Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 615: Chapter 615. I Must Refuse

”Really? So, you admit my odds of winning this war are good?” Amon asked.

”With my help,” Wei Zhuang corrected. ”If we leave things as they are now, the chance of either force in Tusha Valley is fifty-fifty. When you reach Dabao City, I would say your chances drop considerably. Either way, the conflict will last a long time before a winner can be decided. I can’t help Khode’s army improve its chances further since I am already on their side. But if I switch to you, I can help end the battle here quicker by sabotaging Khode’s army from the inside.

”As for Khode’s capital, I have many connections I’ve developed throughout my years here. The fact is that the public’s discontent toward the supreme councilor has grown exponentially over the past few years. I can incite a riot. With the aid of your army, we might have a chance to depose the supreme councilor.

”Once we are done here, we will march together to take down Oredolia. What say you?”

”Enticing offer, but I’m afraid I must refuse,” Amon said.

Wei Zhuang’s face turned into a scowl. This time, it stayed that way. ”I’m sorry. I truly don’t see the reason for you to refuse.”

”If you were anyone else, I would have accepted,” Amon said. ”Unfortunately, I can’t truly trust any words that you uttered.”

”... May I know the reasons?” Wei Zhuang asked.

”Because you are from the Sima Clan,” Amon answered. At the same time, his skin turned scaly, and the ceremonial dagger appeared in his hand.

The two men Wei Zhuang brought were experienced bodyguards. They were alert all the time, so they were not flustered by Amon’s sudden act. The two reacted by bringing their arms up. One had arms covered with thick metallic plates, and the other had arms encased with hard rocks. Both were created using arcane arts.

The metal and rock arms successfully blocked Amon’s abrupt slash. The slash left a deep incision, which surprised the two bodyguards. They were very proud of their defensive arts. Their profession relied on their ability to endure hits. For Amon to leave such a scar with just one slash was unthinkable. This caused the two to back away. They grabbed Wei Zhuang as they moved.

”Not bad, but I guess it is expected. You would be a fool to bring small fries to protect you,” Amon remarked.

”I truly hope it doesn’t need to come to this, but you give me no choice,” Wei Zhuang said. ”Since you won’t cooperate, I will have to take you out. With you out of the picture, Khode should be able to defeat your army and return to their intended purpose of keeping Echos engaged. Then only can Farghous divert their force and help Gyleth Marx defeat Oredolia.”

”Thank you for telling me your plan, but do you truly think your two bodyguards can defeat me?” Amon asked.

”I did hear you are an exceptional combatant. Of course, I didn’t come without preparation,” Wei Zhuang said while grinning.

He held a strange, dark blue pill in his hand. His other hands had two similar pills, only less dark. He gave the two pills to his bodyguards. The three swallowed the pills. Amon sensed their aura intensified upon consumption of the pills. Their bodies also underwent a slight transformation. Dark blue veins appeared all over their skin, while a blue hue filled their eyes.

Amon frowned. ”Strength pill?” Amon asked. Strength pills could assist cultivators during combat. It temporarily boosted cultivators’ power. The pills usually ranged from low-tier runic to high-tier runic. The higher the grades, the stronger the effect, and the longer it lasted.

These pills were rare in Echos. It was more so in Khode. The country where these pills were regularly used was Gyleth Marx, where the ingredients were abundant. Even so, one needed to be an expert-level pill master to make one.

”My cultivation is not high, but I am an exceptional pill master,” Wei Zhuang said. His current aura was close to an Intermediate Spirit Stage, while his two bodyguards’ aura was not far off from Peak Spirit Stage cultivators.

Amon responded to their improvement with a smirk.

”I see this is not enough to affect your confidence,” Wei Zhuang said. ”How about this?”

Eight battle puppets materialized after Wei Zhuang stopped speaking. He hid these battle puppets inside his space ring. His space ring was a normal one, but it could hold eight battle puppets so long as he didn’t store other large things inside.

All eight battle puppets were low-tier runic grades. They were equipped with flight units. These puppets spread out and surrounded Amon, cutting off all his escape paths.

While Amon observed the battle puppets, he sensed danger from behind. He performed an abrupt spin, dodging and counterattacking in one fell swoop. At the end of his spin, his dagger stabbed into something invisible. A pained cry was heard.

His hand grabbed the area from where the cry originated. He pulled, and a man materialized. His dagger was deep in this man’s back. He looked at his hand and saw a talisman, which soon turned to dust.

He pulled his dagger. The man, who had died, dropped to the ground. The man didn’t wear Khode’s uniform. From his features, he was not Khode’s citizen. Amon believed the man was Wei Zhuang’s personal underling, like the two bodyguards.

”High-grade pills, battle puppets, talismans, and subordinates with high cultivation levels. I must say Sima Clan is indeed resourceful. No way you are just a small clan at Echos’ border town,” Amon remarked.

Wei Zhuang frowned at the scene. The invisible talisman the dead man used was mid-tier runic grade. A Spirit Stage cultivator wouldn’t sense the one using it. How did Amon dodge the ambush so perfectly?

”I know you still have more invisible subordinates around here,” Amon said. His Spirit Sense couldn’t detect them, but his danger sense could feel their killing intent. There were at least nine more invisible people.

Wei Zhuang’s frown turned deeper. He didn’t like the way things were going. He was confused by how Amon detected his invisible underlings, but what made him uneasy was Amon’s demeanor. Amon was completely calm and poised despite the situation seemingly stacked against him.

He looked back in the direction of Khode’s camp. Should he leave and let his underlings fight Amon? His instincts told him to do so, but he was a man of logic. He saw no reason for Amon to prevail under the situation, and he wished to ensure Amon’s demise. That way, he could properly formulate the plan for Khode’s army to defeat Echos’ army in Tusha Valley.

”This is the end for you,” Wei Zhuang uttered. ”You should have chosen cooperation instead of arrogance.”

”Should I?” Amon asked. He waved his hand. As he did, countless battle puppets materialized around him.

”What...?!” Wei Zhuang was lost for words. How did Amon hide so many battle puppets? Did Amon possess a superior space ring? ’No,’ he thought. Even if Amon did, the number of battle puppets was still too many. There were probably a thousand battle puppets that surrounded them.

The battle puppets formed a dome formation once they appeared. They surrounded everyone and left no room for escape.

”This...” Wei Zhuang was confused again. He was afraid those battle puppets would pounce at them once they appeared. Instead, they only formed a perimeter.

”Hehe, they were only here to make sure no one escapes,” Amon said with an evil grin. ”To wipe you all out, I alone am enough!”

Amon used Invisible Sky Steps. He flew past the battle puppets surrounding him and arrived before Wei Zhuang. The two bodyguards again put themselves before their master. They put up their arms covered by metal plates and rocks. Boosted by the Strength Pills, the scar from Amon’s last slash had closed, and their defensive arts were even stronger than before.

Amon didn’t stop even when the sturdy-looking defense was in his path. He pulled the ceremonial dagger into the starting position of a slash. As he did, a black aura radiated from him. The ceremonial dagger burst with black flame. The flame elongated to a long blade.

”De... Demonic energy...?!” Wei Zhuang exclaimed with surprise.

Amon slashed. It was a simple slash. The long sword made of black flame sliced past the two bodyguards. The flaming blade just went through their bodies like a hot blade through butter. The metal plate and rock armor covering their arms were as if non-existent. The two died with split bodies without understanding what had happened.

The scene terrified Wei Zhuang so much that all his rational thoughts were gone. He quickly turned around and flew away, all while screaming, ”Protect me! Stop that demon...!!”

His battle puppets swarmed at Amon. Half his invisible underlings took position between him and Amon, while the other half flew ahead of him to punch through the battle puppets’ blockade. These underlings were ready to sacrifice their lives to ensure their master’s escape.

”No one leaves,” Amon uttered. The crimson dagger danced using Infinite Phantom Slash. When the black light stopped, all the battle puppets surrounding Amon had turned into pieces of scrap.