Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 662: Chapter 662. Besieged on All Sides

Kazhan’s royal army arrived outside Bulo City on the fifth day after the First Demon Army occupied the capital. They could have arrived the night before, but Shou Zou didn’t want to have the battle at night. His troops also needed rest. So, he halted his army at a distance from Bulo City and made camp. They resumed marching in the morning and arrived before noon.

They numbered around eighty thousand soldiers. Almost every soldier had a tamed beast, which nearly doubled their numbers. Additionally, each tamed beast was top-notch. The lowest grade was Lower Superior Beasts, with the main bulk being Mid Superior Beasts. As for the high-ranking officers of the army, they mostly controlled Lower Mythical Beasts.

In the opposition, the thirty thousand soldiers of the First Demon Army positioned themselves outside the city wall. Tamed beasts were also among the soldiers, though only a small fraction compared to Kazhan’s soldiers. However, the soldiers of the First Demon Army possessed something most Kazhan did not, which were battle puppets. These were the soldiers’ personal battle puppets, not the battle puppets owned by the army. During their time in Khode, many soldiers learned useful knowledge of puppet making. This improved their expertise and simultaneously bolstered the army’s size.

The fourteen thousand warriors from the old tribes positioned themselves at the left flank of the First Demon Army. Echos’ battle puppets accompanied these warriors. These puppets were there to record their kills. Like Kazhan’s royal army, most of these tribe warriors were expert beast tamers. Their loyal beasts were on standby beside their masters, waiting for the command to pounce on the enemy.

At the First Demon Army’s right flank were the fifty thousand human puppets. They stood like statues with eerie calmness. The Mental Regulator Transmitter was situated behind the wall. The wall itself had been repaired. A dome barrier protected the capital. If the enemy wished to get to the transmitter, they must first destroy the barrier.

In total, the two forces were almost equal in size, with Kazhan’s royal army having slightly more numbers.

*

”Should I give the order for our army to advance?” Xiong Jie asked Shou Zou.

Crawling next to her was her tamed beast, a Blood Tiger. It was a large tiger with crimson fur. It had two thin lines of white fur that started from its brows and went along its back to the tip of its tail before enlarging like a fan. This wide tail was covered by feathers, which made it look like a peacock’s tail.

The blood tiger growled with anticipation. It knew a battle was coming, and it was eager to start sinking its teeth into its prey.

”Mm... sure. Teach those rabbles the folly of their rebellion,” Shou Zou answered.

Shou Zou’s winged Qilin stood behind him. It stomped its hooved feet on the ground. Despite its majestic appearance, it also seemed impatient like the blood tiger. Its golden scales shone with brilliant colors as they reflected the sunlight. Its large wings, covered with golden feathers, flapped robustly like it wanted to take to the sky without delay.

After getting permission, Xong Jie turned to the front and barked her orders. Kazhan’s soldiers started advancing with an orderly march. Xong Jie was at the head of the troops. Shou Zou, on the other hand, remained behind. He didn’t show any sign of advancing with his army.

Xin Wuyun was beside him. She also didn’t advance. She wasn’t officially part of Kazhan’s army, so she was not obligated to join the fight.

”Pray for my soldiers, Bishop Wuyun,” Shou Zou requested. ”Pray that the Holy Mother bless them in this battle, so that they can fight bravely and win a righteous victory.”

”Of course, Your Majesty,” Xin Wuyun replied. ”Will you not advance as well? I believe we can end the battle sooner if you join.”

”I dislike bullying the weak. My army is enough for those rabble.”

Xin Wuyun was displeased but didn’t show it. She preferred the battle here to end as soon as possible so Kazhan could return to the front line to fight Gyleth Marx. However, she had been a liaison for Kazhan for a long time. She knew Shou Zou’s stubbornness. Shou Zou was a pious believer of the Temple of Divinity. His loyalty toward the Holy Mother was especially strong, but he was also headstrong like most Kazhan warriors. Once he decided on something, it was hard to change his mind.

Kazhan’s royal army inched toward Bulo City at a steady pace. Their opponents didn’t respond to their approach. The enemy troops remained standing patiently under the capital’s walls.

Xong Jie eyed the enemies suspiciously. If they wanted to fight outside the wall, why did they stay near the wall? Might as well stay behind the wall and fully utilize the defensive barrier. Standing with their backs against the wall would only leave them with little room to maneuver. Kazhan’s army could pin them down and gain the upper hand.

Since it was so, she didn’t reject this gift. They were now close enough to their opponents. She shouted her command, ”Chaarrggeee...!!!”

Kazhan’s soldiers, who strode with steady steps, changed to a full run at a breakneck speed upon the command. They also let out a thundering war cry. They transformed from disciplined soldiers to ferocious beasts at the drop of a hat. Their trusty tamed beasts ran alongside them, eager to reach the enemies and tear them apart.

However, before they made contact with the enemies, multiple explosions were heard. Those who had keen eyesight spotted many metal balls flying toward them at high speed. Before they could warn their friends, these balls had arrived. The balls erupted into violent elemental blasts.

These elemental explosions took them aback. They had never encountered a Yuanxu Cannon before. They thought the enemies were using some rare, high-grade arts that could hit from far away. These elemental explosions not only put Kazhan’s army formation into disarray, but they also slowed the army’s charging momentum.

Once the Yuanxu Cannons started firing, Echos’ riflemen revealed themselves atop the city wall. With the increased elevation, their rifles’ already long range could hit even farther. Their bullets struck Kazhan’s soldiers, who were still confused by the elemental explosions.

”Do not stop...! Keep charging!! Activate your defensive arts while charging...!” Xiong Jie exclaimed.

If it were any other army, the soldiers would have difficulty following this order after suffering such an ambush, but Kazhan’s soldiers were known for their bravery. They uttered a war cry and resumed their charge. Compared to Khode’s army, the soldiers of Kazhan possessed better arts. After activating their defensive arts, they could somewhat defend against the rifle shots and cannon blasts.

After the bombardment, Echos’ soldiers no longer remained before the wall. They charged forward and engaged the enemies. The tribes’ warriors and the human puppets on the flanks did the same. These flanking troops pincered Kazhan’s armies from opposite sides.

While the two armies started engaging one another, Shou Zou watched from behind. The bombardment had put his army at a disadvantage. He was thinking about joining the fight as well, but his Lord Sense detected a single person approaching his army from the back.

He frowned. He didn’t see anything where he sensed the entity, which meant the person was invisible. His Lord Sense encompassed a larger range compared to lower-level cultivators, so his soldiers might still be unaware that someone was approaching them from behind.

Before he could move, though, an impossible incident took him by surprise. A massive army of battle puppets suddenly materialized behind his battling army. This puppet army wasted no time pouncing on the unsuspecting Kazhan’s troops.

Among this puppet army were multiple giant puppets that Kazhan’s soldiers had never seen before. They never even imagined that such giant puppets were possible. These giant puppets tore through the Kazhan Army’s unsuspecting back line.

The Kazhan Soldiers were now besieged on all sides, making them unable to maneuver. While getting pinned down, the center of their formation continued to get bombarded by the Yuanxu Cannons. Even using layman’s eyes, one could see that Kazhan’s army was losing, and they were losing at a rapid rate.

Shou Zou could finally stay idle no longer. His feet left the ground. The Winged Qilin followed his lead and took to the sky. Shou Zou told Xin Wuyun, ”Stay here. I will end this mess.”

Done talking, Shou Zou vanished. His speed was so fast that he appeared to turn invisible. He shot at high speed and arrived before the puppet army in the blink of an eye. A large stone axe materialized in his hand. He swung this axe down and struck the ground.

A geyser erupted from the strike. This geyser travelled forward, forming a giant water pillar that sliced through the puppet army. All the battle puppets in its path were obliterated. The water pillar only stopped before it hit the Kazhan Army’s back line.

With one strike, Shou Zou took the attention of the puppet army. A nearby giant bear puppet rushed at him. It was about to pounce using its massive body, but one swing from Shou Zou’s axe cleaved the bear puppet in two.

”Come at me, you tin cans. I will turn you all into scraps,” Shou Zou uttered.