The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 447 Plague Fang Assassin
On the outskirts of Maitian Village, a sparsely packed group of soldiers was marching north.

They were among the last group of prisoners to depart.

The Salvation Army broke up their formation and reorganized them into ten-man squads, tied together by a rope, with a pikeman standing on each side to monitor their movements.

If one person escapes, the entire team will be punished.

In fact, even without this rule, no one would be willing to run away.

After all, once they left Wheatfield Village, the surrounding area consisted either of villages controlled by the Salvation Army or desolate wastelands with no villages or shops in sight.

Those who follow the Salvation Army at least have enough to eat and don't become food for wild animals.

As for returning to the Green Forest Army...

After witnessing Aka's fate, no one dared to even consider it.

Near the watchtower in Wheatfield Village, the [Gold Medal Artillery Soldier] has been resurrected and returned here via the teleportation array.

Watching the dejected prisoners walk away, his face was filled with regret. He only regretted that the rebels surrendered too quickly, not allowing him to kill them to his heart's content.

"I feel it's a bit of a pity."

[Lighter] glanced at him sideways.

"What's the pity?"

[Gold Medal Artilleryman] gave an awkward smile.

He certainly couldn't say it was because he regretted wasting experience, but telling the truth would seem too inhumane, so he had a flash of inspiration and said it indirectly.

"They're all rebels, how can we not kill a few of them?"

Lighter: "Weren't they killed during the war? And their leader is already dead."

Gold Medal Artillery Soldier: "What I mean is... there must be some guys among them who have done bad things, right? We have to find those people at least! We can't just let them go because they laid down their weapons and surrendered, can we?"

That makes sense.

[Lighter] nodded thoughtfully.

Even if the peasants' rebellion was understandable, they were still traitors to the kingdom. They couldn't just throw away their weapons and rejoin the peasants.

Looking at the two "shrimp soldiers and crab generals" who were sharing the burden of the Demon King, [both rustic and dull] chuckled inwardly and teased.

"How exactly do we find it?"

[Lighter] was taken aback upon hearing this.

Yes.

They don't have cameras.

That statement... seems to make sense?

"That is a problem... but we can't give up just because it's difficult."

[Gold Medal Artillery Soldier] racked his brains for a long time, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration, clapped his fist and said.

"Holy crap, I've got an idea!"

[Both humble and resilient] I was surprised.

"What's the idea?"

The elite artilleryman said, "We can get them to report on each other! Expose themselves! If they truly repent, they certainly won't protect the bad guys! We'll definitely be able to root out the bad guys hiding among the masses!"

The three players standing next to him were shocked when he said this.

"Holy crap, you're a genius."

"6666!"

"You're smarter than the saintess!"

Thinking the three beasts were praising him, [Gold Medal Artillery Soldier] smiled smugly and rubbed his nose with his index finger.

"Hehe, keep it low-key... I've been smart since I was little, and I even got first place in the class when I was in third grade."

Lighter: "Damn it, I thought you were a good guy, I almost fell for your trick. Thank goodness you're just a super soldier!"

Gold Medal Artillery Soldier: "???"

Both cautious and resilient: "I think this is a great idea. Not only can we gain experience, but we can also please the evil spirits in the chaos and see if we can make a deal with the Claw of Eternal Hunger. *manually adding a sarcastic emoji*"

Gold Medal Artillery Soldier: "Wait, how is this pleasing the evil spirits in chaos? I was clearly helping them drag out the Chaos Apostles, okay?!"

Lighter: "Claw of Eternal Hunger: Well said! I love watching this! Haha."

He was both rustic and dull: "Guess what methods the Green Forest Army used to find so many 'priests,' 'nuns,' and 'nobles'?"

Both humble and resilient: "Pope: I remember this tiny place only had one regional bishop, how come there are so many bishops and saints?"

The elite artilleryman said, "No... of course I know there might be fakes involved, but flies don't land on eggs without cracks, right? What I mean is, this can at least identify some high-risk individuals and serve as a deterrent, making these farmers who fought together wary of each other. So that when their reform through labor ends, they won't dare to organize and start an uprising again..."

"Stop wasting your time talking to this guy. You have to teach him by doing it himself."

[Both cunning and resilient] With a wicked smile, he draped his slender, snow-white skeletal arm over the strong shoulder of the gold-medal artillery soldier.

"Prove it now that you didn't force yourself on me last night."

Gold Medal Artillery Soldier: "???"

He was both rustic and dull-witted: "I testify! I saw it!"

Gold Medal Artillery Soldier: "???"

……

Fortunately, the vast majority of players are normal people, and a potential Chaos Apostle was nipped in the bud.

Of course, it doesn't really matter if we don't suppress it.

After all, the Demon King is a master chess player; when would he need to listen to the advice of a lousy chess player?
Who is bronze and who is silver depends on the player's own efforts on the surface, but in reality, even if an exceptionally talented player works himself to the bone, he will never have a chance to squeeze into T0.

Sending souls of different virtues to different ecological niches is also one of the Demon King's arts of rule.

On the other side, Sparrowwood Fort.

Through the scouts trained by Sarah for the Salvation Army, Luo Yan obtained the latest news about Twilight City.

Nearly a million troops surrounded the entire city, while the allied forces of the Duchy of Campbell and the Dwarves were still struggling to march through the Stillwaters territory, which was jointly controlled by the Skaven and the Greenwoods.

According to reliable sources, the Chosen Ones of Chaos in the Green Forest Army seem to have become stronger again.

Moreover, at the same time, a rat-man tribe called the "Rotten Flesh" clan, located in the Wanren Mountains, also came into everyone's view.

They originally only supplied the Green Forest Army with provisions through tunnels, but as the regional situation escalated, they were no longer satisfied with just providing food and weapons and began to send ground troops and assassins to support the Green Forest Army's war.

At a time when everyone was fanning the flames, the Salvation Army stood out as a breath of fresh air.

On the castle's training grounds, a group of militiamen were practicing riding under the guidance of their riding instructors.

The instructor, clad in light armor, roared as he chased after the disorganized riders.

Before this, he had only taught the young master riding skills for the lord, and this was the first time he had taught so many people at once.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"

"Press your chests against the horse's back, don't let your horse see your fear, conquer it with courage! If you don't want to be thrown off!"

The troops undergoing training are a new type of Salvation Army army, officially called "Hand Cannon Cavalry," but Luo Yan refers to them as "Grenade Cavalry."

As their name suggests, they were light cavalry on the battlefield, mainly responsible for carrying dwarven hand cannons to charge to the flank of the enemy formation, fire a shot, then retreat after a single shot, reload, and fire another round.

If the enemy had not yet been defeated at that time.

The dwarven hand cannons that run from North Peak City to Calamity Keep have a single exploding shell with the power of at least a bronze-level spell!

The power of a volley from a hundred cavalrymen is at least equivalent to the power of a silver or even gold-level AOE spell... if we have to make a cross-dimensional comparison between mortal power and extraordinary power.

Compared to revolutionary weapons like rotary machine guns and rockets, the dwarven hand cannons are not only more suitable for the terrain of Sparrowwood Territory, but also for the Salvation Army's current economic situation and to keep them in the dark.

This is, after all, the human world.

There's no need for Luo Yan to risk the loss of advanced technology by letting the empire learn its advanced weapons "too early"...

From the tower of Sparrowwood Fortress, Luo Yan looked down at the training ground below, an approving expression on his face.

Just then, he heard light footsteps behind him, along with a faint trace of melancholy.

"Are we... going to war again?"

Luo Yan turned around and saw Karen, dressed in a plain white dress, walking towards him.

"Why do you think so?"

Seeing Mr. Colin looking at her, Karen blinked gently and answered truthfully.

"Your eyes tell me."

"Oh?"

Luo Yan glanced at the increasingly intelligent girl with slight surprise, then smiled and said.

"You're quite impressive. You might actually have awakened the ability to communicate with the gods."

Upon hearing Mr. Colin's praise, Karen's face broke into a shy smile, the heartfelt joy of an immature child receiving praise from an elder.

However, that joy did not last long, and soon turned into a soft sigh.

"While I appreciate your recognition, I'd rather it was just me overthinking things."

The people of Quemu Territory had finally achieved a stable life, and she no longer had to wear a mask that didn't belong to her every day and run around. She could stay by her god's side every day and listen to the legends he told.

This has been the happiest time of her life since she was dragged out of her home by the chains of fate.

There was no hardship of wandering and displacement.

Only peace comes from the depths of the soul.

She is an easily satisfied person, and she is quite content with her current life.

Seeing the sorrow behind the country girl's eyes, Luo Yan smiled faintly and said...

“I understand. You think that way because you are a kind person… Most people want more after receiving my favors.”

A faint blush rose to Karen's cheeks as she lowered her smooth forehead and spoke softly.

"It's not that I haven't hoped to get more from you... but I often think of that cold, snowy night, and whenever that happens, I feel that things are pretty good now."

“However, what you see may be an illusion.” Luo Yan shifted his gaze from Karen’s face to the forest outside the castle and the vast sea of ​​clouds that stretched to the horizon.

"Although you have escaped the pursuers behind you, this war is not over. The raging wildfires are still going on. As long as you are alive... they will never let you go."

The saintess said in a low voice.

"But...why? We just want to live our own lives well."

Luo Yan said casually.

"Because we are putting out the fire, but not everyone wants to see the fire end."

A massive wildfire raged in the forest, and every tree was trying to figure out which tree had done wrong, while only the Salvation Army was trying to extinguish the fire.

This is undoubtedly something that Chaos does not want to see.

They are not seeking victory, nor defeat, but merely hoping that this flame can burn endlessly, so that their power can expand like a snowball.

Therefore, the whispers of the void will tell the towering trees that it was the withered shrubs at their feet that nurtured the seeds of evil. Then He will tell the plants struggling at the foot of the trees that it was the lush, leafy trees that attracted the heavenly lightning, which caused the wildfire.

In this way, they will fight endlessly, believing that only by killing everyone except themselves can the catastrophe end.

In fact, the chosen one of the "Claws of Eternal Hunger" was also on the list of sacrifices.

Of course, Luo Yan had never seen the Claw of Eternal Hunger before and didn't know the specifics of its rituals. He only made a rough deduction based on logic—the more apostles of the Claw of Eternal Hunger were killed, the more numerous they became, and they grew stronger with each kill, even stronger with each kill. Until finally, a monster that even a demigod couldn't handle appeared, slaughtering all the remaining survivors in one fell swoop, completing the final great sacrifice.

If his speculation is correct, then the "Salvation Army" he has supported will be Urgos's greatest nemesis on this land.

No wonder.

After suffering a humiliating defeat on the front lines, they did not hesitate to send assassins.

Looking at the little mice lurking beneath his spiritual tendrils, Luo Yan's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

There are a total of 102 ratman assassins, the strongest of whom is actually at the gold level, while the weakest is at least at the bronze level.

If I hadn't been guarding this castle every day, they might actually have had a chance.

After all, relying on just one "champion warrior" is somewhat mismatched with their expertise.

This is probably all the elite forces they have deployed in the Quemubao area.

Incidentally, he deliberately placed the battlefield in this convenient location.

He hadn't just noticed these little guys recently, even though they were quite well hidden.

"Mr. Colin?"

When Colin suddenly stared straight at her, Karen felt a little embarrassed, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

Even though she knew those clear eyes harbored no improper thoughts about her, and that she herself had no intention of overstepping her bounds, she still asked a question in a trembling voice, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt unconsciously tightening with nervousness.

Luo Yan did not answer, but simply smiled and extended his hand.

"Can I borrow your hand for a moment?"

He had to prove to the "foolish" Youyou that he wasn't always hiding behind women.

As a nimble dancer, he can change his poses as needed.

Sometimes it will be in front.

Karen extended her right hand without hesitation or asking any questions.

The moment she grasped that warm, large hand, she felt a dizzying sensation around her. When she came to her senses, she was standing in the woods outside the castle, surrounded by lush greenery.

This is……

where?

She blinked until she met the gaze of a startled squirrel and watched as the pine cone fell to the ground, realizing that Mr. Colin had taken her away from the castle.

Just as Karen was wondering what he was going to do, the rat-man assassins hiding in the shadows of the castle corridors were also stunned, completely bewildered by what was happening before their eyes.

The cloaked man simply grasped the saintess's hand, and then the two vanished into thin air.

In the dim light, Guinea Corrupt Tongue, holding a dagger, saw a butterfly quietly land on the handrail of the corridor.

He had never seen such a beautiful butterfly before; its star-like patterns seemed to belong to another world.

Before he could react, the slow, deliberate voice came to mind.

"...I hate guests who come in without knocking. What if I happen to be doing something shady?"

He never claimed to be a gentleman, and there's always a 1% chance that such a thing could happen.

Gurney's pupils suddenly contracted, and his small, beady eyes looked around frantically, searching for the source of the sound, but he couldn't see where it was coming from at all.

Not only could they not see where it came from, but the little guys who were lying in ambush with him didn't hear the sound at all and were still wondering why their target had suddenly disappeared.

Gurney didn't know what tricks that human thing had used, but one thing was certain—

Their plan has been exposed!

Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively tore off his disguise and shouted in a shrill voice.

"Plan canceled! Scatter! Quickly! Retreat!"

They can't escape.

At the very moment Luo Yan finished speaking, the biting cold sealed off the doors on both sides of the corridor, cutting off the little mice's escape route.

At the same time, the metal armor standing on both sides of the corridor suddenly seemed to come alive, raising the mace and knight's longsword in front of them, their sinister gazes emanating from beneath the armor.

No one was lying in ambush inside beforehand.

An unseen giant hand and a glowing magic wand grasped each piece of the cold armor.

"...Your flesh and blood are forged from steel, and you must repay my kindness with the blood of your sins...Go, kill these vermin for me."

The spell is complete.

Unlike the Sword Saint, who always lets his opponent draw their sword first in every duel, the Demon King never cares about martial ethics and his methods are always flashy and unpredictable.

Before the panicked mice could flee, the twenty-five steel golems charged forward like charging chariots, their heavy steps clanging and rattling.

The panicked Plague Fang assassins tried to retaliate with their poisoned daggers, only to find that they were no match for the group of metal golems.

Direct confrontation is not their forte, especially when it comes to dealing with something like a metal can.

Even though their daggers could pierce the cold, heavy armor, they could not stop these fleshless knights from wielding their longswords and hacking and slashing through the swarm of rats.

Even though these ratmen were no ordinary beings, possessing remarkable strength and skill, they still could not escape the trap personally woven for them by a diamond-level necromancer.

To their despair, they had already left more than twenty corpses on the ground, but still hadn't seen the spellcaster.

They weren't even sure if he was in the castle; they could only watch helplessly as the rampaging knights, aided by magic, were strangled to death.

Seeing the oncoming foot knight, Guine Rotting Tongue drew the scimitar hidden under his cloak and swung it forcefully, severing the knight's helmet in one strike.

To his despair, the severed head remained unharmed, swinging a mace at him. Fortunately, he was agile enough to dodge the ferocious blow.

His opponent changed from a walking knight to a headless horseman.

Not only that, just as he gripped his scimitar in reverse, preparing to cut the headless knight in half, an unseen hand suddenly seized his wildly beating heart.

His eyes bulged, and he felt as if poison was being injected into every blood vessel in his body, his strength draining away at an incredible speed...

It's necromancy!
“Soul extraction?!” he screamed in terror, trying to break free of the invisible chains and to dispel the fear in his heart.

The headless horseman chased after him, along with his sweeping mace!

The roaring steel emitted a fierce howl, and this strike was enough to shatter the city gate, which was not protected by magic, instantly!
Gurney Rotting Tongue leaped backward with force, barely dodging the fatal blow, and then used the momentum to flip and leap down towards the bottom of the castle.

This is the only chance to survive!
He had already realized that the magician who had been toying with him possessed the power to crush him!
Let alone a Gold-level Plaguefang Assassin like myself, even a Diamond-level Chosen of Chaos would probably suffer a major setback in front of that guy...

The distance of tens of meters can be covered in the blink of an eye!
Gurney landed heavily on both feet, kicking up a noisy cloud of dust at the edge of the training field!

The excruciating pain from the piercing of his ankles and knees caused a fleeting look of agony on his rat-like face, but that pain quickly transformed into the ecstatic joy of escaping death.

It worked!
The large hand that had gripped his heart seemed to loosen, and he successfully escaped the casting range of the soul-draining spell.

There was no time to mourn his fallen men. He dared not linger for a moment and used all his strength to rush toward the hedge next to the training ground, trying to escape from this bloody hell.

He must bring back the news that the saintess is protected by a diamond-level necromancer!
This might be the most direct proof of the intervention of Hell forces in the Twilight Province!

however--

He was too happy too soon.

The moment his forepaws touched the castle’s courtyard, a chill ran down his spine.

That feeling...

It's like being locked onto by a natural enemy.

With legs feeling as heavy as lead, Guinea Rotting Tongue barely managed to move her neck and finally saw the figure standing beside the fountain, along with a pair of ears perked up on the jet-black fur.

Her vertical pupils flashed with bloodthirsty cruelty; she seemed to have been waiting here for a long time.

In his final moments, Guinea Rotting Tongue heard that nonchalant voice once more.

"Sarah, it's all yours now."

He was always within that unseen, overwhelming force, never escaping for even a second...

"As ordered."

The final 0.1 seconds.

The cold dagger and the sound of it cutting through the air pierced his paper-thin skull together...

……

The killing on the castle corridor ended in just three minutes.

If it weren't for testing the new spells he had learned on his journey, Luo Yan could have made those little rats die even faster.

The space distorted slightly, and the azure butterfly appeared and disappeared again.

When Luo Yan stood in the corridor again, a surprised Karen appeared beside him.

"What is this...?" Karen's face was filled with shock as she looked at the blood and mud and severed limbs scattered on the ground.

"The ratmen in the Wanren Mountains," Luo Yan released the soft little hand and said gently, "I should have said before that the Green Forest Army is not a simple rebel army. They probably colluded with the ratmen a long time ago."

"What I really wanted to ask was..." Karen glanced at him furtively, "How did I suddenly end up outside the castle?"

Luo Yan explained casually.

"That's my magic, um... could you keep it a secret for me for now? I don't want too many people to know this secret."

It wasn't magic, but a gift from the Soliphi people called the "Butterfly of All Things."

However, it would be too troublesome to explain, so he decided not to say it.

Karen nodded seriously.

"I swear on my life that I will protect this secret for the rest of my life."

"There's no need to exaggerate like that."

If it were really that serious, he wouldn't have used that skill in front of her.

Karen took a deep breath, quickly calming herself down, and glanced around at the corpses.

“I understand why you said that not everyone wants this fire to end… Even if we want to live in peace with them, they will come after us for their own desires and ambitions.”

“That’s right.” Luo Yan nodded approvingly, looking at the simple country girl with satisfaction.

She is growing up very quickly.

This also saves a lot of time for me to train myself, and I can skip the prelude and go straight to the point.

Karen nodded respectfully and prayed for divine guidance in a sincere voice.

"...Please tell me, what should I do next?"

The voice did not question it at all.

Just like before, I held his hand without hesitation.

"...The Rock Sword Saint is on his way here, and he may arrive at the castle by evening. He is also an extremely kind person, and he is willing to use his sword to cut through all the thorns for you, so that your order can spread to the Griffin Cliff territory, which is in dire straits."

After telling Karen what he had seen, Luo Yan continued to give instructions in a relaxed tone.

“I need you to follow your destiny and spread the light of order there in the name of the saint, bringing bread and ‘new doctrines’ to people suffering in dire straits.”

“I believe that if it were you now, even without listening to my divine pronouncements, you would know exactly how to proceed with this matter.”

He couldn't possibly go with Karen.

After all, the Sword Saint is coming here, so he needs to take Sarah and Taff away from this castle for a while...

(End of this chapter)