Free Web NovelChapter 415: Chapter 36: Still Became a Licking Dog?
Upon the scorched earth stood numerous bunkers and ramparts. Countless defensive fortifications, Barrier Techniques, and fire support points were deployed among them, presenting a formidable challenge.
And so, the platinum-haired girl naturally thought of the cannon fodder. "Should we send the Punishment Camp in as the vanguard first?"
The Royal Court’s Elf Military Officer immediately snorted.
"They should use their blood to prove their loyalty and wash away their stains. The enemy are all scum who have surrendered to the Demons anyway. It would be perfect to have them kill each other."
’Seriously? You people are a little too cruel to your own kind.’
Westheid could barely keep a straight face. The Thousand Laws Royal Court was said to be a land of harmony, free of greed and murder, so why was everyone so extreme, eager to hunt down and exterminate any and all heretics?
But on second thought, Duke Qinghui relaxed. He couldn’t blame the Elves. The past harmony of the Royal Court was purely due to Emperor Qianlu’s Grand Ensemble directly influencing everyone, forcefully suppressing their instinct for conflict.
When it came to fanaticism, the Realm of Order was no different. But when it came to hatred and hostility toward traitors, the people of Thousand Laws were undoubtedly the most vehement.
After the Demon’s Frenzy Banquet, the Grand Ensemble was tainted by the Celestial God’s Shadow, and a subconscious irritability and bloodlust began to stir within the Elves. As time passed, these negative emotions would only accumulate, and this calamity, fueled by endless war and vendettas, would eventually leave the Thousand Laws Royal Court in ruins.
"The Punishment Camp can serve as the vanguard, but they are not to be deliberately sent to their deaths. Mephit! Take a group of Knights and advance with the Punishment Camp. These troops have been thoroughly trained. All they lack is the tempering of blood and fire to become a serviceable army."
Westheid shook his head, refusing to issue an order that would cause the Punishment Camp to suffer heavy casualties. Instead, he had the Yonglan Knights lead the charge.
"By your will!"
Mephit immediately accepted the command and departed. With Legendary Powerhouses and the Knight Elite joining the fray, the battle’s outcome was all but decided. Even without the Punishment Camp’s help, the knightess and the Knight Order she commanded were more than enough to shatter the fragile defenses of the Demon’s followers.
The Royal Court’s Military Officer frowned. "Do you intend to whip the Punishment Camp into shape? We see no need for it."
"If they remain a disorganized rabble forever, their usefulness will be limited, won’t it? On the battlefield against the Celestial God’s Shadow, simple cannon fodder is useless. If they can truly wash away their shame with blood, why not give them a chance?"
"...Handle it as you see fit."
Westheid smiled and gazed into the distance. The addition of the Yonglan Knights immediately boosted the morale of the previously dispirited Punishment Camp. By showing a little goodwill to these sinners, who had been abandoned even by the Royal Court, Duke Qinghui easily won a large following among the Elves.
Besides the advancing Punishment Camp and Knight squadrons, the rest of the legion disembarked from their ships to make camp. Given the nature of the Master of Blazing Flames’ domain, it was predictable that most of this campaign would be fought on open plains.
Once all the troops were assembled and the forward base was established, the defensive lines around the City in the Lake were systematically dismantled by the Punishment Camp and the Yonglan Knights. Then, as expected, the assault on the City in the Lake itself began.
And, as expected, they were victorious.
No matter how excellent the City in the Lake’s defensive systems were, its defenders were utterly pathetic. They didn’t even have a single unit with Legendary Combat Power. Under the onslaught of multiple combatants with Legendary Combat Power and an army more than ten times the size of their own, the city fell at a record-breaking speed.
Not that it had many records to break, all of which had been set very recently.
"Since the Flame Demon hasn’t shown itself, we’ll press on. We’ll use this lull to capture as many Cities in the Lake as we can. Every city taken weakens the enemy."
Although the key to conquering the Demon Realm always lay in slaying its master, capturing a City in the Lake allowed them to temporarily seal its node, even if they couldn’t correct it. This would cut off the power being supplied to the Demons by the Thousand Laws Ceremony.
So the expeditionary army pressed on relentlessly. They had just conquered one City in the Lake, but without a moment’s rest, they were already rushing to the next.
As the frontline legions began to tear through the defensive lines and strike out in all directions, Westheid, surrounded by a group of Royal Court Mages, began applying buffs to himself.
’These Runes of Music are seriously useful, especially the special ones. Without Deadly Rhythm and Indomitable, how am I supposed to fight a Demon? Who’s going to make up for that power gap for me?’
Several more days and nights passed. Reports of victory streamed in from all fronts as more Cities in the Lake fell, one after another. The campaign was proceeding with unbelievable smoothness.
Yolanda frowned. "This isn’t right. Three Cities in the Lake have fallen. Why hasn’t the Master of Blazing Flames—that Flame Demon—appeared yet?"
"Perhaps it’s still bogged down on another battlefield."
Westheid had already guessed what was happening. At the same time he had launched his offensive, Anise must have also taken the initiative to attack.
’Tsk, tsk. This Enchanter is really something else. I thought I acted quickly, but she was even faster. I had originally planned to face the Master of Blazing Flames alone, but if Anise could help weaken the Flame Demon, that was all for the better.’
Ten days after the Royal Court Legion’s formal invasion of the Demon Realm, a smear of crimson stained the clear sky.
It should have been a barely perceptible anomaly, but Westheid was completely immersed in sensing his surroundings, and so he was the first to detect the Master of Blazing Flames’s aura.
"It’s here."
Westheid, who had been conserving his strength, immediately rose to his feet and commanded:
"All troops, halt your offensive! Consolidate the defensive lines. We’ll resume after I’ve taken that Flame Demon’s head."
The words had barely left his lips when Westheid bent his knees. With a deafening BOOM and a shockwave that cracked the earth, his figure vanished, shooting straight toward the heavens to collide with the crimson staining the clouds.
BOOM—
Great, rolling waves surged across the sky like a sudden thunderclap. After the initial clash, Westheid shook his arm, which now rippled with golden light, and sized up his opponent.
The Master of Blazing Flames’s appearance was different from the last time Westheid had seen it. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that the Flame Demon had no fixed form at all. Its essence was a surge of Fire Spirits, and its physical form was determined solely by the armor it chose to possess.
Before, it had looked like a modified suit of Maximilian Plate Armor. Now, however, it wore an incredibly intricate and heavy suit of Rune Heavy Armor that even had a familiar, technological feel to it...
’Son of a bitch, doesn’t that look just like an Azure Sky Mecha from the Celestial Vault Kingdom? It’s a pretty good copycat.’
Westheid chuckled. "I thought you’d be here sooner. Your reaction time is a little slow. Or do you just not see us as a threat?"
He was, of course, feigning ignorance, as he couldn’t reveal his collaboration with Anise.
But the Master of Blazing Flames was surprisingly honest, directly stating the reason for its delay:
"Hah... Got tangled up with a certain bitch. It wasted some of my time."
As its deep voice faded, countless sparks flew from beneath its helmet. Though it lacked human organs, the voice, produced by surging Magic Power, was still rich with emotion.
"That bitch is just like her father—unbelievably disgusting and foolish. Hmph. But to think she’d actually take the initiative and attack me... that was a surprise. HAHAHAHA! Looks like she couldn’t uphold her peaceful principles after all. At least that makes her different from her father. Good! That’s very good!"
Westheid raised an eyebrow and asked:
"It seems you all hold quite a grudge against Emperor Qianlu. It’s not just because you were imprisoned and betrayed?"
"Of course it’s not!"
The Master of Blazing Flames clenched its fist. "That dull, naive fool! He thought he could gloss over all conflict with his ridiculous gentleness. But how could he possibly extinguish a raging inferno of fury? This land craves to burn! It craves slaughter!"
Westheid immediately scoffed. "After saying all that, didn’t you still end up as Emperor Qianlu’s lapdog? Didn’t you kneel obediently at his feet and help build his foolish, naive ideal?"
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?! You’re courting death!"
A single sentence sent the Celestial God’s Shadow into a thunderous rage.
