As the barely noticeable twin red lights vanished into the stylish sunglasses of the XIBO stationed around the lighthouse, they all immediately seemed to rejuvenate as if electrified. Then, cold red eyes reappeared in their sunglasses, as if receiving some kind of command, and collectively turned their heads towards the Gladiator Arena. Subsequently, a portion of the Western Barbarian troops guarding the lighthouse lifted their weapons and moved swiftly towards the direction of the arena.
Simultaneously, the Skeleton Squadron also noticed something amiss. Though unclear why the XIBO suddenly approached the Gladiator Arena, they immediately realized this abnormal behavior was related to the World Savers' ongoing lock-breaking efforts. Hence, the squad members did not panic but swiftly prepared for combat. Knowing any interference from the XIBO could disrupt the World Savers' decryption work, they had to intervene immediately to divert enemy fire and ensure the World Savers could continue undisturbed.
Facing the slowly advancing Western Barbarian troops, the Skeleton Squadron remained calm and refrained from firing the first shot hastily. Despite the XIBO moving towards them, the squadron couldn't confirm if they were the target. Thus, they opted to observe their movements while preparing for any potential threat to the arena where they were hidden.
Indeed, the Western Barbarian forces assembled in Treleye City outnumbered the Skeleton Squadron by far, yet the squadron did not fear them. However, they also didn't wish to engage in direct confrontation prematurely. Their objective was to protect the World Savers as they unlocked the gate to the XIBO' headquarters or at least disable one lock, thus pushing back the large Western Barbarian army besieging the human main city. Delaying engagement with the enemy was crucial for the squadron.
Unfortunately, reality often defies desires. The Western Barbarian combat units, upon nearing the Gladiator Arena, did not divert elsewhere as hoped but continued towards the front plaza of the arena. As the vanguard of the Western Barbarian combat squad stepped onto the plaza, they quickly fell victim to the hedgehog mines the Skeleton Squadron had laid out in advance, nearly decimating them.
However, the emotionless killing machines that were the Western Barbarian soldiers were undeterred by the devastating hedgehog mines. Thus, as the first batch of soldiers was wiped out, the second wave of Western Barbarian combat units nonchalantly entered the plaza in front of the arena, seemingly unconcerned about meeting a similar fate. For the XIBO, manpower was abundant, and even without reinforcements, the substantial army surrounding the lighthouse was sufficient to clear the mines around the arena and continue the assault.
With the XIBO' target confirmed as the Gladiator Arena, the Skeleton Squadron had no reason to remain concealed and allow the enemy to approach their defenses unchallenged. Therefore, Wang Defa promptly issued the order before the third wave of Western Barbarian combat units reached the plaza: "Open fire! Brothers, fire at will! Suppress the XIBO on the outskirts of the plaza! Remember, our mission is to draw enemy fire and buy more time for the World Savers! Brothers, hit them hard! No matter the cost, we will not give up!"
Upon Wang Defa's command, the Skeleton Squadron immediately detonated more bombs planted around the arena's outskirts. While eliminating more advancing enemies, they used the collapsed buildings and roads to create a barrier of ruins around the arena, effectively slowing the XIBO' heavy firepower from advancing closer. A long-anticipated battle was about to begin, igniting the quiet night of Treleye City with the clamor of war.
Perhaps due to the deep lesson from the previous attack on their mothership, the XIBO did not deploy all their forces in this assault on the arena. Instead, they sent a primary force of soldiers supplemented by a few heavy combat units, keeping the majority of their troops around the lighthouse to prevent any surprises. Additionally, the Skeleton Squadron's disruption of the roads with destroyed war vehicles effectively hindered their advance. Thus, after the battle began, a stalemate quickly ensued, with the Skeleton Squadron barely able to keep the XIBO suppressed at a distance from the arena.
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The Skeleton Squadron was familiar with this kind of deadlock, but Haoyun and his companions were visibly puzzled by the current situation. The arena lay well within the range of heavy Western Barbarian firepower. Why hadn't they mobilized long-range artillery to bombard the arena, inflict heavy casualties on the hidden squadron, and then launch a ground assault after breaking through the arena's defenses? Why did the XIBO, with their numerical and firepower advantage, persist in employing such flawed tactics that incurred the highest casualties for themselves?
Oh well. Since the enemy was at the gates, they decided not to dwell on these questions for now. After all, regardless of the strange tactics employed by the XIBO, they favored the Skeleton Squadron. They resolved to deal with the current battle first and consider harvesting a few Western Barbarian bodies with Karl after dawn, to research any energy related to their murderous intent. Haoyun thought, sharing his plan with Dao Lao and Dream Jia.
Dao Lao and Dream Jia nodded in agreement with Hao Yun's idea. From the current situation, it appeared that there were at most a few hundred Mastanians attacking the Gladiator Arena. Judging from the current battle situation, these Mastanians had no capability to pose any threat to the arena. Therefore, it was better to deal with the immediate trouble first and observe how things developed afterward.
As the battle raged on at the arena, Eva and her team were not idle either. Seeing the constantly flickering multicolored lights from the lighthouse, they knew that the Salvationists were still hard at work deciphering how to open the gate leading to the Mastanian headquarters. This strengthened their resolve to confront the enemy. As long as they could divert the Mastanians' attention as much as possible and delay them here, the Salvationists would surely be able to break the lock on the gate and strike a fatal blow deep into enemy territory.
Due to the Gladiator Arena being the only high ground in this war zone with a wide field of vision, the infantry assault by the Mastanian forces was effectively observed and suppressed by the Skull Squadron after their initial offensive was thwarted. However, despite heavy casualties from the Mastanians stubbornly advancing under intense fire, they showed no signs of altering their attack strategy. With a constant influx of reinforcements, they seemed unconcerned with the soldiers lost in their advance.
The Skull Squadron understood that no matter how many Mastanians they killed, they couldn't completely repel the enemy's attack. They could only suppress the Mastanians with continuous firepower and wait until the sun rose again tomorrow. However, engaging in battle meant that the Skull Squadron, already marked by the pheromones the Mastanians had locked onto, would continue to face sustained attacks until they were all killed.
The situation was not without its silver lining for the Skull Squadron, who noted that the lights from the lighthouse were becoming brighter. While they witnessed the Salvationists working to unlock the gate, they immediately realized that the increasing brightness was inevitably linked to the progress the Salvationists were making.
However, the sudden shift in tactics by the Mastanians, who split their forces to simultaneously attack the front and left flank of the arena, was met with a quick response from Wang Defa. He rallied his troops, reassuring them amidst the heightened intensity of the Mastanian assault.
Upon seeing the intensified light from the lighthouse, Dao Lao and Dream Jia became visibly concerned. Although the members of the Skull Squadron had little concept of the force they felt, merely assuming it was energy released by the Salvationists in their efforts to break the lock, Dao Lao and Dream Jia were keenly aware that it was the might of the ancient and very mysterious power of the Divine Spirit Realm. They were shocked to find that this force was not only more powerful than any previous manifestation but was also continuing to grow.
"Where did this divine power come from? Who are Elsie and her companions? How can they harness such immense divine power?" Dream Jia couldn't help but ask in a breathless tone.
Dao Lao, staring fixedly at the lighthouse in the distance, struggled to answer, "This... this is impossible! They cannot control such a powerful divine power! I did not sense the presence of the owner of this divine power from the front. This divine power is not released by Elsie and her companions. But how are they manipulating such powerful divine power? Moreover, why is this immense divine power merging with the mold spirit energy in the lighthouse? What are Elsie and her companions doing? Who are they, really?"