Chapter 83: Breaking into the Camp-The Last Demon-Slaying Immortal(Jesting with ease, commanding every conversation)

For the first time, Wolf-Toad-Bear found himself troubled by how to invite his master, the elder demon in the purple robe. As the saying went, when one longs for sleep, someone is sure to bring a pillow.

Just then, two goblin soldiers came bickering up before him, asking him to judge their dispute. He did not settle the case, but the matter sparked an idea.

He slapped his thigh and thought, There is a way to bring my master here!

At the same time, he kept cursing himself inwardly for being guilty as a thief. With his junior brother now dead, how he told the story was entirely up to the tongue in his own mouth. How could the master know the truth?

Besides, the master had shared decades of friendship with him; how could the old man fail to trust him?

Thinking this, he fixed his gaze on the hall below. The two goblin soldiers were still staring up at him in dumb astonishment.

He could not help but smile, his expression warm and genial.

"You two brave young warriors, your comrade has fallen in service to the realm, which is why this misunderstanding arose. You have both suffered. This hall has two silver coins; take them as compensation from the tall brother to the short one."

With that, he drew two silver coins from his robe.

Clink.

Two bright notes rang out as he tossed them before the short soldier.

"Many thanks, my lord!"

The short goblin soldier banged his head to the floor three times, then joyfully picked up the coins and departed in high spirits.

"Many thanks, my lord!"

The tall goblin soldier also kowtowed three times, then left satisfied.

Seeing the two goblins go far away, Wolf-Toad-Bear shouted, "Prepare my armor, bring my spear, and lead up my horse!"

The goblins below hurriedly answered, "At your command!"

They rushed off, and in no time returned with his treasured armor and spear.

Fully arrayed, Wolf-Toad-Bear mounted his warhorse.

At the gate of the stockade, he was about to call for it to be opened when the chieftain, Marvelously Distant, came hurrying up after hearing the news and stopped him.

"My lord, the enemy outside is behaving with outrageous arrogance. How can you leave the stockade so readily to fight them?"

Wolf-Toad-Bear's face darkened. "Chieftain, the enemy is in full force. Do you think I would recklessly clash with them head-on? I am breaking out to seek reinforcements."

Marvelously Distant tightened his grip on the reins. "My lord, how can such a mission be entrusted to your honored self personally? Better to send one of our officers. The Nine-Headed Vulture General has mostly recovered from his wounds; let him go. If you do not trust him, then I can go in his place."

Wolf-Toad-Bear nodded approvingly. "Chieftain Marvelously Distant, your heart is with the realm and your loyalty stands clear. Yet these reinforcements cannot be invited by just anyone. I must go myself."

Marvelously Distant still did not believe him. "Which reinforcements are so grand that they require the lord himself to invite them?"

Wolf-Toad-Bear explained, "My master, the Demon Sovereign in the Purple Robe."

Only then did Marvelously Distant believe him. He released the reins and cupped his hands in salute. "In that case, I wish my lord success in summoning the Demon Sovereign at once, so he may help our army win victory."

With that, he stepped aside.

Wolf-Toad-Bear nodded and ordered, "Open the gate."

With a groan of hinges, the stockade gates swung wide.

Wolf-Toad-Bear clamped his legs against the saddle and, with a crash of hooves, his horse sprang forward in a wild gallop out of the fort.

Below the stockade, the savage fighter Lion-Hero was shouting insults and challenging the enemy to come out.

When he saw a horse burst from above, his nerves tightened with excitement. He gripped his pair of chained hammers hard, waiting only for the enemy general to charge so that he might fight to his heart's content.

But to his surprise, the horse did not come at him at all. It simply veered around and charged straight toward the rebel camp instead.

Furious, he roared, "H- h- stop! Y- y- you little brat, s- s- stop for Lion-Hero!"

And he gave chase.

Wolf-Toad-Bear glanced back and saw the tall, hairy savage behind him. He could not tell whether the creature was man or demon, and he had never even heard that the rebel army possessed such a monster-general. Fear prickled his skin.

He shouted, "Ride! Ride! Ride!"

The horse went mad with speed.

When he reached the rebel camp, he yanked on the reins. With a long whinny, the horse leaped the palisade and plunged straight into the rebel ranks.

But he could not go any farther.

Why not?

Because there were too many rebel soldiers blocking his path.

Wolf-Toad-Bear gripped his spear in both hands and shook it. The spearhead quivered, and countless spear-flowers blossomed in the air.

Cold light flashed; killing intent rose like smoke.

"Move aside!" he thundered. "Anyone who wants to live, clear the way. Anyone who wants to die, do not blame me for being merciless!"

He glared with bulging eyes, his shout like thunder cracking in the sky.

Yet when he looked again, the rebel soldiers showed no fear and did not retreat a single step.

Wolf-Toad-Bear drew a sharp breath. His back went cold. He knew he had run into a worthy enemy. No wonder the rebels kept winning battles; even the ordinary soldiers were this fierce, unafraid of death.

"Ol- old monster, d- d- don't run! S- s- stop for Lion-Hero!"

Suddenly, a great shout rang out from behind him. Wolf-Toad-Bear turned and saw that the hairy savage had caught up.

He broke into a sweat at once. With no road of retreat, he hardened his heart. Forward, then!

Clamping his horse again, he raised the spear high and charged into the rebel mass.

Then came a blur of sound:

Clang.

Bang.

Splat.

Aiee.

And so on.

In a spray of blood, a great swath of rebel soldiers went down.

"Clear the way, you lot!"

Wolf-Toad-Bear, his eyes red with killing rage, shouted so fiercely that the rebel soldiers staggered back two steps.

Just as he was about to spur forward again, one of the rebel troops cried out, "Brothers, don't let this old monster escape! We would shame the fallen if we did!"

The others took up the cry.

"Do not let the old monster get away! Avenge our dead brothers!"

"Revenge!"

Their angry voices rose higher and higher.

With a rush, the soldiers swarmed in together.

In the blink of an eye, they had him surrounded once more.

Blades and spears were lifted all at once.

In an instant, Wolf-Toad-Bear was thrown into chaos.

"Boy, take this!"

From behind came a thunderous bellow. At once, a gale-like force struck.

Wolf-Toad-Bear wheeled his horse and thrust up his spear to block.

A tremendous clang rang out as the spear met a chained hammer.

Sparks burst like a thousand flowers.

The sound was like a bolt of heaven splitting open; his ears rang with a harsh buzz.

The horse beneath him could not bear the impact and backed away more than ten paces.

Wolf-Toad-Bear himself fared even worse. His arms went numb, his tiger's mouth burned, and the spear nearly flew from his grasp.

"Ah, what a fierce brute!"

He looked closely and saw the attacker was broad-shouldered and tall, with leopard eyes and a sharp face, a lion-like nose with flared nostrils, a wide mouth, and fangs that gleamed with icy light. The whole body was covered in hair, and around the waist hung only a short tiger-skin skirt.

It was the same savage who had chased him from behind.

Though he could not tell whether this fellow was man or demon, the brute was far more savage than any demon, and Wolf-Toad-Bear dared not underestimate him.

The savage shook both arms, and in a blur split into three heads and six arms.

Clink.

From his waist he drew six single-edged sabers and charged again with murderous ferocity.

"Y- y- you refuse to yield, do you? B- b- boys, stand aside! This o- old monster is mine!"

With a bark like a crack of thunder, Lion-Hero sent the rebel soldiers backing away until the two combatants stood alone in the middle.

This time, Wolf-Toad-Bear had nowhere left to run.

Seeing that retreat was impossible, he staked his life on it. He thrust out a spear and brandished six sabers, rushing at Lion-Hero like seven whirling gales.

Then came another round of ringing blows:

Clang.

Bang.

Wolf-Toad-Bear's weapons struck the chained hammers, and his arms went numb. His sinews softened, his wrists slackened, and two of the sabers flew from his hands.

Unable to withstand the assault, he kept retreating.

Lion-Hero laughed uproariously and cursed, "Y- y- you've got a bit of skill, o- old monster. T- t- try your Lion-Hero's hammers again!"

His pair of chained hammers whirled with a howl as he pressed forward relentlessly.

Wolf-Toad-Bear dodged again and again. Before long, he saw clearly that the savage, though valiant, had only two arms after all, and his speed was much slower because of it.

Thus Wolf-Toad-Bear recovered his confidence.

He seized another long spear and raised four sabers once more, then surged back to meet him.

This time he avoided force and sought weakness.

The two spears were used specifically to tease and divert Lion-Hero's pair of chained hammers, while the four sabers struck at the openings.

With six weapons in play, his speed was effectively multiplied sixfold.

For a time, Lion-Hero was forced left and right, scrambling in vain to defend himself.

Soon after, several cuts landed on Lion-Hero's body with clangs and bangs, sparks flying everywhere.

Lion-Hero did not even frown; his body bore not the slightest wound.

"Ol- old monster, y- y- you've got guts, daring to c- c- cut Lion-Hero!"

Not only was he unharmed, but his temper flared even higher. His chained hammers spun even faster as he charged forward heedless of all else.

Wolf-Toad-Bear was driven back in alarm. One hammer slipped past his guard and struck him squarely in the chest.

With a dull thud, the blow sent him reeling, swaying twice, nearly tumbling from the horse.

Only because he braced the spear against the ground did he remain upright.

And only because he wore the Moonlit Treasure Armor did he escape without injury.

Thus the two men fought on, one relying on iron bones and copper sinews, the other on priceless armor for protection.

Hammer against blade, blade against hammer, they battered one another relentlessly.

The soldiers around them stared blankly, thinking, Good heavens, what manner of creatures are these? Why do even swords and spears fear them?

Lion-Hero raged and cursed without pause. "Ol- old monster, my f- f- fearlessness before blades and spears was earned through training. W- what kind of sorcery is yours? Once I g- g- get my hands on you, I’ll peel your skin off and see what’s inside!"

He was a fool, never realizing that it was the treasure armor on Wolf-Toad-Bear's body that was doing the work. He only thought some kind of demonic art was at play.

Wolf-Toad-Bear saw the situation and thought miserably, This won't do. If I keep entangling with him like this, I'm finished. I must find a way to escape at once.

He glanced around and saw that the defenses in the southeast corner were lax, leaving a gap. He hurriedly turned his horse's head, clamped his legs, and fled toward the southeast.