The ballista had immediately started focusing on the higher tier demons despite being on the opposite side of the floor. Peter’s forces would not just allow them to situate themselves and take their time, and they had plenty of bolts. Glenda had shifted to standard iron bolts to use against the C tiers, but they were back to firing Cobalt or stronger bolts now. If only they could hit the third layer flameclaw with one of those emerald-tipped fire draining bolts. Based on the way that green flames continually burnt across its body it should be absurdly effective. However the S tier was easily able to get out of the way as could most of the A tiers. Without distractions, their eyes could easily pick out the shafts streaking towards them.

  Likely, less to do with his harassment and more to hit him hard before his units could fully recover, the new army started working their elites into the assault. Hundreds of B tiers streamed forward intent on breaking his defensive line. A tiers fell into step just behind them, ready to counter whatever he brought forward to stop them. The clockworks had counted 42 of them.

  Glenda had no choice. A moment later the beasts started reemerging onto the floor. His battered defenses would not be able to hold out without substantial rifle or magic support which they just could not muster. They would have to stop the charge with the only force they had capable of doing so, the beasts. The berserker ape roared as it led its force forward in challenge. It even beat its breast King Kong style, Peter had convinced a bewildered N’terrin to teach it that.

  The demon mages started barraging the final platform. Glenda and her mages intercepted them with barriers. She had anticipated this. It was the best use of mana to keep the ballista going.

  The berserker Ape quickly got ahead of the rest of the beasts, wading through the tide of C tier demons. The first B tier demon beast arrived only to receive a punch which probably crushed the majority of its bones before it was flung away. The S tier roared.

  “Look,” Khan said pointing at the front screen the S tier Bone ripper once again had its arm stretched out. It was hard to tell who it was trying to affect since all if units appeared to be fine. The berserker ape bashed 2 more B tiers aside roaring all the while.

  “Perhaps, the big ape is immune to mental attacks,” Boris theorized. It made sense, how could you frighten something that only saw red. Something even its own allies had to be weary of.

  The bone ripper apparently came to the same conclusion as the S tier knocked an A tier aside. The ape roared in challenge, its eyes clearly focused on the green flamed fiend headed its way. The other high tier fiends and beasts gave the ape a wide birth, unwilling to become an unnecessary casualty before the S tier boss battle.

  The bone ripper had refocused its arm toward the sky, but once again there was not obvious effect. The clockworks skewed the screen until it focused on Krista. She was flaring a holy aura, but was otherwise unaffected. Soon her and the other archangels slammed together with the host of flying fiends.

  Peter almost laughed seeing that both his S tiers would be safe from the enemy mental attack. That was until the bone ripper started targeting the B tier archangels. They were weak enough. The first B tier clearly seized up and started plummeting. The unit could still use holy power, which it used to somewhat slow its descent, but not enough. The unit was only able to ensure it did not land in the lava below. The horde of C tier demons it did land in, were not much better.

  One by one the bone ripper started targeting the B tiers. It only needed to lock one of the B tier archangels up for about 10 seconds or so to force them down to its allies, or it could target a C tier tempest fowl taking it down with its rider in a third of the time. Then it could simply sweep to the next one. It would easily be able to bring down 5 to 10 victims every minute depending on which it chose to go for. Losses Peter’s forces could not really sustain, but what could they do. The S tier was difficult to get to.

  Rather than watch and feel helpless about the units falling from the sky, Peter focused on the upcoming boss battle. The third layer flameclaw was sifting through the lesser demons as it also closed on the giant ape. Hopefully the giant ape's mental resistance extended to the mind searing flame of the flameclaw. The S tier demon was at least 10 feet tall, several feet taller than most of the demons. It had a very sturdy girth, basically a juggernaut of green flaming muscle. It would be hard not to pick out even among demon A tiers. The giant ape had located it easily enough. Now they would fight to the death.

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  The Berserker ape tackled the flaming juggernaut seemingly not bothered by the flaming body. They rolled right over a dozen C tier fiends, before they separated and instantly lunged toward each other, paws and claws smashing or gouging the other. The fight was behind enemy lines for the ape, but not by much. Peter’s beast force had pushed its way through hundreds of C tiers hitting the B tiers before their momentum was lost and the fight turned into more of an open melee.

  Unlike most of the ape’s prior opponents the flameclaw easily left deep furrows in the ape’s tough hide. The fur was clearly singed and steaming, but the berserker would not relent. It smashed its enemy with its fists, finally grabbing one of the arms before launching it into a cluster of demons. The ape pounced after it. Peter did not know how long the flameclaw could keep this up, but the ape would not last overly long if things kept up.

  However as things tended to in these battles the fight ended as suddenly as it started. The ape was able to get its paw wrapped around the fiends head, the bull horns likely stabbed right up into its palm. A quick wrenching motion and the flames winked out as the head came free. The berserker ape was possibly the strongest unit Peter had summoned. Perhaps the S tier dragons were comparable, but they did not seem that strong compared to the ape which was quick and nimble.

  The ape was like a force of nature. It had strength, speed, and an extremely tough hide that made it practically impenetrable to the C tiers all around it. The A tiers however… The flameclaw had severely wounded the ape, which was readily apparent. Now it was surrounded by A tiers, all of which swarmed like a pack of sharks that smelt blood in the water. The big ape was only able to punch one away and catch one other before it was borne to the ground. The seemingly endless strength had evaporated as the wounds finally caught up to it. Peter decided to use another of his resurrects. The berserker ape likely would not last battle after battle, but he would like it for the next one. Not to mention he would love more than 2 maelstroms for it. The B tier versions were pretty fierce for their tier as well.

  That left only one resurrect card. Peter practically had to earmark it for Krista. She was another force provided nothing reached her. Despite the S tier bone ripper terrorizing weaker units out of the sky, his air forces were clearly getting the better of their demon opponents. Krista was a big component of it since she easily cut through enemy A tiers. The B tier archangels were also extremely useful. Peter would love more than 2 maelstroms for it as well.

  While flying units still continued to fall from the skies due to the units killing each other. Bone ripper had to stop its reign of terror when several hundred alternate realm units appeared out of tears in space all around the eighth floor entrance platform. It was not only the standard alternate realm units either. Peter had elected to send forward several hundred of the collars, they had gotten thanks to the weevil attack for the ambush. Bonefiend would regret having such a weak alternate realm presence.

  Gnther had apparently been waiting for that, hanging out on the periphery of the air battle. The unit had probably wanted to escape the notice of the S tier. Now however he was quick to seize on the opportunity to prevent the mages and S tier from focusing on the threats emerging around them.

  Gnther and his mount slammed the mage barrier with spells. Glenda and her mages joined in a matter of seconds. If they could wipe out the majority of the enemy mages they would not need the barriers any longer. Still the barrier held even when a half power starfall slammed into it. It did however prevent the mages from refocusing at least while Glenda and her mages still had manna. They likely could not keep up the barrage for more than half a minute. After the initial burst, it was already slowing down.

  However the demon mages had their own problems, and most had to refocus anyway since the ambush units were upon them. The S tier bone ripper aided for a bit, but eventually realized it was hopeless and actually retreated through the floor entrance portal. Peter watched several dozen C tier ghastly soldiers turn into a smoke like existence before zooming through the other opponents they followed the priority query. The other units would have to kill all the mages first.

  The ghastly soldiers hounded the S tier catching up to it quickly on the other side of the floor entrance. C tier demons and fiends were already there and came to its aid, but the skeletal warriors only paid them enough attention to ensure that others could get to their target. A S tier would never go down to a group of C tiers easily, even if they were a mage or other type of squishy unit, but the Bone ripper was only able to ward off one of the ghastly soldiers before several others pierced it through with their spears. Due to its weakened state it was pinned allowing several others to also stab it from other directions. They pushed toward one another, allowing their spears to sink deeper and through the demon hide. The purple in the eye sockets disappeared.

  The ghastly soldiers died soon after to the unit afterward finding themselves amidst a sea of onrushing enemies, but they had gotten one of the most dangerous units and basically secured his victory over an army of demons.

  Peter’s forces were still taking heavy losses, but Krista’s forces had prevailed in the air. The demon mage force got wiped out, so now there were only a cluster of about 20 A tiers keeping the demon forces afloat. However ballista bolts were already slamming down with a steady cadence. They tried to force their way through, but the A tier charger elephant stopped their momentum on its own, although at the cost of its life. Soon it would just weak lower tiered demons ready for cleanup.