Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 787: Chapter 787. Working Together

When the Hyanid didn’t respond, Amon began to worry that perhaps this Hyanid didn’t know human language. He was ready for an attack when the Hyanid spoke.

”What proposition?”

Amon sighed inwardly. His chance was good. He replied, ”We won’t be able to survive if we fight on our own. Let’s team up.”

”Absurd,” the Hyanid said. ”Only one among us will be granted freedom if we survive this trial. We will have to fight whether we like it or not.”

Amon’s assumption was correct. This Hyanid was a criminal under punishment. He thought Amon was like him, undergoing this trial for a chance at freedom.

”That’s true, but we don’t have to fight among ourselves from the start. If we do, we won’t survive. Look at the fight over there.”

Amon pointed at two spirit beasts fighting afar. It was the Lower Primordial Beast giant, with armored plates, against the altered beast with the giant snake tail. The snake beast slithered swiftly on the ground. Its two scythed arms slashed rapidly as it swirled around the armored giant.

All its slashes hit their marks. Despite that, none left a wound. The giant’s rock plates were extremely sturdy. The armored giant just stood there as the snake beast dashed past it repeatedly.

When the snake beast was about to dash past another time, the armored giant finally moved. Its speed belied its heavy frame and caught the snake beast off-guard. Before the snake beast could perform an evasive maneuver, the armored giant’s large fist had descended on it. The giant fist struck the snake beast’s back and pressed it into the ground. The snake beast’s body couldn’t endure the pressure. It was flattened into the ground. Blood spurted everywhere. The ground also cratered from the force.

The wasp stinger moved instinctively to strike its attacker. However, its stinger couldn’t penetrate the giant’s protective plates. The tail’s repeated thrusting weakened with time. Finally, it dropped to the ground and no longer moved.

In one move, the armored giant took out one of the five altered beasts.

”We must defeat that thing if we are to pass this trial,” Amon told the Hyanid. ”Do you think you can win against it on your own? We can decide who among us will win this trial, but not before that thing is down. As long as that thing still stands, we have no hope of passing.”

The Hyanid was still pondering Amon’s offer when Amon shouted, ”Be careful!”

Amon used his Alpha Flying Knives. The Hyanid took a defensive posture because he thought Amon was attacking him, but the six large knives flew past him. The Hyanid looked back and saw the six knives striking the dog-beast. The legion of snakes on its back struck back at the flying knives.

This place dulled cultivation senses. Hence, the snake beast could sneak behind the Hyanid. If Amon hadn’t intervened, the dog beast’s ambush would have likely succeeded.

”... Thank you,” the Hyanid told Amon. He jumped away and distanced himself from the dog beast. Amon retreated with him.

”You are welcome. By the way, my name is Amon. What’s yours?”

”... I am Surressh,” the Hyanid replied. ”What do you suggest? Which one should we attack first?”

”None. We let them fight and tire each other out.” Amon gestured for Surressh to retreat further. Surressh followed the suggestion. Amon asked him while on the move. ”What do you excel in? Melee or long ranged? And what elements are your arts?”

”All Hyanids excelled in melee,” Surressh replied. While he was a criminal to his kind, Amon could hear the pride in his voice. ”Our Cryanid physique gave us strength and durability better than humans of the same cultivation level. That said, my arts are mostly for long-range assaults and of the Gravity elements.”

”Alright. You stay behind me and cover me with your long-range arts,” Amon proposed.

Normally, Amon wouldn’t have let someone like Surressh take a position behind him. That would have been foolish, considering their cultivation sense was dulled in this place. However, he was trying to earn Surressh’s trust. Furthermore, he was confident his danger sense would warn him if Surressh tried to backstab him.

”Something’s not right... Why do those two spirit beasts not fight?” Surressh asked.

Surressh was referring to the dog-beast that had tried to ambush them earlier. Another beast, the one with the snail body and spider leg, approached the dog beast but didn’t attack. It just stood there.

Amon was also wondering about it. He had controlled his Alpha Flying Knives to keep the dog beast from moving away because he saw the snail beast walking over. He thought for sure the two would fight.

Instead, the two shells covering the snail beast’s side opened, revealing two large holes in its snail body. The beast shivered, and something shot out from those holes. The things landed near where Amon and Surresh were. The things turned out to be giant worms with sharp teeth at both ends of their bodies.

These worms compressed their elastic bodies and released them soon after. This springing motion gave them the jumping power to propel them toward Amon and Surressh.

Amon slashed using his Moonfire Dagger. The moment his dagger almost touched the jumping worm, he saw the blood vessel behind the worm’s translucent skin swell. He immediately jumped away while his dagger continued slicing into the worm’s vulnerable body. The body exploded, releasing a large amount of acidic liquid.

Amon managed to avoid getting splashed by the liquid thanks to his keen sense of danger. He pulled his dagger back using the Xian Cloth.

While Amon was saved by his acute instinct, Surressh was lucky because he used a long-range art. He thrust his spear, and it produced a swirling energy that hit the worm while it was still in the air. He was surprised by the worm exploding upon impact, but he had enough distance to avoid the acid from hitting him.

The snail beast shot more worms out of its body. The worms landed around Amon and Surressh, surrounding them.

The snail beast still didn’t attack the nearby dog beast. The dog beast finally overcame Amon’s Alpha Flying Knives. It lost some snakes on its back when the knives cut them, but the other snakes wrapped around the six knives and confined them. The knives could no longer fly away.

The dog beast also didn’t assault the snail beast near it. It ran toward Amon and Surressh as soon as it locked down the knives.

’The snail beast must possess some kind of mental power that can affect other beasts,’ Amon thought. Thinking that, he looked at the other beasts. The insect-head beast was still tussling with the flower-head beast, while the armored giant remained standing at the place where it had squashed the snake beast.

”It will be best not to let that snail beast anywhere near the other beasts,” Amon told Surressh.

”Why?” Surressh asked.

”I suspect that snail beast can control other beasts, or at least manipulate them into not attacking it. It can be a problem because it could turn this free-for-all battle into a two-sided fight between us and it. We must defeat it before the other beasts approach.”

”Easier said than done,” Surressh remarked. They had been dodging the worms while using long-range attacks to cause them to explode from a safe distance, but the snail beast continued to birth worms nonstop. To make matters worse, the dog beast was approaching.

”I will deal with the snail beast. You take care of these critters!” Amon exclaimed. He threw small flying knives using Hundred Shooting Stars at the worms. The impact caused the worm to explode. He rushed out once the explosion receded.

The dog beast lunged at him when he was about to pass. Part of the snakes on its back were occupied because they were holding Amon’s Alpha Flying Knives, but plenty of snakes remained free. These snakes elongated forward, attempting to bite Amon.

The area around the dog beast suddenly became greyish, and its lunge slowed significantly during mid-jump. It dropped to the ground as if a heavy load was weighing it down. Amon understood that it was Surressh’s doing. He used his Gravity-element art to hinder the dog beast.

Amon ignored the dog beast and rushed toward the snail beast. When it realized Amon was targeting it, it hurriedly moved away with its four large legs, all the while firing worms into Amon’s path in an attempt to slow him down.

The snail beast was rushing toward the insect-head and flower-head beasts on the other side. The armored giant was closer, but it avoided the giant for some reason. Probably because it knew whatever mental power it possessed couldn’t affect the giant.

Amon wasn’t going to let the snail beast reach the two tussling beasts. He used Invisible Phantom Flash. All the worms in his way exploded from the countless swordlights that followed his flash. His speed was so fast that he was already out of the liquid’s reach by the time they exploded.

The increased speed allowed him to arrive near the snail beast in an instant. However, the snail beast had good instincts. He jumped away as Amon arrived. The swordlights accompanying his art struck the snail beast mid-air. Its main body shrank until the two shells on its body completely covered it. Both the shells and the beast’s legs were hardy enough to resist Amon’s slashes.

When Amon was about to continue his assault, a strong mental attack struck him. He felt like his head had been struck by a cannon. He lost his train of thought, and his mind went blank.