Boom—!
Several invisible Exploding Pujis finally found a gap and hurled themselves at a few half-demon warriors on the outskirts.
Shards of ice sprayed everywhere as shattered bodies were flung high into the air.
The few scouts with anti-stealth abilities couldn’t possibly cover the entire exhausted column.
Bastardos watched helplessly—there was nothing he could do.
Ever since their baggage was “ambushed,” the Demonkin had suddenly bared their fangs, making up for all the harassment they’d withheld in the past few days!
It greatly slowed their march.
The firewood for warmth had all vanished overnight without a trace!
No sentries had been attacked, no unfamiliar footprints, not even an aerial raid.
So much wood and food, stored inside their tents, gone like a magician’s trick—silent, complete!The only “fortunate” thing was that half the food remained.
And this absurd fortune came only because two half-demons had secretly stolen into the baggage tents all night to gorge themselves. Their frequent sneaking in and out had inadvertently saved that portion of rations.
Now, what food was left was guarded closely, never leaving the half-demons’ sight for a moment.
The reason they had not retreated was not that Bastardos didn’t want to—but that he couldn’t.
Not even Paine, the Empire’s envoy, was the decisive factor.
The true reason was this: at their current location, even retreat meant several days of freezing exposure, costing countless lives.
Better to gamble everything—take the Demonkin stronghold and survive on their resources!
But…
Boom—!
Another blast on the flank sent up screams and chaos.
What was with these controlled monsters?!
There were far too many of them—endless, unkillable!
Were the Demonkin focusing their power on wiping him out first?
Logically, they should have dealt with the smaller Lizardmen force first.
But he didn’t know—the Lizardmen were even worse off.
Chieftain Tock’s baggage hadn’t even kept that “lucky” half ration.
Tock suspected traitors, dragging several guards off for brutal torture, but got nothing.
Under relentless Puji assaults, neither army reached the Demonkin settlement on time.
Even at night, the explosions never ceased.
By the next noon, two starving, frostbitten, exhausted armies finally dragged their weary feet close enough to glimpse their target.
The Demonkin settl… fortress?
High walls rose ahead, silhouettes of Demonkin visible along the battlements—mixed with countless Pujis.
At the very top, a strange sight—a Puji in a red cape.
Several pipes were mounted along the walls, like giant crossbows.
The Demonkin had built a castle?!
Attacking a tribe and attacking a fortress were entirely different matters.
And after a day of suffering, their own warriors were already weakened by the cold.
It seemed… they could only hope their strongest could force a breakthrough.
“Glrrrhhkkk… gghhhrrhh…”
Suddenly, a sickening, slimy sound rolled from the wall—like thick liquid bubbling through a rotting throat.
The sound pierced minds like a psychic blight. Down below, weary half-demons and Lizardmen alike shuddered involuntarily, even the Demonkin on the walls felt an icy dread stab their skulls.
“Creeeatures… mongrels!” The voice rasped like a dull knife scraping bone, echoing clear across the battlefield. “You are already surrounded! Lay down your arms, surrender with proper respect, and your chieftains will yet keep their thrones!”
The revolting sound spread, and many warriors already near collapse vomited on the spot.
Though the words urged surrender, calling them “creatures” and “mongrels” made even their own allies doubt this was a real offer. Let alone the armies below.
Insulted so bluntly, both forces exploded with rage.
The Lizardman chieftain Tock’s slit pupils shrank to bloody pinpricks, fury blazing to eruption. He stomped forward, claw pointing at the wall:
“You dog! Think to sicken me with these vile tricks?!” He spun to his starving, green-eyed warriors and roared, “Kill them all! Today, we feast on Demonkin flesh!”
Among the Demonkin, Grey shot him a displeased glance—but endured it for now.
“Sigh…” The voice on the wall seemed almost regretful, dripping with more slime. “Harsh words… but I meant well. Since… you spurn my kindness…”
“Then die, reptiles!”
A torrent of magic suddenly gathered on the wall.
Beside Tock, an aged Lizardman mage was the first to sense it, eyes widening.
His shriveled hands clenched his staff with desperation, voice cracked by fear and urgency: “Chieftain!! Get back—!!”
He hurled himself forward, shoving his staff before Tock, erecting a thick magical barrier in an instant.
The next moment, more than a dozen blazing spheres of condensed mana shot down like falling comets!
They engulfed Tock and the old mage, sealing off the space around them in raging brilliance.
A deafening roar shook the ice plain. Explosions ripped up earth and ice, churning a storm of white mist.
When it finally thinned, only a ravaged crater remained.
No more Tock. No more old mage. Both Diamond-rankers, and a dozen Lizardman warriors near them, had been reduced to unrecognizable chunks of flesh.
Gulp—
Grey stared at the crater barely an arm’s length away, cold sweat freezing half across his brow.
No wonder Galon had fallen here!
With such a trap, even Galon would be crippled if not killed outright!
What kind of terrifying magical weapon was this?!
All around, whether Uniel, Paine, or Bastardos, the Hall-rankers’ faces hardened. The destructive force in that instant had made even them feel mortal danger.
“Now, let me ask again…”
Lin Jun had barely started when the others cut him off.
“Charge! Destroy those magic weapons!” Bastardos bellowed.
Even the Lizardmen, whipped up by Grey and Uniel, roared: “Avenge the chieftain!”
“Well then, if you won’t surrender, so be it!”
Lin Jun had even hoped to end it with one decisive strike.
“But you don’t really think I was bluffing about surrounding you, do you?” He paused. “This isn’t two thousand versus three hundred…”
Splutch! Splutch! Splutchhh—!!!
The flat ice around the battlefield suddenly convulsed. Hidden tunnels burst open everywhere.
From beneath the ground, countless snow-colored Pujis surged forth from every crevice.
In an instant, they filled the horizon, forming a white ring of death that forced the charging armies to a halt.
“No. It’s eight thousand versus two thousand! The advantage… is mine!”