Rise of The Demon General

”Father... What is that?” Ublaith asked. He had disengaged from his battle with Hai Lao after the giant multi-headed serpent appeared. The titanic beast was heading over.

”I don’t know,” Krassazh answered.

”Hahaha!”

They looked down at Hai Di, who was laughing. He had stopped descending. Despite not being able to expel the gravity energy from Krassazh’s Encumbering Snakes, he was still a Peak Unholy Monarch Stage cultivator. His body automatically purged all hostile energy, even if it was undetectable. The difference was that it took longer compared to if he did it actively.

Hai Lao was beside him. Like Hai Di, he was also full of wounds. Fighting while being outnumbered incurred a toll. Hai Bang was killed after getting swarmed by the Cryanid. As for Hai Ying, she had been swallowed by the Cryanid King.

The Cryanid King itself was hovering nearby. Its attention was also drawn to the incoming hydra. Arrasixx was riding it.

”Now that he shows himself, you insects are done for,” Hai Di said.

”Is that your tamed beast?” Krassazh asked.

Hai Di didn’t answer.

”It doesn’t make sense,” Ublaith said. ”If it is, why does he only call it out now?”

”Nevertheless, it is not our ally,” Krassazh told Ublaith. He used the Hyanid language. ”Instruct the Cryanids to hold it back. We must finish the human lord quickly.”

While Hai Di didn’t understand what Krassazh said when the hyanids made the clicking sounds, he could guess the opponent’s attempt. He grabbed Hai Lao and flew back.

”Don’t think that you can escape!” Krassazh exclaimed. He rushed forward.

Hai Di used the Elder God Tentacles again, but his power had greatly weakened compared to before. Krassazh easily blasted through it. Before he could reach Hai Di, he saw a bright glow from the multi-headed serpent in the distance.

Another beam was fired from one of the heads. Krassazh was forced to stop and dodge the beam. He had sensed the power from this beam. He wouldn’t be unscathed if he were hit.

He heard a gruff voice from the Hydra in the distance, ”The human is mine. You aren’t allowed to have him.”

The hydra glided slowly. It was unclear whether his flying speed was slow or if he was taking his time.

”Hm...?” The hydra noticed the surrounding Cryanids closing in on him. He was flying a bit low, so the Cryanid Burrower could reach him. Two burst out of the ground, intending to bite him. In the air, Several Cryanid Wasps charged toward him, while a Cryanid Hivemind was approaching slowly.

Two of his heads lashed downward, catching the Cryanid Burrowers. He bit them before they bit him. With a chomp, his two heads severed the Cryanid Burrowers in two.

The Hydra’s other head whirled around, slapping the Cryanid Wasps. Some dodged the slap and used the stinger in their tails to inject poison into the hydra. However, the hydra’s scales were too tough. The stinger couldn’t pierce through. The Hydra didn’t even feel anything. These Cryanid Wasps soon became the hydra’s meal.

The only one who could slightly bother the hydra was the Cryanid Hivemind’s mental attack. Even then, the effect was only a mild headache. One of the hydra’s heads eyed the Cryanid Hivemind with annoyance. It roared. When energy from the roar hit the Cryanid Hivemind, it shook heavily. Several parts of its body burst apart. Blood gushed out. It then dropped below, already dead.

As for the Cryanid Flies, they couldn’t even get close. The pressure from the hydra’s aura rendered them unconscious. They dropped to the ground in droves.

Arrasixx was directing the Cryanid King to block the hydra’s path, but she stopped after the hydra entered the scope of her cultivation sense.

”Mi–Mid Deity Beast...!” She uttered. She turned back to warn Ublaith, who was still chasing Hai Di with Krassazh. She didn’t get the chance because the hydra used its blast breath again.

Energy beams of six different colors burst out of the hydra’s mouth, but this time, they crashed into each other mid-flight, right before the Cryanid King. The collision triggered a massive explosion. The explosion washed over a wide area. Most of the Cryanids within the blast radius were reduced to ashes. The Cryanid King itself was covered in heavy wounds. Its wings were burnt. It lost its flight and dropped to the ground.

Arrasixx’s whole body was singed. Her condition was similar to Sirrixx, who had been hit by one of the beams directly, but she was still conscious. If not for the Cryanid King taking the brunt of the blast, she would no longer have an intact body.

Though the hydra was still outside Krassazh’s sensing scope, the aura from its multiple attacks had informed him of its power.

”Damn it!” Krassazh cursed. ”Why didn’t that Amon warn us about a Mid Deity Beast among the enemy’s force?”

”Amon...?” Hai Di asked. Krassazh continued to chase him, so he was within earshot. ”Are you telling me Amon is the one who conspires with you insects?”

A familiar voice answered him. ”You are correct.” Hai Di looked up and saw Yao Ai coming at high speed from above.

*

Several minutes earlier, Yao Ai, Surressh, and Amon remained watching from the faraway hill.

”The Cryanid horde remains strong, but if we don’t have someone who can fight a Mid Deity Beast, we are fucked!” Surressh exclaimed. ”We need to do something.”

Yao Ai laughed. How the battle ahead ended didn’t concern her.

Amon wasn’t so casual. He was rooting for the Hyanids to win. It would ruin his plan if Hai Di survived this. He said, ”They might still need time to arrive. We must help the Hyanids to hold on until then.”

”They? Who are they?” Yao Ai and Surressh asked.

”Never mind that. We will join the battle ahead.”

”We will?” Yao Ai asked. She was not thrilled with the prospect.

Instead of answering, five beings appeared beside them. None was human. One was a large fox with nine tails. One of the tails was slightly shorter than the others. The second one was a large mechanical beast with a shape resembling a hell beast. It cackled when it appeared. The third was also a mechanical creature, but in humanoid shape. The fourth was a giant, altered beast that looked like a cross between a wyvern and a gorilla. Thick silver plates covered the beast’s main body. The last was a large dragon with a serpentine body.

”A noble dragon...?” Yao Ai was surprised by the aura of the dragon. She didn’t expect Amon to have such a spirit beast tucked away inside his black space ring.

Di Ying was larger than before, but she still hadn’t received her element. Amon had been giving her a regular diet of the Primordial Blue Lotus’ nectar. It helped speed up her growth.

”Our priority is to slay Hai Di. If he is dead, we can retreat until my reinforcement, who can fight that soul dragon, appears.”

”What reinforcement?” Yao Ai asked again.

”I said already not to mind that. Know that there will be reinforcement, but I am not clear when they will arrive. So, treat it as if there is no reinforcement!”

”Then you shouldn’t have mentioned it to us,” Yao Ai grumbled.

”As I said, our priority is Hai Di,” Amon ignored Yao Ai. ”So, most of you will hold off the soul dragon while a few of us go for Hai Di.”

”I’m not fighting that soul dragon,” Yao Ai stated. She still had the chills from her last encounter with the creature.

”Never expected that a human domain lord is a coward,” Surressh said.

”I dare you to say that again, insect!” Yao Ai challenged.

”Save your aggression for the fight ahead!” Amon commanded. ”Yao Ai, you will go after Hai Di with me. The rest of you, keep the soul dragon busy. Remember, our objective is not to win against the soul dragon. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Just keep it from interfering with our attempt to get rid of Hai Di.”

”I am to go for the soul dragon as well?” Surressh asked. ”I’m just an Intermediate Supreme Stage cultivator. I will die with a simple slap from that spirit beast.”

Surressh’s cultivation had improved because he received regular Infernal Inheritance Pills from Yeresdyx. Amon received the Black Aetherium Fruit from Xlasstazh during his first venture into the Misty Border. He planted that fruit. Thanks to the five elemental crystals that acted like artificial ley nodes inside his black space ring, the atmosphere had become very rich. It helped the Black Aetherium Tree to grow and bloom. It was now mature enough to produce fruits, which Yeresdyx used to make Infernal Inheritance Pills for Amon. With Amon’s blessing, she spared some for her fellow Hyanid.

”Your gravity element is perfect to hinder others,” Amon answered Surressh. ”If you work together with Supreme Leader Krassazh, you should be able to slow the soul dragon somewhat.”

Surressh wanted to argue that wouldn’t that ability be better used to slow Hai Di so that they could slay him faster? But Amon had already yelled the command to advance.

”You all know your assignment. Let’s go!!” Amon charged forward. The others followed him. Surressh sighed before flying forward.