Then, according to Lord Richard's wishes...?"
Li Xi gestured with his hand, and the hundreds of thousands of demons in the distance, their feet pounding the ground, created earth dragons that surged forward. The next moment, the moonlit plains were once again covered by a dense mass of demons.
With his sharp white fangs bared, Li Xi spoke as if recounting a tale of seeking help. "I am not clear on the abilities of these newly recruited subordinates. Therefore, I request that you help me assess them."
"You..." Duke Lyander's face contorted instantly. He had never imagined that this detestable and damnable Balrog would dare to have the five of them face hundreds of thousands of demons. This was akin to sheep walking into a tiger's den.
Unfortunately, before Lyander and the others could voice any reasonable objections, Li Xi's next sentence sent them plummeting into an abyss. "If you do not agree, you can also let me take action to test your capabilities. I am also very curious about the strength of a Duke."
The four Earl-level vampires buried their heads so low that they feared this wicked Balrog would see the hatred in their eyes if they dared to look up.
Duke Lyander's face shifted from pale to greenish-blue, then from greenish-blue to pale, his complexion changing more rapidly than a neon sign. The trembling of his lips was so pronounced that it could make a dragonfly's wingbeats feel inferior.
Unlike the four Earls behind him who bowed their heads in fear of being seen by Li Xi, Duke Lyander gazed directly into the single eye of Li Xi's Balrog form with a look of profound meaning, containing three parts threat, three parts pleading, and four parts anger. Li Xi's Balrog form, however, only offered a dismissive, condescending gaze as if looking at insects, and nothing more.
After a moment of standoff, Duke Lyander had to admit that when faced with the choice between hundreds of thousands of demon troops and this Balrog, he would rather choose the demon army. His voice low, he replied, "As you wish."
The five pairs of bat wings unfurled, like dual scythes, plunging into the demon army. Wherever the five vampires passed, countless lesser demons were torn to shreds. Yet, the other lesser demons were not intimidated; instead, they roared with excitement and charged forward, their abyssal bloodline's chaos and belligerence forever making demons disregard their own lives.
Soon, a vampire Earl had his rear bat wings severed by a Horned Demon's blade. Losing control of his body, he fell into the demon ranks. Accompanied by the excited roars of the demons, the Earl vampire was instantly buried beneath them, and a mountain of demons quickly formed.
A mournful cry emanated from the pile of demons, but its weak plea for help was drowned out by the demons' ecstatic cheers, rendering it pitiful and helpless.
However, the sound soon ceased. When the demons dispersed, all that remained on the ground were patches of blood-stained earth. Not even a scrap of clothing could be found. In contrast, many demons had bright red stains adorning their mouths.
Li Xi was unconcerned about these five vampires. His objective was to conquer the Mother of All Insects, and the vampires' goal was undoubtedly the same. Their fundamental objectives were in irreconcilable conflict, thus any means used against an enemy were justifiable.
As for whether any vampires could escape the demon army and flee through the abyssal portal to the twenty-fifth layer of the Abyss, it was almost a certainty. However, what difference would it make if one escaped? After all, everything he did on this side would be known on the other, so one more informant wouldn't matter.
No longer paying attention to the vampires behind him, Li Xi pinched a bug soldier from the ground with his fingers. It was Rasi, who had been commanding the bug soldier army to resist the demons. "I have already held off the abyssal demon army for you. Should you not take me to meet your Mother of All Insects?"
Rasi struggled frantically, his hands and feet kicking and clawing in fear. However, he was as if welded to the Balrog's hand, unable to move. At this moment, Rasi did not know what emotions to harbor when facing the Balrog who had just saved their world.
This individual, who had expended great effort to save their world, was clearly also after their great Mother of All Insects. Was he a benefactor or an enemy?
"The great Mother of All Insects cannot be met by just anyone. Although you have saved our world, I must first seek the great Mother of All Insects's permission. Whether you can meet her, I do not know."
Rasi spoke these words, which were bound to offend the Balrog before him, in his most calm voice. His heart pounded so rapidly that it felt as if it would leap out of his mouth. He knew that any words he uttered were pale and powerless, but for the sake of the great Mother of All Insects, he had to do this.
The moment Rasi waited for the Balrog's reply felt like an eternity, like standing before a judge awaiting final judgment, unsure whether the next second would lead to heaven or hell.