High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1003: Chapter 65 Out of Control

”Boom!”

Dust flew and bricks shattered.

This was the sound of drums and horns as the Mad Hunt and the tide of darkness broke through the encircling wall’s binds, bursting into Beta Town.

”Bang!”

Lights streamed, crisscrossing through the air.

This was the center of the battlefield, where wizards wielding Charm Guns shot Fu Bullets at the dark silhouettes beyond the dust and smoke.

The tide of darkness that had brewed in the Forest Goods Market for quite some time did not swarm out of the gate as Zheng Qing had imagined; obediently following the wizards’ planned path.

Instead, they directly toppled all the walls at the front of the market, expanding the originally confined combat space by dozens of times. As flames soared and heatwaves billowed, Chimeras and Houdous, serving as vanguards, followed the Mad Hunt, setting fires at will in front of the defensive line.

”Rumble!”

The sound of the walls collapsing thunderously intimidated all the eager young wizards. Dark masses of beasts emerged in waves from behind the walls, slamming straight into the defense lines painstakingly prepared by the wizards.

Zheng Qing felt he now understood why the elders of Beta Town referred to such disasters as a ’dark tide’.

”Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Sturdy skulls and sharp horns brutally struck the magic barrier, causing the thick light shield to flicker chaotically, emitting an ominous creak like someone scraping glass with a wire, making many of the young wizards behind the lines display discomfort on their faces.

However, the expressions of those who had experienced a few dark tides were quite indifferent, whether they had grown accustomed to the sound, or they had simply stuffed cotton in their ears well ahead of time.

”Elders go first, acting as the main hunters; I’ll assist with the Charm Gun beside them, and the Doctor will direct and arrange from the back!” Zheng Qing shouted, assigning tasks to the members of the hunting team: ”Xin Fat Man has already transformed before, so take a break and prepare potions for everyone in the back. Your time to shine will come soon... Don’t rush, be ready to take over for the Elders at any moment!”

Although the hunting teams on the right side of the defense were called ’Alliance’, each team operated independently with no subordination to each other, gathered temporarily for a common goal, so naturally, there was no real synergy.

The wizard in charge of this side of the defense thought briefly, then drew small squares on a sandbox with a ruler, with each hunting team responsible for the safety of one square. At the same time, each square’s hunting team was also obliged to support the other hunting teams adjacent to them.

This approach integrated the Alliance’s combat power well without causing chaos due to a lack of tacit understanding.

The Absolution Hunting Team was assigned just such a square.

The square they were in charge of was located slightly to the rear on the right side of the defenses. After all, the Absolution Hunting Team was not yet a registered hunting team, and despite its decent record, it still couldn’t entirely be trusted.

Hearing Zheng Qing’s arrangement, Xin Fat Man, who had already inflated to a larger size and turned a light blue, shrugged his shoulders and dutifully shrank back down, reverting to his plump white appearance.

”You’re the captain, what you say goes,” he agreed readily, with clear understanding of his role.

”What about me? Captain, where do I stand?” Lin Guo, sitting on the back of Black Mountain Goat, hurriedly called out and even raised his hand, as if he were in a classroom.

Zheng Qing’s message had been sent to all members of the Absolution Hunting Team, and as the hunting team manager, Lin Guo naturally received it too.

This was not what Zheng Qing had intended at all.

He never considered letting this little guy wade into these troubled waters right now.

But upon receiving the message, Lin Guo had excitedly rushed over, riding his big black mountain goat with a clatter.

Zheng Qing waited left and right but didn’t get any other team members to come, so he pinch-nosedly allowed Lin Guo to enter the fray—because each hunting team needed at least five people, and only full-strength teams were permitted to take on tasks.

Even so, Zheng Qing had no intention of letting Lin Guo actually engage those fierce magical creatures in close combat.

”You? You stay next to the Doctor and help him keep an eye on the fire beneath the Turtle Shell; don’t let it go out,” Zheng Qing arranged dismissively.

Xiao Xiao, hearing this, couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

How novel, who has ever heard of a Diviner’s spirit flame used for Divination going out on its own accord? Who has ever heard of it needing someone else to keep watch over it?

But he knew Zheng Qing’s intentions, and naturally wouldn’t make unnecessary comments at such a time, simply nodding in agreement.

Lin Guo gloomily dismounted from the Black Mountain Goat’s back and squatted in front of Xiao Xiao’s campfire.

Whoosh.

A faint cyan Wind Blade came slicing through the air, grazing past Zheng Qing’s left arm.

”Ah!” The young fully subsidized student felt a burning sensation on his skin and couldn’t help but let out a yelp.

”What happened?!” Zhang Ji Xin, who was acting as a shield at the front, turned his head upon hearing the cry.

”Just got bitten by a mosquito,” Zheng Qing glanced at his arm and said with a laugh.

That recent Wind Blade had left a wound about an inch long on his arm, not very deep and seemingly missing the blood vessels, which made him hesitant to waste a Convergence Charm.

He quickly abandoned the thought.

The battle had just started, and according to the elders of Beta Town, there was still a long way to go. If he wasted a Convergence Charm now for such a minor injury, he would surely regret it later.

With that in mind, he casually reached into his Grey Cloth Bag and pulled out a white silk scarf. Biting his lip, he quickly wrapped it around his arm, fashioning a makeshift bandage.

The scarf slowly soaked up the blood, the once white silk taking on the hue of a red scarf.

A chill wind blew, lifting the edge of the scarf.

Fluttering in the breeze, the scarf seemed to point in the direction of the horde of beasts.

Suddenly, a Houdou leaping and bounding at the forefront stopped in its tracks, raised its head, and looked surprised. It sniffed vigorously, trying hard to discern the faint scent carried in the air.

In just a moment, the clarity in the Houdou’s eyes completely dissipated, replaced by hints of madness.

”Awooo!”

It howled, raising its head before sprinting toward the right flank of the Alliance hunters, spewing red flames and whirling its tail furiously like a windmill.

”Crack!”

A gleaming blade flashed across the sky, and the Houdou rushing toward the right flank hadn’t even reached the position before a Wandering Hunter from the Alliance cleaved it in two mid-leap.

”Has it gone mad?” asked the hunter who killed the Houdou, looking down at the scattered blood and flesh while chatting with a companion, ”We’ve only been fighting for a few minutes, how could it dare rush up like that? Its brain must have been bored through by a Sucking Spirit!”

His comrade was about to agree when he looked up and his face changed dramatically.

”Run!!!” he screamed, grabbing the hunter who had killed the Houdou and bolting toward the rear of the position.

”Hey, wait, my spoils of war... fuck!” The hunter was thinking about collecting his spoils, but he too glanced back following his comrade’s line of sight.

Without looking, there was no need to panic, but one look nearly sent his heart leaping out of his chest.

The beast horde, which had initially dispersed in all directions, for some inexplicable reason, now swarmed en masse toward the right flank. The tribal warriors on the left flank gave chase for a few steps but couldn’t keep up with the pace of the beasts and were left behind.

”All units, defend!”

”Every one of you, defend!!”

Desperate shouts filled the air above the right flank.

Hundreds of frenzied red eyes stared down the Alliance hunters, full of wild aggression.

Zheng Qing’s mouth twitched.

Other wizards in the right flank might have thought the shift in the beast horde’s attack was an accident, but Zheng Qing did not share that belief. He was acutely aware that all the eyes of the Magical Creatures charging toward them were fixed intently on him—as if their emotions had all spiraled out of control in a single moment.

He felt as if he were on pins and needles, his entire body’s hair standing on end.

He had a premonition of impending doom.