"Hmph... you guys come at me together."
Su Ming took a deep drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and Strangulation Gang helped him fasten his helmet.
The cigarette butt was flicked far away, and he watched the faint spark trace an arc, falling into the lava pool at the foot of the mountain and turning into a wisp of green smoke.
He wasn't sure if the enemy understood, but they instantly drew weapons and surged forward.
The demon minions seemed robust, each standing about three meters tall, their entire bodies seemingly made of muscle.
But the main threat didn't come from them. Instead, it was the comparatively smaller Destruction Maidens; their battle formations and experience were what needed attention.
Given the opponent's large numbers, they were collectively divided into two groups: demons and Destruction Maidens. The types and speeds of the enemies differed, so the first step was a rapid retreat, causing the enemies to distance themselves due to varying speeds during the chase.
While keeping the Destruction Maidens engaged, use ranged weapons to clear the demons first.
All enemies possessed undying traits, so Su Ming inferred Mephisto just wanted to toy with him; this was his way of greeting.
The Destruction Maidens carried a curse from Bor, making them eternally undead, perpetually hungry, only able to consume human flesh.
The demons were spawned from Hell; even if they were smashed to ash here, their sinful souls would still merge with darkness and flames and be reborn.
Flying directly up the mountain was originally the first choice, but doing so would be akin to surrendering; Mephisto would surely be pleased.
Su Ming could be indifferent personally, but facing the Lord of Hell as a friend of Master Ancient, if he conceded once, it might lead them to some illusions.
Such as 'the heir of Master Ancient is a coward,' or 'the Supreme Mage has no successor,' or the like.
Mephisto would certainly be happy to share this news with other Lords of Hell, which would result in endless trouble from various alternate dimensions.
Steve's words indeed had some truth; sometimes you can't back down, or else the enemy will pursue relentlessly until you can't run anymore.
Here, Su Ming had to erase the possibility of the Lord of Hell harboring illusions, confronting him head-on; only by acting strong enough would the Lords of Hell be more stable in the future.
Becoming recognized by Emperor Vishanti as the successor of the Supreme Mage was something that Master Ancient had likely publicized throughout the cosmos, and perhaps even alternate dimensions knew of Deathstroke's existence, making it a secret only circulated within the Magic Realm.
Su Ming enjoyed the benefits that fame brought and naturally bore the corresponding responsibilities; this was also a cost.
He stopped his running, put away the Divine Gold Gauss Gun, and while thinking earlier, he had already eliminated all the demons, leaving only 13 Destruction Maidens.
Godslayer and Nightfall Greatsword were back in his hands, while some of these dried-up and ugly former Valkyries were already about to stick close to him.
"Clang clang clang!!!"
In the next second, his two weapons met several kinds of exotic weapons.
Although the maids' weapons were made from Uru Metal, their styles varied, with straight swords, scimitars, hand axes, and nail head hammers all present.
It seemed Mephisto had also enhanced their strength; these weapons were endowed with Hell Magic, and even when facing Godslayer head-on, they didn't break.
But Nightfall Greatsword was different; its silver X Metal blade sliced through crazed women's weapons, instantly snapping them like dry twigs without an ounce of resilience.
The opportunity was right; taking advantage of the 'Unlucky Women' dazed as they lost their weapons, Su Ming tightened his grip on Godslayer, forcefully pushing all the enemies on his left side away, while his right wrist flipped, Nightfall Greatsword following suit with a swipe.
Unfortunately, the light originally meant to cleave three heads was dodged.
The women holding spears and javelins at the back hadn't joined the battle immediately but were protecting their sisters; when their weapons were cut, they promptly pulled the front line Banshee backward, dodging the imminent attack.
Except for chopping off a few strands of hair, Su Ming scored no other victories.
"...you're good."
The Godslayer in his hand suddenly extended, launching an almost seamless counterattack but was immediately blocked by several shields.
Relying on the force of chopping the shields, he smoothly escaped the battle circle again, repositioning himself to face the enemy.
No wonder the old companions fighting side-by-side for tens of thousands of years; if the neighboring 'Titan' squad could witness their coordination and awareness, they'd surely weep bitterly.
Unlike the chaotic Beastman tactics of rushing in to relentlessly hack away, the Destruction Maidens understood that surrounding a foe involved providing ample space for companions.
With the five in the front, their target points were all different; aiming for the head, legs, heart, spine, groin, with attackers both in front and behind arriving at different times.
The maidens in the back, with spears and javelins, could advance or retreat, and even clearly see Su Ming's rapid attacks.
Their seamless collaboration made them seem like a single entity, proving they've weathered countless battles.
Fortunately, Su Ming could employ weapons and strategies they had never seen.
"Human, you're notable too," a Destruction Maiden dressed in withered rags responded to him. Each one of them was shriveled and ugly, indistinguishable by their faces: "Of course, as food."
Su Ming transformed the Godslayer into an exotic weapon and shook his head with a smile: "I'm just saying, it's not too late for you to leave now."
"I want to eat his kidneys. What about you, my sister Gu Walei?"
The maiden didn't answer Su Ming's question, her blood-red eyeballs deep in her sockets staring at the target, with a tongue like a dry branch extending out to lick her lips, she asked her comrades beside her.
"The heart, no doubt."
The Destruction Maiden known as Gu Walei held a long spear, draped in a piece of gray-white fur on her shoulder, similarly already having a target in mind.
The conversation ended, and the Destruction Maidens began adjusting their formation, gradually closing in in a half-moon shape.
Su Ming was actually quite moved; only they saw the true value in him.
Many liked to focus on Deathstroke's gear, like the two weapons, the sturdy armor, and the mysterious cloak. But in the eyes of these Banshees, it was only his flesh; gear and tools were just illusions to them, not even worth mentioning.
Thirteen mad women, not one wanting his gear, instead expressing desire for his body.
Unfortunately, they were both ugly and vicious, and Su Ming could not fulfill their wishes.
"Godslayer! Extend!"
Now the exotic weapon transformed from the Godslayer was called the Wolf Brush.
It is an ancient weapon from the Celestial Dynasty, initially mimicking bamboo, invented by the Ming Dynasty's rebel army, later used as the front-line weapon in Qi Jiguang's Mandarin Duck Array.
As long as there is bamboo, it can be made, cut down whole, and almost requires no training. If you can sweep the ground, you can use this weapon, effective against infantry and cavalry alike.
This weapon is like an enlarged, extended bamboo broom, attacking by sweeping at the enemy's face, using dense, soft branches to attack the armor's weak points.
The Mandarin Duck Array worked that way; when the enemy's eyes were injured and couldn't open, teammates in the back row would follow up with long spears.
This semi-soft, semi-hard weapon's prerequisite is that the enemy has no heavy armor and their face is exposed, and the Destruction Maidens fit the requirement well. Their armor almost all turned to rags under endless years and curses, looking like mummies crawling out of graves.
Su Ming could raise the three-meter-long Wolf Brush with one hand, using the Nightfall Greatsword with the other to follow up, and if the Great Sword's length wasn't enough for some targets, there's Strangulation that can assist with a gun.
A shadowy liquid life form extended from his waist, pulling twin guns from the holster on the host's leg, flourishing the guns with a spin.
The Godslayer was dragged on the ground first, picking up enough black ash before being lifted. He launched a sweeping move at the encroaching Banshees.
........
"Cough cough.... Despicable..."
Su Ming stepped on the Destruction Maiden's back, wildly sweeping at her face with the Godslayer. Her already shriveled facial flesh was swept flying all around, even her eyes were knocked out.
The maiden struggled continuously, digging two small pits on the ground with her fingers, but in terms of strength, she was no match for Su Ming. This black and yellow armored monster pressed on her back like a mountain.
She could feel the coldness of the armor, as the man's blood dripped onto her parched skin.
The cooperation among the maidens was excellent and harmonious, but this millennium-long cooperation had also petrified their thinking.
Su Ming endured their attacks, relentlessly pursuing one of them, even if his armor was slashed full of holes, with wounds deep to the bone. But he adhered strictly to the tactical plan.
After eliminating one of them, their formation showed a flaw. The long-running machine operating in a fixed pattern suddenly missed a gear and started malfunctioning instantly.
The reduction caused a domino effect; the more fell, the weaker their combat power became, and when half of them were down, they could no longer resist Deathstroke.
"Despicable? Thank you."
Su Ming deprived her of sight, severed her limbs, crouched on her back to extract information, and to extort information required the target's emotional instability, so the angrier she was, the better.
"We will avenge you, returning everything you've done to us upon you, just wait!"
The remaining Destruction Maiden spit out black liquid, speaking with vicious hatred, her blood blending with the shadowy ground.
"But today's victor is me... now question time, which fool traded you as a bargaining chip with Mephisto?"
"Don't know!"
The Destruction Maiden squirmed like an insect, but even suicide was impossible. The curse prevented them from dying, even if others were chopped into pieces, they still lived.
"Concealing does you no good. If you please me, I might consider telling you how to lift Bor's curse."
Su Ming's red goggles flashed; these cursed warriors lacked even the sense of pain, clearly making interrogation futile.
The maiden was silent for a moment, but the answer remained unknown.
"...Good, I'll await your revenge." He stood up, lifted his leg, and kicked her head flying away.