Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 608: Chapter 608. Responsibility

”We need to help them! Why is the assembly not yet done?” Wai Ling yelled.

”It’s done!” One of the tech specialists exclaimed. They had just completed assembling their first Yuanxu Cannons.

”But... how do we help?” The cannon operator asked. ”We can’t hit the enemy’s cannons. They are too high up. As for those enemies flying above the ravine. They will easily dodge our shot. Should we shoot at those enemies at the foot of the mountain range?”

Wai Ling observed their troop’s movements. It seemed that despite their predicament, Xuang Feng had decided to continue advancing. If they could punch through the blockade, they could escape the bombardment area and secure the other side, killing two birds with one stone. It was a bold and risky move.

She figured Xuang Feng had made the decision after considering the consequences of retreating. If they retreated, they might cut their losses, but they did not gain anything. All the losses would be for nothing. If they managed to break through the blockade, they could still turn this predicament into a victory.

”Shoot at the enemy’s blockade at the other mouth of the valley!” Wai Ling ordered.

They assembled their cannons at a range where they could hit the Echos soldiers blocking the exit of the valley. They did that because they didn’t see any Yuanxu Cannons that could hit them during assembly, and because they had the dome barrier protecting them.

”Roger that!” The operator replied.

The other Yuanxu Cannons had also finished their assembly. Soon, their cannons started firing.

When their first elemental ball was about to hit the enemy blockade, a large knife flew out from the enemy’s ranks. This knife struck the elemental ball mid-air, causing it to explode. Several similar knives flew out and followed the first. They intercepted all the elemental balls, then hovered in the air as if guardian angels.

Following the appearance of these knives was an imposing man, who floated above the enemy blockade. This man had his arms crossed and stared ahead with quiet confidence. He had a large frame, a bald head, and two eyes as black as night. Wai Ling had heard of this man from the war report. He was the enemy’s commander, General Amon.

*

”Amon...!!”

Amon turned to the one who called his name. ”We meet again,” Amon told Xuang Feng.

”You will not stop us with this blockade!” Xuang Feng waved his arm, and four flashing talismans swirled around him. They burst into many arrows of four different elements.

Amon smirked and uttered, ”We will see about that.”

He threw his ceremonial dagger. With the Xian Cloth tied to it, he performed Infinite Phantom Slash, covering a wide area. All the elemental arrows flying near his vicinity were destroyed. As for the ones further away, they were intercepted by his Alpha Flying Knives. Only a small fraction reached Echos’ troops obstructing the valley’s exit. These few arrows were easily blocked.

Amon retaliated by using Hundred Shooting Stars. Countless flying knives rushed toward Xuang Feng. Xuang Feng had used up his shield talismans, so he blocked these flying knives using his whip sword. He had to retreat because he couldn’t bear the pressure.

Every time Xuang Feng clashed with Amon, he was plagued with disbelief. He had a higher cultivation level. Yet, he lost to Amon even in simple clashes.

He had no choice but to call his battle puppets, which were protecting his troops. A mid-tier runic and two low-tier runic battle puppets flew toward Amon.

Amon didn’t advance. He maintained his position. He activated the Great Virulent Serpent to increase his battle power before clashing with the three battle puppets. Xuang Feng supported his puppets from afar using talismans.

While battling Amon, Xuang Feng observed the situation.

Khode’s troops forced their way and were almost upon the Echos’ soldiers blocking the exit. Before they collided, the frontmost of Echos’ soldiers picked up massive tower shields placed on their feet. The tower shields were covered with sand, so Khode’s soldiers didn’t notice them until they were picked up.

The surface of the tower shield glowed with words of power. These tower shields were specially made in Surly Gate Town’s factory based on Amon’s instructions. They were not suitable for normal battle due to their bulkiness, but were perfect for defending a static position. With all of them erected, they formed a wall between Echos’ soldiers, who blocked the exit, and the charging Khode’s troops.

Additionally, the tower shields had spikes on them. Khode’s soldiers were charging at high speed to break through the blockade. Hence, they were unable to stop. The frontmost soldiers unleashed their attacks, but the tower shields were extremely tough. They failed to destroy the shields and were instead pushed by their comrades from behind. They slammed into the tower shields and were impaled by the spikes.

The tower shields had an additional mechanism. On the side of their wielders were two extending limbs that stabbed into the ground. This helped the wielders stand their ground despite the strong charging power from the other side. Other Echos’ soldiers behind the wielders also pushed forward to help resist the enemy’s charging power.

At the edges of tower shields were small slits. Echos’ soldiers used spears to stab through those slits, impaling Khode’s soldiers on the other side. The spears they used were also specially made spears, not suitable for use in normal battle. These spears were three times longer than normal spears. They pierced through multiple Khode’s soldiers crowding before the tower shields.

Xuang Feng was despondent at the sight. They were dealt a bad hand in this gamble. It didn’t seem they could break through the blockade any time soon.

Xuang Feng tried to charge past Amon or had his battle puppets help his troops below break through the blockade, but couldn’t. Amon’s control of the field was inhuman. He couldn’t find any path to get past him. While he persevered in futility, his troops continued getting bombarded by the Yuanxu Cannons, rifles, and elemental mines.

Finally, he had no choice but to accept reality. He issued a retreat. They retreated under heavy bombardments, which was anything but a walk in the park. During their retreat, they had to step on the countless broken pieces of their comrades.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally returned to where Wai Ling and their Yuanxu Cannons were. The talisman masters opened the dome barrier to let them pass before shutting it back, but it was unnecessary. None of Echos’ soldiers chased them. The bombardment also stopped once they were out of the valley.

Xuang Feng looked at the state of his army. His depression returned. Almost none of the twenty thousand soldiers he brought into the valley survived. The ones who managed to return were only a few hundred soldiers.

The second batch with slightly slower movement speed arrived then. This batch comprised ten thousand soldiers and twenty thousand battle puppets. They were baffled by the situation. They were ready to join the fight when they heard explosions during their approach. They never thought the battle was already over when they arrived.

Some of the newly arrived soldiers felt relieved that they were slower. Otherwise, they would have joined the mass of corpses filling the valley.

Wai Ling was sad seeing Xuang Feng’s expression. She tried to console him, but he said nothing. He walked away from his troops in silence.

*

Half a day later, the full force of Khode’s main army arrived. They camped near the valley but didn’t go in. Everyone heard the report of what happened after their arrival. No one suggested trying another forceful breach on the valley.

”Will General Xuang Feng join us?” Zue Siao asked Wai Ling. They were holding a meeting inside the command tent.

Wai Ling shook her head weakly.

”Let him rest...,” Wai Kung said. ”I will take command in his absence.”

”We might need to announce an official replacement of the commander of this army,” Wei Zhuang uttered.

”He is just gathering himself. Give him time, for God’s sake!” Wai Ling scolded. ”You don’t know what he had gone through!”

”A commander should not be a slave to their emotions.” Wei Zhuang didn’t back down. ”Our army loses a great deal of morale after this defeat. If they see their commander like that, this will bring them even more down. How can they fight?”

”So what? You want to take his place?!” Wai Ling asked. Her tone was full of hostility.

”Ling... Our enemy is out there, not in here,” Wai Kung reprimanded.

Wai Ling calmed a little after that. Wei Zhung took the opportunity to reply to her, ”I’m not suited to be a commander. It does not bring me joy, but we might need to transfer the command of this army to Wai Kung.”

”That won’t be necessary.”

They turned to the voice and saw Xuang Feng entering the tent. He still wore a long face, but his eyes were back to shining with determination.

”I apologize for my behavior,” Xuang Feng said.

”Anyone would have been the same, dear,” Wai Ling consoled.

”But I am not anyone,” Xuang Feng said. ”Wei Zhuang is right. I am the commander of this army. I can’t afford to show my feelings. I have a responsibility to this army and this nation. I am not going to disappoint them!”