The Barbarian Bull Shadow charged fearlessly at the four Demon Generals, unaffected by any external factors.
Inside the protective barrier, Eddie calmly communicated with her using his mind, directing her in battle for the first time.
He couldn't use his innate techniques in front of Marion, especially not without the certainty of a kill.
After all, Marion had a golden grimoire and countless dragons at his disposal, and could escape using a teleportation scroll if necessary.
Defeating a Demon Commander with a summoning grimoire was nearly impossible unless it was a battle to the death.
Eddie's control over the Barbarian Bull Shadow was limited; he couldn't even utilize the Yue family's spear techniques.
At best, he managed to make her execute a rudimentary 'Stone Crushing Hammer' technique, which was crude but significantly better than her previous clumsy attacks.
Now, under Eddie's guidance, her movements were calculated and fluid, her arms swung with purpose, and the force she exerted was far greater than what others could achieve with the same technique.
Facing a relentless and undying Barbarian Bull Shadow was frustrating enough for the Demon Generals, and to their dismay, she even utilized combat techniques.
One General fell victim to her attack and collapsed.
The tallest and thinnest among them, thinking he could exploit a weakness, pierced the Shadow's heart with his sword, only to realize she was a half-real entity without typical beast vulnerabilities.
Additionally, as a life-guarding beast, she wouldn't die even if her body was destroyed; she'd simply return to the bronze grimoire to rest.
The tall Demon General, expecting to see the Shadow collapse, was shocked when she grabbed his arm with a vice-like grip. A crushing punch to his elbow rendered his arm useless.
The other Generals continued their assault, but the Shadow, unbothered by the wounds on her body, clung onto the tall General and headbutted him with a thunderous impact.
The sound of his skull shattering echoed as the other Generals looked on in horror.
Eddie had slightly modified the 'Stone Crushing Hammer' technique, using the Shadow's head as a hammer, yielding unexpectedly effective results.
The original technique involved swinging a hammer with great momentum to strike the opponent's head.
Eddie adapted this, throwing the tall General back like a hammer and then smashing him down with reversed force.
Releasing his mental control, Eddie let the Shadow act on instinct. She leaped high and stomped down on the incapacitated General with a 'Crushing Stone Crab' maneuver.
Even Eddie was taken aback by the efficacy of the attack, let alone the three remaining Generals, who no longer believed their comrade could survive.
As the Barbarian Bull Shadow charged at the four Demon Generals, the sound of a skull shattering reverberated through the air, sending chills down the spines of her opponents.
Eddie had improvised by using the Shadow's head as a hammer in the 'Stone Crushing Hammer' technique, a modification that proved highly effective in combat.
However, the Shadow, now with a hint of intelligence, seemed to understand the use of weapons.
She picked up the body of the tall and thin Demon General and started smashing it against the other three, who were petrified with fear.
By the time they managed to flee, the tall General's body was nothing more than a bloodied mess.
The remaining three Generals realized they were in deep trouble.
Their summoned beasts, including 'Weakening Moths,' 'Bone-Leech Maggots,' and 'Frenzied Crimson Ant Wasps,' had no effect on the Shadow.
Even the nets of 'Web-Spinning Spiders' and 'Bird-Catching Spiders' were useless as she burned them with a breath of fire, instantly killing a slower spider with her 'Death Gaze.'
Eddie's luck was exceptionally good that day, with the Shadow unleashing 'Death Gaze' twice during the battle, making him feel extremely satisfied.
But for the three Demon Generals, it was the beginning of a nightmare.
Knowing the lethal skill had a small chance of occurring, they couldn't help but fear they might be the next unlucky ones.
Meanwhile, the Falling-Flower Master, having accumulated energy for a long time, unleashed a blinding flash of Aurora light on the ghoul troops.
The intense white light instantly killed dozens of long-horned ghouls, and even the Demon Blade Butcher and an unlucky Silver-Spotted Dragon were severely injured, writhing in pain on the ground.
Marion, frustrated by the unfavorable turn of events and unable to leave the battle against the formidable Falling-Flower Master, summoned an even larger Spiral-Horned Dragon
in an attempt to devour the Barbarian Bull Shadow.
Seeing the Falling-Flower Master gathering energy again, he sent it, along with the Corrosion Dragon, to attack her, preventing her from unleashing the full power of her Six-Tailed Spirit Fox. Marion knew that once the Spirit Fox transformed, the Falling-Flower Master's combat strength, bolstered by the fox, would surge exponentially.
As the battle raged on, the three remaining Demon Generals were caught in a desperate struggle. With the Barbarian Bull Shadow's brutal efficiency and the Falling-Flower Master's devastating attacks, they were quickly losing ground.
Marion, despite summoning more dragons, found himself increasingly challenged to control the situation.
The tide of the battle was clearly turning in favor of Eddie and the Falling-Flower Master, as they demonstrated their formidable prowess and strategic skills against the overwhelming forces of the Demon Abyss.
In the midst of the crushing impact, the three remaining Demon Generals listened to the sound of their comrade's skull shattering.
Eddie had slightly modified the 'Stone Crushing Hammer' technique, using the Barbarian Bull Shadow's head as a hammer, with surprisingly effective results in combat.
Marion, seeing his troops getting decimated, barked orders, "Kill him quickly, and don't worry about the female barbarian bull. Such a beast surely has a time limit and consumes a lot of spiritual energy. Focus on breaking his barrier and shake his concentration. Without the bull, he's nothing!"
"Sure, come on over and kill me. I can't wait!" Eddie taunted the Generals from within his protective barrier.
The Barbarian Bull Shadow indeed had a time limit, but it was long enough for this battle. If Marion knew the Shadow's absurd duration, he would likely be infuriated.
Marion wanted to send the Spiral-Horned Dragon to devour the Shadow and end Eddie's resistance.
However, he feared the Falling-Flower Master would seize the opportunity to unleash another devastating Aurora attack.
In Marion's eyes, Eddie, with his bronze grimoire, was far less of a threat compared to the Falling-Flower Master.
He instructed the three Demon Generals to wear Eddie down, focusing on capturing the Falling-Flower Master.
As for the severely injured Bloodthirsty Queen, he believed she couldn't recover her combat strength anytime soon.
Despite being frustrated with his subordinates' incompetence, Marion knew they were
not truly inept; they had just endured a fierce battle. If their beasts had not been killed earlier while attacking the Demon Blade Butcher, their strength would not have seemed so insignificant.
"You guys take your time chopping at my barrier. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when you've broken through," Eddie said dismissively, unconcerned by the Generals' attempts to break his barrier.
His mind, now enhanced by the Heart of Nature, was impervious to such minor disruptions.
He casually lay down on a rock, hands behind his head, legs crossed, and swaying leisurely.
While it seemed like he was taunting his enemies, Eddie was actually diverting their attention.
His real focus was on controlling the Barbarian Bull Shadow to attack the heavily injured Demon Blade Butcher lying on the ground.
Eddie wasn't sure if the Butcher's demonic crystal would benefit the Shadow, but if it did, she might level up.
Besides, he hadn't yet tried the 'Remolding' skill on a creature resembling a Minotaur.
The Falling-Flower Master, seizing an opportunity, blasted the Corrosion Dragon with a light orb similar to Aurora, turning it into a roasted dragon. The Six-Tailed Spirit Fox transformed, growing tenfold in size. It ex
haled a subtly colored mist at the Spiral-Horned Dragon, which crashed heavily to the ground, unable to fly.
The Spirit Fox, although large, moved swiftly, its six tails lashing like whips, causing the dragon to howl in pain.
Marion, alarmed by the turn of events, summoned a small, flame-winged dragon to assist in the battle.
Meanwhile, Eddie, in a relaxed state, controlled the Barbarian Bull Shadow to brutally stomp the Silver-Spotted Dragon to death. He then dragged the half-destroyed body of the Demon Blade Butcher back for further examination.
As Marion and the Falling-Flower Master engaged in an intense battle, Eddie leisurely executed his plan.
He was curious to see if the Butcher's remains could enhance the Barbarian Bull Shadow, especially with the untested 'Remolding' skill.
The outcome of this experiment could potentially give him a significant advantage in future battles.
The three Demon Generals, unsure of Eddie's intentions, hesitated and retreated.
Eddie, lacking sympathy for the struggling Demon Blade Butcher, used Little Wenli's binding talent to restrain it completely.
Then he thrust the golden Dragon-Slaying Dagger into its forehead. The powerful level-seven bronze Butcher collapsed as the dagger penetrated its brain.
"What are you doing?" Marion, in the midst of battle, glanced over to see his subordinates foolishly staring at Eddie without taking action. He was infuriated. "Why aren't you attacking him? He's out of his barrier!"
Marion failed to realize that even though Eddie had stepped out, the protective barrier still existed. Likewise, the Falling-Flower Master, too engrossed in her meditation to accumulate another Aurora orb, was unaware of Eddie's victorious situation. She thought he was still mocking the enemies from within his barrier.
The three Demon Generals shuddered and rushed towards Eddie, their target now the seemingly peculiar thief. They believed that killing Eddie would end the battle.
However, as they prepared their attack, a beam of golden light shot out from the protective barrier. It was the Blood Queen, who had regained consciousness. Opening her pale blue-purple eyes, she let out a piercing, heart-wrenching scream.
Instantly, everyone, including the Falling-Flower Master, Marion, the battling Six-Tailed Spirit Fox, and the Spiral-Horned Dragon, were struck by the scream and collapsed, dazed.
The three Demon Generals, closer to the source, were shaken to the point of bleeding from every orifice and fell to the ground.
Eddie, who also heard the scream, realized he was completely unaffected by it. Looking up, he saw Marion's barrier had vanished.
Without a second thought, he dashed towards the dazed Marion, his Ashen Blade trailing flames and smoke.
He thrust the blade fiercely into Marion's heart. "Three giants? Demon Commander? Without your protective barrier, you're nothing but dust!" Eddie thought triumphantly as he watched Marion fall to his impending defeat.
This unexpected turn of events shifted the balance of power drastically. Eddie, now in a prime position to take down Marion, one of the Demon Abyss's most formidable commanders, had shown his strategic prowess and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.